All right, I want you to open
your Bibles with me to the book of Isaiah. We just sang a song
which was written, taken from the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, and
I preached last Wednesday night from chapter 55 of Isaiah. And this morning I want you to
open your Bibles to chapter 50 of Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 50. I call the book of Isaiah the
gospel according to Isaiah. We talk about the gospel according
to Matthew and Mark and Luke and John, but there is no book
in the Bible that contains more gospel than Isaiah. In fact,
actually, Isaiah is quoted more in the New Testament than any
other prophet or any other book, perhaps with the exception of
the book of Psalms. But Isaiah, the prophet, is quoted
more in the New Testament than any single prophet or book. And then when our Lord came to
Nazareth, where he was brought And the scripture said, as his
custom was, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood
up to read. They gave him the book, the Old
Testament scriptures. And our Lord on that particular
and special Sabbath morning had thirty-nine books of the Old
Testament to choose from, to read, and to deliver his first
message to that congregation and he turned to the book of
Isaiah. So I'm in good company and on good ground and feel very
secure in asking you to turn to the book of Isaiah chapter
50. Chapter 50 of Isaiah. Now this chapter, let me give
you a preview of the chapter first. Four things about this
chapter. Number one, it is, as all the
scripture, a declaration of God's abundant mercies in Christ Jesus. That's what you'll find in Isaiah.
That's what you'll find from Genesis to Revelation. Open the
scriptures at any point, it's Christ. Christ is the scriptures,
and the scriptures are about Christ. So this chapter, chapter
50, is a declaration of God's abundant mercies in Christ Jesus,
our Lord. And then secondly, this chapter,
you're going to find this to be true, is a vindication. This chapter is a vindication
of God's judgments against those who do not believe Christ and
who do not receive Christ. is chapters of vindication now
of the judgments of God against all who do not love Christ and
believe Christ. I say this, and I say it with
compassion, but I say it very forcefully. The Jewish nation
and their leaders are fully accountable and fully responsible for their
calamities. and for the judgment of God that
rests upon them back then and today. They're fully responsible
and fully accountable, because the scripture says, he came to
his own, and his own received him not. They said, we'll not
have this man reign over us. And if you'll turn with me to
Matthew 27, just hold Isaiah 50 and turn to Matthew 27, And
let's let these people speak for themselves. Now what I'm
saying, get it clearly, the Jewish nation and their leaders are
fully accountable and fully responsible for their calamities, for the
judgments that have fallen upon them, for the judgments that
are upon them today, and for the blindness of their nation. Listen to them here in Matthew
27. Now listen to them, verse 22. Matthew 27, 22, Now it said
to them, What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ? Now they knew what he was saying.
This man is called the Christ. The Samaritan woman says when
the Christ comes, he'll tell us all things. Our Lord asked
the Pharisees, what think ye of the Christ? Whose son is he?
They said, the son of David. Pilate said, what do you want
me to do with this man that says he's the Christ? Tell me. All right, let's listen. They
said, let him be crucified. Now this is the whole Jewish
nation. This is the the Sanhedrin, the officials, the rulers, the
whole Jewish—let him be crucified. Read on. And the governor said,
why? Tell me what evil hath he done.
