Okay, this evening then, it's
our intention to take a look at Isaiah 63, verse 1 down through
verse 6, and I'm taking the title or the message in a form of a
question that is asked in verse 1. Who is this? Who is this? Who is this? Well, we know the
answer because we know this book is about the Lord Jesus Christ. Who is this that cometh from
Edom, from the place of the enemies? Edom was the descendant of Esau. Jacob have I loved, Esau have
I hated, and he cometh with dyed garments from Basra. This that
is glorious in his apparel, traveling moving, going, coming in the
greatness of his strength. Our God is not weak. Our Savior
is not weak. He's mighty to save in the greatness
of his strength. I that speak in righteousness,
I that speak in righteousness, and he is the almighty God, mighty
to save. Thank God he's mighty. Thank
God he's almighty. because of our sin, our guilt,
and our depravity. Great sinners need a great, almighty
Savior. Now, Isaiah is not asking this
question out of ignorance. He's writing under inspiration
of God, but rather out of an overwhelming amazement. Amazement! that our great and glorious Lord
God and Savior would undertake such a glorious and redeeming
work on our behalf to save us and make us new creatures in
the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the commentators that
I enjoy reading after Robert Hawker, who lived back in the
1800s, 1850, about in there, said of this chapter, and I've
read him several times on this chapter, never was there a more
glorious description of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ
than is given here to the church in the language of prophecy.
This is written 700 years before the Lord Jesus Christ was manifest
in the flesh. 700 years, so many years before
the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, to actually accomplish
all that is written of him. The whole Old Testament says
someone is coming, and that someone who is coming is the Lord Jesus
Christ, who was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our
iniquities, as it said in Isaiah 53. Now we know that all the
prophets, all the prophets of old, beginning in Moses and all
the scriptures, beginning in Moses and all the scriptures,
they all testify of the Lord Jesus Christ. You remember from
our study in Acts chapter 10, to Him give all the prophets
witness. All the Old Testament prophets say the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Messiah is coming. Isaiah, the Gospel according
to Isaiah, and then Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Habakkuk, Zechariah,
Zephaniah, Malachi, Micah, all the prophets tell us about the
Lord Jesus Christ who is coming, who He is, and what He has done
for us. What He has done for us. A child
is born, a son is given. His name shall be called Wonderful
Counselor, the Mighty God. the everlasting Father. The declaration
of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is not what we must do
for Him. That's not the gospel. The gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ is what He has done for us. Our salvation
is dependent upon Him, not upon us. Not upon us. It's what Christ has done for
us. Our salvation depends entirely upon the Lord Jesus Christ accomplishing
all things for us. The law of God honored every
precept. In his death, the penalty of
the law honored. All things accomplished, the
law of God satisfied and done in such a way that's honoring
to the Lord God Almighty. He said, I didn't come to destroy
the law and prophets. He said, I came to honor the
law of God, and that's what he did. He did that for us in such
a special way. Don't turn, but let me read this
to you. I didn't write this down. Let
me see if I can find it. The Lord is well pleased for
His righteousness sake, Isaiah 42, 21. The Lord God the Father
is well pleased for His righteousness sake, the Lord Jesus Christ sake,
for He will magnify the law and make it honorable. And that's
what He did. He accomplished all salvation
for us. Righteousness fulfilled, redemption
fulfilled, the law of God honored. Now, let's take a look at this
amazing question and then answer the question that the Lord gives
us. He asked a question, then He
answers His question. And let us pray that the Lord
will bless His Word to our understanding that we might rest alone for
all of our salvation in Him. Rest in Him. Christ is all and
in all in Him. In Him alone. I was rereading
and looking at this again this afternoon, and this phrase caught
my mind. Down in verse 16, the last part
of verse 16, Thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer. Thy name is from everlasting
to everlasting. He's our Father. He's our Redeemer. He's God, our Savior. God, our Savior. Christ is all
and in all, and we are complete in Him. He said, I didn't come
to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Behold, he cometh. Behold, he cometh. He's on his
way. 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
might even say. There's a question. There's an
answer. Now, who is this one who returned from the battlefield
glorious? Well, the answer is obvious,
isn't it? To those who are taught of the Lord, if none other than
our blessed Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is called the
Captain of our salvation, who is bringing many sons into glory.
