Turn back this morning to where
we read for our reading in Isaiah chapter 53. As I said when we were reading, This is a prophecy given by God through the prophet Isaiah concerning
the Messiah, concerning the coming Christ. I remember reading years ago
an old writer's comments on this particular chapter. And he said it was as if Isaiah
was standing and looking at the foot of the cross when he wrote
it. It concerns the Lord Jesus Christ. And in the midst of this prophecy,
In the midst of these words concerning God's Christ, we find a question
in that 8th verse. He says concerning Him, He was
taken from prison and from judgment, And who shall declare his generation? Who shall declare his generation? A generation means a posterity. It means one's offspring. It means one's people. It has to do with one's children. And so the question is simply
this, who shall declare his children? And that is one thing that was
to characterize God's Christ. He would have a people. As a matter of fact, He Himself
is described as a Father. In Isaiah 9, He says, 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. when the apostle in Hebrews chapter
2 speaks of him and goes back to the various statements that
were made by the Messiah even before he came. You see, he existed
before he came. But among them he says, In one
place, he says, I will put my trust in him. And again, in another
place, he said, behold, I and the children which God hath given
me. He identified with this generation. He identified with these children. But why is it that the prophet
is led to ask this question? Well, it is because of what else
is said about him. In other words, here is something
that is said about him that seems so contradictory in light of
what else has been said about him. Because as we read in these
verses, the Messiah will surely die. As a matter of fact, he
is referred to as being stricken. It means that he would be taken
and killed, taken and crucified. But he would still have a children,
a people, a posterity. But the question is, who shall
declare his generation? And that word declare means to
ponder and to then speak of it, or it means to show it. or to proclaim it, to speak it,
who shall, in light of the fact that he's to have this people
and yet at the same time die, who shall declare his generation? And so in one sense, it's left
as a mystery. It's not something that we, in
our logical thinking, could ever think about and draw any real
conclusion about. It's illogical to our minds. But it's not illogical to God.
And the answer is to be found in His Word. The answer is to be made known
to us if he is pleased to reveal it to us. As a matter of fact,
the answer may very well even include us. Who shall declare his generation? Well, you see, the Bible, all
through it, gives us the answer to that question. And it begins,
first of all, in answering it by this way, and that is, God
Himself has declared His generation. God Himself has spoken of and
declared His people, and He did so even before the world began. Turn over to Ephesians chapter
1. Because in Ephesians chapter
1, the Spirit of God uses the apostle Paul to tell us about
something that God did before the world began. And so he says
in Ephesians 1 and verse 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world. that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according
to the good pleasure of his will. In other words, God declared
Christ's people when he named them and when he chose them in
Christ. He did so when he included them
in what he calls in this book the everlasting covenant. He declared them when he wrote
their names in heaven. You remember those disciples,
they came back and they were rejoicing because the spirits,
the devils were subject to them. And Christ said, don't rejoice
because the spirits are subject to you. Rejoice because your
names are written in heaven. He is said to have declared this
generation when he wrote their names in the Lamb's Book of Life. He determined, when he determined
to represent them by Christ, when he put them in Christ before
the world was. when he determined all things
concerning them. And when he determined all things
in particular concerning Christ and them together, and he ordained
every event of history to bring this to pass, and he predestinated
every detail to bring them to the Lord Jesus Christ. The psalmist writes in Psalm
135, and he speaks of them in a twofold name that is given
in scripture to describe each and every one of God's people
as they are by nature and as they are in his sight by grace. And so he says, for the Lord
hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure. Jacob is the scoundrel we are
by nature, and Israel is the prince we are by the grace of
God in the Lord Jesus Christ. And they are so distinguished
and declared to be his chosen that he says of them concerning
all that would go on in this earth, all the trouble and all
the trial and all the conflict and all the various things that
would take place. And he says, except those days
were shortened, there should no flesh be saved. In other words, if the days of
this earth progressed on as they go from this time to this time
to this time, there would no flesh be saved, but for the elect's
sake, those days shall be shortened. He declared this generation. He chose them. He predetermined
all things concerning them, especially as they pertain to Christ. So Paul writes to the Thessalonians. And for this very thing, he thanks
God and he praises God, saying, but we are bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord. He describes them as beloved
of the Lord because Because God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth. God himself has declared Christ's
generation and people. And if you turn back over to
the 8th chapter of Romans, It cannot be any more clear than
it is in Romans chapter 8, beginning with verse 28, speaking of them
in particular again. He says, And we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called, or the named, according to His purpose. for whom he did foreknow." And
sometimes men and women are maybe a little bit willing to use the
word what there. Well, he does ordain and preordain,
foreordain the what, but here it says for whom he did foreknow,
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his
son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified,
and whom he justified, them he also glorified." He named them. He chose them. He declared them. He told, He made known in that
covenant of grace all things concerning them. And so when
