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Home , Isaiah 51

Congregational handout; outline sermon text on following pages C. Everlasting Righteousness and Salvation of God ...... 51:4-8 Sermon Notes & References 1. This world is temporary E “for They Shall Be Filled” a. in its being (6a) 51:1-11 October 23, 2011 A. Introduction b. in its opposition to God (7b-8a) 1. Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes A

2. God’s saving work is eternal F 2. What difficult words to follow! B a. in its being (6b, 8b)

3. Scripture reading – Isaiah 51:1-11 b. in its Source (4b-5a)

4. A side-trip on ‘journaling’ c. in its benefit to God’s people (4a, 5b, 7)

B. A Heritage of Grace...... 51:1-3 D. There WILL be Gladness and Joy ...... 51:9-11 1. Description of those being addressed (1) C 1. again, a history lesson (9-10) G

2. A history that matters (2) D 2. a joyful song of salvation received (11)

3. Blessings that follow (3) E. Conclusion – why we preach the gospel H

A -7, Colossians 1:13-14, Matthew 5:6 E 2 Peter 3:10, Matthew 5:11 B Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18 F Jeremiah 31:33, Ezekiel 36:25-27) C Deuteronomy 4:29, Jeremiah 29:13, Psalm 24:1-6 G Romans 8:32 D Hebrews 11:12 H Colossians 1:26-27, 2 Corinthians 1:20 —{1}. Isaiah 51:1-11 ...... for They Shall Be Filled

A. Introduction 1. in our Sunday morning adult class a. we have been reviewing the Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew 5-7 b. this has been called by some, ‘’ Manifesto of the Kingdom,’ the statement of what makes His kingdom different from the kingdoms of the world c. and what should distinguish citizens of His kingdom from all others, that they should indeed live as those whom Paul describes in Colossians 1:13-14, ‘For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.’ d. now, there seems to be a strong relationship between the beatitudes that begin that sermon and the words of our text today e. for one of those beatitudes is this: ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.’ (Matthew 5:6), or as we have reflected in our title, from the AV, ‘… for they shall be filled’ because today’s text is concerned with the fulfilment of righteousness

2. as a Christian reads that Sermon on the Mount, a. the Holy Spirit should make them extremely conscious of how far short he or she falls of Jesus’ standards for the citizens of His kingdom b. the rabbis divided the law into 248 commandments and 365 prohibitions – a set of rules whereby they supposed a person could gain favour with God – and the lawyers were there to find loopholes whereby the could claim adherence to those rules while thwarting the Law’s purpose c. but whenever Jesus Christ (or, the NT for that matter) sums up the teaching of the Torah – the Instruction or the Law – He does not do so with rules, but with two verses that are found within the books of Moses (A) ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.’ (Deuteronomy 6:5), and (B) ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself; I am the Lord.’ (Leviticus 19:18) d. and these are not rules beside which you can put a check mark at the end of the day and say with satisfaction, ‘Did that one!’ e. so Christians can be defined as those who earnestly desire that the justifying and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit be carried out in their lives so that in practical terms God’s will be done in them and the image of Jesus Christ be seen in them f. today’s text is to encourage those having this desire

3. Read Isaiah 51:1-11

4. a short side-trip a. twice in these verses there is some reference back to the history of God’s people (A) in the first instance, it is God, reminding His people of their humble origins and his fulfilment of His promises (B) in the second, it is the or people in prayer, speaking of what God had done in the past for His people (C) and in both cases, there follows a note of assurance, that God is still the same and He can help them in their current situation b. in a few weeks, I expect to receive and to hand out some day planners, enough for each person here (A) there are suggested Scripture readings for each day as well as a verse to meditate upon (B) and while they can be used as normal day planners, they are also valuable as prayer journals – to keep a record of specific prayer items and then look back to see how God has fulfilled them (I have trouble with the self-discipline involved in this; that doesn’t make it less worthwhile!) (C) as you look back on God’s answers to prayer, what an encouragement it gives to use in our current difficulty

