Isaiah chapter 1. The name of
the message is Zion, a besieged city. Zion, a besieged city. Isaiah chapter 1. We'll read
verses 1 to 9. The vision of Isaiah, the son
of Amos, which he saw concerning Judea and Jerusalem in the days
of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O Israel,
and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken. I have nourished
and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
And every one of us has rebelled in Adam. We all fell in Adam,
and we rebel in our sin. The ox knoweth his owner, the
ass his master's crib, but Israel doth not know, my people doth
not consider. 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 backward.
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and
more, the whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint,
from the sole of the foot even unto the head." So that's from
the top to the bottom, or from the bottom to the top. There's
no soundness, Scripture says. That's because we're complete
sinners, aren't we? Complete. Everything we do is tainted with
sin. Everything. But wounds and bruises and putrefying
sores have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with
ointment. Your country is desolate. Your cities are burned with fire.
Your land strangers devour. It is in your presence it is
desolate, is overthrown by strangers. And the daughter of Zion is left
as a cottage in the vineyard, as a large lodge in the garden
of cucumbers, as a besieged city. We'll read verse nine, too. 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.
Now in times past, armies would gather themselves around walled
cities. And then the city would be a
besieged city. A besieged city. Men built walls
to protect themselves. against invading armies or roving
bands of marauders who were set to take all that they could,
all that they could, be it the possessions of the people in
the city or sometimes even the people, that they could take
them and enslave them, turn them into their own slaves or sell
them to others as slaves. So, men built walled cities to
keep these invaders, either the invading army or, as I said,
roving bands of marauders, which often happened back in those
days. And a tactic that these invading
armies would use would be to siege the city. And this was
developed as a means of overthrowing these walled cities. They would
surround the city. They would usually build fortifications
of their own. And they would literally seal
the people in so that there's no escape. The Romans, I've read
several books on the Roman legions, individual legions. They were
absolute masters at this. They were absolute masters. They
would build fortifications all around the walled city. They're
owned. So that if the people in the
city come out to attack them, they had to go through the Roman
fortifications just to get to the Romans. And they would lose
many, many men. Many men. They were masters at
engineering, masters at building fortifications. And they would
surround the city and seal it. Basically seal it right off.
Seal it right off. So they were masters at this
technique. And often the armies would make short attacks upon
the city. The besieging army would make
short attacks upon the city, probing to find out if there's
a weakness anywhere where they could get in, where they could
get in. Maybe they could exploit that
weakness or sometimes they would just gather themselves around
the city, build the fortifications that they needed and they'd just
wait. They'd just wait. Now the only And then they'd
wait, they'd either wait until the people starved or ran out
of water or surrendered. Therefore, the besieging armies
played a waiting game until all the supplies necessary to sustain
the people in that city were gone. Now the only hope for those
who were in the city which was being besieged was to either
have a continual supply of water or a continual supply of food.
inside the city or as I said earlier they could mount a counter-attack
and send troops out at the besieging armies. Which again the Romans
were masters in what they did because again those armies would
have to come through all their own fortifications that the Romans
had set up and they would just slaughter them. They just slaughtered
them. Or Another hope that those in
the city had was that maybe an ally to the city would come and
break the siege and deliver them. Turn, if you would, to 2 Kings,
an illustration of the latter seen in The city of Samaria was
besieged by Benhadad, the king of Syria during the reign of
Jehoram. And we see that in 2 Kings chapter 6, the situation was
so dire in the city that mothers were eating their own children.
That's how bad it got sometimes in these sieges, beloved. They
would run out of everything. And sometimes they would resort
to cannibalism. And it's right here in the scripture,
2nd Kings chapter 6, verses 26 to 30. And as the king of Israel
was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him,
saying, help my lord, O king. Verse 27, he said, if the lord
do not help thee, whence should I help thee? Out of the barn
floor or out of the winepress. And the king said unto her, what
illeth thee? And she answered, This woman
said unto me, give thy son that we may eat him today and we will
eat my son tomorrow. My gosh, they'd resorted to cannibalism. So we boiled my son and did eat
him. And I said unto her on the next day, give thy son that we
may eat him and she hath hid her son. Oh my. And it came to pass, what's
the king's reaction? When the king heard the words
of the woman, he ran his clothes as he passed by upon the wall.
