Turn again to Isaiah in chapter
49, which we read. I want to draw your attention
to some words in verse one. Isaiah chapter 49 in verse one. Listen, O Isles unto me, and
hearken ye people from far. The Lord hath called me from
the womb, from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention
of my name. Listen, O Isles, unto me, and
hearken, ye people from far. Listen, O Isles, unto me. Throughout Isaiah, in various
places, we read such phrases. Listen, hearken, hear. Chapter 1, verse 2 reads, Hear,
O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken. I have
nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against
me. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath
spoken. Listen, hear. Constantly throughout
Isaiah, constantly here, the attention is called for. When God sends any man to preach
his gospel, when God sent Isaiah, when he sends any man to preach
his word and his gospel, he sends him with a message which demands
a hearing, It isn't an optional message. The man sent to preach
God's word is not sent to deliver his own opinions or mere ideas
or the thoughts of man. Those by whom God speaks are
sent with a message which is an urgent and a vital, an essential
message which must be heard. Listen, give ear, hearken. Isaiah 58 verse 1 reads, Cry
aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet and show
my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their
sins. Listen. But who hears? Who has time for such a message? Who hearkens? Who listens? Many have no time for this message,
and no time for those who come with this message. They'll hear
others, and they'll hear other messages, but not this message,
not these messages. We live in a world full of messages,
We live in a world full of sounds, full of noise, full of speech,
a world full of headphones, full of music, full of iPods, a world
full of sounds, full of people who will listen, but full of
people who will not listen to this message. There are others
yet who do hear with the outward ear. but who hearing understand
not, who hearing comprehend not. Indeed Isaiah was sent to preach
to many with that end in view. He was sent to preach to those
who already heard but did not understand that their hearing
might be hardened. The Lord says unto him in Isaiah
6, Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not,
and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people
fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they
see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand
with their heart, and convert, and be healed. For unless God grants the hearing,
You'll never hear. And unless God gives us understanding,
we will never understand. We may hear with the outward
ear, we may hear the words of man, but we'll never hear the
words of the Spirit of God, as spoken by that man. We'll never
hear the word of God. And yet you must hear. We must
hear. For God says, listen, hearken
unto me, give ear, for worth we must hear. For this is God's
message which he sends, it was God's message which he sent by
Isaiah, it is God's message which he sends by his servants throughout
the ages, it is his message, his gospel, It is His speech. He does not send man's word,
but He sends His word, God's word. It's God's message, God's
speech. He sends it, He speaks it. And He sends it forth in the
one by whom He speaks, which is His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Word of God. and he speaks it by his spirit,
it's his message, his word, God's word and as such it commands
authority, it is a message with authority, it is a message of
vital importance, it demands your attention, when a man brings
this message you don't listen to a man, you listen to God,
you hear the word of God when a man brings this message by
the spirit of God and declares it in the power of God it's not
man's word it's God's word and as such it commands authority
and it demands a hearing it's a vital message. Who was Isaiah? Who was Isaiah that he should
speak such words? Isaiah was a nobody Isaiah, the
son of Amoz, was a nobody. In and of himself, he was nothing.
And yet he was one sent of God to declare God's word and God's
message to a guilty and a needful people who needed to hear. What
marked out Isaiah was nothing in Isaiah himself. No strength,
no great oratory, no great wisdom. What marked out Isaiah was that
Isaiah met with God. God met with Isaiah, and God
sent forth Isaiah with a message, with God's message, with the
gospel, with a message of Jesus Christ. For Isaiah's prophecy,
all the chapters of this long prophecy, Isaiah's prophecy is
full of the gospel, and it is full of Jesus Christ. There's so much of Christ in
this message. And this is what Isaiah was sent
with. He was sent to preach this message, this message of salvation,
this message of Christ. But when Isaiah was sent with
this message, he was not sent until he had first met with God. till he had first been given
a tremendous vision of the glory of God and who God is. If you turn to Isaiah chapter
six, we read in Isaiah six verse one, that in the year that King
Uzziah died, Isaiah writes, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a
throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Above it stood the seraphims, each one had six wings, with
twain he covered his face, with twain he covered his feet, and
with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another and
said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth
is full of his glory. And the post of the door moved
at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with
smoke. Then said I, Woe is me, for I
am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell
in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For mine eyes have seen
the King, the Lord of hosts, Then flew one of the seraphims
unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken
with the tongs from off the altar. And he laid it upon my mouth
and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity
is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the
Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then
said I, Here am I. send me and he said go and tell
this people he indeed but understand not and see indeed but perceive
not yes Isaiah met with God Isaiah saw this view of God's glory
the Lord of hosts how holy God is how the earth is full of God's
glory, how mighty, how majestic God is. And on seeing such a
vision, Isaiah knew what he was before such a God. Woe is me,
I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell
in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For mine eyes have seen
the King, the Lord of hosts. It's what Isaiah saw and what
was revealed to him in this vision, as a consequence of which God
sent him forth to preach. It's what was revealed to him
here and his encounter with God here which so characterized his
message. It is because Isaiah saw God's
glory and it's because God showed Isaiah what he was before him.
