Series:
Isaiah
Title:
Effectual Gospel, Effectual Prayer
Text:
Isaiah 51: 9-11
Date:
February 24, 2013
Place:
SGBC, New Jersey
Let
read Is 51: 9-11. This is a prayer. It
was by the gospel that Christ effectually produced this prayer in the church in
Isaiah’s day. From Isaiah 48 up to Isaiah 51: 8, the one speaking through
Isaiah has been Christ. Then this prayer
breaks forth—either from Isaiah or from the church.
Proposition: True prayer is the fruit Christ produces by the
revelation he gives through his gospel.
Division: I
want to show you 3 fruits which Truth produces: 1) Submission; 2) Praise; 3)
Assurance
Title: Effectual Gospel, Effectual Prayer
I. TRUTH PRODUCES PRAYER OF SUBMISSION—Isaiah
51: 9: Awake, awake! put on strength, O arm of the LORD!
“Arm”
means power and wisdom. The arm of God is Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 53: 1: Who hath believed our report? [our report
is our gospel] and to whom is the Arm of the LORD revealed? 2: For HE shall…
The gospel
itself, the report itself, is “the power of God unto salvation to everyone that
believeth…for therein is the righteousness of God revealed.” (Rom 1: 16, 17). To us who are called “Christ,
the Power of God and the Wisdom of God.”—“to whom is the Arm of the LORD revealed?”
(1 Cor 1: 24) Let’s review this sermon Isaiah preached. (Is 48: 16). Remember, Christ
is speaking.
Christ is the Sent One--Isaiah 48: 16: Come
ye near unto me, hear ye this! I have not spoken in secret from the
beginning; from the time that it was,
there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me. Thus saith the
LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth
thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the Way that thou shouldest go...
Christ is the Covenant of his People--Isaiah
49: 1: Listen,
O isles, unto me;…The LORD hath
called me [from eternity and] from the womb;
[God came in human flesh]…3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O
Israel, in whom I will be glorified…8:
[The LORD God raised Christ and him]…for a Covenant of the people, to establish
the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;…v9: to say to the
prisoners, Go forth;…11: And I will make all my mountains a way, and my
high-WAYS shall be exalted…16: Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my
hands;… 24: Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive
delivered? 25: But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall
be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will
contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children…26: I
the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
Christ is the Servant--Isaiah 50: 1: Thus saith the LORD
[God our Redeemer the Arm of the LORD]…2: Is my hand shortened at all, that it
cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the
sea, I make the rivers a wilderness:..4: The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue
of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is
weary:…6: I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off
the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting…7…I set my face like a
flint…8: He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me?...who is mine
adversary? let him come near to me…10: Who is among you that feareth the LORD,
that obeyeth the VOICE of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no
light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.
Christ Assures the Church--Isaiah 52: 1: Hearken to me…ye
that seek the LORD 2:…I called [Abraham] alone, and blessed him, and
increased him…3:..[I] shall comfort Zion:..and [I] will make her wilderness
like Eden,… 4: Hearken unto me, my people!...[the gospel] shall proceed from me,
and I will make my judgment [verdict, covenant] to rest for a light of the
people, 5 My righteousness is near; [“in
thy mouth and in thy heart, that is, the word of faith, which we preach;”] v6:…the
heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a
garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation
shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished. 7: Hearken unto
me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye
not the reproach of men, 8: For the moth shall eat them up like a garment,…but my
righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to
generation.
The Work is in Christ’s Hand
In
eternity, when God the Father chose a people in Christ, the Father made Christ his
Arm and made him our Mediator and Head. Thus, he gave Christ all power and
dominion. Christ began by creating all things.
Colossians 1: 16: For by him were all things created,
that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they
be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created
by him, and for him: 17: And he is before all things, and by him all things
consist.—by the Arm.
In
picturing himself, the Lord gave the first Adam dominion. But Adam sinned,
bringing all under the curse. Therefore, the world by wisdom knew not God.
Isaiah 40: 10: Behold, the LORD God will come with strong
hand, his Arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work
before him. 11: He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the
lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those
that are with young.
God the
Father purposed in himself for Christ to redeem his elect by his obedience, by
his blood, by his Arm; for Christ to dispense every spiritual blessing from God
our Father to each of his elect by his Arm; for Christ to gather his elect in
one body, under one Head, by his Arm.
Therefore,
when Christ sends his gospel, Christ declares this in our hearts, speaking in
his Spirit and there is Light. Christ becomes to us the Power of God and the
Wisdom of God! The effect he produces is: the heart bows in adoring submission,
praying, “Awake! Awake! Put on strength O Arm of the LORD!”
He does
not need us to ask him. Our prayer does
not cause him to do what he already purposed to do.
