Sermon
# 146 Series: Isaiah
Title: What Might Have Been
Text: Isaiah 48: 17-19
Subject: The Goodness of God and The
Responsibility of Man
Date: Sunday Evening – April 4, 1993
Introduction:
“Of all sad words of tongue or
pen,
The saddest are these: “It might have been.”
I
want to talk to you tonight about the goodness of God and the responsibility of
man. The title of my message is What Might Have Been.
Read
my text with me – Isaiah 48: 17-19.
No
one believes and preaches the glorious, absolute sovereignty of God more fully
or more forcefully than I do. I take a
back seat to no one in declaring that all things are of him, through him, and
to him (Rom. 11:36). God almighty is
sovereign in creation, in providence, and in grace, sovereign in the
predestination of all things and sovereign in the disposition of all
things. He has his way in the whirlwind
and the clouds are the dust of his feet!
His will stands fast forever.
His purpose is unalterable. “Our
God is in the heavens, he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”
Is
that clear enough? God has mercy on
whom he will have mercy. Salvation is “not
of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy!”
Yet,
we must never wrest the Scriptures. We must never twist, pervert, and reshape
the Word of God to make it fit the mold of our puny brains, or of our great,
well-developed system of theology. Some
men do just that. They so twist the
doctrine of God’s sovereignty that they imagine that nothing is gained by
obedience to God and nothing is lost by disobedience. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The
gifts of God’s grace to sinners in Christ are free and undeserved. That I recognize fully and rejoice in. Yet, I know that these gifts are promised to
those who are earnest and zealous in seeking them and are withheld from those
who are not (Lk. 11: 1-10; “Ye have not, because ye ask not”- James 4: 2). The true reason why we posses so little is
that we seek so little.
In
this text of Scripture the Lord God expresses regret that the obstinancy of his
people prevented the outflow of his blessings to them. See Matt. 13: 58- No man cannot control what
God does, but God does often hinge his works upon man’s faith in and obedience
to him.
Proposition: We rob ourselves of much good and of much usefulness
by our disobedience to God.
Divisions:
I. Who Is Speaking In This Text?
We value or disregard the things we hear in proportion as we value or disregard the one speaking to us. Here the Lord God himself is speaking. He speaks to us as One who has been our constant, faithful Benefactor, as One who not only has power over us as God, but also as One who has done much for us and tenderly loves and cares for us. Notice how the Lord God describes himself- (v. 17).
A. “Thus saith the Lord.”
Jehovah is the eternal, self-sufficient God, the God of all authority, power, and dominion. He is also the God of all grace and salvation.
This
one who now speaks to us is Jehovah, our great God and Savior.
B. “Thy Redeemer!”
The Lord Jesus Christ, who is Jehovah, who is God, is “Thy Redeemer!” He volunteered to become our Redeemer in the covenant of grace, before the world began. He was appointed by God the Father as such. And he is the Redeemer promised, pointed to, and prophesied in all the Old Testament Scriptures.
(Illus: Cinderella’s Glass Slipper).
These two words, “Thy Redeemer,” imply that…
1. Christ is the Redeemer of a specific, particular people “Thy Redeemer!” (Isa. 53: 8).
2. His work of redemption is an effectual work (Heb. 9: 12) If Jehovah is the Redeemer failure is an impossibility (Isa. 42: 4).
C. “The Holy One of Israel.”
1. Christ, our Redeemer, sprang out of Israel.
2. He came to redeem and save the Israel of God (Matt. 1:21).
3. He is the “Holy One,” the only one fit to be our Redeemer and Savior (II Cor. 5: 21).
4. He is the Holy One who makes us Holy – He does so by…
· Imputed Holiness.
· Imparted Holiness.
D. “I Am The Lord Thy God.”
· Thy God by Decree!
· Thy God by Special Grace!
· Thy God by Personal Faith!
· Thy God in Covenant Faithfulness!
E. “I am the Lord
Thy God Which Teacheth Thee To Profit!”
All who are taught of God are well taught (John 6:45). When God teaches, you learn!
1. He teaches us profitable things.
· All the Doctrines of the Gospel. } By His Word!
· All the Ordinances of worship. By His Servants!
· All our Duty. By His Spirit!
2. And he teaches us to profit by the things revealed in his word – He gives us the mind of Christ by the power and grace of his Spirit (I Cor. 2: 14-16).
F. “Which Leadeth Thee By The Way Tat Thou
Shouldest Go.”
Our God not only enlightens our eyes as a Teacher, he directs our steps as a Guide.
1. He leads us in the path of duty by his Word.
2. He leads us in the way of his will by his Spirit.
3. He leads us in the road to glory by his providence.
“Christ leads his people out of the wrong way, in which
they naturally are, into the right way; to himself as the Way to the Father,
and as the Way of salvation, and unto eternal life. He takes them by the hand and teaches them to go in the path of
faith, and to walk in him by it. He
leads them in the way of truth and righteousness, in the highway of holiness,
in the path of duty; and, though in a rough way of affliction, yet in a right
way to heaven and happiness”- John Gill.