He is our blessed Redeemer. God has highly exalted Him and
given Him a name which is above every name, that at that name
every knee should bow, every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord. He's the Captain of our salvation.
He is our mighty Redeemer. He's a mighty conqueror. Remember
from our study in the Revelation, I told you this is one of the
key verses, Revelation 6 verse 2. And the whole Revelation is
about the glorious victory the Lord Jesus Christ wins for us,
who accomplishes all things for us. And I saw and behold a white
horse, and he that sat on him had a bow, And a crown was given
him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer. The same one
that's talked about and revealed in the Revelation is the same
one that's revealed in Isaiah. And all the Word of God, all
the Word of God speaks of him. The mighty one, he's the mighty
one who cannot fail, the victorious one who has never, never lost
a battle. He's been in a lot of fights,
a lot of battles, but he's never lost. He's a victorious Lord. He comes from the battlefield,
not worn out, weak or tired, nor weary, but traveling in the
greatness of His strength as a mighty God, as a Lord of all
the earth. Who is this One? Who is this
One that comes as He does? Listen to this scripture. Thou
shalt know that I, the Lord, am thy Savior, thy Redeemer,
the mighty one of Jacob. He's the almighty God, sitting
upon the throne of absolute sovereignty. Who is this one? The Lord inspires
Isaiah to ask this question and then gives us this glorious answer. I that speak, in righteousness,
mighty to save. Can the Lord Jesus Christ do
otherwise than to speak in absolute righteousness, seeing He is righteous
and holy in all His ways and all His doing, seeing He is the
Lord our righteousness, you remember how He's revealed in Isaiah chapter
6, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, the whole earth is
full of His glory. He is the Lord our righteousness,
therefore He speaks. He can only speak in righteousness
because He's holy. And everything He speaks is right.
And He brings in for us everlasting righteousness by His faithful
obedience unto death. I that speak in righteousness.
He speaks in righteousness, for His Word is without deceit, without
defect, without any error. It's impossible for God to lie. Psalm 33 says the word of the
Lord is right. So He speaks in righteousness
and He speaks of righteousness. He speaks of righteousness. Our
lack of it, you remember from Isaiah 64, look just across the
page. Isaiah 64 verse 6, He speaks
of righteousness, that is our lack of it. We are all as an
unclean thing and all of our righteousnesses are filthy rags. And we all do fade as a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. We're all as an unclean thing.
There's none that calls upon thy name, that stirreth up himself
to take hold of thee. Thou hast hid thy face from us,
and has consumed us. because of our iniquities, but
now, O Lord, Thou art our Father. We are the clay, Thou the potter. We are all the work of Thy hands. Shut up to the sovereign mercy
of the Lord. Have mercy upon me, the sinner." He speaks in
righteousness, and he speaks of righteousness, our lack of
it, and our need of it. We need righteousness. Now I
know this, I'm not real smart, but I know this according to
the word of the Lord. We cannot produce a righteousness
because Isaiah and David in the Psalms and Paul quoted in the
book of Romans chapter 3, there's none righteous, no not one. And
that includes you and that includes me. He speaks of righteousness,
our lack of it, and our need of it. Remember our Lord said,
except your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you're not going to enter into the kingdom of God. He is, thank
God, the revealer of righteousness. He is our righteousness. The righteousness of God that's
revealed in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we read
over here in Philippians chapter 2, but don't turn, let me just
read this to you. You remember Saul of Tarsus was
such a self-righteous Pharisee going about to establish a righteousness
of his own, not submitting to the righteousness of God revealed
in the gospel, but when the Lord revealed himself, two old solitarses
who later became the Apostle Paul. He said, But that which is through the
faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. He is our righteousness. That's what the gospel reveals
unto us, that Christ is our righteousness. Turn back one page, look at Isaiah
61 verse 10. Isaiah 61 verse 10, I will greatly
rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my
God for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He
has covered me with the robe of righteousness as a bridegroom
decketh himself with ornament as a bride adorns herself with
jewels. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord imputes righteousness without works. Without works. Turn back to Isaiah 45. Isaiah
45. Turn back over there. Isaiah
45. Verse 21 says, in Isaiah 45,
surely shall one say, in the Lord I have righteousness and
strength. Even to him shall men come, and
all their incense against him shall be ashamed. In the Lord
shall all the seed of Israel be justified. Justified by His
grace we know, and shall glory. Turn one page, look at Isaiah
46, 12 and 13. Isaiah 46. Hearken unto me, ye
stout-hearted. that are far from righteousness,
I bring near my righteousness, it shall not be far off, and
my salvation shall not tarry. I will place salvation in Zion,
the church, for my glory, for Israel, my glory. So he is our
righteousness before God. How righteous do I need to be
to stand before God's holy law, as righteous as God? How can
that be? Only in Christ. Only in Christ. Now the second thing, who is
this? Who is this one that comes to save? In the fullness of time,
God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
to redeem them that were under the law. Who is this that comes? He speaks in righteousness. And
then the second part of this, mighty to save. He's mighty,
mighty, mighty to save. He is our almighty, almighty
Savior. He's almighty. There is none.
