Go with me, if you would, back
to Isaiah. This time chapter 1. Isaiah chapter 1. I have something
that I pray will be very enjoyable for us. I pray it will be enjoyable. I would like for us to go through
the book of Isaiah. tonight. And you don't have to worry,
you don't have to cancel any appointments tomorrow. We're
not going to pull an all-nighter. But I just want to take note
of the fact that the book of Isaiah tells the whole story
of salvation. I titled this message, The Story
All the Way to Glory. Isaiah chapter 1 begins by saying,
in verse 2, Hear, O heavens, and give ear,
O earth, for the Lord hath spoken. I have nourished and brought
up children, and they have rebelled against me. It starts with the
condition that we are all born into. Verse 4 says, Ah sinful
nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children
that are corruptors, they have forsaken the Lord, they have
provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away
backwards. That's us. That's all men and women in this
world, all of mankind. Verse six, from the sole of the
foot, even unto the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds
and bruises and putrefying sores. They have not been closed, neither
bound up, neither mollified with ointment. All through this book,
God says things like, Verse 20, But if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be devoured with the sword, for the mouth of the LORD
hath spoken it. Verse 24, Therefore saith the
LORD, the LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will
ease me of mine adversaries and avenge me of mine enemies. I
am going to deal with all rebels against me. I am going to judge
them. I am going to punish them. And
that's every soul born. Every soul born. That's what
He has to say to every man and woman on this earth. But hold
your place right here in chapter 1 and go to chapter 66. The last
chapter in the book. Isaiah 66. Verse 15 says, 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
shall the Lord plead with all flesh, and the slain of the Lord
shall be many. We ought to take note of that.
The slain of the Lord shall be many. The Lord is going to deal
with all flesh in His wrath and in His fury. Not some flesh. All flesh. All flesh. But verse 22 right here says,
For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make,
shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed
and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that
from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another,
shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And
they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men
that have transgressed against me, For their worm shall not
die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be
an abhorring unto all flesh." The Lord is going to deal with
all sinful flesh in judgment, but some are going to be saved. Some are going to be spared,
and they're going to see the ones who are not saved. This
is a terrible verse of Scripture to me. Verse 24, They shall go
forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed
against Me. For their worm shall not die,
neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring
unto all flesh. That's terrible. Well, if all
have sinned, what makes the difference? What makes the difference in
whether a person is going to be saved or not saved? Go back to chapter 1. Verse 9 says, Except the LORD
of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, We should have
been as Sodom and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. A very small remnant. You go
to a carpet store and you just need a little piece, that little
leftover piece, I need a remnant. If God had not left a remnant,
God chose a people to save. And had God not chosen a remnant,
nobody would have been saved. Nobody would have been saved.
We would have all, every person in this room, in that day, we
would have all been like Sodom and Gomorrah. The very thing
that happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, that would have happened to every
person in this room. Alright, well, what had to happen
for this sinful remnant to be saved? God said He was going
to deal with all flesh. All flesh. How did He deal with
this remnant in a way that brought justice to them for the things
that they'd done, but still brought salvation and life to them in
the end? How did He deal with them? Well, He didn't deal with
them according to their words. He didn't deal with them because
of anything that they had done. He did not save them from anything
on their part. Verse 11, To what purpose is
the multitude of your sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord? I am
full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts,
and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or
of he-goats. When you come to appear before
me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts?
Bring no more vain oblations, incenses, and abomination unto
me. The new moons and Sabbaths, the
calling of assemblies, everything you're trying to do to appease
me. He went on to say, I cannot away with, get it out of my sight.
He said, it is iniquity. The best that you have to offer
me is vile, filthy sin in my eyes. Even the solemn meeting. Verse 14, your new moons and
your appointed feast, my soul hateth. They are a trouble unto
me, I am weary to bear them. And when you spread forth your
hands, I will hide mine eyes from you. Yea, when you make
many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood." Why were they saved? Well, it
wasn't because of anything they did. Nothing that they could
do caused God to have mercy on them. Verse 18 says, Come now
and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be
as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be
red like crimson, they shall be as wool." God said, I'm going
to do something. I'm going to do something. Look
at chapter 4. Chapter 4, verse 1 says, In that
day seven women shall take hold of one man. Seven is the number
of perfection. A perfect number. A particular
number. All made to be the bride. They're
going to take hold of one man. Christ Jesus, the Son of God.