B. A Heritage of Grace ...... 51:1-3 1. V. 1: Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, Who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn And to the quarry from which you were dug. a. in the preceding verses, in chapter 50, the prophet addresses two groups (A) those that fear the Lord, those who listen to the voice of the Servant of the Lord, to Messiah, to Christ; encouraging them to continue to trust (B) and those that depend upon themselves; warning them of coming punishment b. in this verse it is the first group that God addresses, those who are identified in two ways (A) they are those who pursue righteousness (1) they are people who are concerned about right and wrong and their desire is for the right; for justice; for equity (2) they are the people of the beatitude, ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness’ (3) but it is not a self-righteousness that they seek – having a zeal but not according to knowledge – but of these we find next that (B) they are those who seek the Lord (1) Deuteronomy 4:29 gives a promise to God’s people when they are away from Himself, ‘But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.’ (2) a promise repeated by the prophet Jeremiah 29:13, ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.’ (3) a seeking that brings righteousness from God, Psalm 24:5-6, ‘He shall receive a blessing from the Lord And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face— even . Selah.’ – such a generation, such a circle of people is the true of God – and they are now told to look back to their origin c. the command to look to the rock and to the quarry immediately raises a question (A) where are they to look? where were they dug up? (B) or, expressed otherwise – what is their origin?

2. V. 2: Look to your father And to who gave birth to you in pain; When he was but one I called him, Then I blessed him and multiplied him. a. all the way back to Abraham and Sarah – and with a painful reminder b. Abraham was but one; he was alone, alone in the sense that he had no child; no heir to carry on and benefit from his possessions c. and Abraham was old and the likelihood of children small; as Hebrews 11:12 expresses it, he ‘was as good as dead at that’ d. how painful this was to Sarah – you know her grief that caused her to give her maid Hagar to Abraham as a wife to bear a child; and then her grief as that did not turn out the way she had planned – both Abraham and Sarah showed more than one a failure to trust in God e. there are a number of words used in the OT of a mother bearing a child: the one here means to writhe or dance, emphasising the pain involved f. but God was gracious: the promise He gave to them was carried out and Isaac was born and from him a great nation – Israel; that is history, so

3. V. 3: Indeed, the Lord will comfort ; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in her, Thanksgiving and sound of a melody. a. the current situation may look hard – there is : prophetically they are already in the land of and the land of Judea is deserted b. but as surely as God brought Isaac and Israel into the world as His people, so surely will he restore them from Babylon; they are heirs of God’s grace c. Israel today considers that in some measure it has fulfilled this prophecy by its irrigation program; but as Greg Reader related to us as he presented his slides from the Holy Land, already the water levels are going down, the Dead Sea subsiding; and in the natural Israel we do not find the joy here described d. so where is this ‘joy and gladness,’ this ‘thanksgiving and sound of a melody’? ... not in this world and its kingdoms, but in the

C. Everlasting Righteousness and Salvation of God ...... 51:4-8 1. How short-lived things are! a. one of our hymns has these lines When ends life’s transient dream, When death’s cold sullen stream Shall o’er me roll, —{2}. b. so, just to get our perspective right, the transience of this world is described in verse 6a: ‘Lift up your eyes to the sky, Then look to the earth beneath; For the sky will vanish like smoke, And the earth will wear out like a garment And its inhabitants will die in like manner; …’ (A) Old Bloomington seems to lie in the fog capital of York region; often if I have to go out early in the morning, there is a thick, dewy mist around our place but after going only a mile or two, it has completely disappeared; and even at home, the sun strengthens and the cloud of fog goes (B) or have you ever watched a cloud or jet trail on a sunny day; in a few moments a piece will separate from the rest and vanish (C) this is the fate of this earth; 2 Peter 3:10, ‘But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.’ c. the earth is but passing, but so are the spiritual enemies of God’s people, verse 7b-8a, ‘… Do not fear the reproach of man, Nor be dismayed at their revilings. "For the moth will eat them like a garment, And the grub will eat them like wool. …’ (A) ‘Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.’ (Matthew 5:11) – Jesus said that it had always been that way; BUT … it is not always going to be that way (B) the enemies of God and His people are but a moth-eaten bit of clothing; a ball of wool eaten by bugs!

