May God be pleased to bless us
as we meditate in his word this morning. Let us turn to the prophecy
of Isaiah in chapter one, and we'll read the paragraph that
begins with verse 16 down to verse 20. The book of the prophet
Isaiah, chapter one, from verse 16 down to verse 20. Wash you, make you clean. Put away the evil of your doings
from before mine eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do
well. Seek judgment. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless. Plead for
the widow. Come now and let us reason together,
saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow, and though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient,
ye shall eat the good of the land, but if ye refuse and rebel,
ye shall be devoured with a sword, for the mouth of the Lord hath
spoken it. we are made aware that Isaiah
lived a long time. We're told he lived through the
reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. And it would seem that he died
in the reign of Hezekiah, perhaps towards the end of his reign. And if you are familiar with
the history of Israel and Judah, you will be aware that For most
of that time, Israel were walking contrary to God and it wouldn't
be long after the long reign of Manasseh that they were taken
captive and went into Babylon in Chaldea. And Isaiah is a very
wonderful book because it gives so much instruction in so many
places It leads us and directs us to the coming Saviour, the
Lord Jesus Christ. That's why sometimes it is referred
to as the Gospel of Isaiah. So be encouraged to read Isaiah
from chapter 1 to chapter 66. It's a longish book, but it's
a wonderfully encouraging book and gives much blessing and much
instruction. And so as He begins his prophecy
and the vision that God gave to him, he tells us the vision
of Isaiah, God gave him this vision and therefore he was faithful
and recorded what God spoke to him. And of course he reminds
Israel of their condition and of their situation. And really
as we've read through this chapter this morning, the picture we
have is of the Church of God really, in those days, being
hypocritical in their religion. You may say, well, it hasn't
changed a lot. Of course, today, and the day in which we live,
there are still many hypocritical people who pretend to worship
God. In this chapter we read together
where the Prophet says, verse 10, Hear the word of the Lord,
ye rulers of Sodom, give ear unto the law of God, ye people
of Gomorrah. And he says, To what purpose
is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord? You might think, well, what does
that mean? Well, we don't sacrifice physically
today, do we? You may say, well, what's replaced
that? Well, I suppose, in some way, it's been replaced by the
blessing that we have of the Word of God in our own hands. And then we're able to Read it. And what a blessing it is to
have the Word of God, to read it. But here it says, to what
purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? What we have to ask is, what
real benefit is it? It's very easy to come into just
a position of duty. I think the world we must read
the Bible is that which is right and of course it's right but
we should not do it as a duty we should not do it just as described
in the multi-year sacrifices unto me saith the Lord he says
I am full of burnt offerings of rams and the fatter fed beasts
and I delight not in in the blood of bullocks or of lambs or of
he goats. You see, just the outward performance
in those days, of course, was very good and very right and
very necessary and very proper. But in those days, as it is today,
the great and important aspect was the heart had to be right. It had to be true worship. It had to be a bowing down before
God. It had to be an acknowledging
that he was the God and that we desired therefore to be blessed
because of it. And so the prophet goes on, bring
no more vain oblations, no more vain offerings. We should ask ourselves, you
know, when we do read the Word of God, do we really benefit
from it? Do we really profit from it? That's the question, isn't it?
It's not just going through a duty. It's not just fulfilling some
obligation that we have and patting ourselves on the back and say,
well, you've done that this morning or done that this evening. You've
done that which is right and you justify yourself and you've,
as you might say, scored some points with God. Well, of course,
those things don't count at all. We need to be, in our private
devotions, a true worshiper. who worships God in spirit and
in truth. And God says, the new moons and
Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies. I cannot away with it. It is
iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Again, we may think, well, we
come to worship in a solemn meeting and it's right and good. and
proper, but by itself, there's no blessing in it. The reality is that when you
and I come together to worship, we must see the Savior by faith. We must benefit through worship. We must profit through worship.
