Isaiah chapter 28. I want to
refresh our memories just by going quickly through the first
eight verses of chapter 28 that we studied already and just briefly
comment if I can. Woe to the crown of pride to
the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower,
which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are
overcome with wine." Now he says a lot in that first part, woe.
He's pronounced woe on so many people in the book of Isaiah. And Isaiah in the beginning of
the book said, woe unto them, woe unto them. And you remember
in chapter six when the Lord revealed himself high and lifted
up to Isaiah, Isaiah said, woe unto me. And the Lord said, who
will go and speak for us? And Isaiah said, well, I'll go
after the Lord. Though he's a self-expressed
man of unclean lips, God did something for those lips. He
said, I'll be your voice. And he said, I'll go. And then
he began again to say, woe unto them, woe unto them, woe unto
them. And this Ephraim, these are the 10 tribes of Israel who
rebelled against the Lord and separated themselves from the
tribes of Judah, Judah and Benjamin. And they were thereafter known
as Judah and Ephraim. And these ten tribes, woe unto
them. There's a beauty about them. They've been blessed of
the Lord outwardly, and this whole world has. We talked about
that. There's a beauty to this world,
a glorious beauty, but it's fading. And there's a problem. It's called
wine here. Drunkenness. But we know that
that's spiritual drunkenness. It's spiritual idolatry. Behold
verse 2 the Lord hath a mighty and strong one Which as a tempest
of hail and a destroying storm as a flood of mighty waters or
flowing shall cast down to the earth with the hand God has somebody
even though they are godless reprobates God has them they're
his and he'll use them as an instrument of destruction against
this this people And here's why always the crown of pride the
crown of pride verse 3 The drunkards of Ephraim, and that's idolatry,
we saw in Revelation, remember, they drunk from the cup of harlots,
and that's spiritual idolatry, shall be trodden under feet,
and the glorious beauty which is on the head of the fat valley
shall be a fading flower. The beauty of this world, the
fashion of this world, fades away. There's only one true and
lasting beauty, and we saw that too, didn't we, in Ezekiel. But
the Lord said, I made you beautiful. I put ornaments on you. I put
a beautiful dress on you. I made you beautiful with my
comeliness, which I put upon you. And that's not a that's
not a fading, passing beauty there. That's that's permanent
beauty. That's the beauty of Christ our Lord. And as hasty
fruit before the summer, look at verse five. In that day shall
the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory and for a diadem of
beauty unto the residue of his people. Now, there's real beauty.
When the Lord is your beauty, it's not going to fade. He will
be to a residue, the remnant according to the election of
grace, the residue, the leftovers, the elect. The Lord will be their
crown of glory, their diadem of beauty, verse six, a spirit
of judgment to him. And that's key to our text tonight.
We'll be in our right mind, that madman of Gadara was sitting
and clothed in what? in his right mind, because a
spirit of judgment is our Lord unto us, a spirit of discernment.
The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God,
but we have the mind of Christ. That's the spirit of judgment
we receive to him that sitteth in judgment. And that's all of
us. That's talking in earthly terms about those who made decisions
in that group of tribes of Ephraim. But all people sit in judgment. They have to make judgments about
things. Spiritual faith, eternal faith.
To him, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate. Glory, beauty, wisdom, and strength. He doesn't just give those things,
he gives those things to us. That's in the language now. But
verse seven, but they also have erred through wine. It wasn't
because they were better. They're a bunch of drunks too.
They're a bunch of spiritual idolaters too. The residue, not
anybody, they're no difference by nature. Through strong drink,
they're out of the way. The priest and the prophet, even
the best among them, even the most holy quote unquote among
them, have erred through strong drink. They're swallowed up of
wine. They're out of the way through strong drink. They err
in vision. They stumble in judgment. That's why Christ has to be our
judgment. We don't have any wisdom. Christ,
do any of you lack wisdom? Whether you know it or not, you
do. Let him ask of God. So verse eight, for all the tables
are full of my favorite word. I can't even say that. The dog
has returned under his. I watched one of my dogs do that.
