ask you to open your Bibles with
me to Isaiah 46. While you're turning there, let
me say thank you to Hannah and Isabel and Sophie. You know,
we grew up with two boys in the house, and Saturday night routines
and Sunday morning routines are hard enough on a normal day. But to have five people pile
into your house and still pull that off, Hannah, we sure appreciate
you. Thankful for your pastor. Again,
thankful for the opportunity to be here with you this morning.
And Brother Bobby, it's so good to see you and Rebecca this morning. Isaiah 46, let's read beginning
with verse one. Bell boweth down, Nebo stoopeth. Their idols were upon the beast,
upon the cattle. Your carriages were heavy laden. They are a burden to the weary
beast. They stoop, they bow down together. They could not deliver the burden,
but themselves are going into captivity. Now this is in reference
to the fall of Babylon by Cyrus. If we read back earlier in Isaiah,
we read this, Babylon has fallen. And all these idols, these false
gods, and these were two of the most popular ones, Baal and Nebo,
These false gods, just imagine the scene, they cover the ground.
All these false idols are broken in pieces and they cover the
ground, they cover the battlefield. And the victors, and I imagine
some other folks were going around just gathering up all that they
could gather up, placing them in wagons and carts and on their
animals. for one reason, just the value
of them. These things were made of gold
and silver and precious metals. And here in our text we see that
they were loaded upon the beast and the cattle and these carriages
were loaded up so much that the beast and the cattle, they couldn't
carry them. They struggled to bear that,
they struggled to carry that load. They stooped down, they
were knocked over and broken And here's the thing, these false
gods, these false idols, they could not deliver themselves,
nor could they deliver the people that worshiped them. They couldn't
save them. They couldn't save themselves. They were a burden. They were
nothing more than a burden to the animals that tried to haul
them off. Isn't that much like false religion
in our day? It's just a burden, a burden
that cannot be, no matter how healthy the man might be, he
cannot carry that load. That idol cannot deliver, a false
god cannot deliver, and it can't deliver itself nor anyone else.
Look at the description of these idols in verses five through
nine of Isaiah 46. Here we read, to whom will you
liken me, and make me equal, and compare me that we may be
like? They lavish gold out of the bag,
they weigh silver in the balance, they hire a goldsmith, and he
maketh it a god. They fall down, yea, they worship.
They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in
his place, and he standeth. And from his place shall he not
remove, yea, one shall cry unto him, yet he cannot answer, nor
save him out of his trouble. Remember this, and show yourselves,
men, bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors." He says,
you remember this, you remember this, an idol. An idol, a false
god, is nothing more than the works of a man's hands. An idol,
a false god, cannot save. Cannot, cannot deliver. They
can't save those that worship them. They're useless. They're a false refuge. And a
man who makes it, he makes it like himself. He makes it just
like himself. And when he places it up on that
shelf, he takes that false god, it's gonna sit there until somebody
else comes and moves it. Can't deliver itself, can't deliver
those that worship. Psalm 115, verse four, their
idols are silver and gold. They are the works of men's hands. We read this in our earlier Bible
study. They have mouths, but they speak
not. Eyes have they, but they see
not. They have ears, but they hear
not. Noses, but they smell not. They have hands, but they handle
not. Feet have they, but they walk not. Neither speak they
through their throat. And they that make them are like
unto them. And so is everyone that trusteth
in an idol. Isn't that the voice of works
religion? Isn't that the works of Catholicism
and idolatry? This is what they say. This is
what false religion says. They say Christ has no body but
yours. Wouldn't that be a terrible place
for God to dwell in these feeble bodies? They say he has no hands. but yours, no feet but yours. They say this, that yours are
the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look. Your feet are the feet in which
he goes about doing good. That's what false religion says.
But you know what? You know what the psalmist says?
You know what David says this is? Idolatry. Nothing more than
idolatry. Paul writing to the Corinthians,
he said, we know that an idol is nothing. It's nothing. In this world, there is none
other God but one. One God. And listen, an idol. Isaiah says this, remember this.
