Isaiah 42 this morning. Isaiah
42. Let's read these four verses
again. Isaiah 42 verse 1. This is God's command that all
men everywhere, behold my servant, my righteous servant. Talking
about the Lord Jesus Christ. The one I uphold, He's my elect. He is the elect. We are chosen
in Him. That word, I looked it up, elect
is found 20 times in the scripture. And this is the first time that
it's used in the Word of God. Behold my elect. It's referring
to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the chosen. He is the elect. We are chosen in Him. Elections
Christ. And God Almighty says, in whom
my soul delighteth. I put my spirit upon him. John
said he had the spirit without measure as the God-man mediator. He shall bring in everlasting
righteousness. He shall bring forth the judgment,
righteousness to sinners. Gentile, that's us. That's us,
sinners. Sinners in need of mercy. He
shall not cry or lift up his voice to be heard in the street,
not in a menacing way. A bruised reed. A bruised reed. That weak, frail, little child
of God. A bruised reed shall he not break. A smoking flack shall he not
quench. He shall bring forth judgment
unto truth, or judgment unto victory. Verse 4 is our title. He shall not fail. The Lord Jesus
Christ cannot fail. Till he hath set judgment in
the earth, in the isles, shall wait for His Word, wait for His
Gospel. Now our Lord Jesus Christ cannot
fail in any aspect of His redeeming love, His redeeming work, or
His salvation by the grace of God. The Lord Jesus Christ cannot
fail because as God, God cannot fail. He knows nothing of failure
and everything that the Lord our God undertakes for us write
these words in bold letters over it. Successful. Victorious. Complete. Everything He does
for us in the way of saving mercy is complete. It's successful. Successful. Our Lord said upon
Calvary 3, He said, It's finished. It's done. I've accomplished
salvation. In all aspects of His eternal
purpose, His decrees, His determination, His declaration, it shall be
done. He says, I will, and it shall
be done. Let's turn a couple of pages
to Isaiah 46. He worketh all things after the
counsel of His own will. Isaiah 46, God's will is never
frustrated. He does all His pleasure. Whatever
He does is right. Isaiah 46 verse 9, remember the
former things of old, I am God. There is none else. I am God,
there is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning.
That's God's eternal decrees. From ancient times that things
are not yet done, saying my counsel shall stand and I will do all
my pleasure. The pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in his hand. Calling a ravenous bird from
the east, the man that executes my counsel from a far country.
Look what it says, verse 11. I've spoken it, I will also bring
it to pass. I purposed it, I also will do
it. Sounds like somebody's in charge,
does it not? God is God over all things in
creation. in providence and in salvation. God is God. The command of God
here in verse 1 says, Behold my righteous servant, Son of
God. Remember when the Lord Jesus
Christ in his manhood was baptized by John the Baptist? And he says,
Suffer it be so for us to fulfill all righteousness. And then the
father speaks from heaven and said, this is my beloved son
in whom I am well pleased. God is well pleased with the
servant, his righteous servant, the Lord Jesus Christ. Behold,
my servant, whom I uphold, my elect, I delight in him. The father always delights in
the Lord Jesus Christ. He's sent of God to save his
people from their sins. Call his name Jesus, for he shall
save his people from their sins. He's the anointed of God in all
of his office as prophet, priest, and king. He's sent of God to
accomplish all our salvation. Turn over here to Isaiah 61. Our Lord quotes this in Luke
chapter four, but find Isaiah 61. I put my Spirit upon him. John
said he had the Spirit without measure as the God-man mediator. And our Lord quotes this in his
hometown synagogue in Nazareth, Isaiah 61, verse 1. The Spirit of the Lord God is
upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings
unto the meek. He has sent me to bind up broken
hearts, to proclaim liberty to those who are captives, and opening
prisoners to them that are bound to preach or proclaim the acceptable
year of the Lord. the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all that mourn, to point unto them that mourn in
Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for
mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,
that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting
of the Lord, that He may be glorified." The bottom line of all things
