Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Isaiah chapter 30. Isaiah 30. Our passage today is a glorious declaration of
the mercy and the compassion that Almighty God has eternally
been pleased to show His people. Now, it begins with God's revelation
of His people, His children, as they are born in a natural,
unregenerate state of rebellion and hatred of God. They love
their sins, they love their trespasses, And it's the message of God's
people, God's elect. Now, though they're born sinners,
rebels against God, hate God, they hate God, and they deserve
nothing but judgment. They deserve judgment. And they're
sinners that look to everything else and everyone else except
Almighty God. But then the Lord mercifully
comes to them in power, in regenerating grace, gives them a new heart,
and they act differently. They're new creatures. They just
think different. They repent. That's what repentance
means, to think differently. That's repentance, to think differently.
I'm going to look at verses 1 to 21. Let's look at verses 1 and
2. Listen to this warning that Almighty
God has for His children. Now, we're deserving of wrath
and He gives us a warning telling us concerning what we deserve. Woe to the rebellious children,
saith the Lord, that take counsel but not of me, that cover with
a covering but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin,
that walk, go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth
to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust
in the shadow of Egypt." Now, take a warning. Now listen. What I'm doing right now is I'm
preaching the gospel of God's glorious grace in Christ. Now God's got a people. He's
got a people in this world. He's got a people in this congregation
right here. And this is the way He's going
to call them out. He's going to call them out through
this message right here. Through the message that honors
Christ. Glorifies God in Christ. And
God's people are going to hear the gospel. Now they start off
by hearing something about what they are. They hear, woe, take
a warning from Him. Now listen, all men are going
to stand before God. And he says, and he's talking
to, now listen, woe to the rebellious children. I'm talking to children. I'm talking to my children, the
Lord said. And I'm going to give you a warning
about what you are and what you deserve. He said, what you're
doing, he said, you don't take just advice. He said, you think
that you can cover yourselves with a veil of righteousness.
That's what he said in verse one. That take counsel, but not from me. You listen to
everybody else, but you don't listen to me. You cover yourself
with a covering that you think you provided. You think you've
done something for me, and you hadn't done anything for me.
Didn't get it from my spirit. And all you do is you add sin
to sin. We're so reckless and we're in
that carnal unregenerate state and we're just children that
goes about and we just add one sin to another sin. We commit
sin and just commit another sin. And that's all we do is sin.
That's a sinner. One that can do nothing but sin.
That's all a sinner can do. But take heed, he said, verse
2, you that are going down into Egypt. Now what does that mean?
Well, you're going to the world. That's what Egypt is a picture
of. Remember when God's people were called out of Egypt? They
were delivered from Egypt? Egypt is a picture of this world. of its false religion, its false
hope, its false comfort. All you're doing, he said, you
walk and you go down into Egypt. You haven't asked at my mouth. You've just gone down in your
rebellion and you're thinking that you're going to prevail
by your allegiance to everything that you've trusted in, just
a fleeting shadow of everything that's going to be burned up.
You're rebellious children. You're just ignorant. You're
trying to strengthen yourself. He says, in the strength of Pharaoh. What does that mean? You think
that you're going to strengthen yourself in nothing but arrogance
and pride. Remember when Moses told Pharaoh,
you know, thus saith the Lord. Let my people go. And what did
Pharaoh say? It's Exodus 5, 2. Who is the
Lord? that I should obey his voice.
That's just arrogance. Who is Jehovah? Who is El Shaddai? Who is the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit that I should obey his
voice? Don't you realize who I am? I'm
Pharaoh. You've trusted, he said, in nothing
more than the strength of Pharaoh. You've trusted in arrogance,
pride. The shadow of Egypt. What's a
shadow? It's nothing. It's darkness. That's what it is. That's a shadow. That's darkness. The sun shines
on my body and casts a shadow over here. What is that shadow?
