The Mountain of the Lord: Peace for All Nations

Devotional

Day 1: God's mountain of peace draws all nations

The vision of the Lord's mountain calls people from every nation to be taught and transformed; it pictures a place where worship, learning, and justice converge. You are invited to see the church as a school and a meeting place where God's ways are taught and lived out in community, and to welcome others to come and learn together. This hope looks forward to a day when swords are reshaped into tools for growth and life is ordered around peace rather than conflict. [47:34]

Isaiah 2:2-4 (ESV)
It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it,
and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

Reflection: Who is one person from outside your usual circle you will intentionally invite to "come up the mountain" with you this week, and what specific invitation will you extend?

Day 2: Christ's blood brings nearness and unity

The cross is the means by which those once distant are drawn near; through Christ's blood barriers are removed and a new, reconciled people is formed. You are reminded that Christian unity is not primarily a human achievement but a gift enacted by Jesus, who abolished separating laws and created one new humanity. This unity calls the congregation to live as one body that reflects God's reconciling work to the world. [59:45]

Ephesians 2:13-16 (ESV)
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,
and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

Reflection: Identify one relationship or group in which you carry distance or distrust; what is one specific, humble step you can take this week toward reconciliation that reflects Christ's work of making peace?

Day 3: God's sign: Emmanuel, God with us

The promise of a virgin-born son named Emmanuel proclaims that God comes near to be with his people; Advent prepares hearts to receive that presence. You are encouraged to expect God's nearness in ordinary life and to notice the ways God is already moving to be present with you and your household. This sign turns longing into attentive hope so that daily rhythms can become occasions for encountering God. [57:00]

Isaiah 7:14 (ESV)
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Reflection: In what specific part of your daily routine do you most need to recognize "God with you," and what one small practice will you try this week to make space to notice Emmanuel there?

Day 4: Jesus as the living temple of God

When Jesus spoke of rebuilding the temple in three days he pointed to himself as the new meeting place of heaven and earth; coming to Jesus is coming to the Lord's holy place. You are invited to approach Christ as the place of encounter, forgiveness, and instruction rather than relying on buildings or rituals alone. Practically, this means looking for Christ in the moments of prayer, Scripture, and shared table where heaven touches earth. [50:47]

John 2:19 (ESV)
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Reflection: Where have you sought God's presence in locations or practices rather than in Christ himself; what is one concrete step you will take this week to reorient your devotion toward Jesus as your primary meeting place?

Day 5: Pray for God's kingdom and daily provision

The Lord's Prayer centers life on God's name, kingdom, and will, asking for daily bread, forgiveness, and protection—practical petitions that shape discipleship. You are encouraged to pray with trust for both the ordinary needs of each day and the larger coming of God's reign, seeing petition as formation for living under God's rule. Let these words shape how you depend on God, forgive others, and participate in his kingdom work. [01:05:31]

Matthew 6:9-13 (ESV)
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Reflection: Which petition of the Lord's Prayer do you find most difficult to trust, and what single, practical action will you take each day this week to live out trust in that petition?

Sermon Summary

Advent draws our eyes to the horizon of God’s promised peace. Isaiah lifts our gaze in chapter 2 to a day when the mountain of the Lord is exalted and the nations stream uphill—drawn, called, and then themselves calling others: “Come.” I invited us to see that this vision begins to unfold in Jesus and continues through the Spirit’s work among his people. The surprise Isaiah hints at becomes clear in Christ: the true Temple is not a building but a person. When Jesus said, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it in three days,” he revealed himself as the living meeting place of heaven and earth. We come near to God by coming to Him.

Because we belong to Him, the church becomes a global school of holy living. Old and young, seasoned and new, we learn his ways, walk his paths, and experience the kingdom breaking in as we love, forgive, worship, and serve together. His teaching does not end in information but transformation—remaking our instincts for rivalry into habits of reconciliation.

Isaiah’s peace is not merely an end to conflict; it is the refashioning of tools of harm into instruments of harvest. Swords become plowshares; spears become pruning hooks. God’s peace reorients energy, resources, and imagination from self-protection to fruitful investment in human flourishing. This is why the Lord’s judgment is good news—He alone can tell the truth about us and set things right, making genuine peace possible.