And the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth within upon
his flesh. He was shocked. But this is sometimes what would
happen when a city was besieged. Now turn over, if you would,
the one chapter. Now the Lord, by His sovereign
power, delivered this city, beloved, causing the army of the Syrians
to hear the sounds of an approaching army and to flee in panic. This was all done by the Lord
in the middle of the night, thus ending the siege without a shot
being fired. And our great God delivered them.
He delivered them, beloved. Look at this in 2 Kings 7, we're
starting verse 1. Then Elijah said, Hear ye the
word of the Lord, thus saith the Lord. Tomorrow about this
time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and
two measures of barley for a shekel in the gate of Samaria. So he's
telling them that by this time tomorrow there'll be so much
food it'll be sold for really cheap. Basically that's what
he's telling them right there. Well, how's that gonna come about?
Well, we'll see. Then a Lord, on whose hand the king lead,
answered the man of God and said, Behold, if the Lord would make
windows in heaven, might this thing be? Because they're all
starving. And he said, Behold, thou shalt
see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. Oh, my. And there were four lepers, leprous
men, at the entering in of the gate. And they said one to another,
why sit we here until we die? If we say we will enter into
the city, then the famine is in the city and we shall die
there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore come
and let us fall into the host of the Syrians. So they figured,
well, we're going to die here anyways. We may as well go out
to the Syrians and die, because we're already going to die. Right? And they're lepers, too. So they're
already, they're already unclean in that sense. They don't want
to be, they won't let them be part of the city. And they say,
well, we're going to die anyways. If they kill us, we shall but
die. And they rose up in the twilight
to go into the camp of the Syrians. And when they were come to the
outermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man
there. They were all gone. They were
all gone. For the Lord had made the host
of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots and a noise of horses,
even the great noise of a great host. They said one to another lo the
king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites
and the kings of the Egyptians to come upon us they thought
they thought the The Israelites had hired a bunch of mercenary
armies to come and come and wipe them out Wherefore they arose
and they fled in the twilight they were panicked and they took
right off and left their tents and their horses and their asses
even the camp as it was and Fled for their life. They left all
the food behind. They left everything behind.
They just took right off. Oh My now we're gonna see that
which Elijah prophesied is gonna come to pass Gonna come to pass
And when these lepers came to the outermost part of the camp,
they went into one tent and did eat and drink and carried that
silver and gold around. They were carrying away silver,
beloved, and gold. And they ate all they wanted.
People in the city are still starving. Oh my. and went and hit it. So they
got themselves a bunch of gold and silver. These guys are smart.
And then they went over and they hit it. They hit it somewhere.
Oh, my. Oh, my. Then they said one to
another, we do not well. This day is a day of good tidings,
and we hold our peace. Now they're thinking about the
fellow Israelites. Now they're thinking about the
people in the city. If we tarry till the morning
light, some mischief will come upon us. Now therefore come,
that we may go and tell the king's household. So they came and called
unto the porter of the city, and told them, saying, We came
to the camp of the Assyrians, and behold, there was no man
there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied,
and tents as they were. And he called the porters, and
they told it to the king's house within. And the king arose in
the night and said unto his servants, I will now show you what the
Syrians have done to us. They know that we'd be hungry,
therefore they are gone out of the camp to hide themselves in
the field, saying, when they come out of the city, we'll catch
them alive and get into the city. So here the king thinks it's
a trap. Meanwhile, God has delivered them with a great deliverance,
beloved. A great deliverance, but he thinks it's a trap. And
one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray
thee, five of the horses that remain which are left in the
city. Behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that
are left in it. They ate the horses, obviously.
Behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites
that are consumed. And let us send and see. He's
basically saying it won't hurt us to go out and send someone
out to see if this is so. Because we're already starving.
