Turn with me back to Isaiah chapter
40. Isaiah 40, this will serve as
our text this evening. Look again at verse 26 and follow
along with me. Lift up your eyes on high and
behold who hath created these things that bringeth out their
host by number. He calleth them all by names,
by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power,
and not one faileth. Lift up your eyes on high. Don't look to your hands. Don't
look to your self-righteousness. Don't look to yourself. What will we find if we look
to ourselves? One thing, sin, sin. And sin is not just what we do,
it's what we are by nature. We're sinners, dead in trespasses
and sin. Look up, Isaiah writes, look
up, look to heaven. In Psalm 8, we read these words
written by David. He says, when I consider thy
heavens, the works of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which
thou hast ordained, what is man? Truly, what is man
that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man that thou
visits him. You ever just look up at the
sky on a clear night and see the beauty of the heavens, of
God's creation? All those things that he has
ordained, that he set in motion, that have continued and will
continue until he returns. What is man? What is man that
God would be mindful of him? Consider the great creation and
our frailty, the frailty of man that God would think upon us,
that Almighty God would remember us. Paul said, I know that in
me, That is, in this flesh dwelleth no good thing. Jeremiah wrote,
thus saith the Lord, cursed be the man that trusteth in man,
that would put his trust in me, that maketh flesh his arm, and
whose heart departeth from the Lord. Aren't we so prone to do that? To look to this arm of flesh? To rest in ourselves? God's Word said when we do that,
our heart has departed from the Lord. Because we're looking to
ourselves and not Him. Isaiah says, Lift up your eyes
on high. Look up. David wrote this in
Psalm 121. He said, I'll lift up mine eyes
unto the hills. From whence cometh my help? My
help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. Lift up your eyes on high. to Him that is high and lifted
up. We read that in Isaiah 6, 1. In the year that King Uzziah
died, he said, I saw the Lord. How did he see Him? High and
lifted up. And His train, His glory filled
the temple. His name and His throne are above
every name. above every throne. In Philippians
2.9 it says, wherefore God hath highly exalted him and given
him a name which is above every name. That every knee should
bow, that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord to the glory of God the Father. far above all principality
and power and dominion in every name that is named, not just
in this world, but in the world to come. That which is to come,
exalted, lifted up, lift up your eyes on high. And you know, if
the Lord is pleased to show us to reveal to us who and what
we are, we'll see this, that we are dead
in trespasses and sin. And if we are in the dust, if
we take our place in the dust where we deserve to be, if we
fall at the ground, you know there's only one place to look,
and that's up. to look up to him. Lift up your
eyes on high. Look to Christ. We read that
in the opening scripture. Look unto me. That's what he
said. Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth,
for I am God and there is none else. None beside me." Now back
to our text here in Isaiah 40 verse 26. Lift up your eyes on
high. And then he says, Behold. Behold. That means to consider. That means to take heed. Behold
who hath created these things. Who hath created these things? He that created all things. He's the God of all creation. I know you know these verses,
but turn with me, turn first to Genesis, Genesis chapter 1. Just in case there was any doubt,
look at Genesis chapter 1, verse 1. In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth. It wasn't two balls of gas bumping
into each other and exploding. No. In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth. Turn to John. Turn over to the
New Testament, to John chapter 1. John 1, look at verse 1. In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And
the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God. All things were made by Him. And without Him was not anything
made that was made. Behold the sovereign God that
created all things. The God of all creation. He's sovereign. God is sovereign. He's sovereign in creation. He's
sovereign in providence. He orders and directs all things
according to His will. And He's sovereign in salvation.
He'll save whom He will. He'll pass by whom He will. He
said, I'll have mercy on whom I'll have mercy. Lift up your eyes on high. Behold, who hath created these
things? Do you still have our text here
in Isaiah? It says, He bringeth out the
host by number. He bringeth out the host by number. He's the Lord of hosts. You know, that's found 235 times
in scripture, the Lord of hosts. This is one that is exalted. This is one of whom we are to
look up. This is the one that has created
all things and it says, He bringeth out the host, His host, by number. I ask you, who does that? What's
it say there? He does. He brings out the host
by number. Well, what does it mean to bring
out? I want you to listen to just
a few of these words. If you look at that, He bringeth
out. It means this, it means to carry
out. He carries out His people. I love that parable that our
Lord told in Luke 15 of that one lost sheep. He said, What man of you, having
a hundred sheep, If he loses one of them, doth not leave the
ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost?
