I invite your attention this
morning to the book of Isaiah chapter 45. Isaiah chapter 45. There's a question that I want
to ask you in the beginning, and I'll ask that question several
times during the message. And that question is, who Is
the Lord God? Who is the Lord God? We live
in a day that if you would ask 10 different people that question,
you very well might get 10 different answers. And then in addition
to that, it would be very, very possible, very likely that none
of the answers would be correct. So let's ask the question another
way. Who does the Lord God declare
himself to be? The true answer is found only
upon the pages of Holy Scripture. They're found only in this book
that you hold in your hand and in your lap this morning called
the Bible, the Holy Inspired Word of God. It's inspired by
God. I can't tell you how many times
over the years where men trying to present some argument to me
about the truth of Scripture has said, well, the Bible was
just written by man. Yes, it was written by man under
the inspiration of God. This book was God breathed. Who does God in his word declare
himself to be? Here in Isaiah chapter 45, verse
five, God says, I am the Lord. There's only one Lord God, just
one. He declares, I am the Lord. Not a Lord, not one of many Lords. I am the Lord, the only Lord. There's no God beside me. Who is the Lord God? Who does
He declare Himself to be? Well, in verse seven, He declares
this of Himself, and He does so very plainly, simply, and
directly. And He says that He's the God
who forms light. In the beginning, when the earth
was void and formless and without life and without light, God said,
let there be light. And there was light. He forms
the light, God does. When God spoke to this void,
dark, dead heart of mine and said, let there be light, there
was light. And he was the one that formed
that light. He is the Lord God who creates
darkness. Do you see that? He is the Lord
who makes peace. He's the Lord God who creates
evil, meaning adversity and calamity and sorrow and trouble. Is there
calamity? Is there trouble? Is there sorrow
in a city? And the Lord had not done it.
You better believe the Lord did. Because He is the first cause
of everything. Now that's just not a little
cliche, a little slogan that us sovereign gracers have come
up with. The Lord is the first cause of
everything. This world in which we live is
not governed by chance, it's not governed by luck. There's
not a day goes by I don't hear two or three times those words,
chance or luck. Things don't happen randomly.
God is the first cause of everything. He controls light and darkness. He controls both war and peace. He's behind it all. Everything
else, secondary causes. He's the Lord who does all these
things. That's what he says. Verse nine,
he's man's maker. He's man's creator. He's man's
sovereign potentate. Now, does everyone acknowledge
him as that? No, but it makes no difference. It don't make
any difference to him, it will to you, but it doesn't change
God in the least. He is man's creator, maker, and
sovereign potency. Woe unto any man or woman that
strives with this great God. Isaiah says here, shall the clay,
speaking of mankind, shall the clay say to him, the Lord God,
the sovereign potter that formed him, will he say, why makest
thou? You know, Paul elaborates on
that statement in Romans chapter nine, and he says, therefore,
hath he God mercy on whom he'll have mercy, and whom he, God
will, he hardeneth. And then Paul, he says, now thou
wilt say then unto me, why doth he yet find fault? That's the
argument. Well, if your God is sovereign
and He's control of everything, and if He ordained me to be this
way, if He made me this way, if He is that potter you're talking
about, and He's formed and molded me to be this way, why does He
yet find fault? You may be thinking to yourself,
well, that's a reasonable question. Not with God, it's not. No, sir,
not with God, it's not. Why doth he yet find fault, for
who hath resisted his will? Nay, nay, but O man, who are
you to reply against God?" shall the thing, the clay, form, say
to him that formed it, why hast thou made me this way? Why hast
thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over
the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and
another unto dishonor? I'll answer that for you, yes,
he does. Who is the Lord God? What does
the Lord God say about himself? Well, he says he has mercy on
whom he'll have mercy. He says He hardens whom He wills.
That's what He says. That's not something I came up
with. That's what He said. I didn't always believe that.
