The Spirit of the Lord against the Enemy

Q: What does the Bible say about God hearing our prayers?

The Bible teaches that God's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, nor His ear heavy that it cannot hear (Isaiah 59:1). In Isaiah 59:1, the prophet assures us that God is capable of salvation and attentive to our prayers. However, this promise is coupled with the sobering reality that our sins can create a barrier between us and God. Isaiah states, 'but your iniquities have separated between you and your God' (Isaiah 59:2), reminding us that while God is always ready to hear us, our disobedience can hinder our relationship with Him. Therefore, it is essential for believers to confess sins and strive to walk in His ways to maintain that vital connection.

Q: How do we know the Spirit of the Lord protects us?

The Spirit of the Lord is promised to raise a standard against the enemy when he comes in like a flood (Isaiah 59:19). Isaiah 59:19 provides a profound assurance that, amid adversity, the Spirit of the Lord will stand up against the enemy. This can be understood as a declaration of God's protective power over His people. The imagery of a flood suggests an overwhelming force, yet God's assurance is that He is sovereign and will intervene on behalf of those who trust Him. This promise is not just historical; it illustrates God's ongoing care and defense for His Church, affirming that with God's Spirit, no enemy can prevail. This truth encourages believers to remain steadfast in faith, knowing they are backed by the Almighty.

Q: Why is confession of sin important for Christians?

Confession of sin restores our relationship with God, enabling us to receive His mercy and forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Confession of sins is a critical aspect of the Christian life as it aligns with God's plan for forgiveness and restoration. In 1 John 1:9, we are promised that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This process is not just about admitting wrongdoing; it signifies a heartfelt acknowledgment of our need for God's grace and an essential step towards spiritual renewal. Without confession, we risk alienating ourselves from God, as Isaiah highlights how iniquities separate us from Him (Isaiah 59:2). Thus, through confession, we actively engage with God's mercy, allowing Him to heal our relationship with Him.

Q: What does it mean that the Redeemer shall come to Zion?

The promise that the Redeemer shall come to Zion signifies God's faithfulness in delivering His people from sin and oppression (Isaiah 59:20). In Isaiah 59:20, the declaration that 'the Redeemer shall come to Zion' conveys a message of hope and restoration. Historically, this refers to God's commitment to His people Israel, ensuring their deliverance from captivity and sin. The term 'Redeemer' points to Jesus Christ, who fulfilled this prophecy by coming to the Jewish people to save them from their transgressions. For Christians, this promise is a reminder of God's enduring grace and assurance that He actively works to redeem and restore His followers. It's a profound assurance that no matter how far we stray, if we turn from our transgressions, God's redemption is ever present.

Q: Why should Christians fear the Lord?

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and is essential for knowing and doing God's will (Proverbs 9:10). The concept of fearing the Lord is significantly rooted in a reverent acknowledgment of His holiness, sovereignty, and authority. Proverbs 9:10 states, 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,' indicating that true understanding and discernment stem from respecting God and His Word. For believers, fearing the Lord translates to submitting to His will and living according to His commands. This attitude fosters a deeper relationship with God and aligns our lives with His purposes. Moreover, as Isaiah conveys, when we fear the Lord, we can confidently rely on His protection and provision against adversities, recognizing His supremacy over all circumstances.

May it please Almighty God to bless us together this evening as we meditate in His Holy Word. Let's turn to the prophecy of Isaiah chapter 59 and reading verse 19. The prophecy of Isaiah chapter 59 and reading verse 19. So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. Isaiah lived in difficult times, and yet he was faithful in that which the Spirit of God directed him to write. And in this chapter, we read about how the people had walked contrary to God.

They weren't doing those things which were right, and yet the Lord still tells them Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, neither is his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. That was true then, it's true today. And we should be encouraged in our lives to understand that we have a God who does hear and does answer prayer, but then The Prophet tells the people the situation which exists and he says, but your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear. Your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. And so he goes on and we can see therefore that the state of the people was far from good. They were walking contrary to God.

And yet we see those encouraging words. And the Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah to tell them, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, nor is it heavy that it cannot hear. So having spoken such encouraging words, the prophet then lays before them the situation which existed. and how he has to tell them it's their iniquities and their sins which are separated between them and their God. And so, my friends, today the situation has not changed, has it?

