Isaiah chapter 56, and the title of the message
is, My Salvation. My Salvation. Isaiah chapter
56 and verse 1, Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment and do
justice for my salvation. is near to come and my righteousness
to be revealed. The Lord here declares in verse
1, first of all, a commandment. The Lord here gives a commandment. He says, keep ye judgment and
do justice. This is none other than the same
voice that came on the fiery mount of Sinai. This is the voice
of God that thundered and caused the people of Israel to flee
in fear. You remember how the Lord commanded
them to set up those barriers, those barricades, so as that
not one was to touch the mountain. And when the Lord spoke to Moses
on that mountain, They moved even farther back than the boundaries. The Scripture says they removed
from the mount. They fled from the mount when
they heard the voice of God giving the commandments to Moses. The
voice of the law is no pleasant sound. The voice of the law to
the ears of the guilty is no pleasant sound. These commandments
of God are not mere suggestions, but rather are demands of the
Sovereign God, the Maker and Creator of all things. He demands
you keep justice and you do justice. This is the command of God and
all the judgments are summed up in those two commandments.
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with
all thy soul, with all thy strength, and with all thy mind. And the
second is, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. These laws that are given on
the tables of stone to the Jews were not only for them, but God.
recognizing that not all men were given the law on Mount Sinai,
he put the law of God in the hearts of men. This law of God
is written on the hearts of every man that is born into this world.
Why? So that no one has an excuse. No one. No one is excusable. Here, the thunderings of Sinai
and the sound of the trumpet as it grows louder and louder
and louder. Cursed is everyone that continueth
not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do
them." The law says to all that are under the law, obedience
is not a one-time thing. Obedience is something that must
be continual from the womb to the grave. This is the commandment
of God. This is not a suggestion. This
is God's demand. This is God's demand. He does not demand one time. I know I can't tell you how many
times the flesh pops up and it says, well, look, I didn't lie
that time. What do you mean that time? The
law doesn't say you shouldn't lie not one time. You should
never lie. And Scripture tells us that the
Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged
sword dividing asunder of soul and spirit and joints and marrow.
It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. It's not just the actions. The
law demands perfect obedience in motive. In motive. May the law of God, even now,
do its work. What is the work of the law?
The law is meant to expose sin. That's what the law does. The
law of God was meant to shut our mouths. That's what it was
meant to do. It was to silence us. Paul tells us that in Romans
3. He says this, Now we know that whatsoever things
the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law, listen,
that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world become guilty
before God. This is the purpose of the law.
It was never meant to save you. It was only meant to show you
your sin. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For by the law
is the knowledge of sin. If this is the command of God,
keep judgment and do justice, who then can be saved? That's God's command. That's
not a suggestion. If God says you must do justice and you must
do justice and judgment, who among us has done that? Who? Who can be saved? By our own works and obedience,
none of us can be saved. Even because salvation is not
within our power. Salvation is not something man
can produce. All we are is sin and therefore
all we do is sin. Are you such a sinner as this?
Are you like me? Because what I've described to
you is me. a sinner, one who is only worthy of God's
damnation. Then behold the light of hope
in the next statement of our text. God says, keep ye judgment
and do justice. Listen, for my salvation is near. to come. My salvation. This is the gospel message. The
message of God's gospel is that salvation belongs to God. Salvation belongs to God. He said my salvation is near
to come. My righteousness to be revealed. Now if man could keep justice
and do judgment, what Why then do we need salvation? If it were
possible, if it were possible for you and I to do that, to
obey the law of God, then why would there even be a word, salvation? Salvation is for those who need deliverance. That's what the word means, deliverance.
