Here are two things God will
do. You can be sure God will do these
two things. God will punish all his enemies
and God will be merciful to his elect. He will execute his wrath
upon the ungodly. He will save his people. Judgment
is God's strange work, but be sure you understand it is God's
work. God must and will punish sin. and he will be gracious. He delighteth
in mercy, the prophet tells us. Because he delighteth in mercy,
he will have compassion upon us. He will subdue our iniquities
and cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. I sometimes
hear men say, God may be merciful, but it has to be just. That's
not really true. God must be just because justice
and judgment are the habitation of his throne. Justice is his
attribute. Without justice, he would not
be God. And God must be merciful because
mercy is his attribute. Without mercy, he would not be
God. Mercy is as much an attribute
of his being as his justice. If he were not merciful, he would
not be the eternal Jehovah. Justice and mercy, both are essential
to God's character and being. Indeed, when Moses asked if he
could see his glory, the Lord God passed by and showed him
these things about his character, his justice and his mercy. He forgives iniquity, transgression,
and sin. And He will by no means clear
the guilty. God will be just and righteous
and true in the exercise of His wrath. And God will be just,
righteous, and true in the exercise of His mercy. He will not bend. He will not violate His law. Not for anything. Not for anyone. Open your Bibles with me to Isaiah
chapter 1. I want to talk to you about these two things God
will do as the set before us in Isaiah 1 verses 21 through
31. God will execute judgment upon
the wicked and he will exercise mercy toward his elect. That's
the message of Isaiah 1, 21 through 31. How is the faithful city
becoming Harlem? It was full of judgment, righteousness
lodged in it, but now murderers. Thy silver has become dross.
Thy wine mixed with water. Thy princes are rebellious and
companions of thieves. Everyone loveth gifts. They all
take a bribe and followeth after rewards. They judge not the fatherless,
neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. Therefore
saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty one of Israel, I will
ease me of my adversaries and avenge me of my enemies. And I will turn my hand upon
thee and purely purge away thy dross and take away all thy tin. And I will restore thy judges
as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning. Afterward,
thou shalt be called the city of righteousness, the faithful
city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment,
and her converts with righteousness. And the destruction of the transgressors
and of the sinners shall be together. And they that forsake the Lord
shall be consumed. For they shall be ashamed of
the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for
the gardens that ye have chosen. For ye shall be as an oak whose
leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water, and the strong
shall be as toe, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall
both burn together, and none shall quench them. Now in this
portion of scripture, we see both the justice of God in punishing
sin and the mercy of God in forgiving sin. The Lord God has promised
mercy to every sinner who seeks his mercy. He says, your sins
shall be as white as snow. He promises mercy to every sinner
who seeks his mercy. If you seek the mercy of God
in Christ, you will have God's mercy. And he has threatened
wrath upon the stubborn, rebellious, self-righteous men and women
who refuse to acknowledge their guilt and refuse to seek his
mercy in Christ Jesus. In this text, we see how and
why God executes his wrath and how God exercises his mercy toward
his elect. Here, the prophet of God shows
us these four things. In verses 21 through 24, his
wrath against apostate religion. In verse 25, he shows us the
faithfulness of God toward his elect. In verses 26 through 30,
we see the method of God's gracious operations toward his people.
And then in verse 31, the basis of everlasting judgment. First,
Isaiah shows us the wrath of God against apostate religion. Now, there's no question as to
what these verses of Scripture refer to, verses 21 through 24. The verses give this, have this
historic significance. In Isaiah's day, Jerusalem, which
had been faithful in the worship of God since the days of David,
From the time of David until Isaiah's day, Jerusalem had been
the faithful city. But now that faithful city had
fallen into spiritual adultery. They retained the ceremonies
and the sacrifices and the laws of outward worship prescribed
by God in his word. But they mingled the worship
of God with the worship of idols. They departed from the worship
of God, though they maintained and pretended to be worshiping
in his name and for his honor. The faithful city had become
a spiritual harlot. The faithful city, the professed
church of God, had become a Babylonian whore. Prophetically, this portion
of Holy Scripture refers to the age in which we live. When our
Lord Jesus walked upon this earth, Judaism was spiritually bankrupt. The scribes, the Pharisees and
the Sadducees, all the religious leaders of the day, had so corrupted
the word and ordinances of divine worship that the Lord God called
that generation a wicked and adulterous generation repeatedly
while he walked on this earth. The scribes were the intellectuals.
