Sermon
#116 Series: Isaiah
Title: "These
Things Will I Do Unto Them."
Text: Isaiah 42:10-25 - (v. 16)
Subject: God's Works For And With
His People in Providence And Grace
Date: Sunday Evening- May 17, 1992
Introduction:
“Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18). God has from eternity foreordained all that comes to pass in time for the salvation of his people and the glory of his own great name.
Isaiah 42:10-25 is a prophecy in which the Lord God speaks of the salvation of his elect among the Gentiles and the success of the gospel in the Gentile world, the blindness, unbelief, and casting off of the Jews because of their rejection of Christ and the gospel of his grace, and God’s ways of grace in dealing with chosen sinners. God himself declares that all these things are the work of his own hands- “These things will I do unto them and not forsake them!” (v. 16).
I
take God’s own words for the title of my message tonight- “These Things Will I Do Unto Them!”
Proposition: All “these things”
that God does with the whole world he does to and for “them”, his chosen
people, whom he has determined to save.
This
prophecy is a declaration of four things:
1.
The Goodness of God (vv. 10-17).
Having told us of Christ our Savior, having declared both the success of his work and the basis of it in the covenant of grace, The Lord God now calls for a song to celebrate his goodness in the calling of his people from among the whole Gentile world- (vv. 10,12). Through the preaching of the gospel of Christ, God here promises to prevail over those who were once his enemies, by his almighty grace, and bring chosen sinners to himself out of the four corners of the earth.
Note: You and I who now believe have great reason to sing
praise to God and celebrate his goodness.
As this prophecy is a proclamation and celebration of the goodness of God, it is also a declaration of…
2.
The Severity of God (vv. 18-25).
The method of God’s grace in calling the Gentiles involved the casting away of the Jews. They were cast off because of the unbelief; but God’s purpose of grace was not nullified, but rather established by their unbelief. The casting away of the Jews, their blindness and hardness of heart was the means by which God sent the gospel to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:11, 25-30).
Note: Both God’s goodness and his severity, when looked
upon with a believing heart evoke praise to him (Rom. 11:22, 32-36).
3.
Verse 21 is a declaration of The Righteousness of God.
The unbelief of reprobate men and women does not make the promise of God of non-effect- (Rom. 3:3-4). God will save his covenant people. Though Israel rejected his Son, God is well pleased with him.
4.
Now, let’s look at verse 16. Here
is a declaration of The Grace of God.
In
this verse of Scripture the Lord God describes and explains his dealings with
his people. Here is a prophecy that is
being accomplished daily. Her God tells
us what he will do for his people in his saving generations of grace. “These Things Will I Do Unto
Them!”
Divisions:
I. All God’s works for His People
are Mysterious.
He says, “I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known.” These words of promise apply to God’s works of providence and grace, and to his works of sanctification in the life of a believer.
A. God’s Works of Providence are,
almost always, Dark and Mysterious.
None of us really understand what God is doing in providence, on a day to day basis.
When
he lead Israel out of Egypt, according to all human wisdom, he led them the
wrong way (Ex. 14:2-3). Yet, that was
the way of complete deliverance (Ex. 14:17, 23, 28).
Israel’s
wanderings in the wilderness appear futile to me. Yet God conducted them in the right way- (Ps. 107:7; Deut. 8:2).
God moves in a mysterious way
His wanders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the
sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright
designs,
And works His sov’reign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh
courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread,
Are big with mercy and shall
break
In blessings on your head.
Be content to know that God knows what he is doing. We don’t have to!
B. God’s works of grace are
equally mysterious.
God
never works the way men think he should work.
He never acts according to the dictates of human wisdom. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and his
ways are not our ways.
1. Election- The Lord God is determined to
glorify himself. He will choose a
people to show forth his praise. He can
choose whomsoever he will. He is
sovereign. But who does he choose? The very ones that our wisdom would have
rejected (I Cor. 1:30).
Illus: David Chosen above His
Brethren.
2. Conversion- Conversion is the turning of
men from darkness to light, from the gods of this world to the living God, from
sin and self to God and righteousness.
How does God accomplish this great work?
A.
First
he shows us our sins.
B.
Then
he makes us to know the guilt of sin.
C.
Then
he brings us under the sentence of death.
Who
would ever imagine that these things are tokens of love and forerunners of
grace? When those 3000 were pricked in
their hearts at Pentecost, they knew not that salvation was at hand. When the jailor was about to commit suicide,
he never imagined that his terror was the dawning of mercy in his soul.
God
still fulfills his word- “I will bring the blind by a way that they knew
not.” Then he adds, “I will lead them in paths
that they have not known.”
3. Sanctification- Sanctification, the spiritual
life of a believer is not what men imagine either. Once a person is saved, all human wisdom says, “Now everything is
alright. He will live now in peace. His life will be a life of blessedness from
now on.” But it is not so. God has his ways of humbling his people.
God’s
works for his people are mysterious. He
brings the blind by a way that they knew not.
“He leads them” in paths that they have not known.” We praise him for his wondrous works (Ps. 72:18-19; Rom. 11:33)
II. God’s Intentions Toward His
Elect are Always Merciful and Gracious- He says, “ I will make darkness light before
them, and crooked things straight.”
There are many crooks in the life of the believer, many crooked things that cause us much pain and discomfort in this life; but our heavenly Father has gracious designs in them all- (Jer. 29:10-11).
A.
Job- What heavy, heavy trials came
upon God’s servant Job. In his haste he
once accused the Lord of cruelty (Job 10:3, 16). But in the end Job understood that all his trials were sent by
his Father in love, with gracious designs (Job 42:12-13).
“God’s providence is like the Hebrew Bible; we must begin at the end and read backward in order to understand it”- A. J. Gon.
B.
Joseph- God intended to make Joseph
lord over his brethren and promised that he would (Gen. 37:6-10). Yet, instead of his brothers crowning him,
they add him as a slave- (Gen. 37:28).
Later in Egypt Joseph was accused of rape and imprisoned (Gen.
39:17-20). He spend more than twenty
years in Egypt before God performed his good designs toward Joseph. But at the appointed time God fulfilled his
word, using the very means that would be most likely to defeat his purpose
(Gen. 50:19-20).
What we see of God’s gracious designs toward Job and Joseph are applicable to us. Yes, he does lead us through many dark paths and confusing difficulties. But he leads us. He leads us through them. And he makes those things that are so much lamented to be a means of great blessedness.
God’s intentions toward his elect are always merciful and gracious. He will do us good and not evil!
III. God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace Toward His People Are Permanent.
He say’s “These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them!”
God will not forget Israel in Egypt. He did not forget his people in Babylon.
A. The Lord will never forsake those who trust Him (Heb. 13:5).
· He chose You!
· He Redeemed You!
· He Called You!
· He Will Complete His Work in You (Phil. 1:6).
B. Our God is firm and unchangeable in his purpose of grace (Matt. 3:6; Jer. 31:37; 32:40).
Application:
1. Do not judge God purpose by his providence- Judge his providence by his purpose.
2. We may, we must, commit ourselves to God’s disposal.
· He alone knows what is best for us.
· He alone knows how to accomplish his purpose.
· Let us lie as clay in the great Potter’s hand (Jer. 18:6).
· Let us commit our concerns to him (Ps. 37:5).
· Let us trust our God (Isa. 50:10).