Sermon #1556[1] Miscellaneous Sermons
Title: Cheering Promises for Troubled Saints
Text: Isaiah 42:16
Subject: Comfort in Trouble and Light in Darkness
Date: Sunday
Morning—January 18 2004
Tape # X-100a
Reading: Isaiah
43:1-7, 14-26; 44:1-6, 21-23; 45:14-17
Scripture
Reading
(Isa
43:1-7) "But now thus saith the
LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not:
for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
(2) When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and
through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the
fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
(3) For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I
gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. (4) Since
thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved
thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. (5) Fear
not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather
thee from the west; (6) I will say to the north, Give up; and to the
south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of
the earth; (7) Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created
him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him."
(Isa
43:14-26) "Thus saith the LORD,
your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon,
and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in
the ships. (15) I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of
Israel, your King. (16) Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the
sea, and a path in the mighty waters; (17) Which bringeth forth the
chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they
shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow. (18) Remember
ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. (19) Behold,
I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will
even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. (20) The
beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give
waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my
people, my chosen. (21) This people have I formed for myself; they shall
show forth my praise. (22) But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob;
but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel. (23) Thou hast not brought me
the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy
sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee
with incense. (24) Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither
hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to
serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities. (25) I,
even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own
sake, and will not remember thy sins. (26) Put me in remembrance: let us
plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified."
(Isa
44:1-6) "Yet now hear, O Jacob my
servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen: (2) Thus saith the LORD that
made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear
not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. (3) For
I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I
will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: (4)
And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water
courses. (5) One shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall
call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his
hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel. (6) Thus
saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the
first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."
(Isa
44:21-23) "Remember these, O Jacob
and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my
servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. (22) I have
blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins:
return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. (23) Sing, O ye heavens; for
the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth
into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath
redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel."
(Isa
45:14-17) "Thus saith the LORD, The
labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of
stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come
after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee,
they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in
thee; and there is none else, there is no God. (15) Verily
thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.
(16) They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go
to confusion together that are makers of idols. (17) But Israel
shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be
ashamed nor confounded world without end."
Introduction
We
have a lot of friends carrying heavy, heavy burdens.
· Bobbie and Judy Estes
· Ron and Pam Wood, and their
Daughter ― Amanda
· Amanda’s Husband ―
Andy, and her Sister ― Jennifer
· Scott and Martha Richardson
· Several Others who carry
equally heavy burdens no one is aware of except them, their God, and me
Like
you, I have been trying to pray for them, seeking light in what appears to be
darkness. One day last week, while carrying the burdens of our friends before
the throne of grace, I ran across a passage in the prophecy of Isaiah that
spoke powerfully to my heart (Isa. 42:16). I am confident that the Lord
graciously spoke to me as he did by this passage specifically to give me a
message for you today.
Christ
In this chapter Isaiah is describing the Lord Jesus Christ. He is telling us who he is
and what he came here to do (vv. 1-4).
(Isa
42:1-4) "Behold my servant, whom I
uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit
upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. (2) He shall
not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. (3) A
bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he
shall bring forth judgment unto truth. (4) He shall not fail nor be
discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait
for his law."
Are you waiting for his law, his word? If you are, you shall not
be disappointed. Look at verse 16. This is the text that got my attention. This
is God’s promise to you and me, one of those promises of God that is ours in
Christ Jesus, and in him is yea and amen.
(Isa
42:16) And I will bring the blind by a
way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have
not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight.
These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
· Without question, this is
talking about the revelation of God’s grace in Christ, our Substitute, whom
Isaiah describes as One who would save his people by magnifying God’s holy law
and making it honorable (v. 21).
· But the promise reaches even
beyond redemption. It is God’s promise to his people in this dark, dark world.
We were blind, but now we see because he has given us eyes to see the
kingdom of God. He has led us in paths of grace, righteousness, and faith that
we knew not before. Then, the promise reaches us in our present circumstance.
The Lord our God declares to you and me today, ― “I will make darkness
light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto
them, and not forsake them.”
After
reading that, mulling it over, and reading it and mulling it over some more, I
read the next chapter, and the next, and the next, and the Lord began to make
the darkness light before me, and crooked things were made straight.
I
want you to hold your Bibles open on your lap. I am not going to preach to you
this morning. Rather, I want to pull up a chair beside you and show you what
the Lord showed me in these next three chapters. I want to just point out some
of God’s cheering promises for his troubled saints. Here is a handkerchief to
wipe your weeping eyes.