He writes further concerning these very ones in verse 33,
He says this, Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. And then when you come just a
little farther over in Romans chapter 9, down to that 23rd
verse in Romans chapter 9, he describes them again. He says,
and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the
vessels of mercy which he had aforeprepared unto glory. even us, whom he hath called
not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles." He declares
them. He distinguishes this people. He chose them, and Paul describes
them as being the very reason that he is at that moment suffering
in a prison for preaching the gospel to them. He says, Therefore
I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain
the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. And then Simon Peter comes along. And he takes up exactly what
is found all throughout this book. what was spoken about concerning
this people, declared by the Father, chosen by the Father,
and he writes to them in every age and he says this, but you
are a chosen generation. What kind of generation? A free
will generation? A generation who is saved based
on their choice. He said, but you are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, and holy nation, a peculiar people
that you should show forth the praises of him who have called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light. God declares
this again and again in this world. And He declares not only
them, but He declares also to us just exactly who it is that
Christ came into this world and died for. He says in that eighth
verse, For the transgressions of my people Was he stricken? Now, if you didn't know anywhere
else in the Bible to go through, to find out who it was that the
Lord Jesus Christ came into this world and died for, to say, you
could go to that verse and find that answer. And God declares
that. He says, for the transgression
of my people was He stricken. And that's the message of God
from one end of this book all the way to the other end of this
book. He declares this generation. He declares this people. He speaks
of them. He tells of them. He tells what
He did in them and of them and to them. And if we believe what
He says, then we have to believe it. But not only that, the angel
declared this very thing to Joseph and Mary concerning the birth
of this very one that Isaiah is talking about here. The angel
declared it to Joseph and Mary, and this is what he said. He
said, she shall bring forth a son. He's talking about that same
son Isaiah was talking about. And she shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his
people from their sins. Who does he save? He saves his
people. He saves his posterity spiritually. He saves his children. from their
sins. And not only that, but when Christ
was here on this earth, He Himself declared it again and again in
more ways than we could ever imagine or tell. He says in John
6, All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him
that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. The amazing thing is, he was
speaking these words immediately in that context to a whole bunch
of religious people who thought they had a corner on God. If
anybody knew God, they thought they knew God. But God in the flesh is standing
there before them, and they are rejecting Him. Work after work,
word after word, at every point and juncture, they reject Him,
they despise Him, they hate Him, they refuse Him. But He declares His generation.
He says, all that the Father giveth Me, they'll come to Me. And when they come to Me, I will
in no wise cast out. He goes a little bit farther
in that wonderful 10th chapter of John's Gospel. He says to
virtually the same ones, he says, as the Father knoweth me, even
so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. In other words, Christ is set
forth in this book as the shepherd. And the generation of the shepherd,
in this spiritual sense, would be his sheep. He's described
as the good shepherd. He's described as the great shepherd. He's described as the chief shepherd
and bishop of our soul. And what does he say? He identifies. He says, I lay down my life for
the sheep, for my sheep. He says in John 17, when He prays
to the Father, after He looked at these same Pharisees and He
said, ìYou believe not, because youíre not of My sheep.î He says
this in John 17, ìFather, as Thou hast given Him power over
all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou
hast given Him.î Always this people. Always these
children. Always this church. Always this
body. Always these sheep. Always these that the Father
gave him. He says in John 15, you have
not chosen me, but I've chosen you. and ordained you, that you
should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain,
that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he
may give it you." I've chosen you. Well, didn't
he choose everybody? Evidently not. He said, you didn't choose me. That means our choice is not
the basis of His choice of us. He declared these are a people
chosen by the Father, a people that He ordained all things concerning
them, predestinated them to a particular end in Christ Jesus, and gave
to His Son as His children. And then the apostles come along. Apostle simply means one sent
forth. Sent forth by the Lord Jesus
Christ. And Paul, in writing to those
elders or speaking to those elders from the church at Ephesus, he
says to them, knowing of his own departure, he said, take
heed, therefore, unto yourselves and to all the flock over the
which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the church
of God. Now, what church is that? That's
that church that is his body. He says, which he hath purchased
with his own blood. But not only did they declare
his generation, or his people, or his children, as we might
call them, in this way, but they were used of God to declare his
generation in the most descriptive and defining terms. Now you say it would have been
much easier if he would have simply declared
his generation by their actual names. You think so, huh? Well, if you
think that is the case, sometime find a computer somewhere and
go online and type your exact actual name. And you'll find out in that sense
there's a whole lot more of you than you think. There may be a Joe Schwartz that
lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan or San Diego, California. Spells his name just like you
do, just exactly the way you do. And that could be said probably
of everybody who hears this. And then what are you left with?