And they didn't answer his question. They just cried out the Lord,
let him be crucified. Let him be crucified. Skip the
trial. Skip the evidences. Just let
him be crucified. They hated him. When Pilate saw
that he could prevail on nothing but that rather tumult was made,
he took water and washed his hands. He's scared. His wife
had warned him about this man. She said, I suffered many things
in a dream about this man. So he washed his hands and he
says, I'm innocent of the blood of this just person. This is
a pagan talking now. before a religious nation whose
oracles, the oracles of God were theirs, the prophets were theirs,
the priests were theirs, the mercy sheep was theirs. And this
pagan says, I'm innocent of the blood of this just man. You see
to it. And they answered all the people
and said, His blood be on us and our children. And it has been, and it is. and it's just. Now that's right, I'm not a beggar,
and you know that, but I'm just saying that the Jewish nation
refused the Messiah. They had all the evidences, they
had all the proofs, they had all the prophets, they had And
they fulfilled those scriptures in crucifying him, and when they
fulfilled, the prophet said, when they fulfilled everything
written of him, they took him down from the tree and buried
him. Buried him. And I'll tell you
this, all nations are fully responsible for their fallen condition, condemnation,
not only the Jews, but the Gentiles. Because it says in John 1, turn
back to John 1, the scripture that said he came to his own,
his own received him not, it says this in verse 10, verse
9, that was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh
into the world. God's not left himself without
a witness. Every man has a conscience. Every man has the law of God
written on his heart. Every man has any visible and
concrete evidence and enough proof in the creation to tell
him this is God. By the things that are made,
the heavens declare the glory of God. But it says in verse
10, he was in this world. He was in this world. God Almighty
was in this world, but he's always been in this world. Whither shall
I flee from thy presence? by sending the heavens out there,
by making my bed in the grave out there. He's always been in
this world, but he was in this world in person. Not only in
person, but in the flesh, walking among us. Listen, read on. And
the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. Turn
to Romans 1, Romans chapter 1. I'm saying that this chapter
we're going to look at this morning is a vindication of God's judgments
and condemnation. God is vindicated. David said
that he might be just when he condemns, and righteous when
he charges us. He's righteous. He's right. The judge of the earth is going
to do right. And if he condemns this world, it's right, because
they deserve it. Read Romans 1, verse 18. The wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who
hold the truth in unrighteousness. All of them. And that's our day.
Because, because that which may be known of God is manifest in
them. God has showed it not only in
them, but to them. written on the heart and the
things God's created. It's clearly, clearly seen. Because,
and listen, for the invisible things, verse 20, of God from
the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even his eternal Godhead, power
and Godhead, they're without excuse. Because when they knew
They glorified him not as God. They weren't thankful. They became
vain in their imagination. Their foolish heart was darkened.
They professed themselves to be wise. They became fools. They
changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like the
corruptible man. To birds, that's what they worshipped.
Statues, pictures, birds, four-footed beasts, creeping things, snakes.
Wherefore, God also gave them up. to uncleanness, through the
lust of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between
themselves, to change the truth of God into a lie, worship the
creature, worship, serve the creature more than the Creator
who's blessed forever. And for this cause, God gave
them up to vile affections. Even their women did change the
natural use into that which is against nature. Women marrying
women. And likewise also men leaving
the natural use of the woman. Burned in their lusts one toward
another, me and with me, and working that which is unnatural,
shameful, unseemly, and as a result receiving in themselves that
judgment that recompense, those consequences, and that penalty
of their error, which is meat, which is just. So that's what this chapter,
that's Isaiah 50 now. We're going to talk about the
mercies of God in Christ Jesus. We're going to talk about the
judgments of God outside of Christ Jesus upon all who are not in
Christ. And then there's a clear declaration
in this chapter of the person and work of that redigma, one
of the most beautiful descriptions of Christ to be found anywhere
in the world. And then the last two verses.