Jacob―Israel
Isaiah
43 begins by calling us both Jacob and Israel. ― “But now thus saith
the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel.”
Jacob is the name used to describe us in our fallen nature, as sinners saved by
grace. Israel describes us as princes with God, men and women made new
creatures in Christ. The Lord graciously addresses us both as Jacob and Israel
to remind us both of what we are by nature and what he has done for us by his
grace, and to remind us that he remembers our frames and knows that we are but
dust.
The
Lord’s first word to us in this chapter is “Fear not.”
He uses this word three times in these chapters, because he would quieten our
hearts in the anticipation of trouble and in the midst of heartache. Then, he
gives us a whole slew of promises with which he would silence our fears. We
will just skip through these chapters together like children in a candy store,
tasting the sweets found in these promises. Here’s the first one…
1. "I have redeemed thee!"
Christ has redeemed you, my brother, my sister by the price of his blood and
the power of his grace. If he has redeemed you, nothing and no one can harm
you. He has bought us at such a great price that he cannot afford to lose us.
(Isa
43:1) But now thus saith the LORD that
created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have
redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
2. "I have called thee by thy name!"
All whom he has redeemed are called, called with an effectual, irresistible,
personal call. This is efficacious grace!
Sweet
promise this is. He says, “Don’t forget. I bought you. I sought you out. I
called you to me, and graciously forced you to come, when you were terrified;
and when you came, I received you graciously. I called you personally. I called
you because I wanted you. I called you when you needed me. Nothing has changed.
Now, look at the last line of verse 1.
3. "Thou art mine!"
What a blessed word of grace! You belong to God as his peculiar possession, his
new creation, the very apple of his eye. That means you are under his
protection and provision. The Lord himself is my Shepherd. That means “goodness
and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Read verse 2.
(Isa
43:2) When thou passest through the
waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not
overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither
shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Oh,
yes, you must pass through deep waters of trouble, rivers of woe, and fiery
furnace of affliction; but you will pass through them, and they will do you no
harm, but only good, because your God, your Redeemer, who calls you by name to
go through them promises…
4. "I will be with thee!"
Wherever God by his providence puts you, he will be with you in sympathy and in
power to take care of you. That means…
·
The rivers shall not overflow you.
·
The fire shall not burn you.
·
The flame shall not kindle upon you.
Let’s
move on to verse 3.
(Isa
43:3) For I am the LORD thy God,
the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
5. "I am the LORD thy God, One of
Israel!" The Lord ― Jehovah, the almighty God ―
Elhohim ― The omnipotent triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the
Holy One of Israel, who is always faithful and true, is your God. He is as much
your property as you are his property, because he has given himself to you. This
great, three-in-one God is…
6. "I am thy
Savior!"
When he says, "I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for
thee," our Lord is saying, "There is nothing I will not do for
you, no sacrifice I will not make for you." ― Here is heavenly
logic, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, How
shall he not with him freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32). Look at
verse 4…
(Isa
43:4) Since thou wast precious in my
sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give
men for thee, and people for thy life.
7. "Since thou wast precious in my
sight!" The word “precious” means, highly valued, very
costly, cherished, highly esteemed. You are God's treasure, his jewel. Though
despised by men, if you are a believer, you are precious to God, a royal diadem
in the crown of his glory!
8. "Thou hast been honorable!"
Because you are precious and dear to him he made you honorable, not the other
way around. We are not honorable by nature. We could never make ourselves
honorable. But our great, gracious God by his grace has made us honorable. He
has washed away our sin by the blood of Christ and robed you with his perfect
righteousness.
9. "I have
loved thee!" Let men talk all they please about a useless,
universal love. This is special love! God so loves his own elect that he will
sacrifice men and nations for them! His message here is this. ― “That’s
how much you mean to me! That’s how much I love you! I will sacrifice the whole
world for, trade all creation for you.” ― Now, read verses 5-7…
(Isa
43:5-7) Fear not: for I am
with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the
west. (6) I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back:
bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth. (7) Even
every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I
have formed him; yea, I have made him.
10.
“I am with thee!” In verse 2 he said, “I will be with
thee.” Here he says, “I am with thee.” He is with you right now, in
all the fulness of his goodness, grace, wisdom, and power! ― "Rejoice
in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. (5) Let your moderation be known
unto all men. The Lord is at hand" (Phil 4:4-5).
11. "I have created (you) for my glory!" The very glory of the
triune God is wrapped up in the salvation of his people. He will either save
everyone of the chosen seed, all who are called by his name, and save them from
all evil, or he will lose his glory; and that cannot be! Look at verse 13…
(Isa
43:13) Yea, before the day was I am
he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work,
and who shall let it?
