of the Lord helping me this morning
it is from Isaiah chapter 6 the second verse that I'll preach
this morning and not the whole verse but the second part of
the verse Isaiah 66 verse 2 but to this man will I look even
to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word
but to this man will I look even to him that is poor, and
of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." You know the prophet
Isaiah is often referred to as the fifth evangelist because
there is so much of the gospel in the book of the prophecy that
bears his name. He's also being called the evangelical
prophet because he speaks so much of Christ And not surprisingly
then, portions of Isaiah are either quoted or alluded to over
50 times in the New Testament. In fact it's reckoned that Isaiah
is quoted 55 times throughout the New Testament. So he is rightly
referred to, I think, as the fifth evangelist or the evangelical
prophet. Now the opening words of this
chapter the words preceding the words of our text were quoted
by Stephen as recorded by Luke the beloved physician in the
book of Acts Acts chapter 7, verse 48, how be it? The Most
High dwelleth not in temples made with hands, as saith the
prophet. Heaven is my throne, and earth
is my footstool. What house will you build me,
saith the Lord? Or what is the place of my rest?
Hath not my hand made all these things? He is quoting from Isaiah
chapter 66, verse 1, and the first part of verse 2. And then
the words of our text are found just following those words, as
I say in the second part of that second verse. 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? For all those things hath mine
hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord. But
to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a
contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. And we shall see
how Apocytes, though was Stephen's quotation, as we shall see, We
shall consider this morning the words of our text in their context,
and we should always do this, of course, when we are handling
the Word of God. And so from the words of our text and from
the context, I would suggest these two things that we see
here. We see here a prophecy of Christ, and we see a pronouncement
of judgment. And these shall be our two headings
this morning as we consider these words which are given by inspiration
of the Spirit of God. But to this man will I look.
even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth
at my word." Well, first then, we see here a prophecy of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this whole chapter is a
prophecy concerning Christ and His Kingdom. Judgment was to
be executed against the Jewish nation. That's what we read of
in this chapter, verse 6. a voice of noise from the city,
that's Jerusalem, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord
that rendered recompense to his enemies. But before that time
of trouble and distress, before the destruction of the temple
and of Jerusalem, the Messiah would be born. Verse 7, before
she travelled, she brought forth Before her pain came, she was
delivered of a man-child. That man-child is the same man-child
that we read of in Revelation chapter 12, who was to rule the
nations with a rod of iron. It's the Messiah. And the kingdom
of the Messiah is a spiritual kingdom. That's what's intimated
here in these two verses, is it not? 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? For all those things hath mine
hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord. But
to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, that hath
a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. The Lord of hosts
needs no earthly temple to exercise His sovereign sway. The Lord
of hosts, He is the King of glory, Selah. He does not need an earthly
throne at Jerusalem, and He will never need an earthly throne
at Jerusalem, for the kingdom is the Lord's, and He is the
governor among the nations. His throne is in heaven. Indeed,
heaven is his throne, and the earth is his footstool. Jehoshaphat acknowledged this
and said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and
rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? The
Lord our God does not need a house to dwell in. Again, as Stephen
faithfully testified to the Jews. There in Acts chapter 7 again
to quote these words, and as Paul faithfully preached to the
Greeks there in Athens God that made the world and all
things therein seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth dwelleth
not in temples made with hands neither is worshipped with men's
hands as though he needed anything seeing he giveth to all life
and breath and all things Solomon himself confessed it
at the dedication of that temple in Jerusalem back in the First
book of Kings, that's chapter 8, verse 27, he says, But will
God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold the heaven, and heaven
of heavens cannot contain thee, how much less this house that
I have built it. all the offerings of the house,
all those creatures which were offered up in sacrifice to the
God of heaven upon the altar at Jerusalem, all those creatures
