A little over two weeks ago,
I received a letter from my friend, Brother John Opus. John and his
wife, Ellie, live in Fairfield, California, in the San Francisco
Bay Area. They've been here a number of
times and dear friends to this congregation and to me, faithfully
supporting the missionary works of the Church here, and we're
very thankful for them. John's wife, Ellie, has for the
last good while been greatly confined because of Alzheimer's
disease, and John goes and sits with her and takes care of her
every day, but I still hear from him every month. And his letters
always, always are encouraging, always. It's amazing to me. People who have what appears
to me to be the greatest difficulties and heartaches never whine. They just never whine. Folks
who stomp their toes and have hangnails whine all the time.
People who have real trouble, God's people, they seem to manage
somehow to always be an encouragement to me. John is one of those people. And at the end of his letters,
he always points me to a passage of scripture, usually just a
reference. At the close of his letter a
couple of weeks ago, he called my attention to Isaiah 63, verse
3. And he said, I sure would like
to hear you preach on that sometime. Much to my surprise, I discovered
that I never had. So I turned to the passage and
read that text, the chapter in which it's found, the chapter
before it and after it, and the chapter surrounding it, and it's
been on my mind ever since. I believe God's given me a message
for you. Let's begin in Isaiah chapter 63, verse 3. The one speaking is Jesus Christ,
our Redeemer. He speaks through the mouth of
his prophet Isaiah more than 700 years before he came into
this world to redeem us. I have trodden the winepress
alone, and of the people there was none with me. For I will
tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury, and
their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garment. and I will stain
all my raiment." The title of my message is, No Assistance
Needed. This blessed, delightful chapter
speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ and his great salvation. And
the thing that immediately jumps out from this third verse of
Isaiah 63 is the fact that the whole work of redemption, grace,
and salvation is his work alone. No assistance needed. He says,
I have prodden the winepress alone, and of the people there
was none with me. No assistance needed. In God's great work of grace,
in the saving of our souls, no assistance is needed, wanted,
required, or accepted. It is altogether the work of
God our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Here described as that
one traveling in the greatness of his strength, mighty to save. Now hold your Bibles open here
in Isaiah 63 and follow with me as we look at these first
six verses of this chapter. Our Lord Jesus describes himself
here. He is described rather by his
puppet here in verse one. as one who is mighty to save. Who is this that cometh from
Edom with dyed garments from Basra? This that is glorious
in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength,
I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save." Now if you look
at chapter 62 verse 11, The Prophet said, Behold, thy salvation cometh. Behold, his reward is with him,
and his work before him. Notice how our Lord Jesus is
described. Thy Savior. No, no. Thy salvation. Simeon, you will
remember, picked him up in his arms when they brought him to
the temple for the dedication. And he said, Lord, now let us
thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Salvation is more than an experience. Salvation is more than a creed. Salvation is a person. It is Jesus Christ himself. He is our Savior and He is our
salvation. Salvation is being one with Him
who is our salvation. Now, the Holy Spirit tells us
in chapter 62 that Christ is coming to redeem and save His
people. In this 63rd chapter, He tells
us how He would accomplish that salvation. He seems to have Isaiah
does in his mind's eye a vision of what he recorded in chapter
53. He seems to have in his mind's eye a picture of the incarnate
God, our Savior, as he performed his work. when he saw him covered
with blood, covered with blood as one who is coming up out of
a great battle, out of a great time of warfare. And yet he comes
up not as one who is tired and weary, but he comes in the greatness
of his strength, full of strength. And Isaiah cries with astonishment. He sees this one all covered
with blood. A mighty warrior coming up from
battle, but coming in great strength, and he says, who is this? Who
is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? Edom and Bozrah, I think clearly
in this passage, are an allusion to the enmity of Esau, the head
of the house of Edom. The enmity of Moab, of which
Barzara was a part. It is enmity of Esau against
his brother Jacob. The enmity of all the seed of
the wicked one against the seed of the woman. All the people
of this world against God's elect. Speaking of those who are born
after the flesh and those who are born after the Spirit, the
Apostle tells us that they that are after the flesh are persecutors
against those who are born of the Spirit. And so Edom and Bozrah
represent here all the enemies of our God and all the enemies
of our souls, both physical and spiritual. Who is this that cometh
from Edom with dyed garments from Bozrah? Do you see him as
he comes in the greatness of his strength? This man who is
the man of God's right hand, this man who is the captain of
our salvation, returning from war in the greatness of his strength? That's exactly how the Lord Jesus
always comes to his people. He comes with the dyed garments
of one who has accomplished great victory in our room instead,
in the greatness of his strength. Do you remember in John 17, when
he was about to go and finish the work the Father had given
him? He said, Thou hast given him power, dominion, authority. Somebody asked me once, does
that mean Power or authority, yes. Power and authority as the
King of kings and Lord of lords over all flesh that he should
give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. The Lord
Jesus never comes to sinners. He never comes to sinners as
the meek and lowly beg for death to Him. Rather, He comes as one
mighty to save in the greatness of His strength, the strength
given Him as our mediator as the result of redemption accomplished.
