Isaiah 66, we're going to look
at verses 5-14, and there is a verdict
in here, from God Himself to His church, so will I comfort
you. So will I comfort you. If I told you this day, That
you could be comforted even when you are hated. For Christ's sake
and for his gospel sake. Would you listen? If I promised. That you will be nurtured and
protected just like a mother does her darling child. Would
that interest you? If I promised you complete and
total care, total protection, and a life of real and absolute
divine grace and growth, would this cause you to sit up and
take heed? Do I have your attention? Is
that what I'm asking? Well, in this section of Isaiah,
This is exactly what we have in these verses before us, these
great and precious promises that God has for His church. Let us
read, and let us be like those brethren of old, that we might
stand still and see the salvation of our Lord." Moses, when they
were about ready to get the Israelites, had their back against the Red
Sea, and they could do no more than just stand there and die
as the Egyptians were in hot pursuit, Moses said, just stand
still and let's see the salvation of our Lord. So let us do that.
Let us read these verses and stand still and see the salvation
and the keeping grace of our Lord. Let us read these passages,
verses 5 through 14, and muse or meditate upon these glorious
words of peace and as it were, honey out of the rock. And then
we may declare as David did in Psalms 136. I'm going to read
this passage first and I'm going to flip over there real quick.
But as we read this, these verses, let us declare what David did,
as he said, and his mercy endures forever. And matter of fact,
we won't turn there, but if you would like to turn there, write
that down, Psalms 136. But every verse, at the end of
every verse in that psalm, David says, "...and His mercy endures
forever." He brought us through the Red Sea, and His mercy endures
forever. He protected the people of His
fold, and His mercy endures forever." Every verse closes. That, it seems to me, is the
crimson thread which links all of these verses, whether it be
in Isaiah 66, whether it be in John 3, or wherever it might
be, to the believer, to the church, The scarlet and crimson thread
which links them all together is Christ and Him crucified and
the reiteration by the believer, by the church, and His mercy
endures forever. The Bible lesson this morning.
Be content with such things as we have. Why? Because His mercy
endures forever. We could definitely close each
day, each thought, each dream, each working day with His mercy
endures forever. Verse 5, Hear the word of the
Lord, Ye that tremble at his word. So I've got this broken
down into two simple, this outline in two simple points. The first
point is those who are addressed. We find it right off the bat.
Hear the word of the Lord. Ye that tremble at his word. Your brethren that hated you,
that cast you out for my name's sake said, let the Lord be glorified,
but God, he shall appear to your joy and they shall be ashamed. A voice of noise from the city,
a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that renders recompense
to his enemies. Before she travailed, she brought
forth. Before her pain came, she was
delivered of a man-child. Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall
the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation
be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed,
she brought forth her children." Zion being the church. of the
living God, made up of all the elect throughout all time. Shall
I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth, saith the
Lord? Shall I cause to bring forth
and shut the womb, saith thy God? Rejoice ye with Jerusalem,
and be glad with her, all ye that love her. Rejoice for joy
with her, all ye that mourn for her. that ye may suck, and be
satisfied with the breast of her consolations, that ye may
milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For
thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like
a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like the flowing stream. Then shall ye suck, ye shall
be born upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. one whom
his mother comforts so will I comfort you and you shall be comforted
in Jerusalem and when you see this your heart shall rejoice
your bones shall flourish like a herb and the hand of the Lord
shall be known towards his servants and his indignation toward his
enemy now when I read that and I read it and I reread it and
I reread it this week I The the first thing that came to mind
to about this as you can see that it was a glorious comforting
passage But and as a dad I do like to go back and reminisce
about when the when when Kara was little in our instance and
He's and he draws this beautiful picture I'm going to comfort
you Just like a mom, comforted and protected and cared for the
child that was on her side. You just see these moms, it's
like, it looks like they're contortionists. They got a baby hanging on the
hip. It doesn't matter the size of
the baby or the size of the mother. There's always room on the hip. And, when the mom's sitting down,
and she's sitting down, and the baby's got their whole hands
around those little fingers, and they're standing up there,
and you're going, bouncing around. I remember doing that. I got
all teary-eyed. I got all excited. Comfort. Because I thought, as much as
I enjoyed doing that, and again with Karen and Melinda, we had
the little backpack thing, but there's contact there, but there's
not contact like there is here. And there's not contact like
you're playing with that baby. But I remember being comforted
by my mom. No, I don't remember being that
little on her hip, but I can go back far enough and remember
that where my mom was when I was afraid or danger or something,
that those smells, all that meant comfort. And you don't forget that, unfortunately,
unless you didn't have that, unless you had some horrible
situations. But for the most part, if you
go back and you think about, yes, Dad was there, but there's
something about the mother and the child. And then if the Lord
blesses you and you have children of your own and you can do those
things. You will not forget those things.