So let us take some of these horses, obviously there were
still five horses that were left alive. And they took therefore two chariot
horses, and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying,
go and see. And they went after them unto
the Jordan, although all the way was full of garments and
vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And
the messenger returned and told the king, and look at this, and
the people went out and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So
a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel. There was so much
flour that they were sold for a shekel. and two measures of
barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord. So we
see that that city there was delivered by the power of our
great sovereign God. And let's go back to Isaiah chapter
one, we'll read verses eight and nine. The Lord likens the
daughter of Zion, which is his church, his chosen people, the
elect of God, to a besieged city, a walled city. a protected city,
but also a besieged city. Also a besieged city. Look at
this, and the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard,
as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. 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.
Remember our study in Psalm 48. where we were looking at this
very illustration. Turn there if you would. Psalm
48, we'll read verses 12 to 14. When we did our study in Psalm
48, we saw that Zion, the church, is a walled city. She's protected.
She's protected, beloved. Psalm 48, verses 12 to 14. Now remember too, when it's talking
about Zion being the besieged city, that's the church on earth.
The church triumphant is already in glory. This is talking about
the church that's on earth. We who are his people that are
living during this time. And that can be put to whoever
is living at that time upon the earth. The church triumphant,
they're in glory. They're already in glory. But
this is talking about us on earth. Walk about Zion, go round about
her, tell the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider
her palaces, that she may tell it to the generation following.
For this God is our God forever and ever. He will be our guide
even unto death. So she's a walled city, beloved.
She's a walled city. She's a protected. God's people
are protected people. We're protected by the Lord.
Ponder this, too. There'd be no need to besiege
a city if it wasn't walled. Right? There'd be no need. There'd
be no need to besiege a city if it wasn't walled. An army
would just march right in and lay waste. They just lay waste. So when it speaks of a city being
besieged, it's a walled city. It's a walled city. So the daughter
of Zion, in order for her to be besieged, she must be a walled
city. Look in Isaiah chapter 26 verse
1. Isaiah 26 verse 1. In that day shall this song be
sung in the land of Judah. We have a strong city. Salvation
will God appoint for her walls and bulwarks. Isaiah 26, 1. In that day shall this song be
sung. In the land of Judah we have
a strong city. Salvation will God appoint for
her walls and bulwarks. So think of this. The Lord has
not fenced in everyone in this world, has he? He's not fenced
in everyone in this world. But he has hedged in his people.
He's hedged in his bride. While we're in this earth, we're
hedged in. Now we still face barrages, don't we? And we'll
look at that. We still face attacks. We still do. But beloved, we
are a walled city. We're protected people. He protects
his bride, his elect. He's chosen her to salvation
before the world began. All because it pleased him to
do so. And he protects her. He protects her. And think of
this, God's people are continually before Him. If you're one of
His blood-bought people here, you are continually before Him.
Continually. There's not a time when He's
not watching over you. Never. Never. Just let that sink
in. He ever watches over us. Every
single one of His sheep. How do we know that? Well, Isaiah
says this, Isaiah 49, 16, Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms
of my hands. Thy walls are continually before
me, wherever before the Lord, wherever in His sight. Think upon this, there is nothing
in we who are the people of God that makes us any different from
those who perish in their sins. Nothing in us. Nothing in us. We're all from the same lump
of clay, beloved. We don't get on a high horse,
do we? No, because we're all from the
same lump of clay, just as anybody else. The people who perish,
we're from the same lump of clay as them. It's God who made us
to differ, and only God has made us to differ. The Lord has chosen His bride
into salvation. It's He who has done this. Why?