Well, which ones he talking to? Who's he declaring as his child? When in truth, he does so by
these descriptive terms and words, one of which is this. Paul writing
to Timothy. He says, this is a faithful saying
and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners. of whom I am chief." Well, I know one thing about
Christ's generation. They're all sinners. And somebody
always says something like this, but preacher, we're all sinners.
You think so? Well, just go around and start
asking people if they're sinners. You'll find out that they're
not such bad sinners, or they're not this kind of sinner, or not
as bad a sinner as somebody else is, or all these other ways by
which we separate ourselves from all the rest of the bad people. But he says sinners. That's his
generation. They're all sinners. Came to
save his people from their sins. If you don't have any sins, if
you're not a sinner in the biblical sense, who is such an individual
as to be in God's displeasure in and of yourself and unable
to change yourself from that standing, then you're just not His children.
I don't have anything to say to you really. Then they said
this, Paul. He says, for when we were yet
without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. You know what I believe. I believe that most of the people,
I'd almost say all of the people in this world, who think themselves
godly, are very ungodly. But Christ died for the ungodly. I'll always think about this.
Every organization that you ever hear advertising for people,
for jobs, or for whatever, for the Marine Corps, whatever it
is, They're always looking for a few good people. They used
to say for a few good men, but they can't even say that now. They're looking for good people. Good people don't need to be
saved. Good people don't need God's salvation. And the problem
with us is not that we're too bad to be saved. The problem
is, in our minds, we're too good to be saved. We have our own
righteousness. But Christ said, the Son of Man
has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Lost. What does it mean to be
lost in this biblical sense? It means to be so lost, so far
away from God, so far away from His truth, so blind to Christ
Jesus, so deaf to the Word of God, so helpless in any way and
ability to please God, that unless He comes to where we are and
saves us, we won't ever be saved. Because we're lost. He said, you folks need to go
and learn what this means. I'll have mercy and not sacrifice,
for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. That's who he came for. Somebody
will naturally say, well, why would the Lord of glory want
to identify with such a people. Why would he want to call them
by this name? Why would he declare them as
his children in this descriptive language like this? Because his
glory lies in saving them. His glory lies in what he makes
them in and by himself. They're his trophies. The gospel writer Luke, writing
in the book of Acts, in describing after the apostles had preached
the gospel. In Acts 13, verse 48, it says,
And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified
the word of the Lord, and as many as were ordained to eternal
life believed. They're all believers. They don't
start out by being believers. They're, by nature, God-haters. They're, by nature, unbelievers. But He gives them life, and He
gives them faith, and then they believe. And who is it that believes
these that were ordained unto eternal life? Same group. That's what the gospel says.
His generation is a bunch of sinners that were chosen in him
before the world began. A group that he identified with. agreed that He, as their representative,
carried in His self, representatively, into that death of the cross
that brought them all the way through and out on the other
side that He saved by the glory of His grace. And they'll declare it. Turn over to the book of Acts. In the book of Acts chapter 8. Now this isn't just something that
God did before time. It isn't something that Christ
did just 2,000 years ago. But it's something that takes
place in time. in these children, in these individuals. Acts chapter 8, verse 26. The Spirit of God has led the
man Philip from a place where he has been preaching the gospel,
a place where the Lord has been pleased to reveal some of these
very children out into the middle of the desert. Why in the world? That is being
so un-evangelistically minded in our day. If men and women could ever get
past, I know some who, they'll never get past it, I don't believe.