Now, and we make fun of Bruce, he talks about the grand dog.
And the dog is fine, but when there's a little pitter-patter
of two feet and not four, Abby, go outside." But you see, what he's saying
is those memories, and you were a child, and you have those memories
of that protection and comfort. That's what he's saying here.
That's what he's saying. But before we get into those
great promises, which is my second point, those wonderful promises
of comfort, let's look at those who he addresses. Well, we see
the first off in verse 5, which I alluded to, he said, Hear the
word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word. So those who the
passage is addressed to are not the enemies of grace. They're
not those whom he will recompense, as he says in verse 6, to his
enemies, but those are labeled here, first off, as those that
tremble at his word. That simply means that when this
book is opened and the gospel is preached and this word is
read and Anything that has to do with the written word, the
living word, the gospel, the word that was made flesh and
dwelt among us, there is a reverence and a respect. You would think
this would be a basic, a given quality for every church. This
book is being taught and being preached this morning, but it's
not so. Because first of all, most of the time, the book is
not even open. It's an outline sent down from
the the synod, you know, or it's
an outline sent down from something else, or it's an article that
they read out of Reader's Digest or whatever. A preacher that
years ago when I was brought up, he would have messages that
he got out of Reader's Digest, you know. So, those that tremble
at the Word. Not a responsive reading. not
a little black book that has quotes and stuff, but this book. Those who are addressed in this
passage and those who will surely be comforted are those who have
been made to know that God in this book, the Word, grace, the
gospel of how He saves and redeems His people. The word spoken is
trembled at, is reverenced and respected. And that is why Whether
I hit it or miss it when I preach, we have the Scriptures read because
this is God's book. Verse 8, these are also found
by a different name. Who hath heard such a thing?
Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring
forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at
once? For as soon as Zion travailed,
she brought forth her children. These are also identified as
Zion's children. That's who this passage is addressed
to. Zion's children. They are Zion's
children, the church's children, God's children, first by divine
birth. by divine birth, for by grace
are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves."
You can't birth yourself into this, to Zion. You can't do it. It's not by our puny works. We are Zion's children by divine conception, by divine birth.
Secondly, by supernatural conversion. We were once the children of
darkness and now, through divine conversion and supernatural illumination,
are now the children of light. We didn't turn on the switch.
We didn't walk from group A to group B. We were graced, we were
made so, by the Son. By the choosing of the Father,
the dying of the Son, and the quickening of the Spirit. By
supernatural conversion. Thirdly, we are Zion's children
by imminent choice. According to the election of
grace. According to the election of grace. Well, how do you get
into Zion's membership? not by works of righteousness,
which we did, but by His grace, by eminent choice, and fourthly,
by the substitutionary work of Christ. Christ died, yea, rather
is risen. He died for us and redeemed us
unto God. Thirdly, these who are addressed have another
name. Verse 10, Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her,
all ye that love her. Those who are addressed are called
lovers of Jerusalem. That is, they love anything and
everything about God's church, God's people. Turn to Psalms 131. I think Bruce
alluded to this or actually read this last week. Psalms 133. Like I said, 133. Psalms 133
and verse 1. Behold how good and how pleasant
it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." That's the church,
where there's unity of the brethren, there is the gospel, there is
Christ, and Christ in Him crucified, and He's there, and they love
her. They love her ways, they love
her walls, they love her songs, her people, her ways, her fellowship,
her truth, her gospel. They love her in times of ease
and they love her in times of war. They are lovers of Jerusalem,
lovers of the church. Let me read a hymn that alludes
to this by our brother John Newton. who wrote Amazing Grace. Glorious
things of thee are spoken, Zion, city of our God. He whose word
cannot be broken formed thee for his own abode. On the rock
of ages founded, what can shake thy sure repose? With salvation's
wall surrounded, thou mayest smile at all thy foes. See the
streams of living water springing from eternal love. well supply
thy sons and daughters, and all fear of want remove. Who can
faint while such a river ever flows, their thirst to assuage? Grace, which like the Lord the
giver, never fails from age to age. Round each habitation hovering
see the cloud and fire appear for a glory and a covering Showing
that the Lord is near Glorious things of thee are spoken Zion
city of our God He whose word cannot be broken formed thee
for his own abode They are called lovers of Jerusalem. They love
as I said her songs her people Her ways her fellowship fourthly
