Sermon Tone Analysis

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens begins with these words,

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going the other way.

St. Augustine wrote about two cities long before Dickens.

His work was titled, The City of God.

It is a classic theological text that depicts two different cities: the city of men and the city of God or you could say, “the city of the earth and the city of Heaven.”

Augustine argued that from the first rebellion of the fallen angels against God “two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly love of self, even to the contempt of God; the heavenly love of God, even to the contempt of self.”

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But long before Augustine, Isaiah conveyed these same concepts in chapters 24-27.

He goes back and forth contrasting these two different approaches to life, truth, trials, and eternity.

We will examine these two cities today in Isaiah 24-27.

There are two different ways of looking at the world.

Two different approaches to truth, God, and life after death.

This contrast is our focus today.

There is the secular approach (life without God) and the sacred (life built on the foundation of God).

We see this division first in the lives of Cain and Abel.

Cain made an offering to God of what he deemed best, Abel brought what the Lord said should be brought for sacrifice.

There are two groups in the world, those who do what they want to do and those who try to do what God wants them to do.

Cain went off to build a city of his own and Abel was dead.

He was replaced by Seth who followed the way of the Lord (the City of God).

The City of Man

In Isaiah 24 we read,

10 The city writhes in chaos;

every home is locked to keep out intruders.

11 Mobs gather in the streets, crying out for wine.

Joy has turned to gloom.

Gladness has been banished from the land.

12 The city is left in ruins,

its gates battered down.

13 Throughout the earth the story is the same—

only a remnant is left,

like the stray olives left on the tree

or the few grapes left on the vine after harvest.

The city of man is chaotic.

As you read these words in Isaiah, they might sound a great deal like a recent newscast.

The city of the earth (or the city of man) is all around us.

Character has given way to insults and a mindset that tries to “get what you can get.”

The city of man is indulgent.

The citizens are discontent and often angry at the world.

Many of the current movements so prominent today are angry movements; people who feel cheated and taken advantage of.

They have many to blame but often see no responsibility on their end to make any changes.

Most of the human race (many Christians too) is working to build its own world on its own terms.

Though many of the groups and cultures disagree with each other, they are all on the same path: the path of hostility toward God.

Much of what takes place in the city of man is wildly inconsistent.

This is because it is not rational, it is emotional.

For example, people don’t like a speaker because they believe he/she is prejudiced, divisive, or mean-spirited.

So, they protest, disrupt the meeting, and hurl invectives at the speaker.

In other words, they see no disconnect between charging people with cruel beliefs while they bully those who disagree with them!

In the city of man people proclaim the absolute necessity of freedom of choice while taking that choice away from babies, infants, people with special needs, the elderly, or anyone with whom they disagree.

It is an incoherent belief system.

It is anchored to personal preference over everything else.

You can believe whatever you want if it doesn’t violate beliefs that I hold dear.

You can have freedom of speech as long as you are saying things I agree with.

The city of man is controlled by those who have the most power.

Those with the power, get to choose which of their preferences are imposed upon others.

We see this played out around the world.

There are countries where those who do not agree with those in power are killed in mass.

In other countries (like ours) things are much more subtle.

They whittle away at the freedoms of those who disagree a little at a time.

They serve less because they are concerned with the good of the people and more concerned with what will enable them to retain power.

The world’s philosophy or religion is easy to articulate - human beings are basically good, no one is ever really lost and condemned to Hell, and Jesus is not necessary for someone to be saved.

You can have whatever religious beliefs you want if you don’t say it is the ONLY way of salvation.

The end of the city of man is destruction.

In chapter 27:1 we read,

In that day the Lord will take his terrible, swift sword and punish Leviathan, the swiftly moving serpent, the coiling, writhing serpent.

He will kill the dragon of the sea.

People like to have fun with this verse and have Leviathan representing all sorts of things.

It is an allusion to a mythological creature that represents the evils of society.

It is really (I think) a personification (or “dragonification?”) of evil.

Evil is a destructive monster, but it will be destroyed.

The citizens of the earth follow the path of Satan.

The city of the earth, like the city of God is made up of all kinds of people: Doctors, lawyers, professors, rich people, poor people, office workers, farmers etc. just like the city of God.

It is hard to distinguish who resides in what city.

However, the important thing is to see which city you belong to.

The City of God

The city of God is seen in these verses,

In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies

will spread a wonderful feast

for all the people of the world.

It will be a delicious banquet

with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat.

7 There he will remove the cloud of gloom,

the shadow of death that hangs over the earth.

8 He will swallow up death forever!

The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears.

He will remove forever all insults and mockery

against his land and people.

The Lord has spoken!

9 In that day the people will proclaim,

“This is our God!

We trusted in him, and he saved us!

This is the Lord, in whom we trusted.

Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!”

10 For the Lord’s hand of blessing will rest on Jerusalem.

In chapter 26 we read,

Our city is strong!

We are surrounded by the walls of God’s salvation.

2 Open the gates to all who are righteous;

allow the faithful to enter.

3 You will keep in perfect peace

all who trust in you,

all whose thoughts are fixed on you!