He says no one can resist His will. He says that He's the potter
and we are the clay that He forms. Do you believe God? This God
has the right to make or form us unto honor and He has the
right to form and make us unto dishonor. You see, it's at His
discretion. We all deserve to be marred. We marred ourselves. We all wear
the title by nature of dishonor. It's what we are by nature. The
clay has no life. The clay has no form. The clay
has no will. Its life takes fashion by the
potter's hands. His honor comes from the hand
of God. That word formed and the word form here mean molded
and shaped and fashioned and fabricated. The word made means
purposed and provided and ordained. He formed us. He made us. Whatever the potter made of the
clay, you can be assured of this, he did it on purpose. Potter
wasn't spinning on the wheel and, oop, I messed up. No. No. He purposed what he made. He provided what he made. He
ordained what he made. Whatever the potter made, he
did it on purpose. He purposed and ordained what
that clay would be. Here's something to think about.
Who are you that replies against God? Who do you think you are
to do so? Don't you know who God is? Shall
you, the thing, the formless, the lifeless clay, say to God
that formed you, the God who purposed and predestinated you,
you accuse and ask Him that question, why hast thou made me thus? Men say to God, who do you think
you are to make me a certain way and then hold me responsible
and even condemn me for being that way? Simple man says, don't
you know who I am? And God says, oh yeah, I know
who you are. And God says, I know what you
are. Who are we to dispute and question
God? God says, don't you know who
I am? He's the Lord. He's the creator of all. He's
the one that holds you in his hand and molds you and shapes
you. And child of God, he conforms
you to the very image of Christ, his son. And he gets all the
praise and the honor and the glory for doing so. You know
what? The clay didn't have nothing
to do with it. Not a thing. Verse 12 here in
Isaiah 45 tells us that he's the one who made the earth. He's
the one who created man upon it. He's the one who stretched
out the heavens. Oh, go out tonight and look if
we have clear sky and see all those stars, all those galaxies. He's the one that stretched them
out. like we'd stretch out a tablecloth on our dining room table. No
big deal to God, none whatsoever. He stretched them out. He's the
commander. He's the ruler over every host. Verse 13 says that he's the one
who raises men and women called sinners in righteousness. He
gives life. He gives us life in Christ, who
is our righteousness. He's the one who directs all
creation's ways. He's the builder of the city
made without hands. That city who's maker and builder
is God. Why he is God. Jesus Christ is
God. He's the one who delivers sins
captives and he does so without price nor reward. It's not gonna
cost you anything. It cost him his son, but you're
not gonna get any reward for doing nothing. It's without reward
for us to receive. There is no reward for us to
receive. Why? Because Christ did everything
for us. He's our reward. We play no part
in our salvation. None. Who is the Lord God? Well, He's the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 15, He's the God who hides
Himself and yet He's the Savior that reveals His salvation to
His people. Verse 16, he's the God that confounds. He's the God who makes a shame.
He's the God who confuses the lost. He calls them idol worshipers. You might say, well, I'm not
an idol worshiper. If you worship anything other
than Christ, you are. Everybody's got a God of some
sort that they worship. Is yours the true and living
God of the scriptures? That's the God with whom we have
to do. He's the God that saves Israel. Do you see that? Who's Israel? Well, I want you to know who
Israel is since that's who God saves. It's important for us
to know. This is real. We're told God
gives eternal salvation. Are you interested in that? I
said this just recently, and it's so true. If we put an ad
in the paper this morning or on the radio station and said,
Bible Baptist Church has found the fountain of youth. Come and
drink of the water that they have, and you'll live forever.
Well, we wouldn't have an empty pew in this place. They'd be
lying up and down the street, wouldn't they? We have it. Christ
is the fountain. He's the fountain that flows
forth living water. And those that drink of that
water shall never die. I wonder if folks are really
interested in eternal life. The first time the word or name
Israel's ever recorded in the Bible is in Genesis 32. And if
you remember, that's when Jacob wrestled with the Lord. He wrestled
with what is said to be an angel of the Lord, who was none other
than the Lord Jesus Christ. And Jacob wrestled with the Lord,
and he wouldn't let the Lord go until the Lord blessed him.
