Okay now, back to Isaiah 28. As I said in the introduction,
I've brought messages from this particular portion of Scripture
many times, many times. And it's been one of my favorites
for a long, long, long time. And it's not a burden and it's
not grievous to me to go back and preach from the same text
that I've preached from before, In essence and in reality, wherever
we turn in the Scripture, we're always preaching, if you ever
notice, it's the same message. It's always preaching the Lord
Jesus Christ and pointing sinners to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now
the title for this message, Isaiah 28, 16, is taken from a word
found, three words found in verse 16. where God said, behold, I
lay in Zion for a foundation of stone, a tried stone, a precious
cornerstone, and here's a title, a sure foundation. A sure foundation. It's not iffy, not wishy-washy.
It's fixed. It's certain. It's sure. He that believeth shall not Make
haste. Those who rest on that foundation
will never be confounded, will never be ashamed. That's what
Paul and Peter, when they write about that, they use those words. Now, I delight in things, the
things of God, the gospel of God, that are sure, true, and
everlasting. Don't you? True, sure, and everlasting. David said, God had made with
me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and it's sure. It's sure. You can bank on it. You can count on it. And then
Peter, when he writes, writing about the word of the Lord, he
said, we have a more sure word of prophecy. you can take his
word as the truth, because he is truth. And then the Apostle
Paul, I like what he says when he says that salvation is by
faith, that it might be by grace that the promise might be sure
to all to see. We have a sure word from the
Lord. Now, I trust, I know, If you're
like me, I find comfort in those things that are unquestionably
sure, undeniably safe, and eternally true. It's troubling to our heart
to see so many finding comfort and seeking refuge in that which
is contrary to that which is sure and safe and true. what Isaiah called in this chapter
a falsehood and a fading flower, whose glorious beauty is nothing
but a fading flower. You wouldn't trust something
that's fading away, would you? That's why it's so absurd to
trust the flesh, because the flesh is going back. He said
all flesh is grass. Grass, Isaiah 40. It's also troubling
to my soul to see so many Religious folks, like we read up here,
the priest and the prophet, going about to establish the righteousness
of their own doing and totally disregarding the righteousness
of God revealed in the gospel. Remember, Paul writes about those
who are going about to establish a righteousness of their own
and have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God,
remember? All through the book of Romans,
we read about the righteousness of God. Blessed is the man to
whom the Lord imputes righteousness without works. Well, in this
chapter, especially in verse 14, Down to verse 18, God is going to tell us the difference
between the false refuge of men and the true refuge of God. The
false refuge of men has to do, look what we have done, look
what we have done, look what we have said. The difference between the false
refuge of men and the true refuge of God. One will save you The
other will damn you. One will bless you. The other
will curse you. It'll be a vexation just to hear
of it, as we read. One will justify you in Christ. The other will condemn you forever.
One will redeem you eternally for he obtained eternal redemption
for us. That true refuge we have in Christ. The other will forever ruin you,
a refuge of lies. Would you rest your soul in the
refuge of lies? Now, do you have a refuge? Of
course you do. If you're a believer, Christ
is our refuge. You remember that study we did
on the cities of refuge, where the manslayer would run and get
inside that city, and he was safe as long as the priest there
reigned in that city. You know, over the years, I've
talked to people I have met very few who didn't have a refuge
of some kind. They have some kind of refuge. It may be religious, it may be
totally irreligious, but they have a refuge of some kind one
way or the other. If you have a refuge, I trust
it's built upon the foundation that God has laid. He says in
verse 16, behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone. I
trust you have that foundation that God has laid, and that is
none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is that. We sing that
song, Rock of Ages. We sing that song, On Christ
the solid rock I stand. All other ground is seeking sand.
I trust you have a foundation that's built upon the rock Christ
Jesus, and I trust that you do not have a refuge or a foundation
built upon the sand or the ground, the sinking sand. One will stand,
that rock of ages will stand, that other that's built on sinking
sand, when the trials come, when the heartaches come, when judgment
comes, it'll be washed away. Don't turn, let me just read
this to you. This is Matthew 7, 24. Therefore, whosoever heareth
these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a
wise man was built his house upon the rock to hear the word
of the Lord and to do it. That is, how do you do the word
of the Lord? Well, by believing God. The rain descended, the
floods came, and the wind blew. Trials are coming. Our Lord said,
in this world you shall have tribulation. And beat upon the
house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock, the
rock, Christ Jesus. And everyone that heareth these
sayings of mine that doeth them not shall be like unto a foolish
man which buildeth his house upon a sand. Now, if you build
a house naturally, and constructed a house naturally. What's the
first thing you've got to do? You've got to build a foundation. When we started that house over
there on Wynn's Branch, the first thing we did is laid it out and
we dug a foundation, poured a solid foundation with steel reinforcement,
and then we built upon that. Now, how foolish would it be
if we just went over there and took some two-by-sixes, two-by-tens,
two-by-eights, and just threw them out on the ground? Wouldn't
last, would it? It wouldn't last. It'd rot away.
