Nothing more comforting, more
encouraging, more stilling to our souls in times of trouble
than the assurance of God's absolute purpose. His purpose of grace
in the saving of His people and the redemption of our souls by
Christ. Now I want us here in Isaiah
45 to look at that which God has sworn He will do. In the passage we're going to
read here, beginning at verse 20, the Lord God tells us exactly
what He is doing in this world, exactly what He will accomplish
before time is no more. Let's begin together in verse
20. Isaiah 45, verse 20. Assemble yourselves and come.
Draw near together ye that are escaped of the nations. And here
God gives us his description of lost, unregenerate men, those
who have escaped to the nations there, they who have no knowledge,
that set up the wood of their graven image and pray unto a
God that cannot say. And then God tells us about himself.
He describes who God is. Tell ye, and bring them near. Yea, let them take counsel together. Who hath declared this from ancient
time? Who hath told it from that time?
Have not I the Lord? There is no God else beside me,
a just God and a Savior. There is none beside me. In verse 22, the Lord God describes
what faith is. Look unto me, and be ye saved
all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else. And then the Lord declares to
us what he's doing in his providence. Verse 23, I have sworn by myself. God Almighty, when he can swear
by no greater, swears by himself. He says, I have sworn by myself,
the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not
return. That unto me, every knee shall
bow, of things, I'm sorry, every knee shall bow. I've always wanted
to put Paul's words in there, Philippians 2. Unto me, every
knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely shall one
say, In the Lord have I righteousness and strength. Even to him shall
men come, and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed
of Israel be justified and shall glory." Now here is what God
is doing. We will work our way down to
it in verses 23, 24, and 25, but I want you to see the background
first. Because knowing what God has
sworn to do is of little benefit unless we know that God is able
to do what he has sworn to do. First, he begins here by describing
for us the state and condition of all lost men. In verse 20,
the Lord God describes unbelieving men and women as men and women
who worship at the altar of a God who cannot save. There are people
who have no knowledge. Now, the fact is, all men and
women, none excepted, are religious. Everybody has some kind of religion. Those who scream, not me, I'm
an atheist, they also have a religion. All men and women have a refuge
of one kind or another in which they seek to hide from God and
seek to hide their guilt and seek to shelter themselves from
the impending wrath and judgment that their consciences declare
is coming upon them and must come upon them. Men and women,
however, are described here as people who pray unto a God that
cannot save because they have no knowledge. All the race of
mankind walks in one of two ways. Either the broad way that leads
to destruction or the narrow way that leads to life everlasting. Just those two ways. And all
religions can be divided into those two categories. The broad
way and the narrow way. The wide gate and the straight
gate. The one is the way of Christ
and his people. The other is the way of Babylon
and hell and delusion. They are people who have no knowledge. No knowledge. The natural man
has no knowledge. I can't stress this sufficiently. The natural man has no knowledge. I don't mean he is ignorant of
other things. I don't mean that he is not far
more brilliant than you or me or all of us put together. I
mean he has no knowledge of anything spiritual, of anything saving,
no knowledge of himself, No knowledge of salvation, no knowledge of
God, no knowledge of righteousness. He has no knowledge. Men judge what they consider
righteousness, and not many would even call it that these days.
Well, they're forgetting to come around and start using those
words again, but they judge righteousness to be morality. and morality
they judge to be measured by themselves, by their own measuring
stick. Man by nature is utterly, totally
ignorant of all things spiritual. What does that mean? No point
in arguing with him. No point in fussing with him.
I was talking to Ben the other day. We were driving back from
Pikeville and he's asking about how to witness to friends. I
tell him the truth and shut up. Just tell them what you know
to be so. Know more than you know to be so. Don't try to tell
them what mom and dad know. Don't try to tell them what somebody
else knows. Tell them what you know to be the truth and shut
up. Don't argue. Don't debate. That just lowers
the standard of divine revelation to the level of man's opinion.
We dare not do so. The natural man has no knowledge.
Not only that, they set up the wood of their graven image. Further
down, I don't know anybody who does that. Most of your family
does, and most of mine. Most of your neighbors do, and
most of mine. Now, not many of us in this highly
enlightened, well-educated, brilliant, modern civilization would worship
a God that folks carved out of a stump. Not many of us would. Not many of us would worship
a God that somebody engraved out of a piece of marble. Not
many of us. Simply chiseled out of rock.