It's fleeting. It wasn't even stable. It moved. Look at verse 3. Therefore shall
the strength of Pharaoh be your shame. and the trust in the shadow
of Egypt is going to be your confusion. That strength of Pharaoh,
nothing more than an empty promise of a lying heart. What has our
lying heart promised us? Well, peace, security, salvation,
you know, and the heart is desperately wicked. It's deceitful above
all things. A shadow that men trust in. They trust in the shadow. Can
you imagine? Here I am in trouble. Here's a wild dog coming after
me. He's charging. And I'm standing
out there and I'm casting a shadow. And I trust in that shadow. I
trust in my shadow to help me. Help me shadow. Help me. What's
that shadow going to do? It ain't going to do nothing.
What? It's nothing. He said, what you've
done, the strength of Pharaoh is your shame. The trust of the
shadow of this world. It's just, it's confusion. It's
going to put you to shame. It's not going to help you in
that day. Look at verse 4. For his princes, talking about
Egypt, were at Zoan. His ambassadors came from Hanes. Now these were two cities. I
looked them up and they were two cities, Zoan and Haines. Two cities in Egypt and one of
them, Zoan, was where kings lived. And the others was a place where
ambassadors, it was like the big place where ambassadors from
all over the known world at that time would come and they would
make alliances. So you had kings living in a
place, In places where these alliances,
covenants, agreements between countries would be made, they
had the reputation of being able to be where dignity was, kings,
earthly dignity. and where negotiations took place. Well, if you want to negotiate,
Egypt, a powerful nation, what are we going to do? We're going
to go to Hades and we're going to work this thing out. Where
Pharaoh's princes or his strength would go and they'd make negotiations
with people. Well, we'll buy so much, we'll
give so much, we'll sell you this, you'll buy this. But these
cities In princes they represented nothing more than man's foolish
thoughts to appease God by man's negotiating power. And that's
man's salvation. I'm going to make a deal with
God. We're going to negotiate. I'll give you my heart and you
save me. We'll work it out. I'll walk
faithful before you and I'll be a bright and shining star
in the midst of all this. And everybody will look at me
and see what a good man I am. And I'll stand on the street
corner and I'll pray and make loud prayers to be heard of men. And then
I'll be a representative. That's a Pharisee. Negotiation,
we're going to work out a deal. He said, Scripture says in verse
5, they were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor
be in help nor profit but a shame and also a reproach. And it says
they were all ashamed. But if you have in your Bible,
you may have a marginal reference there where it says they were
all ashamed. See where it says Jeremiah. I
want you to turn over to Jeremiah 2.36 because the same thing,
Jeremiah 2.36 is spoken of in Jeremiah 2.36 and it gives a
more clear understanding of what it says. It says they were all
ashamed, but Jeremiah 2.36 gives this interpretation of that scripture
right there. Look at Jeremiah 2.36. Why gaddest
thou about so much to change thy way? Thou also shalt be ashamed
of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria. What it said is,
it doesn't say in Isaiah chapter 30 verse 5, it says they were
all ashamed. 2.36 in Jeremiah says they shall
be. He's telling them, he said, this
is what I'm saying, you're going to be ashamed. You're going to
be ashamed of a people that couldn't profit you. You're going to be
made ashamed. They're all going to be in future
tents shown that all of these empty works, all of this empty
alliance, All of this foolish negotiation. And that's all of
us by nature. Now I'm telling you, I'm telling
you something from experience. I know something. I've told you
sat under false religion and I know, I know something about
this. All this negotiating silliness. I'll do my part, God will do
His part, you know. But remember, who is the Lord
talking to and about? He's talking to, look back at
verse 1, Isaiah 30 verse 1, woe to the rebellious children. I'm talking, He said, to my children,
sons of God, yet unregenerate. God's got a sheep. They've always
been His sheep. They've always been sons. But
until they're called out of darkness, they're unregenerate sons. Because
you are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your
heart. Then you cried, Abba, Father. He said, what you're
doing, He said, you're running about, going down to the world,
trying to negotiate your salvation with all this foolishness. And
he said, all of that will come to nothing but shame. It's not
going to stand. It's not going to answer for
you. You're running around trying
to appeal to flesh, and that flesh promises absolutely nothing. Look at verse 6, the burden.
of the beast of the south into the land of trouble and anguish
from which come the young and old lion, the viper, fiery flying
serpent. They will carry their riches
upon the shoulders of young asses and their treasures upon the
bunches of camels to a people that shall not profit. I'm telling you, man by nature
goes to great pains, lengths, and suffers great danger to gain
the smile of the world. That's what he's doing. He said,
you'll load up all your stuff, you'll bring all that junk down
to Egypt, down to the world, and then brag and brag on what
you've done by nature, thinking you've done so much for God.