That she might not be cut off. And He protects her and watches
over her. Even unto them will I give in
mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than
the sons and of daughters. I will give them an everlasting
name that they shall not be cut off. Isaiah 56, 5. They shall not be cut off. The
wicked will be cut off. God's people will never be cut
off. Never. So think upon this, it's the
Lord himself who has built the walls around Zion and he needed
no help in doing it. He needs no help. God don't need
no help. I had a man this week, I was
talking to him. Talking to him and he asked me
what I believed. First of all, he says, well what
do you believe? about the Holy Spirit's work. And I said, the
Holy Spirit must regenerate us. You must be born again. You must
be born again. And then he grants us faith and
repentance to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And he said,
well, that's good. And he says, and what do you
do? What do you do about someone comes to you and they want to
be saved? And I said, well, I point them right to Christ. And he
says, well, you don't pray a prayer with him? I said, why would I
pray a prayer with him? I don't have to do that. I said, it's not
even in the Bible, anybody leading someone in prayer. He goes, well,
you need to do that. And I said, I don't need to do
that. And he was serious, beloved, he was serious. You need to do
that. And I said, God doesn't need my help and God doesn't
need your help to save anybody. No one. Well, he's a little taken
back by that. And he says, well, no, no, you,
you know, and then he goes on to tell me about what, how you
pray the prayer and all that. I said, Paul, you just have to
look to Christ. That's all. You look to Christ
and Christ will pray. Prayer don't save you, looking
to Christ saves you. Well, then I get ready to go,
and he says, just a little bit more. And I said, I don't need
any more. I preach Christ and him crucified,
and I leave people alone. Let God do the work, because
only God can save. Only God can save. But you see,
folks always want to have something they got to do or something the
preacher's got to do. I can't save anyone. I can't
even save myself. But I'll tell you about the one
who can save you and who saved me. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the only savior of sinners,
beloved. And all who look to him. have
salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ, salvations of the Lord. Therefore,
the saints of God sing praises unto our God. We praise our great
God because he alone is worthy of all glory. He alone is worthy
of all praise. Sing praises to the Lord, which
dwells in Zion. Declare among the people his
doings. We're to proclaim the great things
that God has done for us. We proclaim we can't do anything.
But I know one who's done all things for his people. Oh my. Look to him and live. Look to
the Lord Jesus Christ and live. Turn if you would to Isaiah chapter
60. Isaiah chapter 60. We'll read verses 18 to 21. Isaiah chapter 60. God don't need no one's help,
does he? To save a sinner. Praise God. Praise God. Isaiah 60 verses 18 to 21, Violence
shall no more be heard in thy land, Wasting nor destruction
within thy border, But thou shalt call thy wall salvation, And
thy gates praise. The sun shall be no more thy
light by day, Neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto
thee, But the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, And
thy God thy glory. Well, he's our light, isn't he?
We give him all the glory. The sun shall no more go down,
neither shall thy moon withdraw itself, for the Lord shall be
thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall
be ended. Beloved, our mourning's been
turned to praise, hasn't it? Now we still mourn when things
happen in this world, but we end up praising our God, don't
we? We always look to Him. Our mourning has been turned
to praise, beloved. Thy people also shall be all
righteous. My goodness, sinners are righteous?
Yes, by the righteousness of Christ and Christ alone. It's
wonderful. What wonderful news. They shall
inherit the land forever. The branch of my plantain, the
work of my hands, that I may be glorified. Look at verse 18
there, "...but thou shalt call thy walls salvation, and thy
gates praise." It is the Lord who's built these walls, beloved.
They are called salvation. And salvation, we know, is by
God's grace alone, plus nothing from us. It's all in and through
the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of God, who came to
this earth to die upon Calvary's cross for His people as their
substitute. This is the work of God. This
is the work of God, and this is the work of God alone. Think
upon this, beloved, as we go through this world. We have many
times of trouble, sorrow, loss. In the end, it's the same Lord
who's built those walls of salvation, which can never be overcome or
destroyed. that has also ordained that it
is through much tribulation that the saints should inherit the
kingdom of God." We ought not to wonder why we go through things. It's with much tribulation that
the saints inherit the kingdom of God. So the church on this
earth, the daughter of Zion, is not just a walled city, but
she's a besieged city, our text says. Let's go back to our text
in Isaiah chapter 1, verses 8 and 9. It says, and the daughter
of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in
a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. Except the Lord of hosts
had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been
a Sodom, and we had been like unto Gomorrah. If the Lord hadn't
saved us, we'd be destroyed just like everybody else. But notice
there, notice there, as a besieged city. She's a walled city. She's completely safe. She's
provisioned. And we find all that in Christ,
who what? He's the water of life to the
inhabitants of that city. He's the bread of life to the
inhabitants of that city. And we're walled in by our great
God. And remember the scripture in
light of the church. Thou shalt call thy wall salvation,
and thy gates praise. She's a protected city. Turn,
if you would, to John 15. John 15. She's a walled city,
a protected city, but yet she's a besieged city. She's besieged
by the world, beloved. She's besieged by the world. There's a great army assembled
outside her gates, the world. The world's not the friend of
the believer. The world despises the believer, hates the believer.
