If you'll join me in opening
the Bible to Isaiah 40, I'm determined to try to preach the word to
you as God enables me. Old Isaac Watts, one of the great
preachers and great hymn writers, wrote a catechism, and in his
catechism he raised this question. Who is Isaiah? And then he gave
the answer, Isaiah is that prophet who spake more of the Lord Jesus
Christ than all the rest. And that's certainly true of
this scripture we have before us this morning. He says in verse 25, to whom
then will you liken me, or shall I be equal, saith the Holy One? But over there in Isaiah 45,
he said six times, six times, I am God and there's none else.
There's none with whom to compare me. I'm God, there's none else,
none else, none else, six times. Verse 26, he said, Lift up your
eyes on high, and behold, who created these things? Out of
nothing, by his word only. Who created all these? Lift up
your eyes and look. Who created these things? Bringeth
out their hosts by number. He calls them all by name. Even
the stars, each one have a name. And he does that by the greatness
of his might. He's strong in power, not one
purpose. Then he speaks to his people,
he speaks to us, he speaks to those who believe. He calls them
Old Jacob. We're called the sons of Jacob
throughout the Old Testament. Seed of Abraham, sons of Jacob. I told my class this morning,
two or three reasons why we're called sons of Jacob. One reason, like Jacob, we were
loved by God before we were born. The children being not yet born,
it was said to the mother, Jacob have a love. We were elected
by God to life eternal before we had any being. The children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand. It was said to her,
the elder, contrary to human ways, shall serve the younger. The younger has the inheritance.
We were loved, we were chosen to the inheritance before we
were born. And like Jacob, God, in an unusual fashion, When we
weren't seeking him, Jacob was running from something, not running
to God. He was running from Esau through
fear. And God met him, like he did
Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. God met him. Like he
did the Samaritan woman, God met him. Like he did you one
day, God met him. And God revealed the salvation
and redemption in Christ to him by giving him a vision. of the
ladder to heaven, the way to heaven. And on that ladder, the
angels of God ascending and descending. And Jacob awoke from that vision
and said, this is Bethel. This is the true house of God. I've seen the Lord face to face. And every time we're sons of
Jacob, not only because God loved us and chose us and revealed
the gospel to us, but he keeps bringing us back to himself and
to Christ every day when we venture or stray. He brings us back.
He said, Jacob, back to Bethel. And he always will. And he changed
our name. He changed our name, made us
sons of God, kings and priests. So he speaks to his people here
in verse 27, and he says, why do you say, O people, O Jacob,
And you speak, O Israel, Prince of God, my way is hid from the
Lord." Why do you say that? What were they saying? They were
saying this, my way, the way of life, God doesn't seem to
pay any attention to it. Evidently, He takes no notice
of my troubles and my trials and my suffering. Evidently,
God pays no attention to all these things because He hasn't
delivered me. There seems to be no relief from
trouble and no relief from trial. My way is difficult and it just
seems like the Lord is not paying any attention to it. And then
he said, why do you say that? Secondly, why do you say my judgment
is passed over from the Lord? Why do you say God evidently,
evidently is not interested in setting things right? He does
not undertake my cause. He does not right the wrongs
that are done to me. It just seems like that there's
no justice. That's what David said in Psalm
73. I'm suffering and the wicked
are prospering. There ain't no justice. That's what he said. And why do you say that? That's
what he asked. Why sayest thou my way The Lord's not paying
any attention to it. He's not looking. He doesn't
know how difficult the way is. And he doesn't do anything about
my struggles and troubles. He doesn't justify me. He doesn't
vindicate me. He doesn't set things straight
before my enemies. Verse 28, the answer comes from
the Lord now. Listen. Have you not known, have
you not heard, And that the Lord, that the everlasting God, the
Lord, the creator of the earth, fainteth not, nor is weary, there's
no searching of his understanding. Don't you know that? Haven't
you heard that? Haven't we heard from the scriptures
who he is? Haven't we heard from the fathers?
From the experiences of the prophets and the apostles? that he is
indeed the everlasting God? Haven't you, don't you know that?