I've been so faithful, like that elder brother, remember that
prodigal son, he left, give me what I'm, coming to me, wasted
it, riotous living. Came to himself, came back, told
his daddy, I've sinned against you, I've sinned against heaven,
I did it in your sight. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I know
you told me, I'm sorry. You know, put a ring on his finger,
robe on him, shoes on him, kill the fatty calf. Older brother
comes in. He's mad. He's mad, I ain't coming
in. I ain't going to have nothing
to do with this. That boy of yours, you know,
he took, wasted it, you know. He just, you know, why? Why? I've always been faithful. Always. He said, what you're
doing, he said, you're going to just come to nothing but shame
for doing that. He said, those that stand before
the Lord, he said, not everybody that says Lord, Lord to me. In
that day, we cast out devils. We preached in your name. I never
knew you. Never knew you. Look at verse
7. For the Egyptians shall help
in vain. and to no purpose? Therefore
have I cried concerning this, their strength is to sit still."
What does that mean? Well, the first thing that comes
to our mind, as for a believer, we think about our strength is
to rest in Christ, and that's right. Our strength is to rest
in Christ, sit still, be still, but that's not what this scripture
is talking about. This scripture right here, it
means Man-centered, man-honoring false religion. The religion
of this world makes promises that it can't keep, is what it's
saying. the impotent little G, God, of
man's imagination. And that's all that an idol is,
it's just an imagination. What you think, what I think,
will, you know, answer for us. That's an idol. It'll do, in
the end, exactly what Egypt did for Israel. Nothing. Nothing. Isaiah said the Egyptians,
verse 7, shall help in vain. Their help is not, the world
is not gonna help us. It's not gonna sustain us. It's
gonna do nothing, it'll have no purpose. Therefore, I cried
concerning this. He said, I cried concerning them
being able to do nothing, is what he was saying. Their strength
is to sit still. This is what that scripture right
there means. Egypt. like man's work-based religion,
thinking you've done something for God, all it's going to do,
it's going to boast of being able to help you. But when it
comes to the acid test, when it comes to standing before God,
all it could do is just sit there and do nothing. Let me tell you
what false religion, man free, so-called free will. Man doesn't
have a free will. We're dead in trespasses and
sins. Now I can appeal to a corpse
all I want to and it ain't going to do nothing. It's going to
lay right there. Man centered. honoring false
religion is all talk and no act. It's all talk and it's no power. That's what he's saying. He said,
when it promises everything, but when it comes down to it,
all it's going to do is sit there and do nothing but be judged
by God. That's what that means. Verse
7, I'll read it again. For the Egyptians shall help
in vain and to no purpose. Therefore have I cried concerning
this. What? Them helping in vain to
no purpose. Their strength is just to sit
there and be able to do absolutely nothing. Verse 8. Go now. This is what God says to Isaiah. Go now. Write it before them in a table.
Note it in a book that it may be for the time to come forever
and ever. The Lord instructs the prophet
to pen these words in a book that the children in the latter
day should be able to read. Aren't you glad that God sent
a record? We got a record right here that
God raised up some preachers and he wrote it down for us.
And we can just sit here right here and just read it, enjoy
it, and hear what God has to say. Look at verse 9 and 10.
He says, this is what I want you to write, Isaiah. Tell them
that this is a rebellious people. Lying children. Children that
will not hear the law of the Lord. That say to the seers,
say to the prophets, say to those that see not, to the prophets,
prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things,
prophesy deceits. Isaiah said, you tell my children,
those that won't hear, You tell them what I say they are. You tell them that they're rebellious. Now this is the beautiful thing.
