Series: Isaiah
Title: Gospel to the Gathered
Text: Is 56: 1-8
Date: December 14, 2014
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Isaiah 56: 8: The
Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather to
him, [to Christ] beside those [alongside those already gathered] [those] that are [to be] gathered
unto him.
Believers
are gathered by God from among all kinds of people on this earth. We are
gathered to Christ. We are gathered together in the Lord’s church as one in
Christ. We are used of Christ to proclaim the truth because there remains some
who he must gather unto him.
A WORD TO BELIEVERS
In
verses 1-8, the LORD is speaking to those he has already gathered in true
saving faith. The things spoken of here is how the true believer was to worship
God prior to Christ coming. We no longer observe the shadow but we rest in
Christ.
In
verse 2, he describes the believer as he “that keepeth the sabbath from
polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.” The Sabbath days
pictured Christ Jesus. On the Sabbath day, they were to rest from all their works. If they lifted their finger they did
evil. By God’s grace we rest in Christ from trying to obtain a righteousness by
the law. The man who lifts his finger to add to Christ’s work has done evil. Christ
is our Righteousness and Sanctification. We rest in Christ from all our works.
Two, they
trusted God to provide all their bread the whole Sabbath day. This whole
Sabbath day of grace, every believer trusts Christ the true Bread, who has
saved us, is saving us and shall save us—“he that cometh to me shall never
hunger and never thirst.”
Three, they
were to take the yoke of bondage off everyone in their house, by declaring this
is the rest which the Lord has provided for his people. Believers are in this
world to declare the gospel of Christ our Rest. Through the gospel, Christ takes
the yoke off of everyone who is his house.
Under
the everlasting covenant of grace, since Christ is the fulfillment of the types
and shadows, we are no longer to observer the Sabbath days, “Let no man
therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of
the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to
come; but the body is of Christ.” (Col 2: 16-17) So when we read about
those who keep the Sabbath we are speaking of believers who rest in Christ
Jesus, trusting him alone.
In
verse 3, he describes the believer as he “that
hath joined himself to the LORD,” By God’s grace, all God’s elect, all
believers, are one with Christ, “For we are members of his body, of his flesh,
and of his bones…This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the
church.” (Eph 5: 30, 32)
In
verse 4, he describes the believer as he that “take hold of my covenant;” (Isa
56:4) God makes his child take hold of his covenant. The everlasting covenant
of grace puts nothing in our hands. It is that new covenant written on our new
hearts wherein God says, “All is done.” David
said of God’s covenant, “This is all my salvation.” (2 Sam 23: 5)
In verse 6, he describes the believer as those that “serve
him, and love the name of the LORD, and are his servants,…(Isa 56:6) When
Christ makes us willing in the day of his power, we become willing bond servants,
constrained by his love for us. So I hope we understand, God is speaking here
to those he has already gathered, to believers.
A WORD CONCERNING OBEDIENCE
First,
we are given a word concerning obedience to the Lord Jesus, “Thus saith the
LORD, Keep ye judgment, [equity] and do justice: for my salvation is
near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that
doeth this.” (Is 56: 1-2)
Chiefly,
the way a believer keeps equity and does justice is by believing on the Lord
Jesus Christ our Righteousness. Our law-keeping was not equitable. It did no
measure up to God’s righteousness. Christ is the Righteousness of God. Equity
was upheld and justice settled before God by Christ alone. Through faith in
Christ we keep judgment and do justice because Christ did so by his finished
work.
Also,
the way we keep equity and do justice to our fellow man is by declaring the
gospel of Christ to them as we promote the gospel throughout the world. In
verse 10, he goes directly to describing the false prophets—“His watchmen are
blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark;
sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.” Then in chapter 58, verse 1, he declares
what believers are to do, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a
trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their
sins.” (Is 58: 1)
Furthermore,
since we are resting in Christ and here to promote his gospel in the earth, believers
want to do nothing before men that will give them cause to blaspheme our
Redeemer and our Gospel. You hear me preach that we are saved apart from any
works of righteousness which we have done.
It is true. Young believers
sometimes think, “Then it doesn’t matter how I live, Christ has redeemed me.”
Does it matter to your earthly father how you live? All he paid for is your
room and board. Christ paid it all. He says “Keep ye judgment, and do justice.”’
So we continue
resting in Christ by faith, continue declaring the gospel to sinners, and continue
doing right to those around you so our gospel will not be blasphemed.
SALVATION AND RIGHTEOUSNESS
Here is
our assurance, “for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness
to be revealed.” (Is 56: 1) Christ is our Salvation and Righteousness. He is
near to come to our aid, to strengthen and comfort us to reveal he is our
righteousness. And soon he is near to return a second time. As we continue
declaring Christ to lost sinners, Christ is near and shall reveal his
righteousness to his lost sheep. He said, “all power is given to me in heaven
and earth” so go preach my gospel to every nation, “lo, I am with you always.” Even
when we are wronged, do that which is equitable and just because Christ is near
us every day, to save us and make known to us the right way.
A WORD CONCERNING DISCOURAGEMENT
Next,
we have a word concerning discouragement, “Neither let the son of the stranger,
that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly
separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a
dry tree.” (Is 56: 3)
“The
son of the stranger”, literally, is a Gentile. But remember this is one God has
already gathered, a believer. So what would make him say, “The LORD hath
utterly separated me from his people?” The only way he would say that is if he
took his eyes off Christ and looked to the law which forbade Gentiles to join
with Israel. Also, the law would bring him to look to himself, to his race.