I want you to look at the last two verses of this chapter. This
is the conclusion. Truth among you that feareth
the Lord, feareth the Lord. that obeyeth the voice of the
Lord's servant is Christ, his prophet, that walks in darkness. You know you walk in darkness
and you have no light. Let that person who fears the
Lord, who knows that Christ is his servant, who knows he's born
in sin, walks in darkness and has no light of his own, let
him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God, his
hope for But, behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass
yourselves about with sparks." This is not light. This is sparks
out of a fire that's dying. Just sparks. Keep poking it and
sparks fly out. No true light, no light by which
to walk, but nothing but sparks. Well, you walk in the light of
your fire, and in the sparks that you kindle, shall you have of my hand, you
have to deal with me, him with whom we have to do,
and we'll lie down in sorrow." All right, let's go back to verse
1 now, and just stay with Isaiah chapter 50. Isaiah 50, verse
1. He says, and this is a vindication
of God's judgment, listen, thus saith the Lord. It's a pretty
good idea to listen when our scripture is preceded with that,
and thus saith the Lord. This is not what the Baptist
says or the preacher says, this is what the Lord says, through
his prophet Isaiah. Where is the bill of your mother's
divorcement, whom I have put away? Tell me. If you turn to Mark 10, we'll
have some explanation of this, in Mark chapter 10, given by
our Lord himself. When a man puts away his wife,
he must give her a bill of divorcement, and our Lord deals with this
in Mark chapter 10. Turn over there. Mark 10, beginning
with verse 2. You have it, Mark 10, and the
Pharisees came to him and asked him, is it lawful for a man to
put away his wife? Tempting him, and he answered
and said unto them, what did Moses command you? And they said,
well, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement and put
her away. In other words, when a man put
away his wife, give her a bill of divorcement, I no longer want
you, I'm no longer happy with you, I'll put you aside. Here's
your bill of divorcement, your papers. Jesus answered and said
to them, for the hardness of your heart, he wrote this precept,
the cause of your hard hearts. That's why he told you to do
this. But from the beginning of the
creation, God made them male and female. And for this cause
shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave to his
wife as long as they both shall live. And they train at one fetish,
so then there are no more two. You don't put yourself away,
you can't do it, you're one. But therefore God's joined together,
let no man put asunder. That's God's will. But now Moses,
because of your hard hearts and stubborn wills and rebellious
natures, he gave you his permission to put away your wife with the
bill of divorce. Now, back to my text. So God
asks, where is the bill of divorce, saying that I put you away? Have you got any proof that I
deserted you? What's the second statement?
Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Now,
what's that talking about? Well, way back in those days,
when a man was so heavily in debt, so deeply in debt, got
himself into a terrible mess, and he couldn't pay his creditors,
well, he had to sell his children into slavery. And people to whom he owed the
money would come to him and say, we'll take your children. Your
girls can work in our homes and your boys can work in our fields.
But he sold his children into slavery. And God asked Israel
this. He said, of which of my creditors
is it to whom I've sold you? Am I indebted to someone? Who
are my creditors? Now, here's the truth. Listen. You're where you are by your
own choice. Ruin lies at your door, listen,
for your iniquity you sold yourselves. I didn't leave you, you left
me. And for your transgressions is your mother put away. Let
Isaiah explain that in chapter 59. Turn to chapter 59 of Isaiah,
verse 1. Behold, the Lord's hand is not
sharp, and it cannot save. The Lord's ear is not heavy,
and it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated
you and your God. Where you are is your fault.
The blame lies at your door. The ruin lies with you. I didn't
leave you, God said. You left me. I didn't serve you
in the slavery. You sold yourselves to the devil,
like Esau sold his birthright. Your sins separated you and your
God, your sins that hid his face from you that he will not hear.
Your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquities,
and your lips speak lies, and your tongue utters perverseness." Verse 2, And wherefore, when
I came, was there no man? Now if you look, who's speaking
here, this is God Almighty speaking. Thus saith the Lord, God Almighty
speaking. But he's saying, when I came,
when I came into the world, when I came into the world as a man,
you see, God and Christ, the Father and the Son are one. God
was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. God said, I
came, when I came into this world. When I was born of a virgin in
the manger, when I came into this world, and the two words
was there are in italics, that's supplied to the translators.
What he's saying here is, when I came into the world, no man
believed. They said, we know him, he's
a carpenter. How can he be God? He's a carpenter. We know him.
