Let us turn to God's Word and
turning back to the chapter we were in last Thursday, Isaiah
66. And I want, before we turn again
to the Lord in prayers, I want to direct you to the words that
we have here in verse 5. Isaiah 66, 5. Hear the word of
the Lord. Ye that tremble at his word,
your brethren that hated you that cast you out for my name's
sake said let the Lord be glorified but he shall appear to your joy
and they shall be ashamed in particular those words at the
beginning of verse five here the word of the Lord ye that
tremble at his words and last week we just look briefly that
the first two verses of the chapter considered something of God's
dwelling place. He dwells in eternity. He dwells in the high place,
the holy place, the heaven of heavens. So he says thus, saith
the Lord, the heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house? that ye build unto me, and where
is the place of my rest? But then also, though God is
in that high place, he is pleased to come and dwell in the hearts
of the humble. As he says in verse 2, To this
man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite
spirit, and trembleth at my word. Those that tremble at the words
of God. There's a contrast in here between
that heaven which is God's abodes and the hearts of those who are
tremblers before his words, who feel some compunction of heart
as they learn the truth concerning themselves, have a right understanding
of God's truth those words of God that pierce and divide. Remember how the word of God,
we're told, is quick and powerful and sharper than the two-edged
swords, piercing to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and
of the joints and marrow, the discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart. We've said many a time that those
words in Hebrews 4 do have regard to the Lord Jesus, the Word of
God incarnate, but also it's true of that Word that we have
before us in Holy Scripture. And now that is the Word that
comes and lays hold of men in their consciences. Think of those
on the day of Pentecost, under the preaching of the Gospel,
how they were pricked in their hearts and cried out to Peter
and the Apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do to be saved? All God's Word is a piercing
Word, a separating Word. When He comes, He brings conviction
into the soul of the sinner and makes a separation. But not only
does it separate in the heart of a man, it separates between
men. The Word divides peoples. and Jeremiah is told if they
take forth the precious from the vial ye shall be as my mouth,
so his ministry was such a dividing ministry and we saw something
of it in that portion that we read there in Jeremiah 36 we can think of the words of
the Lord Jesus himself who of course is the fulfillment of
the prophetic office the prince of all preachers and the language
that we have there in the gospel in Matthew chapter 10 verse 34
Christ says think not that I am come to send peace on earth I
came not to send peace but a sword for I am come to set a man at
variance against his father and the daughter against her mother
and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law and the man's
foes shall be they of his own household." Oh, what a separating
ministry was that of the Lord Jesus. A division because of
Him. Divisions because of His words. The ministry then of the Word
of God. And there can be no watering down, there must be no watering
down of God's Word. we have to attend to it and follow
it even when it brings those divisions amongst peoples the
language that we have there in 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 and
the end of that chapter he says there at verse 15 for we are unto God a sweet savour
of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish. To the
one, says Paul, we are the savour of death unto death, to the other
the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these
things? For we are not as many which corrupts the words of God. Or as Imogen says, deal deceitfully. with the word of God, but as
of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we
in Christ. Speak we in Christ, as speaking
the words of Christ, these apostles. And that word then is one that
we're to bow before and recognize the solemn authority of the word. We're to tremble at it. God says
to this man, To this man will I look, even to him that is poor
and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my words. And then in the words that I
really want us to consider, here in verse 5, Hear the word of
the Lord, ye that tremble at his word. The theme in his act
of those who are tremblers before the words. Tremblers before the
words of God. But first of all, to say something
with regards to those who are their troublers. Those who are
their troublers. It's not just the Word of God
that troubles them when it comes in all its convincing and convicting
power. No, there are those who are opposed
to them. There are those who trouble them.
As we see here in what follows in the text, your brethren that
hated you that cast you out for My name's sake, said, Let the
Lord be glorified, that He shall appear to your joy, and they
shall be ashamed. That is the promise that God
gives them. But there are those who oppose
them, who hate them, who reject them, who excommunicate them. Who are these? Well, in the context
are those who are but formalists. They have a form of religion,
and it's just an outward form. They put all their confidence
in the temple of the Lord. This is how God is rebuking them,
of course, in those opening words as we remarked last Thursday
evening. God says, the heaven is my throne,
the earth is my crystal, where is the house that she built unto
me? Where is the place of my rest? All their trust was placed simply
in these outward things. As we see from the words of Jeremiah
7, 4, where the Prophet himself rebukes them again, trust you
not in lying words, he says. lying words. What are they saying?