When He comes in saving grace, He comes in the greatness of
His strength. When He comes to us in all the works of His providence,
He comes in the greatness of His strength. When He comes to
us and speaks forgiveness to our souls, He speaks as one having
authority to forgive sin in the greatness of His strength. When
He comes to restore us from our many falls and temptations and
trials, He comes in the greatness of His strength. He always comes
in the greatness of His strength with His garments dyed in blood. He is glorious in His apparel.
He comes in the apparel of a servant, one who treads the wine vat. Servants are those who tread
grapes. The man who owns the vineyard,
unless he just has a small vineyard and is a poor man, never does
it himself. The servants tread the grapes.
And our Lord Jesus comes now in the greatness of His strength,
glorious in His apparel, but in the apparel of a servant.
His garments are the garments of one who is lowly. He is yet
in these garments, but glorious in his garments. They are dyed
garments, garments drenched in blood. Drenched in his own blood,
yes, but here they are described as being drenched in the blood
of his enemies. Our Lord Jesus Christ is here seen by Isaiah
as one glorious in his apparel, and garments drenched in the
blood of his enemies and our enemies. Oh, what a gallant man
this man is. Hold your hands here and turn
to Revelation chapter 6. Revelation 6. This is how John saw him. Verse 2. I saw and behold a white
horse, and he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given
to him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer as a Jehovah's
servant. as Jehovah's servant who was
sent to deliver his people from the hands of their enemies, as
one glorious in his apparel because he has delivered his people,
having conquered all our enemies. We might ask with the astonished
prophet, who is this? But we don't have to wait for
an answer. The one standing before us gives us the answer. He says,
I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. It is as though
he said, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. Can't you imagine
if you were out by yourself somewhere and all of a sudden you saw someone
coming to you covered with blood? Covered with blood, but full
of vigor and full of strength. You would think surely there's
reason for fear here. And the Lord Jesus speaks to
his astonished prophet, and he says, don't be afraid. Don't
be afraid. I come not to hurt, but to heal. I come not to do
battle, but from battle. I come to you as he who is mighty
to save. And he speaks in righteousness. He speaks in righteousness by
the gospel of His grace, which declares the righteousness of
God. He speaks in righteousness as our advocate in heaven, by
whom we have continual acceptance and continual forgiveness of
sin. If any man sin, we have an advocate
with the Father. Listen to His name. Jesus Christ
the righteous, and He is the propitiation for our sins. He
speaks in righteousness when He speaks peace to believing
sinners, or if He will speak to your soul this day. If He
will graciously speak to your heart and speak peace, He will
speak peace to you only in righteousness. Peace that can be had in your
soul only in righteousness, because the only way you can have peace
with God is through the righteousness of God bestowed upon you and
given you in Jesus Christ our Lord. And He will speak peace
and righteousness in that last day. when he says to every chosen
sinner, well done thou good and faithful servant. Imagine that.
