All right, let's take our Bibles
and turn once again to the book of Isaiah chapter 51. Isaiah
51. I'd like to look at the first
eight verses. Isaiah 51. Three times in our passage, the
Lord commands his people to hearken to him, to listen, to hear, to
obey. He said that in verse one, hearken
to me. He said it in verse four, hearken
unto me. And he said it in verse seven,
hearken unto me. Now I know something. I know
that he's talking to somebody. He's talking to somebody. And
he's talking with a command. Hearken. Listen to what I've got to say. My prayer is this. Lord, help
me to hear. Now he's talking to somebody.
I want to hear, I want to listen, I want to obey what the Lord
has to say. He said in John 10, 27, my sheep
hear my voice. My sheep hear my voice. My sheep,
my sheep hear my voice. You know what I know? It doesn't
matter what anybody else says. My sheep hear my voice. Brother
so-and-so said, well, if brother so-and-so said something and
he doesn't agree with this, then brother so-and-so lied. My sheep
hear my voice. What a command. Hearken to me. God speaks. God speaks. I'm telling you,
he speaks out of this book. And he speaks through the mouth
of a mortal. A man that is dust, but a man
that God's called. That's a miracle. That God would choose to, through
the foolishness of preaching, I've said before, not foolish
preaching, but through the foolishness of preaching, to save them that
believe. Oh, God's people. They're thankful that they possess
a heart that answers like Eli commanded Samuel to answer whenever
Eli perceived that the Lord was speaking to little Samuel before
Samuel ever knew God. Scripture says that the Lord
not revealed himself to him yet. But God spoke to this little
fellow. He kept coming back, little Samuel
kept coming back to Eli. He said, you called me? No, I
didn't call you. God spoke to him again. Little
Samuel ran to Eli and said, did you call me again? No, I didn't
call you. And Eli perceived that it was the Lord. And he said,
if he speaks to you again, this is what I want you to say. You
say, speak Lord, thy servant heareth. Now let's hear, let's
just hear. We're going to be here for a
few minutes. Let's hear what God has to say. Isn't this a
joy to be able to sit here and say, listen, this is what God
has to say. And I'm convinced, Mitch, I'm
convinced, we're listening to him. He said, verse one, hearken
to me. Ye that follow after righteousness,
ye that seek the Lord, look unto the rock whence ye are hewn,
and to the hole of the pit from whence ye are dug. Now, who is this? Now, who are
the ones that truly follow after, aim eagerly to secure? That's what that means, that
follow after righteousness, aim eagerly to secure righteousness
that is accepted of God. Well, I tell you the ones that
do, those that possess, turn to Romans 4, those who possess
that righteousness that has been imputed to them. Those that possess
a righteousness that they know they didn't produce, they know
that. Those that seek after righteousness, here it is, Romans four, four
to seven. Now to him that worketh is the
reward not reckoned of grace but of debt. Now if you think
you worked and did something to secure your righteousness
before God, Well then you didn't receive that by grace, that was
a debt you think that you were owed. Now to him that worketh
is a reward not reckoned of grace but of debt, but to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly. His faith is counted for righteousness,
even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto
whom God imputeth. Charges to, charges to the count. Man unto whom God imputeth righteousness
without works. You know, it would seem to reason
that people that just read the Bible, just read it. If you can
read black words on white paper, And you can read these words,
you know, that God imputeth righteousness without works. You'd think you'd
get it. But that just shows you until
God opens a man or woman's heart, you don't see. You're looking
at it, you're looking at it without works and you don't even see
it. saying, blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven
and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. That man that Almighty God has
called out of darkness and revealed to him, he said, I gave you righteousness. I robed you in righteousness.