Oh, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple
of the Lord are these. We're safe, we're secure in Jerusalem
because we have the temple of the Lord. What can the Babylonians
do against us? They're but formalists. Here
in verse 3, how the Lord rejects their formal religion. he that
killeth an ox, as if he slew a man, he that sacrificedeth
a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck, he that offereth an oblation,
as if he offered swine's blood, he that burneth incense, as if
he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own
ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. This is
abominable in the sight of God, just a form. and nothing more
than that outward form that they put so much trust and so much
confidence in and even as the Prophet begins his ministry there
in the very first chapter we see him rebuking such a religion
that is merely an outward show Therein verse 11 of chapter 1,
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me, saith
the Lord? I am full of the burnt offering
of rams, and the fat of fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood
of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats, when ye come to
appear before me. Who has required this at your
hand to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations.
Incense is an abomination unto me. the new moons and sabbaths,
the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with. It is iniquitous,
even the solemn meeting." And so he goes on rebuking them. These who have nothing more than
the outward show, having a form of godliness, but denying the
power thereof. For the kingdom of God is not
inward only, says Paul, but it's in power. It's in the Holy Ghost. They're mere professors of religion. And what do they do? Why they
persecute those who know something of a real religion, something
that's been wrought of God in their souls. As he says here
in the text, your brethren that hated you, that cast you out
for my name's sake. Well, how do they oppose them?
You think of the man born blind in John chapter 9, where the
Lord performs that remarkable miracle upon him and what is
the outcome? Because he would give Christ
the glory, he's cast out of the synagogue, he's excommunicated. They cast him out. And the Lord
finds him and asks him that question, dost thou believe in the Son
of God? Who is he, Lord, that I might believe in him? It is
he that speaketh with them. And how the man confesses Christ.
And yet he's cast out. He's cast out. Again, we have
those words of the Lord in the course of his ministry in the
Gospel. They shall put you out of the synagogues, he says. Whosoever
killeth you will think that he doeth God's service. Those persecutors. What were those early Christian
believers? They were outcasts of Israel. Outcasts from God's ancient covenant
people was the lot of those first disciples of the Lord. Look at the words that we have
previously here in chapter 63 and verse 16. Doubtless, thou
art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us. And Israel
acknowledged us not, thou, O LORD, art our Father, our Redeemer,
thy name is from everlasting." How they were so cruelly persecuted,
those believers, at the very beginning. And amongst the arch-persecutors
was Saul of Tarsus. He says his zeal was so great,
concerning zeal persecuting the church. That was his mark as
a faithful Israelite, a persecutor of the believers, breeding out
threatenings and slaughter, we're told in Acts chapter 9. And how true it is, it's true
in every age. Religious persecutors of the
people of God are the worst persecutors of all. It has been observed
that papal Rome killed more martyrs than ever pagan Rome did. We
know there was great persecution from the Roman authorities in
the early church. But how cruel were the persecutions
of the apostate church of Rome at the time of the Protestant
Reformation. The outcast, oh Lord pity outcast,
vile and base, says the hymn writer in the hymn 223. the poor
dependents on thy grace, whom men disturbers call, by sinners
and by saints withstood, for these too bad, for those too
good, condemned and shunned by all. God's people then, these
who tremble at his word, they're troubled, they're troubled not
by the word, alone, but they have their opponents, those who
know nothing really of the truth of God's word, nothing of the
gracious authority of that word. So let's turn in the second place
to say something with regards to their trembling, how God speaks
to them. Hear the word of the Lord, ye
that tremble at his words. There's a word for these who
reverence the blessed book, Oh yes, the persecutors might make
them afraid, but above all, above all of that God makes them to
tremble at His words. They are brought to feel something
of the authority of it. They know how that word will
come in all its convicting and convincing power. Isn't that
the ministry of the Holy Spirit that the Lord speaks of? When
he is calm, says Christ, he will reprove, he will convince the
world of sin, of righteousness, of judgment. Now the word in the hand of the
Spirit of God does that great work. And the sinner is made
then to see something of himself. And he's made to tremble at what
he is. The sinner before the Holy God. Again, the hymn writer
says, in another hymn from Sinner and from Sate, he meets with
many a blow. His own bad heart creates him
smart, which none but God can know. Oh, that's the worst of
all, when he's made to see something of himself and feel what he is.
