Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayerful attention to our first reading, Isaiah
chapter 50, and reading for our text, verse 4. Verse 4. The Lord God hath given me the
tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season
to him that is weary. He wakeneth morning by morning,
he wakeneth mine ear to hear as he learned. Isaiah 50 and
verse 4. It is specifically the words,
a word in season, that I should know how to speak a word in season
to him that is weary. A word in season. We'd remember that Isaiah prophesied
some 700 years before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came
to this world and some hundred years before Babylon came, Nebuchadnezzar
and destroyed Jerusalem, or at least first came and took away
the first captives. The message to the people of
Israel was really a challenge, challenging them as if they were,
which the Church of God is, the Bride of Christ, and He is the
Bridegroom. And here the chapter begins with
a challenge to them, whether they were able to produce a bill
of divorcement, and whether the Lord really had put them away. how often it is emphasized in
the Word of God that we are not to give up, we are not to say
there is no hope. Israel did say that. Many times
in the Word we have the complaint of the Church of God. We only
need to go back to the previous chapter, chapter 49, and we hear
what Zion is saying in verse 14, but Zion said, The Lord hath
forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. And the Lord's
answer was, Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should
not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget,
yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I've graven thee upon
the palms of my hands, thy walls are continually before me. And so The Lord challenges Israel
instead of just giving up, instead of saying the Lord has forsaken
them, that they are to remember that he hasn't forsaken them.
And yet when he was calling for them, when he sent his word to
them, they did not answer, they did not hearken unto the word
at all. And so then the Lord turns and
we would remember that with Israel in All of those times, those
black and dark times, even those times when Manasseh was king,
yet, and this was, of course, to come after Isaiah's time,
after Hezekiah. It was Hezekiah's son, Manasseh.
But in all of these times, the Lord had his people and those
that were groaning under the sins and under the things of
the nation. And there is a, a blessing pronounced
on those that sigh and cry on account of the abominations done
in the land. And so in this chapter, there's
a pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ, a pointing to Him who
has been given the tongue of the learned, who through His
experience here below, He knoweth our frame. He is that great high
priest one who is able to do just what we have here, to speak
a word in season to him that is weary. And we have in verses
5 and 6 a direct reference to the sufferings of our Lord Jesus
Christ, how that he was not rebellious, he didn't turn back, He gave
his back to the smiters, the same that was spoken of in Psalm
29. The plowers they ploughed upon
my back, they made deep their furrows, the same as what the
Lord Jesus endured when he was scourged by Pilate's soldiers
before that he was crucified. and how that he was mocked. My cheeks gave my back to the
smiters, my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not
my face from shame and spitting, and testifying then that the
Lord would help him. It is a blessed thing where we
see the intimations of the coming of the Lord, of his sufferings,
of his death, what he should accomplish, And surrounding that
are these encouragements and blessings and the work of our
Lord in these gospel days to speak to those that are weary. And the chapter, it ends with
a real comparison in verse 10, those that fear the Lord and
obey his voice. We would think if that was the
case, everything would be fine. They would be walking in light
and not in darkness but he puts here that walketh in darkness
and hath no light may be with you this morning to fear the
Lord and yet you're walking in darkness you sought to walk in
his ways and do that which is right yet everything seems black
everything's discouraging Everything seems contrary and yet we have
here in verse 10, let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay
upon his God. May this be a word to one of
us this morning. Let him trust in the name of
the Lord and stay upon his God. Have you been ready to give over
to doubts and to fears and to Say the Lord doesn't care, He
doesn't notice, He is not appearing for you. Well, the word here,
verse 10, gives a direct direction. And then there's a solemn warning
as the chapter closes. It's a people that make their
own fire, own light of their own kindling and walk in that
light. Solemn thing, isn't it? That
man can imitate God's work. Man can encourage himself and
give himself light and warmth and heat and take that as if
that was going to get him to heaven. Or the chapter closes,
this shall ye have in mine hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow.