You didn't produce it by works. by grace. Those that seek the
Lord. I tell you who they are. Those
that have been sought out first. Those that seek have been sought
out. Called by God's grace. And those who by the grace of
God continually seek the Lord while he may be found. Call on
him while he's near. These know that by birth they
have nothing concerning righteousness but filthy rags. So this call
to hearken to him is a word of great comfort and joy. Hearken
to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord. Look unto
the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence
you're digged. Now you know normally, when we
see that word rock right there, normally when we see the rock
spoken of in the word of God, normally what we think, our mind
goes to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the rock himself,
the smitten rock, the rock, the foundation stone, that's what
we normally think, but that's not what's being talked about
here. That's not what's being said. that the scripture is setting
forth that our mind goes to where we came from, goes where we,
how we were born. He said, I want you to, you look,
he said, you that are seeking after righteousness, seek the
Lord, look unto the rock when ye are hewn. the hole of the
pit from which you're digged. I want you to look from where
you came from, being born in absolute depravity, and consider
where you were hewn out, the excavation from the well or the
cistern, the dungeon or the prison from which you were digged or
dug out. And to clarify this, to tell
you what I'm saying is so, He said, I want you to remember
where you came from. He says in verse two, he clarifies
it. You look unto Abraham, your father,
and of Sarah that bared you, for I called him alone and blessed
him and increased him. He said, now you that seek after
righteousness, that seek the Lord, I want you to remember where
you came from. Here we see that God is teaching
us that those that seek the Lord follow after His righteousness.
He said, you're just like Abraham was. And what was Abraham? He was
an idolater. He said, you look to Abraham,
your father, and to Sarah. was naturally barren. She couldn't produce anything.
Look where you came from. You know where you came from?
You came from your father. You're like your father Abraham.
You worship idols. That's what I was doing. That's
what you were doing. You're just like Sarah. There
was nothing in her to produce life. She was barren. The Lord
said you were too. I want you to remember, remember,
remember the rock which you're hewn from the hole of the pit
from which you were dig. You remember that you came out
of the cistern of pollution. I took you out. He said, concerning
Abraham, I called him alone. I called him alone. Well, didn't
he have a family? Didn't he, wasn't he in Iraq,
didn't he have a family? The Lord said, I called him.
What does that mean? That means that God has mercy
and compassion on whomsoever he will. He said, you remember
something, I showed grace to you. I showed mercy to you. I called you. He said, I called him, I blessed
him, blessed him with spiritual blessings. heavenly places in
Christ, I blessed him, I blessed you. You that seek after the
Lord, I blessed you. And I increased him, I increased
him. That word increased means became
numerous. Hebrews 11, 12, speaking of Abraham,
therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead,
so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand
which is by the seashore innumerable. He said, remember where you came
from. Whenever we start to think that we've really done something,
the Lord said, you that seek after righteousness, follow after
the Lord. Remember where you came from. Look at verse three.
For the Lord shall comfort Zion. You hearken to me, for the Lord,
because the Lord shall comfort Zion. He will comfort all her
waste places, and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and
her desert like the garden of the Lord. and gladness shall
be found there in thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Oh,
the immeasurable riches found in Christ Jesus. The Lord had
said that he had called, blessed, and increased Abraham. And now
he said, listen, just like I showed mercy to Abraham, an idle worshiper,
Sarah, barren, Here he promises something. Turn to Psalm 48.