He'll look at you in righteousness, in righteousness and say, well
done. How can that be? Well done because
all our beings All our person and all our works are bathed
in his blood, clothed in his righteousness, and acceptable
to God, accepted of God by Christ Jesus. Because he speaks in righteousness,
our Lord Jesus Christ describes himself as one mighty to save. The prophet said in Psalm 89,
Thou hast exalted one chosen out of the people. Thou hast
laid help upon one that is mighty. He is able to save to the uttermost
all them that come to God by him. Even me, even me. Even you, even you. All who come
to God by him, this one who speaks in righteousness all the time
is mighty to save. Oh, what a great word. an impotent
Savior, a Savior who tries to save, a Savior who offers salvation,
a Savior who simply cooperates with you in salvation. is a useless
Savior, an impotent God, a God who wants to save but fails,
a Jesus who died to redeem but fails to redeem, a Spirit who
wants to give life but fails to give life, is a useless, false
Spirit, false Jesus, and false God. If you worship a God who
tries to save, you need another God. You need a God who really
is God. This One who is the God-man,
our Savior, is mighty to save. All that the Father gave Him
in covenant grace from eternity, He redeemed with His precious
blood. He calls by His Spirit. He keeps by His power, and He
carries to glory. All of them shall be saved, for
He is mighty to save, and nothing depends upon them. What a blessed
gift of grace it is. to see the Lord Jesus Christ
glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength,
and to hear Him speak in righteousness as He who is mighty to save. When the Lord Jesus, if ever
He is revealed to your soul in this, the glory and greatness
of His grace, you'll cry to Him like the lepers in Luke 17, Jesus,
Master, have mercy on us. Now look at verse 2, Isaiah 63,
2. Encouraged by the gracious, condescending
answer that we've received to our first question, who is this? We venture to ask a further question.
O mighty Savior, why are your garments so bloody? How is it
that one so great, so glorious, wears such garments? That's the
question here in verse 2. Wherefore? art thou red in thine
apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth the wine fat. His garments on the mount of
transfiguration were as white as snow. His robe of righteousness
is fine linen, clean and white. The garment of his humanity is
white and ruddy, but now his garments are covered in blood.
Dipped in blood, made red by the scourges he received, by
the wounds he received, by the crown of thorns, by the nail
in his hands and his feet, by the spear in his side. This is
exactly how John saw him again in Revelation. Turn over there
if you will. Revelation 19. Revelation 19. This one who is
faithful and true. who in righteousness judges and
makes war, whose eyes are a flame of fire, whose head has many
crowns. He's described in verse 13, and
he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name
is called the Word of God. Here he is, riding forth in his
great glory. As John beholds him in the final
chapters of the book, clothed with garments dipped in blood. This will be the subject of everlasting
wonder, praise and joy among the redeemed in heaven. Oh, the
wonder of grace here displayed. Our Savior emptied Himself and
took on Him the form of a servant. that he might fill us with his
grace and make us princes with God. He who was rich became poor
for our sakes that we through his poverty might be made rich. He was himself abased that he
might exalt us in due time. He dipped his vesture in blood
that he might clothe us with the garments of salvation. By
his obedience and death, Before the law of God, he magnified
the law and made it honorable in him. Righteousness and peace
have kissed each other. Mercy and truth are met together. And now, because his garments
were dipped in blood, because he wears a vesture dipped in
blood as our great substitute and redeemer, because he died
in our room instead, suffering as our substitute, now, by mercy
and by truth, iniquity is purged. Rejoice as you behold him. His garments are like him that
treaded the wine vat. Now look at verse 3. Hear the
Lord Jesus Christ as he describes how he accomplished our redemption.
