Sermon
# 164 Series: Isaiah
Title: “The God Of Israel Will Gather
You Up”
Text: Isaiah 52:1-15
Subject: God’s Salvation Portrayed in
The Jews’ Deliverance from Babylon
Date: Sunday Evening – October 17, 1993
Introduction:
Read
with me in Isaiah 52:1-15.
Now
notice the last sentence of verse 12 – “And the God of Israel shall be your
rereward.” If you have a marginal
reference in your Bible, you will notice that a better translation of those
words might be – “The God of Israel Will Gather
You Up.” Those words summarize these
fifteen verses. So I take them for the
title of my message tonight – “The God of Israel Will Gather
You Up.”
These fifteen verses are certainly prophetic of
Israel’s deliverance out of Babylonian captivity and their resettlement in
there own land. But they were never intended by the Holy Spirit to be a mere prophecy of
that historic event, or even a proof of divine inspiration, though they are
that. These fifteen verses in Isaiah 52
were intended by God the Holy Spirit to be a prophetic type and
figure of the redemption of God’s elect
by Christ and of our deliverance by him into the glorious liberty of the
sons of God. I am certain that this was and is the intention of the Spirit because
that is the way he uses this passage of Scripture in Romans 10:15! Therefore I make no apology for using this
chapter to proclaim the message of God’s redeeming, saving grace to sinners in
Christ. I will leave it to those who
have nothing better to do to cross reference the historical events with what is
here prophetically given. We will feed
upon the meat and wine, the sweet bread and honey of the text. Those who choose to do so are welcome to chew
on the rocks!
Proposition: In this chapter God promises to redeem his elect and
gather them up in the arms of his grace, and promises that he will glorify his
name and exalt his Son in the process.
Divisions:
As we
go through the chapter, let me call your attention to five things:
I. In verses 1-2 we hear The Call of God to his oppressed, captive people.
In these two verses the Lord God calls for his people to awake, to stir themselves, and to believe him, expecting deliverance. I know that only God can awake the dead, but he calls for the dead to awake; and it is your responsibility and mine to obey him (Isa. 60:1; Eph. 5:14).
God
has promised deliverance and he shall perform it. God has promised to save all who awake at his Word, and he will
do it. If you hear his voice and harden
not your heart, but simply look to Christ in faith.
1. Put on the wedding garments (Christ
Righteousness); you’re about to get married.
2. Shake yourself from the dust of despair and
sit down with the King’s sons!
3. Loose yourself from the bonds of captivity;
freedom is yours!
But
the basis of faith is not my word. The
basis of all true faith is the Word of God.
So secondly…
II. In verses 3-6 we read The Promise of Redemption, made by the Lord God himself.
Here
are five things that God declares about the redemption and salvation of his
elect.
A. Your redemption and salvation of his elect.
B. God will deliver his elect because they are greatly inferred by their oppressors (vv. 2-5 –
“They that rule over them to howl.”)
C. God will deliver his elect because his name is blasphemed and dishonored by them while they are in
bondage (v. 5 – “My name continually every day is blasphemed” – Eph. 2:1-4).
D. God will save his people for the glory of his name (v.6) (Eph. 2:7). (Ps. 106:8).
E. All who are redeemed and saved by the grace
of God know and acknowledge that he did it.
(v.6; Ezek. 16:60-63).
III. Verses 7-10 describe God’s Messengers and Their Message.
A. God’s Messengers are to be Highly Esteemed Because of The Message They Bring (v. 7; I Thess.
5:12-13).
1. They bring a message of deliverance.
2. They bring good tidings from God to man.
3. They publish peace.
4. We bring good tidings to good things!
5. We publish salvation!
6. All God’s messengers continually say to Zion
– “Thy God reigneth!”
B. God’s Messengers are Watchmen – (v. 8).
C. All God’s messengers speak of
what God has purposed as what he has done, because God’s purpose is served (vv. 9-10).
There is absolutely no difference between the purpose of God and the accomplishment of God - (Rom. 8:28-30).
1. We have the comfort of salvation (v. 9).
2. God has the glory for salvation (v. 9).
3. But all the world shall have the revelation
of God’s salvation (v. 10).
IV. Verses 11 and 12 show us The Necessity for Repentance and Conversion.
A. God demands that we made a clean, complete break from all idolatry and repent of our dead works in the service of false religion – (v. 11; II Cor. 6:14 – 7:1; Rev. 18:4).
B. The Lord God insists that all who follow him
do so by deliberate, informed choice – “Ye shall not go out with haste!”
C. The Lord God himself promises to save all
who come to him by faith in Christ – (II Cor. 7:1).
V. In verses 13-15 we get a brief glimpse at The Humiliation and Glory of Our Redeemer.
This is our Lord Jesus Christ!
A. He is Jehovah’s Servant (Ex. 20:5).
B. All that He Does Shall Prosper – “shall deal
very prudently” - “shall prosper!” “He
shall not fail!”
C. He shall be Exalted!
Application:
1. Come now, bow to and trust this great Redeemer.