He promises that he's gonna comfort Zion. And I want you to look. Turn to Psalm 48, verses one
to three. Zion, it was a mountain. But oh, the significance of what
that mountain pictured. Psalm 48, verse one to three. and greatly to be praised in
the city by God in the mountain of His holiness. Beautiful for
situation. The joy of the whole earth is
Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great
king. God is known in her palaces for a refuge. Now here the Lord is speaking
that Zion represents somebody. Who does Zion represent? The
bride, the church. Zion represents the bride of
the Lord Jesus Christ. The elect of God, the remnant
according to his grace. And she's spoken of. Psalm 87. Psalm 87. I should have made
you just keep your finger there. Psalm 87. He's spoken of as a
city. Psalm 87, verse one to three. His foundation is in the holy
mountains. The Lord loveth the gates of
Zion. More than all the dwellings of
Jacob, glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Hearken to me. Hearken unto me. Ye that follow after righteousness
that seek the Lord, I'm gonna comfort you. I'm gonna give you some comfort. You know, the Lord commanded
his preachers in Isaiah 40, verse one, comfort ye, comfort ye my
people, saith the Lord. And you know how the Lord comforts
his people? Same way I spoke of a while ago, through the hearing
of Christ, through the declaration of the glory of the Lord Jesus
Christ, you that seek after the Lord. Hearken, hearken, and seek
after righteousness. Follow after the Lord. God's
gonna comfort you. You're gonna be comforted now,
and you're gonna be comforted then. I want you to turn to Revelation
14. Being by the grace of God, made
a partaker of the holy city, Zion herself, the blessed city. Revelation 14. One to three,
and I looked and lo a lamb stood on the Mount Sion, with him 144,000
having his father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard
a voice from heaven as the voice of many waters, as the voice
of great thunder. And I heard the voice of harpers
harping with their harps and they sung as it were a new song
before the throne. before the four beasts and the
elders. No man could learn that song but the 144,000 which were
redeemed from the earth. Here's what he said. Verse three,
the Lord shall comfort Zion. He will comfort all her waste
places. He will make her wilderness as
Eden and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness
shall be found therein. Thanksgiving and the voice of
melody. Yes, we're in a world that's
got some waste places. Waste places, ruined places,
that's what it means. Desolate places. But the Lord
said, I'm gonna comfort all of your waste places. Now we, like
Abraham, are sojourners in this world. Hebrews 11, nine declares
it by faith. Abraham, now he said, now you
remember, you remember, you that seek after the Lord, you that
follow after righteousness, I want you to remember, you're just
like Abraham. Abraham was a type. Abraham was
a picture. He's like Sarah. I took him out of idolatry. I increased him, blessed him.
Sarah, you were barren. But I'm gonna comfort you. I'm
gonna comfort you. I'm gonna comfort you. He's still
talking, he's harking to me. I'm gonna comfort you in all
of your waste places. I'm gonna make your wilderness
like Eden. Garden of the Lord, joy. By faith,
Abraham sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country. Now that's the way we are right
now. You that know it. We're living
in a world, and you know this, we're like strangers here. We're like strangers. And we're
sojourners. We're sojourners. We're just
pilgrims. You know, you're not gonna be
here forever. This is not our final home. Abraham was dwelling in tabernacles
with Isaac and Jacob. What do you mean a tabernacle?
Well, you remember the tabernacle in the wilderness? What'd they
do, Brian? When the pillar moved, they rolled
up, rolled it up. We moved. And whenever the pillar
stopped, they set it up again. Just a tabernacle. Heirs of him
of the same promise, for he looked for a city which had foundations.
This ain't our home. Home we're looking for. The builder
and maker, it's a city that has foundations. A place that we're
not leaving. Builder and maker's God. And
in the midst of this journey through this life, Almighty God
has promised us. He said, now you listen to me.
You listen to me. I'm going to make your wilderness
like Eden. Eden. I'm going to make your,
I'm going to make your waste places. I'm going to comfort
you in all your waste places. I'm thinking, Think of the joy
that we have to be here right now. Now, there's a lot of people
in this little area right here. I mean, it's not a big area.
You know, Katy Farmington, you know, Mannington, Fairmont. I
mean, it's not that big a place, really, compared to the rest
of the world. But here's a little group of
people sitting right here, just tickled to death. Just tickled
to death to be here. Would you just tell me something
about God? Would you just give me some comfort? Would you tell
me something that just settles my heart down? And it's just
a little congregation right here. And the Lord said, you know what
I'm gonna do? I'm gonna make your waste places. I'm gonna
comfort you. A lot of us gotta go back to work
tomorrow. Go back and get into the mix of it. But for right
now, just tell me something that'll comfort my heart. Would you?
Would you just settle my soul? That the Lord settle my soul.