were created by God, and they all belonged to God. For all
those things have mine hand made, and all those things have been,
saith the Lord. All those things God has created,
and all those things He has sustained by His providence. he does not
need them they depend upon him he does not depend upon them
and so Asaph says in that psalm that we sung Psalm 50. Here, O my people, and I will
speak, O Israel, and I will testify against thee. I am God, even
thy God. I will not reprove thee for thy
sacrifices or thy burnt offerings to have been continually before
me. I will take no bullock out of
thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds, for every beast of
the forest is mine. and the cattle upon a thousand
hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains, and the wild beasts
of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not
tell thee, for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof. Will
I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? And there is surely in these
words an intimation that all these things shall cease, all
these sacrifices shall be discontinued. Or so it is here in Isaiah 66,
verse 3, He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man. He that
sacrificeth 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. All those sacrifices would be
discontinued. In the kingdom of the Messiah,
which is a spiritual kingdom, Such sacrifices would be viewed
as no better than the sacrifices which the heathen offered up
to their idols. All the carnal ordinances of
the Old Testament were to be abolished to make way for the
spiritual worship of the New Testament. The Lord Jesus Christ
declared these things, did he not? To the woman at the well
in Samaria. Jesus said, Woman, believe me,
the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor
yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not
what. We know what we worship, for
salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now
is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit
and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a spirit, and they that
worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. And those true worshippers which
the Father seeks are not found amongst the Jews only but they are found
indeed they are largely found amongst the Gentiles that's what
Isaiah says here in verse 12 For thus saith the Lord, Behold,
I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the
Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then shall ye suck, ye shall
be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees, as
one whom his mother comforteth. So will I comfort you, and ye
shall be comforted in Jerusalem. Again, verse 18, For I know their
works and their thoughts. It shall come that I will gather
all nations and tongues, and they shall come and see my glory.
And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape
of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul and Lud, that draw
the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the Isles afar off. Yes, even to the British Isles,
the gospel will come. That's what Isaiah is saying.
that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory, and
they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles." The Jerusalem
spoken of there in verse 13 is the Gospel Church. It is the
New Jerusalem. for the old Jerusalem was to
be destroyed as you see in verse 15 for behold the Lord will come
with fire and with his chariots like a whirlwind to render his
anger with fury and his rebuke with flames of fire for by fire
and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh and the
slain of the Lord shall be many and so on it's a prophecy of
the destruction of Jerusalem And with the destruction of Jerusalem
in AD 70, because the scripture was fulfilled, there came the
destruction of the temple, there was the end of the priesthood,
and there was the end of all the sacrifices. Why was that? Well, because all those things
pointed to the Christ who was to come. and when he was come
there was no further need for any of those things but to this
man will I look. Even to him that is poor and
of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word. God is as it were
enthroned in the sinless human nature of the Son of Man for
in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily No need
now for the temple at Jerusalem, for the true temple is here. Remember what Jesus said to the Jews. Destroy this temple and in three
days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, forty and
six years was this temple in building and will thou rear it
up in three days? But he spake of the temple of
his body. That's the true temple. has now
come. No need now for the Levitical
priesthood, for the true priest is now come, a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek. No need now for the sacrifices,
for the sacrifice to end all sacrifices has been offered up. But Christ, being come and High
Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood,
He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and
of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean,