And it was then that the Lord asked Jacob his name, and Jacob
told him, my name's Jacob. And the Lord said, your name
shall no more be Jacob. Now he asked the Lord to bless
him, he's fixing to. And the Lord said, your name
shall no more be Jacob, but your name shall be Israel. That means
Prince of God. Jacob, supplanter, wicked, worthless,
deceiver. God says, I'm gonna make you
a prince of God. Your name now is Israel. That
was the blessing God made Jacob Israel. And over 2,500 times
the name Israel occurs in Scripture, and in most instances, it's a
literal application, and it's speaking of the nation of Israel,
the Jews that began with Abraham. But here in Isaiah 45, and also
in the book of Romans when the word Israel is used, it's a spiritual
and figurative application. The word Israel always refers
to true believers in Christ. Israel, in the Word of God, spiritually
speaking, is the true people of God. Now, I want you to hold
your place here in Isaiah 45, because we're coming right back
to it. And I want you to turn with me to Romans chapter 9. Romans chapter nine, we'll come
back to Isaiah 45. And here in Romans chapter nine,
I want you to look at verse six. Romans chapter nine, verse six,
and listen to what Paul says here. Have you got it? Okay. Verse six, for they are not all
Israel, which are of Israel. In other words, everybody that
descended from Abraham is not true Israel. They which are of
the children of the flesh are not the children of God. A man
is not a child of God simply because he descended from Abraham
or anyone else. Look at verse eight, but the
children of the promise are counted for the sea. When we talk about
Israel, naturally and literally speaking, Paul is saying they
are not all Israel that are of Israel, but the Israel, spiritual
Israel, the believing child of God is the true seed, the true
children of promise, the true children of faith. Look down
at verse 27. Though the number of the children
of Israel, that is the natural seed of Abraham, the nation Israel,
though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the
sea, only a remnant, only a small portion or part of them shall
be saved. Not all of Israel entered into
the land of promise that God gave them. Matter of fact, only
two men, Joshua and Caleb over the age of 20 made it in. All
the rest of them perished in the wilderness. You remember
why they perished? Unbelief, unbelief. Turn back
a few pages here and look at Romans chapter two. I want you
to look at one verse here, verse 28. Romans 2, 28. Paul says, he is not a Jew, he's
not a true Israelite, which is one outwardly, one of flesh and
blood, one by natural birth, being a descendant of Abraham.
He is a Jew, an Israelite, which is one inwardly. Circumcision
is not in the flesh, it's of the heart. The circumcision in
the Old Testament was just a picture of what true circumcision in
the heart is. It's whenever the Bible uses
the word Israel, this is what I want you to see, as it's used
in Isaiah, as it's used in Romans 9, all Israel shall be saved
with an everlasting salvation. Not the whole nation, but all
of God's chosen people. And it's referring to the children
of God. Paul said, whether Jew or Gentile, bond-free, male or
female, they are the children of Abraham by faith, not by natural
descendants. Galatians 3, 7 says, they which
are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. Oh, I'm
a child of Abraham because I believe God and I trust in Christ alone. And it's the same with you. You're
the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. If you're in
Christ, then you're Abraham's seed and you're heirs according
to the promise. Believers in Christ are the true
Israel. It's very, very important to
understand that. All Israel, all God's elect,
all God's sheep, they shall be saved. Back in Isaiah chapter
45, and I believe I'll leave you there the rest of the time,
but I want you to look at verse 18 with me. And while you're
turning back, let me ask you that question again. Who is the
Lord God? Who does God declare Himself
to be? In verse 18, Isaiah, God's prophet
reminds us, he's the God that created the heavens. He's the
God who formed the earth. He's the God that made it all.
He's the God who established all of it. And he also tells
us that God does nothing in vain. All God does has a purpose. He formed the earth to be inhabited.