This idea of numbers. How many? How much? All these things. God sent this
man to a desert place where, humanly speaking, you wouldn't
think to find a single soul, Harley, except maybe a rattlesnake
or a piece of tumbleweed or something. Verse 26 says, ìAnd the angel
of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward
the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza,
which is desert.î Just desert. ìAnd he arose and went, and beholdÖî
Well, what do you know? Couldnít resist that. A man of Ethiopia, an eunuch
of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who
had the charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem for to
worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot, read Isaiah the
prophet. Same prophet, same prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip,
Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran
thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Isaiah, and
said, Understandest thou what thou readest? Now here's a man in the desert.
Here's a man who's reading the scriptures. But he doesn't have understanding.
He has religion. He's just gone to Jerusalem. But he's left church very dissatisfied. Something's wrong. He's reading
this Word of God, and he doesn't know. He doesn't have understanding
as to who it is that the prophet is talking about. You see, this
book is about one person. In type, in picture, in reality,
in epistle, everything is about Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Isaiah 53 was about Jesus Christ
and Him crucified. At death, He died. Understandest
thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I except
some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he
would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture which
he read was this. He was led as a sheep to the
slaughter, and like a lamb done before his shearer, so opened
he not his mouth. In his humiliation, his judgment
was taken away. And who shall declare... What
was that now? He's reading the same passage,
Isaiah 53. And who shall declare his generation,
for his life is taken from the earth? Here's a perfect illustration
of this truth. God's providence being the handmaid
of his salvation, seeking, bringing, working, closing in on one of this generation
with his gospel. He chose them. He chose them
in love. In love, he predestinated them
to be conformed to the image of his Son. Christ entered into
that covenant on their behalf. He came into this world and died
in their room instead and put away their sins by His shed blood. They've got to find out about
it. I don't care what it takes. They are so precious to the Father. And they are so precious to the
Son. And they are so precious to the
Spirit that He will do whatever it takes. He'll move and fashion all the
events of this earth to bring them to Himself and to acknowledge
it. He's declared this generation
The Christ has declared this generation. The apostles and
the prophets, they declared this generation. All the passages
of Holy Scripture have declared this generation. And they have to declare themselves. He's reading. just the passage
we read in Isaiah 53. I don't think you'd say by the
farthest stretch of your imagination that it's just a lucky break
that Philip was coming along. This isn't fate. This isn't happen
so, this isn't chance, this is God's purpose of grace concerning
His Son and His generation. He's decreed the decree. They're
mine. I've given them to my Son. He's
decreed everything concerning them. He's decreed every speck
of sand that is kicked up from that chariot wheel rolling through
that desert and ordained its course in the universe. He's
controlled everything and every detail. which appeared to men
and women to be just to happen and just fade or whatever it
might be. He has ordered it all so that
on a collision course, these two individuals have been going
all the days of their life to come together at this hour. Because Philip has some good
use for this eunuch. He hadn't found it in religion.
He hadn't found it in his pilgrimage. He hadn't even found it in reading
the scriptures yet. That's where the good news is.
So God sends his messenger. And with this message, if you
look down here, He says, the place of scripture which you
read was this, he was led as a sheep to the slaughter and
like a lamb done before his shearer so opened he not his mouth. In
his humiliation his judgment was taken away and who shall
declare his generation for his life is taken from the earth?
