Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleFruit of the Lips
Bible TextIsaiah 57:19-21
Synopsis Christ is the Peacemaker and Christ is our Peace. Listen.
Date15-Mar-2015
Series Isaiah 2008
Article Type Sermon Notes
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
Audio HI-FI Listen: Fruit of the Lips (32 kbps)
Audio CD Quality Listen: Fruit of the Lips (128 kbps)
Length 39 min.
 

Series: Isaiah

Title: I Create the Fruit of the Lips

Text: Isaiah 57: 19-21

Date: March 15, 2015

Place: SGBC, New Jersey

 

Isaiah 57: 19: I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him. 20: But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 21: There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

 

The wicked described here is the reprobate, justly hardened by God. Yet, by our first birth, you and I are “the wicked”, too. Our natural born condition is the same as those God described in Noah’s day, “GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Gen 6: 5) In our text, wicked” means “guilty.”  Every sinner by nature is guilty before God.

 

Therefore, God says we are like “the troubled sea, when it cannot rest.”  The sea never rests; not only does natural man not have rest, he cannot rest. When a person sits through a worship service and refuses to open the word of God, in his heart, he is spitting in God’s face; when he refuses to pay attention to God’s gospel, in his heart, he tells God to shut up! This is an example of the heart described in our text as “whose waters cast up mire and dirt.” From his heart, the unregenerate sinner casts up blame against God and against men. He uncovers the sins of others but he covers his own to make his sin someone else’s fault.

 

Christ the Lord said, “Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man.” (Mt 15: 18-20) Every heart born of man is defiled! It is only evil continually!

 

That truth is clearly seen through the tongue. Since the heart is defiled, God says, “the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity:…it is set on fire of hell….the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” (Ja 3: 6, 8); “Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:” (Ro 3:13) 

 

Since this is the case with all sinners by nature our text says, “There is no peace to the wicked.” Who does the sinning? The sinner himself. Who refuses to hear the gospel? The sinner himself. Who says, “No, God!” The sinner himself.  So if he will not believe God, who is to blame if God turns him over to reprobation? The sinner himself.

 

Every believer was once nothing but a lost, wicked sinner. But our text speaks of the believer having peace. How so? Who makes the believer to differ? Christ is the Peacemaker and Christ is our Peace.

 

THE CREATOR OF PEACE

 

First, God our Savior is the Creator of peace, “I create the fruit of the lips…” (Is 57: 19)

 

Peace is created for God’s elect by the grace of God. Notice, the sinner God saves was no different than the wicked left in his sin. God said, “For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips. (Is 57: 17-19) That is the amazing grace of God. Though we were sinners, God saved us by grace alone.

 

Salvation—to be regenerated, to be made the righteousness of God, to be sanctified, to have eternal life—is not by a remodeling of the old, sinful nature. It is by God making a new creation, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. [creation]” (Gal 6: 15) The triune God in Christ Jesus is the one and only Creator: the only one who Creates his people anew, who makes peace, and who puts peace on our lips is Christ, “I create the fruit of the lips.” Oh, what reason this gives every believer to be glad and to rejoice.  God said, “Be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.” (Isa 65:18)

 

Here is a question. Seeing it is God alone who creates peace, why then does God not do it for all men? What is God’s purpose in electing some to salvation while passing by others? We find the answer in Romans 9: 11, “(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)” God chooses whom he will, not based on any good or evil in us, to declare salvation is not of our works, but of God that calleth, “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” (Rom 9: 15-16) By sovereign grace, God magnifies the riches of his glory on his vessels of mercy. Brethren, when you behold wicked sinners in this world, do you see yourself? It makes us thank God for his sovereign grace!

 

There is something else God declares and magnifies by his electing grace. It is his right to have all the glory. God says, “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…This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.” (Is 43: 7, 21); “I will not give my glory unto another.” (Is 48: 11) The very reason God saves his child is to bring that child to give God all the glory and praise for saving him, “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.” (1 Pet 2: 9)

 

This is important. To those who despise God’s right to be God, instead of rebelling against God, bow down at his feet. Come confessing, “O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” (Is 64: 8) The Psalmist says, “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” (Ps 95: 6-7)

 

HOW DOES GOD CREATE FRUIT ON OUR LIPS?

