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Sermon #43 — Isaiah Series

Title:                           The Lord shall Recover

            The Remnant of His People

Text:                            Isaiah 11:10-16

Subject:                     The Salvation of God’s Elect

Date:                          Sunday Evening — February 11, 2018

Readings:     Mark Medley and Dave Burge

Introduction:

God will save his own elect. Of this fact we are given constant assurances throughout the Word of God. It is written, in verse 11, “that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people.” That is my subject this evening. — The Lord Shall Recover His Remnant. God shall save the remnant of his people.

Proposition: You can mark this down as a matter of absolute certainty — God will save his own elect!

·      Not one sinner Chosen by God in eternal election shall perish.

·      Not one sinner Redeemed by Christ’s sin-atoning death shall perish.

·      Not one sinner Regenerated by God the Holy Spirit shall perish.

Every elect, redeemed sinner shall, at God’s appointed time, be born again, by the irresistible grace and power of God the Holy Ghost, and effectually called to Christ. As the result of God’s election, Christ’s redemption, and the Spirit’s call, all who are born of God believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. — And not one sinner who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ shall perish. That is the message the 11^th chapter of the Gospel of Isaiah.

Here is Christ our Savior. — (Isaiah 11:1-9) “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: (2) And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; (3) And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears.”

Here is His work. — “(4) But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.”

Here is the basis of His work. — “(5) And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.”

Here is the result of His work. — “(6) The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. (7) And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. (8) And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. (9) They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”

Now, here’s our text for tonight. But Isaiah’s message has not changed. He is still telling us exactly the same thing. — As the result of God’s election, Christ’s redemption, and the Spirit’s call, all who are born of God believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. — And not one sinner who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ shall perish.

(Isaiah 11:10-16) “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. (11) And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. (12) And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. (13) The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. (14) But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. (15) And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. (16) And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

“It shall come to pass in that day,” in the day appointed and ordained by God from eternity, in the day of his grace, in this great dispensation of the grace of God, “It shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people.” This is what God is doing in the world today. — He is recovering the remnant of his people by the right hand of his omnipotent grace.

The theologians and commentators have written many different opinions about the historical event referred to in this passage. It may have reference to the time of Hezekiah’s reign. It may allude to the deliverance of God’s elect from Babylonian captivity. Without question, that was typical of the redemption of God’s elect. But Hezekiah and Babylonians have been dead for a long, long time. So we do not need to be concerned about them.

The prophet’s eye here looks beyond Hezekiah to another, far greater King, even the King of kings and Lord of lords. Isaiah looks past the deliverance of Israel from Babylon to the deliverance of God’s elect from the bondage of sin and death. He looks here to the coming of him whose name is called “Jesus,” who “shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The passage before us is an inspired prophecy regarding the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, our great Savior. We know that it is because God the Holy Spirit tells us so in Romans 15:12. This passage of Scripture is a prophecy of the sure and certain salvation of God’s elect throughout the world through the merits of his Son and the gracious operations of his Spirit.

In these verses the Prophet of God tells us seven things about the Lord Jesus Christ and his great works of grace.

Jesus is God

1^st — CHRIST THE MESSIAH, OUR REDEEMER, IS THE ETERNAL, ALMIGHTY GOD (V. 10).

In verse 1 He is called “the stem of Jesse,” and “a branch which grew out of his roots.” That verse refers to our Lord’s humanity. We rejoice to know that he is a man touched with the feeling of our infirmities. But, were he only a man, he could not be our Savior. We could not trust him to bring us to God. That One who undertakes to reconcile fallen man to the holy God, who assumes the work of righteousness, and pledges himself to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself must be infinitely more than a man. The One upon whom we rely for the salvation of our immortal souls must himself be God. And when Isaiah says “there shall be a root of Jesse,” he is declaring that Christ is God almighty, the source of Jesse’s life and existence. Christ is both the Root from which Jesse came and Branch growing out of Jesse’s roots (Revelation 22:16; 5:5).

(Revelation 22:16) “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.”

(Revelation 5:5) “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”

Christ our Redeemer is a real man. Therefore, he was able to suffer the wrath of God for us. And he is God almighty. Therefore, he was able to satisfy the infinite wrath and justice of God as our Substitute. Were he not man, he could not suffer. Were he not God, he could not satisfy. But the God-man both suffered and satisfied!

Our Ensign

2^nd — THE LORD JESUS CHRIST HAS BEEN SET UP, AND FOREVER STANDS, AS AN ENSIGN FOR SINNERS (v. 10).

An ensign is a sign, or banner, displayed for the gathering of soldiers to battle. It is a sign for preparation and encouragement, the rallying point of warriors on the battlefield. And it is the banner of victory, set on a hill when the warfare has been terminated with victory. Here the Prophet of God says that Christ shall “stand as an ensign of the people!”

He was set up from eternity as an Ensign.