Look at John 15, verses 18 to 27. If the world hates you, you
know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of
the world, the world would love his own, and the world does love
his own, don't they? But because you are not of the
world, but I have chosen you, look at that, I have chosen you
out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the
word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his
Lord. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept If they have
kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things
will be done unto you for my name's sake, because they know
not Him that sent me." That's why the church is persecuted
by the world. They hate God. And they hate
the children of God. If I had not come and spoken
unto them, they had not had sin. But now they have no cloak for
their sin. Oh my! They've been exposed. Remember when the Lord first
revealed to you that you're a sinner? We were exposed, weren't we?
What we are. We had no cloak then, did we?
We had no cloak originally anyways, but we thought we did, but we
didn't. Oh my. He that hateth me, hateth my
Father also. You hate Christ, you hate the
Father too. If I had not done among them
the works which none other man did, they had not had sin. But now have they both seen and
hated me, both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that
the word might be fulfilled that is written in the law. They hated
me without a cause. They hated me without a cause.
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from
the Father, even the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the
Father, he shall testify of me. And he does, doesn't he? Who's
the Holy Spirit point us to? Christ. And Christ alone. And ye also shall bear witness
because ye have been with me from the beginning. So there's
a great army assembled outside the city spoken of in Isaiah
chapter 1 verse 8. She's a besieged city, beloved. The world is one of those great
armies. that are besieging the city.
They despise the message of the gospel, and if they could overrun
the church, they would. They would. But beloved, we are
a walled city, a fortified city, a protected city. And it is the
Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Redeemer, our surety, who
protects us. He's the one who protects us.
And think of this, we are all inside the walls of the city
and yet always under attack from the armies assembled outside
the city. Have you ever pondered that the
Lord has not seen fit to take his people out of the world?
Rather, he has us live in the world until the appointed time,
the time that he's appointed, that we will breathe our last
breath. All the time while we are in
this world, beloved, He is demonstrating His sovereign power in keeping
us. You ever ponder that? Because left to ourselves? He keeps us. He protects us. He keeps His sheep. And He demonstrates,
beloved, the fact by keeping us, by protecting us. that he will never leave us nor
forsake us. It's demonstrated every day in our lives. It's incredible. It's absolutely
incredible. The world hates the people of
God. Last week we looked at the two sons of Abraham and we saw
that Ishmael hated Isaac. Hated Isaac. The son of the bond
woman hated the freeborn son. Cain, we know, hated Abel. Hated
Abel. Why? Because Abel found favor
in the sight of God. For bringing the proper sacrifice.