I'm gonna make your wilderness like Eden, garden of the Lord. God's got a garden. Song of Solomon,
chapter four, I'll read this for you. Song of Solomon four. Awake, O North Wind, come thou
South, blow upon my garden, that despises the fruits of God's
Spirit. The North Wind, I've told you
before, is the Spirit of God, who in mercy convicts us of what
we are. And the South is the same Spirit
that comes in warming grace and comfort. Blow upon my garden
that the spices, the fruits of my spirit, may flow out. Let
my beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruits. Oh, the blessing of being able
to be comforted in the midst of a dry and arid land. Almighty God's gonna comfort
us. We truly walk by faith in this world. a world that's filled with sin. We walk with a heart of thanksgiving
and the voice of melody in our heart. Verse four, back in Isaiah.
Here's the second hearken. Hearken unto me, my people, and
give ear unto me, O my nation, for a law shall proceed from
me and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people. Now here's the second reason.
Hearken unto me, hearken unto me, my people, just think of
that, my people, my nation. Hearken unto me for or because
a law shall proceed from me and I'll make my judgment to rest
for a light of the people. Hold your place right there.
Turn to Isaiah 2, Isaiah chapter 2, verse 3. Now he said, you
hearken to me because, and I'm gonna, by the Lord's grace, I'm
gonna try to explain what he meant when he said, you hearken
unto me because I shall make a law, or a law shall proceed
from me. Isaiah 2, verse 3. Isaiah 2,
3 says, and many people shall go and say, come ye, let us go
up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob,
and he will teach us of his ways. And we will walk in his paths,
for out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord
from Jerusalem. Now, when the Lord spoke back
in Isaiah 51, and then we read in there, Isaiah chapter two,
he was talking about a law that's gonna come from him. I want you
to listen to what I've got to say, hearken to me, hearken to
my voice, hear me, my people, my nation, because a law shall
proceed from me and I will make my judgment to rest. Now, this
law that he's spoken of is not the precious law of God that
was given by Moses, not that law, but rather this word law
here. Now look this up. Here's what
it means. Instruction in messianic age. This is the law of the instruction. This is what it is. It's a law.
But he said, back when we read a while ago, he said, let's go
to the house of the Lord. He's going to teach us something. He's going
to teach us something. What's he gonna teach us? This
law that proceeds from the Lord to his people through the preaching
of the gospel is that word, that law, that declaration that sets
forth life in him who has redeemed us by grace. Now he said, you
listen to me because I'm gonna teach you something. Turn with
me to Romans eight. You hearken to me because I'm
gonna teach you something. Romans chapter eight, verse one
to four. Here's what he's gonna say, now
you hearken to me, because I'm gonna comfort you. I'm not here
to tell you that you gotta do this, that, and the other in
order to be saved. I'm gonna teach you something,
the Lord said. I'm gonna teach you something
through a law that is gonna proceed from me. Here's what it is, Romans
8, verses one to four. Now listen to this. You've heard
this before. There is therefore now no condemnation. to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the
law of the Spirit of life in Christ hath made me free from
the law of sin and death. And what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemn sin in the
flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled
in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. He said, now you listen to me.
You hearken to me, my people, verse four. And give ear unto
me, O my nation, for a law shall proceed from me. and I will make
my judgment to rest for a light of the people. The law of life
in Christ means that his judgment, this
is what he's saying, I just read it to you, I'll try to explain
it. He said, listen to me, I will make my judgment to rest for
a light of the people. What he's saying is my judgment,
or my, I looked it up, my act of deciding a case, has been
sent to give you rest. And what he
said concerning his case is this. He said, this is the law, now
you listen to me. He said, I got a law and I'm
gonna send you this word, I'm gonna send you this declaration
to comfort you. That I've settled the case. I've
settled my judgment. I've settled the case. And I'm
going to tell you this to give you some rest. That's what he's
saying. Here's what he's saying. I have
had mercy on you. You that follow after righteousness,
that seek the Lord. I've shown compassion to you. I drew you out of the darkness
of sin and unbelief. like your father, Abraham, like
your mother, Sarah, that you couldn't produce anything. I
blessed you. I called you and I blessed you.