verse 12 those who are addressed verse 12 for thus sayeth the
Lord behold I will extend peace to her like a river and the glory
of the Gentiles like a flowing stream They're called Gentiles. They're called Gentiles positively
negatively Gentiles positively though it means those who are
chosen out and separated for God's work by the blood of Christ. They're Gentiles, positively. We're not of this world. We're
chosen out. Had a time this weekend and some
things were mentioned. One thing was mentioned about
churches and different things like that. And never once in
any of that conversation, it was who you knew and what they
did or the surroundings or it was a growing church or it was
all this thing. There's all these different things, but nothing
was ever said about the contents of the message or the preaching
of what was going on there. And the lovers of Jerusalem love
the Gospel, because that's where the Gospel is preached. And,
you know, we mentioned in Bible class, somebody's moving somewhere,
wherever, it's not, well, you're going to make more money there,
or you're going to make more friends there, but what's preached
there? Because if you're spiritually
going to starve, everything else is going to follow. Everything
else is going to follow. And so I am very thankful for
the faithfulness of those who call in. Because there are situations
that can't be helped. members away from the local body. But yet still supporting, still
calling in, still listening to the hymns. That's why I had this
thing on when the hymns are sung and the word is read, because
that's what the church is about. It's about Christ and Him crucified.
But they're called Gentiles. Those also who are dressed positively,
like I said, it means that they are a group that is chosen out,
separated. Negatively, in the Scriptures,
if you heard the word Gentiles, they were the bane of society.
They were the lame, the halt, the blind. You know, you're associating
with those people over there. Those people over there, you
know what they believe. So negatively, Gentiles. But
you know what? Christ came to heal and redeem
the sick. That's fine. That's fine. Yeah,
you guys, ain't much going on over there. Bunch of sick folk.
Yeah, sick. Sick as can be. But only the
sick need the balm of Gilead. That sweet balm of Gilead. Only the leper wants to go show
himself to the priest. If you were clean, you didn't
have to go there. But if you were unclean, you had to go and
the priest would look at you. And if it was a complete leprosy,
like we've looked at time and time again in Leviticus 13, if
that leprosy had covered from the top to the very bottom, everything
about us, We're not partial lepers. We're full lepers. We're not
trying to hide, well, I've got a clean spot right here. Maybe nobody
knows it, but I know I've got a nice little... No, it's when
God chose you and chose me as your complete Gentile leper. Then that priest said, you're
clean. That just doesn't make any sense.
That doesn't make any sense. It was kind of like a running
joke when I was with the city. If you wanted to get promoted,
Jeremy, if you wanted to get raises and stuff, you just do
as horrible as you can at your job. And they wouldn't fire you
because they couldn't fire you. So they would find you something
else. And I've seen it where they would create a title and
a position. And you're like, oh, so if I
mess up, Then I'll get promoted and that was kind of a running
running joke there and I've seen it happen in other situations
lastly in verse 14 They're called his servants That's who these
this passage here is addressed to verse 14 and when ye shall
see this your heart shall rejoice and your bones shall flourish
Like a herb and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his
servants servants They are those who are made willing to follow
and serve and submit unto Him in the day of His power. A servant is one who always looks
for ways to do his master's bidding. A servant who loves his master,
not one who's forced. To come to church, not one who's
forced to give the support, the ministry, not people who are
browbeat and forced to do this and do that, but they are, we
are his servants. We are made his servants voluntarily
and willingly. He makes his Psalms 110 verse
three. He makes his people willing in
the day of his power. He makes his people willing in
the day of his power. It's like a marriage. I learned. I mean, it took me
a while, but I learned that I couldn't make Melinda like me, like I
wanted her to be. It was a good day. It was a wonderful
day when I realized that she's a spiritual helpmeet and has
qualities that I need because the two became one. instead of trying to manipulate
and work and all these different things. And that's the beautiful
thing about the gospel. Now a preacher who's the true
preacher of the gospel doesn't manipulate his people, doesn't
manipulate the message, doesn't try to preach at anybody. He
just stands up and preaches the message that God gave him and
realizes that his word will not return void. It'll affect and
the things will happen which He has ordained to do so. And
He uses the preaching of His Gospel. And I'm not saying we
shouldn't live and we shouldn't exhort one another. I'm not saying
those things. But so many people get too nosy and too snoopy and
try to coerce and scheme and all that. We preach the Gospel. Who's sovereign? The preacher? are the one that we're preaching.
