Alright, open your Bibles again
with me to Isaiah 51. Isaiah 51. To help us get a grasp of what
our Lord is saying here, I want to point out an interesting thing
at the beginning. The Lord is speaking to his people,
a question about that, his church. And three times in these sixteen
verses, or three times in the first seven verses, he says,
Harken to me. Now listen to me, pay attention. Disindulgent, then obey me now. Look at verse one. He says, Harken
to me, you that follow after righteousness. That's us. You
that seek the law. You hearken, you listen to me.
And then in verse 4 he says, Hearken to me, my people. Give ear unto me, my nation.
Now listen to me very carefully. Verse 7. Hearken unto me, you
that know righteousness, you people in whose heart is my law. Any dialogue about to whom he's
speaking, isn't that obvious? Now listen to me. I've got something
to say to you. Just follow after righteousness. You are my people. Seek the Lord, and in whose heart
I put my law. And then the second thing, three
times in these sixteen verses, He calls the people to whom he
speaks Zion, Z-I-O-N. That's the church. That's the
kingdom of God. I have set my king, David wrote
in Psalm 2, I've set my king on my holy hill of Zion. He's
king of kings and Lord of lords. He's the king of the kingdom.
That's Christ Jesus. And you'll see that in verse
3. For the Lord shall comfort Zion. That's his church. He's going to comfort his people. He promises them comfort. Now
in verse 11, Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return and
come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be
upon their head. Joy. They shall obtain gladness
with joy. Sorrow and mourning shall flee
away. Verse 16, And I have put my words
in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of my hand,
that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the
earth, and so design thou art my people. Wow, didn't you enjoy
reading it for us? Sixteen most delightful verses. Let's start with verse 1 and
see how far we can go here, what we can learn. Verse 1, he said,
Harken to me, you that follow after righteousness. Now this
is not the righteousness of the law. The law has been given to
Moses and that's that. And Israel followed the law,
but it didn't help them. Let me just turn over here and
read about that. Romans 9, it says, Israel, which
followed after the righteousness of the law, hath not obtained
to the law of righteousness. They didn't get righteousness.
Why? Because they sought it not by
faith, but by the works of the law. So he's not speaking to
people who are trying to obtain righteousness by the works of
the law. He's not speaking of people who are trying to obtain
righteousness on their own. The Pharisees did this. The one
in the temple said, Lord, I thank you. I'm not like other men.
He based his righteousness on what he didn't do. He said, I'm
not an adulterer. I'm not an extortioner. I'm not
this, that, and the other. He based his righteousness on
what he did do. He said, I tithe. I fast twice
in a week, and I give the alms to poor people. This is my righteousness,
what I don't do and what I do." He's not talking to those folks.
But he's speaking to those who follow after the righteousness
of Christ. That's right, the righteousness
of Christ, which he accomplished by his active and passive obedience
and imputed to us. I want you to turn to Romans
4. This describes our righteousness. In Romans 4 verse 6, even as
David, David also describeth the blessedness of the man under
whom God imputeth righteousness without work, saying, Blessed
are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. So our God says, listen to me,
you that follow after righteousness by faith. Then he tells us we
are those that seek the Lord. Why do we seek the Lord? For
mercy, for grace, for forgiveness. And we continually, after we
are converted, You that seek the Lord, he didn't say you that
sought the Lord, you're still seeking. You're still coming
to Christ. And Paul sums that up in Philippians
3, our seeking the Lord. In Philippians 3, Paul, who knew
the Lord, who believed in Christ, who was redeemed by Christ, said
this in Philippians 3, verse 8, I count all things but loss,
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for
whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and I do count
them but dumb, that I may win Christ, and be found in him,
not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which
is of God by faith, O that I may know him. and the power of his
resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made
conformable to his death. Seeking the Lord, seeking the
Lord for life and salvation, for greater knowledge, for grace,
mercy, and peace, and we seek him first. Seek ye first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness. All these things will be added
to you. Now look at verse 1 again. Now listen, you people that follow
after righteousness and seek the Lord, look to the rock which
you're hewn, and the hole of the pit which you're digged.