I've taught you. The Lord has borne the debt of
the guilt of all of his sheep. He is their light. He said, I'm
gonna enlighten you. That's what he said, verse four. I will make my judgment to rest
for a light of the people. I'm gonna teach you something.
I'm gonna open your eyes and I'm gonna tell you that I, in
regeneration, regenerating mercy and grace, saved you. And I was pleased to tell you,
verse five. He said, my righteousness is
near. My salvation's gone forth, and mine arm shall judge the
people. The isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall
they trust. Who is the arm of the Lord? It's the Lord Jesus Christ, the
strength of God set forth. Oh, the blessing. knowing that
we, God's people, have not been left to ourselves to face the
power and penalty of the law of Moses, but rather the Lord
has sent to save us from our sins, to save us from the justice
of the law, from that which is due. Romans chapter 3, as I wrap
this up, Romans 3 verse 19 to 25. Romans 3, 19 to 25, he said,
listen to me, listen to me. I called you out of darkness,
listen to me. I have given my son and redeemed
you, paid your debt because I chose to show mercy. Listen to me.
Romans chapter 3, verse 19. Now we know that what things
soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law
that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become
guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the
law shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law
is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
by the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith, of
Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, for there's
no difference. For we have all sinned and come
short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has
set forth to be a propitiation, satisfaction through faith in
his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that
are passed through the forbearance of God. The Lord's Salvation,
he says, back in Isaiah 51. He says, verse five, my righteousness
is near. My salvation is gone forth. I thought that was amazing. This
was written by a prophet that lived hundreds and hundreds and
hundreds of years before the Lord ever came, but it was spoken
of as a done deal. Done deal. Yeah, my righteousness
is near. My salvation is gone forth. Mine
arms shall judge the people. The isles shall wait upon him,
and on mine arms shall they trust these isles spoken of. Actually, the isles means the
islands, and it appears as though what the Lord is saying, he's
speaking to Jews here. He said, I've got some people
that's not of this house. I've got some Gentiles. They'll
wait for me, and on mine arm, the Lord himself, shall they
And he said in verse six, lift up your eyes to heavens and look
upon the earth beneath for the heavens shall vanish away like
smoke and the earth shall wax old like a garment and they that
dwell therein shall die in like manner but my salvation shall
be forever and my righteousness shall not be abolished. Hearken
to me. Hearken to me. Everything you're
looking at, Everything you see, it's worth fleeting. It's not
going to be here. Everything you're looking at
that you can see with the natural eye is going to perish. The heavens
and the earth is going to be burned up. But he said, but,
hearken to me. My salvation's forever. My righteousness
is forever. It's not going to be abolished.
hearken to me, and then lastly, verse seven and eight, and I'll
stop, hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people
in whose heart is my law, that law that he's talking about,
telling his people how I've loved you, I fulfill, I fulfill the
law. Here's the truth, my judgment,
I've decided the case, I'm gonna show mercy to you. Fear ye not
the reproach of men, neither be afraid of their revelings,
For the moth shall eat them up like a garment. The worm shall
eat them like wool. But my righteousness shall be
forever, and my salvation from generation to generation. Oh, the comfort of hearing the
Lord repeat something. Say it again. Lord, tell me one
more time. That's what Paul the apostle
said for me to say the same thing to you. He says not grievous
to me. He said for you it's safe. Tell me one more time. I thought about. Those are dear
friends we've spoken of recently that have passed. And passing
which are us. I was thinking today. If I truly
knew. If I truly knew this is the last
day I'm going to be on this earth. Today's it. I don't have anything
else. I wonder how much I'd really
be concerned about for tomorrow. What I really be concerned about. If this is the last service I
was ever going to preach, this is the last one you're ever going
to hear. What would I say? Hearken to the Lord. Hearken
unto me. Remember where I found you. Remember
the cistern that I dug you out of. Remember what I've done in
your redemption. My judgment to show mercy and
compassion unto whomsoever I will. That I showed mercy to you. You
remember this. I will never forsake you. My
salvation is forever. You remember that. You know what
I say. Lord, save me. I get dying thieves. Lord, remember
me. For Christ's sake.