Soon as Brother Hart read Isaiah
chapter 50 to us last Sunday evening, I knew that I just had
to preach today from Isaiah chapter 50 in verse 8, he is near that
justifieth me. As soon as he sat down, I immediately
jotted down some basic thoughts and outline before Eric ever
got up to preach to us. And then I started working on
the message. the text got bigger and bigger
and bigger and bigger. So let's start in Isaiah 49 and
tonight we'll finish up in Isaiah chapter 50 at verse 8, the Lord
willing. This 49th chapter of Isaiah's
prophecy is a prophecy concerning the certain sure accomplishments
of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, Jehovah's great servant. It speaks
of the certain diminishing of the nation of Israel. The Old
Testament church represented in that nation would soon be
cast off, the physical nation would. And the children of Zion
seem to be forsaken altogether of God, so that at last the apostle
comes when he speaks of that and says, hath God cast off the
people whom he foreknew? And referring back to this very
promise, he assures us, no, God hasn't cast off his people and
never can and never will. The gifts and callings of God
are without repentance, for it was never God's intention. It
was never God's determination. It was never God's will that
his church be made up of Jews alone, but rather that the gospel
be carried into the four corners of the earth. And here in Isaiah
49, The Lord God promises that the Gentile nations will come
and bring their sons in their arms to the Savior and bring
their daughters on their shoulders to Him. that at last all the
nations of the earth will bring the fruit of the nations to our
Redeemer, and all God's elect out of every nation, kindred,
tribe, and tongue shall come to Jesus Christ, and kings shall
be our nursing fathers. And queens are nursing mothers,
so that in spite of how things appear, and as things always
have, do now, and always shall appear in this world, it appears
that the whole world hurts God's church. But read the 12th chapter
of the book of Revelation, and you'll find out the earth just
opens up and helps God's church. God reverses the orders of hell
for the good of his people. Always, always. So next time I start to grumble
about Mr. Obama, you remind me of that, will you? And next time
you start to grumble about him, I'll try to remind you of that.
God rules well all the time. And when he gets done, the Lord
God declares our Savior declares everybody look at it verse verse
26 he declares everybody everybody shall know that I the Lord and
thy Savior and thy Redeemer the mighty one of Jacob thy Savior
thy Redeemer the mighty one of Jacob. That's how our Savior
describes himself. Thy Savior, thy Redeemer, the
mighty one of Jacob. And then in the 50th chapter,
he begins to tell us how he is indeed thy Savior, thy Redeemer,
the mighty one of Jacob. You see, all the scriptures reveal
and speak of the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. To
him give all the prophets witness that through his name whosoever
believeth on him shall receive the remission of sins. Christ
is the key of knowledge in this book which the Jews cast aside. The key of knowledge which men
everywhere continually cast aside. People read this book and find
some mention of Christ. Well, we know about that. They
cast it aside. Read the book and read something
about the gospel of God's grace. Well, we've heard that. Let's
find something better. Read this book and find out about
something about the redeeming work of Christ, his death at
Calvary, his redemption. Well, well, we know all about
that. Let's let's let's see what the book says here about angels.
Isn't that absurd? Isn't that absurd? Merle, the
key of knowledge is Christ crucified. That's the key to the book. It's
all about the Redeemer. All about the Savior. It is not
about prophecy. It is not about the church. It
is not about history. It's not about diet. And it's
not about the stuff religion promotes. It's not about philosophy,
psychology. Family counseling, marriage counseling,
raising children, morality. No! The book is about Him. All about Him. When Paul said
that Christ Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again
the third day according to the scriptures, he's talking about
all the Old Testament scriptures. He's telling us that all the
scriptures from Genesis to Malachi declare how that Jesus Christ,
God's darling son, must come into this world in a body prepared
for him so that he might in that body be Jehovah's servant. And
in that body, fulfill all righteousness. In that body, bear our sins under
the wrath of God until He died, giving His life for the ransom
of our souls. In that body, that He should
rise again and sit on His throne and rule the universe to save
His people. All according to the Scriptures. You mean those things are written
in the Old Testament? You know what? You won't find
those words anywhere in the Old Testament. You won't find those words anywhere
in the Old Testament. You find that message everywhere
in the Old Testament. That's the message of the book.
