Isaiah chapter 25, and reading
from verse one. O Lord, thou art my God. I will exalt thee, I will praise
thy name, for thou hast done wonderful things. Thy counsels
of old are faithfulness and truth. For thou hast made of a city
an heap, of a defenced city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no
city, it shall never be built. Therefore shall the strong people
glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee,
For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the
needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from
the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against
the wall. Thou shalt bring down the noise
of strangers as the heat in a dry place, even the heat with the
shadow of a cloud, the branch of the terrible ones shall be
brought low. And in this mountain shall the
Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast
of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines
on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain
the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil
that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory,
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces. And the rebuke of his people
shall he take away from off all the earth, for the Lord hath
spoken it. And it shall be said in that
day, Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will
save us. This is the Lord, we have waited
for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. For
in this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest, and Moab shall
be trodden down under him, even a straw is trodden down for the
dunghill. And he shall spread forth his
hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth
his hands to swim. And he shall bring down their
pride together with the spoils of their hands. And the fortress
of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low,
and bring to the ground. even to the dust. Amen. May the Lord bless to us this
reading from his word. One of the main blessings of
truly understanding sovereign grace is glimpsing the eternal nature
of God's saving purpose for His elect. It is realizing that this
salvation that we have graciously received is an eternal salvation. It is understanding that God's covenant love for
his chosen people is an everlasting love. And that realisation humbles
our pride as it elevates our worship of Jehovah. And that's good. That's how it
should be. The more we learn of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the more we learn of this great salvation, the
less we should think of ourselves and the more we should cherish
our Saviour. Finding the true source of our
blessedness in Christ draws from us heartfelt gratitude and teaches
us in the midst of our troubles where to find help and comfort
in God's divine mercy. When we can see the eternal dimensions
of our salvation, the troubles of the moment, the troubles of
the day, the troubles of our life, pale in comparison, the
magnitude of our salvation swamps the littleness of our problems. Though from a natural perspective,
those problems may seem large, in comparison to what the Lord
has done for us, we are enabled to endure and to overcome. In hearing the good news of full
and free salvation, our souls are blessed and our spiritual
understanding is opened. That is why the Gospel, the frequent
hearing of the Gospel, is to be our desire. Isaiah knew this. He was not here prophesying peace
to the enemies of Christ. He was comforting God's battered
and weary remnant people by rehearsing and repeating the blessings that
the Lord has in store for them. And while he wrote these things
hundreds of years, centuries before the coming of the Lord
Jesus Christ, which now is so many years behind our everyday
experience, nevertheless, Isaiah understood that every generation
would benefit from knowing the Lord's provision for us in our
time of trouble. despite all our hardships, despite
all the trials that we must endure. Therefore Isaiah was a true gospel
preacher and a faithful minister to God's elect in matters of
grace and peace. Isaiah opens up this chapter. with a personal profession of
his own faith in God. He says, O Lord, thou art my
God. And how blessed we are, brothers
and sisters, how blessed we are amongst all the men and women,
boys and girls in this world, if we can make this testimony
with Isaiah, if we are able to say, thou art my God. Oh, to be numbered amongst the
elect of God. If by grace we have been brought
to God by faith in Christ, then we too can say with Isaiah, O
Lord thou art my God. My God to be exalted. My God to be praised. God who has done wonderful things. And our God has done wonderful
things. He has done wonderful things
in creation and wonderful things in providence. He has demonstrated
His power and His glory in the works of His hands. He continues to uphold those
things that He has created. But the greatest wonder, the
most glorious wonder is in the redemption and atonement and
reconciliation and regeneration of his people. These are the
wonders that thrill our souls. These are the wonders of God's
saving purpose. And these have been displayed