We have to be reminded. We have to be reminded about
idolatry. Our sinful nature is drawn to
it. We embrace it by nature, the
works of our hands. But for us to rest in anything,
anything but the Lord Jesus Christ is to rest in an idol. If it's your service, if it's
your denomination, if it's your church membership, if it's your
giving, anything, anything that would take our eyes off of Christ
is no more than an idol. And these idols, they're not always like they
were back there in the Old Testament, 90 feet tall and nine feet wide. They don't necessarily just stand
out. Remember that Nebuchadnezzar,
the king, he made that image, he made that giant image of gold
whose height was three score cubits and the breadth six cubits. Ninety feet tall and nine feet
wide and covered in gold. That one we would hope would
be pretty easy to see, right? But idolatry doesn't always show
itself like that. In fact, it usually just sneaks
in, just a little by little, just a little by little. You
know, it seems like in our time, Calvinism has become the trendy,
kind of the trendy thing. Every church out there is a grace
church now. Every church out there, they'll
have something of Spurgeon, a little quote out there that they hang
up to kind of draw in the crowd. But if you listen closely enough,
if you just listen closely, man's works always manage to creep
in. Just gently, just easily, they
creep in there subtly, subtly. And it can always be boiled down
to this. You'll see it, Christ, plus something
else. And that's how it creeps, that's
how it creeps in. Taking what God has said and
just adding a little bit of what man can do, what man can do for
God. And many times also it's not
what's just said, but what's not said. what is conveniently
left out to make it a little more palatable. Taking away the
offense of the cross, taking away the blood, taking away salvation
by Christ and Christ alone. Removing man's sin, making man's
sin to seem less sinful. That's foolish, isn't it? Sin
is sin. In the eyes of a holy God, we're
dead in trespasses and sin. They take away from God's holiness.
They take away from God's sovereignty. Oh, God can be sovereign in creation,
and God can be sovereign in providence, but this thing of God's sovereignty
and salvation, and they gently just start backing off these
things. But the scripture declared God's sovereign. He's absolutely
sovereign. They take away from Christ's
sacrifice. Christ's sacrifice, the blood of Jesus Christ, his
son, cleanses us from all sin. But man will take that, and he'll
throw a little bit of man's works in there. God's done this, but
he needs a little bit more. Idolatry, idolatry. Satan, remember back there in
the garden, what did he tell Eve? thou shalt not die, thou
shalt not surely die. In spite of what God had declared,
in the day you eat thereof, thou shalt surely die. Matthew 24,
our Lord speaking to his disciples, he said this, turn there to Matthew
chapter 24. Our Lord warned the people when
he walked this earth. He said here in verse 24 of Matthew
24, there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall
show great signs and wonders in so much that if it were possible,
they shall deceive the very elect of God. I'm so glad he says if
it were possible, if it were possible. The false god, the
idol, that god cannot deliver. That little g god, it cannot
deliver. He says, 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 image and pray unto a god that cannot
save. Now back to our text, back here
in Isaiah 46. Look at verse three. Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob,
and all the remnant of the house of Israel. Hearken unto me. You know, there's a lot of folks
talking in our time, and there's a lot of people saying a lot
of stuff, and there's often not much to be heard. Often there's not much worth
being heard. But here in our text, it's the
Lord speaking. It's the Lord speaking. He says,
hearken unto me. Hearken unto me. Aren't you thankful? Aren't you
thankful to have a pastor and have these men that stand up
and when they preach the word, they're not saying, listen to
what I've got to say. Cody, we say hearken unto me. Listen to what God has to say. Listen to what I will hear. Psalm 85 verse 8 says this, I
will hear what God the Lord will speak, for he He shall speak
peace unto his people and to his saints, but let not them
turn again to folly. Turn back to folly. Hearken unto
me. There in Hebrews we read God
who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in times past unto
the fathers. by the prophets and in these
last days he hath spoken unto us by his son." God spoke from
the heavens. He said, this is my beloved son
in whom I'm well pleased, hear ye him. What's he got to say? Hearken unto me, and listen to
who he's talking to here. Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob
and all the remnant of the house of Israel. You know who's going
to listen? Your pastor's out speaking this
morning. You know who's going to listen
to him? Christ's church. Christ elect. Some people are
going to get upset when they hear this gospel. Some of us
got upset when we first heard this gospel. But in His time,
He reveals it to us, doesn't He? And His people, no matter
how stubborn we are, in His time, we're gonna hear it. That remnant,
you see that? The remnant of the house of Israel,
that remnant according to the election of grace. His sheep,
His sheep will hearken. And again, there's those who
will not. We've got friends, we've got
family, we've got neighbors, we've got loved ones that they
will not hear it. But His sheep will. In His time,
they will hear it. Our Lord, speaking to the Jews,
turn over to John chapter 10. In verse 25, those Jews, it said
they, verse 24, the Jews had gathered, they'd gathered around,
and they said this. They said, how long, how long
do you make us to doubt? How long are you gonna keep us
in suspense about this? If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. Tell us plainly. I can't imagine
there was anyone who spoke more plainly than the Lord Jesus Christ. And they're saying Him. Tell
us plainly. And He did, didn't He? Look at
verse 25. Jesus answered them. And He said,
I told you. I told you and you believed me
not. The works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me. But you believe not. And here's
why. You're not my sheep. You're not
my sheep, as I said unto you. Oh, but listen, listen here.