Everyone that heareth these sayings in mind, and doeth them not,
shall be likened to a foolish man which buildeth his house
upon the sand. The rain descended, the floods
came, the wind blew and beat upon the house, and it fell.
And great was the fall of it. What was the problem? I mean,
the house probably looked pretty good. It had no foundation. Christ is our foundation. Now, in verse 14 and 15, we see
those who brag about their false refuge of lies. Wherefore the
Lord said, Hear the word of the Lord, you scornful, sinful men
that rule this people in Jerusalem. Talking about the prophet, the
priest, even those wicked kings. You remember all those kings
we talked about in our studies in 1st and 2nd Kings. Because
you have said, here's what we've said, here's what they said,
we have a covenant with death, and with hell we are in agreement,
when overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come
nigh unto us, for we have made, notice how many times they say
we have made, we have made, look what we have done, we have made
lies our refuge, and under falsehood, We're hiding in a falsehood. Now, it's obvious, most obvious
and evident that those who refuse to hear the word of truth receive
the word of truth, and believe the word of truth, will go about
to build a refuge and a foundation that is built upon lies and falsehood. They'll wrap themselves up in
a covering that's too narrow. They'll rest in a bed that's
too short. Will not satisfy, will not satisfy
God. Oh, these folks declared before
God He said, we don't say that we're not going to die, but we
have a covenant with death. I mean, we've got all things
fixed up. We've got a covenant with death. Oh, we believe we're
going to die, but everything's going to be OK. We believe that
judgment will come, but it won't come down to us. We've made an
agreement with hell. When judgment comes, it won't
touch us. It won't touch us. Oh, we believe
in judgment, but it won't come nigh unto us. We're okay. You're
okay. We're safe. Don't worry about
me. Everything's okay. I've heard people say that. Haven't
you? Oh, don't worry about me. I've fixed everything up. I've
made peace with God. I've got everything fixed up.
Have you now? We've fixed things up with God. We've made peace
with God. We have a covenant with death.
Well, it's not the covenant of grace. It's the covenant of their
puny ungodly works, which will not satisfy God. Our Lord says of them, in vain
they do worship. teaching for doctrines and commandments
of men. Our Lord said to those men, you
are those which justify yourselves before men, but God knows your
heart. That which is highly esteemed
in the sight of God is an abomination before God. Your covenant with
death won't stand. Your agreement with hell won't
stand. The overflowing scourge is going to come and it's going
to wipe away, sweep away your falsehood and your refuge of
lies. We made a refuge of our own doing,
they said, if not the refuge that God has given us in Christ,
but rather it's called a refuge of lies, if not a refuge of truth. Now these phrases are expressive
of their being fearless before death and meeting God in judgment. People would say, I'm not afraid
to die. Have you heard that? I've heard unbelievers say that.
I'm not afraid to meet God, really. You don't know who God is. You
see, these phrases are expressive of their fearless, having no fear of God before
their eyes. Their confidence is in themselves,
their assurance is in themselves that everything's going to be
okay. When the holy wrath of God, when God bears His holy
arm, He won't come near to me. We have a refuge of lies. Now, what's going to happen?
Look at verse 17 and verse 18. Something's going to happen. It's appointed unto men once
to die, and after that, judgment. God said judgment is going to
come. God has appointed a day in which
he will judge the world by this man, the Lord Jesus Christ. God judgeth no man, but hath
committed all judgment unto the Son. Judgment will I lay to the
lying, and righteousness to the plummet, and the hail. The hail of God's judgment, the
hail of God's wrath will sweep away your falsehood, will sweep
away the refuge of lies, the waters of judgment will overflow
the hiding place, and your covenant will be disannulled. Your covenant
with death will be disannulled, and your agreement with hell
will not stand when the overflowing scourge shall pass through then
shall you be trodden down by it. Judgment is certain and sure. What is going to happen to those
poor folks who have made an agreement with themselves and who are hiding
in their self-confidence in the refuge of lies? God will destroy
it both them and their refuge of lies. Remember those men in Matthew
chapter 7 where they say, Lord, we have preached in your name,
saying the same thing these folks are saying. Lord, we've preached
in your name. We have done many wonderful works
in your name. We have done this. We've made
a covenant with death. With hell, we're in agreement.