And this is because God said unto Isaiah what God had done
for him, that his sins had been purged and his iniquity had been
taken away, that Isaiah could go forth to preach such a message
to a people like himself, a people of unclean lips, a people who
were sinful, a people who needed to hear. What is this message? This message which God sends,
this message which demands to be heard, this message of which
God says to his people, listen, listen O ye isles, hearken unto
me. This message which is God's message,
which God sends forth, which God sent forth by his servant
Isaiah, what is this message? What is this message? It is a
message of life. It is a message of redemption. It is a message of salvation.
It is that message which Isaiah heard that his sins were purged,
that his iniquity was taken away. It is a message of salvation. And there is no message, there
is no message which you can hear in this world which you can hear
from any man, from any source, from any speech. There is no
message sent forth which is comparable to this message. There is no
message more important. There is no message more urgent. There is no message more necessary,
more needful to your soul. There is no message more important,
more demanding to be heard. There is no message more important
this day for you to hear, for me to hear, for us to hear, than
this message. This message which Isaiah was
sent with. This message of life, of redemption,
of salvation. Isaiah was sent forth with this
message and he was sent to those amongst whom he dwelt. He was
sent to the house of Jacob. This message was sent forth to
the people where they were, in their iniquity, with their unclean
lips, in their rebellion. This message comes from God and
it comes to a people where they are. It comes to you this day
where you are. Where are you? Do you know where
you are? Do you know what you are? Do
you know who God is and what you are before him? Do you have
ears to hear? How many ears do you understand?
Isaiah preached to a people who had forsaken the Lord, as it
says in chapter one. A people who had turned from
their God, people who had turned from the ways of God. People
who had turned to self, to pleasure, to riches, to their own ways. A people who
had become hardened. A people who would not listen.
A people who refused to listen. A people who could not listen.
A people who if they heard understood not. A people in that day who
were much like the people of our day. A people in that nation
who were much like the people of our nation. A people much
like England. A people much like Britain. A people much like the world
today. Isaiah was sent to a people who
had forsaken God. He was sent to preach to a sinful
people. To a people of unclean lips.
To a people like us. To a people like me. To a people
like you. As this message comes to us where
we are, and it comes to you where you are this day, I ask again,
where are you? Do you know where you are? For God's word and the prophecy
of Isaiah will describe where you are. For where we are by
nature is that we are lost in sins. We are dead in trespasses
and sins. Where we are is dead. Outside of Christ, outside of
that life which is found in God and in him alone, we're dead. And we're dark, and we're deaf,
and we hear not. We may come and we may hear the
gospel in words, but it is words only. We understand not. That's where we are by nature.
Outside of Christ, that's where we are. And this is where the
message comes to man in his condition. Whether you accept that of yourselves
or reject it, whether you accept that God says that you are a
sinner and you are rebellious, or whether you reject it, that
is where you are. We are sinners, we are rebellious.
