"Lift Up Thine Eyes"

Isaiah 60:1-5

As illustrated by Isaiah 59:9,10, there are many types of blindness.  Sometimes the environment is just so dark that we are unable to see until we get some light.  Another kind of blindness comes with something that happens suddenly, like a flash, which causes temporary blindness.  In other situations there may be a disease or injury of the eye which has caused a loss of vision, and we are blind.  When Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth, and I guess that congenital blindness would be a fourth type, He introduced Himself as the Light of the World.

What does it take for us to see?  We can use three elements of physical, natural, vision to illustrate the message that Isaiah was given.  If we have spiritual vision as he describes it, then we will also have the hope that he is giving to God’s people who anxiously anticipated Christ’s coming. 

Isaiah 60:1-5  “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.  For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.  And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.  Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.  Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.”

1. Sight

A.  Who Can See  Isaiah is delivering a prophecy of the coming Messiah which is somewhat like the famous one in chapter 9.  Both prophecies speak of His Second Coming but they are previewed by the wonderful things that He would do upon His first coming.  The purpose of these prophecies is also similar, it was to encourage God’s people of the present with His power, and His plan to exercise it.  He will do that first on behalf of Israel, and then as blessing to all who will come.

We are given this book full of promises to Israel so that we too will be encouraged with the fact that God knows what He is doing, and He is doing it well.  Would you agree that not everybody sees that?  Spiritual blindness is an epidemic today, and even Christians, who have been cured, often seem to suffer the symptoms of their old disease.

Isaiah had a certain hope of a day when this disease would be eradicated.  It is common for prophets to speak of the future in the past tense because God’s Word is so certain.  I have described it as being “as good as done.”  More eloquently, J. Vernon Magee put it this way:  “Prophecy is the mold into which History is poured.”

B.  How We See  When Isaiah speaks of “gentiles” and “kings” coming to the light, he was referring to how they would receive sight, they would be saved.  The classic passage on this is John 3:3 “...Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  This is a part of how “all things are become new” for a believer according to II Corinthians 5. 

Verse three reminds us of how the Wise Men came to see Jesus in Bethlehem, and that may be a glimpse of what Isaiah was talking about.  Yet as He looked to Christ’s Kingdom established after the Second Coming, it reminds us that coming to Jesus has always been the only means of salvation.

2. Light

A.  Who’s to Shine  “Dayspring” is one of the beautiful titles given to the Messiah.  He always has and always will bring light to this world because He is the Light!  John tells us that when He came the first time He truly shined into the darkness of the world, but for the most part the world did not get it.  They “comprehended it not.”

      Isaiah was writing to people who had rejected God’s revelation over and again.  It occurs to me, though, that the people paying the most attention to this prophecy were the ones who did see and love God’s light.  The heart’s desire of a precious few among God’s people was to reflect God’s light from the heavens into the darkness of their times.  The world will never “get it,” but we can, and we certainly ought to receive Him wholly for ourselves.

B.  How to Shine  We always ought to search out the commands or responsibilities as we look into Scripture.  Those who were listening were commanded to “shine,” “behold,” and “see.”  With God’s light we too can scatter the darkness and in that way give glory to God and hope to the world.  The command of Jesus from Matthew 5:16 that we have etched on our front windows is, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.”  If Jesus is the Light, and He is, then we are not the source of Light but reflectors of it. 

Our cleanliness or personal holiness will make a great difference in how well we reflect Jesus Christ in the world.  For someone to look at this old sinner and somehow see the Light of the World is a fantastic miracle, and only He makes it possible.  He does that by washing away our past sins and supplying all that we need for victory over sin in the present and future.

Jesus also commanded that we not hide our light under a bushel, because our courage is the other main factor in shining for Jesus.  I thought that maybe it is just apathy that keeps us from shining, and maybe that is part of it, but that will be answered if we come clean with God and take courage from Him.  He made us and saved us to be meek for ourselves but bold in speaking out for Him.

A simple example of this is the way that we are seen on Facebook.  If we are to shine for Christ everywhere we are, then that must include everywhere we are on the internet.  We know that it does not take much courage just to re-post someone’s religious cliché or picture, but it does take courage to share your personal walk with God, and to give Him glory for everything in your timeline.  That takes courage because it will also put your cleanliness under a lot more scrutiny.  So, you “like” Jesus, what else or who else do you “like?”  What kind of attitude do you display?  What kind of language and humor do you use?  God’s light is needed everywhere.

To see as God wants us to see we need sight, light, and-

3. Height

A.  Where We Are  v. 2 “gross darkness”  In the one sense darkness is darkness, and if you cannot see, it does not matter how dark it is.  On the other hand, darkness is often described as “thick,” “total,” or “pitch black.”  The Egyptians suffered a plague of darkness “which could be felt.”  The “gross darkness” here refers to a thick cloud. 