We have a covenant. We've done all these wonderful
things and we've even done them in your name. Remember what the
Lord said? Depart from me, you workers of
iniquity. I never knew you. They were hiding
under a falsehood of their works and their doing. They were hiding
in a refuge of lies. God won't have it. God is truth. God demands truth. God demands
holiness. Let's take a look at verse 16.
Therefore the Lord says, Behold, therefore thus saith the Lord. Therefore thus saith the Lord. That ought to get our attention.
Therefore thus saith the Lord. This is not Isaiah. This is not
some other prophet. This is the Lord our God. He says, first word, behold. Behold. Pay attention. God said, I'm about ready to
say something you need to hear. Behold, I lay in Zion, that is
for the church, for a foundation, a foundation stone that is a
tried stone, that is a precious cornerstone, that is a sure foundation. Those three things he describes
there, tried, precious, and sure. He that believeth Those who rest
and are fixed on that foundation will never be swept away, will
never be forced out, and that's what he's saying there, shall
not make haste. Now here's our comfort, is it
not? There is with God an everlasting covenant in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and we call that the eternal covenant of grace. The God of
peace who brought again from the dead the Lord Jesus Christ,
that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the, what? Everlasting covenant. It's the blood of the everlasting
covenant. God says in that covenant language,
I will be their God and they shall be my people. I will and
they shall. They shall come to me, all that
the Father giveth to me, they shall come to me because I will
be God and they shall be My people, there is an everlasting covenant
found in the word of God, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the
surety of that covenant, the savior of the covenant, the guarantor
of the covenant, and we know the covenant mercies in the Lord
Jesus Christ. He revealed unto us that he came
to seek and to save his covenant people. None for whom Christ
died can perish. There's no one in hell for whom
the Lord Jesus Christ died. There is therefore now in the
Lord Jesus Christ no judgment, no condemnation. The Lord Jesus
Christ came to save his people from their sin and he got the
job done. That's the covenant of grace. That's a true refuge
for sinners to hide in from a storm of God's wrath that is Christ
and Him crucified. You see, He's already weathered
the storm. He's already endured the wrath
of God when He was wounded for us, bruised for us with His chastisement. We are healed because He took
our judgment, because He took our wrath. Christ is the surety
of the covenant. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
sacrifice of the covenant and He's the Savior of the covenant.
He's the Savior of the covenant. There is a true, solid, established
foundation upon which weary sinners can totally rest. Remember the
Lord said, come unto me all ye that labor, heavy laden. I will
give you rest for your soul, rest for your soul. This is that
foundation that we studied in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, and
that's what got me thinking about this message. Other foundation
can no man lay, you remember our text? Other foundation can
no man lay than that which is laid, and then it says, which
is the Lord Jesus Christ. There's just one foundation.
God has only laid one foundation, there's just one way, He said,
I'm the way, the truth, the life. No man come to the Father but
by and through me. Neither is there salvation in
any other. Now, who says so? This is just
not me spouting off. Thus saith the Lord. I'm just
repeating what he's already said. Thus saith the Lord. I lay in
Zion. Behold, I lay in Zion. God himself
is the architect. He designed this from all eternity,
that Christ would be the foundation. He's the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. God himself is the architect.
God himself is the supplier. He supplied everything to build
this foundation. The Lord said, Abide thou hast
prepared me. He's the builder of this safe
and secure foundation. Remember he said to Peter, Peter
upon this rock, Born this rock, I'll build my church and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against you. Remember this too,
only that which God provides will God accept. He is Jehovah
Jireh. Believers are only accepted not
in their works, not in their doing. They're accepted in the
beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ. He sees salvation. He's saying
the same message here that we preach for years and years and
years. Hundreds of years, preachers of the gospel have been declaring
that salvation's of the Lord. Behold, I lay in Zion four foundations. That would be so silly to try
to lay another foundation. God would have us to know that
there's one foundation and we're to rest upon the foundation that
he has laid for us. You see, there's just one refuge.
There's just one foundation. There's just one way. It's a
way of grace. Now, I love the description of
this foundation. It's called a stone. It's a rock. And that we know is the Lord
Jesus Christ. Neither is there salvation in
any other. And he says here it's a tridestone. He says it's a precious cornerstone. And then he says thirdly it's
a sure foundation. I love these characteristics
that God uses. It's a tried, established, proven
way. It's a proven foundation. The
Lord Jesus Christ indeed is a rock, the foundation of any weary land.