Well, we don't have to wonder who this is, where this person
is, called the rock and the hole of the pit. The next verse tells
us. Look to Abraham, your father. He's the rock that he's talking
about here. And Abraham's not called a rock
here for his strength. He's not called a rock here for
his piety. He's not called a rock here for
his wisdom. He's called a rock for his old,
old age. And a hard, dry rock he is in
a pagan land. And that's the one from whom
we came. He's the father of all believers.
You look to the rock. from which you were hewn. And
that rock produces no life. He's an old man from whom no
help can come. Look where God found us all,
in a pagan land, in the bowels of old Abraham. And then the
pit from which we were digged, that's Sarah who buried you. who brought Isaac forth into
the world. And Saba is the hole of the pit
which was barren and fruitless and incapable of producing anything. Now you go back and look where
you came from and where all this started with Abraham, too old
to bring forth a child. Saba, too old to conceive a child. But he says here in verse 2,
but I called him. I called him. He didn't call
me. He wasn't seeking me. I called
him. I called Abraham, whom he foreknew
he predestinated to be conformed to the image of his son. And
whom he predestinated, he called. Abraham, get thee out. and go to land, I'll show you,
and I'll make up for you, you old dry rock, and take along
with you the whole of the pit from which we were digged, and
I'll bring forth from her the promised seed." I called him,
and look at that, I called him alone. I didn't call anybody
else in that family. I said, Abraham, you get out
of your father's house. I didn't call any of his kindred.
Away from your kindred. Go to the land, I'll show you.
I called him alone. I'll be merciful to whom I will
be merciful, and I'll be gracious to whom I will be gracious. I
called him alone, and I blessed him. I blessed him. I blessed him with spiritual
blessings in the heavenlies. Who maketh it a different? What
do you have you did not receive? A man can receive nothing except
it be given him from above. And I blessed him. I blessed
Abraham and I increased him. I told him springing from him
would be multitudes from every nation. Turn to Hebrews and listen
to what the Lord says about this man. Hebrews 11 verse 12. I called him. I called him alone. I blessed him and I increased
him. And Hebrews 11 and 12 said, Therefore
sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, and her
barren, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and
as the sands which are by the seashore innumerable, and these
all died in faith. I did it. Hearken to me. You that seek after righteousness,
you that seek the Lord, you just take a look back at where you
came from. Look where I found you and give
me the glory. Give me the glory. Verse 3, for
the Lord will comfort John. He'll call, he'll bless, he'll
increase, and he'll comfort. He comforted Abraham. How did
he comfort Abraham? He showed him Christ. That's
how he comforted Abraham. Abraham's life was a life of
trials and troubles, loneliness. He wandered in the wilderness,
living in tents. He never owned a foot of land.
Did you know that? God promised all these things, but he never
owned a foot of land. He was a sojourner every day of his
life. But God comforted Abraham, and
he did it by showing him Christ. Turn to John 8, verse 56, and
see if this is not what our Lord is saying here. In John 8, verse
56, Abraham, living in the desert, so many trials and heartaches,
sorrows, And yet he was a man of joy.
And here's the reason. Your father, Abraham, he rejoiced
to see my day. I showed him my day. I believe he showed him probably
on many occasions, but I know one. I know in that most severe
trial when God came to him and said, take your son, your only
son, whom you love. Take your son, he had another
son named Ishmael, that's not the one, your only son, by Sarah,
whom you love, to a mountain sacrificing. And he and the lad
went to the mountain, you know the stove, and started up the
mountain carrying the fire and the wood and the knife for the
sacrifice, just the father and the son. And the son turned to
his father and said, Father, here's the wood Here's the fire,
where's the lamb? And old Abraham said, My son,
God will provide himself the lamb. And when they got on top
of that mountain and he talked it over with Isaac, I know he
had to because he wasn't strong enough to put that boy on that
altar, big as he was. He wasn't a boy, he was a man,
a young man. But they knew. God had shown him. That Isaac, in Isaac will your
seed be called, and Isaac may die, but God will raise him.