The Person speaking is our God, the God of all grace, who
has been eternally and constantly gracious to us. “If we have experienced these blessings, surely we cannot, but
give earnest heed to the things spoken in the text, since they are spoken by
Him, to whose gracious teaching we owe all the knowledge we posses, and to
whose protecting care we are indebted for every step that we have taken in the
way to Canaan”- Charles Simean.
II. The One
speaking is the Lord God. Secondly, To
Whom Is He Speaking?
Everything in this passage is addressed to you and me to
whom God has been so gracious. To you who are…
A. His Covenant People- “The Israel of God,” the people of his elective purpose, the people of his choice, the people of his love!
B. His Redeemed Ones- You who are bought with the price of Immanuel’s precious blood.
C. Sinners Saved by Grace. While multitudes never receive any profit by the preaching of the gospel, you have been taught by it. God has taught you…
1. The Depravity of Your Own Heart.
2. The Suitableness of Christ as Your Substitute.
3. The Way of Salvation by Faith in Christ.
The Lord God leads you in the way of peace, holiness, and everlasting life.
Distinguishing grace has set you apart from the rest of Adam’s fallen race. God has been gracious to you. Now he speaks to you as a tender-hearted Father might speak to the child that has grieved him.
III. What Does This Text Reveal About Our God?
Listen to these words of tender care and pity. They are the words not of a man but of God- “O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments!” (v. 18).
“God is not an unconcerned spectator of our conduct. He is not satisfied with giving commands and
leaving us to obey them or not, as we please.
He longs to engage our most affectionate regards to him and his service.
- Simeon.
Here the Almighty takes up a lamentation over us, as a father over a disobedient, incorrigible child (Matt. 23: 37; Lk. 19: 42).
A. What A Tender, Caring Father The Lord God
Is To Us!
As I have shown you, this text is not addressed to the ungodly, the unbelieving, and the reprobate. It is addressed to the children of God.
How deaf we are to his Word! How disobedient we are to his commands! These are not the words of an angry judge, but the words of a grieved Father! These are the words of One who is weighed down by the care he has for us, knowing what our disobedience will cost us.
B. What A Tender, Compassionate Savior The
Lord Our God Is!
It is true, the text is addressed to believers; but it reveals much about the character of God. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. The everlasting ruin of sinners in hell gives Jehovah no satisfaction! Does he not swear it? “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” Judgment is his strange work. Mercy is his delight! Grace is his glory! Pardon is his pleasure!
“Let me appeal to you then, my hearers, those of you who
have entertained hard thoughts of God, correct them now, banish them from your
breasts tonight. You may take pleasure
in the damnation of your fellowman, my God hath no such pleasure; you may find
gratification in your sins, but he grieves over them; for as he sees your
course, he foresees your end.” – C. H.
Spurgeon.
C. God Alone Is Our Savior!
If God uses such language as this in addressing saved men and women, all thoughts of self-righteousness are vain delusions!
1. We are sinners still (Rom. 7: 18-24).
2. Our only acceptance with God is Christ (I Cor. 1:30).
3. Our only hope of salvation is grace (Tit. 3:5).
IV. Now, real
verses 18-19 and see What Might Have
Been Ours!
You can sit around and debate the issue of God’s
sovereignty and man’s responsibility if you want to. You can excuse unbelief, sin, and disobedience if you want to,
saying, “Well, God is sovereign. His
purpose stands fast. His will is done.
“These things are true’ but your nationalization is wrong. Here the Lord God expressly declares what
might have been ours, if we simply obeyed his voice. He says, if you had
hearkened to my commandments”…
A. “Then had thy peace been as a river!”
· Abundant.
· Constant.
· Refreshing.
When we choose disobedience, we forfeit peace!
Illus: A child’s troubled conscience.
B. “And thy righteousness as the waves of the
sea!”
1. Not the righteousness imputed to us! That cannot be increased or diminished.
2. Not the righteousness imparted to us! That cannot be increased or diminished.
3. But here the Lord is talking about the influence of our righteousness – If you and I would obey our God, no obstacle could stand before us.
a. Nothing can keep us from doing his will!
b. All our works of righteousness would be fruitful in the earth.
C. “Thy seed also had been as the sand, and
the offspring of the bowels like the gravel thereof!”
Our fruitfulness, our usefulness in the kingdom of God is,
in great measure determined by our obedience to our God. You can argue about it if you want to, but
the text makes a clear connection between our obedience to God and our
usefulness in the salvation of sinners.
Disobedience to God…
· Destroys Peace!
· Destroys the Influence of Righteousness!
· Destroys Usefulness!
Note: God is going to use somebody to do his work in this world. I sure would like to be one of those somebody’s, wouldn’t you?
Application:
How sad it would be to reach the end of our pilgrimage and look back over a life of wasted opportunities and see What Might Have Been! I do not want to leave this world that way. I want to leave it with satisfaction II Tim. 4: 6-8).
1. To you who are lost – Today is the day of salvation!
2. To you who are the Lord’s – Today is your day of opportunity!