Look at verse 20. Aren't you glad that doesn't
just stop right there? Look at verse 27. My sheep, my
sheep, hear my voice. They hear me. They hearken unto
me. And I know them. I know them
and they follow me. Who does? His sheep. His sheep. Now back to our text here in
Isaiah. Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob and all the remnant
of the house of Israel which are born by me from the belly. which are carried from the womb. Now it's been revealed to us,
we're sinners. We're sinners by birth. We come
forth from the womb, speaking lies. David wrote this, he said,
the wicked are estranged from the womb, they go astray as soon
as they be born. But he says here of his sheep,
he said, he said, I've borne them from the belly. I've carried
them from the womb. Bore, he bore us and he carried
us. He bore our griefs. That's the
same language. He bore our griefs and he carried
our sorrows. The Lord Jesus Christ. You know,
as a child, as an infant, they can do nothing, can they? I mean,
a little infant, they must be carried around for some time. Well, the Lord Jesus Christ,
he bears up his children and he carries them. That which we
cannot do. He bears us and carries us. And
I know this is probably hard to imagine, but these two boys
back here, they're young men now, but would you believe that
there was a time when I could carry them, when I could bear
them up in my arms and I could carry them? It's been a long time ago, but
we were at Dollywood one night and we decided that the line
to take the tram was just too long. And somehow me and Abby
got the crazy idea that we would just, she would carry the stuff
and I'd carry the boys. And if you're familiar with the
parking lot, we were in tram stop C. I felt like we were in
Tram Stop Z because I didn't think we were ever going to get
there. But I picked them up in my arms
and I carried them. And I carried them until we got
to the car. Well, they were probably Finley
and Cooper size at the time. Wouldn't it have been absurd
to think this? that at that size, at that age,
I would have looked at that tram and said, all right boys, I need
one of you to carry me to the car. Foolishness, right? Finley, could
you carry your dad to the car? No, no. God, we don't carry God. We don't
deliver him. He carries us. He carries his
children. He bears them up in his arms
and he carries them. He does it. He does it. And he needs no help from man. Those idols that we read about
back there early on, they had to be carried by those that worshiped
them. They had to be carried by, but
again, Almighty God is not carried by his children. He carries us. He delivers us. He bears us up
in his arms. One of the old writers said this.
He said, we are poor, weak, helpless creatures like newborn babes.
We cannot go it alone. but must be born up and carried
by our Heavenly Father. And listen, He does that in His
providence, His people, like sheep. He's our God from our
mother's belly, from actually, from before the foundation of
the world, right? His children. He carries us as infants, through
our years as, again, as infants, as youngsters, and even to old age. That's what
we read right here. And he never forsakes nor leaves
his people, though we may think he's, at times, he's left us
for a season. He says, I'll never leave nor
forsake you. Well, back to our text here.