I could never look at that dog the same again. What a picture
and filthiness so that there is no place clean now. Verse 9, this is where we start
tonight. Now whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he
make to understand doctrine? To whom will he be? Let's be
more specific. Let's describe them further,
those for whom he will be a spirit of judgment. Who's he going to
teach? Who's he going to make to understand his doctrine? Them that are weaned from the
milk and drawn from the breasts. Oh, what a beautiful picture
this is. All are pictured as drunken fools. We're all a bunch
of drunken fools. before God, the reprobate and
the residue, the ungodly and the remnant. There's no difference
when considered in themselves, but God's going to teach some
of them. He's going to make somebody to
understand. That's the spirit of judgment
mentioned in verse six, and remember there how that it says, don't
ever forget that he is that to his residue. So we know that
it is them that he will teach knowledge, that residue, he's
a spirit of discernment under them. The remnant or residue
according to the election of grace that Paul spoke of in Romans
chapter 11 when expounding on the scripture, when teaching
the scripture that spoke of this same remnant in Elijah's day.
This answers Isaiah's question too in chapter 53 of Isaiah.
Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the
Lord revealed? Those that he teaches. Those
that he reveals his arm to. Those that he makes to understand.
The only ones who can believe are those to whom the Lord reveals
it. Because the natural man, as Paul
said again in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, receiveth not the things of
the Spirit of God. And always remember, there are
two reasons for that given there. He thinks they're nonsense. Just
talk to somebody that doesn't know God about the things of
God. Talk about God's sovereignty. Talk about their sinfulness,
the fact that they were born a wretch. And it's not just the
bad things they do. They're a slimy worm before God. And the best things they do are
repulsive to God. You talk to somebody about that
and see how they feel about that. And talk to them about how God
saves freely who he pleases by his grace through the redemption
that's in Christ Jesus. He justifies sin freely. without
works, without decisions, without your will. Got to do it in spite
of your will. See what people think about it.
It's foolishness under them and they're incapable of discerning
them because they are spiritual and he's carnal. Unless and until
God Almighty births a sinner again by his Holy Spirit from
above, that sinner cannot even see the kingdom of God, much
less enter it. This is why Christ said no man
can come unto me except the father which has sent me draw him He's
got to bring you to his son and put you in his son This is part
of his drawing you to Christ As our text says he is pleased
to give some knowledge And some he's pleased to make them understand
if you ever understand what you are and who Christ is you fixing
to come You're not going to need anybody
to beg you or bribe you or threaten you. You're coming. Did you notice the language there?
He must make them understand. He makes them to understand.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. You'd think a sheep
would just want to do that, wouldn't you? No, he got to make us. Got
to make us. Psalm 23 to his people shall
be willing in the day of his power. Psalm one, ten, three,
all that the father giveth me, he said, shall come to me. John
six thirty. So it's not in question. They
come. You Pharisees do not believe on me because you're not my sheep,
my sheep know my voice and they follow me and I give unto them
eternal life and they shall never perish. John chapter 10. Then
opened he their understanding that they might understand the
scriptures, Luke 24, 45. It is given to you to know the mysteries
of the kingdom of heaven. To them it's not given, Matthew
13, 11. Who will believe our report?
Here's the question. Who will he teach? Who will he
make to understand? To whom will he reveal his arm,
his power? You answer that, and I'll tell
you who will believe. Who maketh thee to differ from
another? And what do you have that you didn't receive? And
if it's God's free gift to you, then why do you glory? Why do
you glory as if you came up with it on your own? Why are you going
around bragging about how much you know and condemning everybody
that doesn't know what you know? That's one thing that infuriates
me and I see it in myself. But that infuriates me. That's
like a starving man who's been given a handout. going around
mocking and scorning and condemning those that are still starving.
I've got an idea. Why don't we just go to those
that are struggling and tell them where they can get some? How about
that? Instead of saying, I've got some
and you don't, you know, that's what people that debate and argue
doctrine are doing. They're saying, look, I've got
some bread and you don't. It was a handout. How about you
tell them where they can get some of it or just shut up? Either one would be fine. May
God give us grace to tell everybody who will listen to us where they
can get some. Are you hungry? Are you blind? That man in John 9 said, I don't
know very much. And I can say that honestly.