Especially when we are away from man-made lights and have snow on the ground, the little lights of the heavens can make a big difference.  When there are heavy clouds, though, everything is obscured.  Have you seen pictures of places that are overcome by clouds of volcanic ash?  My favorite view of scenes like that comes from satellites which show us how the world can be blanketed and the sun totally obscured.  Heaven always has the ultimate perspective on Earth!

Spiritually, we live in a world of tall buildings, smog, and light pollution.  Like city-dwellers we have a hard time getting a view of the horizon or even the clear sky.  The sun is obscured and heavenly lights are unseen in the night.  Yet it seems that we do not know what we are missing.  We just go on from day to day, without guidance, bearing, or perspective.

Jesus said, “Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world” John 8:23.  Paul described Him as being “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:” Ephesians 1:21.  When we see where the Lord is in the events of our world and of our lives, then we will begin to see where we need to be!

B.  How to Rise Above  I said that the commands in this passage were, “shine,” “behold,” and “see,” but I left out two commands.  The first word in verse one is “arise” and in verse four begins with, “Lift up thine eyes.”  In their distress, God’s people were hanging their heads and it seemed that they would miss out on God’s working if they did not raise their heads and their gaze.

It should always be a comfort to us when God gives us a command.  First because then we know what to do, and we are not left clueless.  Secondly, a responsibility from God means that we also have an ability from Him, and we are not left powerless.  Apparently, God’s people can “arise, shine,” and “lift up” their eyes and “see!”  We need not hang our heads in this life, because God hung His Son on a cross to give us eternal life.  Even more, He gave us eternal vision!  We can rise above and see forever, “round about,” in every direction.

Do not let this world, the daily hassles of this life, get you down or keep you down.  Some great philosopher said, “It is hard to soar with the eagles when you are in a flock of turkeys.”  If you are saved you are in a world of different creatures.  As a new creature, “behold, all things are become new” so do not go about your life the same old way!  Live on a higher plane, by higher standards, with a higher purpose for living.  Trust me, that will not give you a higher view of yourself, but it will give you a higher view of our infinite God.  Life on a higher plane will give you a right view of yourself and your responsibilities to God.

Conclusion:

What is there to see around here?  Do you think of the local attractions, the lighthouse, the museums, the lake, the Jelly-Belly factory?  Or, are their souls around here that we have yet to truly see?

If we have spiritual sight, if we have the Light of the World, and if we have the perspective of the high moral ground, what are we supposed to see?  Isaiah was given a vision of all kinds of people coming to Christ.  He mentions their scattered families coming and their mortal enemies coming as well.  Perhaps we should begin with our family and friends, at least we do not need to be convinced to love them.  Hopefully we care for their souls already, but what are we doing for them?  If they are in the dark and we have the light, what are we doing to make a connection with them?  Do you have a vision of the glory and the goodness of your Savior, how He loves your loved ones, and how He wants to use you to reach them? 

I would like to challenge you to make a promise and make a plan.  Tell God you will do what He wants you to do to bring your loved ones into the kingdom, God’s family.  Then start earnestly, honestly figuring out what exactly He wants you to do.  Begin with prayer, make a list of those who God wants you to see, then plan to write a letter, have a meal, have a talk, get to the point, extend an invitation!  Make a plan of action, pray about it for a few days (not years or decades!), then put the plan into action!

Do you recall that Jesus also told God’s people, His disciples, to “lift up” their eyes?  He was pointing out the opportunity for ministry among the needy souls of Samaria.  They hated the Samaritans!  However, the disciples had just been in the town of Sychar buying lunch and rubbing shoulders with those lost souls.  What had the disciples seen there?  A Value Meal?  Had they given the slightest consideration to what God wanted for those people and how He could use His disciples to reach them?

Here is how a church family is supposed to work together.  We are to encourage one-another toward obedience, and we help one-another fulfill our responsibilities.  Do not be a spiritual deadbeat and expect someone else to do your work for you!

I will give you the same challenge for folks you do not know or hardly know as I did for your loved ones.  Pray that God will lay some souls on your heart, it may well be that He will burden you for people on a distant mission field, make a promise and make a plan to do your part.  Look to get personally involved in correspondence, prayer, spreading information and meeting specific needs.

If you are looking for a burden for souls, it will likely be a neighbor or an acquaintance at work whom God wants you to reach.  Make a promise and make a plan.  Pray for that person and ask God how He would have you to make a connection.  Perhaps you will see someone as you have never seen them before, perhaps hatred or annoyance will even turn into a heavenly love!  It all begins when you lift up your eyes!