And so this morning it is those that cannot help themselves,
those that are weary, those that are knowing those seasons that
seem so opposite, so discouraging, so dark. This is the word, this
is the message for this morning. It flows forth from what our
Lord has accomplished and it is a message for the Church of
God today. When the word of God is preached,
we are to know that there is a word in season and the Lord
He knows. He knows how to give that word
in season, and especially to those that are weary. I want to then look at three
points this morning with the Lord's help. Firstly, a word
from one who knows how to speak. A word from one who knows how
to speak. And then secondly, a word to
him, to him that is weary. And then lastly, a word in season. Our text reads, the Lord God
hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how
to speak a word in season to him that is weary. He wakeneth
morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. So firstly, a word from one who
knows how to speak. I want to make this very clear
at the beginning, that in these Gospel days, the word that we
are to expect from the Lord and that you speak to us by is the
holy, infallible word of God. We're not looking for fresh revelation. We're looking for the word that
is preached. The command to us who preach
the word is to preach the word and that that word is to be the
word that comforts the people of God. Comfort ye, comfort ye
my people. It is that word that is to feed
them. Feed my sheep, feed my lambs
was the Lord's commission to Peter. And so we're not just
looking at the letters that are in red in the New Testament in
some Bibles. We're not restricting it and
saying, well, it must be some special extra revelation from
heaven. But it is the Holy Spirit receiving
of the Lord Jesus Christ and speaking of that word unto us. The Lord gave the word, great
was the company of them that published it. And so we would
remember that, that in this sacred and holy book, there is that
that is sufficient, completely sufficient for every season that
a child of God will come into and for every time. And the Lord
Jesus Christ He is the one that knows His people intimately and
He knows exactly how to speak to them and what to speak to
them. Sometimes with us it's better
that we keep silent than it is to speak and sometimes the Lord
is silent to His people. Sometimes we make mistakes when
we speak and we speak that which is wrong or not suitable We don't
realize what someone has been going through. We say completely
the wrong thing to them, but that can never be with the Lord
Jesus Christ. We have here those things that
he was taught and was shown and knew by personal experience here
below as a man, God and man in one, those things that he learned. through sufferings, through his
death, through that which he went through, through his temptations
by Satan, through his interaction with his dear disciples. All
of those things we know and we are assured of here, that in
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, there is one who knows how to
speak. Now the psalmist cried out, Be
not silent to me, lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like
them that go down into the pit. You think of dear Samuel when
the Lord first appeared to him and revealed himself to him.
The word that Eli gave him to speak was, Speak, Lord, for thy
servant heareth. We'd be reminded of our Lord's
words in John 10. the very mark of one of his sheep,
one of his people. My sheep, they hear my voice
and they follow me. And what is before us here is
not just his voice, but the timing of his voice, how he speaks,
when he speaks, the suitability of the word. And that is what
I want to impress upon us this morning. When the Lord brings
his word through his servants, when the word is blessed to us
as we read it, then how suitable that word is, how applicable
it is to our state and our case, is not missing the mark, is doing
exactly what is intended. If we think of even in a natural
way, with a physician, with a doctor, If he's going to apply a treatment,
it must be the right treatment, in the right place, in the right
way, in the right dose. And it's not just the treatment
that is being given, but what makes it effectual is all of
these other things. And so again, with the word of
God, What makes the word effectual? And the Lord has said, My word
shall not return unto me void, it shall accomplish the thing
whereto I sent it. Throughout the scriptures we
have many times that the Lord spoke to his prophets, spoke
to his people, and you can't take some of those words from
one occasion and to put them in another occasion and they
be of any meaning, of there being any use. If we think of the word
of the Lord coming to Elijah upon Mount Carmel and the watching
for the answer to his prayer to sending rain, well, that was
suiting the case because for three and a half years there
had been no rain and Elijah had been told that there would not
be rain apart from his word and that word the Lord gave. Elijah
had to wait for that word. But if it was a season when they'd
had no famine and rain had been constant, what would have been
the need of waiting for the rain and waiting upon the Lord at
that time? And so we see how vital the timing
is. We think of the distress that
David was in when he was before the Philistines and they recognised
him as David that had killed Goliath and he made out that
he was mad. We have Psalm 34, this poor man
cried and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his
distresses, all his troubles. And we have the word that is
suited to the case that the people of God are in at that particular
time. It is the Lord, we are to trace
it to the Lord. Thou God, seest me, thou knowest
me, thou knowest where I am, and thou hast sent thy word. Have we known those times of
directing to hear a particular service or special service or
coming to the house of God, much prayer and heavy hearts, and
we find that the word is just for you, it's so suited, it's
