Series: Isaiah
Title: Saved From the Bartenders of Babylon
Text: Isaiah 44: 1-8
Date: November 20, 2011
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
The word delivered by Isaiah from the LORD was to God’s elect remnant in the midst of the nation Israel whom God had given over to curse and reproach in Babylonian captivity. God promised to deliver them by the hand of Cyrus—which our Lord did. But these words speak of Israel his church and of Christ our Deliver. This is God’s word to his believing children right here where we live today.
I. THE LORD DECLARES THE PROBLEM
Isaiah 43: 27: Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.
It is much the same as the apostle Pauls’ word
2 Thessalonians 2: 3: Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4: Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
The teachers in the temple transgressed against God just as they did in Paul’s day, just as they do in churches all over this nation. How so? Not openly saying the words “I am God” but boasting that they have done the things which God declares that God alone is able to perform.
· Offense of ascribing to sinners the glory and power which belongs to God only.
· Boast that a sinner can make himself born again. Christ said, John 6: 63: It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life…65: And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
· Boasting that Christ laid down his life for all and sinners make his blood effectual. But Christ said, John 10: 15:…I lay down my life for the sheep.
· Boasting that the sinner makes himself God’s elect by his choice for God. Christ said: John 10: 26: But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
· Glorying in self-abasement, cunningly devised fables of conversions, boasting of increasing themselves in godliness,…Colossians 2: 19: And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
Exalting man—man’s worth, man’s will, man’s works—above all that is called God or that is worshipped, sitting in God’s house and showing himself that he is God.
2 Thessalonians 2: 11: And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Isaiah 43: 28: Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.
God gave the whole nation over to vile affections and a reprobate mind: Same sex marriages, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; envy, murder, debate, deceit; haters of God, proud, boasters, disobedient to parents, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful (Ro 1:26-32.) “Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.” STILL, “they have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof.” Child of God, do you have to imagine what it would be like to live in such a nation?
II. YET TO YOU WHO ARE GOD’S REMNANT, WHOM GOD PRESERVES IN THE MIDST OF BABYLON, GOD GIVES A WORD OF COMFORT.
Isaiah 44: 1: 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.
Jeshurun means “the upright or righteous people.”
· Upright and righteous NOT because we God chose us in Christ, God made and formed us from the womb of the morning.
· Upright and righteous not by our works of righteousnes, but by the righteousness and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ who by his one offering hath perfected his Jesurun forever.
· Upright and righteous not by any willingness in us but because we were born of the Spirit of God by his divine power.
YET NOW HEAR (v1)--When God speaks will his child hear? The third day after God spoke heaven and earth into existence, God spoke again:
Genesis 1: 9: And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10: And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 11: And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12: And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 13: And the evening and the morning were the third day.
God sent rain and snow which never returns to him until it has watered the earth and made the earth spring forth and bud. Thereby, God has provided seed for the farmer and bread for us to eat since the day HE SPOKE IT! God says likewise…
Isaiah 55: 10: For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
If you hear God speak this hour, it is because the word that goes forth out of God’s mouth always accomplishes what God pleases.
Do we speak half-truth to our banker or accountant—generic terms so they can take it any way they want. If it is important to us, we speak clearly. If we had power to make our hearer understand, we would? God is the Divine Power and Wisdom who is able and causes his child to hear his Voice, to understand and to believe.
FEAR NOT (v2)
Isaiah 44: 2: Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not
Every believer here knows this fear. The believer then like now, had mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, family and friends whom they loved dearly. Loved ones who were worshipping the god of Babylon and calling it worship of the true and living God. What makes the child of God not just give up and give in?—v2--Thus saith the LORD…I will help thee;…Fear not!
Matthew 10: 37: He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Luke 14: 26: If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Why not? Because true love—love born in the heart of those made new by grace by the sprinkling of the blood of Christ—shows the love of God—not by removing the truth of God but by faithfully holding forth the word of life as did our glorious Redeemer—even if it means rejection by those we love most. The glory and power of God—the truth of the word of Christ and him crucified—is the only hope for those we love!
(Micah 2: 6)--In Michah’s day, their dearest loved ones would not endure sound doctrine, after their own lusts, they wanted teachers who preached smooth things (2Ti 4:3 AV) and the Lord said this of them:
Micah 2: 6: Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame. 7: O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly? 8: Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war. 9: The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever. 10: Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.
Brethren, hear the word of the LORD this morning: You who are called--by Christ the Power and Wisdom of God—who have fathers or mothers, husbands or wives, sons or daughters—who are yet drinking from the harlots golden cup, who are in churches being served the intoxicating wine which makes the nations mad by the bar-keeps of Babylon . God not only gives us the privilege of standing steadfast in faithfulness—of holding forth the word of life, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation—but God promises to be our Strength. You—his Jesurun—who he has made to love the Lord Jesus Christ more than our loved ones, yea, more than our own life also. Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not!
III. AND, BRETHREN, GOD MAKES A PROMISE TO US--God shall save ALL our children, all our offspring--and not one shall be lost.
Isaiah 44: 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:
The believer’s hope is that it will be our immediate children. But this is certain—all of our children and offspring shall be saved—BECAUSE THIS IS A WORD FIRST TO CHRIST—THEY ARE HIS SEED, HIS OFFSPRING, the true elect of God.
Who Are Our True Offspring? (v3)--Thirsty and dry ground
Illustration: Farmer knows nothing grows in dry ground but God says, I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground
James 5: 7: Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8: Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
God promises to pour, yea, to flood—with “my Spirit” and “my blessing”. (v8—no other Rock)—water came from the smitten Rock in the wilderness—so does his Spirit and his blessing!
· Our offspring were smitten when Christ was crucified at Calvary
· Sins put away by the justifier
· They must and shall be called to life and faith
· The God of truth shall do so through the truth-- “Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:” (Col 1:6 AV)
His word shall not return unto him void--as he causes the earth to spring forth and bud, by his Spirit, together with his word: Isaiah 44: 4: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.
When he calls them by his power and grace, they shall not be ashamed or confounded of our Lord, nor of his gospel, nor of us: Isaiah 44: 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.
Each one shall be willing in the day of his power to surrender themselves to the LORD, when the HOLY GHOST has created them anew and formed CHRIST our righteousness in them. They shall:
· Say, I am the LORD’s, Subscribe with his hand unto the LORD—surrender to Christ
· I am Jacob—the sinner;
· Surname himself the name of Israel—in that day, “They shall not be ashamed to call themselves the LORD’s and neither ashamed to call you their brethren.”
IV. OUR SAVIOR BACKS UP HIS PROMISE TO US WITH THE GLORY OF HIS NAME, HIS OFFICE AND HIS POWER!
Isaiah 44: 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. 7: And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them.
CONCLUSION: HE ASSURES AND COMFORTS HIS WITNESESS ONE MORE TIME
Isaiah 44: 8: Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.
1 Corinthians 16: 13: Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
Amen!