With or without people, God is never changed. I don't know what
gives folks the idea that God somehow needs us. God's never
needed anybody or anything. That's what makes him God. He
does nothing in vain. God is self-existent. He has
no need of company. God was content with being God. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit, they were just fine without us. He's
the Lord God dependent upon no one, nobody. God inhabited this
earth for the glory of his son. You and I are here for the glory
of his son. Christ was the lamb slain before
the foundation of the world. He must come to save a fallen
people. And that's why this earth is
inhabited by sinners. Some whom Christ came into the
world to save. That's who the Lord is. Verse
19 says, or God says, I should say, I've not spoken in secret
in a dark place of the earth. Now listen, salvation is no secret
work. God didn't do his business in
a dark alley. Paul told the king, he said,
this wasn't done in a corner, in a dark corner where nobody
could see. God's promise and purpose of salvation is for all
to see. It is no hidden work. From the
very moment that sin came into the world, God pronounced the
coming of Christ. Genesis 3, you can see it yourself. He pronounced the coming of Christ,
the seed, the conqueror, the King of kings and the Lord of
lords. While he's gonna come, the seed
of woman shall bruise the serpent's head. He's gonna deal a death
blow to sin. It's promised from the beginning.
This will come to pass in time for all the world to see. The
whole world watched the Ark of Noah being built for 120 years. That Ark with its so beautifully
pictures and typifies the Lord Jesus Christ saved all who were
inside it. The rest of the world watched
as they perished. Salvation in that Ark wasn't
hidden from the world. Jesus Christ is that ark. The world saw it as they died. They died saying, we should have
gotten into that ark as the water went over their head and they
drowned. This wasn't hidden from the world. Lost sinner, you better
get in that ark that God built. Christ Jesus is that ark by which
we are saved. God's wrath fell on the ark.
Oh, it fell on us too, but we were in Christ. And God's wrath
against me falls on Christ. Egypt. They witnessed the death
of the firstborn. Egypt being the most powerful
nation in all the world at that time, God demonstrated His redemptive
power and purpose and work for all the world to see. He didn't
do it in a corner. All Israel shall be saved with
an everlasting salvation. Why? Because the Lord has purposed
it. He didn't do it in a corner.
He didn't do it in a dark place. The Lord had spoken it. The Lord
willed it. He will bring it to pass. It's
not a secret work. The whole world will see how
God saves sinners. They'll either see it now in
this life by divine revelation, or they'll see it in the judgment
in wrath and condemnation. Christ didn't come secretly in
the world. God hung a star over where he was born. God sent angels
down to the hillside and told the shepherds and everyone else
that the Lord God of heaven and earth had taken on flesh to save
sinners from their sin. That's the glorious message of
the gospel. They announced the coming of
the Lord. It was for the whole world to see and to hear. God
cannot come to earth secretly. In verse 19, God said unto the
seed of Jacob, seek me in vain. No. God's people don't seek Him
in vain. He said, I, the Lord, speak righteousness. I declare things that are right.
If you belong to Him, you're going to hear this message. Righteousness
comes not by our keeping of the law. Righteousness comes to us
through, in, and by Jesus Christ who was made to be sin for us.
I, the Lord, speak righteousness. I declare things that are right.
God will make His redemptive work in Christ known. He's the
Lord that speaks righteousness. There's no righteousness apart
from His giving. He's the Lord who declares what
is right. And God doesn't do something
because it's right. All God does is right. It's right
because God does it. He's the Lord who provides righteousness
to the unrighteous. He's the one who makes holy the
unholy. He's the godly one who died for
the ungodly. Substitution is what it's called.
Who is the Lord? Well, he's the Lord, our righteousness. Christ's work is a righteous
work. His work honors the law. His work satisfied God's justice. Therefore, all Israel, are you
listening Israel? All Israel shall be saved with
an everlasting salvation. God declares what's right. God
declares who is righteous. Who is the Lord God? Well, we
better assemble ourselves together and find out. You know, modern
day religion prays to a God who cannot save. That's what God
said. Look at verse 20, assemble yourselves
and come, draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations,
they have no knowledge, that set up the wood of their graven
evidence, and pray unto a God they cannot save. Now I hear
men and women today talk about their God, but as I listen, I'm
like, that doesn't sound like the God of the Bible to me. My
God can save. My God's in the heavens. He's
done whatsoever He's pleased. So ask yourself, can my God save? People seem to think that He
can't unless you let Him. I've heard that all my life.
