Isaiah chapter 48, and we'll
read from verse one. Hear ye this, O house of Jacob,
which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth
out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord,
and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor
in righteousness. For they call themselves of the
holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel. The Lord
of hosts is his name. I have declared the former things
from the beginning, and they went forth out of my mouth, and
I showed them. I did them suddenly, and they
came to pass. because I knew that thou art
obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass. I have even from the beginning
declared it to thee. Before it came to pass, I showed
it thee, lest thou shouldst say, Mine idol hath done them, and
my graven image, and my molten image hath commanded them. Thou
hast heard. See all this, and will not ye
declare it? I have showed thee new things
from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.
They are created now, and not from the beginning, even before
the day when thou heardest them not, lest thou shouldst say,
Behold, I knew them. Yea, thou heardest not, yea,
thou knewest not, yea, from that time thine ear was not opened,
for I knew that thou wouldst deal very treacherously, and
wast called a transgressor from the womb. For my name's sake
will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain
for thee, that I cut thee not off. Behold, I have refined thee,
but not with silver. I have chosen thee in the furnace
of affliction. For mine own sake, even for mine
own sake, will I do it. For how should my name be polluted? And I will not give my glory
to another. Hearken unto me, O Jacob, and
Israel my called. I am he. I am the first. I also am the last. Mine hand
also hath laid the fountain of the earth, and my right hand
hath spanned the heavens. When I call unto them, they stand
up together. All ye, assemble yourselves and
hear. Which among them hath declared
these things? The Lord hath loved him. He will
do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken, yea,
I have called him, I have brought him, and he shall make his way
prosperous. Come ye near unto me, hear ye
this, I have not spoken in secret from the beginning, from the
time that it was, there am I, and now the Lord God and his
Spirit hath sent me. Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel, I am the Lord thy God, which teacheth
thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldst
go. O that thou hadst hearkened to
my commandments! Then had thy peace been as a
river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. Thy
seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels
like the gravel thereof. His name should not have been
cut off nor destroyed from before me. Go ye forth of Babylon, flee
ye from the Chaldeans. With a voice of singing declare
ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth. Say
ye, the Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob. and they thirsted
not when he led them through the deserts. He caused the waters
to flow out of the rock for them. He claved the rock also, and
the waters gushed out. There is no peace, saith the
Lord, unto the wicked. Amen. May the Lord bless to us
this reading from his word. We have learned in these Old
Testament passages. Always to be ready to look beyond
the immediate context of the prophet's words and to search
the horizon as it were for the messianic dimensions that these
prophecies contain. To seek for signs of the coming
of the Lord Jesus and the things that he would accomplish. It would be another 700 years
before the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and the incarnation
of the Son of God. And yet as Isaiah wrote these
things and as he anticipated the events that would occur during
that period, we find that there are many indications granted
to us that there is an expectation built up in the hearts and minds
of the elect of God, of the remnant people. So that we are learning
to see Christ foreshadowed in these promises and prophecies
that Isaiah gave to the Old Testament Jews. We are learning to discern
God's dealings with the houses of Israel and Judah patterns
of his dealings with his people in all ages and particularly
in the Gospel Age. Now in doing this we're not dabbling
in guesswork or speculating beyond what we have any reason or justification
to do. Nor are we back reading into
these passages what we want to see. And our chapter today, I
suggest to you, is a prime example of this. Because here we find
Isaiah again speaking of Cyrus, who in a few hundred years from
the time that this was written, so there was still several centuries,
about 150 years or so, before this Babylonian captivity would
be coming to its end. Here we find Isaiah speaking
of Cyrus, who would deliver the Jews from captivity in Babylon
and yet Isaiah using names and language and employing terms
and terminology that go beyond a mere man and go beyond the
actions of an earthly deliverer. as great as Cyrus was as a king
and as significant for the Jews as this deliverance was. We discern,
however, that Isaiah is speaking here about divine intervention
with eternal implications. He's speaking about good news
of a transcendent nature. not simply for the people of
Judah or the people of Israel or the people of that region,
not simply to do with Jerusalem and Babylon, but of a worldwide