And God's name must be honored and glorified And so as we go
out of this building this morning, will we go out in the same way
that we came in? We may have done that on many
occasions. And sometimes you may blame the preacher. Sometimes
that may be justified. But my friends, generally speaking,
we need to blame ourselves. We need to realize that We weren't
right with God. And in reality, we were mocking
God by coming before him and pretending we were a worshipper
when we were not really doing so. And so he says, the Lord
says, your new moons and your appointed feasts, my soul hateth. There are trouble unto me. I
am weary to bear them. Just think of that. God's weary
of bearing our vain worship. We've got to recognize that we
don't come to God to worship just to perform some bodily exercise,
but maybe truly have come to seek for God's blessing. You
know, if we've truly come in a right way, in a right way,
we will lose sight of everything else apart from God speaking
to us. Then we shall worship. Then we
shall be blessed indeed. How far off we are from that
position. It goes on to say, And when you
spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Yea, when
you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full
of blood. Well, you may think this morning,
well, this is a pretty negative word you're bringing to us this
morning. Well, it's really an introduction to that which we
have in our text. The Word of God is complete and
we should not cast it aside and think, well, that doesn't apply
to me. It's a very dangerous ground to ever enter into a position
like that. We should always, as we read
the Word of God, examine ourselves. Don't pass it around the chapel.
Don't pass it to other people. See whether it applies to ourselves. And if it does, And usually it
does, even if we don't want it to. Then to be concerned that
it may have a good and a right and a real good and beneficial
effect upon us. Well, having had that introduction,
then the Prophet then comes and says, wash you and make you clean. Put away the evil of your doings
from before your eyes. Cease to do evil. And in a nutshell,
we could say that really means being blessed with a spirit of
repentance. Repentance for all those things
and all the ways that we do not do rightly in accordance with
God's Word. You may think, well, it's a wonderful
statement, this wash you, make you clean, it's just what I want.
Well, I hope it is just what we want. But we must realise
it comes only when God blesses us with true repentance, to realise
we do need washing and we do need being made clean. And we
should not stand aloof and again think, well, this applies to
everybody else apart from me. Wash you and make you clean. Put away the evil of your doings
from before mine eyes. Cease to do evil. And again,
this is very subtle, really. The Lord's speaking here, put
away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes. It's not
what you and I do before other people. It's what God sees in
us. Because God doesn't look just
at our outward deeds. He looks into our hearts. He
knows what we're thinking. He knows the words we speak.
The Lord is a great God. And therefore, when we're told,
wash you and make you clean, put away the evil from your doings
from before mine eyes and cease to do evil. And again, that doesn't
mean just in a physical way. It means also the thoughts of
our heart. the deeds of our heart, which
only God knows about. See, God looks into our hearts
and minds. I don't know what's in your heart.
You don't know what's in my heart. We may make assumptions. They
may be very wrong, very far from the truth. My friends, God doesn't
make any errors. God knows exactly what you and
I are doing in our hearts, in our minds. whether we are really
here this morning seeking for God's blessing and if it is you
know you'll only be concerned about God's dealings with you
you'll be lifted above everything else you'll be able then to consider
yourself and me consider myself before the ever-living and true
God to see how We stand, wash you, make you clean, put away
the evil of your doings. From before mine eyes, cease
to do evil. It's very simple words, aren't
they? Word of God is simple, isn't it? And yet so often, you
know, we don't take it to heart. We pass over it. You go home
today, you'll probably forget all about it. You carry on as
you We're living and yet here is the gracious, loving word
of God. It's not a harsh word, my friends.
It's here because of God's love toward us. It's here because
our God desires that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And we won't prosper
and we won't do that unless we heed the gracious words of God. And so this morning, may we not
think of these as harsh words. May we think of them as the loving
words of the Saviour toward us. To think that he hasn't cast
us off. He hasn't left us to be destroyed. but in love to our soul. He's
directing us to words like this. And it's good, therefore, when
we understand God's gracious words as they come to us, not
in a harsh way, but in love. It puts things in a very different
perspective. And if we receive it then, from
God as his words of love to our soul. What a blessing then if
we have that real godly desire to walk in that way which God
clearly sets before us and blesses us with what we might term the
godly repentance. And the Word of God tells us
this, a repentance which is not to be repented of. That means
it's not a false repentance. That means it's not a mock repentance. That means it's not something
that we pretend to do but we don't do. Wash you, make you
clean, put away the evil from your doings. From before mine
eyes cease to do evil. Remember, it's before God's eyes. And God's eyes, my friends, penetrate. into the deepest recesses of
your and my heart. Nothing is hidden from the eye
of Almighty God. You may think you're doing pretty
well. My friends, when God shines into
your heart, you'll realize you're failing again and again. Well
then, says the Prophet, having spoken like then, he says then,
learn to do well. Learn to do good things. Learn
to follow those things which bring honour and glory to God. And he says again graciously,
learn. We should be willing learners. sometimes we don't want to be
told we don't want to be criticized we don't want to have those things
which are spoken against us and yet here is again God's Word
in love to our souls learn to do well learn to be obedient
to the Word of God learn to Seek His direction. Learn to do well. It doesn't say learn to do evil.