Well, if you think that, then He can't save. Can your God accomplish
His purpose? Well, men today say, not without
our will. Is that right? If you can alter
your God's will, then I tell you, he's not much of God. The
Lord God of the Bible cannot be changed. His purpose cannot
be altered. In verse 21, he identifies himself
as the very one who declares the end from the beginning. Only
God can do that. He's the one who brings to pass
the things that are not yet done. Only God can do that. He's the
first cause of everything, as we've already said. There's no
God beside Him. That's what He says. How foolish
to imagine our own gods. You know, by nature, we're ignorant.
I don't mean to offend you, but by nature, we don't have knowledge
of God. We have to be taught. It has
to be revealed to us. How foolish for us to think that
our imagined gods are real. How foolish for us to trust them.
But we do. How foolish to deny the true
omnipotent God. By nature, we're just such foolish
people. Listen, not only is He God, but
He's a just God and a Savior. A God without perfect holiness
is no God. A God without a perfect law and
righteousness is no God at all. A God who is not just and does
not punish sin is not God. And a God who has no wrath for
the ungodly has no right to be God. But our God does, because
He is the God. And He says, there's none beside
me. I'm the only one. You can only
get this right one way. One way. Just one God. God must
be just. God must punish sin. Being God,
He can by no means clear the guilty. But in and by and through
the Lord Jesus Christ, our God is a loving, gracious, compassionate,
and merciful God. He's a righteous, holy, and a
just God. That's His divine character.
That's what makes Him a Savior. A just God and a Savior. Only
a just God can be a Savior. God cannot save apart from His
strict justice. And what does He tell His prophet
to tell His people? He tells them to look to Him
and be ye saved. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. That's why he came into the world.
Only a perfect man can save, and Christ became that perfect
man. Verse 22, look unto me and be
ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there
is none else. How many times does he say that?
Over and over again, even when he doesn't say it, he says it.
Everything in this book points us to that. He's God, there is
none else. Who is the Lord God? He's the
one to whom we must look. We must look to Him to be saved.
He's the only one who can save. Why? Because He's the only God.
All the ends of the earth must look to Him. No one's gonna be
saved any other way. There's no other God who can
save you because there is no other God. Verse 22, this is
not just simply an invitation. It's a great command. In order
for a man or woman to be saved, God says, you gotta look unto
me. There's no other way to be saved. Look unto me. I have spoken
it, I'll bring it to pass. Now listen to me on this. All
God's elect will look. Every one of them. Every one
of them. Maybe not immediately, maybe
not at first willingly, but God will make them willing in the
day of His power. And when He does, they will look. It's for certain God will see
to it that they do. And God will make them to love,
to look. God will make them willing to
look in the day of His power and all, by all who were bitten
by those serpents in the wilderness, if they had any desire at all
to live, they looked upon that brazen serpent that Moses lifted
high upon that poem. and all that looked lived, every
single one of them. As Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal
life." They looked to Christ, not to Moses. We look to Christ,
we don't look to the law of Moses. No, you'll find no salvation
there, just condemnation. We don't look to the pole on
which the serpent hung. We don't believe and trust in
the pole. But men and women hang crosses on their churches and
they hang them around their neck. But there's no salvation in the
cross on which Christ hung. He said, look unto me. Salvation
is in the Christ who hung upon the cross. That's who we better
look to. We have to look to Christ. Look
at verse 23. I have sworn by myself. The word is gone out of my mouth
in righteousness and shall not return that unto me every knee
shall bow and every tongue shall swear. Now, let me give you five
very quick things in closing. I'm reminded of what Brother
Mahan told his preacher's class. He said, if you ever have more
than three points, don't tell anybody how many you got. But
I only got five and they're going to be quick. Verse 24, surely
shall one say in the Lord, have I righteousness and strength,
even to him shall men come and all that are incensed against
him shall be ashamed. Verse 25, in the Lord shall all
the seed of Israel be justified and shall glory. So my first
point is this, it's in the Lord that we have righteousness and
strength. Apart from the Lord, we have no righteousness and
we have no strength. Now, others may think that they
find righteousness and strength in their own doing, but they
cannot. You have neither righteousness
nor strength, but through Christ. you'll be conscious of your own
weakness. If God ever saves you, he'll
show you your need, and you'll be conscious of your own weakness.
