Sermon #245 Series: Isaiah

Title: God’s Word to Trembling Saints

Text: Isaiah 66:5-14

Readings: Office: Auditorium:

Subject: God’s Consolations for His Troubled Saints

Date: Sunday Evening - August 18, 1996

Tape # S-85

Introduction:

The title of my message tonight is God’s Word to Trembling Saints. Our text is Isaiah 66:5-14.

In the first part of this chapter the Lord God denounced hypocrites who are called by his name but would not bow to his word. He threatened his wrath upon those who would not hearken to his calls. In our text tonight, he turns to speak a word of consolation and encouragement to those who tremble at his word. He assures us that though judgment must come, it will never fall upon us. Lest our hearts be overcome with fear, lest we begin to despair in the walk of faith, God speaks a word of gracious encouragement to us in verses five through fourteen. In verse two the Lord promised to graciously look to, look after and tend to, all who tremble at his word. In the passage before us this evening, Isaiah brings us a message of comfort and consolation from our God.

Isaiah 66:5-14 "Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. (6) A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompense to his enemies. (7) Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. (8) Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. (9) Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God. (10) Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: (11) That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. (12) For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. (13) As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. (14) And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies."

Proposition: The Word of God is full of comfort for believing hearts.

I hope I do not need to remind any of you that the promises of God here addressed to Zion and Jerusalem have nothing to do with the modern, physical nation of Israel or city of Jerusalem. That historical, physical city and nation was brought into existence only to serve as a type and picture of that holy, spiritual nation, the Church and Kingdom of Christ, that was born on the day of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. We who are born of God, we who believe are God’s “holy nation”(1 Pet. 1:9) and his Israel (Gal. 6:16).

As we study these verses together tonight, I want to show you four things taught in them.

I. Though God’s saints are often persecuted in his name, there is a day of recompense coming.

Isaiah 66:5-6 "Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. (6) A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompense to his enemies."

A. Persecution has always been the lot of God’s saints in this world; and more often than not it comes from those who claim to be our brethren.

· Cain and Abel

· Ishmael and Isaac

· Joseph and his Brethren

· Christ Himself

· His Apostles

Illustration: Mike W. & Larry B.

John 15:18 "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you."

John 16:2 "They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service."

John 16:33 "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

B. The Lord God shall appear for our joy, defense, and to repay our enemies. “If God be for us, who can be against us?”

1. He will reveal himself to us in a manifest demonstration of his favor.

2. He will appear for us in a providential way.

3. He will appear for us in judgment. In that day our foes shall be confounded and ashamed.

II. Though it often appears that God’s church and kingdom in this world is diminishing, the Lord God is building his church, he is and he shall both enlarge and establish his kingdom.

Isaiah 66:7-9 "Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. (8) Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. (9) Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God."

We sometimes tremble for the ark of God, the church of God and the truth of God. But there is no cause for our fear. Things are often far, far, far from being what they appear. The cause of God is in good hands. It is in his hands!

Without question, the these three verses are prophetic of the birth of God’s holy nation, the church, both by the resurrection of Christ (Eph. 2:5-6) and by the mighty out-pouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:1-47). But be sure to get the three things the Lord here tells us about the salvation of sinners, about the spiritual birth of his elect.

A. It is A Supernatural Work of Grace (vv. 7-8).

B. It is An Instrumental Work of Grace. “As soon as Zion travailed, she brought fort her children.” There is no contradiction here, just a statement of fact. God uses human instrumentality in saving his people. The instruments he uses are the prayers of his people (James 5:16) and the preaching of his gospel (Rom. 10:13-17).

C. It is An Effectual Work of Grace (v. 9).

III. Though we have many troubles and must endure many sorrows in this world of suffering and sin, the Lord our God has given his children breasts of consolation full of comforts; and he will comfort his people.

God delights to assume the character of a Comforter for his people. He calls himself “The Comforter of all them that are cast down.” In fact, each Person in the holy Trinity is expressly called by this title.

· God the Father is called “The God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3).

· The Lord Jesus, the Son of God, is called “The Consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25).

· The Holy Spirit is called “The Comforter whom the Father” has sent in Christ’s name (John 14:16, 26).

· What is more, this Book, the Bible, the Word of God is specifically written, we are told, “for our consolation” (Rom. 15:4).

In verses ten through thirteen the Lord God calls for us to rejoice and be glad. And the basis of his call is the promise that he will comfort us. Read with me.

Isaiah 66:10-13 "Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: (11) That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. (12) For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. (13) As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem."

A. I cannot imagine a more vivid expression of God’s tender love for and care of his children than the one given here.

Try to grasp the beauty of this. Here the Lord God almighty portrays himself as a mother with a baby sucking her breasts, carried in her arms, on her side, and dandled upon her knees! This tender, beautiful picture is here recorded to remind us of...

1. Our Heavenly Father’s Endearing Fondness of Us.

2. His Tender Care and Attention to All Our Needs.

3. His Loving Sympathy for Us in All Our Troubles.

4. Our Heavenly Father’s Forbearance with Our Perverseness.

Few things are as trying of patience as the perverseness of a son or daughter who has been the object of your unceasing love and attention. It takes a parent’s love to endure what parents often have to endure with their children. But no parent ever endured anything close to the perverseness that our heavenly Father has endured and continually endures from us! The very best of saints “fall seven times in a day.” We do so every day! “In many things we offend all!” Yet, he “hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.”

Psalms 89:33-34 "Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. (34) My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips."

B. Let me mention just a few of the breasts of consolation we are bidden to suck by faith, that we may find satisfaction for our souls.

Notice that we are here encouraged to milk them out, to press and squeeze them with the hand of faith, and thereby get all the consolation they contain for our souls.

1. The Lord Jesus Christ: His Two Natures - His Person and Work - His Righteousness and Blood - His Dominion and Intercession.

2. The Covenant of Grace: Its Fullness and Stability.

3. The Holy Spirit: His Unction and His Seal (1 John 2:19-29).

4. The Holy Scriptures: The Old Testament and the New Testament.

5. The Ordinances of the Gospel: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

6. The Ministry of the Gospel: Its Comfort and Its Edification.

Isaiah 40:1-2 "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. (2) Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins."

Note: God promises to give his people peace as a river and to give them comfort as a mother gives comfort to a baby; but the place of comfort is “in Jerusalem,” that is to say in his Church and among his people. There is no comfort to be found until you are found in his family. And there is no comfort to be found except in the assembly of his saints.

IV. Though God’s promises sometimes seem far off, they are sure and will be fulfilled for our eternal joy and his eternal praise.

Isaiah 66:14 "And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies."

· God will do it.

· We all shall see it.

· The hand of the Lord shall be known to have been in all things for his servants.

· His indignation shall be known to have been toward his enemies.

Application:

1. If you are yet without Christ and without the blessed comfort of the gospel, I bid you come to Christ and find the comfort of grace in him.

2. Now, let me finish by saying a word or two to you who love Zion and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

· One characteristic of God’s saints is that they “prefer Jerusalem above their chief joy.”

· The happiness, peace, and comfort of God’s saints, in great measure depends upon you and me. Therefore we are bidden in Ephesians 4:1-6 "Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, (2) With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; (3) Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (4) There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (5) One Lord, one faith, one baptism, (6) One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

Psalms 122 "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. (2) Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. (3) Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: (4) Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD. (5) For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. (6) Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. (7) Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. (8) For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. (9) Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good." AMEN.