He said, son, if you die, if I take your life here as a sacrifice,
God will raise you. He's got to, because God promised. And God's able to do what he
promised. So they started to sacrifice Isaac, and the Lord
said to Abraham, don't touch the lamb. And Abraham looked
over there in the bush, and there was a ram with horns caught in
the thicket. He said, let the lad go and put
the ram in his place. Boy, you talk about joy. You
talk about the trip down was faster than the trip up off that
mountain. My, I've seen the Lord. I've
seen redemption. I've seen everything I need to
see. I'm like Simeon. I'm ready to go. Let thy servant
depart in peace. Mine eyes have seen the Lord.
There's nothing, like Brother Scott said, hadn't heard any
bad news since I heard the good news. Nothing will change my
mind now, I've seen the Lord. How did comfort Abraham? He rejoiced
to see my day, he saw it, three words, and he was glad. And he
was glad. Now watch this, at verse 3. The Lord will comfort Zion, and
watch this now, he'll comfort her waste places, He'll make
her wilderness like the garden of Eden, her desert like the
garden of the Lord, with joy and gladness. Joy and gladness
shall be found there in thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Now
here's what I'm showing you. He calls our journey through
this life one of waste places and wilderness and desert. And yet, it's like the garden
of the Lord. How can that be? The church,
God's true church, dwells in a wilderness of sin. We live
in a wilderness of sin. We're surrounded by sin and rebellion. We live in a desert that's arid
and getting more dry all the time, abounding with tears and
sorrows and trials. The hymn writer says swift to
its close, ebbs out life's little day. Less joys keep growing dim,
and the glory fades away. Change and decay in all around
me I see. But now here's the key, O thou
that changest not. He never changes. Abide with
me. So in our tears and our sorrows
and our heartaches and our trials, We still live in the garden of
the Lord, with trees of his planting, whose leaves shall not wither,
planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in his
own time. It's his garden. It's the garden
of the Lord. That's where we live. And it's
the garden with the green pastures and the still waters, even though
around us and passing through so often is such disappointment. But we live there with our shepherd,
and he prepares a table before us, and he leads us. And there we found these four
things, joy, gladness, thanksgiving, and songs like that one you just
sang, voice of melody. When he sang that, didn't that
just lift your heart? You've got nothing to be sad about.
You've got plenty of sadness, but nothing to be sad about.
That's right. This is the garden of the Lord. I think that's one
reason Peter wanted to camp on top of that mountain and build
three tabernacles. He didn't want to go back down there. I tell you, my happiest times
are here. Aren't you? They really are the
happiest times. Because there's so much strength
and joy and gladness. and the presence of God and His
Spirit and His Word. It's just a feast. Alright, here's
the next hearken. Verse 4. Hearken to me, my people. Hearken to me, my nation. Our
Lord uses that possessive pronoun in reference to us all the way
through the Word. My people, my nation, my church,
my brethren, my sheep, My jewels. I want to share a verse of scripture
with you over here in Malachi. You'll put a big mark around
this when you read it, if you haven't already. Malachi 3. My jewels. Listen. Malachi 3, verse 16. Then they that feared the Lord
spake often one to another, encouraged one another. taught one another. And the Lord hearkened and heard
it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them
that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they'll
be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my
jewels, my crown, my special treasure, and I'll spare them
as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall
ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked,
between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. My jewels, my jewels. Now listen to me, my people.
Verse 4, hearken to me, my people. Give ear to me now, my nation.
And here about six things he says he's going to do. A law shall proceed from me. Now that's not Sinai's law. That
was given long ago to Moses. What law is this that proceeds
from me? This is the law of the Spirit
of life in Christ Jesus. And the word law here is power.
The power of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. I want to turn
to two scriptures. First, Isaiah 2. And you think
about that now. A law shall proceed from me,
O my nation, in regard to you. Now look at Isaiah 2, verse 3. Read it now with me, look at
it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, let's go up
to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob,
and he'll teach us of his ways. Where have you read that before?
He had known his ways to Moses, his acts to the children of Israel.
He'd teach us his ways. And we'll walk in his paths.
For out of Zion, out of the kingdom, shall go forth the law. The law,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. I'll give you a law. All right,
that's it right there. All right, now turn to Romans
chapter 8, and we'll see the explanation of that law. Romans
8, verse 1. He says in Romans 8, verse 1,
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free
from the law of sin and death. from the power of sin and death.