We know his mother and father. We know his brother Joseph, his
brother Judy, and we know his sisters. This man's a carpenter. This man's a winebibber. This
man's a friend of publicans and sinners. There was no man when I came. He said they would despise, he
was despised and rejected of men. A man of sorrow is acquainted
with grief. We heal it with our faces from
him. Crucify him. We're not having
this man reign over us. When I came into the world, no
one believed. No one. And when I called, there
was none to answer. I called. Come unto me, all ye
that labour in the heavy laden. I'll give you rest. Did they
come? He stood that great day of the feast, when they were
departing from Jerusalem, going back home, empty, in darkness,
and he said, O everyone that thirsteth, come to me. Out of your belly will flow rivers
of living water. Did they come? No. He said, when
it came, no one believed. When it called, no one came.
Well, does that mean he's failed? Does that mean his kingdom has
failed, that his kingdom will have no people? Is that what
that means? Paul answered that in Romans 3. Turn to Romans 3. Paul answered that question.
Is Christ a failure? Will his kingdom not be inhabited?
Look at Romans chapter 3. Paul asks this same thing. He said in chapter 3, verse 1,
What advantage then hath the Jew? What profit is there in
circumcision? Well, much every way. Cheaply,
cheaply, because unto them were committed the oracles of God.
Unto them, unto the Jewish people, were given the tabernacle and
the sacrifices and the priesthood and the ceremonies and everything. Well, look at verse 3. What if
they did not believe? What if some did not believe?
Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
Is God's kingdom a failure? Is God's Christ a failure? Will
he be disappointed? That's what God is asking here.
When I came, there was no man. When I called, there was none
to answer. No one paid any attention. Well, I ask this question, back
to my text, verse 50. Here's what the Lord says. Is
my hand short at all that it cannot save? Are my hands tired that I cannot
accomplish my purpose? Are my hands tired that I cannot
save sinners? Read on. If my hand shorted all
that cannot be redeemed, have I no power to deliver?" The word
save means deliver. Any time you read the word save,
it's deliver. He'll deliver. Deliver him from
going down into the pit. I found a ransom. He came to
deliver the captives. And he asked here, have I no
power to deliver? Have I no power to set the captive
free? When the angel came and announced
to Saviour that she would have a child, to Abraham. Saber was back behind the curtain.
He announced to Abraham, said, You have a son, an heir, and
Saber, your wife, will have a son. You and Saber will have a son.
And she laughed. And the angel said, Wherefore
did Saber laugh? Is anything too hard for God? And that's what he's saying here.
When I came, no one believed. When I call, no one answers.
But is my hand short that it can't redeem? Is my ear heavy
that it cannot hear? Have I no power to deliver? Is
anything too hard for God? Tell me!" Listen to what he says here,
"'Behold, at my rebuke I dried up the sea.' When Israel left
Egypt and came down to the Red Sea, There's the sea out before
them and the forces of Pharaoh behind them, the mountains on
either side. And God said, Moses, stretch forth your rod and behold
the salvation of the Lord. And he said, I've dried up the
sea. Now, if I can dry up the sea,
You reckon that I could open the heart of a sinner and give
him faith? If I dried up the sea, you reckon
I could touch an ear and make him hear? Touch an eye and make
it see? Touch a heart and make it believe? You reckon? You reckon
my hand that reaches down and dries up the sea cannot reach
down and give fountain of living water and a heart? If you knew
the gift of God and who's talking to you, he said to the Samaritan
woman, you'd ask me and I'd give you the living water. I've got
that water to give and the power to give it. Read on. I make the rivers a wilderness.
God said, I do that. This is the son and the father
both speaking. I made the waters a wilderness.
You want to read about that, turn to Exodus. Exodus chapter
7. We'll read about that, making
the waters a wilderness. This is beautiful. If you love
the power of God, it is. If you don't, it's confusing.
If you love the power of God and the sovereignty of God, this
is beautiful. Exodus 7, verse 20. He said,
I made Listen to this, Exodus 7 verse
20. Moses and Abram did so as the
Lord commanded. He lifted up the rod and smote
the waters. He didn't smite that sea, did
you know that? God didn't tell him to smite
the sea. When Moses smote, that's judgment. He smote the rock,
the rock smitten. He smoked the water of judgment.
