Okay, we're looking this evening
now at Isaiah 12, and just six verses. But as I read through
Isaiah 12, it reminds me of reading one of the Psalms of David. He
talks about singing and praising the Lord for the great salvation
we have in Him. So I'm taking the title for the
message from verse 2, where it says there, Behold, God is my
salvation. Now, God being the Savior, He's
God my Savior, I'll trust Him. Now, if you know Him to be your
Savior and all of your salvation, where are you going to trust
Him? Trust Him and not be afraid. For the Lord Jehovah is my strength,
my song, and has become my salvation. Now, I trust all of you can identify
with this message of salvation in Christ. And by His grace,
I hope all of you can say that the Lord Jesus Christ is God,
my Savior. Now, we don't know that by nature.
We don't know that by birth. We have to be taught. We only
know that by the revelation of God showing us that Christ is
our only Savior and that He is all my salvation, that Christ
is all and in all. David put it this way in Psalm
27, the Lord is my light and my salvation. Of whom shall I
be afraid? The Lord is my light, my life,
and He is my salvation. Now God's purpose in salvation
is an eternal purpose. God has purposed from all eternity
to save His covenant people. Everything God does in the way
of saving His people is based upon His eternal purpose, which
He purposed in the Lord Jesus Christ before the foundation
of the world. He never, that is the Lord our
God, never saves by accident. He always saves on purpose, only
by purpose. Everything God does, He does
on purpose. If you'll turn one page to Isaiah
14, verse 26, this is a purpose that is purposed upon the whole
earth, and this is a hand that is stretched out upon all nations,
for the Lord of hosts hath purposed it, Who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched out.
Who can turn it back? Now, the purpose of God is going
to be done. Mark it down. One other scripture on that,
find Isaiah 46. We're not going to stop the purpose
of God. The purpose of God which is eternal.
The purpose of God which he purposed in the Lord Jesus Christ is going
to be done. Notice verse 9, remember the
former things of old, Isaiah 46, 9. I am God, there is none
else. I am God, there is none like
me, declaring the end from the beginning, from ancient time
to things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand.
I'll do all my pleasure. Calling a ravenous bird from
the east, the man that executed my counsel from a far country.
Yea, I have spoken it. I will also bring it to pass.
I've purposed it. I'll do it. And we know all things
work together for good to them who love God, to them who are
the cause according to His purpose. Every sinner God saves, He saves
on purpose. We know that His covenant of
grace, which He purposed in the Lord Jesus Christ, is called
an everlasting covenant. We know the Redeemer and surety
of the covenant The Lord Jesus Christ is an everlasting Redeemer
and Savior. For we read about the Lamb slain
before or from the foundation of the world. The elect of God
were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world,
and they're given everlasting salvation. Isaiah 45, 17. That
which God has purposed in eternity, He will bring to pass in time. If we are creatures of time,
God is not. God is eternal. But in time, God's purpose was
unfolded in Christ's coming. In the fullness of the time,
God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law
to redeem them that were under the law. The Savior, even though
he was decreed from eternity, from all eternity, and purposed
by God to be the Lamb slain, in time he must come and accomplish
what God purposed. Now it has to be. He was delivered
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. And he
came to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. In time also, the
elect of God, Even though they were chosen in Christ before
the foundation of the world, God must cross their path with
the gospel. They must hear the gospel, be
visited by divine visitation of grace in the effectual call
of God, and called to Christ in faith. Faith comes by how? hearing the word of the Lord. Now, the words found in this
chapter, Isaiah 12, describe unto us that day of calling,
that day of visitation, the calling and revelation when the elect
of God are divinely visited by the power of God through the
preaching of the gospel and we see the mighty fruit and effect
that has upon them. We see here the fruit of this
divine visitation and the fruit of salvation in God's saving
mercy unto us. And we know this, not by works
of righteousness we have done, but according to His mercy He
saved us. Jeremiah said, it is of the Lord's
mercy that we are not consumed, because His compassion does not
fail. Now, with that introduction,
look at verse 1. And in that day, Now this is the day of that
divine visitation. This is that day that God had
decreed and determined and marked out, and in that day thou shalt
say, when the remnant of God, the elect of God, hear the gospel
and are called to Christ in faith, and in that day thou shalt say,
O Lord, I'll praise thee. I'm gonna give
you all the honor and glory for the salvation of the Lord. I'll
praise thee. I won't look to myself or think
about myself or think how smart or wise I am. I'm gonna praise
thee. And that's what saving faith
does. Saving faith doesn't congratulate its depraved nature. Saving faith,
or our depraved nature rather, but saving faith praises the
Lord. Abraham was strong in faith,
giving God the glory. That's what saving faith does.