For what the law, Moses' law, could not do, it was weak through
my flesh. The law wasn't weak, my flesh
was. God sending his own Son, the power of his Son, the law
of the Spirit of life in Christ, in the likeness of sinful flesh,
and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. There she is. There
she is. Hearken to me now. A law will
proceed for me. Not a law of works, but a law
of life. The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. All
right, second thing he says I'll do. Verse 4, And I will make
my judgment to rest for a light to the people. I will make my
judgment to rest for a light to the people. Now, the law of
the power of Christ will establish my law. And this law of the Spirit
of Christ will fulfill and satisfy all judgment and all justice. And this obedience of Christ
will put to rest all charges. Who can charge anything to God's
elect? It's God that justifies. Who
is he that condemns? It's Christ that does. So this
law This power of Christ will establish my law, honor my law,
fulfill my law, satisfy all judgment and justice, and put it to rest. And that will be a light to my
people, and they will be enlightened, and they'll see how I can be
just and justify the laws. A light. We'll see the glory
of God in the face of Christ Jesus as the light. We'll see
the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus. He'll be a light
to enlighten Zion, and we'll see how he can be just and justify. You see, turn with me to Jeremiah
for just a moment, Jeremiah 23. Jeremiah 23. We're redeemed by mercy, but
we're redeemed by justice. Our Lord Jesus Christ Listen,
in Jeremiah 23, verse 5, Listen, Behold, the day is come, saith
the Lord, I raise up unto David a righteous branch, a king shall
reign and prosper, and he will execute judgment and justice
in the earth. That's what he's talking about.
That's what he was talking about. I make my judgment to rest. And
in those days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall draw
safely. All right, let's go on so we
can get farther along. Here's the third thing he declares.
You listen to me now, my people. Verse 5, My righteousness is
near. Who's he talking about? My righteous
one is near. This was written before he came.
I'm going to send the law, the spirit of life, make my judgment
to rest. Satisfy my justice, my righteousness
is near, and my salvation is gone forth. This is talking about
Christ. Let's turn to Romans 3 and see
the fulfillment of that. My righteousness is near, and
he's saying my righteous one is near. Prophesy. Romans 3 verse 20. Romans 3, verse 21. But now the
righteousness of God, my righteousness is near, without the law is manifested,
being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Paul is saying
what Isaiah prophesied is already manifested. Even the righteousness
of God, which is by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, unto all, upon
all them that There is no difference. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God, but we are freely being justified freely
by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom
God has set forth to do a perpetuation through faith in his blood to
declare his righteousness. My righteousness is near. Paul
says he has come. Look at verse 5 by text again. My righteousness is near, my
salvation has gone forth, and my arms shall judge the people. My arms shall rule the people.
He's talking about Christ. He's the arm of the Lord. Isaiah
said, to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? He's the power
and wisdom of God. He has all authority over all
flesh. My arms shall judge the people,
shall rule the people. And listen to this. Now this
is back in the days when Israel reigned, and about everything
God said and did was toward Israel, not Gentiles. But he says here,
the Isles, the nations, shall wait upon this righteousness,
upon me. And on my arms shall they trust.
He's talking about the Gentile nations. The prophets, priests,
and promises had been to the Jews. But Isaiah is saying here,
these nations have waited. And now on my arm they'll learn
to trust. Over in Isaiah 25, he said this
very same thing over here. Listen, Isaiah 25, the isles
wait for his coming. Look at Isaiah 25, verse 8. Let's
go back to verse 6. Isaiah 25, 6. And then this mountain
shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people. not just the
Jews, but all people, a feast of fat things, a feast of wines
on the leaves, of fat things full of marrow, wine on the leaves
well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain
the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil
that is spread over all nations, blindness. He will swallow up
death in victory. And the Lord God will wipe away
tears from off all faces, and the rebuke of his people shall
he take away from off all the earth. For the Lord has spoken
it, and it will be said in that day, Lo, this is our God, we've
waited for him, and he'll save us. This is the Lord, we've waited
for him. We'll be glad and rejoice in
his salvation. That's so clear to me. The Lord
says, Now hearken to me, for me shall proceed the law of the
Spirit of life, satisfy my justice, and enlighten my people. My righteousness
is near, my salvation gone forth, my mighty arms shall rule my
people, and the hours, the nations that wait for that gospel unto
you is born this day, and to all people shall this be known,
the angel said. They wait upon me and on my arm
they will trust, they will believe. One of the hymn writers wrote
this, ìArm of the Lord, awake. Put on thy strength, and all
the nations will shake. Let all this universe adore and
see the triumph of mercy brought out by thee. Say to this world
from thy throne, I am Jehovah, God alone. Thy voice, their idols,
will all confound and cast their altars to the ground. Arm of
the Lord, thy grace proclaim in every land of every name,
that every creature before thee fall, and crown our Savior Lord
of all. Lift up your eyes to the heavens.
Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look upon the earth beneath. Look at both of them. And remember
that these heavens shall vanish away like smoke. And this earth
shall melt old, wax old like a garment. And everybody that
dwells therein, they that dwell therein, shall die in the same
manner. The Lord says, listen, now hearten
to me. Now you take a look at the heavens,
look at all the universe up there. It's going to vanish away in
smoke. And look at this earth, the whole thing. It's going to
wax old like a garment. And look at all of them that
populate this earth. They're going to die in like
manner. But you write this down. What I just told you, my salvation
and my righteousness is forever. My righteousness shall never
be abolished. Hearken to me. Put it down. Now here's the last
hearken. I'll let you go. Now hearken to me, you that know
righteousness. What do you know about righteousness?
Well, I know mine's imperfect. I know his is perfect. I know
God won't accept mine or anything about it, but he'll accept his,
and he'll accept me in his. I know that. And you people in
whose heart is my law, Not just in your heads, to fear, but my
law is in your heart to love. I condemn you that know righteousness.
Not talking to anybody else, he said. I'm talking to you that
know righteousness and whose heart is my law. Don't be afraid. Fear ye not the reproach of men. Don't be afraid. Neither be afraid
of their revilings. Don't be afraid. Let's go back
for just five minutes and look at some of these fear nots. In
Isaiah 41, he uses this fear not. Don't be afraid. Listen
to me. Hearken to me, he said. Don't
you be afraid. Isaiah 41, look at verse 10.
Fear thou not. I am with thee. Be not dismayed. I am your God. I'll strengthen
you, yea, I'll help you, I'll uphold you with the right hand
of my righteousness. Look at verse 13. I'm the Lord
God. I, the Lord God, will hold your
right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I'll help you, fear
not, thou worm Jacob. Well, I'm such a worm, he knows
that. And ye men of Israel, I'll help you, said the Lord, thou
Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Look at Isaiah 43. Verse 1, listen
to this, fear not. Now thus saith the Lord that
created you, O Jacob, and formed you, O Israel, fear not. I have
redeemed you, I have called you by your name, you are mine. And
when you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through
the rivers, they won't overflow you. When you walk through the
fire, you will not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle
upon you. I am the Lord your God, the Holy
One of Israel. your Savior. I gave Egypt for
your ransom, Ethiopia, and Sheba for you. So and since thou wast
precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved
you. Therefore I give me in for thee, people for your life. So
fear not, I am with you. I bring you seed from the east
and gather them from the west. One more, Isaiah 44. Fear not. Isaiah 44.1. Yet now hear, O Jacob, my servant,
and Israel, whom I have chosen. Thus saith the Lord that made
thee, and farmed thee from the womb, which will help thee. Fear
not, O Jacob, my servant. Thou art just Urin, whom I have
chosen. For I will pour water upon him
that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour my
Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessings upon thy offspring. Do you not need to be afraid?
Have not I told you from that time, and I have declared it?
You are my witnesses. Is there God beside me? Yea,
there is no God. I know not any. You don't either,
do you? I don't know any. But he says
especially, don't be afraid of men. Go back to my text, and
I'll read verse 8, and we'll go. He says, Don't be afraid
of their revilings, don't be afraid of their reproach, for
the shall eat them up like a garment, and the worms shall eat them
like wool. But my righteousness shall be
forever, and my salvation from generation to generation. I'm
going to read verse 15, because this is the title of my message.
But I am the Lord thy God that divided the sea, whose waves
roared, the Lord of hosts. That's his name. All right. I'll pray that, be a blessing
to you.