Those who walk contrary to God, those who do not do the will of God, those who do not follow his commands are walking in an opposite way and are not to be surprised therefore that they face difficult situations. And so as the apostle speaks faithfully to them and then he runs through so many things as we read together this chapter It's a very solemn chapter, really, speaking to those who walk contrary to their God.

Really, until we come down to this 19th verse, when we're told, And so shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. That really means the whole area from north to west, from the east rather to the west.

It's a whole long area. And what a mercy when the Lord then speaks to them and tells them, when the enemy shall come in like a flood. The Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. It gives us the illustration of the enemy coming in like a flood. And a flood, of course, can come very suddenly. We're aware of that today in the age in which we live. Floods can happen very suddenly. And the Lord tells them, this is how the enemy may come in, just like a flood.

But he doesn't leave it there. The Spirit of the Lord. shall lift up a standard against him. He's speaking, of course, against the devil and all his angels who are endeavouring to afflict the Church of God and to turn them away from following the right way. But there is, therefore, this wonderful promise that when the enemy shall come in like a flood, and it's clear that it would come and it did come, that the Spirit of the Lord, none less than that, shall rise up a standard against him.

And my friends, to think then the Lord therefore was on their side and they were utterly undeserving of it. And how true that is in our lives, if we look to our lives, and see how we have very often departed from our God, very often walked contrary to Him. We may not always realise it, we may not always think we do, but it's good to be able to sit down and carefully analyse our lives and see whether we are doing God's will, whether we are following His way, that He instructs us in, and that our hearts and our affections are set upon things above, not on things on the earth. How easily it is for us today to be sidetracked. You know, the prophet tells them, truth faileth. And he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey, and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. Well, I'm sure there are many things today which displease our God in the world, in our nation, perhaps in our individual lives.

And what a mercy when God takes us aside, as it were, and shows us where we're wrong. We're often self-righteous. We often think the things that we're doing and saying are right. But are we doing God's will? Are we following that which he directs us and instructs us in? Are we bringing honour and glory to our God?

Or are we more concerned about what people think of us and whether we are looking for honour and glory to ourselves? rather than realising the great need there is for you and me to be servants of the Most High God, to hear His voice, to be directed by Him and to follow those words that He speaks to us.

The Lord is still alive today. He's not silent. He still speaks. But sometimes we turn a deaf ear, because what the Lord speaks doesn't suit our program, doesn't suit what we want to do. And how good it is, therefore, when the Lord corrects us. Because God's ways are higher than our ways. And God's ways are always best.

And what a mercy it is when God takes us in hand and leads us by the hand in that right way, in that narrow way. You see, the wrong way is a broad way, which leads to destruction. It's a very easy way. There's no opposition. We can wander in it and think everything's going smoothly, whereas the right way is a narrow way. a way that God has ordained.

But remember what the Word of God tells us, if God before us, who can be against us? How critical it is that God shows his mercy and love toward us, that he instructs us in the way that we must go and doesn't leave us to our own interpretation. Well, this account that Isaiah spoke to the people, he tells them the way of peace they know not. If we walk contrary to God, we won't really know the way of peace. We'll fight against the right way, perhaps. And we think we're doing that which is good. But do we really know? that peace of God. The way of peace they know not, and there is no judgment in their goings. They have made them crooked paths. Whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the way thereof is the way of death. We don't want to follow the wrong way, do we?

We want to be kept by the power of God, and that's why The Lord, in his great mercy and love, has given us his word with these examples, that you and I might, like these people were instructed, to confess their sins. It's not easy to confess sin. What does it mean? It means that we've got to acknowledge that we've been wrong. We've got to acknowledge that we've gone our own way and haven't obeyed the word of our God. Confession of sin sounds easy. It's not easy. We need the grace of God to confess our sins, to bow down before almighty God and to follow that way which he has ordained. There is a way that seemeth right unto a man. We don't want to walk in that way which just seemeth right. We want to walk in that way which is right. And therefore to recognize his great goodness and great favor in dealing with us still as sons and daughters.

You see, he sent the prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel, to speak to the people. And they were faithful prophets. And they spoke the truth. People didn't like what they heard. They didn't follow what they were told. And of course, as we know, God dealt with them in so far that they were carried away as captive into Babylon. They'd been warned. They'd been told. But they ignored that which was spoken to them. They didn't want to obey. They wanted to walk in their way.