The Pharisees were the fundamentalists, and the Sadducees were the liberals
of the church in that day. They had their differences. They
didn't get along with each other. Like the professed church today,
the intellectuals, the fundamentalists, and the liberals fought like
cats and dogs, but they all believed essentially the same thing. I
can't stress this sufficiently. I can't state it too plainly.
The liberals and the conservatives and the fundamentalists fight
like cats and dogs. They fight like cats and dogs,
but essentially, they all believe the same thing. And if you read
about or keep up with their squabbles, you'll find out that they always
squabble about nothing. They always squabble about nothing.
Years ago, During one of the Southern Baptist Convention meetings,
I forgot which one it was, I got a call from the local newspaper.
It was such a debate. Oh, they were having a squabble.
I mean, they were having a squabble. The conservative folks were all
upset because they were thinking about ordaining female deacons
and female preachers. And, man, they didn't want it.
And the liberals were all for it. And I guess somebody told
them I was one of those southern badgers the newspaper reporter
called me. I said, the squabble's about nothing. These folks trample
underfoot the blood of Christ and do despite to the spirit
of grace and despise the character of God. Let them fight about
women preachers all they want to. It amounts to nothing. It
amounts to nothing. They act like they do. in the
pretense of conviction, in the pretense of honoring God and
have no intent of doing so. That's the way it was in our
Lord's day, that's the way it was in Isaiah's day, and that's
the way it is in our day. They're all will-worship idolaters. They're all apostate teachers
of freewill works religion, having departed from the faith of the
gospel. when our Lord Jesus came preaching
divine sovereignty, substitutionary atonement, and free grace salvation,
when our Savior came preaching God holy and sovereign, man corrupt
and helpless and salvation free, the scribes, the Pharisees, and
the Sadducees all joined together and said, let's kill him. Let's
rid the earth of his name and let's put away all who profess
his name Because the Jews despised God's truth despised God's Son
despised his grace God literally Destroyed the Jewish nation.
He destroyed the nation forever. I He destroyed the nation forever. What we have today in what folks
call the Eternal City of Jerusalem, and folks refer to as the Jewish
nation. It is a Jewish nation, but it
is not the same as what we have before us here in the Old Testament
Scriptures. God leveled the city of Jerusalem
to the ground in 70 AD, scattered the Jews to the four winds and
fixed it so that no Jew on the earth knows his pedigree. It
can't be traced. It can't be traced. God destroyed
the nation and he forsook them in darkness and in judgment.
He sent blindness to the nation. He sent blindness to the nation.
Someone said something to me this morning, said, I don't see
how anybody can't see what you were saying. And I responded,
when God gives light, he gives light. And when God sends darkness,
God sends darkness. When God gives light, you see.
And when God sends darkness, you can't see. If the light is
shining brightly in your face, you can't see when God sends
darkness. God destroyed the Jewish nation
because of their unbelief. Because they had for 2,000 years,
for 2,000 years, God sent them His Word and sent it to them
alone. Gave them His worship and gave
it to them alone. He sent His prophets to them
alone and they despised His Word. trampled underfoot the blood
of the covenant despised the spirit of grace and said we will
not Worship God on these terms. We won't do it and the Lord God
Almighty took away the light he had given them and left them
in darkness, the darkness of religious darkness and superstition,
and sought for himself a people from among the Gentiles. Our
Lord Jesus said to the children of Israel, your house is left
unto you desolate. Now these three things must be
learned from the history of apostate Israel. God's judgment fell upon
Israel because of their willful unbelief. Because of unbelief,
Paul tells us in Romans 11 20, they were cut off. God sent his
word and they would not hear and they would not see. They
said, no, we won't believe what God says. Second, Israel's unbelief. did not in any way frustrate,
alter, or change the purpose of God. It was all a part of
God's everlasting purpose of grace to gather his elect, his
true Israel, from among the Gentiles as well as the Jews. And third,
learn this, learn this. Any who forsake the word of God
and the worship of God, Any who forsake the Word of God and the
worship of God, like Israel, will be forever forsaken and
destroyed of God. You have the rare privilege in
this world of having God's Word presented to you with plainness,
with clarity, with unmistakable decisiveness. And you've had
it that way all these years. If you choose to abandon it individually
or collectively, you will bring upon yourself the wrath and judgment
of God. Listen to Peter. No, don't listen
to it. Turn over there. Second Peter chapter two. Hold
your hands in Isaiah. Second Peter chapter two. I want
you to read it. Hear what God says. Any who forsake the Word of God
and the worship of God, like Israel, shall be forsaken of
God and destroyed by God. 2 Peter 2, verse 20. For if, after they have escaped
the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome,
the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For
it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness,
not to have ever known the way of righteousness, than after
they've known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered
unto them. But it has happened to them, according to the true proverb,
the dog is returned to his own vomit again. And the sow that
was washed, to her wallowing in the mire. Now understand this,
no true believer can ever forsake God or will ever be forsaken
of God. Jeremiah 32 states that plainly. But there are multitudes who
walk in the path of truth for a while who then depart from
it. And those who depart from the
word of God and the worship of the living God shall be marked
by God for everlasting destruction. This is a very common thing.