that God does is His glory, is it not? He says that again in
Isaiah 42 verse 16, I will bring the blind by the way they knew
not. I'll lead them in paths that they have not known. I will
make darkness light before them. He shines the light of the gospel
in our heart that we might see the glory of God shine in the
face of Christ. The crooked thing will he make
straight. These things will I do unto them, and I will not forsake
them. So the Lord God is anointed in
all of his offices, prophet, priest, and king, as prophet
to reveal the gospel unto us, as a priest to redeem us with
his precious blood, and as a king to reign over us. Behold my elect. He is the elect, the Lord Jesus
Christ, and we're chosen in him. God did elect from eternity a
people unto salvation, and He shall save them by His grace. He shall bring forth salvation
to His covenant people. The last part of verse 1, called
His name Jesus, He shall save His people from their sins. Look at verse 2, we see the means
the Lord has employed to establish His church through the preaching
of the gospel. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice
to be heard. That is, in a menacing way, in
a way that the kings of the earth would proclaim their message,
the Lord simply taught the gospel by simple, easy parables. Parables. He shall not cry out
or debate nor lift up his voice in a menacing,
mean way. He speaks to His children, His
little children. He said, He hid these saints
from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto His people.
He shall bring forth salvation. Now look at verse 3. A bruised
reed, a small little shaking reed in the wind, so easily broken,
so easily cast down, He shall not break. A smoking flack shall
he not quench, a little dimmering, small wick of a lamp he will
not put it out, but he'll cause it to be inflamed, and he shall
bring forth salvation unto truth, unto victory. Victory we have
in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is a tender, compassionate
Savior toward His elect. He's long-suffering toward His
elect. You remember he said in Matthew 11, come unto me all
you that labor heavy laden, I'll give you rest. Come unto me,
I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest, rest
unto your soul. The Lord Jesus Christ came to
save brokenhearted sinners, to strengthen them. He's neither
them of a broken heart. He saved us such as be of a contrite
spirit. Those who've been convicted of
their sin, who know the frailties of their unrighteousness, all
flesh is grass. The Lord will bind up the brokenhearted. For He came to seek and to save
those who were lost. Those who were lost. preaching the gospel, studying
the word of God, and preaching for over 40 years, and reading
and studying through the scripture, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
and all through the scripture, I've never read one time when
the Lord Jesus Christ turned a needy beggar away. Everyone who came to him seeking
mercy They found mercy. We read last week about blind
Bartimaeus sitting by the wayside begging and he heard the Lord
Jesus Christ come by and he cried out for mercy and the Lord healed
him, gave him his sight. And then I thought about the
man who was nailed, crucified next to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Boy, he was in need of mercy, wasn't he? And he cried out unto
the Lord, Lord, Remember me when you come into your kingdom. Do
you remember what the Lord said to him? Today you'll be with
me in paradise. There was a needy beggar, a mercy
beggar, seeking mercy and he found mercy where it's revealed
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now verse 4, he shall not fail. In all of
his office, in all of his purpose, in all of his salvation, the
Lord Jesus Christ cannot fail, nor be discouraged. The Lord's
never discouraged till he has set and finished his work in
the earth and we wait upon the Lord." Again, David said, wait,
wait, I say, upon the Lord. What a glorious and comforting
statement we have here. Our Lord Jesus Christ cannot
fail. He cannot fail to accomplish
all God's purpose in saving His elect. He cannot be frustrated. He cannot be defeated. We read
in Isaiah 53, we have that real close there. Turn to Isaiah 53.
Isaiah 53, look at verse 10. It pleased the Lord to bruise
him, Isaiah 53, 10. He had put him to grief, when
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed,
that's the elect, he shall prolong his days, He gives us eternal
life, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of
his soul and be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. The Lord Jesus Christ knows nothing
of failure. He knows everything of victory.
