The Redemption of the Mundane - Mike Chipman

 

I have been preaching through Isaiah for a few years. I just preached through Isaiah 60 and I remembered that John borrows from this imagery in Revelation 21. As God reveals the new heavens and new earth, He also shows the city of God, and the “kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.” (Rev 21:24) This is further spelled out in the words of Isaiah 60, as Isaiah details for us what we will see in this parade. In verse 9, the ships of Tarshish sail before the Lord, drawn in by his marvelous light to show their wares. Ancient trade knew these ships for their beauty, but also for the fact that they carried many wonderful things from afar. In Isaiah 2:16, the ships of Tarshish were an object of God’s wrath, but in 60, we see them again - this time having been redeemed. “For the coastlands shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the Lord your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has made you beautiful.” (Isaiah 60:9). In Revelation 21, Jesus says, “Behold, I am making all things new.” In Isaiah 60, we see that one of those things is the ships of Tarshish. A seemingly mundane part of the ancient world, but in the the new city of God, these ships carry the redeemed people of the Lord.

So what does this have to do with me? While the people of Isaiah’s day were hearing these prophecies before their times of exile, they knew those days were coming. The budding civilization of Babylon would soon be a mighty juggernaut, and they would sweep up Judah into their grasp. The people in exile would read Isaiah, and long for the day of redemption - that would find it’s near fulfillment in Cyrus, but its ultimate fulfillment in the one who makes all things new - Jesus. We know that in Christ, we are a new creation - the old is gone, the new is come. Yet, as we live our day-to-day lives, we don’t always feel that way. We know the truth, but that doesn’t always change our hearts. We get bogged down in the ordinary. The “exile” of this world is drudgery sometimes, and we long for the day when our Savior will come again and lead us home.

Yet, here we are. How do we live in light of the fact that we are new creations, but the world around us isn’t yet? Christians, we are ambassadors of Christ, agents of redemption, salt and light to a sad and dark world. If the ships of Tarshish find will one day be redeemed, so will the works of our hands. When the wealth of nations is brought before the Lord, among those things will be the works we have done in the name of the Lord. We have been created in Christ Jesus for good works. More than that - they have even been prepared beforehand that we might walk in them (Eph 2:10). Even the “mundane” things of this world have meaning in Christ. As Christians, we represent the King of kings, and whether we are on the mission field, in the office, or the home, our work matters. Because our work matters, we should do it for the Lord. This truth liberates us from the mundane and gives us hope for all our work. This hope is not only for our growth in grace, but it is also for a lost world. Jesus said they were, “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” The hope we have is a boon to the lost soul. The gospel message we preach is redemption from the mundane and removes the veil of darkness. It takes the harassed and gives them rest. The world cannot redeem itself, and in the end, even the most beautiful things turn to dust. We worship one who is making all things new.

As you minister to one another and the lost, remember the picture of the ships of Tarshish, coming to their final port in heavenly glory. As the nations of the world bring their glory to the Lamb of God, there will be a place for all who are in Christ. Remind one another of that hope. Preach the gospel of hope to a weary world.