sanctifyeth to the purifying of the flesh, How much more shall
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to
serve the living God? Oh, here is the true sacrifice,
the sacrifice which finished the transgression and which made
an end of sins and which made reconciliation, for iniquity. The Jews looked to the temple,
and to the priesthood, and to the sacrifices, but to this man
will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit,
and trembleth at my word. The Lord Jesus Christ was literally
poor in this world. For ye know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich yet for your sakes
he became poor that he through his poverty might be rich remember what the Lord Jesus
said to one who would follow him foxes have holes and birds
of the air have nests but the son of man hath not where to
lay his head Christ as man was literally poor in this world
but the word poor can also mean lowly Indeed, that's how the
very same Hebrew word is translated in Zechariah chapter 9 and verse
9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of
Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh unto
thee, he is just and having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an ass,
and upon a colt, the foal of an ass. And that scripture, of
course, was fulfilled when the Lord Jesus rode upon a borrowed
ass, and occult the foal of an ass. The Jews were expecting
their king to come riding in a glorious chariot, or upon a
white stallion, with great pomp and regal splendour, perhaps
with a great army following him. But to this man will I look,
even to him that is poor and lonely. The Hebrew word here translated
poor is also translated afflicted in other places, as in the title
of Psalm 102, a prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed
and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. Or was not Christ
afflicted? Surely he hath borne our griefs,
and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten
of God, and afflicted. We see it in the Crucifixion
Psalm, Psalm 22, verse 24, For he hath not despised nor abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted. Neither had he hid his face from
him, but when he cried unto him he heard, All Jehovah the Father
looked to him, his only begotten son, in his affliction. He did
not hide his face from him, but he looked to him and he heard
him and he raised him again from the dead. But to this man will
I look, to him that is poor or afflicted. Likewise the word
contrite, the Hebrew, it's literally smitten In another place it's
translated lame. In the second book of Samuel
we read that Jonathan Saul's son had a son that was lame in
his feet. His feet were broken by reason
of a fall while the Lord Jesus Christ was bruised in his heel. His holy, harmless, undefiled
human spirit was broken. as he endured the punishment
of the fall of his people. Dr. Gill says, not only was his
body broken but his spirit also. not through a sense of sin and
consciousness of it, but through his sorrows and sufferings. And this, of course, is what
we remember in the breaking of bread in the ordinance of the
Lord's Supper. The bread speaks of his sacred
humanity. And that sacred humanity consists
of two parts. It consists of his body and his
soul. And not only was his body broken,
but his spirit also. And so it was prophesied of Christ
again in Zechariah, Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against
the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts. Smite the
shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. Oh the shepherd
of Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ, was smitten. broken in his body
and in his soul. They pierced his hands and his
feet. His hands and his feet, he resigned. The pangs of his body were great,
but greater the pangs of his mind. Remember how he told his
disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, My soul is exceeding sorrowful,
even unto death. Again in Isaiah 53 we read he
is despised and rejected of men. But here in chapter 66, but to
this man will I look, Jover says, men will not regard him, but
to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a
contrite spirit. and trembleth at my word." Christ, in his human nature,
could be said to tremble at the Word of God. Oh, he revered God's
sacred Word. When the tempter came against
him in the wilderness, you remember the Lord Jesus came against the
tempter, and he overcame him, time and again, with these words,
It is written. It is written. It is written. So we see in the words of our
text and in the context a prophecy of Christ. But to this man will
I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and
trembleth at my word. The father looks with approval
and approbation to all that his beloved son did and suffered
in his human nature, his perfect keeping of the law, who did no
sin, who went about doing good and
healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with
him, we read. God was with him. There was the
laying down of his life for the sheep, therefore doth my Father
love me, because I lay down my life that I might take it again.