A year or so ago, a young man led some rebellion against a
faithful pastor, a congregation very dear to me, and because
of some slight disagreement with the pastor concerning God's decrees. Just, you're not strong enough. Oh, no, you need to say it like
this. Today. He's got a fella in his house
preaching for him who doesn't believe anything. Doesn't believe anything. And
he's upset because his pastor wasn't quiet as strong as he
thought he ought to be. Men who abandon God and his worship
shall be abandoned of God like a dog to his own vomit and a
salve that will wash to a wallowing in the mire. Isaiah shows us
four characteristics of apostate religion in verses 21 through
24. These four things always characterize
apostate religious systems and practices. In every age and in
every place, false religion is always the same. Babylon never
changes. She wears different names, and
she wears different religious costumes, and plays different
religious games, but she never changes. It's always these four
things that characterize apostate religion. Look at verse 21. Apostate
religion has its origin in true religion. How is the faithful
city becoming harlot? It was full of judgment, righteousness
lodged in it, but now murderers. Cain, the first apostate, learned
how to worship God just like his brother Abel from their father
Adam. The difference between Cain and
Abel is just this. Cain rebelled against God's revelation,
the gospel of his grace. Abel bowed to it. Cain perverted
the gospel. Abel preserved it. Cain became
apostate. Abel died in the faith. All the
various forms of freewill works religion, parading through the
earth through the ages of time in the name of Christ, carry
varying degrees of apostasy from the gospel of Christ. Read 2
Thessalonians 2. Just read it. God sends them
a strong delusion that they should believe a lie because they receive
not the love of the truth. Read religious creeds. Maybe I shouldn't refer to Southern
Baptist Convention again, but we're not just in the Bible Belt,
we're in the buckle. And we've got Baptists all over the place,
all over the place. Go get their Confession of Faith.
Just get you a copy of it. Get a copy of it and find me
something wrong with it. Find me something wrong with
it. Now, it's not stated as clearly as I want to state things, but
not anything in it I'd disagree with. Not anything in it I'd
get upset with. And then find me somebody in
the convention that preaches it. Why not? Because having had light, they
willfully depart from the light. Jerusalem was once a faithful
city, but she became a harlot. She once produced just and righteous
men. But when she forsook God, she
brought forth murderers. When God forsakes anyone, it
is because they forsake God. Second, apostate religion always
retains a measure of truth. It always retains a measure of
truth. It always holds to a deadly mixture
of truth and error. Look at verse 22. Thy silver
is become dross, thy wine mixed with water. John Gill says this
is what the text is saying. The word of God, which is as
silver purified seven times, was now corrupted with thoughts,
glosses, and human traditions, which were as dross. The wine
of the gospel is mixed with the water of free will. Dross shines
like silver, but it's worthless. And wine mixed with water still
looks like wine, but it's tasteless and useless. No false prophet,
no false prophet comes shouting from the rooftop. I hate the
grace of God and the blood of Christ and the work of the spirit.
I've never heard one say such. I've never heard one say such.