the redemption of our souls by the sacrifice of himself, how
it is that his garments were made red. He says, I have trodden
the winepress alone, and of the people there was none with me,
for I will tread them in mine anger and trample them in my
fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and
I will stain all by raiment. Every word so very important. The winepress our Savior trod
was the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God. That, again,
is how John describes it in Revelation 19.15. The very winepress into
which we would be thrown forever, into which we would forever be
damned, had not he trodden it alone for us. Blessed be his
name. He trod the winepress, and he
trod the winepress alone. There was none with him. He bore
our sins and carried our sorrows alone. He drank the cup of indignation
and fury and wrath alone. He was forsaken of the Father
alone. Never in this book, never in
this book will you ever find any indication of God forsaking
his people. He says, I'll never leave you
nor forsake you. But his son was forsaken. He
put away our sins alone. He brought in everlasting righteousness
alone. He satisfied divine justice alone. The hymn writer put it well. To the howling mob he yielded. He did not for mercy cry. The
cross of shame he took alone. And when he cried, it's finished.
He gave himself to die. Salvation's wondrous plan was
done. He could have called 10,000 angels
to destroy the world and set him free. He could have called
10,000 angels, but he died alone for you and me. None could have
been with him in his great work. For he declares in verse 4 again,
I will tread them in mine anger and trample them in my fury. Now I've looked at this for years,
tried to determine, is he talking about treading his enemies and
ours in his anger and trampling them in his fury? He certainly
did that, having spoiled principalities and powers. He made a show of
them openly, triumphing over them in his cross. But I think
the context, particularly verse 4, demands that we also understand
our Savior to be declaring. that in this great work of redemption,
he acts not only as God, our substitute, the God-man, our
mediator, but he acts as God, our judge, the God-man who sits
in judgment over all. He acts not only as the one upon
whom justice is executed, but as that one who is the executioner
of justice after all. He laid down his life for his
sheep. He gave his back to the smiters. He willingly endured all the
wrath of God for us. Jeremiah said, the Lord hath
trodden the virgin of the daughter of Judah as a winepress. You see, you and I are by nature
enmity against God. The enemies of God. Hating God. That's the nature
of man. Oh, I don't hate God. Oh, yes
you do. Oh, yes you do. Everybody is
born hating God. Everybody. Everybody loves their
notion of God. Everybody loves a God who is
a stump, or a God who is like the sun, or a God who's like
Texaco, the real thing, or their notion of some weak, useless
old man upstairs they can call on when they get in trouble who'll
have a little penny on them. Everybody loves their imaginary
God, but everybody hates God. Everybody. Teach our children.
We teach them foolish things from infancy. Convince them from
infancy, while they live their lives spitting in God's face,
we convince them they love God. They love Jesus. Oh no, they
don't. Oh no, they don't. They're born
hating God. When our Lord Jesus died, he
trampled his enemy. He trampled His foes, even His
elect, beneath His feet, having slain the enmity that is in us
by nature, and by the blood of His cross reconciled us to God
and made peace. When Christ our Mediator died
as our substitute, we died in Him and with Him. When He was
trampled beneath the feet of divine justice in all the fury
of God's holy wrath, we were trampled with Him until the Lord
God cried, fury is not in me. From the moment, from the very
moment Our Lord Jesus pierced the serpent, even Leviathan,
that crooked serpent, and slew the dragon. He began to sing
to his ransomed bride as a vineyard of red wine. You can read it
in Isaiah 27. He says of his vineyard of red
wine, I, the Lord, do keep it. I will water it every moment,
lest any hurt it. I will keep it night and day.
Fury is not in me. He shall cause them to come of
Jacob and to take root. Israel shall blossom and bud
and fill the face of the whole world with his fruit, punishing
our sins to the full satisfaction of justice, slaying his elect
in the furious wrath of his holy justice. Our blessed Savior,
here it tells us that he sprinkled our blood upon his garments and
stained all his raiment. The word that is translated stain
here is a very strong, expressive, instructive word. You may this
morning have on a shirt or a tie or be carrying a handkerchief
that is stained and yet is not dirty. It may be stained with
age. It may be stained in many ways
and yet be perfectly clean. The word translated stain here
means to pollute, to defile, to desecrate. It is to make unclean. Oh, how our Savior stained himself
when he was made sin for us. That's how redemption is accomplished.