You know I don't. That's just the truth. I really
don't know much. The more I've learned, the less
I realize I know. But one thing I know, I used
to be blind. And now I see by God's grace. And I know who made me see. And
he can teach you knowledge too. I got a handout. And if he would
waste it on me, he'll waste it on you. Except it's not wasted
when he gives it. He can make you to understand
his doctrine now. Give your ear to his truth, apply
your heart unto his wisdom and live. Who are these residue that
he will teach and to make understand they are weaned from something
else If you're gonna learn something you got to forget something don't
you if you're gonna learn better Than what you know, it's gonna
replace what you know You see what this weaning is To know
him you must be weaned away from what you already know You've
got to become blind, he said to those Pharisees in that same
chapter, John 9. You will have to be weaned from
your sight if you're going to get sight from him. And he said,
if you were blind, you wouldn't have any sin. Because you would
know him, you'd be able to see. To know him, this is pictured
as a baby feeding at his mother's breast, because by nature, That's
what we're drawn to. We must be drawn away from what
we are by nature drawn to. God is still weaning us from
this world. He's still weaning me from my
own self-righteousness. He's still weaning me from that
which is most desirable to this flesh. Now in Christ we are pictured
as babies and are taught to desire the sincere milk of the word
that we may grow thereby. First Peter 2.2. That's the new
man. Pictured in this same way, but
in our text is the old man who desires the poisonous milk of
sin and idolatry and pride and self-righteousness We must be
weaned from one and given a thirst for the other Blessed are they
who hunger and thirst after righteousness Blessed of God if you're ever
gonna hunger and thirst after righteousness though, you're
gonna have to lose your taste for the milk of this wretched
world The milk of your own natural sinful fleshly heart Christ to
hunger after thirst after righteousness is to desire Christ who is meat
and drink indeed blessed are they And this is not a pleasant
experience to the flesh to be weaned You start weaning the
baby. He won't cry. He's gonna want
that in me because that's what he's been that's what he's used
to that's what his Satisfied him all along Well that don't
satisfy anymore, but it's still a painful process That from which we are drawn
away is what gives life to the flesh And it's a difficult parting
the flesh has got to die by increments doesn't it We're counted dead
in Christ Done finished as far as God is concerned, but we're
still experiencing that death by increments. I It's a difficult
party. I thought about this just in
my own experience, and I hesitate to give you my own
experiences, but have you ever just sat down and just bawled
your heart out, just openly wept like a child over that which
is lost that you know is best lost? You know it had to go. And yet, it's tough, isn't it? I can remember a few times in
my life, and the Lord weans us now in little increments, usually
sometimes that we don't even notice really, maybe a lot of
the time. But a few times in my life, there
have been losses that I knew they needed to be losses. I knew
they did. It just about killed me anyway.
Just about killed me anyway. We must be drawn from what is
precious to us, must be weaned from that which we have a strong
appetite for. You gotta pull the baby away
from that. All that we know, all that's
important to us, all that we love, there must be a drawing
away. Do you think it was an easy thing
for Paul to say, everything I knew, everything I counted dear, everything
I loved, it's dumb. I know it's dumb,
but I guarantee you this. You don't learn that without it being a trial. Without
it being anything, it's going to be tough. Christ crucified will crucify
you to this world and it to you. That's what Paul said in Galatians
6, 14. And there's going to be bitter tears over that. They're
good tears. It's a good thing. But he said,
God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, Christ crucified by whom the world is crucified
to me and I to the world. Christ crucified will crucify
you. To this world and this world
to you. There will be some bitter tears over it. Crucifixion is a slow and painful
death. And that metaphor applies well
here. But the spirit, the flesh is going to mourn now. The flesh
is going to resist. Still, still does. Still does. After 30 years, still does. You? But the spirit, the spirit will rejoice. Bones
that our Lord has broken will rejoice. The new man will praise
God for crucifying the old. And this, of course, is not you
getting any holier. It's not you. Here's the truth
about that. People talk about progressive
sanctification. Well, we're getting more and more like Christ. We're
getting holier and holier. Let me tell you something. You
right now in Christ, if you're in Christ, you are perfectly
holy in him. And your flesh ain't getting
any better. And who cares? Who cares? Other than the fact
that we want to honor him, as far as our relationship before
God is concerned, who cares whether the flesh gets better or not?