Also, he
says “neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.” A Eunuch was
damaged so that he cannot produce sons or daughters. The law forbid him to come
into the Lord’s house, to be a priest and to produce fruit. By nature we are
damaged in sin. We are unfit to be priests unto God. We are unable to produce
fruit unto God. We are unable to produce sons and daughters unto God.
How would
the believing Eunuch become discouraged? It is by looking to the law of God.
Again, the law forbid a Eunuch from entering the Lord’s house, from being made
a priest unto God, from doing any fruitful work unto God.
Be sure
to get this, believer: Though God teaches his child to do what is equitable and
just, God also teaches us, do not look back to the law, do not look to your
race or any other thing to make you differ. Do not look to your personal
fruitfulness. Do not look to how little you have had a part in bringing forth
God’s children. If we look to any of those things for assurance, we are sure to
be discouraged. We will say, I am
separated from God’s people, I’m a dry tree.”
LOOK TO CHRIST ALONE
Christ
came forth and fulfilled the law for every elect child given to him of the
Father. We needed to fulfill the law in precept. We also had to be justified
from our sins. We had to fulfill the law in precept and penalty. The precept of
the law is fulfilled in this: love God and your brethren as yourself; the
penalty is fulfilled in this: the soul that sinneth must die.
On the
cross, Christ fulfilled the precept by giving himself in love God—to uphold God
the Father’s law, to declare him just and the justifier—that is the precept of
first table. And he fulfilled the
precept by giving himself in love for his people—to justify his people from the
penalty of the law—love to his brethren is the precept of the second table of
the law.
In addition,
the death he had to die to satisfy the penalty was a living death—that death
that never dies, separation from the God he loved. But to satisfy that penalty
he had to bear it in perfect trust and holiness to the Father. So while in his
body he willing bore the sins of his people and the death that was our due to
satisfy the penalty, while he bore separation from God and separation from his
brethren, Christ remained holy and without blemish before God in his heart. While
he bore our sins in his own body on the tree, through the eternal spirit he
offered himself without spot to God.
Now
that wall of the law which divided the elect—between Jew and Gentile,
circumcision and circumcision—is broken down.
Ephesians
2: 13: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by
the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken
down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even
the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself
of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in
one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were
afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18
For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more
strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the
household of God; 20 And are built upon
the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the
chief corner stone; 21 In whom
all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together
for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
A WORD OF ASSURANCE
Lastly, we are given a word of assurance to those who are
spiritual eunuch’s who rest in Christ, “For thus saith the LORD unto the
eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and
take hold of my covenant; Even unto them will I give in mine house and within
my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give
them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.” (Is 56: 4-5)
God
says, “I will give.” A gift is purchased for a particular person. Brought and
given to that person. And with God he even gives us faith to receive it.
God
says, I will give in mine house and within my walls a place. By law all us
sin-cursed eunach’s could not serve God in his house. But now, that Christ
fulfilled the law for us, every child of God is the house of God and his wall.
We are living stones built up a spiritual house to offer up spiritual
sacrifices. And though we were unfit in ourselves to be priests, we are not
only priests by Christ’s work, we are king-priests, a royal priesthood.
1 Peter
2: 5: Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ….
9 But ye are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew
forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his
marvellous light: 10 Which in time past were
not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained
mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Are you
discouraged about your fruit bearing, about not bearing sons or daughters—God
says, “I will give a name better than of sons and of daughters.” Now, we have a
fruitful husband and we bear fruit by Christ Jesus, “Wherefore, my brethren, ye
also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be
married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we
should bring forth fruit unto God.” (Ro 7:4) Now, we have a new name—“the LORD
our Righteousness”—“an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.”
Jeremiah 23: 6: In his days Judah shall be
saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby HE
shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Jeremiah
33: 16: In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely:
and this is the name wherewith SHE shall be called, The LORD our
righteousness.
Were you
discouraged about being separated by the law from God and his people? He says
to us believing Genntiles, “Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and
make them joyful in my house of prayer.” (Is 56: 7)
Remember,
when Christ cast out the money changers, them that bought and sold, and
sacrificed. He was teaching us that God’s house is not a house of buying redemption
or selling redemption. (Is 55: 1) This is a house of prayer. What do we do in
prayer? We worship and praise God for his works, not our own, “By him therefore
let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our
lips giving thanks to his name.” (Heb 13:15) “O Lord, open thou my lips; and my
mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would
I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are
a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
(Ps 51:15-17)
He says
that as we come with those sacrifice, this is what will happen, “their burnt
offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for
mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.” God accepts our thanksgiving in Christ our
Altar. It is so for Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised. God’s house
is not a house of sacrifice it is a house of thanksgiving and praise and honor
and glory to God in Christ. That is true of all people in God’s house.
YET
In case
we forget who is doing the gathering and who gets the glory, in case we think
God means he is gathering all sinners without exception, “The Lord GOD which gathereth
the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather, [to Christ], [to his which are
already gathered], [his that are to be gathered unto him.]” (Is 56: 8)
Sinner,
God is gathering his lost sheep. Are you one of Christ’s that are to be
gathered? Christ our Salvation is near, his Righteousness soon to be revealed. Come
without money and without price. “Take with you words, and turn to the LORD:
say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will
we render the calves of our lips.” (Ho 14:2)
Believer,
are you looking to self for assurance. Stop it! Remember, God gathered you. God
gathered you to Christ. You wear Christ’s everlasting name. You are a living
brick in his living wall! Christ won’t let you go.
Colossians 2: 20: Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ
from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye
subject to ordinances,…3: 1: If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things
which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2: Set your
affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3: For ye are dead, and
your life is hid with Christ in God. 4: When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Our Salvation and Righteousness is near and soon to be
revealed.
Amen!