In that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying,
We will eat our own bread and wear our own apparel, only let
us be called by thy name." We'll acknowledge our filthy rags and
everything that we don't have. Just let us be called by your
name to take away our reproach. In that day shall the branch
of the Lord be beautiful and glorious. That's Christ. and
the fruit of the earth, that's Christ, shall be excellent and
comely for them that are escaped of Israel. And it shall come
to pass that he that is left in Zion and he that remaineth
in Jerusalem shall be called holy, even every one that is
written among the living in Jerusalem, when the Lord shall have washed
away the filth of the daughters of Zion and shall have purged
the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of
judgment and by the spirit of burning." God the Father said,
I'm going to send my Son. They're in bad shape. Nothing
they can do has appeased Me. I'm going to send My Son. He
is going to purge. He is going to wash away the
sins of His bride in His own blood, and she's going to lay
hold of Him. Look at chapter 6, verse 1. In the year that King Uzziah
died, I saw also the Lord. sitting upon a throne, high and
lifted up, and His train, all of His people, filled the temple. I saw the Deliverer. I saw the
One who would come and purge us in His own blood. Who is it? Who is the One that will come?
How can we know Him? How can we recognize Him when
He comes? Chapter 7, verse 14, Therefore
the LORD Himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall
conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Why will she call His name Immanuel?
Who is Immanuel? What does that mean, that she's
going to call His name Immanuel? Chapter 9, verse 6, For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His
shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor,
the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. That's who Emmanuel is. That's
who's coming to save us. The mighty God, the Prince of
Peace. Well, what is He going to do?
How exactly is He going to save us? Chapter 11, verse 1. And there shall come forth a
rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of
his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall
rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the
Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of
the fear of the Lord." It's all going to rest on him. He is going
to grow. And He is going to live and He's
going to earn a perfect righteousness for His people. A perfect life. He's going to live and earn a
perfect life. Go with me over to chapter 26. Verse 1 says, In that day shall
this song be sung in the land of Judah. We have a strong city. Salvation will God appoint for
walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous
nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. The righteous nation. Thou wilt keep him in perfect
peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in
thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever,
for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." Everlasting strength. He will earn our perfection for
us. He's going to cause us to stand.
Open the gates, verse 2 says, that the righteous nation which
keeps truth may enter in. That's what He's going to do
for us and earn for us and give to us. Just keep all eyes on
Him and trust Him forever. Just trust Him forever. Chapter
28, verse 5. In that day shall the Lord of
hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty unto
the residue of his people, and for a spirit of judgment to him
that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn
the battle to the great. He's going to be right there
for all those that endure this judgment. Verse 16, Therefore
thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation
a stone, a tried stone, A precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. He that believeth shall not make
haste. He's not going to go anywhere.
He's going to be set on this stone. Judgment also will I lay
to the line and righteousness to the plummet. And the hail
shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the water shall overflow
the hiding place." All of His people are going to be built
up on Him. They are going to be set firm on this chief cornerstone. No other way will they be able
to stand. No other way. Look at chapter
30. Verse 1 says, Woe to the rebellious
children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me,
and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they
may add sin to sin. Redemption any other way. God
said, I'm going to lay a chief cornerstone. I'm going to put
my people on this chief cornerstone. Redemption, salvation, protection
any other way. is no redemption at all. It is
no protection at all. They will not stand. No other
way. Only on Christ alone. Chapter
31, verse 1. Woe to them that go down to Egypt
for help, and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because
they are many, strength in numbers. That's what people think. Surely
all these people can't be wrong. There has to be strength in numbers.
And they trust in horsemen because they're very strong, but they
look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord.
There's no other way. There's no other hope. Chapter
32, Behold, a king shall reign in
righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment, and a man shall
be as a hiding place. from the wind and a cover from
the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow
of a great rock in a weary land. There's only one way of escape,
and that way is in a man. Christ our Redeemer. So turn
to Isaiah 40. Verse 1 says, Comfort ye, comfort
ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,
and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity
is pardoned. For she hath received of the
Lord's hand double for all her sins. Verse 9 says, O Zion that
bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain. O
Jerusalem that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with
strength. Lift it up. Be not afraid. Say
unto the cities of Judah, behold your God. Behold, the Lord God
will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him. Behold,
His reward is with Him, and His work is before Him." What is
His work? What is He going to do? Chapter
42, verse 1, "...Behold My servant, whom I
uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth, I have put my
spirit upon him. He shall bring forth judgment
to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up,
nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. He is going to
open not his mouth. That's what he's going to do.