to us in the gospel. These are the wonders of our
God. And in discerning these wonders,
Isaiah says, these are the great accomplishments of grace. bound
up in God's eternal counsels of old, bound up in the everlasting
decrees of love and mercy and grace and the settled purpose
of God to do good to his people, that we might see his great faithfulness
and the glories of Christ his beloved Son. The eternal counsels
bring eternal comfort. Look at verse 4. For thou hast
been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in distress,
a refuge from the storm. Brothers and sisters, do you
see Christ in Isaiah's description here, of this one who is strong
to save the poor and the needy? And do you see yourself as poor
and needy? Do you see the saviour in Isaiah's
reference to be one who is suitable for your need? The one who supplies
a refuge from the storm of sinful passions? Who casts a shade from
the heat of condemning law? It is Christ who is before us
here in this passage. It is Christ who is writ large
in this chapter. And therefore Christ who is the
theme of Isaiah's song of praise. The title of today's sermon is
In This Mountain. And Isaiah makes a reference
to that little phrase, in this mountain, three times. And he
tells us something on each occasion about what the Lord has provided
for his people in this mountain. And we're going to speak about
gospel blessings today. The gospel blessings that the
Lord has promised to his people the church of God, which he hath
purchased with his own blood. Now, I hope you've had an opportunity
to read the little introduction from yesterday, but we saw in
that introduction how the Lord's mountain or Mount Zion in scripture
is often symbolic of the church, typical of the church. So that
when the psalmist says, for example, in Psalm 74 verse 2, remember
thy congregation which thou hast purchased of old. Remember, the
Lord Jesus Christ was as a lamb slain from before the foundation
of the world, that we were purchased of old in the eternal decrees
of God. So the psalmist says, remember
thy congregation which thou hast purchased of old, the rod of
thine inheritance which thou hast redeemed. And then he tells
us who they are, this Mount Zion. wherein thou hast dwelt. Or the Lord Jesus Christ himself
speaking of a city set on a hill. He's not speaking about a hilltop
fortress in Jerusalem or even about the Jewish nation, but
spiritually applied, he is talking about the church of Jesus Christ.
And so Peter, the apostle, identifies Zion as the church. Behold, I lay in Zion a chief
cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him
shall not be confounded. Who is this? It is the church
of Jesus Christ, brought to faith in Christ. And John, the apostle,
adds, lo, a lamb stood on Mount Zion. and with him a hundred
and forty, a hundred forty and four thousand, having the Father's
name written in their foreheads. And this has always been understood
by the Church of Jesus Christ, so that John Newton could write
in his famous hymn, Glorious things of thee are spoken, Zion,
city of our God, Mount Zion, the mountain of the Lord, is
representative of the church of Jesus Christ. And when Isaiah's
prophecy speaks of promised blessings that the Lord bestows on his
people, the church, who trust in Christ, he is speaking of
the church that the Lord Jesus Christ is gathering to himself
in every age. These are a people who shall
not be confounded in believing. And Isaiah gives us three gospel
promises that the Lord will perform in this mountain. Three gospel
promises which God gives to his people who are built upon Christ,
the chief cornerstone. And here's the first one. Isaiah
says, in this mountain, the Lord God will supply a table fitly
spread. God promises gospel blessings
to feed the souls of his people and to nourish our spirits. Gospel blessings that will refresh
and strengthen our witness. Just as Joshua was commanded
to read morning and night the law of God, so the Lord's people
find in the gospel, in the scriptures, strengthening for our souls. These blessings are likened to
a feast of good things. Isaiah calls them a feast of
fat things, a feast of wines on the lees. Now, nowadays We
speak negatively about fat. We've always got to be careful
about the amount of fat that we consume. But historically,
fatness was a blessing. And so when we speak about marrow,
when we speak about fat things, when we speak about a feast of
fat things, it's to do with plenty. It's to do with opulence. It's
to do with vast provision. And when we speak of a feast
of wines on the lees, wine is left on the lees to enhance its
flavour, to enlarge its aroma, deepen its colour and strengthen
its body. It's as though Isaiah here is
striving to supply a sense of lavishness and fulsomeness and
generosity in describing God's goodness to his people. Remember
what David said in that beautiful Psalm 23. He says, thou preparest
a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. And he goes
on, my cup runneth over. It wasn't just that the Lord
filled David's cup in the presence of his enemies. It wasn't just
that he provided a table in the presence of his enemies. It was