For bringing that which he was told to do. The blood sacrifice, which we
know pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ. And the reason it pointed
to him is because without the shed of blood there's no remission
for sin. And think upon this, the walls
of salvation around Zion were planned and built in Christ before
the foundation of the world. It pleased our great God to create
this world and all the inhabitants of it, and to make them subject
to His law. He did this that He might demonstrate
His purpose in delivering they who are the inhabitants of this
besieged city. Why? The sons of God were never
appointed to wrath, yet they fell under condemnation of the
law, because we fell in Adam. But remember, we've always been
vessels of mercy, and not vessels of wrath. But we fell under condemnation
of the law, because again, we fell in Adam. And it pleased
the Father in the fullness of time to have Christ come into
this world, as the substitute of his people, to die upon the
cross, to satisfy the claims that the law of God had upon
we who are sinners. Because again, we're dead in
trespasses and sins, just like everyone else. We're born into
this world sinners. So that law, as we looked at
this morning, must be satisfied. Must be satisfied, so God sends
his son, that he might be a mighty deliverer, beloved, that he might
redeem his people from their sins, Redeem them from the curse
of the law that he might be both just and justifier of his people
Those who by the power of the Holy Spirit have been born again
and granted faith and repentance to believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ There are manifested to be vessels
of mercy all by God's grace all by God's grace And we who are
vessels of mercy are redeemed by the precious blood of our
Savior, the very one who protects us and keeps us even this day. Even this day, beloved. And we
have a complete salvation in Christ, in Christ alone. And
the law of God is perfectly satisfied and rendered completely incapable
of condemning the sons of God. And again, there is now therefore
no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. But yet the world mounts
assault upon assault upon this besieged city, doesn't it? Causing
the inhabitants to sometimes tremble. Sometimes tremble. Sometimes
tremble. And then our Lord speaks peace
to us. peace to us. He does, doesn't
he? And we look to him. We look to
his sovereignty, knowing that he has prevailed against the
world and knowing that we are more than conquerors through
him, through Christ, who has loved us and keeps us. And then the enemy of our souls,
Satan marshals his forces against the city of God. And he does everything in his
power to destroy the city. Seeking to destroy the unity
within the city, just as he's always has sought to do. Oh, he seeks to destroy unity
in church. We are to be sober. Vigilant,
beloved. As Peter warned us, because your
adversary is the devil. The devil is a roaring lion walking
about seeking whom he may devour. He wants to destroy every one
of God's churches, beloved. That's what he wants. And he's
crafty. He sought to destroy our Lord,
didn't he? But he failed. And not one of us is a match
for him. not one he's far too form of all full for us yet we
are safely within the walls of a fortress which cannot be breached
completely out of his reaching clad in the armor which will
repel all the fiery darts of our enemy of the enemy of our
souls turn if you would to Ephesians chapter 6 this armor of God This
armor of God is the Lord Jesus Christ, beloved. And it's God
who puts this armor on the saints. It's Him who does it. It's Him
who does it. Ephesians chapter 6. Finally, my brethren, be strong
in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole
armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil. Ephesians 6. Verse 11, let's read verse 12. But we wrestle not against flesh
and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that
ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done
all to stand. That's why we're just to stand,
beloved. We stand. Stand and see the salvation
of the Lord. Stand and see the deliverance
of the Lord. We're not supposed to run away. We're to stand.
We're to stand together, beloved, in unity, in Christ. Stand therefore, heaven, your
loins girded about with truth. Who's the truth? The Lord Jesus
Christ. And heaven on the breastplate
of righteousness. Who's our righteousness, beloved? The Lord Jesus Christ.
In your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Who's
the gospel all about? The Lord Jesus Christ. Above
all, take in the shield of faith. Who's the object of our faith?
The Lord Jesus Christ. Wherewith ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and take the helmet
of salvation. Who's our salvation in? Christ,
in Christ alone, beloved. Nowhere else. And take the sword
and the spirit, the word of God. Who's this book all about? The
Lord Jesus Christ. All about. which is the Word
of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the
Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication
for all saints. Oh, we need to pray, beloved.
We need to lift one another up to the Lord Jesus Christ. We
need to pray for one another. We need to pray for the work
here. We need to pray for the furtherance of the Gospel from
this place. That God would use it to draw in his lost sheep.