Hearken unto me. old house of Jacob and all the
remnant of the house of Israel, which are born by me and carried
from the womb," verse four, even, even to old age, even to old
age, when the eye grows dim, when the ear is heavy, Our brother
had announced there to turn to page 70 earlier, and I opened
my hymnal. I'm not sitting with Abby this
morning, so I opened to page 7. The hearing's not getting
any better. When the ears heavy, when the
arms tremble. In the day of decline, decay,
and ultimately death, even to old age, he said, I am he. I am he. David said, my flesh
and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart and
my portion forever, even to old age. I am he, even to your gray
hairs will I carry you. The hymn writer wrote this, through
many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. Tis grace
that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home. He says, I have made thee, I
will bear, even I'll carry thee. Isn't it evident whose work this
is? Isn't it evident what we don't
contribute to any of this? I am he. I made thee. I will bear thee. I will carry
thee. I have made thee. I have made
thee." It pleased the Lord to do what? To make you His people. He did it. The Lord Jesus Christ, He was
made sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. He said, I have made thee. Know
this. Know this, the Lord, He is God. It is He that hath made us and
not we ourselves. We are His people, the sheep
of His pasture. He said, I'll bear thee. I'll
carry thee. And turn to Luke chapter 15. Luke chapter 15. Our Lord's speaking here to those
publicans. He said, what man of you, verse
four, what man of you having a hundred sheep if he lose one
of them? Doth he not leave the ninety
and nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until
he finds it? And when he finds it, what's
he do? When he finds it, does he say,
follow me home? Does he grab us by the hand and
it says here, listen, when he finds it, he lays it on his shoulders,
rejoicing. He bears that lost sheep up on
his shoulders and he carries it home. Verse six, and when
he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying
unto them, rejoice with me. For I have found my sheep, which
was lost." From the belly, from the belly
to old age, he says, I'm he, I'm he. I'll carry you, I've
made you, I'll bear you. And last he says, I'll deliver
you, I'll deliver you. You know those idols in verse
one or two, again, they couldn't deliver themselves. They couldn't deliver anything,
could they? And idolatry and false religion
would convince man that he could deliver himself. It's just not
so. It's just not so. God says, I
will deliver thee. Back in Daniel 3, I'll not have
you turn there. We read a portion of it this
morning. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they had refused the
king's command to bow down to that idol. And Nebuchadnezzar,
he spoke to them. He gonna give them a second chance. And he says, when you hear the
music playing, he said, you fall down and you worship. and it'll
be well for you. That'll be the right thing for
you to do. But if not, I'm gonna cast you
in to that fiery furnace. You know, I was thinking about
this. False religion tries desperately to scare men into something.
And boy, that could be taken right out of the playbook right
there. Come up here and sit down on the front row. Come up here
and shake hands with the preacher or you're going to hell. And
that's about the extent of what's being said. That's what he says
here. He said, you bow down to this
false god. You bow down to this false god
and it'll be well for you. But if you don't, I'm gonna cast
you into this fiery furnace. And then he asked this question
of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He said, who is that God? Who is that God that'll deliver
you out of my hand? Can you imagine speaking, who's
that God that will deliver you out of my hand? The hands of
a man, even the hands of the king. And they replied, They
said, we're not careful in this matter. King Nebuchadnezzar,
we don't even have to really give this a whole lot of thought
here, because if it be so, if it be God's will, our God whom
we serve is able to deliver us. There's no question about that.
He's able. He's able. And He will. He's able to deliver us from
this burning, fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of
your hand, O king." Write that down. He will deliver us out
of your hand. You know, the worst thing that
king could do was kill them. That's the worst he could do. But they said this, if he's pleased
to not deliver us from this furnace, we will not worship or serve
thy God or the golden image which you've set up. And Nebuchadnezzar,
in his rage and fury, he had that oven cranked up seven times
hotter than it was meant to be. And he had his mightiest men
take him and cast him into that furnace. And the heat was so
hot coming out of the furnace, it burned up his servants. But then the king looked, and
he was astonished. He couldn't believe his eyes.
He said, didn't I cast just three men into the oven? Cast them
in there in their coats and their hosin' and their hats. He said,
didn't I just cast three in there? And I'm sure everybody around
him said, oh yeah, King. No doubt they agreed with him,
right? His servant said, true, oh King.
He said, I see four men. I see four walking. with no hurt, and the fourth
is like unto the Son of God. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
were delivered. They were delivered from that
fire. When they come out, there was
nothing binding them. There was not a hair singed. Our head, the very hairs of our
head are numbered. Not a hair singed, not even the
smell of smoke upon him. How is that? How is that? I see four in the oven. One is
like unto the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Nebuchadnezzar
said this, he said, there's no other God, there's no other God
that can deliver after this sword. What'd our text say there in
Isaiah 46? He said, I'll carry you and I will deliver you. He delivers us from affliction,
from temptation, from the hand of the enemy. He delivers us
from falling. He delivers us from this body
of sin and death. He delivers us from the grave
and wrath to come. How? in, by, and through the
Lord Jesus Christ. "'Tis the grandest thing, let
the tidings roll, to the guilty heart, to the sinful soul. Look to God in faith, he will
make thee whole. Our God is able to deliver thee.'" Harken unto me, O house of Jacob,
and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are born by
me from the belly, which are carried from the womb. Even to
your old age I am he. Even to your white hairs will
I carry you. I've made you, I'll bear you,
I'll carry you, and I will deliver you." Aren't we thankful? Aren't we thankful that our God
is able to deliver?