At his baptism, the Father declared from heaven, this is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased. In Isaiah 42 we read that the
Lord is well pleased for His righteousness sake. He will magnify
the law and make it honourable. And so it is here. But to this
man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite
spirit, and trembleth at my word. It's a prophecy. concerning the
Lord Jesus Christ and then in the second place we see here
a judgment pronounced here is a pronouncement of judgment judgment
is pronounced against the Lord's enemies and judgment is pronounced
in favor of God's elect we see it in verse 13 and the hand of
the Lord shall be known towards his servants and his indignation
toward his enemies Who are his enemies? Well, they
were the Jews who had no faith in Christ. They trusted in the
temple and in the priesthood and in the sacrifices. Jeremiah
prophesied against those Jews who trusted in the outward ceremonies
and in the ordinances of the house of God. And he said, Trust ye not in lying words,
saying, The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple
of the Lord are these. The Apostle Paul in Romans says
that whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Their outward worship,
in which they delighted, was abhorrent to God, because it
proceeded not from faith in Christ, Their sacrifices were counted
as abominations. He that killeth an ox is as if
he slew a man. He that sacrificeth 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. Again Paul says, but without
faith it is impossible to please Him. The Jews did not please
God because they had not faith. And furthermore, their worship
was insincere and hypocritical. Oh, they offered sacrifices for
sins, yes, but they didn't really consider themselves to be sinners. They were self-righteous! We
see it in the Pharisees, there in John's Gospel. You remember
the Lord had opened the eyes of a man who was born blind and
the Pharisees were questioning that man and they didn't like
the answers he gave. They answered and said unto him,
Thou wast altogether born in sins and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. Thou wast
altogether born in sins Were they not altogether born in sins? Of course they were! But they
wouldn't acknowledge it. They couldn't see that they themselves
were sinners. They're described in the previous
chapter of Isaiah. In verse 5 of that chapter, which
say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier than
thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all
the day." All their worship then was insincere and hypocritical,
for they thought that they were offering sacrifices for sin,
and yet they did not consider themselves to be really sinners. They were not poor and of a contrite
heart. They did not tremble at God's
word. Indeed, they were disobedient to the word of God. They were
more careful to keep their traditions than the commandments of God.
And there are many like them today. So Christ reproved them
when he came, if you remember. Howbeit in vain do they worship
me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying
aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men,
as the washing of pots and cups, and many other such like things
ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment
of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. Oh, what a solemn
word that is. We're not to think that they
only are the enemies of God who are the unbelieving, hypocritical
Jews, the disobedient Jews. Are there not many professed
Christians? Indeed, are there not many who
have not made any Christian profession, who put their trust in a mere
outward religion? They go to the house of God.
They go to church or chapel. and they think, they hope that
this will be acceptable and perhaps they will find acceptance with
God in the end. Or perhaps there are those who
think that their baptism saves them, or their church membership,
or their partaking of the Lord's Supper. there are those who trust so
much in the outward show of religion they've even put ritual into
the professing church as we know in the case of the established
church having a form of godliness by
denying the power thereof from such turn away there are those who will pray
and they pray weekly I believe in the Church of England or at
least they used to and forgive us our sins And forgive us our
sins. And forgive us our sins. Oh,
but if you tell them that they are sinners, and they're miserable
sinners at that, they don't like it. They don't like it. There are those who are blatantly
disobedient to the Word of God, who are living contrary to God's
holy commandments. The sacrifice of the wicked is
an abomination. how much more when he bringeth
it with a wicked mind these are the enemies of God
and God has pronounced judgment against them if any man love
not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be anathema maranatha that man shall be forever cursed
at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ Was not Jerusalem destroyed
at the Lord's first coming? And shall not all false, outward,
carnal religion be destroyed when He comes again? Yea, they
have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their
abominations. I also will choose their delusions.
I will bring their fears upon them. Because when I called,
none did answer. When I spake, they did not hear. But they did evil before mine
eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not. Oh, they delighted
in the form of godliness. They did not delight in the mystery
of godliness, which is God manifest in the flesh, Jesus Christ. Judgment, however, is pronounced
in favour of God's elect. To this man will I look, even
to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. As we can apply these words to
the Lord Jesus Christ, so we can apply these words to all
those who are in Christ. Is He the true temple? Well,
the Gospel Church is the temple too. It is His body. Know ye
not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you? Paul writes to the Corinthians.
Again, for ye are the temple of the living God, as God hath
said. I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their
God and they shall be my people they are a spiritual priesthood
as is written here in verse 21 and I will also take of them
that is of the Gentiles for priests and for Levites saith the Lord
and so it is written in the New Testament that ye are a chosen
generation a royal priesthood and holy nation, a peculiar people,
that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvellous light. And this spiritual
priesthood offers up spiritual sacrifices. By him therefore let us offer
the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit
of our lips, giving thanks to his name. But to do good and
to communicate forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well
pleased. Oh, these are the favourites
of heaven! Some say, oh, God does not have favourites. He
does. He does have favourites. And these are the favourites
of heaven. These are those in whom God delights. But to this
man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite
spirit, and trembleth at my word. We'll see how they're described.