But they mix the grace of God with the works of men. And they
mix the blood of Christ with the merit of men. And they mix
the work of God, the Holy Spirit with the will of men. And the
result of this mixture is a damning, a damning, a damning false doctrine. It is the denial that Jesus is
the Christ. Denying that Jesus of Nazareth
actually accomplished all that God in His Word declared that
Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, would accomplish. In Galatians
chapter 1, the Apostle Paul says, if any man come, and preach any
other gospel unto you than that which I have preached unto you."
Pray for that dear brother, he needs more light. Is that what
it says? Is that what it says? He said,
if any man come and preach any other gospel unto you than that
which I have preached unto you, let him be damned. Wow! Oh, Fortner, you're so hard. I didn't write that, I just quoted
it. You find it in Galatians chapter 1. If you be circumcised,
if you do something by which to get God's favor, to retain
God's favor, to improve your standing in God's favor, whatever
it is, Christ profits you nothing. That's the language of Holy Scripture.
And third, look at verse 23. The preachers and religious leaders
of apostate religion are what they are because they're selfish,
self-serving thieves. Now, Brother Don, that's just
too hard. Let's see. Verse 23, thy princes are rebellious
and companions of thieves. You can buy them off real cheap.
That's exactly what the next words mean. Everyone loveth gifts,
and followeth after rewards. They judge not the fatherless,
neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. Oh, they
talk about the glory of God, and the will of God, and the
souls of men, and missions, and evangelism, and doing good, and
education, and hospitals. They talk about all of it. But
they're motivated by greed, ruled by ambition. driven by the rewards
of money, power, position, recognition, and success. That's what the
prophet of God tells us here. Listen to God's word. The prophets
prophesy falsely. The priest bear rule by their
means, and my people love to have it so. Behold, the word
of the Lord is unto them a reproach, They had no delight in it. For
from the least of them, even to the greatest of them, everyone
is given to covetousness. And from the prophet, even unto
the priest, everyone dealeth falsely. I've told you this before,
but it'll be a repetition. I don't have my wallet with me. First time I preached for Brother
Gary Perkins down in Buck Mountain, Tennessee. There were a lot of
preachers who came from the area. And at the service, we had some
refreshments. One of the preachers sitting
across the table from me, he said, he said, I'd give anything
if I could preach in my church like you do. I said, do what? He said, I'd give anything if
I could preach like you do in my church. I said, you mean you
don't? Oh, no, I couldn't do that. I
said, you want me to tell you why? And he looked a little puzzled. He said, why? And I reached in
my pocket and pulled out my wallet, and I said, that's the reason
why. Now, I don't care what you say.
I don't care what you pretend. The only reason you don't preach
the truth is because you can be bought off. Does that apply to all preachers
who don't preach the truth? It applies to all of them. Well,
don't you think they're sincere? No. No, I don't think so because
God says otherwise and my thinking doesn't matter and your thinking
doesn't matter. Fourth, look at verse 24. Apostate
religion is always the object of God's most fierce anger and
most fierce wrath. We think about the porno shops
and the strip joints and the road houses and the abortion
clinics and all that. Oh, these are horrible, horrible
things. These things are always the result
of apostate religion, always. The problem is the religion of
the land. The problem is the religion of
the land. Therefore saith the Lord, the
Lord of hosts, the mighty one of Israel, Ah, I will ease me
of mine adversaries and avenge me of my enemies. That sounds
strange to me. That sounds strange to me. Judgment
is God's strange work, Isaiah tells us. Throughout the scriptures,
we see God as one who's slow to anger and has no pleasure
in the death of the wicked. But here, he speaks of comforting
himself, of easing himself by the destruction of those who
have perverted the truth. Free will works religion. He's
the adversary and the enemy of God Almighty. He robs God of
his glory. It makes a mockery of Jesus Christ
and his atonement. It tramples underfoot the blood
of Christ, making it a common unholy thing. It despises the
spirit of grace and destroys the souls of men. And God is the adversary and
the enemy of free will works religion. He will at his own
appointed time rid the world of Antichrist and its religion.