I want us to consider the most dangerous foe to the people of
God. It doesn't dwell outside the walls. As one commentator
said, it could be found in the shadows of every street. It's our flesh. Self-righteous pride flows from
it, beloved. And we will be plagued with it
until the day we die. We're protected, but we'll be
plagued with this one. This foe is going to plague us
until we breathe our last breath. And it's a relentless foe, beloved. And again, we're battling until
the end. Scriptures declare, turn if you
would to Romans chapter 7, Scriptures declare that flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Paul wrote about this foe. Paul wrote about this foe. We'll
see that. Put your finger in Romans 7 here and then put your
finger in 1 Corinthians 15. This is our worst enemy, beloved. And don't you... I know every
believer knows this. Because the Spirit battles the
flesh, doesn't it? The Spirit battles the flesh.
Romans 7, we'll read from verses 22 to 25. For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man, that's the regenerated man. But I see
another law in my members, warned against the law of my mind, bringing
me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members.
O wretched man that I am! Paul knew something about this
battle, this war with the flesh, because he said, O wretched man
that I am. This is Paul the Apostle writing this. He's a saved man,
beloved. And he's saying, O wretched man
that I am. Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
I thank God, here is our victor, I thank God through Jesus Christ
our Lord, so then with the mind I myself serve the law of God,
but with the flesh the law of sin. Our flesh, beloved, is a
constant foe, which has neither part nor lot in the kingdom of
God, which cannot be inherited by flesh and blood. Our flesh
is a secret admirer of the armies outside the walls, the world
and the devil, which besieged the city from
without. And often our flesh employs their aid in its quest
to overcome its inhabitants. But praise God, beloved. Have
you ever pondered how much the Lord restrains us? Have you ever
pondered that? Have you ever pondered how much
the Lord restrains us from things that we would do? Or things that we would say. He restrains us. He protects
us. I know we're born again. I know
we're saved. But we can be just like everyone
else. He restrains His people. Praise
be to our great sovereign God. that this enemy, this enemy will
shortly be forever put away. Because our life is like a vapor. We're not here very long. While we're here, we battle this
foe, even as saved, born again people. But one day, he'll be
put away. Then we'll join the saints in
glory. Rejoicing. Rejoicing. In praising our great
God face to face. Let's close with reading 1 Corinthians
chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. We'll read verses 50 to 58. Now this I say brethren, that
flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Flesh and
blood can't inherit the kingdom of God. Neither doth corruption
inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery.
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet
shall sound. and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible
must put on what? Incorruption. And this mortal
must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall
have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be bought the past the same that is written,
death is swallowed up in victory. And who is our victory in, beloved?
The Lord Jesus Christ. O death, where is thy sting? This is what the believer says,
isn't it? Now we used to fear death, didn't we? Brother Tim
and I've talked about that before. And I think every believer before
they're saved used to fear death. I don't fear death anymore, beloved. My hope is in Christ. I know
that when I breathe my last breath, I'll be in the presence of the
Lord. And it's not based on anything I did. It's all based upon Christ
and Christ law. And it's so for every single
one of God's people. Death, where is thy sting? O
grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin. The
strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. There it is right
there. Through our Lord Jesus Christ in and through him alone. Therefore, my brother, my beloved
brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work
of the Lord. My. For the furtherance of the
gospel, that's why we're here, isn't it? For as much as you
know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Nothing we
do in the Lord is in vain. No. No. Praise is not. Praise is not. Heavenly Father, We thank Thee
for the scriptures that we've looked at tonight. O Lord, even
though we're a besieged city, Lord, we're protected by Thee,
O Lord. Protected, and You ever watch
over Your people. But we know, Lord, that our greatest
enemy is our own flesh. And we confess to Thee, O Lord,
that we're but sinners even still. We who are saved are still but
sinners, O Lord. And we pray, Lord, That you,
and we know you continue to have mercy upon your people. We thank
thee for that. We thank thee that you're a merciful
God. That you will not remember the
sins of your people anymore. They're bought and paid for,
oh Lord. We thank thee for directing us and guiding us and leading
us in the way. Otherwise, we'd be just lost
sheep wandering off. But oh Lord, you take your people
and you put them on the king's highway, Lord. And we marvel,
we marvel at how you keep us and demonstrate to us every day
that you'll never leave us, nor forsake us. Praise your mighty
name, Lord. It's in your name we pray, amen.