just what you want. And with them, there is that
sweet token, the Lord knoweth the way that you take. And therefore
he has brought the word to meet your case and to come where you
are and to be a blessing to you. So a word, a word from one who
knows how to speak, the Lord knows how to speak, the Lord
God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should
know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary." So secondly,
a word to him that is weary. Now I don't want to limit this
in a spiritual way, Many times God's dear children will be weary
in a natural way. Their bodies will feel very weary,
very tired, very heavy, struggle to listen to the service and
they need the Lord to speak a word to them, to them that are weary. We're not always, see, we're
lively, encouraged, and we're ready to hear the word. Sometimes we are very weary,
and the Lord knows how to speak to such a one. Then it is in
a spiritual sense as well, weary. Those that have been laboring,
Those it may be that have been brought to feel that this world
is but vanity and vexation of spirit. Weary. Weary of it. Weary of the vanities. Weary of Satan's temptations. Weary of the path that they are
walking. Very discouraged, very disheartened. Very weary. And the Lord has
a word to him that is weary. And especially think of the beautiful
word that is in the end of Matthew 11. Our Lord speaks these words,
come, come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me, For I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest
unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden
is light. We sung in our first hymn of
the dove who'd been going backwards and forwards, found no rest,
no place for the sole of her foot, and so she returned to
the ark. And you know, this world is like
that. There's no resting place for
the people of God. There's nothing that satisfies
a living soul. But there is in the Word of God,
and there is in the Lord Jesus Christ. And he knows how to speak
to such, to lift their spirits, to strengthen them again. We
read in Psalm 84, they shall go from strength to strength,
everyone in Zion, appear before God. And that's not going stronger
and stronger and stronger. It's using the strength that
is given and then weary, falling down, having no strength left. And the Lord revives it, gives
it again, strengthens them again. And in that way, they are strengthened
by the word of the Lord. A word to him that is weary,
one that has no mind, one that has no strength in himself, whether
inwardly, spiritually, whether it be his poor mind is wearied,
or poor body is, or poor soul. Those closing verses of Isaiah
50, those that fear The Lord obey the voice of his
Lord, but yet they walk in darkness and have no light. Those that
are in Psalms 42 and 43, Why art thou cast down, O my soul? Why art thou disquieted within
me? The Apostle says the Lord is
a schoolmaster unto Christ. And there are those that quicken
to a sense of their need and under condemnation will try and
try to obey the law, try and save themselves, make themselves
better, walk holy, live holy lives. And it's right that we
should desire this, but not with the thought, this shall be my
title for heaven. The desire and seeking after
holiness is a fruit and it arises from the finished work of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And it is the gospel that puts
a stop to the running hither and thither and the laboring
to bring forth that which shall satisfy a holy, holy God. It must be from the Lord. to
be able to assure that soul it is finished, it is done. When I see the blood, I will
pass over you. Not when I see your works, not
when I see your own filthy rags of righteousness, but see my
own righteousness. See you trusting, not in those
sparks of your kindling, but in my work. And it is in that
way. that the Lord has a word to those
that are weary. The work that the Lord Jesus
Christ has done upon Calvary is a work that you and I can
never do, is a payment that we can never pay. His life, a righteousness
that we can never attain to, is done for us. And the Lord has this message
then, For those who are seeking that way and seeking to attain
it and all that is resulted in is that their strength is brought
down and brought down to nothing. He brought my strength down and
the Lord does that. He does that in mercy, in kindness. Remember Gideon? Gideon, the
Lord raised up to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Midianites
But the Lord said his army was too big. Why was it too big?
Because if he had obtained the victory, he would have said it
was because of me and because of my army. So the Lord reduced
it, reduced it right down to 300 men, and then took away,
as it were, their armors, gave them empty pitchers, gave them
lamps in the pitchers, gave them trumpets to blow. And the Lord
wrought a victory. for Israel that day. It is that
no man might glory in his presence, that no flesh. Salvation is of
the Lord and we must have that proved to us and that which does
appear for us and deliver us as the Lord has taught us our
weakness. Our insufficiency to save ourselves
is the word of the gospel to one that is weary. To point them
to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. To point them to him
that laid down his life and took it again, who shed his precious
blood, the blood of the everlasting covenant. Point to him who is
lifted up The Lord said, if I be lifted up above the earth will
draw all men unto me. Dear soul, if you are weary physically,
mentally, seeking that help and strength from the Lord, the Lord
has a word for those that are weary. And that word is in his
beloved son, and in his finished work. He has the whole of his
word at his command to bring to your remembrance through his
spirit, to direct his servants to speak that word, to apply
it and make it a suitable balm for a soul, to raise him up and
to strengthen him again. The word to him that is weary. The Lord knows your weariness.