But blessed be his name in wrath, he remembers mercy. He will not
allow one of his elect remnant to be destroyed by Antichrist
and his religion. Our God speaks of the last days
and says the deception of these days, the darkness of these days
is so great that if it were possible It would deceive the very elect,
but blessed be God, his elect cannot be deceived. All right,
second, look at verse 25. Isaiah declares to us the faithfulness
of God toward his elect. God will intervene and save his
elect. There is a remnant sealed and
preserved by God, whom he will save. Look what he promises to
do for his elect. I will turn my hand upon thee. God promises wrath to his enemies,
but he turns his hand of grace, his almighty effectual hand of
irresistible grace upon his elect to save them. When God Almighty
sets out to save a sinner, he turns his hand upon his chosen. He turns his head to redeem his
chosen and redeem one from the fall. And God's hand never fails
to accomplish its purpose. As surely as God sacrificed his
son for us, when he was made sin for us, he will turn his
hand of omnipotent, effectual, irresistible, saving mercy to
save his elect. Listen to what he says by his
prophet. Awake, O sword! against my shepherd, and against
the man that is my fellow. Smite and slay the shepherd,
and the sheep shall be scattered. And I will turn my hand upon
the little ones." I'll turn my hand to save the redeemed. Then
he said back here in Isaiah 125, I will purely purge away thy
dross. This he does by the precious
blood of Christ, who by himself thoroughly purged our sins and
sat down at the right hand of God. By sacrificing his son for
us, God has purged away the dross of sin from his people. And He
comes by omnipotent mercy in the time of love by the power
of His Spirit, applying the blood of Christ to the hearts of His
redeemed when He turns His hand upon them and purges their consciences
from dead works to serve the living God. Then He says, I will
take away all thy ten. What does that mean? I'll take
away all thy ten. If you take your notes, God says,
I'll take away all your pretend righteousness. I'll take away
all your self-righteousness. The tin of self-righteousness
looks like the silver of grace. It has the appearance of some
good and some value in it. Well, at least he's going to
church. If I had a nickel for every time
I've heard that from somebody, excuse the ungodliness of family,
I'd have a bunch of nickels. Well, at least he's going to
church. That's better than not going to church. No, it's not. No, it's not. It
has the appearance of some good, has the appearance of some value,
but it has none. All men by nature, Pursue the
tin of self-righteousness. Trust the tin of self-righteousness.
Hide as a refuge under the tin of self-righteousness and defend
it by nature. In conversion, God graciously
strips it away. And that's never pleasant. That's
never pleasant. That's a painful experience.
But if you ever meet God in grace, if God ever meets you in grace,
turn to Philippians chapter 3. Philippians chapter 3. The Lord
God will take away your tin. He will sweep away your refuge
of lies. Philippians 3 verse 3. We are
the circumcision, that is we're the true covenant people of God.
We are God's Israel, which worship God in the spirit. we worship
God in his spirit by his spirit and we worship God spiritually
and Rejoice in Christ Jesus that is we trust the Lord Jesus Christ
and have no confidence in the flesh No confidence in anything
about our flesh Not in our heritage and pedigree not in our raising,
not in our morality, not in our experience, not in our knowledge,
have no confidence in the flesh. Now look at verse four. Though
I might also have confidence in the flesh, if any other man
thinketh he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more. If
you think you were good, I will circumcise the eighth day, of
the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and Hebrew of the
Hebrews, as touching the law, I was a Pharisee. I was a fundamentalist. A fundamentalist. Fundamentalist
has its name very properly. Too little fun, too much damn,
and too many lists. Fundamentalist. I was a good
religion. I was straight as a gun barrel.
Watch this now. Concerning zeal, I was devoted
missionary, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which
is in the law, blameless. I behaved in such a manner outwardly
that you couldn't find a fault with me. But what things were
gained to me, those things that gave me my name and my reputation
and my respect and my power and my position in the religious
world, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I
count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things. And do count them but so much
manure, do count them but dung, that I may win Christ and be
found in him." Found in him how? not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, that righteousness that is to be had by the faithful
obedience of God's darling Son, the righteousness of God, which
is by faith. God says, I will. I will. He never says, I'll try. He never
says, I'll attempt. It never says, I will if you
will. God says, I will, and he will. He will save his own. Third, look at verses 26 through
30 and see God's method of his gracious operations. We would
not, must not, and cannot limit God. He's infinite, sovereign,
and glorious. He always does what He will,
when He will, with whom He will, in the way He will, and none
can stay His hand or say unto Him, what doest thou? But here
the Lord God graciously tells us how He will save His elect. He's talking to us now about
His work of restoration and revival. When God turns to revive His
church, it is for the salvation of His elect and the glory of
His name. And he promises three things.
