Let's take our Bibles and turn
back to Isaiah chapter 4. In that first verse, we considered
all that trust in themselves, that they're righteous. But now I want us to consider
in verses 2 to 6, the Lord's revelation. of a good hope in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Isaiah 4-2, in that day shall
the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious and the fruit of
the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are
escaped of Israel. in the day of the Lord's mercy. And today is that day, because
Almighty God delights to show mercy. And there's some convinced,
I'm convinced of this, there's some that He's shown mercy to. In that day, Those who don't
want to talk about their own bread, wearing their own apparel,
that's not beautiful to them. I'll tell you what's beautiful
to them. The branch of the Lord. Who is this branch? Hold your
place right there. Jeremiah 23, 5 and 6. Jeremiah
23. You know who this is. Jeremiah
23, 5 and 6 says this, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord,
that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a king
shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice
in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved,
and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is His name whereby
He shall be called the Lord our righteousness. The branch, the
only begotten of the Father, the branch Himself. Zechariah
6.12 says, And speak unto Him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord
of hosts, saying, Behold the man, the God-man, the Son of man,
whose name is the branch. He shall grow up out of his place,
and he shall build the temple of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 3.16 says, Know ye
not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you? He's speaking of God's people.
Who are they? They're the temple of the Lord.
That's who they are. He shall build the temple of
the Lord. The Lord is going to build the
temple. Lively stones. Believers. God's temple. Back in Isaiah 4. In that day
shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious to
His people. He is beautiful. Because He is
the righteousness, He's the reconciliation, He's the eternal source of life
for His people. And the Scripture says, In that
day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and
the fruit of the earth shall be excellent. He is the fruit
of the earth in the sense that He was made of a woman. made
under the law, made flesh, a root out of dry ground, came into
his own, made in the likeness of sinful flesh, and knew no
sin. Why? That he might reconcile
his people back to God. In that day shall the branch
of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, the fruit of the earth
shall be excellent and comely, That is, beauty and majesty. For them that are escaped of
Israel, or those that are escaping, let me tell you what's happening
right now for God's people. We're escaping. We're escaping. Made so in Him, He is comely. He's beautiful. for them,
because they're in Him. And as He is, so are we, right
now, in this world, escaping. We are the escaping of Israel,
made to be the escaping. Escaping of God's wrath eternally. Escaping of God's judgment by
the blood of Christ. Escaping. Escaping. This remnant, not all men are
escaping. The remnant according to the
election of grace, those that have tasted of His graciousness,
the preserved of Israel. Now these escaping ones of Israel,
the ones who see Him by faith as beautiful and glorious, who
are they? Just who are they? Verse 3. The latter part of verse 3 says,
and I'm going to deal with these verses in here. Who are they?
I'll tell you the latter part of verse 3 says, even everyone
that is written among the living in Jerusalem. They're alive. Alive in the Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone that is written to life. Everyone that's written to life
in Christ. Everyone that's written. Written
where? Well, you know where. That book of life that we looked
at last week. Revelation 7, 8. Revelation chapter 7 and verse
8. That book is not entered into every time somebody gives their
heart to Jesus, but I'll tell you what it is. That book was
written Revelation 17, in verse 8, "...the beast that thou sawest
was and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottom's pit, and
go into perdition. They that dwell on the earth
shall wonder whose names were not written in the book of life
from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that
was and is not, and yet is." That inscription, that entry,
Every entry that was put there by Almighty God according to
God's everlasting covenant of grace, that's what our Lord told
His disciples. He said, you rejoice in that.
Don't rejoice that the devils are subject to you. I saw Satan
fall from heaven. But you rejoice in this, that
your name is written in heaven. There's a book. There's a book. I told you last week. I can't
tell you everything about that book, but I can tell you this.
Scripture reveals there's a book. And let me tell you the greatest
thought that I can think of right now. Is that in that book, Marvin
David Stoniker, that my name, It's written in
that book. You rejoice because your name
is written in that book. Who are they? They're everyone
that's written among the living in Jerusalem. And what are these said to be? Well, look at verse 3 again.
It shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion and he that
remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy." Holy. We're commanded to be holy. Leviticus
11.44, you shall be holy for I am holy, but I can tell you
for a fact, I know this. I can't make myself that way.
Holy? Holy is the description of the
character of God. Holy. Single. Holy. Job 14.4 says this, Who
can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? You know what Job
did under the inspiration of God's Spirit? He wrote down the
answer. The next two words say this,
not one, not one. With man, being holy is impossible. But with God, all things are
possible. Now listen, what does the Scripture
reveal concerning, not the ones that want to eat their own bread,
wear their own garments. I'm talking about the ones that
are escaping. I'm talking about the ones that
God Almighty has eternally loved. Who are they? They're the living
ones. The living ones. And what are they said to be?
They're said to be holy. Now, hold your place in Isaiah.
Now, let me tell you something. We're going to look at a couple
of Scriptures here, and this is what God Almighty says concerning
holiness. I can tell you for a fact, number
one, you've got to be chosen to it. You've got to be chosen
to holiness. Ephesians 1-4, I was reading
over this scripture again, Ephesians 1-4, and you know the saddest
thing in the world to me, I think sometimes we read these scriptures
so often, we become so familiar with them, that we just read
over them just quickly. I know, Ephesians 1-4, I know
that, I quote that. Lord, help us to read this verse
of Scripture as if we've never read it before. Now listen, think, think of the
wonder. According as He hath chosen us,
He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that
we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. Almighty God was pleased to show
mercy and compassion to whomsoever He would. And out of every nation
and kindred and tribe and tongue, He chose a people. And He chose
them, when it says in Christ, to be represented by. That's
what He's saying. He's going to be your representative.
There's only two. Adam and Christ. There's only
two. I was born in the first one.
I'd be chosen in the second one. And it wasn't because of anything
that He saw in me. The Lord looked to see if there
were any that seek after Him. There was none. Nobody sought
Him. None righteous, not one. But found only in Himself, only
in His will, in His purpose, He would choose to show mercy
to one such as I. When it comes to holiness now,
I'm going to tell you something. God chooses to holiness. Who
can bring a clean thing out of an unclean thing? Not one. And what he did concerning holiness,
and here's what it's going to take for man to be holy. Number
one, that man is going to have to absolutely have no guilt to
answer for. Now this is what it's going to
take. Number one, he must have no guilt, no guilt before God. But I was born a sinner. Right,
and you still are. hath made Him sin for us who
knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God
in Him. For me to be found holy before
God, my sin is going to have to be dealt with. And God's going
to deal with it in absolute justice and wrath. God's wrath is going
to be spewed out on sin, all sin. And for me to be found holy
before God, my sin must be charged to Him. He must be made what
I am and as sin on my behalf. And the Apostle
Paul says, I was with Him. Crucified with Him. When He was
made sin, I'm going to tell you something. This is something
really mysterious, but I'm going to tell you something. I was
there. I was there. And here's what He did. Turn to Psalm 103. Hold your
place. Psalm 103. Verse 11 and 12. Here's what
he did. Here's what happened. It was the result of Psalm 103,
11 and 12. For as the heaven is high above
the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As
far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions
from us. Here's what he did. When it says
he removed, I looked it up. Widened. Widened. He cast our sins away
from us answering for them. But what about our daily transgressions. He has made Him sin for us. He cast our sins as far as the
east is from the west. They just never meet. They're
just never going to meet again. Never going to meet again. But now tell me something now,
and just be honest with me. We just sang about a song that
says, sin is mixed with all I do. And I look inside and I see everything
is dark and wild. I try to pray and I can't pray.
Just be honest with me here. Just shoot straight with me here. Tell me really how things are
when it comes to the Lord and looking at me right now. Hold
your place right there. Isaiah 42. Isaiah 42. I'm about to read a passage of
Scripture that has got to be one of the greatest verses of
Scripture of comfort that a believer is ever going to read. You might
want to mark this one right here. What about my sin right now? Isaiah 42 verse 19 to 21. Now what I'm about to read, I
read a lot of commentaries on this. But let me tell you something,
what I'm about to read to you can only fit the Lord Jesus Christ. Every point of it can only speak
of Him. Now you listen to what this says.