Maybe in Providence and in all that's happening at home, at
job, in the church, caring for one another, afflictions, you
feel just so weary. And yet the Lord has his word
to them. What a blessing that we could
find in the holy word of God a condition just like ours. It just describes our condition. And that same word, it tells
us that the Lord should speak a word in season to him that
is weary. I want to then look lastly at
a word in season. a word in season. Yes, dear friends, there are
seasons in a spiritual way. We know in Genesis the Lord gave
the beautiful promise after the flood that in all the seasons
they should not fail throughout the world. And we have the seasons,
we have had our summer, we are entering here into autumn, and
then there shall come winter and then spring again. And we
are used to the idea of seasons and that nothing can change that. You can't get a winter season
and suddenly make it summer. It is one of the ordinances of
God and it is a reminder to us of those appointed seasons, not
just in nature, but spiritually as well. And this is why we read
in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, where the chapter begins, to everything
there is a season. Doesn't leave any doubt, does
it? To everything there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven. And it begins with
the time to be born and then a time to die. And we have that
on this that we read together. And we are to remember this. Sometimes we forget that there
are seasons and it should really help us if we start in a natural
way through winter and you think how everything is cold and dark
and heavy. But if we remember that, well,
as we may be given patience and endurance, that season will soon
change and springtime shall come. We notice it of course so with
the night time and day time. They follow one after another. And we have to remember this,
the Lord has set these, the day of adversity against the day
of prosperity, and these two, one over against the other, why?
So man shall not find anything after him. These seasons are
appointed by God. Now, thinking of the word here,
and especially the word being preached. Paul had a special
word for Timothy when he wrote to him, 2 Timothy 4 and verse
2, and it was that he should preach the word and that he should
be instant, in season and out of season. So I meditated upon
that and I thought upon that and I thought really how unique
is the path of a minister. He can't say, I am feeling low
and dark today, I'm not going to preach today, I'm going to
stay at home. He must still preach then. However
dark he is, however troubled, however despondent, however far
off, whatever is the season, whether it is of affliction,
of course some afflictions mean that we cannot possibly preach,
but afflictions in the family, afflictions amongst loved ones,
and we're still to preach. And the Lord uses those things
that we pass through in the ministry for his people. William Huntington,
who was born not many miles, well, just a mile or two from
us here in Cranborough, and who built the chapel, Providence,
over Beeman's Warehouse just half quarter of a mile away up
the road. William Huntingdon, he had a
time that he was very low, very despondent, very tried in his
mind, and he still preached. But what he was amazed was that
the people seemed to get on very well. They were helped spiritually. They were encouraged by his word. But the Lord had brought him
down to their level. He brought him into trouble,
into darkness, into trials, And he spoke of those things, and
he brought forth the word of God that was good to his soul
and what he needed, and that's what was doing the people good.
And so when we have that a word to speak in season to him that
is weary, the Lord's servants are told, whatever the season
is with you, you are to preach the word. And that should be
an encouragement to all that hear the Lord's servants preach. To remember, if it comes where
they are, the Lord has brought those things on his servants,
brought them into that path so they can speak the word and bring
that word, bring that part of the word to the hearers. I wonder if we've ever considered,
how is it that, why does a minister choose one text and not another?
Why is he guided to one part of the word rather than the other? Well, if we're lively and we
are walking in the ways of the Lord, then where the Lord brings
us, that is where we will take that word and bring it to the
people. The Lord knows how to do that. A word in season. Well, we've
already considered the season of weariness. For the people
of God, a word for that season. I want to bring a word of really
a warning and this is it comes from when Paul was speaking before
his accusers or before those in the Roman court. We have in
Acts and chapter 24 and verse 25 We have Paul reasoning of the
things of God before Felix and his wife, Drusilla. And we read
that as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come,
Felix, who is the governor, Felix, trembled and answered, go thy
way for this time when I have a convenient season. I will call
for thee. And the word of warning really
is this. Do not wait for what you consider
to be a convenient season to hear the word of the Lord. Because now is the day of salvation. Now is the time that the gospel
is being preached. And if you would say, well, I've
got to wait until I feel like I need the word and then I'll
go and hear it. If the preacher is to preach
instant in season and out of season, then also the hearers
are to come regularly to hear the word of God. You know, Paul
here was speaking to those that really were just after
temporal things, not spiritual things, and yet they trembled
when spiritual things were set before them. May we seek first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness and not be seeking after temporal
things, things that so soon shall just pass away. Convenient season,
what judge do we think we are, is what a convenient season is. It's a blessed thing if we can
regularly gather together to hear. You know with Thomas, when
the disciples were in the upper room the first time, the first
day of the week, Thomas wasn't there. And the Lord came, and
Thomas had to wait another week before he saw the Lord. May it be that we are not like
Felix that is just saying, well, no, we don't want to hear the
word today or not another day. It's not a convenient season.