It doesn't say learn to do wrong things. It says learn to do well. If you and I learn to do well,
the things that we do will be for God's honour and for God's
glory. Will-doing. Well-doing. What does that mean? Well, again,
in a nutshell, really, it means to follow the glorious example
of our Saviour. When He came to His Father, when
He prayed to His Father and said, nevertheless, not my will, but
thine be done. That is learning to do well. Not seeking our own will. We
may want certain things. We may want a certain situation
to develop. But learn to do well. Learn to
do God's will. If you and I learn to do God's
will, you and I can be sure it will be doing well. Again, it's good sometimes to
just ask ourselves, are we doing well? What I'm thinking, am I
doing well? What I'm saying, am I doing well? What I'm acting, am I doing well? Those things which bring honour
and glory to God, not things which satisfy our own ego, and
we think, well I've done that, and well I've said that, and
you think you've done the good and right thing, Why are you
doing well? Well, it's a gracious word here,
again, in love to our souls, learn, be willing, learn to do
well. We should remember, we're always
learners. Never think you've come to a
perfect situation. Never think you know everything.
Remember, we're learners still. All through our life, we're learning. And isn't it wonderful that God doesn't deal with us
as our sins deserve? Learn to do well. Seek judgment. Seek for those things which are
just, for those things which are right, for those things which
are God-honouring. Not those things which you and
I want. No, seek judgment. Gracious words, aren't they?
How often we fail, don't we? Here we have, you see, the Old
Testament. Perhaps we don't read it as often
as we should. Perhaps we don't even read this chapter as often
as we should. You know, many times, if you were asked, what
does the first chapter in Isaiah say? I expect many of you would
be able to say, well, yeah, verses 18 is a wonderful verse. Come now, let us reason together,
etc. I wonder how many times you would
be able to quote the other verses, which are equally important.
You see, we sometimes raise one statement above others. My friends,
the Word of God is complete. It's all there for our instruction. And so we're told, seek judgment
and then relieve the oppressed. Those who are oppressed, help
them, encourage them. Don't judge them wrongly. We
don't know what they're really feeling. We don't know what their
real condition is. And again, what a blessing it
is to be used of God, to be a servant of God. As I've said sometimes,
every believer is a servant of God. Don't think that that only
refers to preachers. All God's people are his servants. And here is a gracious word of
instruction. Relieve the oppressed. Those who appear to be oppressed.
Those who perhaps are oppressed. Don't pass them by. Try and help
them. And do that for them, which they
need. Not what you think they need.
It may be obvious what help is needed. And you may not always
agree with what you think is perhaps the right way. perhaps
you've got a plan to relieve their oppression and perhaps
that may not be a good plan you see it's good to fall down before
God and in order to relieve the oppressed to be those who learn
learn to do well if you and I learn to do well we shall then come
in a right way to relieve the oppressed and judge the fatherless
and plead for the widows, those who naturally have need, lost
their fathers and lost their husbands. Encourage such. What a wonderful word it is then
to judge the fatherless and plead for the widows. They may not
be very able to plead for themselves. take up their cause and plead
for them. Here we have then, the gracious
instruction. Now then, let me just say that
having had these two verses 16 and 17 before us, it's then,
it's then that the prophet says, come now. Having been instructed
in this way, now we are told, come now. Not before, come now. I've told you the difficulties.
I've told you the way. I've told you the problems. I've
told you how you should act. And now he says, come now. You see, we can then come in
a right way. We don't then come in a wrong
way. We don't then come in a self-righteous
spirit. We come then to God realising
that we are needy, realising we need God's help, realising
we need God's strengthening, realising we need God's blessing. Come now. That doesn't mean to
say come tomorrow, come in a week's time, come in a year's time. No, it says, Come now. I've given you this gracious
instruction now, come now. And then he says, and let us
reason together, saith the Lord. That should be a very humbling
statement to each of us, to realise that almighty God comes down
to us down to our level and is willing to engage us and to reason with us it's good you know when you and
I can come to our God like this and he says let us reason together and that means to pour out our
heart to our God and to listen to his response. Come now and let us reason together. It's just a statement really
which is beyond our natural understanding to comprehend that Almighty God,
who rules and reigns over the whole universe, addresses us
in this glorious way and says to us, personally, come now and
let us reason together, saith your Lord, our Lord, the Lord. And the temptation, of course,
is to say, well, I couldn't possibly do that. I'm just too bad. I'm
just too sinful. I'm just too evil. That's why
we have these gracious following statements. Though your sins
be as scarlet, however bad they may appear, scarlet is a very
bright color, as I'm sure you're all aware. And that means that
the sins are very visible. Very visible. Perhaps you don't
want them to be visible, and yet now they are. And so he says,
come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins
be a scarlet, yes, very visible. You may be very embarrassed about
them. You may be very sorry about them. You may be very sad about
them. Yet you see, as we come to our
God, and as God reasons with us, as we come and show what
we're like, He reasons with us. You know, the great blessing
of this reasoning is, He shows us how bad we are. He's made that way of deliverance.
