Sermon #68                                                            Series:  Isaiah

 

          Title:       Israel Shall Blossom

          Text:       Isaiah 27:1-6 -  Reading:    Isaiah  27:1-13;  John

                         15:1-8

          Subject:  God’s Care Of His Church

          Date:       Tuesday Evening - January 22, 1991

          Tape #

 

          Introduction:

            

          I am going to talk to you tonight about Israel.  If you are taking notes, the title of this message is taken directly from our text, where the prophet of God says, Israel Shall Blossom.  Virtually, the whole religious world is watching the nation of Israel.  Preachers and religious leaders everywhere are looking upon the Persian Gulf war with Iraq as a great prophetic event.  Earlier this week, Cal Thomas wrote an editorial in his syndicated column, indicating that this war is the beginning of Armageddon.  He left himself room to wiggle out, just in case he is wrong.  But the point of his column was - “This is it.  Armageddon has begun.”  And that opinion is nearly universal.  Even the president of our country appears to be thinking in this direction.  The Lord willing, I will preach to you on that subject Sunday night.  But, since most everyone is wondering what the Bible has to say about Israel in prophecy, tonight I want to talk to you about Israel.  Our text says, “Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.”

 

          In this prophecy talking about the physical, political nation of Israel, that tiny nation of Jews which is the focal point of worldwide attention at this hour?  No.  It is not.  Now hear and understand what I am telling you - There are no promises given by God to the Jews, or anyone else, based upon their race or nationality.

 

·        The promises of God are all in Christ and given to sinners only in Christ (I. 1:20).

·        The promises of God are all promises of pure grace, unconditional grace made to faith (Gal. 5:6).

·        God no longer deals with the Jews as a nation (Matt. 23:37-38).

 

          Note:  Without question, God rules the nation of Israel as he rules all other nations in providence.  And any Jew who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ is saved, just as any Gentile who believes.  But God has forever forsaken both Judaism and national Israel, because of their unbelief.

 

          How then do we interpret prophecies such as the one before us in Isaiah 27?  If Isaiah is not talking about national Israel, of whom is he speaking?  To whom are these sure and steadfast promises of grace made?  They are made to the church, the Israel of God.

 

Proposition:  The Israel of God is the church of God’s elect, the temple and house of the living God.

 

·        We are the circumcision (Phil. 3:3; Rom. 2:28-29).

·        We are the chosen and blessed nation of God’s elect (I Pet. 2:9-10).

·        We are God’s covenant people (Heb. 10:15-17).

·        God’s church, his elect, are the Israel that shall be saved, when “the fullness of the Gentiles be come in” (Rom. 11:25-36).

·        Salvation and grace are promised, not to Abraham’s physical seed, but to the spiritual seed of covenant promise (Rom. 9:6-8).

 

Divisions:  Now I want us to look at the prophecy given in Isaiah 27:1-6.  I want to show you the mercies here promised to God’s Israel, the church of his elect.  These are promises of grace and salvation in Christ.

 

1.   God Will Punish And Destroy The Enemies Of His People (v. 1).

2.   God Will Protect And Preserve His Church (vv. 2-3).

3.   God Is Never Angry With His Elect (vv. 4-5).

4.   God Will Cause His Church To Flourish Forever (v. 6).

 

I.      First, let every believer confidently endure the assaults and trials of his many enemies with this assurance - THE LORD OUR GOD WILL PUNISH AND DESTROY THE ENEMIES OF HIS PEOPLE (v. 1).

 

          God’s saints are not a vengeful people.  We do not need to be.  We serve a just and vengeful God (Rom. 12:19).  The fact is, as you read the Scriptures you cannot help noticing that God’s punishment of the wicked will be as much the avenging of his elect as it will be the avenging of his own justice (Rev. 6:10; 18:20, 24; 19:2) - “Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you” (II Thess. 1:6).

 

A.  Proud, oppressing, persecuting tyrants are compared to some horrible monster - “Leviathan.”

 

          “Leviathan” is a name given to a huge, mythical, dragon-like monster of the sea.  Job tells us that none are able to stand before him - “None is so fierce that they dare stir him up…His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.  When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid” (Job 41:10, 24, 25).

 

          The church of God has many enemies.  But in every age one arises that is more powerful and therefore more fearful than the rest.

 

·        Sennacherib        

·        Nebuchadnezzar     } God has always destroyed  those

·        Antiochus                    who sought to destroy his church

·        Pharoah                      and caused his church to prosper

                                        by them (Ps. 74:13-14).

 

B. All the persecuting monsters of history are but the servants of satan, the old serpent, the great dragon, who seeks to devour God’s church (Rev. 12:3).

 

·        Political Persecutors.

·        Religious Persecutors.

 

Those who persecute the people of God are compared to:

1.   Leviathan because of their strength.

2.   The Dragon because of their rage and fury.

3.   The Serpent because of their craft, subtlety and poison.

 

          Note:  The enemies of God’s church in the past have been great and many.  But in due time God has destroyed them all.  And we shall have numerous, mighty enemies in the future.  But God will destroy them with ease in his appointed day.