And yet, you see, God was so merciful, wasn't he? You think of Israel, all those years, 70 years in Babylon. They were told they would be there that length of time, but God was faithful. At the end of that time, they were delivered. And they were delivered in a very amazing way, in so far that Cyrus, the king of Babylon, instructed them to return and to build a temple. And they could get payment for it and materials from the kings himself. How amazing. What love God had to his people. And the great blessing is that today that God has not changed. He's still a faithful God. He still doesn't deal with us as our sins deserve.

Israel were punished. They'd been warned. They were punished. But the Lord's mercy was great and they did return back to Jerusalem. And the temple was rebuilt. And the walls were rebuilt around Jerusalem. And once again, they were able to come and worship together. The mercy of God. We have, therefore, these great and wonderful examples for us today to realize that we have a God who says very faithfully, I am the Lord, I change not.

Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed, God's mercy, how good it is and how wonderful it is. And so the Lord comes and says, so shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west and his glory from the rising of the sun. We're told, aren't we, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the beginning of heavenly wisdom. And what a blessing if you and I know the fear of the Lord. What that means is that we're willing to do his will, to follow that which he instructs us in. And therefore he tells these people, so shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west and his glory from the rising of the sun.

Yes, they would return, they would be blessed. And then he encourages them, Father, having made that wonderful statement, when the enemy, of course, they didn't know who the enemy was to be, but there was this faithful promise that when the enemy shall come in like a flood, which they wouldn't be able to stop themselves. Yet, if God before us, who can be against us? And here was a faithful promise. The spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. What a mercy to have a God who doesn't deal with us as our sins deserve, but whose mercy is great indeed. His faithfulness does not vary. He's the same yesterday and today and forever.

And then this promise, and the Redeemer, and the Redeemer shall come to Zion and unto them that turn from transgressions in Jacob, saith the Lord. Well, we know that the Redeemer did come. The Lord Jesus did come in accordance with the prophecies. They were not false. They were true. He did come. and visit his ancient people. And what a wonderful work that was.

And still today, we can recognise that we still need the Redeemer to come to us. The blessed Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Redeemer shall come to Zion, was the promise here. And unto them that turn from transgressions in Jacob, saith the Lord.

Wonderful, is it not to know that we have today the same God who ruled and reigned right from the very beginning of the creation of the world, right back in the days of Adam and Eve when the Lord dealt so graciously with them. Didn't cut them off, but dealt with them in mercy. God's mercy is still great today.

And perhaps as you and I look into our lives, we realize how unworthy we are of any notice. And yet as we carefully trace our lives, we see how God has been merciful, how God has been gracious, how God has gone before us, how God has made the crooked places straight and the rough places plain. He's made His goodness to pass before us in the way. If we stand, as we should, just like these Israelites, guilty, disobeyed God, turned our back upon Him, and yet to realize He is a kind and gracious and merciful God, and to be able to come and bow down and confess our sins, As I've said, it's not easy to come and confess sin before God.

But I can tell you, it's a wonderful blessing. And it brings with it happiness. And it brings with it joy. that God has come and made us willing in the day of his power to bow down and acknowledge our sin. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That is the faithful word of John. And my friends, how good it is to realize those words were indicted by the Holy Spirit.

And they are as true today as they were when they were written some 2000 or so years ago. Yes, we have a God who is ever faithful. And as you look at ourselves, And remember, we are sinners. And remember, we do walk so often contrary to God. Have you ever pondered that? Have you ever examined yourself? I examined myself to see how often we walked contrary to God. And yet we may have thought we could justify that which we were doing, perhaps that which we were saying.

And yet the word of God was very clear. The prophets had spoken very clearly to Israel of old, had warned them again and again, but they were hard-hearted and stubborn. and left to ourselves, you and I are hard-hearted and stubborn. Really we're saying, just like those people did, we will not have this man to reign over us.