Who is blind but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that
I sent. Who is blind as he that is perfect,
and blind as the Lord's servant, seeing many things, but thou
observest not, opening the ears, but he heareth not. The Lord,
Jehovah, you see that? L, capital O, capital R, is well
pleased for His righteousness' sake. He will magnify the law
and make it honorable. Now let me tell you something.
What about my daily transgressions right now? Those debts? that He paid the debt of. The Scripture says, who is blind
but My servant? People say, do you think He sees
and knows what I am doing right now? Oh yeah, oh yeah. But the Father says, when I see
the blood, I'm going to pass over you. When I see the blood, who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's land? This is speaking
of the Judge Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. We're going to
all stand before Him at the judgment seat of Christ. Who is blind?
Oh, He knows, but He paid the debt. Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? God justified them. Almighty God was satisfied. These are holy, for they have
no guilt to answer for. He sees, but He does not impute. He'll listen to all the charges
of Satan. You know what Marvin's done?
You know what he did? Blind. He sees only that which
he's paid. He's put away our guilt. We must
have no guilt to answer for. And we must possess righteousness,
and the only righteousness that God accepts is the righteousness
of God. That's the only righteousness.
Romans 4. Romans 4, 4 to 8. Romans chapter
4, verse 4. 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 described
the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness
without work, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven and whose sins covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin." Who are they? They're holy. They're holy people. Their debt
is cast as far as the east is from the west. Christ paid the
debt. And God Almighty will not impute
their sin to them. He already imputed it to Christ.
One time, and by one sacrifice, He has perfected, perfected forever
them that are set apart, sanctified. Do you know what they've done? In Christ? Nothing. Nothing. They're justified by
God. There's no record. There's no
record. There's no record. There's no
record. Can God not see? Can God not
see? Can God not hear? Who is blind? That's my servant. Who is deaf? That's the one that
I sent. I'm pleased with Him and all
in Him. When Almighty God says that they're
holy, they're holy. And one of these days, we'll
see that. Thirdly, back in Isaiah 4, what
shall they all be? What shall they all be? Verse
4, when the Lord shall have washed away the filth, of the daughters
of Zion. When the Lord will have washed
away the filth of the church, they're all going to be washed.
They're all going to be cleansed by the precious blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Look at John 6. How many of them? How many are going to be washed?
John 6, 38. For I came down from heaven not
to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me. And
this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which
He hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it
up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that
sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth
on Him, They have everlasting life, and I will raise Him up
at the last day. What are they all going to be?
They're all going to be washed in the blood. You realize what it's going to
take. It's going to take the grace
and power of God Almighty. The Lord is going to find them
all. Look at Ezekiel 16. Ezekiel 16. The Lord is going
to find them all. Look at Ezekiel 16 verse 3. I want you to listen to this.