dimension. He is speaking not simply of
one city in a tiny country, but of a spiritual kingdom for a
people throughout the whole world and a people with a heavenly
destiny. And here we read of one who is
the first and the last. a known covenant title assumed
and taken by the Lord Jesus Christ in Revelation chapter 22 to show
us that what was here being spoken of by Isaiah in chapter 48 has
reference and relevance to the Lord Jesus Christ. in his saving
capacity and in his mediatorial role. He is the first and the
last. This was his name, and here we
discover also a reference to God describing himself as the
Lord thy Redeemer, which is once again an office peculiar to the
Lord Jesus Christ, who engaged in this covenant capacity with
his Father to be the Redeemer of his people, who came into
the world for that purpose. because he came to redeem, he
came to save his people from their sins, he came to be their
deliverer and did indeed succeed in doing so. He obtained redemption
by his death. so that the apostle Paul, speaking
of the work of Christ and his shed blood, says that Christ
has redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse
for us. For cursed is everyone that hangeth
upon a tree. It's from the book of Galatians. And it is when we see the Lord
Jesus Christ, in these prophecies, it is when we see and discern
him with the eye of faith and his deliverance and his salvation
typified in these promises of God to the Jews that the true
glory of Isaiah's message becomes apparent and its meaning comes
alive not only for one limited, restricted generation in Israel
in 700 or 500 BC, but for every child of God and every gospel
generation all the world over. Isaiah reminds this people, of
God's goodness and mercy and grace and patience. He reminds
them that it comes to them, not because they deserve it, but
in spite of their sin and their idolatry and their treachery
and their wickedness. He is preaching grace to a graceless
people. God calls these people transgressors
from the womb. You see, it's not just saying
that they had sinned against God, it is showing something
of their nature. It's a phrase implying not only
sinful acts, but our inherently sinful state. Our depraved nature. And yet nevertheless, the Lord
is telling these people that he has resolved to deliver this
people by redeeming them from captivity and sending them a
deliverer to restore them to their home in the person of Cyrus. And I think there's a two-fold
purpose here. I think there's an element to
this chapter that we've not entirely seen before, and I want to just
touch on that lightly as we pass over. Throughout these chapters,
we have seen how Isaiah's prophecies, his prophecy of redemption, was
designed to be a comfort to the remnant people who looked for
Christ. and yet who feared that God's
punishment of Israel would in some way revoke the promise of
the Messiah. There was a concern in the hearts
of the Lord's elect that because of the sin of the people, maybe
God would not fulfil his promises to send them a deliverer as had
been spoken of throughout the history of Israel. in the fulfilment
of the covenant promises. And so Isaiah, in telling the
people about impending judgment, was also sent with a message
of comfort. We read about that a few chapters
ago. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith your God. The glory of Israel shall be
revealed. Notwithstanding this judgment,
the glory of Israel shall be revealed and all flesh shall
see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. So
that the prophecy was designed to reassure God's elect. But there's another side to it
as well. The Lord also knew that in the hardness of treacherous
hearts, his glory, his delivering work would be discredited by
attributing it not to him, but to the idol gods of the unbelieving
Jews. Such was the treachery of this
people that they would say, well we knew this was going to happen
anyway because our gods told us about it. Because our idols,
they're the ones that sent Cyrus in order to deliver us from captivity
in Babylon. And they would give the credit
of God's delivering work to their own molten images. So to them, God is also speaking
in this passage and he is saying, I have even, it's in verse 5,
I have even from the beginning declared it. I'm telling you
this beforehand so that you will not be able to say, oh it was
our idols that told us. The record is written down in
the book. I have even from the beginning
declared it to thee, before it came to pass I showed it thee,
lest thou shouldst say, my idol hath done them, my graven image
and my molten image hath commanded them. Such is the perversity of sinful
men and women, that even God's goodness and mercy is distorted
and perverted in order to elevate man and denigrate God. And I want to make a little application
there because I think that is exactly what happens in so much
modern theology. and doctrine today. The scriptures
tell us that God has supplied a full and free salvation and
yet men take that deliverance of God, that great work of God's
effectual grace and omnipotent power and they misapply and misconstrue. They insist on their free will
to make it effective. Or again, despite the children
of Israel having had every conceivable advantage given to them over
many years, their rebellious nature remained unchanged. And what do we find in our modern
pulpits but preachers talking up common grace? But let us see that here we are