His will shall be done. Thy will shall be done on earth,
even as it is in heaven. It will be done. It will be done.
Now, secondly, let's look at I think about nine, nine sub-points
under the second point. Let's look at these wonderful
promises of comfort. We'll look at the verses and
a few comments. Go back over it some time and there's more
in here. But I was telling Nathan, I had this passage outlined a
whole different way. And because of the way we, with
Thanksgiving and everything, it may be, you know, I had to
write this message on the way home last night, but you don't
have any tools. You know or whatever. It's just
you and this book and a lot of times that's that's the way that's
the best way So I had it in my mind how I was going to outline
it and when I started writing it down It was nothing like I
thought and I was very Excited with what the Lord had revealed
is just so so encouraging because you need to be comforted and
I need to be comforted and these are promises for you if you fit
the qualifications of those who are being addressed verse 5 Look
at this promise of comfort. Hear the word of the Lord, ye
that tremble at his word, your brethren hate you, they cast
you out. If you're being ornery on your
own, you need a good swift kick in the pants. But if it's for
the gospel. He says, let the Lord be glorified,
but he shall appear to your joy. There is comfort and joy. Joy
in the midst of hate. I don't know about you, but I
don't, you know, the brethren, the people, God's people are
for peace and the people of this world, especially religious people,
are for war. When you bring the gospel up
in the midst of a situation and the religious people around here
will argue and fuss or fight and usually they can't stand
it. But in the midst of that, but he shall appear to you for
joy. Now that's comfort. That's comfort. Joy in the midst of hate. Verse
five, joy as our enemies are put to shame. But he shall appear
to you to your joy, and they shall be ashamed." We're going
to have comfort and joy when even as our enemies are put to
shame, whether that's speaking of now or whether that's speaking
in the future. But there's comfort. I say, how do you find comfort
in that? It's because it will show that you have not believed
this truth in vain. Right? If we're all working for
the same thing, if all these denominations are preaching the
same thing, if we're all working for the same goal, Why are we
meeting here? Why are we struggling? Why are
we ostracized? Why? But the Lord, you're a Gentile,
he's put a difference. You are marked. It's a mark of
comfort and grace, love and joy and peace. And there will be
joy as our enemies are put to shame. Verses 7 and 8. He promises a comfort of growth
and multiplication while it seems impossible. Look at verse 7 and
8. Before she travailed, she brought forth. Before her pain
came, she was delivered out of a man-child. And I've been around
enough ladies that have had children that say, boy, I wish it was
that way. No, there's going to be some
pain involved. Who has heard of such a thing? It's impossible. No, unless you're on drug, you're
just completely drugged out, you women are going to have pain
in childbirth. And you're still going to have
it. You're still going to have it. Who's heard of such a thing?
Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring
forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at
once? You know, that's the problem
with the situation in Iraq. We want them in democracy. We want
it to be like, you know, ten years from now. It takes time.
Have you ever heard of that happening? It never happened. But God, did
He not speak? And the worlds were. And He says, for as soon as Zion
travailed, she brought forth her children. So there is a promise
and a comforting promise of growth and multiplication in grace.
While it seems impossible. Man, pastor, it just seems like
I struggle all the time. It doesn't seem like I learn
anything. It seems like right after you get done preaching,
I go outside and I can't remember the stuff. And you just, it just,
but that's because you're looking at yourself. But he's promised. If you're a Gentile, if you're
a lover of His truth, a lover of His gospel, a lover of His
people, if He's opened your eyes to the substitutionary work of
Christ, whether you realize it or not, you will grow and you
will multiply in the things and the ways of grace. Fourthly,
verse 9, nothing, absolutely nothing will hinder God's good
work. Verse 9, shall I bring to the
birth and not cause to bring forth? Saith the Lord, shall
I cause to bring forth and shut the womb, saith thy God? It's not going to happen. God
has promised that he's going to lead and feed and direct and
guide from A to Z, his people, because he's the Alpha and the
Omega. Therefore, if you're his, you will reach your final destination. God, nothing will hinder God's
good work. That's what Linda and I were
talking about. Because again, when you're with family, you
can't talk about the gospel or it's hard to talk about the gospel.
So you speak about, in one instance, politics. And you can work yourself up
or get others worked up in a frenzy about this coming, you know,
wait till November gets around. Given the choice of candidates
and these particular folks, they were freaking out about the female
that's in the mix and you just get all worked up. And when and
I were talking about it on the way home. No matter who is in
that office, all things work together for good to those who
love God. Why? Because God's will is being
accomplished. I'm going to be a little upset.