Ezekiel 36: 37: Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for
this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them;
Through
his gospel, he humbles us to pray to him, confessing our inability, so that no
flesh glories in his presence and he brings us to glory only in the Lord.
Illustration: My father’s arm.
Christ’s
eye of pity makes his child look to him;
Christ’s gracious ear makes us cry
to him, His loving heart melts
our heart, His strong arm makes us
cast all our care into his hands.
II. TRUTH PRODUCES PRAISE FOR WHAT HE HAS
ALREADY DONE—Isaiah 51: 9: Awake, as in the ancient days. Art thou not
it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? 10: Art thou not
it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the
depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?
Back in
Isaiah 50: 2, Christ said, “behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea.”…Here the
church praises Christ, saying, you cut Rahab [Egypt] and wounded the
dragon? [Pharaoh] You dried the sea, making a way for the ransomed to pass
over? (Ps 89: 10; Ezekiel 29: 3)
History Repeated
Throughout
history, scripture shows us Christ performing for his people a definite,
repeated order of events.
Concerning
Egypt, Christ called Moses in the burning bush, sent Moses to Egypt to
Pharaoh. By his word, Christ cut Egypt
with plagues, by same word God passed over Israel in Goshen. By his word, Christ wounded Pharaoh judging
all the firstborn; by same word he put Israel under the blood of the lamb, God passed
over. By his word, at the Red Sea, Moses
preached, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he
will shew to you to day:”; same word dried the sea the ransomed passed over.
Then drowned Pharaoh and his army. The Arm of the LORD did that.
Concerning
Israel in Babylon, Christ did it again in Isaiah day when he wounded Babylon
and delivered his remnant. Babylon was beside the Euphrates River, using it for
a defense. His word sent Cyrus, dug
ditches and dried up the river, wounding Belshazzar and his nobles as they feasted
in drunkenness. So the Arm of the Lord took the city, redeeming his children out
of captivity.
On the
cross Christ fulfilled the same spiritually. Christ’s Arm defeating Egypt and
Babylon, was repeated on the cross. By his obedience unto death, Christ dried
up the river of sin for his people and “destroyed him that had the power of
death, that is the devil, and delivered his children, who through fear of
death, were all our lifetime subject to bondage.” (Heb 2: 14-15)
Let’s
see Christ repeating events showing the power of his Arm. Christ gave one commandment in garden. Adam
sinned. After that the world by wisdom knew not God, God the Father sent the
Voice. He called Adam, taught Adam he broken law, clothed him, saved him.
Likewise,
God gave commandments to Israel. Israel sinned. But after that in the wisdom of
God the world by wisdom knew not God, God sent Christ, who sent Isaiah with his
gospel. He gathered his remnant in Israel in Babylon, said, Isaiah 48: 16: “Come
ye near unto ME, hear ye this;…now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.”
He told them, “Your sins separated you” into Babylon. God sent Christ to
deliver them. Years later, Israel’s sin put them in Roman
bondage. But after the world by wisdom knew not God, God sent Christ in person. Christ gathered his elect from Israel:
Peter, his disciples. Christ preached this same gospel, saying, Isaiah 48: 17: “Thus
saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God
which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the Way that thou
shouldest go.” He told them “You
have not kept God’s law.” He said “my Father has sent me to fulfill the law for
you. I’m the Way, the Truth and the Life.”
In
Isaiah’s day, Christ looked over Israel in bondage in Babylon and said, Isaiah 48: 18: “O that thou hadst
hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, 19: Thy seed
also had been as the sand,…his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed
from before me.” Years later in person, Christ looked over
Israel, and said, Matthew 23: 37: “O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which
are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even
as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38: Behold,
your house is left unto you desolate.”
In Isaiah’s
day, Christ gave his remnant this command, Isaiah 48: 20: “Go ye forth of Babylon,
flee ye from the Chaldeans…” Years later
in person, Christ commanded Peter and his elect he had gathered, “Let them
which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst
of [Judea] depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter
thereinto. [“Them that are in the countries” were his elect Gentiles] (Lk 21:
21) Christ told them that because the political nation Israel had become
spiritual Babylon. He tells us, return not to that old ways, I’ve fulfilled the
law for you, my true Israel, now follow me.
In
Isaiah’s day, Christ gave his remnant the command to preach, Isaiah 48: 20:, “with
a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the
earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob.” Years later in
person, Christ commanded his apostles, “Go ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mk 16: 15) From Pentecost
afterwards, they went forth preaching, even to Gentiles, Isaiah 49: 1: “Listen,
O isles, unto ME.” Christ called us, tells us to declare his name here where we
are.