You might as well not care, because it ain't gonna. This is simply God weaning you
from this world, from yourself. And it's a terrible and wonderful
thing. Verse 10. For precept must be
upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line,
here a little and there a little. Weaning is a process, and that
which you're weaned away from, that's a process, that's a slow
thing. You don't just cut them off in one day. You don't just
do that. You introduce and you transition. And what you're receiving, what
you're weaning unto, what you're going toward, that's a process
too. What you're learning, what you're
changing to. And it seems strange that weaning
would be a process, because you might think that God would just
all at once cut us off from that which is evil, that that'd be
the best way to do it. But let's face it, He knows us
better than we do. He knows what's good for us better
than we do. But but all that our flesh clings to is evil.
We know that But God he does give life and that's immediate
When he says rise and take up your bed and walk Immediately
your feet and ankle bones receive strength But that walk it's gonna
be a little stumbling for a while It's gonna be a Jacob limped When he left Wrestling with the
Lord When our Lord said Lazarus come forth that was not a process
He came forth But weaning is a process teaching revealing
understanding is a process. It's a lifelong process Under
God he draws us away from the old and teaches us reveals to
us the new a little bit at a time I hope you get a little bit tonight.
I hope I do too. I hope we get just a little,
here a little, there a little. Don't you? And it's precept upon precept. What is that? The Word of God. What we're getting, what we're
chain transitioning to is God's way, God's will, God's truth. God's gospel, we have one source
of knowledge and understanding, the precepts of God. Paul said
to Timothy, the Holy Scriptures are able to make you wise unto
salvation. And nothing else can do that.
Nothing else can do that. Now, the ability, the understanding
itself comes directly from God. Do you remember the full verse
recorded a while ago from Luke 24, 45? Then opened he their understanding.
That's just the power of God. Be not faithless, he said to
Thomas, but believe him. That's just like him saying,
let there be light. And there was light. If he says to you,
be not faithless, you fixin' to believe. But he opened their
understanding that they might understand what? The scriptures. The word precept upon precept. The word precept means command
or ordinance of God. The Word of God. And all of this
is His commandment. We're not talking just the Ten
Commandments. The Gospel is a command. The Scriptures say you obey the
Gospel. God doesn't make suggestions.
How will God give you His lines and precepts, though? How will
He? You get a little bit tonight, a little bit Wednesday night,
a little bit maybe during the week as you're reading and maybe
studying a little bit in the home. Maybe next Sunday. We'll get a little bit here a
little bit there, but how does God do that? I Pray we'll get
a little bit But how's God gonna give it to us the first 11 with
stammering lips? And another tongue He's not gonna
speak to you in a dream. He's gonna use another tongue
It's not gonna be an eloquent one Stammering lips Why does God
do that? Why in the world does he do that?
Why in the world would he make Simon Peter of all people impetuous,
cowardly, selfish? How do you know Peter was selfish?
The Lord said, you savor the things that be of men and not
the things that be of God. You're worried about yourself. Slow to understand. Why would God send him? that the
excellency may be of God and not of men." Why would God send Moses? You
remember Moses said to the Lord, I can't even talk good. Send
somebody else. Moses kept making excuses and
it said the Lord was angry with him. And this is one of the excuses. He said, I can't even talk good.
But God said to him, you remember what he said? This is so important. Let's look at it together. Exodus
chapter 4. Exodus chapter 4 and verse 10.
This is so beautiful. This is such an encouragement
to me and I think you'll see why it would be to me. Exodus 4 10. Exodus 4 10 and Moses said unto
the Lord. Oh my lord I'm not eloquent Neither here
to for nor since thou has spoken unto thy servant. I've never
I've never been able to Express things. Well, and I still came I'm slow of speech in a slow
time And the Lord said in the here Isn't that beautiful? Who made your stammering lips? Who made man's mouth, or who
maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have
not I the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will
be thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. Why didn't
God just pick somebody that he'd already given a good mouth to? So that no man should glory in
his presence The excellency might be of God and not of man My prayer
is to God If these poor you think about this if these poor wretched
stammering lips can go Can speak the glories of the Son of God
if something can come out of this mouth That would cause men by the ordinance
and providence and power of God that would cause men to see the
glories of his son, then we must praise him for it.