12.
“There is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who
shall let it?” ― When he created heaven and earth, there was
no opposition to it. None hindered him. So it is in providence. All things are
done as be pleases. So it is with all his purposes and decrees. They are all
accomplished exactly according to his pleasure. None can resist his will. The
work of redemption is finished precisely as he purposed it from eternity. And
when he works upon the heart of a sinner in conversion, whatever obstructions
and difficulties may appear to be in the way he removes them and the work is
begun, carried on, and performed, until the day of Christ.
He
gave us eternal life, and declared, “They shall never perish,” because
none can deliver out of, or tear us from, his omnipotent hand. We are
safe in his grip! He declares this fact powerfully in verse 15. ―
“I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.”
Move
on to verse 19…
(Isa
43:19) Behold, I will do a new thing;
now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the
wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
13.
“I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
It may appear to you, as it did to Israel of old, that you are wandering
aimlessly through an empty desert, but that is not the case. The Lord God has
made a way in this wilderness for you; and it is the best and most direct way
for you to reach Canaan’s fair and happy land. And while you are traveling
through this desert, he has made a river of grace to constantly refresh you
soul, a river flowing from beneath his very throne. That River is Christ.
Drink, O my soul, drink of the River!
Now,
watch verse 21, and learn why God made us, and what he has sworn he will do
with us by his grace.
14.
“This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise.”
Let us praise him in our hearts and with our lips as we walk in his way and
drink from his River. And when we have reached the end of our way, we shall be
for his praise forever (Eph. 2:7; Rev. 5:9-14).
What
reason we have to praise him! Read verse 25, and remember his sure promise. Our
God declares…
15.
“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own
sake, and will not remember thy sins.” He blotteth out our
transgressions continually. He does it for his own sake. And he will not
remember our sins!
I
have to hurry. There’s a lot more candy in the store. I don’t want to miss a
single piece. Skip down to chapter 44, verses 21 and 22.
(Isa
44:21-) Remember these, O Jacob and
Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my
servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. (22) I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy
transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed
thee.
16.
“Thou shalt not be forgotten of me…for I have redeemed thee!”
― "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will
take me up" (Psa 27:10). ― "Whom have I in heaven but
thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the
strength of my heart, and my portion for ever" (Psa 73:25-26) ―
“Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the
earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree
therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel”
(Isa 44:23).
There
are four more pieces of candy in the store. Move on to chapter 45, verse 2.
Here the Lord shows us that the promise back in Isaiah 42:16 is, as I said, a
promise that extends to the totality of our life experience in this world.
(Isa
45:2) I will go before thee, and make
the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut
in sunder the bars of iron:
17.
“I will go before thee.” Our Savior always walks in front.
He here promises, “I will go ahead of you, clearing the road and paving it with grace. I will
break down the gates of hell before you, smash the locks and kick down the bars
of your prison.”
Now, look at verse 3.
(Isa
45:3) And I will give thee the treasures
of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I,
the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.
18. You are in darkness now, but you will fetch treasures
from the darkness that surrounds you. I am told that from the bottom of
a deep well a man can look up and see stars that are not visible to the naked
eye anywhere else. Look up, my brother, look up, my sister, look up, O my soul,
and behold the treasures of darkness and the riches of God’s secret things!!
You
will find the last two sweets in verse 17…
(Isa
45:17) But Israel shall be saved
in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor
confounded world without end.
19. “Israel shall be saved in the
LORD with an everlasting salvation.” God shall save his elect. This is a matter of
absolute certainty. This is what he is doing. This is the explanation of all
the past. And this is what he shall do. That is the explanation of all the
future.
·
Israel shall be saved.
·
Israel shall be saved in the Lord, in Christ (1 Cor. 1:30-31).
·
Israel shall be saved by blood.
·
Israel shall be saved by grace.
·
Israel shall be saved in the Lord forever, with everlasting salvation.
20. One more sweet, sweet morsel is added. ― “Ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without
end.” There are a lot of loose
ends here, tons of confusing things in our experience here, and much that makes
us blush with shame now. But soon, things will be different, gloriously
different.
·
You shall not be ashamed of anything.
·
You shall not be confused, confounded, put to confusion, or even shaken
by anyone or anything.
·
You shall not be ashamed or confounded “world without end,” unto
the endless ages of eternity!
In heaven’s clearer light
you’ll see,
All things worked out for
good!