This is the method of God's gracious operations. Verse 26, when God
turns to revive his church, to save his elect, he restores faithful
pastors and preachers to his church. I will restore thy judges
as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning. Afterward,
thou shalt be called. When I turn my hand to you, when
I purge away your dross and your tin, then you shall be called
the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Not called such
by men, called such by God. I will make you the city of righteousness,
the faithful city. When God delivered Israel out
of Egypt, He raised up Moses. When he delivered his elect from
the bondage of apostate Judaism, as Isaiah here describes it,
he raised up Peter, James, and John, and the other apostles.
When he stretched forth his hand to the Gentiles, he raised up
Paul. When he would deliver his elect
from the superstitions and darkness of papacy, he raised up Luther,
Calvin, and Knox. And when the Lord God would deliver
his church from the dead, dry ceremonial Protestantism and
Puritanism of the day, he raised up Gil and top lady Whitfield
and Edwards. This is what I'm saying. The
first token of God's gracious work in his church in any age
is the restoration of faithful pastors to a pulpit. Pray ye the Lord of harvest.
He will send forth the laborers into his field. God has promised,
I will give you pastors according to mine heart. And those pastors
who are according to God's heart don't fleece the sheep, they
feed them. They shall feed you with knowledge
and with understanding. When God sends John the Baptist
to town, you can mark it down, King Jesus will soon appear.
God's preachers are judges in Zion. Men who discern and declare
the truth of God having understanding of the times. They declare God's
truth without consideration to cost or consequence. Every man, every man, every man. Would to God I could get the
ear of every preacher in the world. Every man sent of God
to preach the gospel declares God's truth no matter what it
cost him, no matter what the consequence. And he declares
it, Bobby, everywhere he goes. Everywhere he goes. God's servants
are counselors who direct sinners to the way of life. by faith
in Christ crucified, the Redeemer who has purged away our sins
by the sacrifice of Himself. And whenever God restores faithfulness
to the pulpit, He will restore righteousness and faithfulness
in His church. Men often wonder why folks aren't
faithful. Preach the gospel. Folks who
believe it will faithfully obey it. Preach the gospel. Folks
who believe it will faithfully support it. Preach the gospel.
Folks who believe it will faithfully hear it. Preach the gospel. Folks
who believe it will faithfully proclaim it. Second, look at
verse 27 and 28. God not only will raise up preachers,
He will redeem his elect. The word redeem speaks of deliverance. Deliverance by blood and by power. Deliverance by blood and by grace. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment. With justice. And her converts
with righteousness. And the destruction of the transgressors
and of the sinners shall be together. And they that forsake the Lord
shall be consumed. God redeems His elect by justice
and by righteousness. Jesus Christ, by His obedience
unto death, by sacrificing Himself as our substitute when He was
made sin for us, thoroughly, completely, absolutely, once
and for all, forever, satisfied the justice of God. For He bore
our sin and put it away. This is what the Lord God meant
when He said to Moses, I will by no means clear the guilty. Mark Henson, God won't just pretend
you didn't see it. He won't do it. He won't do it. He won't do it. I will by no
means clear the guilty. How then can God forgive sin
by thoroughly purging it away? And that's what Christ has done.