We are selfish, proud, contrite, stubborn, lost. And lost sinners need an answer
for their sins. They need their sins to be taken
away. They need their iniquities to
be taken away. They need their sins to be purged
before they can stand in the presence of that God, that Lord
of hosts, whom the seraphims described as holy, holy, holy. Before ever man can stand in
the presence of such a holy God, he needs an answer for his sins. To be spared the punishment which
his sins deserve, his sins must be taken away. And before Isaiah was ever sent
to preach to such a people in such a condition, what Isaiah
was told and what God's servants are told is this tremendous truth,
that Isaiah's sins, that his iniquity had been taken away
and his sins purged. there was a coal, a live coal
taken off the altar and touched upon his lips and he was told,
thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin purged. He heard
the voice of the Lord, he heard God say unto him, he heard the
declaration to his heart and to his soul of what God had done
For him, though he was a wretched and a guilty sinner, God told
Isaiah that he had made an answer for his sins, that he had purged
them, that he had taken them away. And this is the message
with which Isaiah was sent. This is the message with which
he was sent to his people, to preach of that one of whom he
had been shown, that one with whom he had met, that Lord of
hosts who is holy, holy, holy. He was sent to his people to
tell them of the one who had purged his sins, who had taken
his sins away. He was sent to that people to
tell others of the God who delivers from sin, of the God who delivers
those who are in darkness, to deliver those who live in darkness,
those who live in rebellion. those who were sinful, those
who were captives, those who were lost in sin and captive
to sin. He was sent to those who were
sinners, those who were poor, those who were weak, those who
were base, those who were vile. He was sent to such a people. And when God sends his message
of the gospel by Isaiah, by those whom he would send to preach
it. When he sends such a message, he sends it to such a people.
He sends it to us, to me, to you, people like this, people
who are weak, who are base, who are vile, who are in darkness,
who are captives. He sends such a message. What was Isaiah's message? What
did he preach? He was sent to preach of him. He was sent to preach of that
one who came to deliver the captives. He was sent to preach that one
who came to bring light to those who sit in darkness, to bring
strength to those who have none. to bring deliverance to those
who are in bondage, to redeem those who were sold in sin, to
bring righteousness to those who had no righteousness. He
was sent to preach of this one, this one of whom he met, this
one who was revealed to him by his God, this one of whom he
speaks in chapter nine, this one who was sent as a child who
was born as a son who was given this one who was God's son sent
to his people to save that people this one of whom he writes this
one of whom he writes that the government shall be upon his
shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful Councillor the
mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. This is the one whom Isaiah preached. This is the one whose message
he preached. This is the one whom his prophecy
is full of. This is the one whom he knew
and whom he declared to others that they might know him. The
one in whom is eternal life. The one in whom the increase
of his governance and peace, there shall be no end. The one
who would reign upon the throne of David and upon whose kingdom
he was sent to order it, to establish it with judgment and with justice. that kingdom which would reign
forever. He was sent to preach of that
one called Wonderful, the Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace, the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. This was his message. and this
was the one of whom he spake. Turn to chapter 53 of Isaiah,
where we read a little of this one of whom he preached and of what he did. For those who would not listen,
for those who understood not, for those who had forsaken their
God and turned aside, Isaiah was then to declare this
one and the message of his salvation. Chapter 53 and verse 1 reads,
of those of whom he was sent to preach, of those to whom God
called out, listen, give ear. Isaiah writes here, who have
believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the
Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him
as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground. He hath
no form nor comeliness. And when we shall see him, there
is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected
of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we
hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed
him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten
of God and afflicted. But 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 every one to his own way, and
the Lord have laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed
and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought
as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her, here is
his dung, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison
and from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? For he
was cut off out of the land of the living. For a transgression
of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the
wicked and with the rich in his death, because he had done no
violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased
the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. When
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed,
he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of
his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall
divide the spoiled with the strong. because he hath poured out his
soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he
bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Now this is the one of whom Isaiah
spake. This is the one whom God declares
in his gospel. This is the one of whom God says,
listen. Listen! to him who was despised
and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
Listen to him who you hid your faces from and despised and esteemed
and not. Listen to him who bore the grief
and the sorrows of my people. Listen to him who was stricken
and smitten of God and afflicted. Listen to him who was wounded
for our transgressions, who was bruised for our iniquities. Listen
to him upon whom the chastisement of our peace was laid, and with
whose stripes we are healed. For all we like sheep have gone
astray, we have all turned to his own way. Listen to Him upon
whom the Lord have laid the iniquity of all His people. Listen to
Him. Have you heard of Him? Have you
heard of this Redeemer, this One who went forth for the salvation
of His own? The One who stood in their place,
the One who was bruised for their iniquities, the One who was put
to grief because of the sins of his own, because of the sins
of those whom he loved, and yet those who had forsaken him, and
those who had gone astray. Listen to him who knew such travail
in his soul, and yet whose travail will be satisfied. For God's righteous servant shall
justify many for bearing their iniquities, He will take those
iniquities away and their sins shall be purged. Listen to Him. This was Him of whom Isaiah spake. He brought a message of the Redeemer,
of Him who brings life, of Him who brings salvation. But do you hear? Do you listen? Have you been given ears to listen,
ears to hear? Who hears? Who have believed
our report? To whom is the arm of the Lord
revealed? Who listens? For as we've seen,
not all do. Many don't listen at all. Others
hear with the outward hear but understand not and perceive not. Who hears? Who hears? Do you hear? Well there are those who hear.