Haven't you heard that? I've heard that. I've heard that
lots of times. And I know that. He's the everlasting
God. He's the creator of the heaven
and earth, the ends of the earth. He made all things. Not only
did he make all things, he upholds all things. And there's not a
spiral that falls to the ground without him. But I know that. He's created all things and he
made all things and he upholds all things. And I know this,
he's the everlasting God. He doesn't change. He's the same
yesterday, today and forever. I know that. And he doesn't faint,
he doesn't quit. He that hath begun a good work
in you, he'll finish it. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord. Though he fall, though he stumble,
he'll be held up. I know those things. So why'd
you say that? Why'd you think it? The Lord
doesn't faint, the Lord doesn't quit, the Lord doesn't go weary. He knows his sheep, whomsoever
they are, and whithersoever they go. David said, where shall I
flee from your presence? If I send them to heaven, you're
there. Make my bed in the grave out there. If I go to the uttermost
parts of earth, you're there. I know that. Don't you know that?
Have you heard that? A thousand times. I know the Lord's my shepherd.
I shall not walk. I shall not walk. He leadeth
me in paths of righteousness. He restores my soul. And look
at the last line of verse 28. There's no searching of his understanding. What's that saying? His wisdom
and his purpose cannot be discovered by searching. A finite mind cannot
comprehend the wisdom and purpose of an infinite God. It can't
be. That's what Job told us over
here in Job 11. His understanding, there's no
searching, there's no knowledge by a finite mind. of his understanding
and his judgment. In Job 11, verse 7, Job said
this. Can you, by searching, find out
God? Job 11, verse 7. Can you find
out the Almighty unto perfection? It's high as the heaven. What
can you do? It's deeper than hell. What can
you know? Paul said that, too. Let me just read it to you over
here. Right here, I've got it, Romans 11. Listen, all the depths
of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable
are his judgments, his providence, his ways of pathfinding out. You know that, don't you? I know
that. And here's the next thing I know,
verse 29. He gives power to the faith. He gives power to the faint,
to the weak and to the weary. And to them that have no might,
he increases strength. You know, my friends, all life,
power, strength, ability to do anything or think anything is
of the Lord. Read that verse again. He gives
power to the faint, to them that have no might in themselves. he increases strength. In him
we live and move. I just made that gesture by whose
power? He left that to me, I couldn't
move that on him. I tell you, all of his creation and his creatures
derive whatever strength, knowledge, life, movement of power they
have from him. From the shining of the sun to
the blinking of the eyelash, and I lived by the grace of God,
by the power of God, all powers of God. And why did you say that
a while ago? God deserted me. He doesn't know
what's happening. He hasn't vindicated me. Why
did you say that? Dumb, that's why I said it. Just
dumb. Got up this morning, went in,
ate a nice breakfast that he provided. walked into the kitchen
by his grace. He didn't have to wheel me in
that. I walked in that. I sat down and said, this coffee
sure is good. Boy, don't you despise yourself
when you murmur against God. Why did you do that? He gives power, verse 30, "...even
the youth shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall
utterly fall." You know, we attribute strength
and ability to youth and to healthy people and to young people. But
you know, left to themselves, even the youngest and the strongest
shall utterly fall. There is strength and knowledge
and ability for the power of God. I want to give you an assignment. Turn with me to Job 38. Job 38.
I tell you, if you'll just read. today or tomorrow, soon now while
you still have it on your mind, Job 38, 39, and 41. But let's
read some of them right now about the power of God, the particular distinguishing
knowledge and power of God. Verse 1, chapter 38. Then the
Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and he said, Who is
this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Go up
now, thou loins, like a man, I will demand of thee, and you
answer thou me. Where were you when I laid the
foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have any understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof,
if you know? Who hath stretched the line upon
it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof, Thyssen? Who laid the
cornerstone thereof? When the morning stars sang together,
and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Who shut up the sea
with doors, when it break forth, as it had issued out of the womb?