That's it. All right. Now let's see how
our savior, thy savior, thy redeemer, the mighty one, describes himself
in this 50th chapter. Four things. Number one, he tells
us that he is God the just. He is God the just. The judge of the whole earth
is always just, must do right, and always does right. In verse
1 of Isaiah 50, our Savior, our God tells us that the cause of
all woe, the cause of all sorrow, The cause of man's separation
from God, the cause of judgment, the cause of wrath, the cause
of death, the cause of hell is all together in us. I want it to sink in. Judgment
is what you deserve. If you go to hell, it's your
fault. Look at this, verse 1. Thus saith
the Lord, where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom
I have put away? Or which of my creditors is it
to whom I have sold you? In Old Testament law, if a man
divorced his wife, he was required to give her a bill of divorcement. A piece of paper saying I have
divorced this woman. She is no longer my wife. The
Lord God says, where is the bill of your mother's divorcement?
You've got no piece of paper. I never divorced you. I never
cast you off. I never said I'm leaving this
woman. She can no longer be my bride. I never, I never divorced
your mother. If a man became horribly indebted,
He might sell his wife and his children to his creditor to pay
off his debt. The Lord God says, which of my
creditors is it to whom I've sold you? I'm not in debt to
anybody. God says, I don't owe anybody
anything. I haven't sold you. Behold, for your iniquities have
you sold yourselves. And for your transgressions is
your mother put away. Now, I stress this and we'll
spend a little time here because there are many who try to silence
the accusations of an accusing guilty conscience by laying the
blame for their sins and their guilt and their sorrows at the
feet of God's sovereignty. They will say, Well, this is
just God's will. This is just God's will. I'm
lost. And if God's going to save me,
he'll save me. But things are as they are because
this is God's will. We're in the shape we're in because
God's sovereign and this is his purpose. When the Jews were in
Babylon. They said that very thing. They
said the Lord has divorced us. The Lord sold us into bondage,
but they had in fact divorced themselves from God. They had
in fact sold themselves into bondage. They had forsaken God. The same is true of us. Our troubles
in this world are the result of our own disobedience and unbelief. That didn't register, did it?
Our troubles in this world are the result of our own disobedience
and unbelief. I have a good many friends like
this, but I'm thinking of a particular friend of mine right now fixing
to make a big mistake, I'm afraid. And I said to my wife the other
day, I've never known him make a wise decision in his life. And then wonder why such a mess. Our present circumstances of
sorrow and difficulty and woe in this world are the result
of our own disobedience and unbelief. Our sorrows are the children
of our sins. Our undoing is the result of
our unbelief. Look at Isaiah 59. Isaiah 59. Yeah, chapter 59, verse 1. Behold, the Lord's hand is not
shortened that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy that it
cannot hear, But your iniquities have separated between you and
your God. And your sins have hid his face
from you that he will not hear. What I'm trying to say is this.
We must never charge God with that which is the result of our
own depravity, our own guilt, and our own unbelief. God didn't
forsake Adam in the garden. Adam forsook God. God didn't
leave Israel. Israel left God. God cast off
that nation because that nation cast off God. Do you understand
that? Judgment in this book. Judgment as it's presented in
this book. I understand what the book teaches about divine
predestination. I know that the book teaches
election and reprobation. I don't have any problem with
that. I know that God before ordained men to condemnation.
I had no problem with that. But I'm telling you, judgment
in this book is always presented as a monkey on your back because
of you. Always. It's always presented
as a matter of just retribution. Never an arbitrary decision.