Well how wonderful it is when the Holy Spirit comes and softens our heart and makes us willing in the day of His power to do His will, to follow His way, because we can be sure of this, God's will and His way is best. We make mistakes. God never makes a mistake. Everything He says is right and good. So what a mercy if the Lord comes and enables us, therefore, to do His will and to realize His great goodness and mercy when we see Him arising on our behalf. There's the enemy. We have a great enemy of our souls, don't we? The devil. He goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

And sometimes he goes about as an angel of light deceiving us, and how we need to be on our watch, and how we need the Spirit of God to make us aware of when we are walking contrary to our God. Well, here we have an encouraging statement that we're told, and so shall they fear. The name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun, which of course is east, And when the enemy shall come in like a flood, what's going to happen? The Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. We should take these words to heart and realize we come before a God who is so kind and gracious, who knows the end from the beginning. He knows how weak and feeble we are and how we need his strength and we need his support. And what a blessing it is that we can go in the strength of the Lord God, make him mention of his righteousness and of His only, never looking to ourselves, always looking to the Saviour. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, that means to the church, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. He will come. Perhaps we've been waiting for a long time And perhaps the Lord hasn't come. And perhaps we're disappointed. And perhaps we wonder why the Lord hasn't come. Well, we're told here, and the Redeemer shall come to Zion. And unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.

Again, it's very easy to pass over things perhaps in our lives which are contrary to that which God will have us to do. We think we're walking in a right way and we think we're doing God's will. What a mercy if he brings us to that position to examine ourselves. We are encouraged to examine ourselves, to see whether we are in the faith or not, to see whether we are doing God's will or not.

And then to benefit from this willingness to do his will and to find then this wonderful favor that the Lord comes and lifts up a standard against the devil. So we don't have to fight in the battle. You know, we have a number of occasions In the word of God, when the enemy came against God's ancient people, and the Lord gloriously appeared, so the Israelites didn't have to fight. The Lord appeared. They were beaten in one way or another.

How wonderful it is to read such accounts. We're thankful that we do have those accounts, that God has sovereignly recorded for our encouragement. And he tells us then, the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. Well, what a mercy when you and I are given a soft heart, a tender conscience, to come before our God, to bow down and worship Him.

Come down, confess our sins, and recognise we have a great God, who perhaps we've been walking against. We walk contrary to God. And the Lord tells us, if you walk contrary to me, I will walk contrary to you. It's a very clear statement, isn't it? It's a very true statement. And what a mercy if God gives us that willing spirit to turn from that way which is contrary to God's way and to submit ourselves under the mighty hand of God. that he may exalt us in due time, casting all our care upon him, because he cares for us.

And then the word of God goes on to tell us, as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord. A covenant is a sworn conditional promise. This is my covenant with them, saith the Lord. My spirit that is upon thee and my words, which I put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed seed, saith the Lord from henceforth and forever.

What a promise that was, wasn't it? To God's people. They were undeserving of it, weren't they? And yet we see God and his wonderful love towards them. And my friends, that love is the same today. Because our God has an unchanging love. God doesn't blow hot or cold. He is the same yesterday and today and forever. And so the Lord says, note these blessed words, my spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seed-seed saith the Lord from henceforth and forever.

What a promise that was to Israel of old. And remember, as we've gone through this chapter and we read it together, they were walking contrary to God. They were disobeying God. They were doing those things which pleased themselves. And yet, you see, God, in His love and mercy, tells them what He will do. He tells them and gives them this wonderful confirmation, His Spirit.

Nonetheless, the Spirit of God, my friends, we can't have a greater encouragement than that, can we? My Spirit that is upon thee, that is upon thee, And my words, which I put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed-seed, saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever. What a promise that was. not something which is going to be temporary, not something which is going to last for a few days, but from henceforth and forever. God's goodness and mercy. Well, how true those words were. At that time when Isaiah was commanded to write them, we can come back to the very first verse in the 59th chapter where he tells us, Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot say, neither is it heavy, that it cannot hear.

This is the great God that we have to deal with. And how wonderful it is that that God does not change. Although he tells us, as we have already said, the next verse tells us, but your iniquities have separated between you and your God. And your sins have hid his face from you. that he will not hear. That's a very solemn statement, isn't it?

And again, it's good if you and I are given that grace to examine ourselves, because it may be that there seems to be no evidence that the Lord's hand is not shortened and his ear not heavy, that he cannot hear on our behalf, and we perhaps wonder why. Sometimes we pray for things. We may think we pray very earnestly and very often and there's no result and there's no answer. Well, we should just remember these words to Israel so many years ago. and how apt they were then and how apt they are still today.