He then shows us how we shall be washed and how we shall be
made clean. And what does that do? It directs
us away from ourselves. And what does it direct us to?
The great and glorious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Well,
what a blessing, then, if we see this wonderful word of invitation,
come now. And let us reason together, saith
the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet. And you may say,
yet it's just me, Lord. They shall be as white as snow. Yes, they'll be washed away in
the precious blood of the Saviour. Wash me and I shall be whiter
than snow. Surely that's what David says,
does he not? In the 53rd Psalm, doesn't he? It's a wonderful statement anyway. It's wash me and I shall be whiter
than snow. It's a wonderful blessing, isn't
it? To have such a statement as that. It's the 51st Psalm. Let me just
refer to it. It's a beautiful statement and
David knew what it was to have a need. And he says, he says,
behold, I was shaped in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive
me. That's verse five in the 51st Psalm. Behold, thou desire
is truth in the inward parts and in the hidden part thou shalt
make me to know wisdom. See, it's the hidden part, the
inside, our heart, which only you and I see, and God. And so he comes and says then,
purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall
be whiter than snow. David had the need. David knew
he had a need. And he was able to come in this
prayer in the 51st Psalm and speak these wonderful words.
Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall
be whiter than snow. Well, just the same as Isaiah
speaks in this first chapter. that's in that prophecy. And
then David goes on, and it's just worth reading the next verse. Make me to hear joy and gladness. Joy and gladness will come when
the Holy Spirit directs us to that glorious situation of cleansing
and washing in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, wash
me and I shall be whiter than snow. My friends, when the Lord
God applies that word to our hearts, when we are therefore
clean, we know, we know that whatever our sins, however bad
they are, however hypocritical we may have been, however evil
we may have been, then by the grace of God, We are indeed washed
in the precious blood of the lamb. Well, it's a glorious picture,
isn't it? And so he says, though your sins
be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. And though they
be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Yes, however outstanding
they are, They will all be taken away and they'll be like this. And then just very briefly it
says, if ye be willing and obedient. You know, we have to, it's good
to read on in the Word of God. Sometimes we stop, don't we? But here it says, given that
grand and glorious statement, but there is an if. If ye be
willing. And that means willing to do
God's will. in those things that we've said before, if you'd be
willing. We shouldn't expect the blessing
if we're not willing. Sometimes people expect everything
in accordance with their terms. No, you and I have to bow to
God's terms. Because God's terms bring honour
and glory. And God's terms bring the true
blessing. If ye be willing and obedient,
what's the result? Ye shall eat the good of the
land. What does that mean? I believe
it means this, you and I will feed upon Christ, by his grace
we shall eat his flesh, and drink his blood, as the Lord Jesus
said himself, except ye eat the flesh and drink the blood of
the Son of God, there is no life in you. So these come down to
very important issues, really, don't they? If ye be willing
and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. He then goes
on to say, but if ye refuse, rebel and that means turning
our back upon perhaps part of the word or we think some it's
very attractive we don't want to follow the other and yet you
see God's Word is complete and God's Word is there if you be
willing and obedient you shall eat the good of men but if you
refuse and rebel ye shall be devoured with a sword. Well, we don't want to be devoured,
do we? We want to be those who inherit the promises. We want
to be amongst those who are found in glory at last. We want to
be amongst those who rejoice in the finished work of the Saviour
and have the wonderful evidence that we have a personal interest
in it. And then, The prophet concludes,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. It's not my words. It's not the word of a man. It's
the word of God. All my friends this morning,
may we be able to take these great truths to heart and realise,
and realise they're here because of God's love to unworthy sinners,
directs us to the right way, and it directs us to the glory
of salvation, and it directs us to rejoice in what God has
said. Amen.