We may never have that convenient season. May we be on the other
side, like Moses, who who chose rather to suffer affliction with
the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. How very often those two things
go together. The pleasures of sin will either
take away the ear for desire for the Word of God, or the Word
of God shall take away our desire for the empty, sinful pleasures
of this life. Our life is but a vapour, a season
that shall soon pass away. You've only been reminded of
that in this last week with one of our neighbours that we are
the first to have to answer when they have a fall. And a couple
of falls and in the early hours and then taken into hospital,
never expected, but he never came out. And very, very quickly,
very quickly taken. And what a solemn reminder it
is for us each. And yet the season then is gone. The many times that the exhortation
was to read the Word of God and to seek first the Kingdom of
Heaven. And now that season is gone. No more can he hear that Word. No more is the opportunity to
seek and to be saved. And so when we think of seasons,
may we really beware of walking that path of Felix and we just
think, well, it's not convenient now. But what if we are walking in
the ways of the Lord? And then we come and we have
the path of trial and affliction. Peter, in his first epistle,
He speaks of a necessity, a needs-be of heaviness, wherein that is
the salvation, he says, you are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be,
ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations. We don't often think,
do we, if we've got a good hope through grace, a hope beyond
the grave, that we should come into a season of great heaviness. And the reason for it is because
of many different temptations. But he says, and may this be
a word in season to you that are in trials, that the trial
of your faith being much more precious and of gold that perisheth,
though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and
honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. And it is receiving
the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. A word in season, those that
have a season of needful heaviness and trials. We have another case
in the Word of God where there was a man called Philemon and
he had a slave or servant that was called Onesimus and he ran
away. He ran away to Rome and he ran
away and he came into Paul's company, the Apostle Paul. And
Paul, he knew Philemon, but the Lord used Paul for Philemon's
conversion. And Paul then sends him back
to his master and entreats his master that he receive him, now
not as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved. And he says
to him, he says, for perhaps He therefore departed for a season
that thou shouldest receive him forever, not now as a servant,
but above a servant, a brother beloved. And we have this little
picture of the apostle looking at this very sad, trying providence,
especially for Philemon, that his servant should go away like
that. But then he says, maybe it was.
There was a need. Needs be that he went away. There's something the Lord was
doing. Something that had to be done while he was away. You
think of our Lord, speaking of the necessity to his dear disciples
of going away. It is needful that I go away. If I go not away, the Holy Spirit
shall not come unto you. But if I go away, I will pray
the Father, and he will give you another comforter which shall
abide with you forever. The disciples understood that.
When they saw the Lord ascend up into heaven, they returned
to Jerusalem with joy, great joy, because they knew there
was a reason, a reason for the parting, a reason for them to
go away. And so a season, a season when
there may be, that needs parting and separation, and the Lord
is doing things during that time. The apostle gives an encouragement
to the Lord's people in Galatia, and he speaks to them encouraging
them to walk in the ways of the Lord and to abhor sin and to
flee from sin and the ways of sin. And he says that in due time
we shall reap if we faint not. We're not to be weary in well-doing
and so There is that waiting, waiting for a season of prosperity,
a season of reaping, of blessing. So often we can be very impatient. The children of Israel were like
this. They turned to the Lord, and then they wanted immediately
to see that the Lord's blessing was upon them. And when it wasn't,
then they were going to turn back. And we can be like that. Instead of walking in the ways
of the Lord, realising how far we have sinned, perhaps for many,
many years, and to then patiently walk in the revealed will of
God, we walk a little way, and then we want to see results.
We want to see the Lord's immediate blessing, and if we don't, then
we give up. But this is a word in season,
that there should be a season of reaping. if we faint not,
to continue and to not faint. In the Book of Psalms we are
told of a set time, a set season, to favour Zion, to favour the
Church of God. In Psalm 102 and verse 13, Thou
shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion, For the time to favour her, yea,
the set time is come. There are those set times of
refreshing from on high, those times when the Lord has ordained
shall be times of blessing, of liberty, of joy, in our therefore
of sorrow. But I will see you again, and
your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. A word then that is a word in
season. And I come back to what I have
mentioned before is not just the word that makes the blessing,
it's how suitable it was, how it matched the season, how it
came where we were, how it assured us that the Lord knew what we
were in, what we were walking through, what was the state of
our mind and of our soul. And he sent his word, sent it
so suitably, so blessedly to us. The Lord God hath given me
the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a
word in season to him that is weary. He wakeneth morning by
morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord
knows, he is learned, he does know how to speak and to speak
to his people exactly what they need. He sent his word and healed
them. May the Lord add his blessing.
Amen.