He said in Isaiah so many times, I am the Lord, remember? I'm
the Lord, beside me there is no other. I am the only just
God and Savior. He is the almighty, the almighty,
God. Don't term it. Revelation 4,
remember this scripture. The four beasts, each of them
had six wings, about them they were full of eyes within, and
they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord
God Almighty, which is, which was, and is, and is to come.
He's the Lord God Almighty. None beside Him, Satan, we know,
is a mighty adversary. We know that he has some power
given to him by God, but he's not a rival to our Savior. Our Savior is almighty. He's
the almighty Savior because he's almighty God, mighty to save,
able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him.
You remember the way the Lord prayed in John 17? Father, you've
given me power over all flesh, and I should give eternal life
to as many as the Father hath given to me. He is mighty, mighty
to save. Look down at verse 5. Isaiah
63 verse 5, he says, I looked and there was none to help. I
wondered that there was none to help. Therefore, mine own
arm brought salvation unto me, and my fury, my zeal, my zeal
upheld it. His own arm, power brought salvation. The gospel of Christ is the power
of God and the salvation, and in that gospel is the very righteousness
of God revealed. His own arm brought our salvation. His own power accomplished our
salvation. Look down at verse 8 in Isaiah
63. For He says, Surely they are
My people, children that will not lie, they will not lie about
who he is and what he has done, for it says, so he was their
savior. Call his name Jesus, he shall
save his people from their sin. No other salvation, no other
salvation but the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ
alone is all their salvation, all of their righteousness before
God. He's the Almighty One to save. He will abundantly pardon. For
He is God our Savior, and surely there is salvation in no other. Salvation is in a person. Salvation's
not in a church. Salvation's not in a pool. Salvation's
not in a profession. Salvation's in the Lord Jesus
Christ. He said, I am the way, the truth,
the life. I am the only way. Again, the
Lord is plainly declaring unto us that salvation is of the Lord. I'm all your righteousness. because
I'm the one who is mighty to save. I'm all your salvation. I'm all your righteousness. I'm
all your pardon. He purposed it, our salvation. He accomplished it. He said it
is finished. And then he applies it. What
part did the sinner play? In the accomplishment of it,
nothing. He finished the work alone. We're going to see that
in just a minute. Now look at verse 2. He asked
another question. Wherefore, Isaiah 63, 2, Wherefore, Art thou red in thine apparel,
and thy garments like him that treadeth the wine-fat? Here we
see the mighty conquering Lord Jesus Christ coming from the
battlefield, his garments dripping with blood. I have trodden, the
answer comes back, verse 3, I have trodden the wine-press, and here
he's talking about the wine-press of the wrath of God. And of the
people, there was none with me. He by himself put away our sin
with himself. For I will tread them in mine
anger, trample them in my fury, talking about the enemies of
the gospel, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments. I will stain all my raiment,
for the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my
redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none
to help. Did he need any help? Not from man. I wondered that
there was none to help. Therefore, my own arm, my own
power brought salvation. He bought salvation and brought
it with his own blood. And my zeal, my zeal, my fury,
it upheld me. Now here we see the Lord of Glory
not only clothed in majesty and power and greatness as a mighty
God, but we also see the Lord dressed in His humanity. For
He is the God-man, mediator. Isaiah sees Him clothed in the
garments of a servant, red in His apparel. Don't turn back,
but let me just read it to you again. Remember we read from
Philippians chapter 2, who being in the form of God, thought it
not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation
and took upon him the form of a servant. treading the winepress
of the wrath of God, a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself,
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He died
such a horrible, shameful death, being made sin for us, but this
was all in God's purpose. His garments, at his transfiguration
were white as snow, whiter than any fuller on earth, could whiten
them. His robe of righteousness is
fine linen, clean and white. We've seen that in the revelation. But red here, red is a color
of man. Red is a color of man. The word
Adam, God created that first man and called him Adam, means
ruddy or the red man from the earth. Although white and holy
by nature, He took our humanity to Himself. Fully, totally God. Fully, totally man. The Word
was made flesh and dwelt among us. So red is the color of man,
that is the Lord Jesus Christ is called the second Adam. The
second Adam from heaven. Red is also the color of sin.
or a redemption from sin by his blood. Remember from our study
in Isaiah 1 verse 18, we had this a few weeks ago. Come now,
let us reason together. Though your sin be as scarlet
red, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool. That's what He's done for us.
The God-man mediator made sin for us who knew no sin, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. We are redeemed
with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. What can put away my sin? Not
my works, not my prayers, not my repentance, not my profession. What can put away my sin? Nothing,
nothing, nothing but the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. This
is all my hope and peace. This is all my righteousness.
Christ in him crucified. He not only took our humanity
to himself, made in the form of a servant, but he also took
our sin to himself. Now this is the amazing thing
of the gospel. The one who was holy, harmless,
undefiled, the one who knew no sin, who did no sin, who had
no sin, As the God-man tempted in all points like as we are
yet without sin, and yet it says in the Word of God that he bear
our sin and his own body on the tree. It says in 1 Peter 3.18,
Christ also once suffered for our sin, the just for the unjust,
that he might bring us unto God. Now how was this done? How was
this holy God-man mediator made sin for God's people? That's
what happened upon the cross. It wasn't what men were doing
that day, it's what God was doing that day. It pleased God to bruise
him in our room and in our state. This is God's lamb that taking
away the sin of God's people. We are redeemed with His precious
blood. We are redeemed with His precious
blood. He redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us. He is our righteousness. He speaks
in Righteousness, He is mighty to save because He is a mighty
God, and He does this through His blood atonement, shedding
His blood for us. Look at verse 3, the winepress
that He's trodden alone by Himself, The Lord Jesus Christ endured
the winepress of God's wrath. He endured for us as our substitute. It says that in Isaiah 53 so
clear, doesn't it? He's the man of sorrow, acquainted
with grief. Acquained with grief, he was
wounded for our transgression, bruised for our iniquity. He
surely had borne our grief, carried our sorrow. We did esteem him
stricken, smitten of God and afflicted, wounded for our transgression,
bruised for our iniquity. The characterizing of our peace
was upon him and with his stripes were healed. Healed, healed,
healed. That's what's going on at Calvary.
We see the Lord Jesus Christ immersed in the wrath of God
against our sin that God made to meet on Him. God laid on him
the iniquity of God's people. And it pleased God, as it says
in Isaiah 53, let me just read it to you. Yet it pleased the
Lord to bruise him. He put him to grief, when thou
shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed,
he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his
soul and be satisfied. Is God the Father satisfied with
the atoning death, the shedding of the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ? Is He satisfied? Absolutely. How do we know that?