How long does he search for it? Until he finds it. And when he
finds it, what's he do? He lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. Isn't that just an
amazing thought? I can remember a few times when
the boys were younger, they might wander away a little bit. I was
happy to see him, but I don't think I rejoiced. I probably
was pretty stern with him. What's it say about our Lord?
When he hath found it, he picks it up, he lays it on his shoulders,
rejoicing, and when he comes home, together his friends and
his neighbors, and he says to them, rejoice with me for I have
found my sheep, which was lost. He laid that sheep on his shoulders.
He carried it. He carried it home. Isn't that
what he does for each and every one of his children? Seeks them, finds them, Puts them on his shoulders and
he carries them home. He bringeth out the host by number. That word bringeth out, it can
also mean this, to fetch. To fetch. Don't you love that
word? Fetched. Just like Mephibosheth
of old. Mephibosheth, he laid down there
in the house of Amel in the land of Lodabar. The land of no bread. And listen, he's nothing. He
is nothing. He has nothing. He's lame on
his feet. Any other king would have slew
that man. He would have viewed him as an
enemy. And he would have destroyed him. But not King David. No, he fetched him, didn't he?
He sent his servant to go down there and fetch him and bring
him back to himself because he's going to show mercy on him. Mercy for the sake of another. King David sent and fetched him
out of the house of Maker, the son of Abel, from Lodabar. And then listen, he bringeth
out the host by number It means this, to pluck out. Aren't these words in Scripture
just amazing? He plucks them out. Amos 4.11
says, Ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning. We had to be plucked out. If any of you ever ride with
Isaac in a car that has heated seats, he has a habit of, when
you're not looking, reaching over and turning that seat on.
And sometimes you go miles and miles and miles and you don't
even know it until you know it. You're just burning up. That's what sin is. When you're
in it, don't even know. Don't even know. Yet the Lord reached down his
hand into that fire and he plucked us out. He pulled us out. He bringeth out the host by number. I ask you again, who does all
the work? Who does all the work? Huh? The carrying. Who does the
carrying? The Savior. Christ does. Huh? We've gone astray, yet he seeks
until he finds, and he places us on his shoulder, and he carries
us home. How about the fetching? Huh? Was Mephibosheth responsible
for any of that? What did he do? Nothing. He's lame on his feet. He can't
do anything. Yet the king fetched him. He sent his servant and fetched
him and brought him back. That firebrand, it laid there
in the fire. And again, he's pleased to reach
down and pluck his people out. We'd stay in it. We'd be consumed
in it, but he reached down And He plucked us out. We sing that song when He reached
down His hand for me. When the Savior reached down
for me. I was lost. How did He find me? Lost and undone. Without God, without His Son. But what did He do? He reached
down His hand for me. Reach down and pluck me out. I ask you, who gets the glory
in that? Huh? That's easy, isn't it? He does. He does. The work is
all of Him. He bringeth out the host by number. The salvation of a sinner is
all in Christ. It's all by Him. Scripture says
this, She shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name
Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. Do you still have Isaiah 40,
verse 26? He calleth them all by name,
by the greatness of His power, By the greatness of His might,
for He is strong in power, He calls them by name." Everyone,
look at, turn with me to John, John chapter 10. John 10. Look at verse 1 of John 10. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth
up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he
that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and
he calleth his own sheep by name, and he leadeth them out." Calls them by name. That's personal,
isn't it? Mary, Martha, Lazarus, Matthew,
the publican, Mary Magdalene. He calleth them all by name. That's important, isn't it? He
calls them by name. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2.19,
nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having
this seal. What is it? The Lord knoweth
them that are His. And let every one that nameth
the name of Christ depart from iniquity. The Lord knoweth them
that are His. They're His. Each one of them. He chose them. He wrote them
in... He wrote every one of them's
name in His book. And He will never suffer one of them, not
one to perish. Well, back to our text, Isaiah
40, verse 26. He says, not one, not one faileth. Our Lord speaking in John chapter
6, 39, he said, this is the Father's will, which hath sent me, that
of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing. He's not going to lose one. I should lose nothing, but raise
it up again in the last day. Consider this, just consider
this, those that the father elected, all those that he predestinated
to be made like his son, all for whom he died, every last
one of them will be eternally kept, eternally preserved, eternally
saved. The last day, he talks about
the last day. That's the end of this world