God just say, well, I want to send him to hell. No, no, no,
no. Judgment is justice in action. Judgment is God's retribution
upon man for his sin. We recognize and rejoice in the
glorious teaching of this book with regard to God's sovereignty.
He made all things. He rules all things. He disposes
of all things exactly as he will. And I wouldn't want it any other
way. That includes you and me, yours and mine. But we dare not
blame the ruin of our race. or the ruin of any man on God's
sovereignty. No sir, that's your doing. The wages of sin is death. Is that what the book says? The wages of sin is death. Say unto them, God says, as I
live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure the death of the
wicked if God sent the whole world to hell that never satisfy
him I never satisfy his justice his pleasure his justice is satisfied
only by the sacrifice of his son I have no pleasure in the
death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way
and live turn ye turn ye from your evil ways and For why will
you die, O house of Israel? I ask you. I stood out there,
watched you come in, sat here, watched you come in, and we gathered
for worship, and I prayed, God, speak. Oh, God calls these immortal
souls to hear your voice this day. I ask you. Why will you walk out that door
and go to hell when there's a willing Savior sitting on the throne
of glory? What foolishness? What absurdity? He said, but pastor, we're sinners.
We're dead in trespasses and sin. You know, I think I know
that. I think I know that. But a sinner
can't do anything. I think I know that. But God
says awake and I'll give you life. Is that what he says? God
says coming to me all you that labor and heavy laden and I'll
give you rest What's that mean? That means you come you rest
That means you come you have life. That means you come you
belong to God Why will you die? Oh house of Israel If we're blessed
of God with his presence His power and his goodness his grace
and his salvation. That's his work If we lack those
things It's our unbelief. If you and I who believe God
are used of him for the salvation of sinners, if God uses us, if
God uses this preacher, if God uses you, if God uses this congregation,
oh, what grace, what grace. If he doesn't, it's our fault. It's exactly right. The disciples came to the Savior
and said, why couldn't we cast these demons out? And the Savior
said, because of your unbelief. Because of your unbelief. If
we're blessed with the revelation of God's knowledge or the knowledge
of God and the knowledge of his glory, oh, what a blessing. Oh, God. Make yourself known. Show me
your glory. Show me your glory in this event. Show me your glory in this providence. Show me your glory in this trial,
in this difficulty. Show me your glory in this death,
in this rising up in health. Show me your glory. The Savior
said, if you would believe, you would see the glory of God. Is that what it said? It's exactly
what it said. It's exactly what it said. In
other words, our unbelief is the cause of ruin in every detail. The cause of man's separation
from God is to be found in his own heart, not in the heart of
God, not in the throne of God. Come back to Isaiah 48, just
a page, Isaiah 48. This is the message of Isaiah
50 verse one. God's just God's just ruin is
our fault. He delights in mercy. Look at
Isaiah 48 verse 17. I can't think of any passage
of scripture anywhere in the Bible that, uh, more contrary
to what men commonly perceived to be a orthodox understanding
of election and predestination all this stuff and Honestly,
if these three verses were not written here in the book of God,
I'd never say it I'd never but David these three verses are
written here in the book of God and this is what God says That's
what 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 shouldest go. Now watch
this. Now watch this. This is the same
God speaking. Ron, this is the sovereign, absolute
monarch of the universe. This is God who predestines all
things and rules all things exactly as he will. This is God speaking.
Read it now. Oh, that thou hast hearkened
to my commandments. Put that in your pipe and smoke
it. Oh, that thou hast hearkened
to my commandments. Then had thy peace been as a
river and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. You who
are here, listen to me. Listen to me. God help you to
hear me. If you walk out that door and
go to hell, God says, oh, that you had hearkened to my commandment.