He raised his rod, and behold, the salvation of the Lord. God smoked Christ on the cross,
and therefore there's no more smiting to be done when God delivers. But what's this now? He smoked
the water as it were in the river, the river now, in the sight of
Pharaoh and the sight of his servants, and all the waters
that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that were
in the river died, and the river stank, and the Egyptians couldn't
drink the water of the river, and there was blood throughout
all the land of Egypt. That's what I did there. Don't
I have the power to redeem? If I can turn your waters into
blood and make all your fish die and smell up the whole land,
if I can do that with a word, can't I deliver a sinner and
redeem a sinner? Is my hand short? I can't say.
Are you heavy? I can't hear. Listen to the next
line in Isaiah 50. And the fish died. Insert verse
3. I clothe the heavens with blackness. This is striking. I want you to read this in Exodus
chapter 10. Exodus 10. You've got to read
this. This is something, if you've never read it, it's one of the
most awesome things that your mind can imagine. God's judgment
on a nation. Exodus 10, verse 21. You have it? Exodus 10, 21. The
Lord said, Moses, stretch out your hand toward heaven, that
there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even the darkness
which may be felt. You've never been in darkness
like this. It may be felt. Moses stretched forth his hand
toward heaven. There was a thick darkness in
the land of Egypt for three days, 24-hour days. They saw not one
another. Nobody rose. Anybody rose from his place for
three days. You couldn't. You couldn't see.
They just sat there. The king sat on his wretched
throne. People sat in their houses. Wherever
you were when the darkness came, that's where you sat. That's
where you stand. It was darkness that could be
felled. And all the children of Israel
had light in their dwellings. How in the world could that be?
God. That's how it can be. And this
is what he's saying. He's saying, don't limit God. limit God. I'm able to do all
things. He does what he will, with whom
he will, when he will. Nebuchadnezzar said he reigns
in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth,
and gives it to whomsoever he will. That's what he's saying
here. I clothe the heaven with brightness. I make sackcloth
their covering. I cover the sun with a sackcloth.
That's in Revelation. God covers the sun with a sackcloth. Now then, do you suppose that
that God who does these things cannot quicken a dead sinner
to life without Do you suppose that that God
cannot raise from the spiritual grave whomever he pleases? Well, he can, and he does, and
he will. And notice how the father and
the son are one. He said, I came. He said, I called. He said, I dried up the sea.
I turned the rivers into wilderness. I clothed the heaven with blackness.
I did that, he said. And I covered the sun with a
sackcloth. That's our God. Sovereign, almighty,
omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. Now he pictures the Redeemer.
I want you to look at this beginning with verse four. The Lord Jesus
describes himself in verse four. First, he's that prophet. The
Lord, he said, hath given me the tongue of the learned." Our
Lord now speaks as a man. Our Lord came into this world
in human flesh. He's bare God of bare God, and
yet he took upon himself the form of a servant. He was made
in the likeness of flesh. He became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. He was a man, all man, protected,
tried, tested in all points as we are, yet without sin. Yet
he never left the bosom of the Father. And yet he walked this
earth in human flesh. Now there's no man can define
that or describe that or explain that except to say God did it. He came down here and limited
himself in some instances. It's like when Satan said to
him, you're hungry, make these stones bread. He couldn't do
that and be my representative because I can't make stones into
bread. When I'm hungry, I can't turn a stone into bread. Can't
do that. Our Lord ministered to others,
but he never performed a miracle for his own relief. That's right,
when he was in the garden of Gethsemane and sweating, as it
were, great drops of blood, and his soul was in agony, even under
death, he couldn't do anything about it. He cried, Father, if it be possible,
Let this cup pass from me, not the cross. Our Lord never prayed
to avoid the cross. That's dumb to even think that.