Now you know we looked at that first group over there and said,
we just want to have your name. I said, we'll eat our own bread
and we'll wear our own garments. But I want you to listen to those
that God has shown mercy to. And I want you to just kind of
make a mental note here of what He does and what they do. Okay? Ezekiel 16, 3, And say,
Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem, Thy birth and thy
nativity is of the land of Canaan. Thy father was an Amorite, and
thy mother a Hittite. You didn't come from real good
stock. And as for thy nativity in the
day that thou was born, thy navel was not cut." He was still hanging
on. Neither was thou washed in water
to supple thee, thou was not salted at all, nor swaddled at
all. None I pitied thee to do any
of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee, but thou was cast
out into the open field to the loathing of thy person in the
day that thou was born. And when I passed by thee, and
saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, When
thou wast in thy blood, live. Yea, I said unto thee, When thou
wast in thy blood, live. I have caused thee to multiply
as the blood of the field. Thou hast increased and waxen
great. Thou art come to excellent ornaments. Thy breast are fashioned,
thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare. When
I passed by thee, I looked upon thee, and behold, thy time was
the time of love. And I spread my skirt over thee
and covered thy nakedness. Yea, I swear unto thee, entered
into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest
mine. Then washed I thee with water, yea, I throughly washed
away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil, I clothed
thee also with broidered work, shod thee with badger skin, girded
thee about with fine linen, I covered thee with silk, I decked thee
also with ornaments, I put bracelets upon thy hands, chain on thy
neck, I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, beautiful
crown upon thine head, Let me ask you something. What did I have to do with it? I'll tell you what I had to do
with it. I was born lost, cast out. And Almighty God in mercy
and grace passed by me and saw me in my own blood, lost, and said to me, live. Live. Now let me ask you this back
in Isaiah 4. Who's going to do this? Who's
going to do this? Look at verse 4. when the Lord
shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion. Who
can cleanse but he who is like a refiner's fire and fuller soap? Who can wash away filth except
he who has borne it in his own body? Who can wash it away except
the one that took it and paid the debt of it Who can purge
His people except He that has washed them in His own blood? Who can do that? Me! And lastly, how? How is He going to do this? How has He done it? Verse 4,
when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters
of Zion and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the
midst thereof by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of
burning. By that one offering that I spoke
of, He perfected forever. Under the judgment of God's wrath
and the burning justice of God's holy law. How? How? He washed away the filth
of the daughters of Zion. He washed away their filth. Forsaken of the Father that we
might never be. And now, let me tell you, and
it's been like this every day since the fall of Adam. It's
been like this every day. Almighty God, eternally purposed
to show mercy. And in the day of His mercy,
when He pleased Him, He regenerates them, reveals to them what He's
done, tells them what He's done for them, what He eternally purposed
to do for them in Christ. And let me tell you how they
walk. the rest of their life. And here's how you're going to
walk, you that know Him. This is how you're going to walk.
Look at verse 5 and 6. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling
place of Mount Zion, and Mount Zion is the church. And upon
every dwelling place of Mount Zion is some local assemblies.
That's what He said, next part. And upon her assemblies. A cloud
and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For
upon all the glory." Moses said, show me your glory.
He said, I'll have mercy on whom I'll have mercy. I'll have compassion
on whom I'll have compassion. We are the absolute manifestation
of His glory. We are what we are by the grace
of God. It's His glory, Gene, to show
mercy. It's His glory to show compassion. And the scripture says, for upon
all the glory shall be a defense, a covering. And there shall be
a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat and
for a place of refuge and for a covert A refuge from storm
and rain. We're in this world, God's people
in this world, pilgrims, strangers, sojourners. But I want to tell
you what He's doing for us right now. Watching over, protecting. You know, back in the Old Testament
when Israel came out of Egypt, A pillar of a cloud and a pillar
of fire. And that pillar of fire at night,
that was for warmth, it was for light, for guidance, direction, instruction. When the pillar moved, they moved.
As long as the pillar stood right there, they stood right there.
And that cloud, it would go before them, it may go behind them,
like when Egypt was after them, that cloud got in them. It was
for protection. Protection for the heat. Walking out there in that desert,
had little babies, stuff like that, just chuckle, perpetual
cloudy day, just protecting from the sun. Glorious symbol, protection
from God's almighty justice that He'd already spewed out on Christ. He said, I'll be to you. I'll be to you as a protector,
a guide, led by the Spirit of God, directed by God's Word,
directed by the hearing of the Gospel, protected, kept, watched
over, I'm going to be to you as a refuge. You'll be in an
oasis. You say, well, I'll tell you
what, I've gone through some mighty tough times in this life. I remember what Brother Scott
said, one time he said, since I heard the good news, he said,
I ain't never heard any bad news. All these light afflictions,
which are but for a moment, for a moment, It won't be long. Almighty God pleased to take
us home. He's leaving us here for a reason. But you think about
what He's done for us. How He's called us by grace,
kept us by His power and Spirit, watching over us, leading us.
And very soon, very, very soon, we're going to see Him. Scripture
said we'll sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We'll know
who they are. The apostles knew. That's Moses
and Elijah right there. Never met them. I know who you
are. I read about you. I read about you. Oh Lord Jesus,
thank you for your mercy to not leave us to ourselves. guide
us and direct us for Christ's sake.