 

Secondly, how does God create fruit on our lips.  It is by Christ speaking in effectual power in our hearts, “Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD.” The result Christ shall accomplish is this, “and I will heal him.” (Is 57: 19)

 

Christ is the Prince of peace. The fruit on our lips is created by Christ himself speaking, “Peace, peace”, to us through the gospel of peace. Our text is found in Ephesians 2: 17.  There were are told that by Christ’s work on the cross, Christ made peace between us and our brethren and Christ reconciled all his elect to God. Then Christ came preached peace to us making it effectual in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. How I pray Christ will preach peace to your heart now!

 

Ephesians 2: 12: That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 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;

 

Christ comes to his redeemed child and declares the peace he made for us through his blood. He declares in the heart of his child, “I have made peace through the blood of my cross, reconciling my elect unto myself.” (Col 1: 20) As Mediator between God and his people, Christ made peace. He reconciled all his people unto himself. He did so through the blood of his cross. The cross is Christ magnifying and honoring of God’s law.  The first Adam transgressed God’s law, plunging all his seed into sin; the last Adam, magnified and honored God’s law, saving his people from our sins.

 

Christ declares in our hearts how he made peace by giving himself to take our place.  He took our sin—to give us his righteousness, “He made him sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Cor 5: 21)  By dying the second death—that living death—upon the tree, he paid the wages of sin his elect owed. He made full satisfaction to God’s justice on behalf of all his people.

 

Christ speaks effectually, he says, “My child, when I died under the law, your old man of sin, really and truly, died!” “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” (Rom 6: 6-7)

 

He speaks to his child, saying, “When I was raised, your new man, really and truly was raised and sat down at God’s right hand in me.” “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…now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.” (Rom 7: 4, 6) Christ speaks personally to his child, saying, “I blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against you, which was contrary to you, and took it out of the way, nailing it to my cross;” (Col 2: 14)

 

If there is to be fruit on our lips then our Redeemer has to create in us a new heart because Christ said out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. By Christ preaching peace to us, the Word enters in, the Spirit enters in, and he creates a new man within, “Christ in you the hope of glory.” (Col 1: 27) By his inward work, a new man is born of incorruptible seed and the conscience purged from dead works to serve the living God. We really hear Christ begin speaking, “Be ye reconciled to God, be ye reconciled to God!” (2 Cor 5: 20)

 

THE FRUIT ON OUR LIPS

 

Thereby, Christ creates fruit on our lips.  What is this fruit on our lips.

 

First, the fruit of a contrite and broken heart—truthfulness—in whose spirit is no guile.  When Christ the Truth enters, he makes us speak the truth that God is righteous and holy and the truth that we are sinners. Christ fills our lips with a plea for forgiveness, for acceptance with God. Christ says to us, “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)

 

Isaiah is an example. He said, “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up,…” (Is 6: 1) The fruit Christ produced on his lips was that Isaiah cried out, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” (Is 6:5)

 

The publican is another example. He saw his sinfulness in light of Christ. The fruit Christ produced on his lips, was to make him cry out, “God, be merciful to me the sinner.” (Lu 18: 3)

 

God is pleased with this fruit. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, o God, thou wilt not despise.” (Ps 51: 16); “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” (Ps 34: 18)

 

When Christ has brought us to cry out in faith, Christ speaks effectually, in our hearts, “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.” (Is 43: 1) Christ says, “My peace I give unto you” (Joh 14:27 ) “In me ye shall have peace..” Isaiah said, “He laid [a live coal from off the altar] upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” (Isa 6:7) Christ said, “[The publican] went down to his house justified!” (Lu 18: 4)

 

The sure effect is peace in our hearts and in God’s presence, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5: 1) Peace means completeness and soundness, safety and contentment, friendship with God in everlasting covenant of peace, no more warring against God. As the Lord says in our text, “I will heal them.”

 

Sinner, has God created in you a broken and contrite heart? If so, cease from your sacrifices; turn to God with words; confess your sin! Ask God to forgive you, for Christ’s sake! He shall! “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Rom 10: 10)

 

Also, one more kind of fruit is created when God has given us faith in Christ and declared us righteous in Christ. The fruit he creates on our lips is praise and thanksgiving to God, “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) “My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes” (Ps 119:171; 63: 5; 51: 15); “My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.” (Ps 71:23)

 

The only reason any preacher of the gospel can speak the gospel in truth is because Christ our Peace, in truth according to God’s word, created this fruit on our lips! I pray he create it in one of his lost sheep now! Look nowhere else but Christ: he is the only Peacemaker and the only Peace between God and sinners!

 

Amen!