Not many of us would worship a God even that was made of silver
and gold. No. No, we're above that. We're
too smart for that. That was good enough for folks
in another day, but not our day. God says they worship a God that
is carved out of wood, what's he saying? The vast majority
of people in this world, I make this statement judging by what
I hear them say. I make this statement judging
by what I hear them say. When they talk about God, when
I hear them speak about God, the vast majority worship a little
peanut God that they've whittled out of their own little peanut
minds, a God that no more resembles the God of Holy Scripture, the
one true and living God, that God who declares, beside me is
none else. He no more resembles God than
a gnat resembles an angel. The God of this age is a helpless,
frustrated old man, nothing more. In fact, he's described this
way. They worship and serve and pray unto a God that cannot save. They made the Creator like the
creature. They bring God down to themselves
and then they bring God down below themselves so that they
have a God who is controlled by themselves. The God of this
age, call it by whatever name you will, is a God that cannot
save. The Holy Spirit tells us plainly
that in these last days perilous times shall come. He tells us
that in these perilous times men everywhere will have a form
of godliness. Everywhere. Who do you know who's
not religious? What neighbor do you have that
doesn't go to church at least on Eastern Christmas, maybe New
Years? Who do you know that's not religious?
They all have a form of godliness. But it is a form of godliness
that denies the power of godliness. It is a form of godliness that
denies the gospel of God's free grace, that which is indeed the
power of God unto salvation. Our Lord said to the Jews and
religious leaders of His day, you do err not knowing the scriptures
nor the power of God. And that's just where we find
ourselves today. Paul describes all legalistic,
Arminian, free will, works religion as another gospel. The preaching
of that gospel, he says, is the declaration of another God, another
Jesus, and another spirit. These men have a way of salvation,
but it's another salvation. They have a form of godliness.
Now let me be crystal clear. A form of godliness. What are
you talking about? A form of godliness that denies the power
thereof. A form of godliness says God wills to save all men,
denying the power of it, but He cannot save men unless they
open their hearts to Him. A form of godliness says God
has a wonderful plan for men and women. Denying the power
of godliness says that God cannot fulfill His power unless you
allow Him, unless you let Him have His way with you. A form
of godliness says Christ died for everybody, to make salvation
possible for everybody. Christ died that all the sons
of Adam might be saved. But they deny the power of godliness
by Adam. But his blood has no power, no
efficacy to save anyone until man releases it to work by his
will. I've told you often, a local
preacher sitting in my office one day years ago, He asked me
what I found so objectionable to his doctrine. The crucial
point, I said, if I'm not misunderstanding you, you believe that Christ's
death provides the possibility of salvation for all men, much
like there's power in a stick of dynamite. But there's no real
salvation for anyone by the death of Christ, except man, by his
faith, light the fuse, ignite the power. Well, yes, that's
right. I said, that's damning heresy.
It makes you your Savior, not the Son of God. A form of godliness
says the Holy Spirit knocks at everybody's heart's door. He
wants everybody to let Him come in and save them. But it denies
the power of godliness, saying you must open the door. A form
of godliness says, yes, salvation is of the Lord. But it denies
the power of godliness, for it says you might lose it from such
Paul says, turn away. Now look at verse 21. Here the
Lord God describes himself. He describes God. He asserts
his own saving character as God. This is our God. Tell ye, and
bring them near. Yea, let them take counsel together. Who hath declared this from ancient
time? Who hath told it from that time?
Have not I the Lord, and there is no God else beside me? A just God and a Savior, there
is none beside me." Now this is what he's saying. He's not
saying there is no God to be compared to me. No. He says, I'm sitting here on
my throne, and there's no God up here but me. There is no other
God. Look at the verse closely. I'm
here to declare that God Almighty is a lone God. Here the Lord
God declares five things about himself which identify him as
God. And any God, if you happen to
worship such a one, any God that does not have these five characteristics
is no God at all. They who worship such pray unto
a God that cannot save. Number one, he who is God has
an absolute, unalterable, sure purpose by which all things are
governed. In the opening part of verse
21, The Lord challenges men to bring all their little peanut
gods and let them all take counsel together. Gather them all up.
Gather them all up and find me all these gods put together.
Baptist gods, Mormon gods, Catholic gods, Protestant gods, Russellite
gods, Hindu gods, Islam gods, Jew gods. Bring them all together
and find me all the gods of men who can tell you what's going
to happen tomorrow. Absolutely. Gather them all together and
see if you can get out of all of them together one clear, absolute
statement of what's going to happen tomorrow. One clear, absolute
statement of what's going to happen tomorrow. He who is God
does. He declares the end from the
beginning. Turn over to page 46 of Isaiah, verse 9. Remember the former things of
old, for I am God and there is none else. I am God and there
is none like me. What do you mean? There's no
other God amongst all these gods that men have made for themselves
who declares the end from the beginning. I told you Before the world was,
I declared what this thing was going to happen in the end of
the matter. I told you in the beginning what I would do in
the end, and now I'm doing it. And from ancient times, the things
that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand. I will
do all my pleasure. Oh, my soul, how often. Do we
in troubled times ask God, what are you doing? Let me hear him
declare, I'm doing my pleasure. I'm doing my pleasure. Will you
hear me now? God always does his pleasure. He always does his pleasure.