In that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee. We praise
the Lord. Though, he says, thou wilt angry
with me. Why would God be angry? Sin. Thy anger is turned away and
you comforted me." Now, how can we turn away the wrath and anger
of God? Only one way, and that's for
the wrath of God to be satisfied and for justice to be satisfied
in Christ crucified. And in that day, this is a day
that salvation has come unto you or to your house. Our Lord
said to Zacchaeus, remember in Luke 19, this day is salvation,
come to your house. Who came to Zacchaeus' house?
The Lord himself. Now this phrase here, in that
day, in the book of Isaiah, I looked it up. In the old days, I used
to use my concordance and I would count, one, two, three, four,
five, six, seven. Now I just punch in on my computer
program, it tells me that quick. So I can look those things up
quickly, but in that day, it gives you every reference when
it's used in the book of Isaiah in that day, 40 times. Now, the
day here is not talking about a 24-hour day, but the time when
God crosses our path with the gospel, and then what does he
do? He reveals himself unto us. He
hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them
unto us. It is the day of Holy Spirit
conviction. Holy Spirit conviction when God
strips us of ourself and close us with the Lord Jesus Christ
and his righteousness. It's a day when he empties us
and fills us with Christ. It's a day that It is the day
when the sinner will lay hold of Christ's robe of righteousness,
and he'll never do so unless he's chilled by the nakedness
of his own sin before God. And when that happens, we lay
hold by faith upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn over here to Isaiah
2, Isaiah 2. This is something of that stripping
and something of that filling and something of that clothing.
Isaiah 2 look at verse 10. Enter into the rock and hide
thee in the dust for fear of the Lord for the glory of his
majesty. The lofty looks of man shall
be humbled and the haughtiness of man shall be bowed down and
the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the
Lord of hosts shall be upon everyone that is proud and lofty, and
upon everyone that is lifted up, he shall be brought low.
Now notice verse 17. And the loftiness of man shall
be bowed down, and the haughtiness of man shall be made low, and
the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. Now that's what
happens when God saves a sinner. He is exalted in our heart. It's the day of revelation when
God commands the light to shine out of darkness. He shines in
our heart. And in that day we shall say,
I will praise the Lord. Thou shalt have a cause to say
that. That cause is the grace of God.
He gives us a heart to say that, being made a new creature in
Christ Jesus. And he gives us a willingness
to say in that day, I will praise the Lord. And that can be said this way,
I will confess and own thee as my Lord, my God, and my Savior. Remember what Thomas said, the
apostle? We had that recently. When he
saw the risen Lord, he said, My Lord and my God. Simeon, when he saw the Lord,
remember we read in Luke 2, he said, Lord, let me depart in
peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. He is our Lord
and our God. Peter said, neither is there
salvation in any land. Other, I will praise thee, though
thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away. Now how
could a puny sinner turn away the wrath and anger of God? We
can't. But the Lord Jesus Christ took
all the wrath of God due our sin. And because the Lord Jesus
Christ took away all of our sin and bear the wrath of God, the
anger of God toward the elect of God in Christ Jesus is satisfied,
accomplished. Our sin has been punished for
Christ bear our sin in His own body on the tree for us. And because the anger of God
is turned away, By the blood atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ,
by Him satisfying God's law and justice for us, we get from that
what? Salvation. What does that render
to us? Comfort. Comfort you see that
last part of verse 1 now turn to Isaiah 40 verse 1 you remember
this verse We had this not too many weeks ago Isaiah 40 verse
1 comfort you comfort you my people say if you're God you
see it Isaiah 41 speaking comfortably to Jerusalem crying to her that
her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned,
for she hath received of the Lord double for all her sin."
Full payment. He paid our sin debt so completely
and fully that he paid a double payment. Now, if you went to
the bank and told the banker, I want to pay off my mortgage
double, he would look at you like, what, man, what's wrong
with you? You don't need to pay it double. But the Lord Jesus
Christ so completely put away our sin, it is like saying he
put away it so completely and fully that it's doubly, eternally
put away in Christ. Now, How does God the Holy Spirit
comfort His people? Well, you know, He just makes
them feel good. That's not how He comforts us.