His commandment, Larry, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, didn't
it? Oh, that you had hearkened to my commandment. Then your
peace would have been like a river. Then it would have been like
your righteousness as the waves of the sea. Verse 19, thy seed
also. had been as the sand and the
offspring of thy bowels like the grain, the gravel thereof. His name should not have been
cut off nor destroyed from before me. Our Savior stood over this nation,
Jerusalem, and wept as he beheld them as Sheep without a shepherd. And he said, Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. How often will I gather thy children
as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings. But you would
not. Why has God cast off that nation? Why has God set that nation in
darkness? Why has God passed such severe
judgment upon that nation? because they would not hearken
to his word. And if God sends you to hell,
that's your fault, because you would not believe his word. You
see, sinners, while we pity them, are to be blamed. All the responsibility
for a man's ruin is on his own shoulders. That extends to every aspect
of life. Every aspect of life. You young people, oh, how we
excuse them. Young and old alike. Well, you
don't know what they've been through. You don't know what
they've experienced. You don't know the temptations
and troubles they have. You don't know their background.
No, I don't. I just know. I know this. When you fall on your butt, nobody's
butt hurts but yours. That's just it. In his high time,
somebody tell this generation of children and young people
and adults, you are responsible for you. Nobody else. Nobody else. And that's true
before God. That's true before God. All right,
number two. Verse two and three. Our great
Redeemer here describes himself as God able to save. Rejoice. Oh my heart though. I've sold myself into ruin and
I can do nothing to help myself out of the mess I've made The
Lord Jesus is God Able to save able to save to the uttermost
all who come to God by him First our Savior tells us plainly that
salvation is his work only his work when I came Was there no
man when I called? Was there none to answer? It doesn't matter whether we're
talking about salvation in the spiritual saving of our souls,
redemption, regeneration, preservation, or whether we're talking about
deliverance from any trouble or trial or heartache. Salvation
is of the Lord. It's God's work. It's God's work. I've done my best to make you
know your guilt is your responsibility. Your sin is your fault. I want
you to know that. I want to press that as hard
as I can. But you're going to go to hell
unless God stops you. You will choose destruction.
unless God stops you. You will choose ruin unless God
stops you. This is a work only God can perform.
Look at verse two. Wherefore, when I came, was there
no man? When I called, was there none
to answer? Is my hand shortened at all that
it cannot redeem, that it cannot deliver? Or have I no power to
deliver? Behold, At my rebuke, I dry up
the sea and make the rivers a wilderness. Let's see. Let's see if he's
able to say it. There stands Moses and all the armies of Israel,
or all the tribes of Israel, thousands of them, thousands
of them standing there, thousands of them. And the Red Sea is raging
before them. And they've got to get across
that sea. There's no way to go around it. Got to get across
it. But Pharaoh and his armies breathing down their backs. How
on earth is it possible for us to get away? Watch God open the
sea. Here they come to cross Jordan.
How are they going to cross Jordan River? How can they possibly
go in there and take Jericho? What's God dried up? He was it. Their fish stinketh because there's
no water and die for thirst. God closed the heavens with blackness
and make sackcloth their covering. Read Revelation six, the sixth
seal. God, God causes the sun to be
covered over with a curtain, turns the moon into blood. How's
that? for the judgment of the earth
and the saving of his people. He who is sovereign over all
the elements of nature has power enough to redeem and save his
people. His ear is not heavy. His arm
is not short. Oh, no. He's mighty to save,
mighty to save. How can I persuade you? Look
here. Look here. He who stopped me in my determined,
deliberate, mad rush to hell with my fist in his face and
save me by his grace. He can save such things as you
are. He's able to save to the uttermost
all who come to God by him. Oh, how we ought to trust him.