Children. I got four kids. I got six kids
now. I got six kids. And you know
what? They're all born just like me. Every one of us. Just rebellious. And go ahead
and be up front with them. Just tell them. You tell them that
they're lying to you. They got a heart that lies against
them. You tell them that they won't hear the Word of God. You tell them that what they
say to God's preachers. How long did we sit, all of us
sit, under the Gospel? God pleased to put us under the
Gospel. How long was it that this was our attitude? Say to
your preachers, this is what a lying child, before God converts
him, says. Don't tell me right things. I want you to tell me easy things. Lie to me. Don't tell me what God has to
say. Don't you be playing with me. You tell me something that
tickles my ears and things about prosperity. Tell me how God's
going to bless me with health and wealth and long life. And forget about telling me about
a just God who will in no wise clear the guilty. Now let me
ask you something, those that know Him. How much did any of
us enjoy hearing, thus saith the Lord? until the Lord called
us out of darkness. We sit there and we just think,
you're killing me. How long are you going to go
on? Isn't it 11 o'clock yet? Turn from the way that sets forth
man to be a helpless sinner. Don't tell me that I'm spiritually
impotent. Don't tell me that God's sovereign
and has mercy and compassion on whomsoever He will. Stop telling
me about God's holiness. Stop preaching that same message
that you preach over and over and over again. Don't you have
any more material? Don't you have anything else
to say but this? Tell me about all these other
things that all these other churches are talking about. Look at verse
12 to 14. Wherefore, thus saith the Holy
One of Israel, because you despise the Word, and you trust in oppression,
and perverseness, and stay thereon. Therefore, this iniquity shall
be to you. Now, I'm going to stop right
here, and I'm getting ready to continue reading. But I want
you to look at this next little word. A-S. As. As. I was going over my notes this
morning and I thought, oh how thankful I am that that word
is there. Oh how thankful God put A-S in
there. And he did not put the word S-H-A-L-L
in there. Therefore this iniquity What
you're doing shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling
out in a high wall whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. He shall break it as the breaking
of the potter's vessel that is broken in pieces, he shall not
spare. So there shall not be found in
the bursting of it assured to take fire from the hearth or
to take water withal out of the pit. Lord said, because of my
people's despising the message that they're hearing because
they shunned His Word and trusted in the crookedness and the perverseness
of lies. God who would not leave them
to themselves because they were His own. And Isaiah was sent
to tell them of their iniquity. Tell them about what they're
doing, listening and believing a lie rather than God. He said, your iniquity, what
you deserve, will be as it were. Because I'm not going to let
you perish. But what you've been building
and what you've been resting in is going to be about like
a big old wall, a big old section. And it's bowing. You got any
sense, if you're standing next to a big old rock wall and it's
bowing, and you see it bowing, I would advise you to get out
of the way. Because it probably is going
to fall on you. He said, what you deserve is
like that which is getting ready to collapse and crush you. But listen, God
Almighty sent mercifully a preacher. He sent them a preacher. He didn't
leave them to themselves. Look at verse 15. Thus saith
the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, in returning and rest,
rest in Christ shall you be saved. Not going down to Egypt, not
going over to Zohan negotiating, resting, standing next to that,
your iniquity like a big old bow and wall is going to fall
and break and the destruction of it, all the pieces that would
fall if I allowed it, if I didn't rescue you and keep you from
this, there wouldn't be a piece big enough to lift up a little
old coal of fire out of something or get you a little water to
put it out. It would be total destruction. But listen, here's
where your hope is. In returning and rest shall you
be saved. In quietness and confidence shall
you strengthen. And you wouldn't do it. I told you what was going to
happen. I told you what your false confidence is. I told you
come unto me, rest in me. But you wouldn't. You wouldn't
do it. Return to me. Rest in me. Trust
in the Lord. Be saved. And you wouldn't hear. Oh, how thankful I am for the
long suffering of God. That Almighty God would not say,
you know, enough. I've had enough. Look at 16 and
17. But you said no. We will flee
upon horses, and therefore shall you flee. And we will ride upon
the swift, therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. One
thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one, and the rebuke of five
shall you flee till you be left as a beacon upon the top of a
mountain, as an ensign on a hill." They refused, just like we all
did. Somebody said, oh, I tell you
what, I was so thankful that I finally decided We didn't decide anything until