And as
it was when Christ delivered his elect out of Egypt, out of Babylon, out of
Jerusalem, so it is for us here today: Isaiah 48: 21: “And they thirsted not
when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the
rock for them:…the waters gushed out.” Paul
said, “That Rock is Christ.” Christ provideds for us.
See how
the Arm of the Lord repeats his work again and again. He does so in the hearts
of his redeemed, through the Holy Spirit, through the gospel: Christ dries up
the river, the power, of prince of the power of the air, so he can’t bind his
child. Christ the Life enters in heart, delivering us from Satan, our sin-nature, and
the law of sin and death. And from then on we follow the Arm of the LORD.
So by
the gospel, Christ produces praise in prayer, we praise Christ, asking him to,
“Awake, as in the ancient days, art thou not it that hath done all these
wonderful works for your people!”
III. TRUTH PRODUCES PRAYER OF ASSURANCE—Isaiah 51: 11: Therefore
the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and
everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy;
and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
Beholding,
what Christ has done in the garden, in Egypt, in Babylon, on the cross, and in
our hearts we are assured of what Christ shall do. In all of these repeated
events in history, one thing is consistently revealed—CHRIST WINS! AND HIS
PEOPLE WIN BY HIM!
Christ Shall Dry Up the Power of our Enemies
Christ
revealed to John in the book of Revelation what Christ is doing now and shall
do fully in the end. Since Christ ascended to his throne, like he did in Egypt,
Christ has been sending his angels and pouring out “vials of wrath” on the
inhabitants of this earth. In Revelation you can’t help noticing how they
resemble the plagues he poured upon Egypt.
Our
text speaks of him “cutting Egypt in pieces and drying up the rivers.”, which
means their power.] So in Revelation 16: 12, Christ showed John
one the last plagues, “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great
river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings
of the east might be prepared.” In the
last of these last days, Christ our King shall dry up all the power of all our
enemies like he dried the Red Sea and the river Euphrates then delivered his
remnant out. Doing so Christ shall prepare deliverance for those he has made
kings and priests unto God.
Our
text speaks of how Christ wounded the
dragon, Pharaoh and Babylon’s king. So Christ showed John that in the end, Revelation
20: 10: And the devil [the Dragon] that deceived them was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be
tormented day and night for ever and ever...15: And whosoever was not found
written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Christ Shall Deliver us to Mt Zion
Isaiah 51: 11: Therefore the redeemed of the
LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion;
It was Christ carried Israel to earthly Mt.
Zion the first time. Christ returned them to Mt. Zion in Isaiah’s day. But
greater than that mountain Christ carried all his elect in his body to the true
Mt. Zion when he arose and sat down at the right hand of the Father. Christ’s
carried each of us there through faith when he worked grace in our hearts. We
see him sitting there now by faith. Likewise,
1 Corinthians 15: 24: Then cometh the end, when he shall
have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put
down all rule and all authority and power. 25: For he must reign, till he hath put
all enemies under his feet. 26: The last enemy that shall be destroyed is
death.
Christ
assures us verse 6, “the heavens [and earth] shall vanish away like smoke,…but
my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.” Christ
showed John in Revelation 21: 1: And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for
the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more
sea. 2: And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out
of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Christ Shall Bring All to Rejoice
Isaiah 51: 11:…and everlasting joy shall
be upon their head. Something caught my
attention here. Should that say “heads.” Listen to Isaiah 35: 10: And the ransomed of
the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon
their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing
shall flee away. But our text says, “everlasting joy shall be upon
their Head.” Everlasting joy shall be upon our Head, Christ Jesus, when the
fullness of his body is complete.
Revelation 21: 3:…he will dwell with them, and they shall
be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
We
shall rejoice as well, brethren, Isaiah
51: 11:...they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning
shall flee away.
Revelation 21: 4: And God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Christ Shall Make our Wilderness Like Eden
Our
Savior assured us in verse3, “he will make her wilderness like Eden.” Listen to this description of heavens Zion:
Revelation 22: 1: And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as
crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2…there the tree
of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month:
and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3:...no more
curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants
shall serve him: 4 And THEY SHALL SEE
HIS FACE.
Wisdom
dictated these words to Solomon, “The thing that hath been, it is that which
shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no
new thing under the sun.” (Ecc 1: 9)
Brethren,
since God the Father entrusted all to Christ Jesus his Arm, these works we have
seen: is what has been, and shall be; what is done, and what shall be done. And
there is no new thing under the sun.
Therefore,
by his Wisdom and Power, in our hearts, believers pray without ceasing: in
submission, in praise and in full assurance. We have a glorious past, a
glorious present, and a glorious future.
And
this is our prayer:
Revelation 22: 17: the Spirit and the bride say,
Come….come, Lord Jesus. Amen!