I find sweet comfort in the sure promise of our blessed God and
Savior. He has not failed to secure our
salvation, to bring in everlasting salvation for us. We say with
Paul, thanks be to God who has given us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot say that about ourselves,
for we are failures, aren't we? We fail to give God all the honor
and glory, but the Lord Jesus Christ has not failed us not
one time. We're defeated by sin. We have
great weakness because of our total depravity. We've all seen
to come short of the glory of God, but the Lord Jesus Christ
has never failed us not one time, nor will he ever. He cannot fail. He cannot fail. Now, I've got
three main points that I want to present to you today about
this statement, he shall not fail. He shall not fail in what
he has done, he shall not fail in what he is doing, and he will
not fail in what he has yet done. What he has done, what he is
doing, and what he will yet do. Write one word over it, successful,
victorious, accomplished. What has he done? Isaiah here,
this is written 700 years before the Lord Jesus Christ came. Isaiah
here, and it's interesting, his name means Jehovah saves. Many
people call the prophecy of Isaiah the gospel according to Isaiah.
Isaiah is looking future 700 years about the coming Messiah,
and he says he shall not fail. And we, looking back to the past,
say the Lord Jesus Christ did not fail several things. He did not fail to fulfill all
Scripture, every type and picture found in the Old Testament. The
Lord Jesus Christ dies for our sins according to the Scripture. You remember he said in Luke
24, all things must be fulfilled which are written in the law
of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalm concerning me.
Then he opened their understanding that they might see. The Lord
Jesus Christ fulfilled every type and picture, shadow. In
the Old Testament, the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled them all. Let
me give you some examples. We studied not too long ago,
from Exodus 12, that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Passover
lamb. And Paul writes about it in 1
Corinthians 5, verse 7. He said, Christ, our Passover
is sacrificed for us. That was a picture. God said,
when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. Christ is the fulfillment
of that. And then we see in Numbers 22,
the brazen serpent lifted up, And our Lord quotes that in John
chapter 3, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
and those who were bitten looked at that brazen serpent lifted
up, and he said, that serpent was the type and picture of Christ.
As Moses raised up that brazen serpent, those who looked to
him lived, were healed, even so those who believe in me have
everlasting life. Christ is the fulfillment of
that brazen serpent lifted up. And then how about in Exodus
17, the smitten rock? that was smitten, and they were
traveling in that wilderness, desert, had no water, and God
instructed Moses to take his rod and strike that rock. Remember
what happened? Water came out of that rock,
and that's the picture of Christ, the water of life. You know that
water followed them in that wilderness journey for 40 years. That water
followed them. Christ is that ever-living well
of life-giving water. He's a fulfillment of that smitten
rock. He was smitten for our sin, wounded
for our sin. Every prophecy concerning His
death The time, the manner, the circumstances were all written
in the Old Testament. In His coming, His living, His
dying, in His resurrection and ascension, He did not fail to
accomplish all things for us according to the Lord's eternal
purpose. He fulfilled the scripture for us, didn't He? Secondly,
Christ did not fail to satisfy God's holy law and justice for
us. He shall bring forth judgment
unto victory. The Lord Jesus Christ, I love
what it says in verse 21, Isaiah 42 verse 21. The Lord is well
pleased for His righteousness sake, He will magnify the law
and make it honorable. The law of God must be honored,
and we can't satisfy the law of God, but the Lord Jesus Christ
did. Remember He said in Matthew 7,
I didn't come to destroy the law and the prophets, I came
to fulfill all things for you." In his life, he obeyed every
precept of God's law for us. He worked out a perfect righteousness
for us. He had no sin, knew no sin, and
did no sin. Hebrews 7.26 declares, such a
high priest became us, who was holy, who was harmless. who was
separated from sin and undefiled. In his life, he obeyed every
precept of God's law. In his death, he satisfied the
penalty of that law. The law says the guilty must
die. The Lord Jesus Christ died under the judgment of our sin
and the law of God condemned Him. He redeemed us from the
curse of the law being made a curse for us. We read a moment ago,
it pleased the Lord to bruise Him. Why? God made Him to be
that sin offering for us. Thirdly, Christ did not fail
to make complete and definite atonement for the sin of His
covenant people. It wasn't an attempt to put away
sin. That's not what the Lord Jesus
Christ was doing on Calvary's tree. He appeared once in the
end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Did he get the job done? Absolutely. How do we know that what he did
on Calvary's tree by being the sacrifice for our sin got the
job done and satisfied God? How do we know that? Third day,
God raised Him from the dead, delivered for our offenses, and
raised again because He justified us. When He by Himself purged
our sin, He sat down on the right hand of God. The Lord Jesus Christ
did not fail to make complete atonement for all of His elect. It's not a true statement to
say that Christ died for all the sins of all men. That's not
true. That's not so. He died for the sin of His covenant
people and He did not fail to put away their sin. Failure is not an option. The
Lord Jesus Christ didn't come and lay down His life to make
salvation a possibility. He came and died and brought
in everlasting salvation for us to make it an absolute certainty
for those for whom he died. For those for whom he died, they
cannot perish. Christ did not fail to bring
in everlasting and a justifying righteousness for his people.
Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is
God that justify. Who is he that condemneth? It
is Christ that died. Yea, rather is risen again, who
is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us. Who can lay anything to the charge
of God's elect? No one, because he put away our
sin by the sacrifice of himself. He cannot fail in all of His
aspects in what He has done for us. Christ did not fail to crush
and defeat every enemy. It says there, did you notice
in verse 13, the Lord shall go forth as a mighty man. Exodus
15 verse 3 is called a man of war. He shall stir up jealousy
like a man of war. He shall cry a roar, he shall
prevail against his enemies. Now he's weak. He's meek and
long-suffering unto His people, His covenant children. He deals
with them in love and tender kindness. But to His enemies,
He's a roaring lion that will have the victory over all His
foes. He cannot fail to crush and defeat
every enemy. The seed of the woman, the Lord
Jesus Christ will crush the dominion of Satan. And He's done that.
Here's the second point. Christ shall not fail in what
He's doing right now. He has done a work for us, fulfilling
the law of God for us, bringing in everlasting righteousness
for us. He did not fail in that aspect, did He? And He shall
not fail in what He's doing now. What is He doing now? He ever
lives to make intercession for us. The Lord Jesus Christ shall
not fail to irresistibly and powerfully call out His elect
from the four corners of the earth and to make them new creatures
in Christ. Turn over here to Isaiah 43,
just across the page, Isaiah 43. He shall not fail. to irresistibly
and powerfully call out His elect wherever they are in this world.
Look at Isaiah 43, verse 5. Fear not, I am with thee. I'll
bring thy seed from the east and gather thee from the west.
I'll say to the north, give up, and to the south, keep not back.
Bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the
earth. Everyone that is called by my
name, I've created him. For my glory, yea, I have formed
him, yea, I have made him. He makes us new creatures in
the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord shall not fail to irresistibly,
powerfully call out his elect, translate us out of the kingdom
of darkness in the kingdom of God, dear Son, that we should
show forth the praises of him who called us out of darkness.
The Lord Jesus Christ shall not fail to meet the need and supply
the need of every one of his elect, all of his children, all
of his children. Paul writes this, my God shall
supply all your need according to his riches in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Christ shall not fail to sustain
our soul and keep us by his grace. He saves us by his grace and
he keeps us by his grace. He said, I give my sheep eternal
life. and they'll never perish. He shall not fail what he has
done. He shall not fail what he is
doing and calling out his elect, supplying their every need. Thirdly,
he shall not fail to sustain our soul and keep us by his grace.
He's called the God of all grace. The God of all grace. He's shown
up there to keep us, keep us by His grace. We're kept by the
power of God through faith. Salvation that we read of, turn
over here to Isaiah 45. Let's look at this. Isaiah 45,
little verse 16. He shall not fail to give us
life and then to give us eternal life and to keep us by His grace. Isaiah 45, look at verse 16. and also confounded all of them,
they shall go to confusion that are makers of idols." Isaiah
45, 16. But Israel shall be saved in
the Lord with an everlasting salvation. You shall not be ashamed
nor confounded, world without end. He saves us with what kind
of salvation? With an everlasting salvation.
