With the Lord helping me this
evening I would speak a little from Isaiah 44 verse 22 or rather
I should say I will preach a little from Isaiah 44 verse 22 and May the Lord help us as we consider
these words before us this evening and may the Lord help us as we
come together for prayer later on this evening. Let us turn
to Isaiah 44 verse 22. I have blotted out as a thick
cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sins. Return unto me for I have redeemed
thee. before the Lord Jesus Christ
ascended up into heaven, He spoke these words to His disciples,
Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer,
and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached in His name among
all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Thus it is written in the Law
of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms concerning
Christ. Thus it is written that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached in His name among
all nations. Thus it is written here in the
Prophet Isaiah, I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions
and as a cloud thy sins return unto me for I have redeemed thee
here is the doctrine of repentance and the remission of sins in
the Old Testament prophets now this is the good news of
the gospel which is to be preached and the gospel is indeed good
news to guilty, hell-deserving sinners to those who feel themselves
to be condemned by the law and who feel their sin to be as scarlet and
who know that they must be punished if they're not pardoned this
is surely welcome news indeed as cold waters to a thirsty soul
so is good news from a far country and the gospel is that good news
from a far country it comes from heaven itself it is as a cup
of cold water to the thirsty soul and cold water of course
is despised by those who feel no thirst But those who feel
the heat of the condemnation of the law in their consciences,
and the heat of Satan's temptations in their souls, and the heat
of sin and rebellion in their fallen nature, and the heat of
a carnal nature which is not subject to the law of God, neither
indeed can be, such surely are thirsty souls. such are made
to fill their need and such are blessed indeed blessed are they
which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall
be filled they are sinners made alive by the Holy Ghost and it
is to such sensible sinners sinners made sensible of their need that
the good news of the gospel is sent for I will pour water upon
him that is thirsty we read in verse 3 to such thirsty ones
the gospel comes as cold, refreshing, soul-reviving, life-giving water
No spring would quench a thirst like this. It makes the conscience
whole, inspires the heart with heavenly bliss, and purifies
the soul. Whoe'er can truly say, I thirst,
may come and take his fill. It is free for sinners, vile
and lost. It is God who works the will.
Now these things we must say at the outset. lest we be carried
away with the error of the Arminians who insist on universal invitations
and offers and duties. We see at the beginning of the
chapter to whom these words are addressed. Yet now hear, O Jacob,
my servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen. These words are
addressed to the Israel of God, the spiritual Israel, as you
see from verse 5. One shall say, I am the Lord's,
and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob, and another
shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself
by the name of Israel. These are not natural Israelites. These are those which were cut
out of the olive tree, which is wild by nature, the Gentiles,
and were graft contrary to nature into the good olive tree. and
hence they call themselves by the name of Israel the dry ground
of verse 3 in which the floods are poured out are the Gentile
nations as is written there in the previous chapter chapter
43 verse 19 behold I will do a new thing now shall it spring
forth shall you not know it I will even make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert the beasts of the field shall honor
me the dragons and the owls because I give waters in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert to give drink to my people my chosen my people my chosen elect sinners
sinners made sensible of their sin whether Jew or Gentile this
is who is addressed You will see then that there is no universal
offer of salvation here, no universal invitation here, no offer of
pardon and no offer of redemption. Rather there is the declaration
that it is all done. It's all done. I have blotted out as a thick
cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins. Return unto
me, for I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens, for the Lord
hath done it. Shout, ye lower parts of the
earth. Break forth into singing ye mountains, O forest and every
tree therein, for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob and glorified
himself in Israel. we read there in verse 23 well
let us go on to consider the words of our text here in verse
22 I have blotted out as a thick cloud
thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sins return unto me for I
have redeemed thee we shall consider this evening I trust with the
Lord's help two things firstly the nature of sin and then secondly
the nature of salvation and we see firstly something here of
the nature of sin. Sin is compared in this verse
to a cloud. I have blotted out as a thick
cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sins. Now I would suggest five ways
in which sin and the nature of sin can be compared to a cloud.