I will tell you, I'm going to be a little upset if that happens,
but I have to step back and realize all things are working together
for good. That's just so, but that's comforting. That's comforting because yeah,
the people I work with and where I work with and the business
that I do type of things, it's all can be a political, the face
of the politics in this nation, it affects everything. But nothing will hinder God's
good work. Take comfort in that. Fifthly,
verse 10. Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and
be glad with her, all ye that love her. Rejoice for joy with
her, all ye that mourn for her." There's rejoicing even as we
mourn. We're mourning for her, and yet
there's joy with her. We love her. Therefore, we're
glad with her. So he's the comfort is, is that
his people, his church, we rejoice even as we mourn. You know, who
would have thought when I talk about this, who would have thought
five years ago that one of the largest sovereign grace works
that we know of. Was going to split. Rejoice even as we mourn God's
work is being done Verse 11 That ye may suck and be satisfied
with the breasts of her consolations that you may milk out and be
delighted with the abundance of her glory what I see here
is satisfaction with his portions received and and the next thing
goes right with this the light of or contentment with His abundant
grace, that ye may suck and be satisfied." You know as well
as I do, and Bruce hit on it this morning in Bible class,
you know as well as I do, that the grass always seems greener
on the other side. If I just do this, things will
be... If I just do that, or if this
would just happen... You've got people that talk about
that their whole life. It's like they were just that
close to that ring, that golden ring, as they're going around
in life's journey. They're always reaching, but never attaining.
And that's what Paul talks about unbelievers. They're always striving,
but they never understand the Gospel. If you understand the
Gospel, The comfort to you is, is that you will be, there is
guaranteed satisfaction with God's portions. And there is
delight or contentment with His abundant grace. If you don't
get what you think you need, He causes you, through His means
of grace, through His gospel preach, through this beautiful,
reverenced Word open, He gives you, you know what, I guess I
didn't need that anyway. I guess it was for my best that
I didn't get that. Don't understand that, but I
see now that it was for my good. That's comforting to know because
there's no satisfaction in this world. You just keep, there's something
always changing. I thought we had a deal at work,
and then I get a, you know, no, we want to change it this way.
So I was telling Bruce, I'm like, man, you know, I just hate changes.
But then got to thinking about it, well, actually, this is going
to work out a little better. Negotiation processes are going
to be a little easier. satisfaction and delight or contentment. And contentment with godliness,
as we read this morning, is great gain, and you can't find it in
the world. People are not content. Not content. Next, verses 12
and 13. As with the loving, caring, and
protective mother, over her sweet child." There's that comfort
that we were talking about. "'For thus saith the Lord, Behold,
I will extend peace to her like a river, glory of the Gentiles
like a flowing stream. Then, shall ye suck, ye shall
be born upon her sides and dandled upon her knees as one whom his
mother comforts.'" So God says, will I? He uses these human terms,
so we can relate to that. So will I comfort you, and you
shall be comforted in Jerusalem. That's a wonderful promise of
comfort. And lastly, verse 14, He says, and when you see this,
When He gives you the understanding of all what He said before, all
what has gone on previously, of His gospel, and His grace,
and His Son, the work of the Father, and the Spirit, you'll
see this. And your heart is going to rejoice,
and your bones shall flourish like a herb, and the hand of
the Lord shall be known towards His servant. The hand of the
Lord shall be known. His way, and this is a way of
comfort, His way will be known without hesitation or doubt. Look at what he says. Look at
how it's worded in verse 14. And when you see this, You cannot
trust an unknown or an unrevealed Savior. You can't do it. But
when He reveals Himself to you in the capacity of comfort and
grace and sovereignty and holiness and that He's for you and not
against you, when you see that, You just rejoice. You just laugh. You laugh inward. You laugh outward. It's like I told you many times
when I'll be sitting there listening to these CDs or something as
I'm driving. I'll be driving and I'll just
start laughing. I tell myself frequently, O you of little faith.
So this way, without hesitation or doubt will be known and you'll
by right now you see this you see these things right now you
see it by faith but one day the promise to you is that faith
you'll see him face to face and you think you're comforted now It'll be beyond measure, the
comfort and security that we have in Christ. So I close with
this. Do you this morning, do you know
this comfort? And do you know this comforter
today? If you do, I say to you, brethren,
pick up this book of books and read your story here. Find it
here. Take refuge. and have peace. Because there's nothing quite
like it. The peace that passes all understanding
in our Lord Jesus Christ. Matt, would you close this please?