He was born crucified. For this cause came after this
hour. For this purpose I came into the world. Die on that cross.
He set his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem from the very
first moment he was born in Bethlehem. And die on that cross. He was
praying for this moment right here. Give me relief. from the distress and agony of
the sins of my people that are laid on my soul, or I'm going
to die in this garden, not on that cross." And the angels came down and
ministered to him. And that's when he went to the disciples
and said, now, wake up and let's go. It's all right now. When
he prayed in John 17, he said, Father, you're going to have
to glorify me if I'm to glorify you. You're going to have to
help me, I've got that strength. And that's what he's saying here,
the Lord gave me the tongue of the learned. He made me a prophet.
He gave me the, he said the words that I speak and are my words
are his words. The words of him that sent me.
The works that I do are not my works, they're the works of him
that sent me. The will I came to do, not my will, thy will
be done. He's a man. And as a man, he's a perfect
man. did the perfect will of God, the perfect way of God,
for the perfect purpose of God. A lot of folks that were justified
before the law, Noah, Abraham, Job, a lot of people were justified
during the law, Moses, Samuel, David, Aaron, a lot of people
have been justified since the law, but nobody's ever been justified
by the law. except this man. He kept it perfectly. Never sin, word, thought, or
deed. Always did the will of God. So he said, the Father gave
me the tongue of the learned. God spoke to our fathers with
the prophets. He spoke to us by son. He said,
this is my son, hear him. Moses told him that in Deuteronomy.
He said, the Lord will raise up a prophet one of these days,
like unto me, from among the Him you'll hear. And he that
hears him will be blessed. He that does not hear him will
be damned. That's what Moses said. Here,
God has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know
how to speak a word in season to him that's weary. Come unto
me, all ye that weary, heavy laden. I've got a word for you.
That's what our Lord says. He wakeneth morning by morning.
He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. I'm the learned.
Christ is the wisdom of God. If you know Christ, you have
the wisdom of God. If you don't know Christ, you
haven't got any wisdom. And there will have any. He hath the tongue of the learned.
All right, notice another thing he says about himself, verse
5. The Lord God opened mine ear. He bored my ear. Back in Exodus
chapter 21. You can read it later. But one
of these people that sold themselves into slavery because they couldn't
satisfy their debts, they served for seven years and then they
were set free. Seven years they served and then they were set
free. But he said, if a man, if a man says, I love my master,
I love my master's family, I don't want to go free. I want to stay
here and be a slave. then he'll go to the dover and
the priest will bore his ear with an awl. And from that time
on, he's a bond slave. And a bond slave is a willing,
loving servant who loves his master and loves his master's
will. And that's what he's saying here, the Lord has opened my
ear, bored my ear, digged my ear, and no man takes my life
from me. I lay it down. I've come to do
my father's will, and I'd like to do the will of my father.
That's our Lord Jesus Christ. That's our perfect man. That's
our righteousness. And I was not rebellious. Boy,
we were, weren't we? I didn't turn away, and here
he is, the lamb being slain. I gave my back to the smiters.
I gave my back to those that lacerated it with a cat-and-arm
tail. I gave my cheeks to those that
pulled off the hair and slapped my face. I hid not my face from
shame and spitting." He said they got him down there in the
soldier's hall and they spit in his face. And they'd slap
him and say, your prophet who slapped you? They'd put a blindfold
on him and slap him. Plucked out his beard, crown
of thorns. I gave my back to My cheeks I gave to them to pluck
out the hair. My face I didn't turn. Spit on
it. Go right ahead. Despise it. Go right ahead. But 1 Thessalonians says, the
Lord God will help me. He'll help me. He'll justify
me. I'll not be confounded. I'll
not fail. I stepped my face like a plinth. Turn to Luke 9.51,
you've got to see this right here. In Luke 9.51, what's he
talking about? You see, everything in the Old
Testament is fulfilled in the New. You don't know the New Testament
unless you know something about the Old Testament. It's a revelation
of the Old Testament. In Luke 9, verse 51, here it
is. Verse 51 of Luke 9, and it came
to pass when the time was come that he should be received up,
he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. Like a flint,
like a flint. It says over here and here in this scripture
and also in Ezekiel, set his face. I'll not be ashamed. I know I'll not be put to shame.