When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a
swaddling-band for it, and break up for it my decreed place, and
set bars and doors? And I said to the seas and to
the oceans, Here thereto shalt thou come, and no farther. And
here shall thy proud ways be stayed." Have you commanded the
morning since the days? Have you caused the dawn to know
its place? Go to verse 34. Verse 34, chapter
38. Can you lift up your voice to
the clouds that the abundance of rain may cover you? Can you
send lightning that they may go and say to thee, here we are?
Did you go out and watch the lightning the other night? I
think of that verse every time I go out and watch that lightning.
The Lord says, he sends them, and they all speak to him, here
we are, here we go. You afraid of lightning? Don't
be. It's in his hands. But if it
hits you, you're going home. That would be a blessing. It's a good way to go home, too.
That's a quick journey. Verse 36, Who hath put wisdom
in the inward parts? Who has given understanding to
the heart? Who can number the clouds in wisdom? Who can spay
the bottles of heaven and make it not rain when the dust grows
into hardness and the clods cleave fast together? Will you hunt
the prey for the lion? Will you fill the appetites of
the young lions? You're going to feed all these insects and
animals and beasts? God feeds them. When they couch in their dens
and abide in the covert to lie in wait, who provides food for
the raven? When his young ones cry for God, they wonder for
lack of me. Let's read one more. Turn to
chapter 39. I just love these three chapters. Turn to chapter 39, verse 13. Gavest thou the goodly wings
to the peacocks, or wings and feathers to the ostrich, which
leaves her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in the dust?
She forgets that the foot might crush them, the wild beast might
break them. But she's hardened against her
young ones. The hen takes care of her eggs,
but the ostrich doesn't. She's hardened against these
young, as though they were not hers. Her labor is in vain, without
fear, because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he
imparted to her understanding. That's just an area where he
did not give her that protective instinct, like he did other birds. She can fly higher and swifter
than a man on a horse. Look at the next verse. What
time she lifted her fur of self on high, she scorneth the horse
and the rider. She'd pass them by. God gave
her that gift. Hast thou given the horse his
strength? Have you closed his neck with thunder? Can you make
him afraid as a grasshopper? The glory of his nostrils is
terrible. Now watch this. He poureth in the valley, rejoiceth
in his strength. This is the horse. He goes on
to meet armed men. Have you ever read stories and
read about horses in the Civil War and others charging right
into cannon mouth? Charging right into other forces
with their swords drawn and spears and guns? He just keeps on going. And that's what he says here.
In verse 21, the horse paws in the valley, rejoices in his strength,
goes out to meet armed men. He mocketh at fear, he not afraid,
neither turneth back from the sword, from the cannon. The quiver
rattleth against him the good, and sparing the shield, and he
swalleth the ground with fierceness and rage, neither deleiveth he
that it's the sound of a trumpet marking his doom. He saith among
the trumpets, Ha! Ha! He smelleth the battle afar,
the thunder, the captains, and the shouting. Does the hawk fly by your wisdom?
Stretch her wings towards us out? Does the eagle mount up
at your command, and make her nest on high? She dwells and
abideth on the rocks, upon the crag of the rock, a strong place.
From thence she seeketh her prey, she can spot them a mile away."
Who gave her those eyes? Just read those, please read
them, 38, 39, 40 and 41. He giveth power, life, movement
to everything. Now, watch this. But they that
wait upon the Lord know this. They that wait upon the Lord,
they shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings
as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk
and not faint. Who are these people? I'm one of them. You're among
those that believe God. They wait upon the Lord. They
believe him. They believe all that he said about himself and
all that he declares in his word. They believe him. And they know
he's the only God and the only Redeemer, the only salvation,
the only way of life. They know that. You see, our
Lord settled this with his disciples in John chapter 6. He just settled
this. We used to sing an old song when
I was growing up. The old account was settled long
ago. It settled long ago, who he is and who I am and who Christ
is. That settled. And here's how he settled it
with his disciples. Our Lord was preaching, and there were
about, according to the record, 5,000 men, not counting the women
and children. He fed them and was preaching
to them. And he offended them. They were
offended. They said, just a hard saying,
who can hear him? And you know something, even after him feeding
them, The Lord God himself speaking to them, they ever one got up
and walked off. That's the record. And all of
them went back and walked no more with him. That's it. Then he turned to the twelve,
and he said, will you also go away? You can if you will. You can if you want to. Will
you? And Peter speaking to all of
them said, To whom shall we go? It's settled. To whom shall we
go? There's nothing anywhere. In religion, in the social world,
in the intellectual world, anywhere, there's nothing. To whom shall
we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. The word and the eternal life
is in you, and we believe and assure that I am to Christ, the
Son of the living God. And we'll just wait on you."