So that the Lord God in strict justice refuses to charge sin
to any sinner for whom Jesus Christ has died. Not only has
Christ satisfied the justice of God, but He redeems His own
with righteousness. Christ Jesus, our God, man, mediator,
obeyed God's holy law and will. He is the man of faith, the man
of righteousness who walked on this earth, fulfilling all things
for us, and we fulfilling all things required of God in him. And the Lord God comes in grace
and sprinkles the conscience from dead works and sets us free
from curse and condemnation of the law because of sin and delivers
His own by His omnipotent hand of mercy. Our redemption, though,
will not be complete until sin, Satan, Antichrist, false religion,
and every enemy of God's glorious throne is destroyed. And blessed
be his name, the God of peace shall brew Satan under your heels
shortly." In Revelation 17 and 18, the Lord God says Babylon
has fallen. Babylon has fallen. Look at that
great horse, she's fallen. She's marked for destruction
now. She's fallen come out of her come out of her my people
God never says You stay there teach Sunday school and try to
correct Babylon. He said get out Get out Babylon has fallen
and then in chapter 19 There's Babylon Cast into hell and all
the enemies of God and there's a choir in heaven and saying,
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. God has eased himself of his
adversaries. Verse 29, when God turns his
hand in mercy to his elect, they shall be converted by his almighty
grace, for they shall be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired. And ye shall be confounded for
the gardens that ye have chosen. You read Jerebiah and you see
that they went out and worshiped idols under every green tree.
And they went out into gardens and built them little booths
to worship their idols. After all, they could carry them
anywhere they wanted to. They were gods who couldn't do anything,
just the works of their hands. Just the works of their hands.
If you want to understand what this book teaches about idolatry,
Rex idolatry, is not just wearing a Saint Christopher medal around
your neck, or bowing down for an image of Christ on the cross,
or kissing the Pope's toe, or having images in the church building. That's idolatry. That's not all
it is. Every idol is the work of a man's hands. Idolatry is
man worshiping the works of his hands. is man worshiping himself and
calling it the worship of God. Verse 29, you'll be confounded
for the gardens that you've chosen. Verse 30, ye shall be as an oak
whose leaf fadeth and as a garden that hath no water. This is God's
work. He turns His chosen and redeemed
ones from their idols to serve the living and true God. And
when He does, He causes you to blush with shame for your former
pretense of righteousness. He causes you to blush with shame
because of the foolishness of your free will, works, religion,
and all the meaningless ceremonies by which you pretended to please
God, the gardens you've chosen. You cause your righteousness
to fade away and the comfort of your self-righteous works
to disappear. And when you have nothing. Oh,
when God is so gracious to you. Oh, God be so gracious. When
God is so gracious to you that He makes you to possess nothing. Nothing in my hands I bring,
simply to thy cross I cling. Naked come to thee for dress,
helpless look to thee for grace. When God fixes it so that you're
a tree with no leaves, everything withered away, a garden with
no water, everything dried up, empty, barren and desolate, then
he's gracious. One last thing, in verse 31,
the prophet shows us the basis of God's everlasting wrath. Now
hear me, hear me. I've been as plain to you as
I can possibly be. I pray God will cause multitudes
to hear the message you've heard tonight. If God sends you to
hell, you'll go to the pit of destruction because you fully
deserve it. God doesn't send anybody to hell,
not you, not me, not your wife, not your husband, not your son,
not your daughter. God doesn't send anybody to hell
who doesn't fully deserve it. And if you go to hell, nobody's
going to feel sorry for you in the day of judgment. Nobody.
You won't go to hell for anything except your own dessert. not because of God's decree,
not because of Adam's transgression, not because of the way you were
raised, not because of your environment, only because of yourself. Verse 31, and the strong shall
be as toe and the maker of it as a spark and they shall both
burn together and none shall quench them. God will make those
who are strong in their own eyes to be like a wick dipped in gasoline,
and their works of self-righteousness like a spark to ignite the flames,
and the preacher who made it like the spark to ignite it.
If you go to hell, it'll not be because you're too wicked
to be saved, but because you're too good, because you refuse
to confess your sin. Because you refuse to trust Christ,
the Lord our righteous, and because you refuse to enter in by the
straight gate and walk in the narrow way, because you're too
good to be saved by grace, saved by a substitute, saved for the
glory of God. You'll go to hell only because
you despise God's free grace in Christ. And in that everlasting
chamber of darkness, in the fire which can never be quenched, you will suffer forever the horrid
wrath of God, eating the fruit of your own
hands. Eating the fruit of your own
hands. That's what God says in Proverbs
chapter 1. That's what God says. Preacher, how then can I be saved? Trust Christ. Oh, God help you. Trust Christ. Trust our all-glorious Lord Jesus,
who by the sacrifice of Himself purged away sin, fulfilled all
righteousness, and gives it and Himself freely to all who trust
Him. Amen. Okay.