being taught that every good and every perfect gift comes
from God. Outward blessings. given by God
to men and women merely are used to pervert our own ideas and
give vent to our biased nature and to be applied to our own
wicked ends. If God is good to people, what
do they do? They take his goodness and they
pervert it and they satisfy their own lusts and their own desires
and they throw back in his face no gratitude. It is not common
grace but sovereign, saving, efficacious grace that we need
because that is the only grace that will change a sinful heart
and it is the grace that we absolutely require. Let us not fall into
the temptation of thinking that human nature is better than it
is. And that's not to say that all
men are as wicked as they could be. For reasons of conscience,
for reasons of law, not all men are as evil as they could be. Nevertheless, when it comes to
spiritual matters, men are dead, dead, dead in sin. They are transgressors
from the womb. And apart from saving grace,
they have no hope and are without God in the world. But Isaiah doesn't leave his
message there. Praise God there is hope in Jesus
Christ and Isaiah knew the gospel of God's grace and the message
of everlasting peace by a worthy redeemer. He tells us of Christ
the Messiah. He tells us of the child that
would be born, the son that would be given. He declares to us here
in this chapter the one who says of himself, I am the great I
am, from first to last, the covenant-making, covenant-keeping God. Verse 17 tells us that, and it's
a powerful verse. It says, thus saith the Lord
thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, I am the Lord thy God,
which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way
that thou shouldst go. Now this is a wonderful gospel
verse. We must not see this in the narrow
scope of Isaiah writing to an Iron Age people. This has a scope
which transcends the Gospel Age. It speaks of the Lord, our Redeemer. It speaks of the Lord, our righteousness
and justification. It speaks of the Lord, our teacher
and the Lord, our leader. who leads us in the way that
we should go. And all of these have Gospel
implications. These are verses full of Gospel
truth. Isaiah has lifted his eye beyond
Babylon, beyond Cyrus, to speak of an everlasting redemption
by the blood of a worthy substitute. It is God himself in the person
of his dear Son who is our Redeemer. It is Christ the Messiah who
came, who died, who rose again and who has ascended into heaven,
who is here in view. Remember Zacharias, we've been
reading about this in Luke chapter 1 and 2 over the past few weeks,
but Zacharias was looking back on the book of Isaiah when he
spoke prophetically again in the early chapters of Luke and
said, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited
and redeemed his people. He wasn't speaking about Cyrus,
he was speaking about Christ. Furthermore, John tells us that
the redeemed in heaven, they sing to Christ, thou wast slain
and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred
and tongue and people and nation. This is a worldwide view that
is now had in this gospel age of Christ's accomplishments.
And this redemption, it justifies unholy men and women. It clears, it cleanses, it purges,
it purifies sinful hearts and consciences. It reconciles God
to men by bringing in a righteousness that no human works could ever
attain. But there's more even than thinking
of Christ as our Redeemer. Not only does the Lord effect
this great atoning work of grace, but he teaches his people how
to profit by it and in it. And he leads us in the way that
we should go. Now what does that mean? Well
it means this, that Christ teaches us the gospel. Let it be said
and let it be categorically understood, the gospel is not something that
we do, it is something that we learn. The work of grace is a
covenant work settled in eternity between the persons of the Godhead
and transacted in time upon the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a finished work. But it
isn't a secret work. It's not a hidden work. In fact,
the Lord Jesus Christ in this chapter expressly states, So
what is the Lord saying here? Well, he's saying this. He's
saying, as is said in Hebrews 10 verse 7, Then said I, Lo,
I come, in the volume of the book it is written of me, to
do thy will, O God. The Lord Jesus Christ has done
everything that is needful for the redemption, the justification,
the sanctification, the reconciliation, the deliverance of his people
from their sin. He has done it all. It is a finished
work. And now, says Isaiah, he teaches
us what this means. That's why we call the Lord Jesus
Christ, or we recognise the Lord Jesus Christ as having a prophetic
office, just as Isaiah taught the people of the Lord in his
day. So the Lord Jesus Christ comes preaching the gospel of
the kingdom, prophetically declaring and revealing what has been done. He came to fulfil the terms of
the covenant of peace, to secure God's people and to redeem his
elect. And this accomplished, completed
work, he teaches to his people by the preaching of the word. That is what we are about here
today. We're not looking for responses,
we're not looking for reactions, we're not looking for hands,
we're not looking for us to do something in order to make something
effectual. We are here to dwell and meditate
upon what the Lord Jesus Christ has achieved and accomplished.