Paul tells us how this peace takes root: “You who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” At the Table, we remembered that nearness again. Christ himself is our peace—tearing down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile, creating one new humanity in His body, reconciling us to God through the cross. As a multi‑nation family, we are living proof that Isaiah’s stream is still flowing uphill. In Advent hope, we keep saying what the nations in Isaiah learned to say: Come. Come to Jesus, the Temple. Learn His ways. Share His peace. Join His harvest.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus is the true Temple Jesus is the living meeting place of heaven and earth, the place where God and humanity embrace. Coming to Him is how we “go up” to the temple Isaiah foresaw. This reframes faith from visiting sacred sites to abiding in a sacred Savior. Nearness to God is not a trip; it’s a Person. [50:47]
2. Peace refashions our desires and tools Isaiah’s vision moves beyond ceasefire to cultivation. The weapons don’t just disappear; they are converted into instruments for growth and nourishment. God’s peace redirects our energies from defense to fruitfulness, asking not only, “What must stop?” but, “What good must begin?” [57:00]
3. The church is a global school In Christ’s school, we are not merely informed but formed—through Scripture, prayer, worship, service, and forgiveness. Learning His ways requires community because love must be practiced, not theorized. The kingdom is learned by doing: walking His paths together until they become our instincts. [53:49]
4. Christ breaks hostility and makes one On the cross, Jesus dismantled the wall that divided Jew and Gentile, creating one new humanity. Reconciliation is not a truce but a new creation in His body. Peace becomes possible where hostility dies—at the place where His blood speaks a better word than our grievances. [59:45]
5. Advent hope calls the nations “Come” Isaiah sees a stream of peoples climbing toward God, inviting others as they go. Hope is contagious; the called become callers. As we move toward Christ, our lives become signposts and our voices become invitations: “Come, let us go up to the Lord.” [47:34]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:11] - Advent focus and transition
[31:18] - Community celebrations and gratitude
[45:03] - Prophets, future hope, and peace
[47:34] - Nations stream to God’s mountain
[50:47] - Jesus as the true Temple
[53:49] - The church as a school of discipleship
[57:00] - Swords into plowshares: peace and harvest
[59:45] - Christ our peace: one new humanity
[62:56] - Great Thanksgiving and Sanctus
[65:31] - Bread and cup: brought near by blood
[76:02] - Closing prayer and Amen

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Isaiah 2:2–4 (ESV)
2 It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
3 and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.

Observation questions

What image or phrase from Isaiah 2:2–4 stands out most to you, and why? Consider the picture of peoples “flowing” or “streaming” up the mountain. [47:34]
What is the significance of the people saying, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”? Who is calling and who is being called in that picture? [47:34]
In verse 4 the sword becomes a plowshare and the spear a pruning hook. What does that concrete image tell you about the kind of peace Isaiah promises — is it only an absence of war, or something more? [57:00]
Isaiah says the Lord “shall judge between the nations.” How does this promise of divine judgment connect to the arrival of peace in the passage? [57:00]

Interpretation questions

How does the claim that Jesus is the true Temple (the meeting place of heaven and earth) help explain how people “come to the temple” after the physical temple is gone? What theological shift does this entail? [50:47]
How should the transformation of weapons into tools for harvest be understood as a reorientation of resources and imagination — not simply the stopping of violence but a starting of fruitful work? [57:00]
The text says “many peoples shall come” and then they invite others to come. What does this reciprocal call-and-response suggest about the Spirit’s role in spreading the kingdom across cultures and generations? [47:34]
In what way is the Lord’s role as judge “good news” for both personal reconciliation and international peace? How does divine judgment make true peace possible rather than merely enforcing a fragile truce? [59:45]