That the iniquities, their iniquities, have separated between them and their God. And their sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear. It's a very important statement, is it not? And again, we easily pass over words like this we often tend to look for the good bits and we don't like really to read the bad bits and yet you see it's all there for our instruction it's all there for our direction And how wonderful it is if we, as I've said, are made willing in the day of his power. And he says, for your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity, your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. We can be perverse, can't we, sometimes? perverse with our God.

And that's why we don't receive those answers that we anticipated. And we may perhaps come to God and ask the question, why? We haven't received answers that we expected. What's been wrong with our prayers? Well, perhaps our prayers have been all right, perhaps though that which we've been told to do, We've not done, we've hung back and we've followed our own way.

And therefore we should not be surprised that God is walking the opposite way to us and not hearing our prayers as we truly desired. And the result, instead of receiving God's mercy and God's peace, we've been like a troubled sea. tossed to and fro. Yes, with no real peace in our hearts.

Well, God is a God of peace. He does give peace. He does bless his people. He encourages his people, but we have that great obligation in our little lives to be found doing his will. The word of God is full of gracious instruction to the church of God, how we should run our lives, how we should do, what we should say.

It's very clear. And yet you see left to ourselves. Again, if we're honest, we'll find that we are rebellious. And really, what's the action of our life? It's this. I will not have this man to reign over me. It's a great blessing to be able to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and to acknowledge, perhaps, the rebellion We might not think it was rebellion because we might think we're right. And yet what a mercy to humble ourselves, to come to God and ask him to reveal what is wrong and then make us willing in a day of his power to do that which is right and God-honouring and that which will bring honour and glory to our God. We must always remember that. How relevant it is that your life and my life is for that one great reason, to bring honour and glory to God.

How often we look to ourselves. What a mercy when the Lord deals with us in love to our souls. You know, really, you can look back and you can see Israel, they were taken captive, went down to Babylon for those 70 years. God was dealing with them in love to their souls. He was dealing with them, and He promised they would return, and they did, in the appointed time. and yet how stubborn they'd been for all those years doing that which was against the Word of God.

My friends, let us not be hard-hearted. Let us not be rebellious. Let us bow down and serve our God, you know. The Word of God clearly tells us that every knee shall bow. Bow down to Almighty God. And what that means is this. It's true every single knee will bow. Those of God's people will bow down on this earth. Those who are not God's people will bow down at that great day of judgment. Everyone will bow the knee.

What a mercy if God gives us that grace to bow down before our God while on this earth and to acknowledge that our God is our Lord and our Master and that we desire to serve Him as such and to be found doing His will. Well, this is an important chapter really in the Word of God. It's not one which is referred to very often and yet it sets before us the wonderful covenant of the Saviour and His great love and mercy, and His instruction to the people in the day and age in which these words were written, but also down to the ages, and He has a gracious command to you and me today. And so may we take heed to them and recognize God's goodness and mercy in granting us such words of direction. Often we don't realize how good God is in giving us His word. From Genesis to Revelation, there's no wasted words in God's words. It's all there for your and my instruction and direction.

And to raise up the name of our God and produce in our heart that true desire to honour and glorify our God and to bow down and worship him. And so to recognise these words, so shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west and his glory from the rising of the sun, when the enemy shall come in like a flood. The spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. It's wonderful, isn't it, to have these shells.

We know that the Lord will bring these things about, but also he will bring about deliverance to his people, to his church, and therefore to bless God for it. And then that next verse, and the Redeemer. shall come to Zion. The blessed Saviour shall come to his church. He shall bless his people, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob saith the Lord.

Well may you and I be amongst those who truly desire to serve the Lord, to follow him and to do his will. Remember, following the Lord is not grievous, is joyous with the answer of good conscience. Yeah, we can sleep peacefully, realizing we're doing that which is right. And not then lie down with aggravation on our conscience, but bow down before our God and praise him from whom all blessings flow. Amen.

The Spirit of the Lord against the Enemy

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God hearing our prayers?

How do we know the Spirit of the Lord protects us?

Why is confession of sin important for Christians?

What does it mean that the Redeemer shall come to Zion?

Why should Christians fear the Lord?

Sermon Transcript

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The Spirit of the Lord against the Enemy

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God hearing our prayers?

How do we know the Spirit of the Lord protects us?

Why is confession of sin important for Christians?

What does it mean that the Redeemer shall come to Zion?

Why should Christians fear the Lord?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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