And the eunuch answered Philip and said, I pray thee of whom
speakest the prophet this, of himself or of some other man? Now there was one thing obvious
to him, that the things that were spoken
were spoken about a man. Not just an ordinary man, but
a man. He said, was Isaiah talking about
himself, or was he talking about another man? Then Philip opened his mouth. and begin at the same scripture. He could have been in Jeremiah
30. He could have been in Genesis
28. He could have been in Isaiah 9. He could have been anywhere
in this book, but because this book is all
about God's grace and mercy and the Lord Jesus Christ, He from
this same scripture preached unto him, Jesus. Some say you can't find Jesus
in the Old Testament. If you can, it's because you're
spiritually blind. The Lord has not opened your
eyes. He's everywhere. And as they went on their way,
They went on their way, and as they went, Philip is just with a quiet voice,
I'm sure, and a conversational tone, taking these Scriptures
and the events that have taken place now at Jerusalem. And he's
telling him, Jesus of Nazareth, He is the one Isaiah was talking
about. Oh, I see. I see now. The Prophet was talking about
Him being something or someone that nobody by nature, by the
natural eye would think was wonderful or great and He would be taken
and be crucified and stricken and smitten and afflicted and
all these things. But He was so done for our transgressions. That's good news. He was dying
for all my sins. He was there to show grace and
mercy to me. He's the Christ. And it's like,
you know, an instrument. This man has a new Bible. He sees Christ everywhere. And
it's all good news to him. He began at the same scripture
and preached unto him Jesus. This is no accident. This is
an almighty work of God in grace. This is God saving his people. This is God bringing them to
Christ. Justice has declared that it
must be done because he has put away their sins and paid their
ransom price. He has redeemed them. They must
go free. They must be saved. Christ has
said, my sheep will hear my voice. And God gives understanding by
His Spirit using this messenger and this message of Christ crucified. Guess what's going to happen? Another one of these children
they're going to declare his generation. Verse 36 says, And as they went
on their way, they came unto a certain water. And the eunuch
said, See, here is water. What doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest
with all thine heart, thou mayest." And he answered and said, I believe
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the
chariot to stand still, and they went down both into the water,
both Philip and the eunuch. I believe that if he was going
to sprinkle him, there would have been no need for him to
go down into the water. No. He was confessing Christ. And in that watery baptism by
immersion, he identified with Jesus Christ in his death and
in his burial and in his resurrection as all his hope and all his salvation. He's saying, I believe that Jesus
is the Christ, that he did exactly what the Christ was to do. He
made an end of the transgressions. And He brought in everlasting
righteousness. You see, baptism is a public
confession. He confessed it with His mouth.
He believed. And now He confesses it publicly.
He declares that He is a part of Christ's people, Christ's
children and generation. And when they were come out of
the water, the Spirit of the Lord called away Philip, that
the eunuch saw him no more. Oh, no. What am I going to do? My preacher is gone. No. Christ was his hope. And it says, and he went on his
way rejoicing. Don't want to forget that. He
went on his way rejoicing. Now, I can't help but look back and
think about what this man was. what he had. He undoubtedly had
a measure of wealth himself. He was entrusted with the Queen's
treasury. He evidently had her respect
and her confidence. He evidently was a man of such
a report that she let him travel on this pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He was evidently a man of such
character that he was now returning back to his responsibilities. You'd think a man like that had
everything. But he didn't, because you can
have all that and more, still be lost, still be without hope, without
any prospect for the future. But something now makes him go
on his way rejoicing. And I don't believe he just went
on for a mile or two and got to think about, oh, what have
I done? This isn't anything at all. No. He went on his way rejoicing. And that's one of the ways I
believe that God sent the gospel back to that place. Who shall declare his generation? Well, God himself, Christ himself, the angels, the apostles, the
prophets, the written word, and finally, they'll all be brought
to declare themselves. I believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God. I believe that he came into this
world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. And believing this, trusting
him, relying on this, I can go on my way rejoicing. You say,
well, does that mean he didn't have any sadness at all in his
life? I'm sure he did. But he never
had enough sadness, and he never had trial great enough so as
to take away fully this rejoicing in his heart of hearts that God
became flesh. came into this world, died in
his place, and set him free of his sins, identified with him,
and made him his child. John says, Behold, what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we might be called
the children, the sons of God. Every believing sinner declares
that with word and confession to family, to friends, and in
public baptism. Father, today we thank you for
such wonderful and amazing grace in your Son. We thank you that you made a
people Sinners, lost, ungodly, helpless,
dying sinners. And you saved them to the praise
of the glory of your grace. You made them your children,
gave them to Christ. They are His generation and His death, His suffering
in this life. was not the cause of this being
impossible, but was the cause of it being real, assured, and
successful. We thank you and we pray in his
name. Amen. Amen.