Him that is poor, and hath a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. This is God's dwelling-place,
and this is God's delight. For thus saith the high and lofty
One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy. I dwell in
the high and holy place. With him also it is of a contrite
and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and
to revive the heart of the contrite ones." This is the one that God
looks to and that God approves of, him that is poor. Oh, it's
a great mercy to be made spiritually poor. to know that you have no
bargaining power with God, to know and to feel your spiritual
bankruptcy? Is it not the first of the Beatitudes?
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. This spiritual poverty consists
of knowing that you cannot pay that debt which you owe to the
law of God. The law of God demands a perfect
obedience. Oh, but you're a sinner! The law demands penalty for falling
short. And that penalty is death. Now a one who is truly poor in
spirit looks not to himself, nor to the church, nor to the
minister, nor to the ordinances of God's house and so on. He
looks to the one whom the Father looks upon with delight and with
pleasure. He looks to the one who has fulfilled
the law and yet who has paid the penalty for a broken law. He looks to Christ. That's why
he's called a Christian. He is of a contrite spirit. His heart is broken on account
of his sins. The second of the Beatitudes
is, Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. this spiritual mourning, a mourning
because of sin, it's a mourning because of a broken law, and
it's a mourning for a crucified Christ. To see that your sins
were laid upon Him, that it was your sins that pierced Him and
put Him upon that tree. If spiritual poverty leads to
faith in Christ, spiritual mourning leads to repentance toward God. For godly sorrow worketh repentance
to salvation not to be repented of. There will be confession
of sin, there will be cries for mercy. like that publican in
the parable who smote upon his breast God be merciful to me
a sinner and the smiting of his breast surely speaks of his broken
spirit his broken and contrite heart and it is that that the Lord
has a regard to when David confessed his sin you remember he said In Psalm 51, verse 17, the sacrifices of God
are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God,
thou wilt not despise. This is what the Lord has a regard
to. What does the Lord Jesus say of that publican? I tell
you this man, mark those words, this man went down to his house
justified rather than the other, that's the Pharisee for everyone
that exhorteth himself shall be abased and he that humbleth
himself shall be exhorted and so it is written here, but to
this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite
spirit and trembleth at my word, here is He is one that reveres
the Word of God. Do you revere the Word of God?
Do you seek to walk according to it? You see, this man, he
hears it and he heeds it. He doesn't go in one ear and
out of the other. And he does not tremble at the
word of the global warming alarmist. He does not tremble at the false
prophecies of climate change religion. He doesn't tremble
at the foolish theories of the atheists, their theory of evolution.
He's got no time for it. It's rubbish. He hearkens to God's Word. He does not tremble either as
Felix trembled. Do you remember how Felix trembled
when Paul reasoned with him of righteousness and temperance
and judgment to come? That was just temporary. This
is an abiding principle in the heart. and it is a mark of the
new birth. It doesn't tremble as the demons
tremble. Remember, James speaks of them.
James 2.19, Wherefore thou believest that there is one God, thou doest
well. The devils also believe and tremble. For many there are who say they
believe in God. They don't hearken to God. They
don't listen to what he says in his word. They don't seek
to frame their lives according to the word of God. They don't
take the word of God seriously. No, this man is begotten with the
word of truth. he has received with meekness
the engrafted word which is able to save his soul and he is a
doer of the word not a hearer only deceiving himself as many
do he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work this man
shall be blessed may the Lord make us then faithful
hearers and doers of the word of God and true followers of
the Lamb of God. But to this man will I look,
even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth
at my word. And in here is number 255. And
the tune is number 285.