I know I shall not fail. I shall not be disappointed.
Christ didn't die in vain. Christ didn't die for people
in hell or people who are going to hell. No. He can't fail. Behold my servant, in whom my
soul delights, mine elect. He shall not fail. He shall not
be disappointed. Can't be. Not until God. If he dries the sea up, he dries
it all up. You don't need to mop it after
he dries it up. When he shuts the doors shut,
when he opens the doors open, when he speaks, they hear. He
said, my sheep hear my voice, and they'll follow me. And I'll
give them eternal life, and I guarantee you they'll never perish. You
write that down. I shall not be ashamed. Verse
eight, he's near that justifies me. Aren't you glad he's justified?
You can't. No man can be justified before
God. By the law, no man can be justified
before God. By the works of the flesh, shall
no flesh be justified. But he is justified. The Lord
Jesus Christ wasn't saved by blood. He's saved by blood, but
he wasn't saved by blood. He's saved by just being just
before God, holy and perfect. God justified him. And because he was holy and perfect
and represented us, we're holy and perfect. And because he died
and shed his blood, we're cleansed. See, we've got to not only be
justified, we've got to be sanctified. We've not only got to be legally
free from sin, but we've got to be imputed a righteousness
with which God is satisfied. We've got to actually be holy,
and in him we are. Now watch this. He is near to
justify me. Who will contend with me? Will
the law litigate a point with him? Come on, law. There he is. Litigate with him. Find some
fault in him. Find something wrong with him. Will justice demand any more
than his death? He paid the full price. Justice,
are you satisfied? You want to litigate with him
too? No. It's finished, he said. It's finished. Will Satan dispute
with him? He said, Satan came and found
nothing in me. And he left. The prince of this
world is cast out. His doom and damnation has already
been accomplished by Christ. Will the evil men of this world
gang up on him and overcome him? It looks like they're pretty
well controlled, everything, doesn't it? We do not yet see
all things under his feet, but they're there. Thou hast given
me power over all flesh, Father, that I should give eternal life
to as many as you gave me. And this is eternal life, that
they might know thee. This God, the only true God,
the Almighty God, the Sovereign God, the Omnipotent God, the
Saving God. He said, He is near to justify
me. Who's going to contend with me?
Let them all stand together. Let them all get together. Assemble
before me. Who is my adversary? Let him
come near to me. Behold, he'll deal with the Lord
God. He'll help me. Who can condemn
me? They shall all wax old as a garment. Oh, they're going to wear out.
going to wear out. It's like an old garment that
you've worn and worn and worn and worn and worn until it won't
even hang on you anymore, it just falls down. They're wax
old as a garment and then the moth will eat them up. That's
all. That's just so. But before he closes, he says
in verse 10, is anybody among you Is anybody listening to this
message or listening to this scripture that actually fears
the Lord? Not many in this world. No fear of God before their eyes.
This world doesn't fear God. They make fun of God, make fun
of religion, make fun of the cross. But is there somebody
who really fears God? Is there somebody who will obey
the voice of this servant, his servant? He just got one. That's
Christ. I'm his ambassador. He's the
servant. He's the Savior. He's the prophet. We just tell what he says to
tell. You listen to him. Who will obey the voice of Australia?
It walks in darkness, born in darkness, raised in darkness,
reared in darkness, walked in darkness, and no, it has no life. Like the blind man, Christ said,
what do you want? He said, Lord, that I may see.