a feast of fat things and a feast of wines on the lees. my cup
runneth over. Isaiah says, despite all the
challenges, all the troubles that we shall face in this life,
all the opposition from the world that the Lord's people will endure,
nevertheless, we shall sit at a table fitly spread with gracious
gospel blessings. We shall not go hungry for spiritual
food. goodness and mercy shall follow
me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of
the Lord forever. I will dwell on the mountain,
I will dwell in his church and I will feast at the table of
good things fitly spread that he has provided. Let us be specific. When the Lord creates a hunger
and a thirst after righteousness in His people, He will send us
to Christ for satisfaction. He will send us to the Gospel. He will send the Gospel to us
and He will satisfy our souls with grace and peace. to the satisfaction of that hunger
and thirst after righteousness. When we cry, as Isaiah cried
in chapter 24, my leanness, my leanness, woe unto me. Paul says, my God shall supply
all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. When we feel like this world
is a wilderness and barren and bereft of comfort, Isaiah reminds us The Lord shall guide thee continually,
and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones, and thou
shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose
waters fail not. A spring of water whose waters
fail not. In a wilderness, in a desert
place, in a barren place. Do you see what Isaiah is saying? The church of Jesus Christ may
not appear strong or rich or numerous or powerful but God has promised not only
to save his people and bring us into his church but once in
its walls, within its walls, to bless us with all spiritual
blessings and to equip us with grace sufficient to meet the
need of the service he calls us to. Our God will feed us. So that is the first thing that
the Lord promises to do in the mountain. He will provide a table
fitly spread. The second thing that we learn
is that in this mountain, the Lord God will provide a veil
removed. A veil taken away. This is another feature of the
Church of God. It is the feature of light and
illumination. that comes upon our eyes, that
comes upon our soul when the Lord destroys the covering cast
over all people and the veil that is spread over all nations. This is the lifting of spiritual
ignorance that God effects by the power of the Holy Spirit
in these Gospel days. Spiritual blindness and natural
opposition against God is removed by God. It is a feature of bringing
his people into his mountain. In this mountain, says the Lord,
I will remove the veil that is over your soul and is over your
eyes. The veil in the temple that was
rent in two at Jesus' death spoke of the opening by his death. of a new and living way for sinners
into the presence of God's holiness. That the symbolism of that event
in the temple that took place at the very moment of the death
of the Lord Jesus Christ is beautiful. And here is Isaiah, hundreds
of years before the coming of Christ, attesting the very same
thing. This is the new and living way.
of bringing sinners into an awareness of God's holiness. The veil is
lifted, the effect of our sin, the darkness which comes in fallen
nature is removed that we might see the Lord clearly. The lifting of the veil here
speaks of this new birth, and of spiritual eyes opened to see
the way of life by Christ's death. Why do I trust the Lord and another person doesn't? Is
it because I'm smarter than that other person? Am I more thoughtful
Or am I more attentive to these important eternal matters? Is it because I've applied myself
more that I understand these spiritual things? Not at all. It is God's grace to you and
to me lifting that veil, removing that veil from off our eyes. It is merely that your eyes are
opened and another's are not. You see, it's all of grace. It's
God's work. It is sovereign grace. The veil
is not merely removed. Isaiah tells us it's destroyed. Once saved, always saved. Once
seen Christ, we can never lose the efficacy of that vision,
that view, that salvation that is found in Christ. That veil
is destroyed. The Lord has taken that blindness,
that sin, which is our darkness, our blindness, and he has destroyed
it. He has carried it away. He has
put it on that scapegoat and sent it to the wilderness. He
has put it on Christ's shoulders and he has dealt with it in our
Saviour. To open our eyes, Christ has
taken away our sin. Paul says in Romans chapter 6
verse 6, knowing this, Knowing this, that our old man is crucified
with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed. God says,
I will destroy the veil that is over their heart. The body
of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve
sin. And in this mountain, we do not
serve sin. It doesn't mean that we are sinless,
but we are under new management. The old manager hasn't just been
displaced, he's been destroyed. And let me make an application
on this because I know that this is something that is a distress
to the Lord's people. Here's a little blessing for
all of us who have loved ones who are yet outside of Christ.