And you must look to Christ alone in order to live. Secondly, if
you believe God, you're gonna act upon your faith. Never been
one that God revealed himself to that didn't act upon the faith
that God gave them. Verse 20 here says, even to him
shall men come. Those that look to Christ will
come to Christ. Our Lord Jesus said, all that
the Father giveth me shall come to me. And if a sinner is to
be saved, they must get to God in Christ. Christ said, you search
the scriptures, and there are many who do. You know them and
so do I. And in the scriptures, they think
they have life. They've convinced themselves
that by some other way, other than looking to Christ and coming
to Christ, that they can be saved. They think they have life. But
the scriptures are they which testify of Christ. And he said,
you will not come to me that you might have life. But I'll
tell you this, God's sheep will come, and God's sheep will follow
Him. Thirdly, those who do come shall
be ashamed of their former opposition. All that are incensed against
Him, Christ, speaking of Christ, shall be ashamed. Oh, I think I don't have to think
back too far either. Earlier today even. Oh, there's
never a soul that comes to Christ that does not soon begin to feel
ashamed of the things they've done and the way that they are.
That word incensed means angry. It means to be displeased. Are
you mad at God for who he claims to be? Are you angry with God
because of who and what he declares you to be? Are you angry that
God declares that you can do nothing to earn merit or deserve
His saving mercy and grace? Are you incensed against God? There are some angry with God's
providence. There are some angry because
of God's law. There are some incensed at the
penalty of sin, for the wages of sin is death. And some say,
well, that's just too severe. It's what all of us deserve. Some say men cannot be expected
to keep a holy law. The law was never given that
you might keep it. God gave the law to show you
your inability of keeping it and your need of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Too severe? Some are angry of
the strong declarations of God concerning the punishment of
sin. But when God brings them to Him, they're ashamed. Others
are incensed at the preaching of the deity of Christ. Friends,
He is Immanuel, God with us. We can't proclaim His deity enough
or high enough. Christ becomes precious to the
believer and they're ashamed at how they once were and how
they once thought Him to be. Fourthly, the Lord's people shall
be justified. Oh my, that's what it says there
in verse 25. In the Lord, in the Lord shall
all the seed of Israel be justified. Can an unjust person like me
be made, be justified in the sight of God? Only in the Lord. In the Lord shall all the seed
of Israel be justified. Every one of them. When Christ
stands in the sinner's place, he puts the sinner in his place.
It's called substitution. Can I, who have been sinful all
my life, become righteous in God's sight? Yes, yes, and more
yes. For the sake of the Lord Jesus
Christ, thou shalt for his sake be counted righteous. That long
list of sins which so greatly troubles us is now canceled.
Our sin put away. The believer is clear of all
sin in God's sight. Why? Because Christ paid my sin
debt. And I'm accepted in Him, the
beloved, and I'm perfect, and I'm paid in full by Christ. And lastly, I close with the
last three words of the verse. In the Lord shall all the seed
of Israel be justified, and look at this, and shall glory. The
sheep of God do not glory in themselves, They glory in Christ
who loved them and gave himself for them. Those who truly know
Christ will glory in him alone. He that gloryeth, let him glory
in the Lord. They will glory in the Lord when
trouble comes. They'll glory in the Lord when
sickness comes. They'll glory in the Lord when
death comes and will glory in the Lord forever and ever. Who's the Lord God? Well, I know
this much, to Him be glory forever and ever. To God only wise be
glory through Jesus Christ forever. Now unto the King eternal, immortal,
invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and
ever. And the Lord shall deliver me
from every evil work and will preserve me unto His heavenly
kingdom, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. But grow in grace
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Jesus Christ. To Him be glory
now and forever. And God hath made us kings and
priests unto God and His Father. To Him be glory and dominion
forever and ever. and ever and ever and ever. And
hath made us kings and priests unto God, to Him be glory forever."
Over and over again, forever and ever. That, my friends, is
who God is. His mercy shall endure forever
and ever. Amen. So be it. It's so. Oh, may God be pleased to make
who He is effectual to us, that we might know Him, that we might
bow to Him, that he might be our God and that we might be
his people. God make it so.