Remember the former things of old. I am God, he declares, and
there is none else. I am God, there's none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning. and from ancient times the things
that are not yet done saying my counsel shall stand and I
will do all my pleasure calling a ravenous bird from the east
and the man that executed my counsel from a far country. Yay,
I've spoken it. I will do it. I also will bring
it to pass. I purposed it. I will also do
it. The disciples saw that rich young
ruler Walk away and the master said
Said it's easier For a camel to crawl through the eye of a
needle Then for a rich man to enter in the kingdom of heaven
Easier For camel you let you know what I have a needle is
I can't even see it Our Savior said it's easier for a camel
to crawl through that needles eyes. You can't get a piece of
thread through that it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom
of heaven. What's he talking about? A man who thinks himself good. A man who vainly imagines that
he has some goodness, rich in his own eyes, and that's the
only thing that keeps you from Christ, because you think you
don't need Him. That's all. Well, Brother Dodd,
I don't think that way. Well, come on to the Savior then. I wonder why nobody came up here
and got a drink of this water. I wonder why it wasn't for me. I'll guarantee you if anybody
came in here who hadn't had any water to drink in two or three
days, it's 95 degrees outside, and they saw that water sitting
up there, they wouldn't even pause to wonder if it's all right
to get a drink. You'd walk around, look at that. How come? I'm thirsty. I'm thirsty. You want a drink? You want a
drink? If you're thirsty, the water's
for you. What keeps you from Christ? You
don't want it. You got no need. You got no thirst.
That's all. You're good. You're good. Too good for God. Too good for
grace. Too good to need a Savior. That's all that keeps you from
Him. That's all that keeps you from Him. Look at verse 4. Here our Savior
describes Himself as our divine prophet. The Lord God hath given
me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak
a word in season to him that is weary. He wakeneth morning
by morning, he wakeneth by the year to hear as the learned. Now, this is not talking about
a preacher or a prophet. This is talking about Christ,
our prophet, Jehovah's servant. The scripture tells us that he
learned obedience by the things that he suffered. He learned obedience. God made
the captain of our salvation perfect through suffering. How is it that our Savior is
taught of God and given the tongue of the learned? As a man, while
he walked on this earth, our Lord Jesus Christ was taught
of God and gained the tongue of the learned. You see, he knows
what it is to be weary and tired and hungry. He knows what it
is to be forsaken, slandered, and abandoned. He knows what
it is to lose one to death he dearly loves. He knows what it
is to But watch one he dearly loves go through sickness and
pain. And now God awakes his tongue. He has through the ages of time
and he does day by day as Jehovah's servant to speak a word to the
wise. To those he makes wise. calls
us to hear his voice. Our Lord Jesus knows what it
is to be betrayed. He knows what it is to bear guilt
before God. He knows what it is to be made
sin before God. He knows what it is to be forsaken
of God. He knows what it is to be utterly
helpless And now he comes as that prophet
that Moses described, raised up among our brethren, who is
himself God, that prophet who comes to reveal God and make
him known, that prophet who speaks and causes us to learn. I used to say to my dear friend,
Brother Harry Graham, I'd say, Harry, the Lord, I believe the
Lord's trying to teach me something. And Harry said, oh no, son, God
doesn't try. If God teaches, you'll get the
lesson. He speaks with the tongue of
the learned. I can't teach you. Mama and daddy can't teach you.