God gave us a new heart. We'd hear the word of God and
we'd hear what God had to say. And here's the sad thing. We'd
read it. We'd read it. Okay, I see what you're saying,
but I still don't believe it. No, I'm not going to rest. They
would not believe. They continued to think. We can get away from this. We
can escape. We'll be able to get out of any
danger. But God Almighty, who exposes the foolishness of His
people, by telling them, He said, you're going to find out that
you're not as mighty as you thought you were. You bragging on all
your spiritual ability, a mighty prayer warrior. You ever heard
that term? Boy, he's a prayer warrior. I can't even keep my mind straight
when I pray. I start thinking about stuff
that doesn't even matter. And then repent and say, Lord,
don't deal with me after my iniquity. Lord, have mercy. Receive me
graciously. That which the carnal man thinks
is not going to be that bad sin, I can get away. He said, you're
going to be overtaken. But for the grace of God, God
would leave us right there and let us die in that sin. But God Almighty, He said, tells
me, He said, if I left you alone, you'd be just like a stripped
tree trunk sitting up on top of a mountain, stripped of all
of its leaves. There's nothing more than an instant, but just
a sign of what happens to men and women that I leave to themselves. That's what you'd be like. But
oh, let's look in closing at the indescribable mercy and grace
of God. Verse 18. Oh, and therefore will
the Lord wait. Wait for what? Wait to execute judgment. He's going to wait. Wait that
He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted. that He may have mercy upon you. For the Lord is a God of judgment.
Blessed are all they that wait for Him. Therefore will the Lord
wait. Why? Because He's longsuffering
to us. Not willing that any should perish. Are we deserving of perishing?
Yes, sir. There's not one Man or woman,
boy or girl in this congregation this morning that doesn't deserve
to be in hell. Every one of us. Well, I've been
a good one. No, we haven't. No, we haven't.
I've been a good one. No, we haven't. I've never. Yes, you have. We all have. Well, just shut up. Just shut up. Let's just go ahead
and just be straight up about it. Every one of us deserve to
be in hell. But for the grace of God, Almighty
God has waited. Therefore will the Lord Jehovah
wait that He may be gracious." Whenever that Syrophoenician
woman came to the Lord, asking for mercy for her daughter, what
did the Lord do? He waited. He waited. wrestling with a man. Almighty
God waited. Saul of Tarsus on the road to
Damascus. Saul held the garments of those
that stoned Stephen. You think God knew it? What did God do? He waited. He
waited that he might be gracious on the road to Damascus. He just
stopped that rebel. Proud, arrogant. There's nothing
that's more unlovely than a proud, arrogant Pharisee. And he stopped
a proud, arrogant Pharisee, right here, right here. Not you, I'm
talking about me. He stopped a proud, arrogant
Pharisee and said, that's enough. Oh, that's enough. OK, this is
where it ends, right here. Who are you, Lord? He said, I'm
Jesus that you're persecuting. It's hard for you to kick against
the priest. Lord, what would you have me to do? Almighty God,
he said, I waited. that I might be gracious unto
you. We don't ever know why the Lord is pleased to wait, but
Scripture says that He might be gracious. Blessed are those
that wait on Him. Those to whom He was pleased
to wait. Look at verse 19. For the people
shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem, thou shalt weep no more. He shall
be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry. When He
shall hear it, He will answer. has been poured out upon this
world and all those who've rebelled with the same resentment toward
God, spiritual Israel, God's people has. And they're found
to be dwelling in safety? When they did exactly what the
world was doing, of the world themselves, God called them out
of it. He who was pleased to choose them in Christ and redeem
them by the blood of the Lord Jesus and regenerate them by
the Spirit, He said, you're not going to weep anymore. You're
not going to weep like those that don't have hope. He was
pleased to give His people a new heart to cry unto Him. He gave
them a new voice, a new heart, and they cried. And He said,
when they cried, I heard them. He caused them to cry. He said
to them, cry. They cried. He said, I heard
you. I heard you. He knows his sheep, knows their
hearts. He answers when they cry out
for mercy. He put that in there. He told
them in verse 20, though the Lord give you the bread of adversity
and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be
removed in a corner anymore, but thine eyes shall see thy
teachers. Though the Lord is pleased to
send loving chastisements to His children that were rebellious,
though He tries their faith, He said, I'm going to tell you
something. You're teachers, preachers, that
Almighty God's pleased to bless the word through. He said, though
you're in dire straits, For your good and for God's glory. He
said, I'm not going to leave you without consolation. He said,
I'm going to allow you the privilege to be able to hear my word preached.