as we know it and the beginning of eternity. Our Lord declares it to be, listen,
the sovereign will of almighty God that every one of them elected
by the Father, redeemed by the Son, called by the Spirit shall
be saved. Huh? They'll be raised from the
grave to eternal glory. Huh? To be with Him. And not
one, not one is going to be lost. Our salvation, our security,
our resurrection, our being raised from the dead rests not upon
anything that we have done or will do. but all upon Him, upon
His choice, the Father's choice, and the Son's obedience and sacrifice. Not one faileth. You know, of those that the Father
gave Him, those chosen in Christ before the foundation of the
world, not one faileth. Not one. Of those for whom He
came to seek and to save, not one faileth. Of those for whom
He died, those for whom He suffered under the justice and wrath of
Almighty God on the cross, of all those that He bore their
sins in His body on the tree, not one faileth. Of those for whom He was made
sin, He was made sin. That's what Scripture says. The
Lord Jesus Christ was made sin. Not one, not one faileth. Of those that will be made, the
very righteousness of God in Him. Not one, not one faileth. Of those that He calls by name, not one, not one faileth. Of those for whom he sits on
the right hand of the Father on high, make an intercession
for, not one faileth. Of those that he will present
faultless, Can you imagine that? How can that word ever even be
used in the same sentence as any of our names? Faultless. Faultless for the presence of
His glory. With exceeding joy. Holy. Unblameable. Unreprovable
in His sight. Not one faileth. Not one faileth. The Lord said,
I should lose nothing. That thief on the cross, well,
what a miserable wretch was he. Will he be lost? Our Lord said, today, today,
this very day, thou shalt be with me in paradise. The Philippian
jailer. What about him? I mean, he's
stuck there in that prison. He never goes outside of the
place. And he's in such a miserable place, he is prepared to take
his own life. Is there hope for him? The Lord
sent Paul and Silas. Put them in jail to preach to
that man. And the Lord was pleased to save
him and his family. How about that man that dwelt
among the tombs? Boy, what a... I mean, wouldn't
you just think he was a lost cause? He couldn't even be bound with
chains. No man could tame him. Yet the Lord visited him. The Lord purposed to visit him
in mercy and grace. And the next thing we read is
Next time he was seen, he was seated, seated at the feet of
the Master, clothed and in his right mind. How about the Apostle Paul? Saul
was his name. He once went about seeking to
put believers in prison. He'd jail them, put them in jail.
Can the Lord save a man like that? He stopped him, didn't he? He
blinded him, and when he opened his eyes, boy, he saw things
completely different, didn't he? The Lord Jesus Christ was
revealed to him. We just go through the Scripture.
That woman with the issue of blood, she'd been to every doctor
known to man, spent everything she had, and was none better. In fact, Scripture says she was
worse. Is there hope for her? Maybe you wonder that about...
Do you ever wonder that about yourself? Is there hope? Is there hope for me? Is there hope for me? Scripture says this in Matthew
chapter 8. I'll just read it to you here
for sake of time, but it says, Behold, there came a leper and
worshipped him. He said, Lord, if Thou wilt,
if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And what happened? The Lord put forth His hand and
He touched him. He touched a leper, that which
would have made anyone else unclean. Our Lord touched him and he said,
I will be thou clean. And immediately, what happened? His leprosy was cleansed. There's no case. There is absolutely
no case too hard for Almighty God. Listen to this passage of scripture
in closing. Well, I'll tell you, we've got
time. Turn there with me. Turn to Hebrews 7. Hebrews chapter 7. Listen to these words. He is able also to save them
to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth
to make intercession for them. Who's going to be saved? Them
that come to God by Him. Them that come to God in the
Lord Jesus Christ. To Him. Not the front of the
church, not to the preacher. Listen, not anywhere. Come to
Him. Come to Him. How? By His Son. Come by Him. The Lord Jesus Christ. And come,
listen, without delay. Now. That's what God's Word says. Now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Well, what's His ability? Not mine, not yours. What's His
ability to save? What's the limit of that? What's Scripture say? He is able
to save to the uttermost. Why is that? Why can he save
to the uttermost? How is it that he can save the
chief of sinners? Because he ever liveth to make
intercession for us. He suffered. He died. He was buried. He's risen. And
he ever lives. He's exalted. seated at the right
hand of God, and He ever lives to make intercession for us,
for His people. Lift up your eyes on high. Look to Christ. Look to Him. Behold, who hath created these
things? Who did it? He did, the God of
all creation. He bringeth out the host by number. He calls them by name. They're His. And not one, not one faileth. How's that possible? We'd fall
a thousand times, wouldn't we? We'd continually fall. But listen,
and that's true, but He shall not fail. I pray God will bless
his work.