Isaiah 54 Verses 11-12

Verses 11-12 

"That though for a while she (The church, Lucy)  was in sorrow 

and under oppression, 

she should at length be advanced 

to greater honor and splendour than ever."

Very precious promises are made here to the church in her low condition. Anybody know what's going on with church membership here of late? God says here he would not only continue his love to his people under their troubles as before (In captivity, in Babylon, in sin, in bondage to the world), here he says he's not just gonna restore them to their former prosperity but that he would raise them to greater prosperity than any they had yet enjoyed. (Ever been a metaphor before Lucy?) In Isaiah chapter 53 there the humiliation and exaltation of Christ. Here? Here we have the humiliation and exaltation of the church; for, if we suffer with him, we shall reign with him. 2 Timothy 2:12 "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us"

The distressed state of the church is here reduced to by the loving protection of God. Isaiah 54:11 "“Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with lapis lazuli." "Oh thou afflicted, poor, and indigent society, that art tossed with tempests, like a ship driven from her anchors by a storm and hurried into the ocean, where she is ready to be swallowed up by the waves, and in this condition not comforted by any compassionate friend that will sympathize with thee, or suggest to thee any encouraging considerations  (Sound pretty familiar to me), not comforted by any allay to thy trouble, or prospect of deliverance out of it.’ Ecclesiastes 4:1 "So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter." This was the condition of the Jews in Babylon and for a while afterwards even. This is also the condition of Christian churches and of particular believers, outside they are fighting, inside they have their fears. They are like disciples in a storm, ready to perish; and where is their faith?

Here? The glorious state the church is advanced to by the promise of God. God takes note of the afflicted and distressed state of his church and he comforts her, when she is without consolation or comfort and has no other comforter. (Sound familiar Lucy? What kinda love was sent here to help you heal sweetheart? Divine love. Just a vessel, and happy to be so.) Let the people of God when they are afflicted and tossed about, think they hear God speaking comfortably to them by these words. He takes notice of their griefs and fears, what afflictions they are under, what distresses they are in and what comforts their case calls for. When they express discontent for themselves, God express discontent for them, and speaks to them with pity. "O thou afflicted, tossed with tempests, and not comforted." Because in their afflictions he is afflicted. But this isn't all, he engages to raise her up out of her affliction, and encourages her with the assurance of the great things he would do for her, (Familiar Lucy?) both for her prosperity and for the securing of that prosperity to her.

Whereas the church now lay in disgrace, God promises that which would be her beauty and honour, which would make her easy to herself and amiable in the eyes of others.

This is explained here by a metaphor about a city. It's a fitting comparison for the church is the city of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem. Revelation 21:1-4 "Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Whereas when this is being foretold Jerusalem lay in ruins, a heap of rubbish, it shall be not only rebuilt, but beautified, and it shall appear more splendid than ever; the stones shall be laid not only firm, but fine, laid with fair colours; they shall be glistering stones. 1 Chr. 29:2 "Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance." The foundations shall be laid or garnished with sapphires, the most precious of the precious stones mentioned here. Because Christ, the church's foundation, and the foundation of the apostles and prophets, are precious above anything else. The windows of this house, city, or temple, shall be made of agates, the gates of carbuncles, and all the borders, the walls that enclose the courts, or the boundaries by which her limits are marked, shall be of pleasant stones, I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones. This could be taken in the literal sense. Or it could mean that God, having so graciously undertaken to build his church, we would expect that it should be done in a great manner and done so uncommonly. (Just a reminder, I'm referencing the revival of his church thats coming during the end times, the time when God will pour out his spirit on all peoples, Joel 2 28-32).  The glory of the new-testament church shall delight in those gifts and graces of the spirit, which are infinitely valuable, that wisdom which is more precious than rubies, Proverbs 3:15 "She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her." (How long had I known you when I sent you that text Lucy?:-) More precious than the precious onyx and the sapphire, and which the topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal, Job. 28:16, "It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or lapis lazuli", Job. 28:19, "The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold." The wealth of this world and those things of it that are accounted most precious shall be despised by all the true living members of the church as having no value, no glory whatsoever in comparison with that which far excels. That which the children of this world lay up among their treasures, and too often in their hearts, the children of God make pavements of, and put under their feet, the fittest place of it. I said this a long time ago, how ironic is it, that the guy who couldn't care less whether he ever had material wealth or not, is about to be the mosst prosperous person the people around him have ever known? Do you think maybe he's trying to tell people something with that messaage? That there is a lesson to be learned here? Lucy? We will enjoy our reward and do as much good as we can with it while were here. But when were gone? It shall be given away or set up in such a manner to replicate itself to continue to do good for others. That how much we care about it folks. Thats how much were gonna "store it up". The only "storing up" were gonna do is to attempt to make the lives of others better. In this phrophecy it is promised in the special instances of those things that shall be the beauty and honor of the church, which are knowledge, holiness, and love, the very image of God, in which man was created, renewed, and restored. And this shall be the sapphires and carbuncles, the precious and pleasant stones, with which the gospel temple shall be enriched and beautified. And these precious gems shall be extracted by the power and the ability to produce a desired or intended result of the doctrines which the apostle compares to gold or silver, and precious stones, that are to be built upon the foundation. 1 Corinthians 3:11-13, "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work."