Sermon Podcast

Isaiah(3):- See How A Faithful City Has Become A Harlot

Is 1:21-31 Rev Evan Seah

21 January 2024

When Israel failed to offer up true worship, the repercussions of that not only affected individual aspects of life, but also the nation as a whole. While many might think that the way to change a nation is through evangelism or doing good, if the worship of the church is not restored first, there is no way for the land to be turned around. Thus, offering true & glorious worship is the key to saving the city.

What then is glorious worship? To put it simply, it is worship done in the manifested presence of God (aka the Holy of Holies). In the worship, God is exalted through dying to ourselves (burnt offering), and manifests Himself through His Word. Thus when He speaks, worshipers must hear & respond to the Word. Moreover, through meeting God, one must experience a revolutionary change, i.e. an increase in holiness & the ability to confirm the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, glorious worship will demolish strongholds & bring victory in spiritual warfare, as well as result in mission as God sends His people out into the world (e.g. Acts 13, Isa 6, Mt 28:17).

In the passage, God highlights the repercussions of Israel’s corrupted worship. He laments that the “faithful city” (v21) which once was loyal to Him & only looked to Him, has become a “harlot”, who prostituted herself to the other nations, losing her dignity & glory. Because of the failure of worship, the city has lost its ability to judge with justice & righteousness, in turn being filled with ‘murderers’(v21)  i.e. people who only live for themselves. The consequences extend to both (v22 ‘silver turning to dross’) & political (v23 ‘governors loving bribes’) arenas. …Read More

---