Husband and wife can't teach you. Son and daughter can't teach
you. We can't teach each other. Oh, but if God will speak by
his word, by his spirit to you, if God calls you to hear his
voice, you will learn of God and you will be taught of God. There's a fourth day. Look at
verse nine, verse five, rather. Here our Savior describes himself
as Jehovah's submissive servant. The Lord God hath opened mine
ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters
and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face
from shame and spitting, for the Lord God will help me. Therefore,
shall I not be confounded? Therefore have I set my face
like a flint and I know that I shall not be ashamed He is
near that justifieth me Who will contend with me? Let us stand
together Who is my adversary? Bring him on Let him come near
to me Behold the Lord God will help me Who is he that shall
condemn me? Lo they all Shall wax old as
doth the garment the moth shall eat them up The Lord Jesus is that voluntary
bond slave spoken of in Exodus 21 You remember the law the bond
slave. He's out. I love my master. I
love my wife. I love my children I will not
go out free and he coming and Publicly have his ear bored through
with an all by his master declaring. I will be his slave willingly
forever And I will not go out free Our Lord Jesus willingly
stood forth in covenant grace before the world began and said,
I will be surety for my people. I will be servant to Jehovah,
the triune God. I will redeem. I will say I will
do all the will of God. And God trusted Christ with his
glory and his will and his purpose. Our Savior consecrated. himself
to the Lord God, sanctified himself, separated himself under God. He was continually devoting himself
while he walked on this earth to his father. Don't you know
I must be about my father's business? Don't you know I must do what
he sent me to do? Don't you understand? Mama, Daddy,
don't you understand there's something more important than
you? Don't you understand there's something more important than
pleasure? Don't you understand there's
something more important than what pleases men? I've come here
to serve God, to redeem and save my people. At his baptism, he
commanded John to baptize him. He said, Suffer to be so now,
for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. And John baptized
him. He was buried in the watery grave
and came up out of the water and thus symbolically fulfilled
righteousness, showing us that it is by his obedience unto death
that justice is satisfied and our sins put away. Our Savior
is Jehovah's servant. persevering and faithful. He set his face like a flint. And would not go back. Don Ranieri. Before God made
the world, the son of God said, I'm going to die for and redeem
and justify and save that wretched man, Don Ranieri. I'll fix it. So his ancestors
come from across the water, the United States of America. And
so he goes through all the hell you went through for 50 years
until he hears the gospel of God's grace. And he never, never,
never turned back. He never said, I will go out
free. He's a voluntary bond slave. Our Lord Jesus here describes
himself as that servant willing to suffer shame, all the shame,
due to us for sin. He says, I gave my back to the
smiters, my cheeks to them who plucked off the hair. I hid not
my face from shame and spitting. Knowing that the sufferer who
spoke these words is himself God, our Savior, our blessed
substitute speaks here, I stand amazed at his condescension. For you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who though he was rich, yet for your sakes
became poor, that you through his poverty might be made rich.
Are you not amazed that He who thought it not robbery to be
equal with God, emptied himself, made himself of no reputation,
took on him the form of a servant and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. I stand amazed at his infinite
virtue, this one. Jehovah's servant who gives his
back to the spiders his cheek to them that plucked off the
hair who hid not his face from shame or spitting this one is
himself God Almighty Infinite in value is this substitute? His ability is full of efficacy
omnipotence and then in verse 9 verses 7 8 9 We see our Savior
speaking as one who's justified. Justified by God. For the Lord
God will help me. Therefore shall I not be confounded. I'll not be ashamed. Therefore
if I set my face like a flint, I know I shall not be ashamed.
He is near that justifieth me. Who will contend with me? Let
us stand together. Who is my adversary? Let him
come near. Behold, the Lord God will help me. Who is he that
shall condemn me? Lo, they all shall wax old as
a garment. The moth shall eat them up. Our Lord Jesus lived on this
earth by faith as a man. He said, the Lord God will help
me. I'll not be ashamed. He lived in resolute determination. to do his father's will. And
then when he at last was made sin for us, it bore the horrid wrath of God
to the full satisfaction of God's justice. And it put away sin. He arose without sin. What did the book say about it? You remember what the book says
about it? About this risen Christ? He's justified in the Spirit. He who was made sin, David, was
cursed to God until the curse was gone. And he arose justified
by God. And now he stands before God
in heaven. without seeing justified. Christ is justified in all his
work, in all his claims, in all his deeds, in all his accomplishments,
in all his word. Every time the gospel of God's
grace is preached, justified by God. Christ Jesus justified. Our risen justified redeemer
is justified. Every time God speaks peace to
a guilty sinner and gives free justification to such things
as we are, he's justified because you and I are one with him. When he was justified, I was
justified. As he now is justified and cannot
be condemned. Every sinner who believes on
him is justified and cannot be condemned. That means come to Christ, believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and go down to your house justified. This is thy Savior, thy Redeemer,
the Mighty One. Oh, may God make Him yours. Amen.