The way God the Holy Spirit, who's called the Comforter, how
He comforts us is with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
our comfort. Christ put away all my sin. All
my sin against God, He put it away. That's comfort. That's
comfort you didn't even think about, is it not? Now look at
verse two. Behold, God is my God. salvation because he consumed
all the wrath of God in putting away our sin. There is therefore
now no condemnation to those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Behold, God is my savior. God is my salvation. He's all of it, not part of it.
Therefore, I will trust him. Trust him all times ye people,
pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. You remember
from Psalm 62. I will trust him and I will not
be afraid for the Lord Jehovah is my strength. He's my song
and he's become my savior, become my salvation. The Lord Jehovah. That word Jehovah means the eternal,
everlasting, self-existing, holy, and merciful God. He is a just
God and Savior. When God sovereignly grants unto
us faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, God gives that gift of faith
in saving mercy. What does that cause us to do?
I will trust Him. When God grants saving faith,
that sinner will trust Him. For all of salvation, for all
of pardon, for all of righteousness, the faith of God's elect is the
fruit of life given to us in regeneration. That is, what I'm
saying is this, whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, he's
born of God. We don't believe the gospel to
be regenerated. That's impossible. A dead man
can't believe. We only believe the gospel because
God raised us from the dead and given us faith to look to Christ
alone. And that's what saving faith
does. It looks to Christ, always, only. The Lord said to those Pharisees,
when they said, if you be the Christ, tell us plainly, and
we will believe you. The Lord said, I told you, you
still don't believe me. He said, you believe not, because
you're not my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, I know
them, they follow me, but you believe not because you're not
my sheep. As many as were ordained to return alive, believe the
gospel, they trust him, I will trust him. In the gospel we are
taught we are weak and sinful creatures and that Christ is
all of our strength. The Lord Jehovah is my strength. Remember Paul said when I'm weak,
That is when I'm strong. The Lord is our strength and
He is our salvation. Remember from over here, don't
turn, let me just get it for you, I'll read it to you. In
Psalm 46, God is our refuge and strength. Very present help in
trouble. That's our hope, is it not? The
Lord is my strength and my song. We often hear people say, when
they talk about a character of a person, they say, have you
ever heard somebody say, well, he's a strong person? And I know
what they mean by that, but before God, is he a strong person? No, he's nothing. He's nothing. Our strength is in him. Trusting
Him is our strength. Trusting Him is our salvation. And then he says here, trusting
Him for all of salvation, He has become my salvation. That's
my song. That's my song. What is that
song? It's a song of redemption unto
Him who loved us and washed us from our sin in His own blood. Now look at verse three, therefore,
Therefore with joy shall you draw water out of the wells of
salvation. We draw upon this well who is
Christ. In that day of salvation, we
draw water out of the wells of salvation, and we do it with
joy. With joy, because He's my song. He's my salvation. He is a well of water springing
up into everlasting life. Remember, He told that woman
at the well who came to draw water, And the Lord said to her, you
drink of that water, you'll thirst again, but if you drink of that
water that I'll give you, there'll be a well of water springing
up into everlasting life. You remember what she said? Lord,
give me that water, I want that water. Christ is the well of
salvation, and He is our joy. This salvation is received with
joy. We say with David, bless the
Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy
name. Like the thirsty man in the wilderness that finds cool,
clean, clear water, what does it do? It quenches his thirst. One of the keys they teach about
this, I like to watch those shows on the Weather Channel about
survival. Those people get lost out in the wilderness. One of
the key things that you've got to have pretty soon is water.
