When we commenced our reading
I told you that this is not an easy chapter to understand and
I'm sure as we read it down you probably realized that there
were things in it which didn't quite always seem to marry in
but nonetheless it is of course the Word of God and we should
realize the Lord speaks and as the Lord speaks we should always
lay these things to heart and realize the relevance of perhaps
to us individually in our little lives. Well, this morning, as
God may help us, I'll speak to you from a verse which on the
face of it seemed rather strange, and that's the 23rd verse in
the 33rd chapter of Isaiah. So the prophecy of Isaiah chapter
33, and we'll read verse 23. And it reads, thy tacklings are
loosed, They could not well strengthen their mast. They could not spread
the sail. Then is the prey of a great spoil
divided. The lame take the prey. The reality is that these words
were written in difficult days for Israel when the Assyrians
were attacking them and were constantly on their back and
here God speaks to them through these words and as we read there
were many wonderful encouraging words and this statement here
really of course refers to a boat. I'm sure we can understand it's
talking about the tacklings which are the ropes and the mast and
the sails. We can understand it's a boat
and the Assyrians would have been on boats and we can see
that the Lord in his great mercy and favor and blessing and actually
disabled such a boat. That wasn't what the Church of
God could have done themselves. The Israelites could not have
done it. But God, you see, was able to confirm to them through
Isaiah that this was a situation and therefore the ropes were
loosed And therefore they couldn't strengthen the mast and they
couldn't strengthen the mast. You may well realize that a mast
has to be, has to have ropes to keep it upright and to stop
it being broken as the sails put wind and force upon it through
the wind. And so they're told that the
tacklings are loose. They wouldn't be any good. And
therefore they couldn't strengthen the mast. So therefore the mast
wasn't any good either. And therefore they couldn't spread
the sail. So we can see that the boat really was disabled.
Well, we should be encouraged to believe that we have a God
today who may not be in charge, as we might think, of perhaps
sailing boats, but nonetheless, he is in charge of everything
that occurs in this world and he is able to do great things. And we should recognize that
God is still the same powerful God today. And as this verse
goes on, then is the prey of a great spoil divided and the
lame take the prey. And perhaps in our lives we may
feel to be very feeble. And perhaps we recognize that
we face the great enemy of our souls, the devil, who does all
that he can to destroy us. And yet, you see, we should realize
that we have a God who can so easily disable the plans of the
devil. Sometimes we're fearful. of what
the future holds. There may be something ahead
of us in our lives and we may wonder what's going to happen
and it may appear very difficult and very hard for us to visionise
how there can be any way of escape. Well we should recognise that
we have a God today who hasn't changed and although we may feel
weak in ourselves, yet you know we can be strong the Lord not strong in ourselves
but strong in the Lord and he is able to do far more exceeding
abundantly and we can ask or even think you may sometimes
think well there's no hope for me in actual fact it's clear that I've
sinned against lighter knowledge and I've gone away from God and
I walked a contrary to God. Well let's remember then that
we have a great God who is full of compassion and the Lord leads
us in a right way and that right way is to bring us safely home
to glory without any pride in our hearts believing that we've
directed ourselves. It's God that directs, it's God
that blesses and what a wonderful thing it is. You know in this
a chapter that we read together. It's a wonderful truce and in
the 13th verse we read this, here, and it means what it says,
you and I are to listen, here, ye that are far off, what I have done, and ye that
are near, acknowledge my might. So you see the Lord meets our
cases We may sometimes feel, or perhaps sometimes we are far
off. Far off from God. The hymn writer
says, as far from God as sheep can run. But we can't run beyond
the sight of God. And so, a word directed to us
here, ye that are far off, what I have done. It's good to be
able to remember what the Lord has done and perhaps if you are
far off, well, read the Word of God. You may find in the Word of God a word that is direction to you,
a word which is comfort to you, a word which may draw you back
to God perhaps, Even if you do feel far off,
remember what the Lord has done. Again, that's a direction to
sometimes to look back in our lives. Because the devil wants us to
forget all that he has done. And that's why we're told, hear
ye that are far off what I have done. It's good to be strengthened,
therefore, if the enemy is before us and round about us and trying
to turn us out of the way and trying to produce that evil heart
of unbelief. Well, we have a picture here
of the Lord then destroying the enemy. Yes, the attackers are
loosed. They could not well strengthen
their mast. It could not spread the sound. Yeah, you see, the
Lord is able to do great things. He's able to do that which you
and I can't do. And the word of God tells us
in Zechariah, there's many words, we can't refer to them all, but
try and refer to some to encourage you and me as we journey on and
in the prophecy of Zechariah in the fourth chapter we read
verses six and seven then he answered and spake unto me saying
this is the word of the lord it's wonderful isn't it that
we have the truth of god this is The word of the Lord unto
Zerubbabel saying, not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Who
art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt
become a plain and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with
shoutings, crying, grace, grace unto it. You see, we have a God
who is in control. Sometimes we perhaps fear that
he's not in control. Perhaps sometimes we fear he's
forgotten us. We may fear that he's turned
his back upon us and he will remember us no more. Well, the
whole tenet of scripture is encouraging for us to read and to realise
the great truths such as, I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee. Therefore we may boldly say,
the Lord is my helper. I will not fear what man shall
do unto me. We're also told the fear of man
bringeth a snare we are not to fear men we are to fear God because God holds our breath
in his hand God is in control of every thought and every action
and he's in control of everybody else's thoughts and words and
actions and they cannot do Anything unless the Lord permits them
so to do I've told you before in my own life. I remember very
clearly once there was a man came to my office to See me and
to talk to me and I knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to
try and change that the terms of our contract and he came into
my boardroom and we sat there and we probably talked for an
hour and he wasn't able to say what he wanted to and after that
he said well I think I must go now and really it said nothing you see God is in control of everything and
as he was able in these days of the Assyrians to destroy and
disable a ship which would have brought many of the soldiers
and enemy to fight against Israel. They were not able to do so.