2. But God’s Righteousness and Salvation is Forever a. let me just pick out a few lines describing this in these verses (A) verse 6b: ‘… But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not wane.’ (B) verse 8b: ‘… But My righteousness will be forever, And My salvation to all generations.’ b. they are eternal because they come from the Eternal One, verse 4b-5a, ‘… For a law will go forth from Me, And I will set My justice for a light of the peoples. “"My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, And My arms will judge the peoples;…’ c. and God has taken steps that His people should benefit (A) in verse 4a we are called upon to ‘Pay attention to Me, O My people, And give ear to Me, O My nation;…’ (B) and there are people who are waiting to hear this message, a message of power for the world around, verse 5b, ‘… And My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait for Me, And for My arm they will wait expectantly.’ – God’s arm will bring the justice that this world is lacking (C) it is for those described in verse 7: ‘Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, A people in whose heart is My law; …’ d. for these verses are addressed to those who have experienced what Jeremiah and Ezekiel promised … (A) ‘But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’ (Jeremiah 31:33) (B) ‘Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.’ (Ezekiel 36:25-27) e. that is who these people are who pursue after righteousness and seek the Lord

D. There WILL Be Gladness and Joy ...... Isaiah 51:9-11 1. again a history lesson, verses 9-10, ‘Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; Awake as in the days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not You who cut in pieces, Who pierced the dragon? Was it not You who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; Who made the depths of the sea a pathway For the redeemed to cross over?’ a. the great redemptive act of God for the people of Israel was always how He brought them out of the slavery in b. ‘Rahab’ and ‘the dragon, or monster’ were poetical terms for Egypt with it great power and fierce cruelty c. what God did then, the plagues defeating one by one the idol gods of the Egyptians, He can do again for Judah in Babylon d. the great redemptive act of God for His people is the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ on the cross e. the cross is a symbol of the curse of sin; and Christ bore it all f. ‘He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?’ (Romans 8:32 NAS95) – is that not all the assurance we need?

2. we sang that verse 11 before – let’s see if we have it memorised to sing it again: ‘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.’ (Isaiah 51:11 AV)

E. Conclusion – 1. it is for this reason that we preach the gospel, ‘... the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ (Colossians 1:26-27). That is the Gospel, the word of God. That is how those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled

2. God has promised it in Christ; ‘For as many as are the promises of God, in Him ©that is, in Jesus Christª they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.’ (2 Corinthians 1:20) and you can trust Him! 1. © 2011 by Garth Hutchinson, Faith Fellowship Baptist Church of Aurora (Ontario): may be distributed or quoted freely, only let this be done to the glory “of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

Except as noted otherwise, quotations are from the New American Standard version, used by permission. Various other English versions of the Holy Bible may be used in this sermon. Explanatory additions to the Bible text are shown in {braces}. Versions are identified as:

ASV American Standard Version of 1901 AV Authorized (King James) Version ERV The Revised Version of 1885 NAS New American Standard version © 1960, 1995 The Lockman Foundation (usually the 1995 edition) NIV New International Version © 1984 by the International Bible Society NKJV New King James Version © 1979 Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers NLT 1996 New Living Translation © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust NRSV New Revised Standard Version © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U. S. A. PHIL New Testament Translation © 1972 by J. B. Phillips RSV Revised Standard Version © 1946, 1952 by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U. S. A. WEY The New Testament in Modern Speech © 1902, 1912 R. F. Weymouth

Some of my favourite commentaries and resources used in the preparation of this message are identified as follow:

BM – Biblical Museum, Editor James Comper Gray, ca 1870 EBC – The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, © 1986 Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 49530, Michigan Volume 6, Isaiah, by Geoffrey W. Grogan, Principal, Bible Training Institute, Glasgow, Scotland; EJY – The by Edward J. Young; © 1965; Wm. B. Eerdmans K&D – Commentary on the , by Keil & Delitzsch; Volume 7, Isaiah, by Franz Delitzsch Kerux – The sermon and illustration data base compiled by Rev. Holwick to be found at the web-site, www.holwick.com. 2. ‘My Faith Looks Up to Thee’ by Ray Palmer (1808-1897)