Only those who need to be delivered need deliverance. You see, only
the lost need to be found. Only the blind need to be given
sight. Only the dead need to be raised. And only those who are enslaved
to sin need to be delivered from it. Only those under the condemnation
of God need to be delivered. Only the unrighteous need righteousness. Isn't that right? This is the gospel of God, for
salvation is not something to be obtained by merit, but salvation
belongs to God, and salvation is given by God according to
His free grace. This passage tells us very plainly,
salvation is mine, God says. I've commanded you to do justly,
I've commanded you to do right, and you should have. And I'll
tell you this, if you're going to be saved, God must do it. God must do it. Therefore, salvation
belongs to God. The law of God demands our obedience. But consider this, we are both
unable and unwilling by nature to obey it. The Scripture tells
us the natural man, 1 Corinthians 2.14, the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God, listen, for their foolishness,
Now isn't that the will of man? What is the will of man? The
will of man is not to obey the things of the Spirit because
it's foolishness. And listen, neither can he know
them. This has to do with ability.
We are not willing to receive the things of the Spirit of God,
and we are not able to receive the things of the Spirit of God.
Why? Because we are spiritually judged, condemned, depraved. Paul says in Romans 8, 7, the
carnal mind is enmity against God. Listen, for it is not. Subject. It's not willingly subject to
the law of God. And listen, neither indeed, there's
that word again, can be. Can. Has to do with ability.
This is not above any of you. This is basic grammar. Basic
understanding of the language. Can has to do with ability. We
cannot and we will not obey the law of God by nature. Therefore,
if any son of Adam is to be saved, God must do it. God must do it. Therefore, salvation
belongs unto God and He must give it. And that's it, the first
point of this. Salvation belongs to God. Listen,
salvation is not a right. You hear people talking about
that most vehemently now. It's my right. It's my right. Everybody wants their rights.
You know what we have a right to? That's what man has a right to.
If you want to demand of God anything, you can demand hell,
because that's what you deserve. Salvation is not a right, nor
is it even a product of man's ability. You see, the only religion man
can produce is the same religion Adam founded, fig leafism. That's it. There's the first
religion. You want to know the first religion?
There it is. The first religion of man was
to cover his sins by his own labor. That was the first religion. That's all man can come up with.
That's the best man can come up with. And you remember Cain
followed right in his footsteps. He brought the labor of his hands. He brought the fruit of the cursed
earth before God. And even so do men by nature
try to procure salvation either as a product of their own works
or a combination of God's works and their works. That's false
religion. That's the religion of natural
man. This is not the religion of Scripture. That religion is not of God.
And I tell you, there's no salvation in it, for the word of God is
plain. Listen to what Jonah said. Jonah 2, 9. Salvation is of the
Lord. That's it. He's saying the same thing God
says to Isaiah here. My salvation. My salvation. Salvation is mine. It's mine. Salvation belongs to God and
therefore God calls it mine. Now I want us to see three things
about this salvation of God that belongs to God. First of all,
this salvation was purposed and planned of God. Second of all,
this salvation was accomplished of God. And third, this salvation
is applied by God. Applied. my salvation. First of all, it
belongs to God because He from eternity has purposed and planned
it. He has purposed and planned it. Consider this, that salvation
in every detail, in every detail From its conception in eternity
to its accomplishment in time to its success in eternity future,
God has purposed and planned all things regarding this salvation. Known unto God are all his works
from the beginning. God says, I'm God and there's
none else. My counsel, I will do all my counsel See, God does whatever He purposes
to do. And this is His purpose. Salvation. Before the worlds were made,
when God dwelt in the Trinity of His person, happy and content
all alone by Himself, before the worlds was, God purposed,
decreed salvation. And I even have to use a flimsical
word, when. There's no when in eternity. It always was. This was always
the purpose of God. Because God is eternal and without
beginning and without ending. Even so are all His sovereign
decrees that He is purposed as the eternal
God. Therefore, salvation, the salvation