He who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made
the righteousness of God in Him. I've often told you a story I
heard Brother Mahan tell. Oh, it's been thirty years ago
or more. He said, I had a friend visiting
who was a missionary in India, and he told the story. He was
an Indian one day walking out in the remote areas, he heard
a faint, raspy voice. And he said, it's obvious somebody
was in great difficulty. And we made our way until we
found a little clearing. The most awful sight I ever saw. There was a, please turn that
thing off. There was a There was a man sitting on two stumps
that were once knees, covered with leprosy, covered with leprosy,
where his fingers used to be, just stubs, his face covered. And he'd been taken out there
and left to die. And he's sitting there in the
middle of nowhere, crying, help me, help me, somebody, please
help me. I looked at him and thought to
myself, if I could go over there and stretch myself over him,
put my mouth to his mouth, Breathe into my body all His corruption,
sickness, uncleanness and death. And breathe into Him all my health
and strength and life. That's what Christ did for me.
Oh, He stained His garments. being made sin for us and gives
us his righteousness. Now look at verse four. And you'll
see clearly that I've interpreted verse three accurately. For the
day of vengeance is in my heart. What a thing to say. What a thing
to say. The day of vengeance. Those exact
words. The day of vengeance. Not a day
of vengeance. The Day of Vengeance are only
used three times in the entire Word of God. And all three times,
they refer specifically to this day when the Savior died. Not
a Day of Vengeance, the Day of Vengeance. He says, the Day of
Vengeance is in my heart. What? Didn't He declare that
judgment is His strange work? His strange work. treasure up in his heart like
one full of malice, coldness, and hardness the day when he
would execute his vengeance upon his enemies. Is he just waiting
anxiously for the day when he will cast men into hell? Never! That's not what it's all about. When he sent the flood on the
earth, That was a day of vengeance, but it was just a little vengeance.
When He poured out His fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah, that was
a day of vengeance, but just a little day of vengeance. And
when He cast the wicked into hell, it will be for them an
everlasting day of vengeance, but not the full outpouring of
His vengeance. There is only one day that can
be called the day of vengeance. when God Almighty poured out
the vial of His wrath, until it was his day, and fury was
gone. And that's the year of my redeemed. The day of vengeance is in my
heart, and now the year of my redeemed has come. The day that our Emmanuel died
in our place is the day that is the beginning of the year
of his redeeming. From everlasting, the precise
time of our redemption was determined. The appointed time could not
carry Every event from the dawn of creation until that day when
our Lord Jesus cried, now is the judgment of this world. Now
is the prince of this world cast out. And I, if I be lifted up
from the earth, will draw all men unto me. Every event from
the dawn of creation until he cried, it is finished. paved the road for this day,
paved the way for Him, the Son of God, to come to Mount Calvary. Every event came to pass for
this purpose. The world was created for this
purpose, that the year of His redeemed might come. Israel was
in Egypt for 400 years. They were in Babylon for 70 years.
But we read that Israel came out of Egypt, and these words,
the same night, the self-same night, the Lord brought them
out. How long were they in Babylon?
Not one hour. Beyond the hour, God had told
them they would be in Babylon. And so when the fullness of time
was gone, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under
the law, to redeem them that were under the law. And in due
time, Christ died for the ungodly. You remember how often the folks
tried to kill him. But his hour was not come. On
one occasion, they wanted to take him up to Jerusalem and
put a crown on his head and make him king over that little old
town. As if he wanted that. But his
hour was not come. Then at last, he set his face
like a threat to go to Jerusalem. And he couldn't be stopped. Why? Why? The Jews are seeking to
kill you. If you go up yonder, they're
going to nail you to a tree. My hour is now come." This hour
that had been in His heart from old eternity. And when our Savior
came to that day called the day of vengeance, when He suffered
all the horror of God's furious vengeance until God had emptied
His wrath upon His darling Son, and our Savior cried, it is finished.