Water. And when you get that water,
oh, what a joy it is. We read in Proverbs 25, as cold
water to a thirsty soul. So it's good news from a far
country. Good news of the gospel. Like
that cold water to a thirsty soul. So refreshing and so good. And that's what the gospel is
to a Needy sinner, the Lord said, ho, everyone that is thirsty,
Isaiah 55, come unto me and drink. Now, the Lord said, John 7, 37,
if any man thirst, come to me and drink. Come to me and drink. Now, water, we know, is often
used as a symbol of salvation. We know that water, the wells
of water, have you ever created water? It's the gift of God. Water is
God's creation. Like we know that water is a
gift of God, like we know that salvation is a gift of God, we
cannot create water, nor can we create salvation. Water is
a necessity. We must have it. And certainly
that is true not only physically and naturally, but even more
so spiritually. And this water of salvation we
have in Christ meets all our needs, does it not? If you have
that water, the well of salvation springing up into everlasting
life, you'll never thirst for righteousness, never thirst for
redemption. You always have plenty in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, with joy, You know it's not a burden when
you're thirsty to drink any water, is it? You find that a burden? When you're thirsty to get a
bottle of cold water and drink it down? Oh, it's a joy, isn't
it? And it's a joy to drink upon the water of life the Lord Jesus
Christ. Verse four. And in that day,
shall you say, thank you, Lord. Thank you for the water. Praise
the Lord. Call upon his name. Declare his
doings among his people. Make mention that his name is
exalted. Now that's a good verse. That's
a good verse. I like that verse. And that day
of salvation is also a day of confession and a day of identification. Remember what the Lord told that
wild Gadarene who was healed? Go home and tell how great things
the Lord has done for thee. See, we are to proclaim His name
and declare His doings. It's a day of confession. It's
a day of identification. We proclaim and declare His name,
who He is. His name. Turn back a couple
pages. Isaiah 9, verse 6. Turn over
there. Isaiah 9, 6. For unto us a child
is born, Unto us the son is given, and the government shall be upon
his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor,
the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
And of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.
Upon the throne of David, upon his kingdom, to order it, to
establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth
even forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hope
will perform this. His name is wonderful. Now, I
try to keep myself from using that word wonderful in reference
to anything but the Lord Jesus Christ, because that's his name.
In other words, I wouldn't say, or I don't, I, sometimes I, I,
I mess up and don't follow my own rule, but I usually will
never say, this is a wonderful day. I would say, this is a good
day the Lord has made, or I would never say to my beloved wife,
that was a wonderful meal. I would say, honey, I enjoyed
that. It was good. You see what I'm saying? His
name is wonderful. His name is wonderful. So I try
to use that word with caution. We declare His name, who is wonderful. He is the Almighty God, and He's
a God-man mediator manifest in the flesh. And we declare His
doings. That's what gospel preaching
is about. It's declaring not what you must do for Him. It's
a declaration of what He has done for us. Notice, declare
His doing among the people. What He has accomplished for
us in our salvation. And He is exalted having accomplished
our salvation when He by Himself purged our sin. He sat down on
the right hand of God. I like what David said in Psalm
118, this is the Lord doing. And it's marvelous in our eyes.
Declare his doing among the people. And make mention, oh, by the
way, make mention that he is exalted. We read in Philippians
2, God has, he became obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross, wherefore God hath 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. That name which is above every
name he has exalted, his name, oh make mention, his name, is
salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, verse 5, sing. Sing unto
the Lord. For he hath done excellent things,
declare his doings, for his doings are excellent things. And this
is known, this is known in all the earth. All and everything
connected with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is wonderful,
excellent, and demands all believers to sing praise unto the Lord. Sing unto the Lord. Praise the
Lord. For he hath done excellent things. This is known in the east, in
the west, in the north, in the south. He said, go into all the
world and preach the gospel to every creature. Now, declare
his doings. Righteousness established. Redemption
is done. For he hath done excellent things. Verse 6, cry out, cry out, sing
out, praise the Lord. Now this is not a silly religious
slogan that people Often in religious circles, about every other word,
when they get together and have what they call a revival time,
it's all about praise the Lord, and it just becomes a cliche.
But that's not so with the people of God. They in their heart do
sing unto the Lord, and we do praise Him for the excellent
things He has done. We don't praise the flesh. We
don't praise the preacher. We don't praise the church. We
sing praise unto the Lord. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant
of Zion, He's made you a citizen of a heavenly country. He's made
you an heir of God and a joint heir with the Lord Jesus Christ.
He's made us His inhabitants, for He dwells in us, Christ in
you, the hope of glory, for great is the Holy One of Israel. How great is He? There's none
greater than He is. I looked that phrase up in the
book of Psalm. Great is the Lord, and greatly
to be prayed. Psalm 48, Psalm 96, and Psalm
145. Great is the Lord. There's none
above His greatness. He's great in everything He does.
He's the Holy One of Israel. And watch this. He's in the midst
of thee. God's in our midst. He said,
where two or three are gathered together in my name, that's where
I am. I'm in the midst of my people.