·      He must lead the charge against the enemy.

·      He must gather the troops of the army of heaven.

·      He must give direction to the soldiers.

·      He must accomplish the victory.

·      He must be the first to ascend to triumph.

When he was crucified as our Substitute, our Savior was set up as an Ensign, a Banner of grace, that he might draw all men to himself (John 12:32).

(John 12:32) “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”

·      A Banner of Hope

·      A Banner for All

·      A Banner of Redemption Accomplished

Christ is the Ensign set up on high for the gathering of God’s elect scattered throughout the world (John 11:52).

(John 11:52) “And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

·      He gathers in those who have been scattered abroad.

·      He is the rallying point of his church and kingdom. — He is the place of unity, the common link among all the redeemed.

Christ stands as an Ensign, set up in the everlasting gospel of his grace.

·      Christ is the Standard, the Banner.

·      Preachers are Standard Bearers. Our only usefulness is in holding forth Christ, as Moses held up the serpent of brass.

(John 3:14-16) “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: (15) That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

·      We hold forth the banner of his love to allure sinners to the Savior.

·      We hold forth the banner of his truth to lead his people.

The Savior

3^rd — The Lord Jesus CHRIST IS THE SAVIOR WHOM WE MUST TRUST (v. 10).

Isaiah says, “To it shall the Gentiles seek.” In John 12 some Gentiles came to the disciples, saying, “Sirs, we would see Jesus” (v. 21). Oh, may it please God to cause some of you here tonight to seek him. To seek him is…

·      To know your need of him.

·      To realize who he is and what he has done.

·      To trust him (Romans 15:12).

·      To be saved by him. — “Seek and ye shall find!”

(Isaiah 55:6-7) “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: (7) Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

Glorious Rest

4^th — THE CHRIST OF GOD IS HE WHOSE REST IS GLORIOUS (v. 10).

·      The Rest He Obtained (Hebrews 10:10-14)

(Hebrews 10:10-14) “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (11) And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: (12) But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; (13) From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. (14) For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.”

·      The Rest He Gives (Matthew 11:28-30)

(Matthew 11:28-30) “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

·      The Rest He Promises (Hebrews 4:9-11)

(Hebrews 4:9-11) “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. (10) For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. (11) Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”

·      The Rest He Is: — The True Sabbath

A Remnant

5^th — A REMNANT, ACCORDING TO THE ELECTION OF GRACE, SHALL BE SAVED (vv. 11-12).

(Isaiah 11:11-12) “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. (12) And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”

There is a remnant of lost sinners among both Jews and Gentiles who must be saved. At any one time, it appears to be a small remnant. But, when all are gathered in, it shall be a great multitude which no man can number. As in the past, typical deliverances of Israel God delivered his people and gathered them out of the countries where he had scattered them (Psalm 106:47; Jeremiah 16:15-16[1]), so he will the second time, in another way, by the irresistible grace and power of his Holy Spirit, gather his elect from the four corners of the earth to Christ. — “And so all Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:26). The arm of the Lord will do it!

God’s elect must be and shall be saved!

·      The Purpose of God cannot be Nullified.

·      The Blood of Christ cannot be Shed in Vain.

·      The Power of God’s Grace cannot be Resisted.

·      The Love of God cannot be Destroyed.

·      The Will of God cannot be Frustrated.

·      The Word of God cannot be Broken.

United Kindom

6^th — IN CHRIST REDEEMED, JUSTIFIED, SAVED SINNERS ARE A UNITED KINGDOM AND A UNITED CHURCH (vv. 13-14).

(Isaiah 11:13-14) “The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. (14) But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.”

The grace of God breaks down the barriers that separate men and nations and brings those who were once enemies into one holy, happy, peaceful family (Ephesians 2:15; Colossians 3:10-11).

Triumphant Church

7^th — OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE GOSPEL OF HIS GRACE, AND HIS CHURCH SHALL BE SUCCESSFUL AND TRIUMPHANT AT LAST (vv. 15-16; Matthew 16:18).

Everything that might hinder the progress and success of the gospel shall be taken out of the way. As God dried up the waters of the Red Sea and drove back the Jordan to give his people victory in the past, so shall he destroy every obstacle to the accomplishment of his purpose of grace in the future.

(Isaiah 11:15-16) “And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. (16) And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.”

(Matthew 16:18) “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

·      When the set time has come for God to bring a sinner to himself, nothing shall hinder him.

·      And when sinners turn to seek the Lord, every obstacle shall be taken out of the way.

There is “a highway for the remnant of his people.” Christ is the Way. He is…

·      The Straight and Narrow Way.

·      The Sure and Safe Way.

·      The Highway.

·      The Only Way.

I must needs go home

By the way of the cross:

There’s no other way but this. —

I shall ne’er get sight of the gates of light

If the way of the cross I miss!

Amen.

Don Fortner

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