of God isn't as ancient as God. It's as old as God. It was from
eternity that God had purposed salvation, planned it, and even
now in the process of time is performing it exactly to His
specifications. Who then are the objects of this
salvation? If God is going to save, if God
purposed to save, who are the objects? The Word and Scripture
that is given to these objects is called the elect. The elect. Peter, in his epistle, in chapter
1, he calls those strangers, he says to those strangers scattered
abroad, those saints, believers, he says they are the elect. according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. These elect people
were chosen of God, for, known by God by no works or merit of
their own, but out of sovereign free love and grace, God chose
them to be objects of His salvation. In Jeremiah 31, God says, I have
loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee. These objects of eternal love,
the elect, they were predestinated of God to salvation, which was
which is the drawing power of the Holy Spirit to faith in Jesus
Christ. But even before the elect were
created in the womb of their mother, God loved them. God from
eternity purposed their salvation, planned their salvation, and
also purposed to give his salvation to those he loved. You that believe. You that trust
Christ. This is you. Consider the salvation
of the Lord to you. That this salvation was not something
that happened in time or accidentally happened. It was something purposed. It was something planned. It
was given you by God. What a blessed assurance this
is to us who are saved, that our salvation did not begin in
time, but rather in the purpose of eternity with God, beholding
the truth that our salvation belongs unto God, seeing that
His salvation, it is His, and He has given it to us freely. Freely. Consider that. salvation belongs unto God. And
God can give it to whomsoever He will. And He can withhold it from whosoever
He will. This fact is plainly revealed
in Romans chapter 9 concerning Jacob and Esau. In Romans chapter
9 In verse 11, he says, For the children being not yet born,
neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of
God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him
that calleth. It is said unto her, The elder
shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated. God eternally loved Jacob. And the opposite is true. He
hated Esau. Is this unjust? That's the question Paul poses. He knows what men are going to
say. You'll say then, Is there unrighteousness with God? Is
God unrighteous? No! Salvation belongs to Him. It is not a right of man to have
it. It is God's right to give it to whomsoever He will. He's
not unrighteous to do that. Let me ask you this. Don't you
love whom you love? And yet you would oppose God
from loving whom He would? God's not unjust, for God says
mercy belongs to me. He said, I will have mercy on
whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will
have compassion. So then, it is not of him that
willeth. There goes free will religion.
That just blows that right out the water. It is not of him that
willeth. I won't show mercy because you're
willing. I'll show mercy because I'm willing.
It's not of him that willeth, nor him that runneth. There goes
works religion. Mercy is not obtained by works.
Mercy is given by God. It's given by free grace, but
of God that showeth mercy. This is truly offensive to the
natural man. It is detested by the lost and
self-righteous men of this world, yet it is men Man, what is man to
shake his fist in the face of God? Isn't that what Paul said?
He said, who are you to reply against God? Who are you? Salvation is not yours. It belongs
to God and he gives it to whomsoever he will. Paul goes on to say this in verse
29 of Romans 9. He says, if God had not chosen,
If God had not preserved for Himself a remnant, we all would
have been as Sodom and Gomorrah. We all would have died without
hope. Had God not made a choice among
us, if God had not chosen some, none would be saved. Therefore,
God's love and choice of His elect was according to His own
free grace. In the Old Testament, the people
of Israel were a type, a picture of God's elect. We know that
not all the natural seed of Abraham was saved. We know that. But
the Word of God is not of none effect, because they were just
a type. They were a picture of the elect. Paul makes that clear back in
Romans 9, verse 6-8. You read it later, you can see
it. He says, those that are all the seed of Israel, the physical
seed, they're not children of promise, but it's the spiritual
seed. The elect are the children of
promise. And God says to us, through the
picture of the Old Testament, Deuteronomy, He says to those
people of Israel, He said, I didn't choose you because you were the
best. I didn't love you because you were the biggest or the best