Application questions

Jesus is the living temple — coming near to God is coming to a Person. This week, what practical step will you take to “come to” Jesus (a time of listening prayer, a Scripture pattern, or silence) so that nearness to God becomes weekly practice? [50:47]
The church is a school where disciples are formed by doing: love, forgiveness, worship, service. Which one habit of holy living do you need to practice more faithfully (forgiveness, listening, hospitality, confession, or regular worship)? How will you practice it with someone else this month? [53:49]
Isaiah pictures weapons turned into tools for harvest. Identify one “weapon” in your life — an instinct, resource, or habit used for self-protection or rivalry — that needs to be repurposed. What concrete first step will you take to turn it into something life-giving? (Be specific: who, when, how.) [57:00]
Christ breaks the dividing wall and creates one new humanity. Is there a relationship, a cultural barrier, or a group you have avoided or resisted that needs reconciliation? What is one small, practical step you can take toward removing that barrier this Advent season? [59:45]
Isaiah’s vision shows the called becoming callers: “Come.” Who in your life is someone you might gently invite to explore Jesus this season? What will you say or do, and when will you do it? [47:34]
Communion reminds believers they have been brought near by Christ’s blood. How does receiving the Lord’s Supper shape your sense of belonging and mission? Will you make any change in how often or how attentively you participate at the Table? [01:05:31]

Use these questions to lead a hopeful, honest discussion. Allow space for testimony, silence, and practical commitments at the end of your time together.

Sermon Clips

All nations will stream to it, will stream to the temple of the Lord on this highest mountain. He's not saying that there will be a stream flowing up this mountain. He'll be saying the people from all the nations will be like a stream flowing uphill, flowing up the mountain of the Lord. It's a beautiful image. And we know how that is being fulfilled by the power of the Holy Spirit in this day and throughout these last 2,000years with the church of Jesus Christ. [00:49:11] (34 seconds) #AllNationsToGod

He's not saying that there will be a stream flowing up this mountain. He'll be saying the people from all the nations will be like a stream flowing uphill, flowing up the mountain of the Lord. It's a beautiful image. And we know how that is being fulfilled by the power of the Holy Spirit in this day and throughout these last 2,000years with the church of Jesus Christ. [00:49:20] (25 seconds) #UphillStreamsOfFaith

Now, the prophet Isaiah knew that the temple of the Lord was there in the center of Jerusalem, and that's where his Jewish people came to worship. And there were occasionally people who were not Jewish, but they were attracted to this God of Israel who would also come. But he's foreseeing a time when many people from many nations or all nations will come to this temple. [00:50:53] (25 seconds) #ProphecyOfNations

People come to the temple of the God of Jacob as they come to Jesus. He is the ultimate meeting place between heaven and earth. That's what temples represent, that where there's a thin veil between heaven and the things of earth. Jesus is that perfect union of heaven and earth. And so aspeople, as we come to Jesus, we experience the temple of the Lord. [00:53:12] (33 seconds) #JesusOurTemple

Today in Advent, our focus is on peace, the peace of God. Peace for the world, peace for ourselves, peace for our households. The Lord will be the one to settle disputes, not judges and courts that, you know, they can't know the full picture. And they can't exercise justice fully. But the Lord knows our hearts, our motives, ouractions, both individuals and nations. And the Lord will judge. And because there will be this judgment, there will be peace. [00:55:41] (43 seconds) #AdventPeace

Now, what I want you to notice in this sentence is not simply the fact that they're destroying their weapons. That's awesome. There will be no need for weapons. But they're turning their weaponsinto tools to produce a crop, to produce a harvest. The sword blade becomes a plow blade.To cut through the ground that the seeds might be planted and take root. The spear is turned into a pruning hook so that the trees and vines can be trimmed to produce a greater harvest. [00:56:32] (44 seconds) #SwordsToPlowshares

The sword blade becomes a plow blade.To cut through the ground that the seeds might be planted and take root. The spear is turned into a pruning hook so that the trees and vines can be trimmed to produce a greater harvest. And so it's not simply about an absence of war. It's about being called into being a part of his field, his laborers, producing that abundant harvest of lives transformed by his grace and his peace. [00:56:55] (44 seconds) #CalledToHarvest

How?By the blood of Christ. By the blood shed for us on that cross. That is how we have been brought near.That is how we've been brought near to our Lord Jesus Christ. That is how we've been brought near to our our Heavenly Father. That is how we have been a part of the nations coming to that holy temple on that holy mountain. It's all because of the blood of Christ. [00:59:33] (30 seconds) #SavedByTheBlood

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