Series: Isaiah
Title: Feet of Him
Text: Isaiah 52: 7-10
Date: June 28, 30, 2013
Place: Bible Study/SGBC,
New Jersey
Isaiah 52: 7: How beautiful upon the
mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth
peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that
saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
The children of Jerusalem were captured and enslaved to
Babylon for 70 years.
Illustration: Imagine an enemy king and his fighting forces overtaking
our country—breaking down most all of our buildings, and making us slaves.
Psalm 137 describes their sorrow:
Psalm
137: 1: By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we
remembered Zion. 2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 3
For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they
that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one
of the songs of Zion. 4 How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?
In the
book of Lamentations we here more of their sorrowful state when they were in
captivity in Babylon.
Lamentation 1: 1: How doth the city sit solitary, that
was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was
great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is
she become tributary! 2 She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are
on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all
her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies. 3
Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great
servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her
persecutors overtook her between the straits. 4 The ways of Zion do mourn,
because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests
sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.
Then
one day a messenger is seen on the mountain’s horizon. Quickly he runs across the terrain inching
closer and closer. They can’t tell what he is saying at first. But eventually
they hear what he is saying:
Isaiah 51: 22: Thus saith thy Lord the LORD,
and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of
thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou
shalt no more drink it again: 23: But I will put it into the hand of them that
afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and
thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went
over…52: 1: Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful
garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come
into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. 2: Shake thyself from the dust;
arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive
daughter of Zion. 3 For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for
nought;…but NOW YOU ARE REDEEMED! YOU ARE FREE! PEACE HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED
FREELY FOR YOU BY THY GOD! THY GOD
REIGNETH!
Application: Now if that was you in captivity—if that was you
sorrowing under the chains of bondage—if that was you enslaved, tread upon by
your captors—wouldn’t this be your cry of joy,
Isaiah 52: 7: How beautiful upon the
mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth
peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that
saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
I. BUT YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE IN BONDAGE FOR
THAT TO BE GOOD NEWS TO YOU! MANY OF YOU
SITTING HERE ARE IN BONDAGE—far worse bondage.
You
were born into this captivity. Every
child of Adam—you and I—came into this world under the bondage of the prince of
darkness—the Devil. We were held in the
captivity of sin, shut up under the curse of God’s holy law. And like the children of Jerusalem you cannot
free yourselves—you have no way of freeing yourselves.
Application: You will never rejoice over the message of peace until
you know that while you are outside of Christ, God is not at peace with
you. Never rejoice in message of
salvation until you need salvation.
Illustration: Woman dying in the snow—saw the lights!
Only
sick people seek a physician; only sinners seek mercy. This is why I am honest with you about your
present condition.
II. BUT GOD HAS SENT ONE OF HIS AMBASSADORS
TO YOU. (2 Cor 5)
Did you
know that is what Christ’s preachers are—ambassadors for Christ? Read the words
of the apostle Paul,
2 Corinthians 5:20: Now then we are ambassadors for
Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in
Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
(Romans 10)
Paul applied our text to gospel preachers because “it pleased God through the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”
Romans 10: 13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of
the Lord shall be saved. 14: How then shall they call on him in whom they have
not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15: And how shall they preach,
except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that
preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
III. BUT IF YOU HEAR MY MESSAGE IT WILL BE
BECAUSE CHRIST HIMSELF HAS SPOKEN. OUR
TEXT SPEAKS FIRST OF CHRIST HIMSELF—Isaiah 52: 6: Therefore my people shall
know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth
speak: behold, it is I. 7: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him
that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace;
How beautiful are Christ’s feet upon the
mountains!
Song of Solomon 2: 8: The voice of my beloved! behold, he
cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
·
Christ’s feet are beautiful upon Mt. Sinai—for the law teaches us our
need of one to fulfill the law for us.
·
Christ’s feet are beautiful upon that “exceedingly high mountain” where the devil
tempted him with all the kingdoms of the world—for there Christ proved to
be the Faithful One.