nation. Matter of fact, you were the
most stiff-necked nation. But I chose you because I would. I set my love on you because
I would out of free grace. And that's exactly what he does
for his children. See then you who are saved, let
us rejoice in the grace of God that salvation does not belong
to us. It belongs to God. It belongs
to God. And He gave it to you. Gave it to you. Freely gave it to you. Second of all, see then how will
God accomplish this salvation. See that He has purpose salvation
over in Isaiah chapter 46. Look at this, Isaiah chapter 46 and verse 13. God says this, I will bring near
my righteousness, it shall not be far off. And listen, my salvation
shall not tarry, for I will place salvation in Zion." For who? For Israel. I will place salvation
where? In Zion. This is altogether beautiful. Beautiful. Seeing that all of
the elect of God would be born corrupt, seeing that we would
be the born of the seed of Adam and sin against God and died
spiritually, even in Him. Seeing that we would be born
of Adam's fallen race, God did not put His salvation in our
trust. In other words, He didn't leave
it up to you. He didn't say, I put my salvation
in Israel. He said, I put my salvation in
Zion. The importance of this is, that's
where the offering was made. Can you not see that? That's
where the offering, Zion, was the place of atonement. That's
where the Ark of the Covenant was. That's where the presence
of God was. That was where the high priest
made the atonement for sin. Do you not see that all of that
pictured the Lord Jesus Christ? Where then did God, whose salvation
belongs to, where did He put salvation? He put it into the
hands of His only Son, Jesus Christ. He put the responsibility, He
rested the weight of His salvation of His elect squarely on the
shoulders of His precious Son. He said, Behold My servant, Mine
elect, in whom I hold, in whom My soul delights, he shall not
fail nor be discouraged. In doing what? In saving His
people from their sins. That's what He's not going to
fail. He put all of His, as it were, all of His marbles into
this one bag. And Jesus Christ, He put it all
on Him. My salvation is in Zion. So how
then will God save His people who were by nature sinners? Seeing that all of us have sinned
and failed and come short of the glory of God, how is it?
Behold the wisdom of God's salvation that He put it in Christ to fulfill
and accomplish His salvation. As the elect of the Father had
nothing to do with our election, listen, we have nothing to do
with the accomplishment of our salvation. I had nothing to do with my election. And I tell you this, I had nothing
to do with the accomplishment of my salvation. 2 Timothy 1.9, God says, it says,
Who God hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace,
which was given us. Where? in Christ Jesus before
the world began. So where's God's salvation? How was God going to accomplish
this? He was going to accomplish this
in the person and work of His Son. When God says in Zion, that's
where the ark was, that's where the atonement was made, even
so, that's where Jesus depicted Jesus Christ. The Father, having
loved His elect, gave them to His Son in a covenant of grace,
and there the Son from eternity agreed in love for the elect
to be their salvation. Go over to Ephesians chapter
1, read it with me. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places. Where? Where do these blessings
come from? They come from Christ, in Christ,
according as He hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation
of the world, for what purpose? That we should be holy and without
blame before Him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption
of children. How? By Jesus Christ. Not only were we chosen in Christ,
God's salvation rested on the work of Christ. by Jesus Christ to Himself, according
to the good pleasure of His will, according to the praise of the
glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted. Where?
In Christ, in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches
of His grace. Consider the salvation of God
for His elect did not rest in the elect, it rested completely
in the Son of God. So now in our text, back in our
text, God declares His salvation is near and His righteousness
ready to be revealed. For my salvation is near to come
and my righteousness to be revealed. This was the promise of God to
the first sinners, wasn't it? The seed of the woman shall crush
the head of the serpent. And then God killed the animal
to cover their nakedness. The gospel was preached. The
gospel of God's salvation in that picture was preached to
them. that salvation and righteousness
covering for sin should come by the blood of another man. This was the religion of Abel,
wasn't it? Isn't that what Abel brought?