our transgressions, our sins like the clouds in the heavens
are so numerous and varied how many clouds are there in the
sky? or how many sins are there in my heart? for in many things
we offend all says James we sin in thought, we sin in word, we
sin in deed there are sins of omission, there are sins of commission
for I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins God says
by the prophet Amos Isaiah confesses for our transgressions are multiplied
before thee and the psalmist says my iniquities
have taken hold upon me so that I'm not able to look up they
are more than the hairs of my head Our sins and our transgressions
can be compared to the clouds in this, even their sheer number
and variety. and secondly clouds arise naturally
from the earth and from the sea and so sins proceed from the
heart of man which is a sea of corruption for out of the heart
proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts,
false witness, blasphemies. Our actual transgressions proceed
from our original sin from that corrupt fallen nature which we
have all inherited from our first parents and so it is that each
one of us is called a transgressor from the womb Jeremiah speaks
of the total depravity of human nature the heart is deceitful
above all things and desperately wicked who can know it? like clouds rising up from the
sea so our sins naturally arise from the sea of corruption which
is the human heart thirdly as the clouds reach up to heaven
so do our sins it is written of Babylon in the book of the
Revelation for her sins have reached unto heaven and God has
remembered her iniquities and in the prayer of Moses the man
of God Psalm 90 we read thou hast set our iniquities before
thee our secret sins in the light of thy countenance There is not
one sin that escapes the notice of our omniscient God, our all-knowing
God. He sees all. He sees all. And the clouds, as the clouds
reach up to heaven, so does sin. Fourthly, clouds are dark, are
they not? They cause darkness. And sin
is often referred to as darkness in the scripture. For example,
in 1 John chapter 1 and verse 5. This then is the
message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that
God is light. and in him is no darkness at
all if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness
we lie and do not the truth there is no sin nor unrighteousness
nor anything that is impure in God in him is no darkness at all
and if we claim to have fellowship with him and yet continue in
a course of sin or false erroneous doctrine without any repentance
then it is evident that we do not have fellowship with him
be our profession what it may Jesus said I am the light of
the world he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but
shall have the light of life the Gentile world was enveloped
in gross darkness being sunk in superstition and idolatry
until the light of the glorious gospel of Christ dispelled the
dark clouds Isaiah prophesied of the coming of the gospel to
the Gentiles in chapter 9 the people that walked in darkness
have seen a great light they that dwell in the land of the
shadow of death upon them hath the light shined Paul writes
to the Ephesians which of course was a Gentile church this I say
therefore and testify in the Lord that ye henceforth walk
not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind having
the understanding darkened Chapter 5 and verse 8. For ye were sometimes darkness,
but now are ye light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. That was their state, you see,
by nature. For you were sometimes darkness,
enveloped, as it were, in the darkness of sin and spiritual
ignorance, as in a thick cloud. but now are ye light in the Lord
and Peter again writing to Gentiles says, but ye are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people that ye should
show forth the praises of him who have called you out of darkness
into his marvelous light. Sin then may be compared to clouds
in that they are the works of darkness and in that they cause
darkness just as clouds come between the sun and the earth
and cause a shadow so do sins hinder communion with God in
the believer's experience when sin is indulged there cannot
be the apprehension of God's grace and loving kindness the shadow of doubt Lack of assurance
will come over the mind. There will be the hiding of God's
face as a deep chastisement. There will be the feeling that
our prayers are not heard. But your iniquities have separated
between you and your God and your sins of His face from you
that He will not hear. it is like a cloud coming between
the sun and the earth and the shadow is cast hear what Jeremiah
says in the Lamentations in Lamentations chapter 3 he says I am the man
that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath he hath
led me and brought me into darkness but not into light in verse 44
he says thou hast covered thyself with
a cloud that our prayer should not pass through. And this is
sometimes what it's like in the believer's experience when it
seems as if God is hiding his face. Or sin, fifthly, may also be
likened to a cloud in that clouds often come before a storm. And so the end of sin, the ultimate
end of sin, is the storm of God's judgment, just as James says,
and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. and the
thicker and darker the clouds the heavier the storm will be