 

C. Without question, this is a prophecy of the spiritual victories obtained by the Lord Jesus Christ over the powers of darkness as our Substitute.

 

1.   By his death Christ disarmed, spoiled and cast out the prince of darkness (John 12:32; Eph. 4:8; Col. 2:15; Rev. 20:1-3).

2.   By his spirit, through the preaching of the gospel, the Lord Jesus destroys satan’s power over men (Isa. 61:1-3).

3.   In the last day, the Son of God will cast the fiend of hell into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).

 

          This is the first blessed and comforting assurance given in our text.  There is a day coming when the Lord our God, “with his sore and great and strong sword,” shall avenge his own elect.

 

II.   Secondly, Isaiah assures us that GOD WILL PROTECT AND PRESERVE HIS CHURCH (vv. 2-3).

 

          When God’s judgments fall, there is no reason for the believer to be afraid.  While God is judging our enemies and punishing them he is protecting, preserving and saving his elect.  God will protect his own! 

 

A.  The church is God’s vineyard - (cf. Matt. 20:1; John 15:1-5).

 

          It is here called a vineyard of red wine, “symbolic of the choicest, best fruit of the vine, wine that gladdens the heart and makes merry the downcast.

 

1.   A vineyard is a spot of ground separated from the rest of the property.

2.   A vineyard is the property of one person.

3.   A vineyard is fenced in and protected.

4.   A vineyard has many plants - all planted, pruned and cared for by the husbandman.

 

          Note:  God commits the care of his vineyard to faithful pastors.  But his hand is really the one that cares for his vineyard.

 

5.   A vineyard is valuable, pleasant and fruitful.

 

·        The fruit of this vineyard is all red - It arises from and is washed in the precious blood of Christ.

·        As the fruit of the vine must be squeezed to give out its juices, so the saints of God give out their graces as they are squeezed and pressed by the hand of God’s providence.

 

B. This vineyard, the church of God, is under God’s own care (v. 3).

 

1.   It is kept by God.

 

          God himself has undertaken to keep Israel.  And “he that keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.”

 

a.   Because God keeps his vineyard none can hurt it.

b.   God keeps it at all times, by night and by day - (Ps. 91:4-6).

 

·        In the night of affliction and persecution and in the day of peace and prosperity.  He keeps us from the temptations of the day as well as from the trials of the night.

 

2.   And God waters his vineyard.

 

          God waters his vineyard by the ministry of the Word, by his servants, whose doctrine drops as the dew of heaven.  Paul plants and Apollos waters.  But God gives the increase.  Without him our labors are vain.

 

Note:  God’s vineyard needs an occasional flood.  But it is the daily dew of grace that brings forth fruit to the glory of God - We are impressed by the floods.  But the real, vital necessity is the dew.

 

III. Thirdly, the Lord speaks to us by his prophet, assuring us that GOD IS NEVER ANGRY WITH HIS ELECT (vv. 4-5).

 

          He says, “Fury is not in me.”  But that must be understood in its context.  He has just told us that there is great fury in him against his enemies.  But with regard to his church, his vineyard, God has no fury.  He is never angry with his people in Christ.

 

          Sometimes, he appears to be angry.  He seems to contend with us in his providence.  When he does, it is only that he may gather out of his vineyard the briars and thorns, the tares, the wood hay and stubble, to burn them and purge his church (Matt. 13:24-30; Isa. 33:14).

 

 

Note:  This is God’s work.  No man has the right or the ability to do it - “Leave them alone!”

 

A.  God’s fury was spent on Christ our Substitute.

 

          “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.”

 

B. When God does afflict his people, he tells us what to do.

 

1.   “Let him take hold of my Strength” - Lay hold upon Christ.

2.   “That He (Christ) may make peace with me.” - Our Daysman, our Mediator, our Intercessor, our Advocate.

3.   “And He (Christ) shall make peace with me!”

 

C. This fifth verse is a summary of the gospel with which God continually waters his church and vineyard.

1.   There is a quarrel between God and men.

2.   God himself urges sinners to lay hold of Christ, His Strength, and find peace in him, in him to be reconciled.

3.   And God promises peace to all who lay hold of Christ in faith.

 

IV. Fourthly, Isaiah assures us that GOD WILL CAUSE HIS CHURCH TO FLOURISH FOREVER (v. 6).

 

          The church of God in this world is a growing church.  And when all have been gathered in, it shall be a great and glorious church.

 

A.  God has a remnant among the sons of Jacob who shall be saved.

 

          “He (the Lord Jesus Christ) shall cause (Ps. 65:4) them that come of Jacob to take root.”

 

B. And there is an elect multitude scattered throughout the earth who must be saved (John 10:16; Rom. 11:25).

 

          “Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit” (Isa. 37:31; Matt. 13:31-32).  (Ps. 80:9).

 

·        The preaching of the gospel shall bring forth fruit in all the world (Col. 1:5-6).  And that fruit shall remain forever (John 15:16).

 

Application:  This is the Israel of God.  To you who believe, these promises are given.

 

1.   God will destroy your enemies.

2.   God will protect and preserve you.

3.   God has no anger toward you.

4.   God will cause you to blossom and flourish with fruit to fill the world.