That's why he does it that way. We must pray to him constantly
that he would, as it were, touch our lips as he did Isaiah's with
a cold from the altar of burnt offering. And send us with the words of
eternal life The lord said who shall we see And and isaiah having
having had his lips touched with that cold with the blood Where
the blood falls upon those coals Isaiah said before that i'm a
man of unclean lips Not just stammering, but bow. How can
anything good ever come out of my mouth? But God made those
lips burn with the message of salvation. The message of atonement,
the message of the precious blood of Christ, by which sinners are
redeemed, was that burnt offering altar pictured and those coals
represented. What is the message? Verse 12
of our text. To whom he said, this is the
rest. Here it is. This is the rest.
Wherewith you may cause the weary to rest. And this is the refreshment. Those with stammering lips that
he's chosen. And again, I always say this
because it's the truth. From the word of God, it's the
truth. This is not just a This is not just his preachers. We
all have stammering lips that are called upon to be witnesses
for his glory. Witnesses of the gospel. Witnesses
of who God is and what we are and the way God saves sinners
by the precious blood of his son. This is all of us now. And this is what he says to us.
Here it is. Here's what you tell him. I want
you to go looking for weary people and tell them about rest. Isn't
that what he said to his disciples? Go into the highways and hedges.
And if they won't hear you, they're not hungry, then you can't make
them hungry. Go find somebody that is. If
they're not weary, then they're not going to be interested. But
just keep saying, keep saying, are you weary? Are you heavy
laden? This is the rest. This is the rest. Listen to Matthew
11 25 At that time Jesus and answered answered and said I
Thank thee. Oh father Lord of heaven and
earth because thou has hid these things from the wise and prudent
And has revealed them unto babes. That's the first part of our
text tonight He gonna give somebody some understanding he will make
somebody understand and our Lord Jesus Christ said, oh, I thank
you father That you had and you revealed and you reveal to babies. Even so, Father, for so it seemed
good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto
me of my Father. And no man knoweth the Son, but
the Father. Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son.
And he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him come unto me. Come unto me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest." What a glorious
gospel. You're not ever coming unless
he makes you understand. He said that plainly. Unless
I reveal him to you, you're never going to come. Now come. Isn't
that what he said? Come unto me. All ye that labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest if we ever realize that the gospel
really is that simple you need him come and he'll give you what
you need he is what you need take my yoke upon you and learn
of me learn of me don't learn what men call theology He is
theology. The study of God is to know Christ. Learn of me. For I am meek and lowly in heart,
and you shall find rest unto your souls. This is the rest. For my yoke is easy, and my burden
is light. Come to him and rest. You know, before the Lord reveals
himself to us, before we know him, before he makes
us to understand, we need to please God, but we don't want
to. We need to please God. You don't
have to please God. You don't have to satisfy God.
God's gonna have to accept you. It's not about you accepting
him. It's about him accepting you. You need to please God,
but you don't want to. You got no desire. You will not
come to me that you might have a lot. But when he reveals himself
to you, you want to please him, but you don't need to. Oh. That I might know him. That I
might... That I might honor him. That I might be like him. That
I might be an imitator of him. I want to please him, don't you?
You don't need to, though. You don't need to. Because the
Lord Jesus Christ is your righteousness. All of it. Christ, please the Father for
us. Rest there. This is the rest. Before God,
rest in Christ and his finished work of salvation for sinners
like you. The ones who rest are the ones
who know Christ because to know him is to know what he did. And
what he did is everything. Resting people rest because the
work is done. It is finished. This is the rest. What will these stammering lips
declare? This is the rest. What did John the Baptist stammering
lips declare? There's the rest. There's God's
lamb. Take sin away. You don't need
to please God. You don't need to satisfy God.
You don't need your good to outweigh your bad. And thank the Lord
for that, because you don't have any. There's God's land. This is the rest What is our
message What what it what is this is the red what is that
trend what does that mean what is this is the red Christ in
him crucified a Finished work you can rest you must rest you
will rest If God makes you to understand That Christ has saved
you See that's what the gospel is. It's God revealing to you
what he's already done for you. There's nothing for you to do
I'm not here to not to try to get you to do something for God
I'm here to not to tell you what God did for sinners like you
Are you in on that? Christ and him crucified may
God give us rest In Christ who is our Sabbath Let's pray together.