Then He said, the year of my redeemed is come. What's that
talking about? That's talking about one of those
ceremonies required in the law that the children of Israel never
kept or even attempted to keep, called the Year of Jubilee. How
could they possibly have kept such a year? The Year of Jubilee. It was intended for one purpose,
to speak of the year of His redeeming when all His tax would be set
free. Every debt cancelled. Everything lost restored. The everlasting year of my redeemed. Now look at the way he speaks
to his people. My redeemed. My redeemed. My redeemed. Well, I thought
everybody was redeemed. You thought wrong. Some folks
are called my redeemed. Nobody else. He calls us, my
redeemed, in the everlasting covenant of grace, looking upon
us in Himself as the gift of His Father, redeemed by His blood,
my redeemed. He calls us, my redeemed, when
it comes to the time of love, and calls us by His grace, putting
His grace, His Spirit Himself within us whenever we fall. He looks at us in pity and says,
My Redeemed. Whenever He forgives our sin,
as He constantly does, He says, My Redeemed. When He calls our
names before our Father in Heaven, this is how He pleads, Father!
He says, My Redeemed. My Redeemed. When He presents
us thoughtless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
He will present his kingdom to the Father, that God may be all
in all, and he will say, Here they are, my redeemed. Now, in
verses 3 and 5, I want you to notice what our Savior says.
This is what the Lord says of himself in verse 3, I have trodden
the winepress alone. I looked, and there was none
to help. Therefore, mine own arm brought
salvation to me," he says in verse 5. Turn to chapter 40 of
Isaiah, and hear what God's prophet Isaiah says about his Lord. Verse 10, Behold, the Lord God will come
with strong hand, and his arm shall rule. He shall feed his
flock like a shepherd. He shall gather his lambs with
his arm. He shall carry them in his bosom. In Isaiah 59, verse 16, he saw
that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor.
Therefore his arm brought salvation unto him, and his righteousness
it sustained him. Our great Lord Jesus does the
work of the great shepherd. the good shepherd, the chief
shepherd. He lays down his life for his sheep, and he feeds his
flock as a shepherd. And he gathers his lambs into
his arms and carries them in his heart, home to himself, home
to God, home to glory. And that which sustains him in
all the work is his fury. his fury, the zeal of the Lord's
house, described in Isaiah 59 as his righteousness that sustains
him. That is, that which sustains
him is his zeal for the glory of God satisfying justice, bringing
in righteousness to make himself an everlasting and a glorious
name. He's sustained in the whole thing
because of the joy that's set before him for which he endured
the cross, despising the shame. And in all the work, he is alone. So the prophet and the prophet's
God together say, no assistance needed. This is my work. And because the work is all mine,
the glory is all mine. His fury, it sustained him. Now, look at verse 6. Thus far
everything in verses 1 through 5 is all grace. Everything we've
seen is calls for joy, singing, praise, and gratitude. But in
verse 6, the subject changes. Here our Savior warns his enemies
of his sure wrath. and assures all his people that
he will at last destroy forever all his foes and ours. And I
will tread down the people in mine anger and make them drunk
in my fury and I will bring down their strength to the earth.
That's the one thing of which you are worthy. They have shed
the blood of saints and prophets Thou hast given them blood to
drink, for they are worthy. I hear folks say, well, I couldn't
worship a God who'd send my babies to hell. You couldn't. Would
you tell me what your babies are worthy of? Would you tell
me? I couldn't worship a God who'd send my mama or daddy to
hell. You couldn't. What do you think they're worthy of? What
do you think you're worthy of? Nothing else. Nothing else. Now, he who speaks this word
of warning says, Look unto me, and be ye saved. All the ends
of the earth. Two choices, just two. Either
look and live, or hide your eyes from all that you know I have
declared to you to be truth this day, and await the day when He
will trample you in His fury. And in that day, That last great
day, the God of peace, my brother, my sister, will bruise Satan
himself under your feet. Amen.