when evil men and seducers wax worse and worse and iniquity
abounds and the love of many waxes cold when men grow more
open and daring and shameless in their sins it can only mean
one thing that the storm of God's judgment is at hand well then
this is something of the nature of sin compared in our text to
a cloud I have blotted out as a thick cloud by transgressions
and as a cloud by sins return unto me for I have redeemed thee
let us consider then in the second place something of the nature
of salvation and I would suggest seven things we see here concerning
the nature of salvation from the words of our text the first
thing is this that salvation is of God and of God alone I have blotted out as a thick
cloud by transgressions and as a cloud by sins it is stated
emphatically in the previous chapter I, even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions
that's in verse 25 of the previous chapter it is God's prerogative
to save as the hymn writer says thou must save and thou alone
and as it is written again in the previous chapter I even I
am the Lord and beside me there is no Savior I have declared
and have saved that's what it says And yet the Arminian, the free
willer, would make an idol of himself and he would make man to be his
own saviour. But the Holy Scriptures are quite
clear. Salvation is to be ascribed to God alone. Salvation belongeth
unto the Lord, Psalm 3. Salvation is of the Lord, Jonah
2. so then it is not of him that
willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that showeth mercy
Romans 9 salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne
and unto the Lamb Revelation 7 and so we could go on and then
in the second place we see that salvation is unconditional it
is not dependent on any duties, acts, works or doings of fallen
man not by works of righteousness which we have done but according
to his mercy he saved us we do not read here of any duties required
of us in order for our sins to be blotted out I have blotted
out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud by sin And then
thirdly, we see that the forgiveness of sins is a great part of that
salvation which is of God. According to the terms of the
eternal covenant, God wills not to remember the sins of his elect. For I will forgive their iniquity
and I will remember their sin no more. again in Jeremiah, for I will
pardon them whom I reserve this is what we have here, I have
blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud
thy sins the Lord blots out from His memory as it were He wills
not to remember His people's sins And the ground of this forgiveness,
this remission of sins, is redemption. Return unto me, for I have redeemed
thee. For I have redeemed thee. Sinners
are, as Paul says, justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Writing to the Hebrews
he says, and without shedding of blood is no remission. and writing to the Ephesians
he speaks of the Beloved in whom we have redemption through his
blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his
grace God is just and righteous in passing over his people's
sins for Christ has paid the penalty for their sins in the
shedding innocent blood all the transgressions of God's elect
were imputed to Christ as Isaiah says in chapter 53 and he was wounded for our transgressions
he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace
was upon him and with his stripes we are healed all we like sheep
have gone astray we have turned everyone to his own way and the
Lord had laid on him the iniquity of us all verse 12 of that chapter and
he bear the sin of many how transgressions were imputed to Christ the forgiveness
of sins, the blotting out of our transgressions, is a great
part, indeed is it not, the greatest part of our salvation. And then fourthly, the clouds
of sin and ignorance are dispelled in the experience of the repenting
sinner, when the truths of the gospel are applied to the conscience
by the Holy Ghost. For God who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. Conversion is like the sun breaking
through the dark clouds when the beams of divine grace irradiate
the soul. The Lord Jesus Christ is seen
as the son of righteousness arising with healing in his wings. I
have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud
thy sins return unto me for I have redeemed thee and we see here
fifthly that redemption is the ground of repentance it's not
the other way around it is not return unto me and I will redeem
thee or I will redeem you on condition of your repentance
no It is, return unto me for I have redeemed thee. The ground
of true saving repentance and true saving faith is the redemption
which is in Christ Jesus. Return unto me for I have redeemed
thee. Now note this, to insist that
it is the duty of all men to savingly repent and believe the
gospel is an undermining Indeed it is a denial of particular
redemption. Return unto me for I have redeemed
thee. Repentance, the forgiveness of
sins and redemption are all inextricably linked. If it is the duty of
all men to savingly repent then it must be that the sins of all
men are blotted out and that they are all redeemed. I have
blotted out as a thick cloud by transgressions and as a cloud
by sins return unto me for I have redeemed thee this scripture alone is enough
to put the nail in the coffin of the dead and lifeless notion
of duty, faith and repentance redemption and remission of sins