·
Christ feet are beautiful upon the Mt. where he preached the sermon on the
mount—for there we behold Christ the Prophet
·
Christ’s feet are beautiful upon Mt. Gerizim—for there he converted the
woman by the well.
·
Christ’s feet are beautiful upon the Mt. of Olives—there he resorted to be
alone and pray so there we behold Christ alone making intercession for his
people.
·
Christ’s feet are beautiful upon Mt. of Transfiguration—for there we get
a glimpse of him in his glory and are taught Christ only is the one we should
worship.
·
Christ’s feet are beautiful upon Mt. Calvary—for there our redemption
and full atonement was accomplished by his suffering unto death.
·
Christ’s feet are beautiful upon Mt. Zion—for our risen Head rules all
things in heaven and earth for his church, his body, the fullness of him that
filleth all in all.
Christ “bringeth good tidings.”
Isaiah 61: 1: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because
the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me
to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the
opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of
our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 To
appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the
oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD,
that he might be glorified.
·
Forgiveness in place of sin.
·
Blood Atonement
·
Justification instead of divine wrath
·
Eternal Glory instead of hell!
·
Good tidings! All accomplished by Christ
Jesus, thy God who reigneth!
Illustration: It fills our hearts to get good news—these are good
tidings!
Christ “publisheth peace.”
The
Prince of peace became a man to reconcile his people to God because our sin
made us the enemy of God.
Colossians 1: 20
And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to
reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be
things in earth, or things in heaven. 21 And you, that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through
death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded
and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye
have heard…
Christ
not only “publishes salvation” as he sends forth is preachers—he is
salvation!
His
name is Jesus—Savior.
Matthew 1: 21: “For he shall save his people from their
sins.”
The “publishing of
salvation” is that “salvation is of
the Lord”:
·
From election
·
To redemption
·
To regeneration
·
To preservation
·
To resurrection
·
To glorification,
“Salvation is of
the Lord.”
Application:
Any preacher who puts even one aspect of salvation in your hands—is not
preaching “salvation is of the Lord.” Do
not give him a hearing!
Be sure to remember this: The Holy Spirit says, “How beautiful are the feet of
them sent by Christ” But of those who sought to be teachers of the law, the
Holy Ghost has said: Gal 5.12 "I
would they were even cut off which trouble you."
By his person and work he saith to Zion—“Thy
God reigneth!”
Christ
is God Reigning!
Colossians 2: 8: Beware lest any man spoil you through
philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of
the world, and not after Christ. 9 For
in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
·
He stilled the sea.
·
He fed the multitude with a few fish and a
few biscuits.
·
He gave site to the blind
·
He raised Lazarus from the dead.
Christ is our King Reigning!
Zechariah 9:9: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just,
and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal
of an ass.
Isaiah 33:22 For
the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will
save us.
Micah 4:7 And I
will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong
nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even
for ever.
Application: You and I have no strength. We do not reign over anything. And that is
good. This is good too—nor does any other enemy that would do us harm reign
over anything! Christ Jesus—the GodMan—Reigneth!
Matthew 25: 31: When the Son of man shall come in his
glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of
his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall
separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from
the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on
the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world:” (Mt 25:31-34 AV)
Last Application: Every time I prepare a message, I pray for you who do NOT
believe on him. I ask the Lord to make
you to hear. If you are his, one of these
days, he will open your eyes. You will
see that you are captive in Babylon—it is usually bitter, always humbling—but
so necessary to bring us down. But when
he has brought you to cry for mercy, he will give you faith to see him coming
across the mountains. He will speak into
your heart—not audibly—but in a way that you will know it is him—for his said,
“my people shall know my name: therefore
they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.”
He will bring salvation and you shall believe—for he makes his people willing in the day of his power.
Christ gives such sweet freedom in him—you will cry out with rejoicing:
Isaiah 52: 7: How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings,
that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth
salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
Then, like
Mary, you will sit at his feet from then on!
And all your enemies will be cut off. I pray he make it happen today!
Nahum 1: 15: Behold upon the mountains the feet of him
that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn
feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is
utterly cut off.
Amen!