Paul says in Romans chapter 10 verse 17, faith cometh by hearing
and hearing by the word of God. It is this that is the means
by which the Lord reveals to his people and draws forth our
faith and trust in him. How beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings
of good things. So the Lord Jesus Christ is the
Redeemer, declared in this verse. He's the teacher, declared in
this verse. And he goes on, Isaiah goes on
to say that he is our leader. He leads us in the way that we
should go. We're still in verse 17. Some
people wish to be led by the law, but why go there when we
can be led by the Lord? He leads us as our good shepherd. He leadeth me beside the still
waters. He leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name's sake. And what does the Lord
say? He says in John's Gospel, my
sheep hear my voice. He calleth his own sheep by name
and he leadeth them out. Here is the Lord Jesus Christ
teaching us what he has done in the gospel and leading us
into his truth day by day in the preaching of the word. It
is the Lord that teaches and leads his own flock. He calls
us to come with the powerful command of effectual grace. He makes us willing in the day
of his power. He says, come unto me. all ye
that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He
says in verse 12 in this chapter, hearken unto me, O Jacob and
Israel, my called, my called people, my separated people. He says in verse 14, all ye,
assemble yourselves unto me and hear. The Lord doesn't just send
a preacher he gathers a congregation as well. And you and I are called
to be here under the sound of his word in order that we might
be taught and learn and led of the Lord Jesus Christ in the
gospel. Here's the last thing that I
want to say today. The Lord teaches us his gospel. and he leads us in the way that
we should go. And as he does so, he provides
for all our needs on the path we are called to walk. Verse
21 says, they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts. He caused the waters to flow
out of the rock for them. He claimed the rock also and
the waters gushed out. Isaiah's speaking about the experience
of the Lord's people in the wilderness in the day of Moses. But he's
drawing on these images, these pictures, these symbols, these
events to show that the Lord cares for his people. And I want
us to know that. Not only has the Lord accomplished
our salvation, not only does he teach us it in the gospel
and lead us in our daily lives to understand and see his hand
in our lives, but he provides for us at every stage in that
process. And he is doing that for you
and me as we lean on him, as we trust in him, as we depend
on him, we find these things to be so. That people were doomed
to die in the desert had he not supplied them with the refreshing
waters from the rock. They were doomed to starve if
he had not supplied the manna and the quails. But he did, and
as he provided then, so he will provide for our needs now, whatever
they may be. And I know we've got supermarkets
these days and we don't have to find our bread lying on the
ground in the morning. But he will provide nevertheless.
As we have needs, the Lord will provide. As he provided in the
wilderness until they reached the promised land, so he shall
provide for us until we make our way through this wilderness
world. And I know that it's hard to
believe because our faith is weak. there's not a blessing
or a trial, not a joy or a sorrow, not a good experience or a bad
one that the Lord does not use to teach us His way and the path
that we should walk. Everything that happens to us
in our life, in our walk, in our learning is for our good. Mark my word, If the Lord has
begun that good work in us, he will perform it until the day
of Jesus Christ. He says in verse 15 here, I have
called him, I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous. The redeemed of God find peace
with God. We speak of the covenant of grace. Well, it's the covenant of peace
as well. Peace with God is our inheritance
in Christ. Atonement and reconciliation
are the great accomplishments of the cross. Our peace is as
a river, full flowing, plenteous, continuous and refreshing. All
our righteousness is by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and
all our peace is as deep and wide as the sea. These things
the Lord has promised to do for us, not because we deserve them,
but for his own glory, for his own honour, for his own namesake. He can no sooner fail us, his
elect, than he can deny himself. And so, like pilgrims heading
to the holy city, We sing the song of the Lord. We sing the
song of the redeemed. And the song of the elect is
a song full and free of the salvation. Once given, never withdrawn,
never lost. The Lord will supply all our
needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. The
Holy One has redeemed His people. He leads us forth from captivity
in a bountiful supply. Out of the rock that is Christ
flows cleansing blood, transforming grace, perfect righteousness,
full, free salvation and every good and perfect gift for life
and in death and for all eternity. and that's worth singing about. May the Lord bless these thoughts
to us. Amen.