When He by Himself purged our sin. He sat down on the right
hand of the throne of God. Accepted. God raised him from
the dead. Delivered from our offenses. Raised again for our
justification. Because the Lord endured this
for us, putting away our sin, making complete atonement for
us, now in the Lord Jesus Christ, there's how much wrath left for
us. There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, if He
stands as my substitute, and He did, and made complete satisfaction
for the sin of God's people, and He did, and God punished
our sin in our substitute, and He fully made complete satisfaction
for those sins, is He going to punish us again? No, sir. That would make Him unjust. If
the payment is already paid, He's not going to turn around
and punish us again. That can't be. The Lord Jesus
Christ made complete satisfaction to enable God to be a just God
and Savior, to enable Him to be just and the justifier of
those that believe in Christ, who can lay anything to the charge
of God's elect. He challenges heaven, earth,
and hell. It's God that justifies. Who is He that condemns? It's
Christ who died. He's already paid the debt, paid
the ransom price in full, shedding His blood to put away our sin. And He accomplished this Himself. He said, there was none to help.
I have threatened the winepress alone and the people, there was
none with me. He didn't need our help. Verse 5 said, there was none
to help me. I wondered, It wasn't a wonder
of a question. He was even forsaken of God.
All the disciples and apostles forsook Him. Therefore, my own
arm brought salvation unto me, and my fury, my zeal, it upheld
me. It was none to help, none to
help. Salvation the Lord accomplished
for us was His doing alone. Christ wins the victory alone
for us. All He's doing. All His eternal
purpose. Let's turn back and read this
again. I think it's in Isaiah 44. Turn back over there. Isaiah
44, verse 21. He is our righteousness. He is
our Redeemer. And He's mighty to save. Isaiah. I want Isaiah 44, that's what
I told you to turn to verse 21. Isaiah 44, 21. Remember these,
O Jacob and Israel, for thou art my servant. I have formed
thee. Thou art my servant, O Israel. Thou shalt not be forgotten of
me. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and
as a cloud thy sins. Who blotted them out? Who put
them away? who obtained eternal redemption
for us, thy transgression, I blotted them out as a thick cloud, as
a cloud thy sins, return unto me for I have redeemed thee.
Sing, O heavens, for the Lord hath done it. Who did it? He
finished the work God gave him to do. Remember? Shout, ye lower
parts of the earth. Break forth into singing, you
mountains, O forest, and every tree. whereinfore the Lord hath
redeemed Jacob, his covenant children, and glorified himself
in Israel." The Lord alone has won the victory for us, hasn't
he? All of our sin, all of our sin cast into the depths of the
sea, cast behind the back of God, Behold, for peace I had
great bitterness, but thou hast in love to my soul delivered
it from the pit of corruption, for thou hast cast all my sins
behind my back. That's what God says. Their sin
and their iniquity God will remember no more. You see, the Lord Jesus
Christ made complete atonement for all the sin of God's people.
Completely put them away. It says this in Isaiah, many
places in Isaiah, but in Hebrews 9, verse 26, He appeared once
in the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of
Himself. Now, did He get it done? You see, the Lord Jesus Christ
didn't come to make salvation for us a possibility, nor did
He die and shed His blood to make salvation something possible
or put us in a savable state if we meet certain conditions. How many sins had you personally
committed when the Lord Jesus Christ died? How many sins did
you personally commit when the Lord Jesus Christ died for your
sin. Well, you weren't even in existence. But God took all the sins of
God's covenant people and made them to meet on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and He fully answered the demands of God's law and
justice, satisfied them, put them away. That's full atonement,
full payment, full redemption. And we have in Him redemption
and righteousness. That's what we need to stand
before God and we have that fully provided in the Lord Jesus Christ. My own arm brought salvation
and my zeal, my glory, it upholds me and God's covenant children
all the time. Everywhere, all the time. Thanks be unto God who has given
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks be unto
God who always causes us to triumph in the Lord Jesus Christ. We
have the victory in Him. The victory over sin, He put
it away. The victory over the law that's
against us, that's contrary to us, He satisfied the law of God. Our sin put away, the law of
God satisfied, Satan defeated, death, death to the believer,
He's changed the character of death for the believer. The wage
of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Our Lord said, because I live,
you live. I'm the resurrection and the life. He that believes
in me shall never die. You see, when we depart this
body, we don't die. The redeemed soul goes to be
with the Lord. We sing that song, this robe
of flesh, I'll drop. and rye.