Did he not learn the gospel from his parents as they preached
it to him, how that God slew the animal and covered their
nakedness? And so what did Abel do? Abel knew that salvation
must come by blood, by the death of another, by the seed of the
woman. And now Isaiah, which is thousands
of years later, makes a clearer revelation. He says, now then,
my salvation is nearer to come than it was when I told it to
them. It's nearer to come. Isaiah, the coming of Christ was nearer,
but still yet future. Yet God in grace reveals who
this man is. Look at that, verse 2. Here he
is. Here's God's salvation. Blessed
is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold
on it, that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth
his hands from doing any evil. God commands us to keep judgment
and do justice, but we fail. We have sinned. And there is
no sacrifice we can offer to atone for our transgressions.
We have not kept the Sabbath, nor have we kept our hands from
evil. Isn't that so? Blessed is the man that doeth
this. Is that you? Are you the blessed man? Have
you kept His Sabbath from polluting it? Have you kept your hands
from evil? No. I say with Job, I am vile. I say with Isaiah, woe is me,
I am undone. Who then is this? There's only
one blessed man. There's only one blessed man. that has done justice and judgment?
It is Jesus Christ. There is only one who is trusted
in God from the womb. It is the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Psalm 22, verse 10, in prophecy, the Lord Jesus said, I was cast
upon thee from the womb. Thou art my God from my mother's
belly. Can you say that? No. We were
born dead in sins. The only one who could say that
is the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 71 verse 6, By thee I have
been withholden up from the womb. Thou art he that took me out
of my mother's bowels. My praise shall be continually
to thee. Tonight, as I declare to you
the salvation of God, I want you to see Him. Salvation is
not a creed. Salvation is not in a doctrine.
Salvation is in a person. It is the Lord Jesus Christ.
He is salvation. He is God's salvation. Behold the Savior, Jesus Christ,
the maker and sustainer of all things, condescended to be supported
of God in every way. Consider that. I like that when
Isaiah said that he would grow up as a tender plant. You imagine this little delicate
plant in the middle of a desert. It needed total care. Do you not see that Christ humbled
Himself and became so low and dependent upon God that His every
thought and word and deed, He trusted God for everything. For what? What was He doing this
for? What was His suffering for? It
was to obtain righteousness. He was obtaining righteousness
for us. For us. In Jeremiah 23, verse 6, the
scripture says, His name is the Lord our righteousness. He alone has done justly and
executed and established righteousness for His elect. But not only did
the blessed man do this, he also kept judgment. The sins of the
elect could not be atoned by righteousness alone, Therefore,
without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. Jesus
Christ must have died. This was always God's plan. The Lord Jesus Christ came in
the flesh in order to suffer, to pay for sin. Therefore the blessed Savior
bore the sins of His elect in His own body. There upon the
cross He was lifted up as the brazen serpent. Jesus Christ
suffered the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God.
And there the Son of God was made sin upon the cross, and
the justice of God fell on Him without mercy. And God was satisfied
by His one offering. In Hebrews chapter 7, chapter
9, and chapter 10, I counted 1, 2, 3, at least 4 or 5 times
it mentions His sacrifice being only offered once. Go look at
them. I want you to read them with
me. Read them, just read them with me real quick. Go to Hebrews.
Read them. It's astounding. Hebrews chapter 7 and verse 27, comparing Him to those Old Testament
priests, He said, "...who needeth not daily as those high priests
to offer up sacrifice, first for their own sins and then for
the people's. For this He did once when He
offered up Himself." Go over to chapter 9 and look at verse
12. neither by the blood of bulls
and goats and calves, but of His own blood. He entered in
once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption."