They were not able to do so because the Lord was in control. What
a blessing it is. Therefore, what a comfort it
is to know that still today we have and we worship the same
almighty God. I hope we do. And I hope we appreciate
and I hope we realize that this God is our God. Yes, he's not
the unknown God like Paul found when he went to Athens. No, but
to realize we worship the ever living and true God. What a blessing
that is to have such a God and to remember that this is the
God that we have. Solomon, who, as we know, I hope
you know, was a very wise man. God gave him wisdom. He didn't
suddenly produce it himself, and always remember that, you
young people, it's God that gives understanding, it's God that
gives wisdom, it's God that gives ability to do things, it's nothing
in and of yourselves, it's all of God's favour and mercy. And
when he wrote the Ecclesiastes, there's very many words of good
advice in it, especially if you're young people today, to read the
Ecclesiastes. I always remember Frank Gosden
years ago, commending the Ecclesiastes to young people to read and to
read it again. Well, in the 9th chapter and
the 11th verse, we read this, I returned and saw under the
sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the
strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches, to
men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill, but time
and chance happeneth to them all. And it's important that
you and I read that because sometimes it may be that the Lord has reason and cause perhaps to speak to
us, perhaps to bless us in a place in a location through a means
that we never thought would apply to us. You see, the Lord is able
to do that which you and I are not able, and we should never
limit Almighty God. And so, as Solomon goes on, for
man also knoweth not his time, as the fishes that are taken
in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare,
so are the sons of men snared in an evil time when it falleth
suddenly upon them. Yes, what a God we have who controls
all these things and what a mercy it is that we have such a kind
and gracious God who does indeed control us therefore remember
then come back to this statement here here ye that are far off
sometimes the Lord does allow us to be far off through one
reason or another and sometimes he doesn't always reveal that
reason initially but he will in his time and none teaches
like him the lord teaches in a perfect way and what a good
thing that is and you see his teaching and this is the blessing
the teaching of god is to make us more like our glorious and
blessed savior and these things don't occur just by chance again
as you read the accounts of the church of God throughout the
scriptures and individuals, you realize how the Lord gets the
honor and glory to his great and holy name. You may remember
that amazing case really of God's servant Gideon. Gideon was a
man of God. You may remember that he was
he was threshing wheat and he was He was hiding as he did it
because of the enemies that they wouldn't see him. And yes, he
was there and the Lord God appeared to him and told him that he was
the person that was going to deliver Israel. He couldn't believe
it to start with. It just seemed impossible that
a man as he was But you see that God proved to him. And if you
read this, you can read it in the Judges about Gideon, how
he pleaded with God for a sign. And first of all, he put a fleece
out on the ground and he prayed that when the dew came, it might
be, I think I've got it right around, it was wet on the fleece
and dry over our ground. He got up in the morning and
picked up the fleece and he wrung a great bowl full of water out
of it. And then he asked that it might
be reversed. And then it might be dry in the fleece and wet
all the way around. And so it was. And that was a
wonderful confirmation to know that God had called him, that
God was with him. and that God would be his director
and his God. And then there was the commission. He was to lead the army to fight
against the enemy. And there was a great army which
was formed and God said, no, that's far too big. All those
who are afraid and don't want to fight, let them go home. A
large proportion of them went home. And then the Lord said,
it's still too great the army. And the reason was, that if the
great army had gained the victory, they would have claimed the victory
for themselves. And of course the victory was to go to God.