What is that? I call a ravenous bird from the
east. I send my prophet. And I hide
him and I call a raven to bring him meat every day. I call a ravenous bird from the
east. Read on. The man that executes my counsel
from a far country. I told you my people are going
down to Babylon. Now I told you this before they
go down to Babylon. I'm going to raise up a man by
the name of Cyrus 70 years from now. And this man Cyrus, he's
going to come in from the right side. He's going to bring my
people out from the left side. And this is when it will happen.
And he marks the day and calls the man's name. Wow. He did it
hundreds of years before Cyrus was born. Hundreds of years.
Read on. Yea, I have spoken it. I will
also bring it to pass. I have purposed it. I will also
do it. He works all things after the
counsel of his own will. Here's another thing. He who
truly is God declares himself the Lord, the only God there
is. He says, I, the Lord, do all
these things. He is the Lord everywhere, over
everybody. At all times, what does that
mean? That means he's the boss. He's the one in charge. He's
the one in control. He's the one who governs everything
from the thoughts of men to the roll of the dice. He controls
everything. He's numbered your days, numbered
your steps, and numbered the hairs of your head from eternity.
Look at chapter 45, verse 5. This is our God. He truly is
God. I am the Lord. There is none
else. There is no God beside me. I
girded thee, though thou hast not known me, that they may know
from the rising of the sun and from the west that there is none
beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none
else. I form the light and create darkness. I make peace. and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things.
Verse 12, I have made the earth and created man upon it. Even
my hands have stretched out the heavens, and all their hosts
have I commanded. He who is the Lord God is God
alone. There's none but him, he says. And then he declares that he's
a just God. Now this is what that means. I am a just God and
a Savior. He who is a just God must punish
sin. How can he be a just God and
a Savior? Only in a way in which he can
both punish sin to the full satisfaction of justice and at the same time
freely and fully and absolutely forgive the sinner. And that
way is Christ. Only through the sacrifice of
God's own dear Son can He both be a just God and a Savior. He says that He is a Savior,
and that He is. He is the mighty God, our Savior,
and here's His glory. Moses asked Him, said, Lord,
I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory. He said, all right, Moses, you
hide over here in the cleft of the rock, and I'll pass by you.
And I've declared my name a just God and a Savior. And he reveals
himself as such. Now, look at verse 22. Here is
God's description of faith. Look unto me and be ye saved
all the ends of the earth for I am God and there is none else. Salvation is to be had by looking
to Christ. Faith is looking to Christ. As a child looks to its mama,
as a son looks to his father, as one in great need looks to
the one who cares for them, as the children of Israel looked
to the brazen serpent, So we are saved by looking to Christ. Saved in all our times of trouble. Saved from all our difficulties. Saved from all our woes. Saved
from all our foes. Looking to Christ. Salvation
begins looking. Oh, look away to Christ. Look outside yourself. There's
no other hope. And no matter what your pain
is, no matter what your trouble is, no matter what your situation
is, no matter what your heart aches with, the only deliverance
is looking outside yourself to Christ. Salvation begins in a
look, and salvation is sustained in a look. We run this race looking
to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before Him, finished his course. He finished his work
and sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. And soon,
blessed be his name, this thing called salvation shall be consummated
in a look. When we see him, we shall be
like him. For we shall see him as he is.
Face to face, I shall behold him far beyond the starry sky. Oh, God hasten the day. Now,
look at what God has sworn that He will do. This is what He's
doing in His providence. No matter what it is He does
that brings you pain or joy, no matter what it is that you
read in the paper when you get home this afternoon, no matter
what comes to pass tomorrow, Measure it not by feeling, not
by emotion, not by past history, but measure it by what God declares
in his word. Either he's true and can be trusted
or there's no God and there's no hope. That's all. Okay. I have sworn by myself. The word has gone out of my mouth
in righteousness. and shall not return." Oh, what a declaration! That
unto me, number one, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall
swear. Sooner or later, everybody who
has ever lived shall bow before the throne of Christ our God
and they shall confess they shall declare he's Lord and it's right. Read on. Surely shall one say, in the
Lord have I righteousness and strength. Every one of God's
elect shall be brought to bow before the Son of God and acknowledge
him as the Lord our righteousness And the Lord our strength, even
to him shall men come. Not everybody. Not everybody.
No, no, no, no, no. All God's elect shall come to
him. And all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. All. The reprobate and the elect. All shall be ashamed, either
now, in the repentance and faith of Christ Jesus the Lord, or
in the day of judgment, made to blush with shame as they say
Amen to their own damnation. And when God gets done, every
one of His elect will be saved in Christ and will glory in Christ
forever. In the Lord. shall all the seed
of Israel be justified and shall glory. Well, Lord, do what you said you'd do. And do with me and with mine
whatever is needful. to accomplish this great purpose
for the glory of your name. Amen. How are you? Thank you very much. It worked. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Hello buddy, how are you doing? Good, you? Thank you very much. Congregational singing is such
an important part of the worship of God. Let's lift our hearts
and our voices in praise and adoration.