Before God, he has revealed himself in all his holiness. in the law,
that law which is holy, that commandment which is holy and
just and good. But he sees the horror of his
sin not only before that righteous Lord of God but also when he
considers aright the life and the ministry and the death of
the Lord Jesus Christ. There he sees the horrible thing
that sin is and it makes him to tremble. He trembles then
before God as he has revealed himself as that one of eyes too
pure to behold iniquity, that one who cannot look upon sin. Again the words of the Lord in
the Gospel. He says, Fear not them which
kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather
fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in there is
the one that we are to fear, we are to tremble before him
and to tremble before his words the wise man says that the fear
of man bringeth a snare but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord
shall be safe it's interesting because that opening clause there
in Proverbs 29.25, the fear the fear of man bringeth a snare
the word fear there is from the same roots as what we have here
in the text to tremble to tremble at his word we're not to tremble
before man we're not to tremble before man
but we are to tremble before God and we're to tremble before
the word of God I quite deliberately read that solemn passage in Jeremiah
36 concerning Jehoiakim that he dared to take the penknife
and cut out from the roll that had been dictated by the prophet
Jeremiah it was the word of the Lord that the prophet had received
and he dictated that word to his secretary Baruch but when
the king heard it being read He took the knife and he cut
out the word of the Lord. He sought to destroy God's word. And again, the words of the wise
man, Proverbs 13, 13, Who so despiseth the word shall be destroyed,
but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded. Or that we
might have that as our watchword when we come to God's Word when
we read it for ourselves when we come under the sound of that
Word we don't despise the Word of God even when God comes with
his reproofs and his rebukes and he does the Word is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction for instruction in
righteousness it's said we're not to despise the Word or we
will be destroyed but we're to fear isn't that one of the names
remarkably that he's given to the Word of God. Remember in
Jeremiah 19 as well as in Psalm 119 we have those two Psalms
that really celebrate the Word of God and we have those various
names that are given to that word.
There in Psalm 19, verse 7 following, "...the law of the Lord is perfect,
converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is
sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are
right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is
pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever, the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous
altogether. And these are all different names,
synonyms really, referring to the Word of God, it's called
God's law, it's His testimony, His statutes, His commandments,
His judgments, the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is
one of the names that is given there in Holy Scripture to this
blessed book. And why so? Well, in another
psalm we are told, aren't we, Thou hast magnified thy word
above all thy name. Or when we come and pray we are
to say in our first petition, Hallowed be thy name. And God
has magnified His Word above all His Name, how we should reverence
Him, the sacred page of Holy Scripture. How we should bow before the
authority of God's Word when we come to it, and accept it,
even when it goes contrary to us. These are the tremblers,
and God deals so graciously with them, because what do we see
ultimately? We see that they are a triumphant
people, Their enemies are ashamed. Their enemies are ashamed. Your
brethren that hated you, these formalists, who have no real
religion at all, but are arch-persecutors, they cast you out for my name's
sake. No, they do it in the name of
the Lord. They say, let the Lord be glorified. But, He shall appear
to your joy. and they shall be ashamed a voice
of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the
Lord that rendereth recompense to his enemies or the Lord's
voice how that voice thunders and of course we recognize I'm
sure that our worst enemies are spiritual enemies inward
enemies often times Satan Oh yes, the world also, but self
and the old nature. Now there's much that makes us
afraid. There are some who all their
lifetime, we're told, are subject to fear because of death. They're afraid. They're tremulous. But we have that assurance the
last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. The Lord Jesus Christ
has triumphed over all the enemies of his people. O death, where
is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin. The
strength of sin is the law. O, but thanks be to God, who
giveth us the victory. They overcome by the Lord Jesus,
by the precious blood of the Lamb, that one who is revealed
to us here in Holy Scripture. Their enemies, all their enemies,
whoever those enemies are, they are to be ashamed. Ultimately
they'll know the bliss of heaven, freedom from all sin. Sin, my
worst enemy before, shall vex mine eyes nor ears no more. My inward foes shall all be slain,
nor Satan break my peace again. Says Isaac Watts in the hymn,
how true it is. all their enemies destroyed,
and their God appears. Here in verse 5, He shall appear
to your joy, it says. Oh, He makes them joyful even
as they tremble. It's a trembling before God's
Word that's mingled with joy and gladness that they know this
blessed book. They know the Lord Jesus Christ,
that gracious ministry, the tenderness of his dealings. The bruised
reed shall he not break, and the smoking flag shall he not
quench. He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. That's the one that they're looking
in, that's the one that they're trusting in. To this man, to
this man will I look. says the Lord God, even to him
that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my words. And God comes to them again and
again. Hear the word of the Lord, ye
that tremble at his word. O God, grant then that we might
be such tremblers, and go on to be those who are not hearers
of the word only, but doers also of the work. Amen. Let us sing our second praise
in the hymn 762. The tune is Holly 348. How soft the words my Savior speaks, how
kind the promises he makes, a bruised reed he never breaks. Nor will
he quench the smoking flax 762 and the tune 348