And you and I should realise that in our lives. That God, in our lives, will have the honor
and the glory he will have the victory and therefore he the
he did the army which was vast to start with was reduced right
down to just a mere 300 people a mere 300 people how were they
going to fight how are they going to achieve victory. Well the Lord
knew what he would do and we should remember that in our lives. The Lord knows what he will do
and in the end they just had to have trumpets and a pitcher
where they had a lighted faggot in the in the pitcher and then
Gideon was to cry out and to break his pitcher, and they would
all break the pitchers and there would be then the light, and
they were to cry and blow their trumpets, the sword of the Lord
and of Gideon. And that was all that was necessary.
And the enemy fled. Yes, they fought themselves and
they fled. God gave the victory. God gave the victory on these
days in Isaiah. God controlled everything. And
like he did in Gideon's case, so he does today. Let us not
fear the enemy. We may fear naturally, but let
us realize if God is on our side, if God before us again, who can
be against us? Yes, let us have our confidence,
let us have our hope in our God. It's a wonderful God we have,
a wonderful favour that we have, a wonderful mercy that we have,
such a God. And the Apostle Paul knew the
need that he had in his life and the favour that he had with
God and how God was with him and graciously blessed him and
was round about him. He was able to write to the Corinthians
in their time of direction and their time of need. And he tells
us, he says this towards the end of the first chapter, verse
26. He says, For ye see your calling,
brethren, how that not many wise men are to the flesh, not many
mighty, not many noble are called, but God hath chosen the foolish
things of the world. Why? To confound the wise. God hath chosen the weak things
of the world to confound the things which are mighty and base
things of the world and things which are despised hath God chosen,
yea, and things which are not to bring to naught things that
are. And then he brings this beautiful
line which convinces us of what the truth is, that no flesh should
glory in his presence. But the reverse will be true.
We will glory in the Lord, in what he's done, how he's appeared. What a favour that is. that no flesh should glory in
his presence. And the apostle goes on, and
it's just worth reading the last two verses. But of him are ye
in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness
and sanctification and redemption. We can't want more than that,
can we? God supplies it. God brings it
to his church. And you will have to then praise
him and thank him. And it includes that according
as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Well, that's a wonderful example
and words for us to realize that as I often say our lives are
for the honor and glory of God and to be able to come and to
glory in the Lord and to realize that here I'm sure Isaiah as
he wrote these things to Israel of old to recognize the wonderful
truths that it contains and as he spoke and let me turn to verse
20 he tells us look unto Zion heavenly Jerusalem the city of
our solemnities, thine eyes shall see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation,
a tabernacle that shall not be taken down. Not one of the stakes
thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords
thereof be broken. And you may say, well, what does
that really mean? I believe it means this. In our lives, through the goodness and favour of God,
he perhaps gives us words to encourage us. Promises. Promises. And you see, the temptation is
the Lord will come and say, well of course that wasn't from me,
that was something you imagined in your life. Well that's why,
you see, the Lord gives us words like this. Not one of the stakes
thereof shall ever be removed. It may be perhaps a text, a word,
a statement that you're relying on in your spiritual experience. And the devil's saying, forget
about it. It's nothing. Well, remember, not one of the
stakes thereof shall ever be removed. What God has done is done forever. Not one of the stakes thereof
shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof
be broken. Not like the tacklings which
were loosed and broken, that which emanates from God will
not be broken. It will remain forever. Well, I hope such statements
are a wonderful encouragement and a wonderful strength to us. You know, in this chapter, which
is really an amazing chapter, wonderful truths it contains,
to realise that here we're told, the Lord says, he that walketh
righteously and speaketh rightly He that despiseth the gain of
oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes.
This is a direction to the Church of God to walk in this path.