That's settled. Now, here's the promise. Listen
to this. They that wait upon the Lord, number one, they shall
renew their strength. No matter how low it gets, they're
going to renew it. That's right. What kind of strength
is this? Spiritual strength. Paul kept
saying, when I'm weak, then am I strong. When I recognize I
can't do anything myself, it's all by his grace. When I realize
that, that causes me not to trust myself, but to trust him, and
then I'm strong. And so through his good providence,
and through the word of God which he has given me and you, and
the spirit of God who dwells within us, and the word of instructions
and the preaching of the gospel, as we wait upon him and look
to him, our graves And faith and love and hope is renewed. Now you can't renew what you
don't have. He didn't say it's new, it's
renewed. He's already got that grace and
that faith and that love. So if you wait on him patiently,
lovingly, willingly, trusting, the strength will be renewed. And they shall mount up, mount
up with wings as eagles. Which direction does an eagle
go? He goes up, up, up, up, up. Fly higher than any bird. Isn't
that right? Higher than any bird. His aim and direction is toward
heaven. And that's those that wait upon
the Lord. They renew their strength and
they mount up. set their affections on things
above, not on things of the earth. The eagle doesn't waddle around
here in the things of this world. He's interested in higher things.
Draw nigh to God. He'll draw nigh to you. Come
boldly to the front of grace, to find mercy and grace to help
in time of need. They that wait on the The Lord God, who is the everlasting
God, who has all power and all might, never faints, never grows
weary. Wait on him, and you'll mount
up as an eagle. One of the old writers put that
in a hymn. Listen to it. From whence do our mournful thoughts
arise? Where has our courage fled? Have
doubts and fears and earthly trials struck all our comforts
dead? Have we forgot his almighty name
that formed the earth and sea? Can his all-creating arm ever
grow weary or decay? Our mere mortal powers shall
fade and die, and our youthful strength shall cease. But if
we are made to wait upon the Lord, we'll feel our strength
increase. And his saints shall mount on
eagles' wings and taste the promised bliss until their redeemed souls
arise where perfect pleasure is. In verse 31, they that wait upon
the Lord shall renew their strength, grow in grace in the knowledge
of the Lord. They'll mount up to heaven with
wings as eagles, and they'll run, and they'll not be weary. Paul said, run with patience,
the race that sets before us. Run it with patience, neither
looking back or looking around. And they'll run this race and
not be weary. They'll not be weary of the race,
they'll not be weary of the company with whom they run, and they'll
not be weary of the course because the Father laid it out. If we wait on Him, we'll run
with patience, the race set before us. We'll not grow weary of the
race, nor of the company with which we run that race, nor of
the course. sat before us because it's by
his orders. And we'll walk and not faint. What's this walk? A walk in the
spirit, not in the flesh. It's a long walk. It's a lifetime
walk. It's a walk of years and days
and months, trials and tribulations. It's a walk. That's a man's journey,
is his walk. But we're not going to quit. Not going to quit. A lot of folks
do, but not those that wait on the Lord. Not those who know
that to whom shall we go. Not those who know this God who
reveals himself in verse 28. I'm the everlasting God. They're
not going to quit. John said when they quit, it's
evidence they never did walk with us. All right, let me show
you this and I'll dismiss you. Now he speaks to the whole earth
here, I believe. Keep silence before me now, O
islands. Keep silence. Remember before
whom you stand. Let's don't raise our voices
against him. Remember before whom you stand. The Lord's in his holy temple.
Let all the earth keep silence before him. Keep silence before
me. Let the people renew their strength.