He's going to open not his mouth. Verse 3 says, A bruised reed
shall he not break. Why is that? It's because he's
going to break himself. Smoking flax shall he not quench. He's going to quench himself. Verse 3 says, He shall bring
forth judgment unto truth, and He shall not fail. That's one of my favorite lines
in all of the Scripture. He shall not fail. And this goes with it. Nor be
discouraged. Anytime you get discouraged,
this will cheer you up. He won't. I may be, but He's
not. He's not going to be discouraged
till He hath set judgment in the earth and the isles shall
wait for His law. Chapter 43, But now thus saith
the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel,
fear not. For I have redeemed thee, I have
called thee by thy name, thou art mine. When thou passest through
the waters, I'll be with thee, and through the rivers they shall
not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the
fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee. Nothing will touch you. Fear
not. Verse 11 says, I, even I, am
the Lord, and beside me there is no Savior. None at all. Now go with me to Isaiah 52. Isaiah 52 verse 10, it says,
The Lord hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations,
And all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our
God. Every soul on this earth is going
to see the salvation of our God. And here it is, verse 13. Behold,
My servant shall deal prudently. That means prosper. He's going
to prosper. He shall be exalted and extolled
and be very high. He's going to be lifted up. As
many were astonished at thee, his visage was so marred, more
than any man, and his form more than the sons of men. Why was
he so marred more than any man? Chapter 53, verse 4. Surely he
hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem
him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded
for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. The
chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes
we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray,
we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid
on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
yet He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened
not His mouth. He was taken from prison and
from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? For he
was cut off out of the land of the living. For the transgression
of my people was he stricken." Verse 12 says, Therefore will
I divide him a portion with the great, And he shall divide the
spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto
death. And he was numbered with the
transgressors, and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession
for the transgressors." He poured out his soul unto death. He numbered himself, the spotless
one, numbered himself with the transgressors. He bare the sins of the many
that made up His remnant. And He made intercession for
the transgressors. He bore it all. He bore the weight
of it all. Everything that was laid on His
people, He took it to Himself and He bore it all. Chapter 54
says, Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear. He bore it all,
so we wouldn't have to. Break forth into singing and
cry aloud, Rejoice! Rejoice! Verse 5 says, For thy
Maker is thine husband, the Lord of hosts is His name, and thy
Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth, shall
He be called. Do you need this salvation? Do you need this man? Do you need to lay hold of this
man? Do you need his blood? Do you need his righteousness?
Do you need the mercy that is found in him? If so, then come. Come one, come all. All who desperately
need it. Chapter 55 says, Ho, everyone
that thirsteth. If God has given you a thirst,
come ye to the waters. And he that hath no money, come
ye, buy and eat. Yea, come buy wine and milk without
money and without price. Verse 6 says, Seek ye the Lord
while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is
near. Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord. And he will have mercy upon him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. He will abundantly pardon. Chapter 61. Verse 1 says, "...the Spirit
of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to
preach good tidings unto the meek. He hath sent me to bind
up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the
opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the
acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all that mourn." to appoint unto them that mourn
in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for
mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,
that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting
of the Lord, that He might be glorified." That is the commission
that Christ was given, and that's the commission that all of His
preachers are given. So chapter 62 says, For Zion's
sake will I not hold my peace. And for Jerusalem's sake I will
not rest until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness,
and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the
Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory, and
thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the
Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of
glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand
of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed
forsaken, neither shalt thy land any more be termed desolate,
but thou shalt be called Hephzibah." That means my delight is in her.
And thy land shall be called Beulah. That means married. For
the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.
For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.
And as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy
God rejoice over thee. Verse 10 says, Go through, go
through the gates. Prepare ye the way of the people.
Cast up, cast up the highway. Gather out the stones. Lift up
a standard for the people. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed
unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold,
thy salvation cometh. Behold, his reward is with him,
and his work before him. And they shall call them the
holy people, the redeemed of the Lord, and thou shalt be called
sought out, a city not forsaken." Never forsaken. Chapter 65, verse 17, For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered nor come
into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create. For behold, I create Jerusalem
a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and joy in my people. And the voice of weeping shall
be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying." Can you
imagine what it's going to sound like when you live in a place
where everybody there, nobody's having a bad day? Nobody's sad
over anything. Never hear weeping ever again.
You'll never hear that sound ever again. Verse 23 it says,
They shall not labor in vain. Everything they do prospers. They're not going to bring forth
for trouble. They are the seed of the blessed
of the Lord and their offspring with them. And it shall come
to pass that before they call, I will answer. And while they
are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed
together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock, and
the dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor
destroy in all My holy mountain, saith the Lord." Chapter 66,
verse 1. Thus saith the Lord, The heaven
is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where is the house
that you built unto me? And where is the place of my
rest? For all those things hath my 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. That's who my remnant
is. That's who I'm going to do this
for. That's who I'm going to dwell with on my new earth. This new
earth that I create. Verse 22, For as the new heavens
and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me,
saith the Lord, so shall your seed in your name remain. And it shall come to pass that
from one new moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another
shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord." All
flesh. That's what we're going to do
for all eternity. All of the remnant. Every soul
on this new earth is going to gather and bow down and worship
before me. And I can't wait. I can't wait. A man made the statement one
time, he said, one time in my life I truly preached. I preached one true message in
my life and I was dreaming while I did it. And one of these days,
I'm going to worship. One of these days, I'm going
to worship Him. And I can't wait. I cannot wait to bow down and
worship Him. My story, our story, all the
way to glory, will tell the story saved by grace. And when we get
there, this is what every one of us is going to say. The half
wasn't told. The half was never told. The
glory, the beauty. We're going to listen to the
preacher stand up and tell it all. We'll cry, Amen. All right, let's all stand together.