You know, in the day and age in which we live, to not take
bribes. He that despiseth the gain of
oppression, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes,
that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, those things which
are wrong, not listen to, to turn away from them, you see,
hears ears from the hearing of blood, shut his eyes from seeing
evil, don't look on wrong things, turn away from them, turn away
from them you see, don't listen to wrong things, don't look at
wrong things, this is gracious advice, It's good for you young
people here in this day and age when there's so many wrong things,
so many evil things to see and to listen to all the time, don't
we? Especially in the day with mobile
phones as things which suddenly pop up which are not good and
we never perhaps wanted but now they are and we're to turn away
from them straight away. And so the Word of God says,
such people who are blessed with this grace of God, which is the
favour of God, to not listen to the devil, but to listen to
the promptings of our conscience, to do those things which are
right and God-honouring, then the Word of God tells us, he,
or she of course, shall dwell on high. His place of defence
shall be the munitions of rocks, Bread shall be given him, his
water shall be sure. And again, turn that to a spiritual
situation where the Lord will not leave us nor forsake us,
but he will give us that spiritual food, the bread of life and the
water of life, which we will need to keep us moving on. And then we have a grand and
a glorious statement. To such people who are blessed
with this, He goes on. This is a wonderful truth. Thine
eyes, our eyes shall see the king in his beauty. They shall
behold the land that is very far off. That really is a prospect
of glory. And therefore the Lord gives
us grace and we should seek for it and pray for it. In the Lord's
Prayer there's a very wonderful clause which says this, lead
us not into temptation and deliver us from evil. And it's good to
remember that day after day as you pray to God that he might
lead you not into temptation and deliver you from evil. Because
then you see you will find that when that is answered You're
blessed with this position outlined here in this 16th verse and 17th
verse. And what a wonderful truth it
is to think this applies to unworthy sinners called by grace, not
anything that you've done for yourself. Those who are blessed
to be under the blood, those who are blessed with the evidence
that the blessed saviour died upon the cross at Calvary. to
redeem their souls, their eyes shall see. I love these positive
statements in the word of God. It doesn't say their eyes may
see. It says our eyes shall see the
King, the Lord Jesus Christ in all his beauty, in all his glory. And they shall behold a land
that is very far off. Well, what a mercy then to have
such a wonderful God. And then it goes on. Look upon
Zion, the church of God, the city of our solemnities. Thine
eyes shall see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that
shall not be taken down. Not one of thy stakes thereof
shall ever be removed, neither shall any of thy cords thereof
be broken. But there Glorious Lord, our
God, will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams whereon
shall go no gully with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass
thereby. For the Lord is our judge. The
Lord is our lawgiver. The Lord is our king. He will
save us. Wonderful statement, isn't it?
I think we have a God. who is our judge, who is our
lawgiver, who is our King, He will save us. Well, my friends,
may we know, may we prove that He is our King and that the things
of this vain world are not our King, but may He be to every
one of us, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. And the last verse in this chapter
which we read, And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick, not
say, I am sick. The people that dwell therein
shall be forgiven their iniquity. Those who are brought into the
church of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, shall have the evidence that
the blessed Lord Jesus took away all their sins when he shed his
most precious blood upon that cross at Calvary. And again,
we read this, the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven
their iniquity. And that means what it says.
Every sin shall be washed away in the precious blood of the
Saviour. So as you ponder these these
words in this chapter and realize the truth of it, to think that
as the Lord graciously said in those days to Israel, now they
have the enemy against them. And you and I might have enemies
against us, but let us realize the word of God tells us thus
far shall not go to the enemy. And no further. And here shall
I proud waves be studied. Oh, my friends, the enemy of
souls will endeavor to drown us, endeavor to destroy us. But he won't be able to. Because
we have a God who is able to do for us far more exceeding
abundantly than we can ask or even think. And so you think
of this verse, which appears very mysterious in one sense.
Though our tacklings are loose, they could not well strengthen
their mast. They could not spread the soil. You see, they couldn't
strengthen the mast. The enemy cannot do it. If God
be for us, who can be against us? The enemy can't do it. They
could not spread the soil. Then is the great spoor divided. And you and I might feel to be
like this. Lame. Lame. You may remember in the
Word of God we had the case of Mephibosheth. who was Saul's
son and David desired to do good to anyone who was of Saul's household
and Mephibosheth was found and he was lame on both feet and
he described himself as a dead dog. But he was blessed and he was
favoured and he sat at the king's table. Yes, you see. We may sometimes feel feeble. But you see, we may feel lame.
We may feel lame on both feet. We may feel not perhaps fit to
enter into the presence of the King. But you see, such lameness
doesn't stop us. He was brought to sit at the
king's table. And therefore, if you feel sometimes
to be lame in the things of God, you won't want to rejoice in
your lameness as such, but you will be thankful that God looks
down upon those who are lame and is kind and gracious to them
and does that which they couldn't do for themselves. Aphibosheth
couldn't come to the king's table unless he'd been invited. But
he was invited. And he came and sat at the king's
table. Well, what a blessing it is.
And just one last comment, you know. In the day of Lot, you
know, Lot lived in Sodom. And that was a very evil place. Very sinful place, you know,
and sometimes We may find ourselves, we live in a very evil age. Sometimes
it seems a bit like Sodom. Well, the angel came to Lot and
told him this, a very, very good word. Flee for your life. Flee for
your life. He was to flee out of Sodom. You might think he was gonna
pick up his bags and rush out, but he didn't. You know, the
old world was a bit of a tie to him. But thankfully, they took hold
of him, the angels, and pulled him out. Yes, he did. He did come out of Sodom. And
then the Lord destroyed it, as you know with fire and brimstone.
Well, my friends, if we're in some evil or wrong situation, we are to flee for our life,
our spiritual life. It's much more valuable than
all the things of time to be found right with God. Well, may the Lord graciously
bless us with the evidence of the wonderful life of God in
our soul, which directs us in a right way, and to have God's
presence with us, because we know that in his presence, I
am happy. In his presence, I'm secure.
In his presence, I can all things easily endure. Amen.