Let them renew their opposition. There's going to be people who
oppose this. box up. But let them come near. Let them
muster up their courage and forces and collect their arguments and
let them come near, let them speak. Let them come near together
for judgment. That's all right. Assemble yourselves.
Listen to what he said over here in Isaiah 40, 45. He said, Assemble
yourselves, draw near, draw near together. You that are escaped
of the nations, that have no knowledge of God, that set up
wood of graven images, that pray to a God that cannot save. Come
on, present your arguments. But here's the answer, verse
2. Who raised up this righteous man from the east? This righteous
man from the east. Who raised him up from the east?
Now a lot of folks, a lot of readers, I read different ones.
And they wanted to apply that to Abraham. He was a man in the
East. And it kind of reads like Abraham. He raised up the righteous
man from the East, called him to obedience, gave the nations
before him, made him rule over kings. He went to battle against
the kings. That's right. He led a force
of people against the wicked kings and defeated everyone of
them. He gave them the dust of his sword. the driven stubble
of his bow, he pursued them. Remember when Abraham pursued
the kings to get Lot and all the people back again? He whipped
the life out of them, didn't lose a man. He pursued them and
passed safely, even by the way he had never been to that place
before. He led that bunch of men down
there and whipped them all and came back home. But now this
man from the east is not Abraham. It's the Lord Jesus Christ. Let
me show you over here. in Isaiah chapter 46, verse 9. Remember the former things of
old, I'm God, there's none else, I'm God, there's none like me. I declare the end from the beginning,
from ancient times of things that are not yet done, saying,
My counsel shall stand, I do all my pleasure, calling a ravenous
bird." A bird from the East? A man, the man that executes
my counsel, I call him. He's called a bird because he
came from heaven. He's called a ravenous bird for his fierceness
and victory over his enemies, and he's called a man. Because
only by a perfect man can God's counsels all be fulfilled and
all performed and all done. I go back to my text, Isaiah
41, 2. Who raised up this man? Righteous
man. The man of righteousness. He
said in Jeremiah 23, he'll be called the righteousness of God. I raised him up. called him to
obedience to his foot, walked in my way, gave the nations before
him, out of every kindred, tongue, tribe, or nation I gave him a
people, made him rule over kings, gave them as the best of his
sword, the sword of the Lord, out of his mouth was a two-edged
sword, as driven stubble to his bow. He pursued them and passed
safely by the way, that he had gone, not gone with his feet,
never walked that way before. We did, the way of sin and death
and judgment, but he walked that way and came back victorious.
Now look at that next verse. Who did all this? Who wrote this? Who did this? Called the generations from the
beginning. I want you to see something here. I've got a little
more time. Listen. Generations. This is the thing
about studying, if you will, look at words. The word of the
Lord. Who hath wrought, who hath conceived
this, and purposed it, and determined it, and brought it to pass, and
conquered it? Who did all this? Who done this?
Who calls the generations from the beginning? What does generations
mean? It means these following things. Number one, who has determined
the circle and the revolution of time? generations of time,
40 years, 40 years, 40 years, 40 years. Who has determined
all of that? From the beginning. Secondly, who has determined
man's days and the number of his months, so he cannot pass
from the beginning? Who hath appointed the boundaries
of nations? Who hath wrought this and called
the generations, every generation, all the generations from the
beginning, who hath appointed the boundaries of nations, the
destinies of nations, the leaders of nations. He raiseth up kings,
the heart of the kings in the hands of the Lord. He turns it
with us so that we will. He did that from the beginning.
Who hath with a high and heavenly and holy calling picked out a
people, a generation of believers from the beginning? Now here
comes the answer, I the Lord. The first and the last, I'm He. I'm He. I'm your shepherd, O
Jacob. I'm your God. I'm your Father. I'm your Redeemer. I'm your Savior. I'm your life. So don't doubt
me. Don't question me. And don't
leave me, just wait on me. Just wait on me, that's right.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my
life, and I'll dwell in the house of the Lord forever. All right,
we'll pick that up tonight, the Lord willing, and thank the Lord
for revealing the Word to us. That's His Word. That's comforting,
that's convicting, that's edifying, that's peaceful, that's restful,
that's his word.