Sermon
#1334[1] Miscellaneous
Sermons
Title: SOMETHING DONE,
SOMETHING DOUBLED,
SOMETHING DELIGHTFUL
Texts: Isaiah 40:1-2
Reading
& Eulogy: Maurice Montgomery
Subject: Seeing The Glory Of God
Date: Monday Afternoon - January 25, 1999
Lancaster, Kentucky
Introduction:
Bro.
Hubert Montgomery was already 74 years old when I became his pastor. It was my
privilege to be his pastor for nineteen years. In that time we became good
friends. I cherish his memory more than words can tell. I never knew a more
faithful, honest, and sincere man in my life.
Until he was no longer able
to do so, he was always in his place in the house of the Lord at every service.
I could count on one hand the number of times he missed a worship service in
the years we were together. Hubert Montgomery was like Caleb, following the
Lord fully even in his old age.
Like you, I am so thankful
the Lord has now graciously delivered him from this body of flesh and called
him home to glory. But I do miss him.
I
struggled a great deal, trying to find a message from the Lord for this
occasion. But I believe the Lord has given me the message that is needed for
this hour.
Though
Bro. Hubert was forty-five years older than me, and though he was a well read,
studious, and brilliant man, he was always teachable, always wanting to learn
more of Christ and the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in him.
In our assembly, we place
great emphasis upon the reading of Holy Scripture. One of our men reads a
chapter during each of our services. And before each service the men meet in my
office, to read the Word of God and pray.
On two occasions in
particular, when Hubert had the reading in my office, I recall him asking
questions, or making statements which inspired me to carefully study and then
bring a message on the texts he had read. I remember both occasions as clearly
as if it had happened this morning. So I am going to preach to you from those
two text today. May God the Holy Spirit speak through his Word to your heart,
for Christ’s sake.
I
always like for people to remember what I preach, so I try to speak with
clarity and simplicity. I want to show you just three things from these two
texts of Holy Scripture. I want to show you…
1. Something Done.
2. Something Doubled.
3. Something Delightful.
One Sunday evening, Hubert
read just two verse from Isaiah’s prophecy, He read Isaiah 40:1-2. After reading the last sentence of verse two and
before leading us in prayer, he looked up at me and said, I sure would like to
know what that means. The next Sunday I told him what it meant, and he sat in
the pew, smiling and weeping. Let me read the text to you.
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."
Here
our Lord tells his prophet plainly that it is the responsibility of every
preacher, every time he speaks to eternity bound men and women, to preach the
gospel to them.
It is my great privilege and
august responsibility now to preach the gospel to you who must soon meet God in
judgment. But notice here that the message of the gospel is described as a word
of comfort, a word by which poor, needy, helpless, bankrupt sinners are
comforted. God says, “Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people.” If
God will give you ears hear it, I have a message that will speak comfort to
your heart.
You
see, the preaching of the gospel is not good advice, it is good news. If you
need grace, I’ve got good news for you. It is the declaration of what God in
Christ has already done for sinners.
I.
First, the Lord God here requires
that every man who speaks to men in his name must declare SOMETHING DONE,
A. An election as been made - “My people.”
B. A warfare has been
accomplished - “It is finished!”
C. A pardon has been granted - “Her iniquity is pardoned!”
II. Second, the Lord also requires that those who preach to men in his name
proclaim the good news of SOMETHING
DOUBLED.
Isaiah 40:2 "Speak ye comfortably to (to the heart of) 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."
This
is what Hubert was referring to. He said, “I think I understand the first part
of that Scripture, but I sure would like to know what this means - ‘for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”
What
s that double that we have received for all our sins? Are you listening? Every chosen, redeemed sinner, every sinner
who trusts the Lord Jesus Christ, if you (at this very moment) look to Christ
as your only, all-sufficient God and Savior, if you confess your sins to him,
God has given you double for all your sins. This is what that means. Oh,
God help you to hear it.
A. God has so thoroughly put away your sins by the
sacrifice of his dear Son, that he will not remember them against you again
forever!
This
is not something God will do for you, if you will do something for him. This is
something already done! Our faith in Christ does not cause God to forgive us.
Our faith in Christ is the fruit and evidence of forgiveness. We don’t get God
to forgive us by believing. By believing in Christ we have received the
atonement and the forgiveness of full atonement (Rom 5:11).
· 1 John 1:9
· Isaiah 43:25
· Psalm 103:12
· Romans 4:28
But there is more to
salvation than forgiveness. If we would be saved, if we would enter into
heavenly glory, if we would be accepted of God, we must have something more
than the forgiveness of our sins. We must be made perfectly righteous before
the holy Lord God (Matt. 5:20). That is the double part of the blessing of
grace.
B. All who are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ
are also made to be the very righteousness of God in him.
2
Corinthians 5:21 "For he hath made him
to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
1
Corinthians 1:30 "But of him are ye in
Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption:"
1
Corinthians 1:31 "That, according as
it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."
2
Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man
be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new."
On
another occasion, Bro. Hubert read the eleventh chapter of John. When he got to
verse 40, he stopped, paused a few seconds, and said with a broken voice and
tears streaming down his checks, “I sure would like to know something about
that.” Here is the text he read.
III. Here our Lord Jesus Christ
speaks to Martha, and to us about SOMETHING
DEMANDED.
John 11:40 "Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto
thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?"
Bro.
Hubert Montgomery was a man consumed with knowing and seeing, and living for
the glory of God. He thirsted and panted for it, like David of old.
Psalms 63:1-3 "A Psalm of David, when he was in the
wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my
God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for
thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3 Because thy lovingkindness is
better than life, my lips shall praise thee."
The
following Sunday, I preached my message from John 11:40. In that message, told our people just three things. Let me
give those three things to you now.
A. Our unbelief is the only thing that keeps us from
seeing the glory of God.
B. The only way we can ever see the glory of God is by
faith in Christ.
· Faith is the gift of and
operation of God’s free grace in us.
· But faith in Christ is our
responsibility. God demands it! (See 1 John 3:22-24.)
C. If we would believe God, if would believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, we would see the glory of God.
· In Creation.
· In Providence.
· In Grace.
May
God give you grace to believe on his dear Son, for the glory of his own name.
Our dear friend now sits before the throne of God and of the Lamb, beholding to
the full satisfaction of his soul “THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE FACE OF JESUS
CHRIST.” I hope to join him soon.
AMEN.