Chapter 1 tells us that except the Lord of hosts had left unto
us a very small remnant, we should have been a Sodom and we should
have been like unto Gomorrah. But the Lord had a remnant in
his people, a remnant who heard, a remnant who heard the word
of the Lord. The remnant here. When Isaiah was sent forth to
preach, when he was sent forth to go to that people, to say
unto that people, hear ye indeed but understand not, see ye indeed
and perceive not. when he was sent to make the
heart of that people fat and their ears heavy, that their
eyes might be shut, lest they see with their eyes and hear
with their ears and understand with their heart and convert
and be healed. He said, Lord, how long? And
the Lord answered, until the city to be wasted without inhabitants
and the houses without man and the land be utterly desolate.
and the Lord have removed men far away and there be a great
forsaken in the midst of the land. Despite this, there is
this great word of comfort, this great word of hope, that yet
in it, in the land, in the people, there shall be a tenth and it
shall return and shall be eaten as a tail tree and as an oak
whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves so the
holy seed shall be the substance thereof. In that people there
would be a tenth who would return, a tenth who would hear, a remnant
who would hear, a people who would hear the message, a people
who would listen, a people who would hearken, The people who
would hear this message which demands the attention of those
whom God sends it to, there are those who hear. Have you heard,
have you heard what you know of this message? Do you know
that by nature you were dead in sin? That you were a captive? Have you heard of that one that
came to deliver the captives? that came to save sinners. Have
you heard? Have you hearkened? Well listen,
hearken, hear. Listen to the one who calls for
your attention. Hearken unto me ye that follow
after righteousness. Listen to the one who speaks
comfort to those who mourn. Listen to the one who gives strength
to the weak, Isaiah 52.1. Listen to the one who gives children
to the barren, 54.1. Who gives songs to the mourners. Listen to the one who gives water
to the thirsty. Who gives food to the hungry.
Who gives life to the dead. Incline your ear and come unto
me. Here and your soul shall live. Listen to the one who brings
light to those who are in darkness. Listen to the one who brings
liberty to the captives. Oh listen, listen to such a one. Listen to him in whom there is
life. And if you listen, If you hear
what is the end of such a message, what is the end of this message,
what does it bring? It brings salvation to those
who sought it not, it brings life to those who are dead, it
brings liberty to the captives, brings freedom to those who are
in bondage, brings salvation to those who sought it not. It's chapter 65 and verse 1 reads,
I am sought of them that ask not for me. I am found of them
that sought me not. I said, behold me, behold me
unto a nation that was not called by my name. I have spread out
my hands all the day unto a rebellious people which walketh in a way
that was not good after their own fault. So people are provoking
me to anger continually to my face. that sacrifice if in gardens,
and burn if incense upon altars of brick. And yet I am sought
of them that ask not for me, I am found of them that found
me not. The end of this message is salvation.
And it is to bring such a people into a new heavens and a new
earth. For as the new heavens and the
new earth which I will make shall remain before me, saith the Lord,
so shall your seed in your name remain. And it shall come to
pass that from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath
to another shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the
Lord. It brings to a new heavens and
a new earth. Have you heard? And have you
hearkened? Have you listened? Have you heard
this message of salvation in Christ alone, by grace alone? Have you heard this message which
Isaiah declared unto a people that had not ears for it? Are you one of that remnant,
one of that tenth that God is pleased to give hearing? Have
you heard, have you hearkened? For all those who hear, all those
who listen, all those who hear, the Lord has this to say. Even the captives of the mighty
shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be
delivered. For I will contend with him that
contended with thee, and I will save thy children, and I will
feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh, and they shall
be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine. And all flesh
shall know that I, the Lord, am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer. The mighty one of Jacob, hearken
unto me. Listen, O ye isles, as the Lord
God of hosts