Sermon # 127 Series: Isaiah

Title: A Threefold Call from the God who is Worthy

Text: Isaiah 44:21-28

Subject: God’s Call to His People and Its Foundation.

Date: Sunday Evening – August 23, 1992

Introduction:

The title of my message tonight is A Threefold Call from the God who is Worthy, worthy of our trust, worthy of our allegiance, worthy of our worship, and worthy of our love. The issue throughout this chapter is the character of God.

Proposition: True faith finds its basis in the character of God – If we truly trust him, it is because he is worthy of our trust.

My object tonight is to show you who are God’s people and you who are yet without faith in Christ that our God is worthy of implicit faith. If he is worthy of implicit faith, he is worthy of implicit allegiance too.

“They that trust lying vanities forsake their own mercy.” That is what the Lord showed us in the first part of this chapter. “But salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:8-9). That is what we are taught in our text tonight.

As I have pointed out already, this 44^th chapter of Isaiah is a prophecy and a promise of God to Israel that, though they must go down to Babylon and be held there as captives, he would bring them out and establish them again in their own land. But this was written for our learning and our admonition too, “that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Rom. 15:4). Hear then what our God has to say to us in these verses of Divine Inspiration.

I. Here is a Threefold Call from God to You and Me- (vv. 21-23).

The Lord God himself is speaking. Israel was suffering because of her sin. She had forsaken her God; but God would not cast off his people. He was determined to correct them, to preserve them to himself and to bring them back into fellowship with himself. Have you begun to forsake your God? Have you, by reason of sin and unbelief, been suffering the absence of his fellowship and communion? Are you, like Peter in the judgment hall following afar off? These are God’s words to you. There are three of them.

A. “Remember” (v.21).

The first step toward recovery is remembrance. The Lord God says, “Remember these, O Jacob and Israel.”

1. Remember what you were and where you were when I found you- (Isa. 51:1). Remember my distinguishing grace to you (Eph. 2:1-5).

2. “Remember from whence thou art fallen” (Rev. 2:5).

3. Remember, “Thou art my servant.”

4. Remember, “I have formed thee.”

5. Remember, “Thou shalt not be forgotten of me.”

“You may forget me; but I will not forget you!” I will not forget…

· My love for you!

· My covenant with you!

· My promises to you!

· To be gracious to you!

B. “Return” (v. 22).

“Return unto me!” Imagine that. The God of glory intreats us, sinful men and women, who have shamefully neglected him to return unto him; and gives us to blessed words of assured grace to persuade us to return!

Note: Everything here is grace! God always deals with his people in grace! He always

Inspires, moves, and motivates his children by grace!

1. “I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins!”

Our sins and transgressions are compared to dark, thick clouds.

· As clouds separate between earth and heaven, our sins separate us from our God.

· As clouds are scattered, dissipated, and blotted out by the rising of the sun and the stirring of the winds, so our sins have been blotted out by the rising of the Sun of Righteousness and dissipated by the Spirit of God.

· As clouds blotted out never are gathered again, so our sins, having been blotted out by our God, will never gather again against us.

God says, “Return to me – Nothing stands in the way. I have forgiven your sins!”

2. Next he says, “Return unto me; for I have redeemed thee!”

· By the Blood of my Son!

· By the Power of my Grace!

· You belong to Me (I Cor. 6:19-20).

Why should you then return to him (Rom. 8:32).

C. “Sing” – (v. 23).

The redemption, salvation, and deliverance of God’s elect is a cause for universal Joy and Praise.

1. The whole creation rejoices in it – It was made for this purpose (Ps. 96:11-13; 98:7-9). It cannot be freed from sin until God’s elect are freed from sin – (Rom. 8:18-23).

2. The angels of God rejoice in it (Lk. 15:7; Rev. 18-20).

They were created and sent forth to be ministering spirits to minister to those who shall be the heirs of salvation (Heb. 1:14).

3. Ransomed sinners themselves rejoice in it!

· We rejoice because we are redeemed!

· We rejoice because God has glorified himself in redeeming us!

· We rejoice to give him the glory, because “The Lord hath done it!”

1. He Chose Us!

2. He Redeemed Us!

3. He Gave Us Life!

II. Here is the God Who is Worthy of Our Faith, Allegiance, Worship, and Love – (vv. 24-28).

Having called us to himself, after giving us gracious reasons to return to him, our God fetches even more reasons drawn from his own great and glorious character.

A. He is God, Sovereign in Creation – (v. 24).

B. He is God, Sovereign in Providence- (v. 25).

C. He is God, Sovereign in Salvation – (vv. 26-28).

Application:

1. Children of God, as we have assembled once more around this blessed table – I call for us together to return to our God (Hosea 6:13; 14:1-2).

· “Remember!”

· “Return!”

· “Sing!”

2. “Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your heart”-I plead with you who have so long run from God to return to him right now, trusting the Lord Jesus Christ.

· Remember his Word!

· Return – “Are ye reconciled to God!”

· Sing – If you now return, you are the one to whom he speaks these words – “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions – I have redeemed thee – Thou art my servant!