are not conditional upon our repenting or upon any supposed
duty to repent rather the convinced and convicted sinner is called
to repentance and given grace to repent because he is redeemed
and because all his sins are forgiven through the Redeemer's
precious blood It is precisely because the Lord Jesus Christ
has redeemed us and reconciled us to God that we can have any
confidence in turning to and approaching a holy God. It is in our Lord Jesus Christ
that we have boldness and access with confidence. there can be
no real saving repentance without remission of sins and redemption
to speak then of duty, repentance then is a nonsense unless you're a full-blown Arminian
I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and
as a cloud thy sins return unto me for I have redeemed thee what
gracious words these are and then fifthly we see that these
words are not meant for all and sundry they are meant for a peculiar
people the elect of God as we said at the very outset I have blotted out as a thick
cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins. Return unto
me, for I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens, for the Lord
hath done it. Shout, ye lower parts of the
earth. Break forth into singing ye mountains, O forest, and every
tree therein. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob,
and glorified himself in Israel. Here is particular redemption,
for I have redeemed THEE! It's in the singular! Now I know
that the modern versions, of course, they don't recognize
the difference between the singular and the plural. They will just
say YOU! No wonder then, the Amaraldians
and the Compromised Calvinists end up where they do end up,
with their modern versions. We thank God for the authorised
version. We see here that the redemption
is particular. For I have redeemed thee. Those who are redeemed, who are
they? How do we know if we are redeemed?
Well, those who are redeemed are made to feel their sins and
their transgressions They're made to feel that they are even
as a thick cloud. They're made to cry out on account
of their sins, like David of old. Remember how he cried out?
Perhaps you've been brought to this. It is a mark of God's elect. In Psalm 51, have mercy upon
me, O God. according to thy loving kindness,
according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out
my transgressions. In verse 9 of that psalm, hide
thy face from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities. Have you been brought to that? it is to such that this word
is sent I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions
and as a cloud thy sins return unto me for I have redeemed thee
these are as cold waters to a thirsty soul and seventhly and finally
the end or the ultimate purpose of the salvation of the elect
is the praise of the glory of God's grace we see this if we
compare the words of our text with verse 25 again of the previous
chapter I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions
for mine own name's sake rather for mine own sake and will not
remember thy sins It is for his own sake. That is, it is for
his own glory. The glory of his grace. Isn't
that what the Apostle says, writing to the Ephesians? Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who have blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ,
according as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
Him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. to the praise of the glory of
His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved, in
whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sins according to the riches of His grace." See what the Apostle is saying
there? It is all to the praise of the glory of His grace! Those who insist on duties, deservings
or decisions, man's free will, merit, strength, power or ability,
they rob God of the glory which is due to His name alone. They
are preaching another gospel, which is no gospel at all, for
the end of the true gospel, the gospel of God, is the praise
of the glory of His grace, as it is written in the Psalms,
let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed
from the hand of the enemy. Let them declare who it is that
has redeemed them and saved them that it is not themselves, not
unto us O LORD, not unto us, but unto Thy Name give glory
for Thy mercy and for Thy truth's sake. Let them declare that they
have performed a duty to repent and believe the gospel? No! No, no, no! Come and hear all
ye that fear God and I will declare what He hath done for my soul! Let them declare that they were
chosen and redeemed and quickened by God Himself to the praise
of the glory of his grace. Well may the Lord bless his word
to us and may we know in our heart's experience the truth
of his blessed doctrine. I have blotted out as a thick
cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sins return unto
me for I have redeemed thee. Amen. Let us join together in the singing of hymn number
528 and the tune is Irish 160. The gospel is good news indeed
to sinners deep in debt. The man who has no works to plead
will thankful be for it. Hymn number 520. you Well, O God, so it is good news
indeed To sinners deep in debt A man who has no woman to breed
Will find a foe To know that where he's not to
pay, he's dead somewhere. We'll wait, if blooming look
has made, And set the tears so fast.