That I may see this gospel. I may see this redeemment. That
I may see this salvation. I may have understanding. I want
to see your light. I tell you what to do. Let him
trust the name of the Lord. What's his name? His name's Jehovah Jireh. He
will provide. His name is Jehovah Shalom, he
is our peace. His name is Jehovah Sidkenu,
he is my righteousness. His name is Jehovah Rapha, I'm
the Lord that healeth thee. His name is Jehovah Reha, my
shepherd. Well, trust him. Trust him. And stay on him. Stay on your
God. Like Peter said, well, to whom
shall we go? Thou hast the words of life, and we believe and are
sure, are to Christ, the Son of the living God. But you that kindle a fire, the cause
of your own self-righteousness and your own way and your own
life, your own religion, your own tradition, Accomplish yourselves
of that with sparks. There's no light here, just sparks.
And you're satisfied to walk in that dimness and darkness.
Walk in the light of your own fire and your own reasoning.
Well, this is what I think. Somebody says that to me. You
want to know what I think? I don't even want to hear it. Because
I know your thoughts aren't his thoughts. This is the way I see
it. I don't even want to hear it.
Because your way is not his way. And if you want to walk in that
light and walk in that darkness and walk in that dimness and
walk in those sparks, just go ahead and walk in the sparks
you've kindled. You're welcome to it. But I'll tell you this, this
that I've been talking about, he says, should you have my hand. All things are naked and open
unto him with whom we have to do. Then I spoke down at Shawnee
University a few months or maybe a year or two ago. A famous,
famous professor, a famous agnostic. Some of our young men went to
hear him because he's a famous, notorious professor and known,
well-known. They went to hear him. Came question
and answer period. And they asked him a question
about his religion, about his belief in God. This place has
got a thousand people in it now listening to this man. And he
said, I used to have religion, but I came to this conclusion.
I'll leave God alone if you'll leave me alone. You know the response of that
crowd? They clapped and clapped and
clapped and clapped and clapped. That's their attitude too. But
I tell you, you can't leave him alone. All things are naked and
open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to dwell. We have
to do with him. Jesus Christ the Lord, in one
sense of the word, is really on our hands. We've got to say yes to God's
revelation or no. We've got to say, I believe what
God says, I don't believe it. We've got to commit to Christ
or reject Christ. That's right. And then, if we reject him, we'll
be in his hands to deal with in judgment. And he will. But I want to be in his hand
of redemption. in my Father's hand, in my hand, and no man
fluff him out of my hand, his hand of redemption." Well, may
that be a blessing to all of you here this morning. Let's
remember to pray for the pastor as he preaches today in Santo
Domingo, and Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Bury him up to
the throne of grace that God has given. Those people are just
beginning, they're gathering together, trying to trying to
start a work down there. There's about seven women and
three men and some visitors coming, and they're trying to begin a
work, find a place to worship, a place to meet. Brother Groover
has been down there a couple of times, Brother Cody Groover,
and now Paul, this is Brother Paul's second time, and they're
just, one of them told him, You're just an orange, and we're going
to squeeze everything out of you this week we can." And so
they want to know, they want to learn. And isn't that wonderful
when somebody wants to learn? If you find somebody wants to
learn, I'll be their orange. They can squeeze me. Because
I tell you, we've got some good news. All right, brother. Sammy, if you'll come. John. Let's turn to number 258, verse
number 1 and 2. A wonderful Savior is He, my
Lord, a wonderful Savior to me. He hideth my soul in the blest
adorer, and delivers a slave He hideth my soul in the depth
of the rock that shadows the dry, thirsty land. He hideth
my life in the depths of his love that fills me with his hand. and covered me there with his
hand. Our wonderful Savior is Jesus,
my Lord. He holds me up and I shall not
be moved. He gives me strength in my faith. He hides my soul in the presence
of the One that shadows the privacy lens. He hides my life in the desert
of His love, and covers me there with His hand. And covers me there with His
hand. you