He is a proven foundation. No sinner ever perished resting
on this foundation. He said, he that believeth shall
not make haste. No sinner ever perished resting
on this foundation. It's tried, it's proven. Those
men who build buildings use material that's tried, don't they? Proven,
tested to endure. And we know the Lord Jesus Christ
was tried and tested by Satan. who tempted him and hounded him
for 40 days. And he said, the prince of this
world has come and he's found nothing in me. He was tried and
tested by Satan, tried and tested by the law. He honored the law
of God in every jot and every tittle. He was tested and tempted
in all points like as we are yet without sin. He was tested
and tried by the father. The heavenly father, and God
speaks from heaven, said, this is my beloved son, in whom I
am well pleased. This is a tried stone, a tried
foundation, certain and sure, ordered in all things, and it's
sure. And then secondly, he said, it's precious. Precious, we know
it's precious to the father. He said, I'm well pleased in
him. But you who believe the gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ,
do you who believe? Peter said, do you who believe? He is precious. A precious cornerstone
to those who perish in their sin and to those to whom the
gospel is foolishness. Christ is a stumbling stone,
a rock of offense. But to you who believe the gospel,
Christ crucified is the wisdom of God, the power of God, the
glory of God. Christ is a living stone upon
which we are built. To you who believe, he is precious. We are redeemed
with his precious blood. We're justified by the precious
promises of the gospel. They're exceeding great and precious
promises. And we have obtained by His grace
like precious faith through the righteousness of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Can't you say that this foundation
stone that God has laid, that it is precious, that it is tried? And then thirdly, he said it's
a sure foundation. It's a sure foundation. That
is, this foundation cannot be changed. This foundation of the
Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified cannot be destroyed, certainly
cannot fail. Isaiah 42, verse 4, one of my
favorite verses in the book of Isaiah, where it says, He cannot
fail. He cannot fail. This sure foundation
that God has laid, this stone, tribestone, precious cornerstone,
is sure. You'll never make a mistake trusting
Christ for all your salvation. A sure foundation that God has
laid cannot be changed, cannot be destroyed. A sure foundation
of hope, of faith. We have a good hope through grace,
of peace. We have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ. With joy in Him, He is our comfort. Christ is our comfort. And He
is all of our salvation. It's a sure foundation, ordered
in all things, and it's sure. A foundation firm and strong
and movable, everlasting, that will never decay, never needs
an update. Never needs an improvement, never
needs to have a replacement, never needs to be changed. It's
steady, certain, and sure. Jesus Christ, you remember? The
same yesterday, today, and forever. He said, I am the Lord. I change
not. Therefore, we, sons of Jacob,
are not consumed. The apostle Peter writes this
from prison. Second Timothy, nevertheless
the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord
knoweth them that are his. It's a sure foundation. Isn't
that comforting? Now, in conclusion, the last
part of verse 16. He that believeth, doesn't say
he that worketh, he that feels good. He that believeth shall
not make haste. Faith, I quoted a moment ago,
faith is called precious. Faith we know is the gift of
God. By grace are you saved through faith. What a blessing it is
to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He that believeth on
the Son, now look, think about this. John 6, 47. He that believeth
on the Son hath everlasting life. What does that word, hath, mean?
Got it. He that believeth on the Son
hath got it." What? Everlasting life. And then the
next verse says, the Lord said, I am the bread of life. He that hath the Son hath life. He that believeth shall not make
haste. There is only one refuge, and
we shall never be forced off that refuge. In Romans 9.33,
the Apostle Paul, don't turn, let me just read it to you, but
remember the last verse in Romans 9, where it says this, when Paul
quotes from that Isaiah 28.16, The Holy Spirit gives this word,
as it is written, behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone, a
rock of offense, but whosoever believeth on him shall not be
ashamed, shall not be ashamed. Remember what Paul said? I'm
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It's the power of God
to everyone that believeth. I'm not ashamed. And then when
Peter quotes that same That same verse over here in 1 Peter chapter
2. These are familiar verses, I'll
just read them to you. He says, to whom coming, this
is 1 Peter 2.4, as unto a living stone, he's a living stone, disallowed
indeed of men, but children of God and precious, Precious chosen
of God and precious. You also as living stone to build
up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also
it's contained in scripture, behold, I lay in Zion a chief
cornerstone, elect, precious, he that believeth on him shall
not be confounded. Will never be forced out. Never
be ashamed. You remember what it says in
the book of Hebrews? You remember from our study where
it says in Hebrews 2, He's not ashamed to call us brethren?
Think of it. He presents us to the Father,
holy, unblameable, unreprovable in His sight. He's not ashamed
of us. And we're certainly not ashamed
of Him. Shall never be ashamed, never be confounded, confused. as to who our salvation is and how God saves sinners in
the Lord Jesus Christ. He only is my rock. Psalm 62, the only Psalm. He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not
be moved. It's saying the same thing, Isaiah
28, 16. In God is my salvation, my glory, the rock of my strength,
and my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times. Pour
out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us. Not a refuge of lies, refuge
of truth. You see why that's such a good
scripture? I just love it.