Look at verse 26 of chapter 9. 26, it says, "...for then must
often He must often have suffered since
the foundation of the world. But now, once in the end of the
world, he hath appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself. And as it is appointed unto men
once to die, and after this the judgment, so Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many. And unto them that look for him,
she shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Verse 10 of chapter 10, by the
witch will, by God's will, we are sanctified through the offering
of the body of Jesus Christ once, once for all. And in verse 14,
four by one offering. He hath perfected forever them
that are sanctified. Do you get the picture? How many
times did Christ offer himself? Once. And once was enough. He redeemed us forever. He redeemed
us to God forever. This is God's salvation for Israel. That Jesus Christ should be made
an offering for sin, and His suffering should satisfy God's
justice forever. And thirdly, salvation of God,
the salvation of God is not only purposed of God, It's not only
accomplished of the Lord Jesus Christ, but I tell you this,
it is also applied of God. This salvation is something God
applies. Salvation is applied of God. Go to 2 Thessalonians. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 13. But we are bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. Here's how it's going to be applied.
Through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth,
whereunto you were called by our gospel to the obtaining of
the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Behold the means of God's salvation
that he purposed and gave to us in Christ and that Christ
has accomplished, it is the irresistible grace of the Holy Spirit to give
life. Life. My daughter asked me a question. She said, how do I know if I believe? I don't consider myself a great
theologian, but I know quite a bit about the Word of God. And yet the question of a child
stumped me. It stumped me because I can't
answer it. I'm not here to give you a checklist. I'm here to show you Christ.
I'm here to preach Christ. But I can't give you life. A blind man If I were to hold
up a rose before a blind man, I can describe it in great detail, but I can never make him see
it. And if he asks me how to see,
I can't tell him how to see. All I know is when you see it,
you'll know it. When you see Him, you'll know
it. When you hear His voice, you'll come. You'll believe.
You'll trust Him. You'll love Him. And you'll embrace
Him. And He'll be your only hope. And this comes by the calling
of the Holy Spirit. Who alone can give you life? He alone can give you faith. He alone can open your eyes to
see. And how does he do it? Through
belief of the truth by the preaching of our gospel. This is a mystery. I tell you,
to the world, preaching is foolishness. But unto us, it is the power of God unto salvation
to who? Everyone that believes. This is the purpose of God in
order to destroy all the wisdom of man so that all the glory
for salvation belongs to who? God. Center now is the time of God's
salvation. God says in our text, later on
in the text, he talks to the eunuch and the stranger and he
says, come. He said, you that are eunuchs
that cannot give life in yourself, have no ability to produce life.
He said, come, I'll give you life. I'll give you more abundant
life than you could ever have in this world. He said, even them will I bring
to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. You know, the joy of prayer is
Jesus Christ. You know why you can rejoice
in prayer? Because your prayers are always heard. You who are in Christ, you are
saved. Your prayers are always heard.
Their burnt offerings, their sacrifices shall be accepted
upon mine altar, for mine house shall be called an house of prayer
for all people. The Lord God will gather the
outcasts of Israel. Yet I will gather others to Him
besides those that I've gathered unto Him." In other words, there's
not one that God purposed to save, that Christ accomplished
salvation for, that the Holy Spirit will miss. Isn't that
something? I pray, my family, I pray for
your family that God would reach down and save them. But we know
this, God's not going to miss one that he purposed to give
salvation to. He's not going to miss one. You can take a sigh of relief.
He will not fail. He will not fail. And I'm thankful
in this. He will not fail to bring me
to himself. Because salvation belongs to
God, he purposed it, he accomplished it, he applied it. Listen, he's
going to keep it. He said, I will gather you. I
will. Who will stop him? It's his salvation, isn't it? And if he's given it to you,
who can take it from you? Nobody. Nobody. I pray that God
will give you grace to trust. and lean on your Savior. Lean on your Savior. I read this earlier, but not
in those. This is an extra. You can have
this for free. When they were to put their hands
on that sacrifice, In the day of atonement, they would lay
their hands. It wasn't just a light touch, but they were to lean
on that sacrifice. Man, you could just lean on Christ. He will bear your weight without
trouble, without difficulty. He's not straining to hold you
up. He's not straining to save you. He will save you. I pray that God give that to
you. Let's stand and be dismissed in prayer.