Everlasting salvation. And the Lord Jesus Christ shall
not fail to comfort us in our time of need. When is our time
of need? All the time. Look back at Isaiah
40. He shall not fail to comfort
us in our time of need. Isaiah 40. Look at verse 1. Isaiah
40 verse 1. Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people,
saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem.
Cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity
is pardoned, for she has received by the Lord's hand double for
all her sins." Full payment. Full payment for all our sin. The Lord shall not fail. And
what He has done and what He is doing Christ alone is our
comfort. Christ shall not fail to give
us all grace now and glory forever. He gives us grace for every trial
that comes from His loving hand. And unless He gives, He gives
us grace for the trial. He gives us grace for the trial.
Here's the last thing. The Lord Jesus Christ shall not
fail in what He will yet do for His church. He will not fail
to come again and receive us unto Himself, that where He is,
there we may be also. Turn to John chapter 14. The
Lord Jesus Christ has promised us, John 14. Let not your heart
be troubled. Look at verse 1. Let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God. Believe also in Me. In My Father's
house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you,
and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. The Lord Jesus Christ shall not
fail to come again and receive us unto Himself. Let's see if
we can find another scripture on that. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, page
288. If you have the Cambridge, I've
got page 288. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, the
Lord shall not fail to come again to receive us and do himself.
1 Thessalonians 4 verse 16, the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel. with the
trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then
we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
the Lord. caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. He
shall not fail to come again and to receive us unto Himself. He shall not fail to make a new
heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Let's
see if we can read that. Turn to 2 Peter. 2 Peter chapter
3. 2 Peter chapter 3. That'd be on page 330 if I have
the Cambridge I have. 2 Peter chapter 3. The Lord is coming back to receive
us unto Himself. 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 10. But
the day of the Lord will come as the thief in the night. in
which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and
the elements shall melt with a fervent heat, and the earth
also, and the works therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that
all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of person thought
you to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and
hastening unto the coming of the day, wherein the heavens
being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with
a fervent heat? Nevertheless, here's his promise.
We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." He writes about this. Don't turn, let me just read
this to you. That new heaven and new earth.
He said, God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. There
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying. Neither shall
there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away."
He's going to make a new heaven and a new earth, and He's going
to conform us, predestinate us to become conformed to the image
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we shall enjoy Him forever. He shall not fail to make a new
heaven and a new earth, and He shall not fail to make a people,
a new people, like unto Himself, to inhabit that new heaven and
a new earth, wherein we shall enjoy Him forever. How do we know that the Lord
did not fail? He's enthroned. He's seated on
the right hand of God, ruling and reigning and controlling
all things. The Lord does reign. He does according to His will
in the army of heaven and among the habitants of this earth.
And no one can say unto Him, Lord God Almighty, what doest
Thou? He's working all things after
the counsel of His on will. Not one promise, not one word
shall fail. I'm like Abraham. I'm persuaded
like Abraham of old, aren't you? Of all that God has promised,
He's able to perform. Not one word will fall. Not one promise will fail. He shall not fail. The Lord Jesus
Christ knows nothing of failure. We don't have a weak, defeated
Savior. We have a glorious, conquering
King who reigns and rules over all things. Creation, in providence,
and in salvation. I'm persuaded. How about you? Are you persuaded
that the Christ of God cannot fail? Are you persuaded that
the Christ of God is all your salvation? I hope so. We trust His unfailing purpose,
it shall be done. His unfailing love. He loved
us with an everlasting love. The love of Christ can never
fail. Never fail. And we say with the apostle,
thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift to us. The Lord Jesus Christ
cannot fail in all that He has purposed. He accomplished redemption,
salvation, and righteousness for us. And we enjoy that by
his grace. By his grace he'd given unto
us.