All I'm doing this morning, all I'm doing is just repeating what
God said. I didn't come up with this. All I'm telling you is
what thus saith the Lord. That's what God says. He said,
I'm not going to leave you without comfort. And where do we find
comfort? But God's preaching. Don't you
just love to listen and listen to God's man stand up and just
say, you tell me what God has to say. Don't give me your opinion.
I don't care about your opinion. You tell me what thus saith the
Lord. Tell me what God says through
His gospel. And thine ears shall hear a word
behind thee, saying, this is the way. Walk ye in it. When
you turn to the right hand, when you turn to the left, Let me
ask you this. When thine ears shall hear a
word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it. Whose voice is that but the Spirit
of God? The voice of the Master. My sheep, they hear my voice. Like I said, I'm just repeating.
All I'm doing is telling you this. This is the Word of Christ
Himself. As we hear it in His Word, as
we hear it in our conscience, we hear it in providence, We
hear His word and He said, walk this way, walk this way. And
He leads and guides. Why do we do what we do? God
guides us. God directs us. I can't believe
without this one. I said I was going to stop on
21. I will stop on 22. Listen, this is what's going
to happen. Here's the conclusion. God's
people walked in rebellion. They trusted in Egypt. They looked
to the shadow of Pharaoh. It was nothing. They thought
that they'd load up all their stuff on their donkeys and take
it over there and make negotiations. I'm going to negotiate my salvation
with God. And God sends a preacher and
they said, I'm not going to hear. Don't tell me that no more. I'm
going to go back over here. I'm going to go back over here
where they don't tell me all that stuff you're telling me.
You're making this too God-centered. You're giving God too much glory.
Give me some glory. I don't want to hear that anymore.
But God's long-suffering with them. Tell them, say, what would
happen to you if I left you alone? I'm telling you. But the Lord
waits, and He doesn't pass judgment on them. He's long-suffering,
poured out His judgment upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And God
Almighty sends Him a preacher, and He preaches the gospel to
them. And the Spirit of God blesses
it, and they hear it. Go this way. And he called on
the name of the Lord. And then he says, this is what's
going to happen to you. I'm going to call you out of darkness.
And I'm going to give you a new spirit, a new heart, new eyes,
new ears. And you're going to hear me.
You're going to believe me. And then you shall defile also
the covering of thy graven images of silver. and the ornaments
of thy molten images of gold, thou shalt cast them away as
a minstrel's cloth. Thou shalt say unto them, get
thee hence." He said, I'm going to tell you what you're going
to do. All of this stuff that you trusted in, all of those
works that you once thought were so wonderful, so marvelous, When
Almighty God comes to you, you're going to say, all of that stuff
that I once trusted in is just a filthy rag. I don't want to
have anything to do with it anymore. Almighty God has shown me what
I am, and by the grace of God I'll go to my grave realizing
what He saved me from, or somewhat what He saved me from. And I
will praise and honor Him seeking His face, hearing His word, meeting
with His people, blessing His holy name. And all of that, as
Paul says, all that dung that I once trusted in, he said, it's
just lost. And by the grace of God, I ain't
going back. I ain't going back to it no more. May the Lord bless
these words to our heart for Christ's sake.