So therefore it is for all of us. This promise of destroying the
veil and opening the eyes extends to the veil that is spread over
all nations. It doesn't matter where our loved
one runs to. If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, yet thou art there. If this promise covers all nations,
then it covers all states. If it covers all states, it covers
all cities. It extends to, we were reading
in Revelation chapter five, it extends to every nation, kindred,
tongue, and people, because as the people there sang to the
Lord, thou hast redeemed us out of every nation, kindred, tongue,
and people. Not one of the redeemed of the
Lord will ever outrun the Holy Spirit. When the time of love
comes, he will destroy the veil and bring his elect into the
mountain of holiness. And so the Lord will provide
a table thickly spread. In this mountain, the Lord will
take away and destroy that veil of sin and blindness that we
might see Christ. And thirdly, in this mountain,
we learn I will humble your enemies. Moab shall be trodden down under
him and he shall bring down their pride. Moab was a strong nation
in the days of Israel and Isaiah and they are representative of
all the enemies of God's remnant people in all ages. We have many
enemies. Sin is an enemy. Satan is an
enemy. Death is called our last enemy. The saviour in his death defeated
all our enemies and it is absolutely certain and it is absolutely
sure that all will be saved for whom Christ died and not one
will be lost because he has defeated all our foes. None of our foes
can rise up again and recapture us. It's a victory already won. And yet, this is an interesting
element of that truth. In God's wise purpose, the Lord
will have his people yet witness and experience not only their
eternal salvation, but their deliverance in time. from all
opposition inflicted by the world, the flesh and the spirit that
now worketh in the children of disobedience. The victory accomplished on the
cross will be confirmed and corroborated by the humbling of the Lord's
enemies and ours in this world also. Now I hope you grasp the
point that I'm making here. What I'm saying is the Lord hasn't
promised us everlasting victory or eternal happiness and yet
brought upon us destruction and defeat in this world. The Lord
will give us victory in this world also. Paul says, Dearly
beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath. For it is written, Vengeance
is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. All these woes that
Isaiah has been writing about, all these woes upon Assyria and
Babylon and Tyre and all the nations, This is the destruction
of the enemies of God in time. Yes, they are symbolical of that
great work upon the cross, but they are also the testimony that
God will destroy his enemies in time. Men shake their fists
at God. Women rise up and disparage the
testimony of Christ. The people of this world, the
nations of this world mock and ridicule the testimony of the
Gospel. And what happens? Every single
one is silenced and brought down to the grave. Down to the dust,
as Isaiah tells us in the final few words of this chapter. Our
God is jealous for the well-being of his people and the honour
of our testimony as well as his testimony here upon earth. And we do not act vindictively
in our own defence. Nevertheless, no one can touch
the apple of Christ's eye or harm a hair on the head of Christ's
bride. In verse one, Isaiah tells the
Lord, I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name. How is it that weak, sinful,
oft times conflicted men and women and boys and girls ever
begin to exalt the Lord. How is that possible that we
can exalt the Lord? What can we bring to lift up
the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords? Simply this, when we gratefully
receive and acknowledge that all of our blessings flow from
God, When we attribute every grace to God the Father, God
the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, we exalt the Lord by saying thank
you and by resting in his grace and in his goodness. We eat at
his table, unhindered by blindness, perfect in peace. These three
provisions are God's promises to his church in this mountain. The Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit have undertaken to supply our every need at a table fitly
spread. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit
remove the veil of unbelief and give us faith to trust in Christ
for salvation. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit
promise to defend and protect and secure and deliver the people
of choice, the remnant people, the elect of God from all their
enemies in time and for eternity. Let me just close by drawing
your attention quickly to verse 8 and verse 9. It says, These
are precious words, are they not? We are all getting older.
Some of us are very old. and some of us are increasingly
frail. There comes a time when our bodies
begin to break down. A time when this flesh gives
way to decay and to disease. There comes a time when our mind
becomes feeble and tired. And we can't even remember the
lessons that we have been taught and the gospel that we have received
down through the years. There comes a time when even
these things, perhaps, in our senility, in our dementia, will
be taken from us. were not all like Moses of whom
it was said, his eye was not dim nor his natural force abated. The men and women of this world
grow old and frail and full of trouble. They spend their last
years, their last months, waiting to die without hope in the world
and without hope for eternity. The Lord's elect also get old
and frail and full of trouble in mind and body. But there is
a major difference, a major difference, because the Lord's people are
not wearily waiting for death. Instead, we are joyfully awaiting
our salvation. We are joyfully awaiting salvation
by Christ, and this is what Isaiah says. And it shall be said in
that day, Lo, this is our God. We have waited for him, and he
will save us. This is the Lord. We have waited
for him. and we will be glad and rejoice
in his salvation. 700 years before the birth of
Christ, Isaiah wrote of him and said, he will swallow up death
in victory. The Lord God will wipe away tears
from all faces. and the rebuke of his people
shall he take away from off all the earth. For the Lord hath
spoken it, and it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our
God. We have waited for him, and he
shall save us. This is the Lord, we have waited
for him. We will be glad and rejoice in
his salvation. He will swallow up death in victory. and the Lord God will wipe away
tears from off all faces. What a blessed expectation. Amen.