Sermon # 7 Series: Isaiah

Title: Two Things God Will Do

Text: Isaiah 1:21-31

Subject: Wrath and Mercy

Date: Sunday Evening - April 23, 1989

Tape #

Introduction:

Here are Two Things God Will Do: God will execute wrath upon his enemies, and he will exercise mercy toward his elect. God will be just and he will be gracious. Judgment is God’s strange work (Isa. 28:21); but it is his work. God must and will punish sin. But, he will be gracious. He delights in mercy (Micah 7:18-20). I have heard many say, ‘God may be merciful, but he has to be just.” That is not true. God must be just, because justice is the attribute of his being. If he were not just, he would not be God. Justice is essential to divinity. But God must be merciful too. Mercy is as much the attribute of his being as justice. If he were not merciful, he would not be God. Mercy is essential to divinity. Justice and mercy are both essential to God’s being (Ex. 34:5-7). And he will exercise both.

Proposition: God will execute judgment upon the wicked and exercise mercy toward his elect.

Divisions: In our text we see both. Isaiah, as God’s spokesman, has promised mercy to every sinner who comes to God seeking mercy. God will bestow mercy upon sinners for Christ’s sake. And he has threatened wrath upon stubborn, rebellious, self-righteous men and women who refuse to acknowledge their guilt and seek mercy in Christ. In our text this evening we see how and why God executes wrath upon his enemies and exercises mercy toward his elect. Here the prophet of God declares:

1. The Wrath of God Against Apostate Religion (vv. 21-24).

2. The Faithfulness of God Toward His Elect Remnant (v. 25).

3. The Method of God’s Gracious Operations (vv. 26-30).

4. The Basis of God’s Everlasting Wrath (v. 31).

I. First, Isaiah shows us THE WRATH OF GOD AGAINST APOSTATE RELIGION (vv. 21-24).

There is no question about the historic significance of these verses. In Isaiah’s day, Jerusalem, which had been faithful in the worship of God since the days of David, had fallen into spiritual adultery. They retained the ceremonies, sacrifices, and laws of outward worship prescribed by God. But they mingled the worship of God with the worship of idols. They departed from the worship of God, though they pretended to honor his name. The faithful city had become a spiritual harlot.

Prophetically, this passage of scripture refers to the age in which we live. When our Lord Jesus Christ walked upon this earth, Judaism was spiritually bankrupt. The Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees had so corrupted the word of God and the ordinances of worship that our Lord called that generation a wicked and adulterous generation (Matt. 12:39; 15:9).

The Scribes were the intellectuals, the Pharisees were the fundamentalists, and the Sadducees were the liberals of the church in those days. They had their differences. Like the professed church today, the intellectuals, the fundamentalists, and the liberals fought like cats and dogs. But they all believed the same thing essentially. They all believed in salvation by man. They had all departed from the faith. They were all apostate teachers of free-will, works religion. When our Lord came preaching substitutionary atonement and free grace, they all joined together to reject him, crucify him, and rid the world of his disciples.

Because the Jews despised God’s truth, despised his Son, and despised his grace, God destroyed the Jewish nation, forsook the Jews in their religious darkness and superstition, and sought out a people for his honor from among the Gentiles (Matt. 23:37-38; Rom. 11:20-23).

A. There are three things to be learned from the history of apostate Israel.

1. God’s judgment fell upon Israel because of their willful, deliberate unbelief (Rom. 11:20).

2. Israel’s unbelief did not frustrate the purpose of God (Rom. 3:3; 11:25-26).

3. Any who forsake the word and worship of God will be, like Israel, forsaken and destroyed by God (II Pet. 2:20-22).

Note: No true believer can forsake God, and none shall be forsaken of God (Jer. 32:38-40). But many who walk in the path of truth for awhile do depart from it. And those who depart from the word and worship of the living God shall be marked by God for everlasting destruction.

B. Isaiah shows us four characteristics of apostate religion (vv. 21-24).

These four things always characterize apostate religious systems. In every age false religion is the same. It wears many names. It comes in many forms. But it always has these four characteristics.

1. Apostate religion has its origin in true religion (v. 21).

Cain learned how to worship God just like his brother, Abel, from their father Adam. The difference between the two is that Cain rebelled against the gospel and Abel bowed to it. Cain perverted the gospel and Abel preserved it. Cain became an apostate. Abel died in faith.

All the various forms of free-will, works religion which parade through the earth in the name of Christ are varying degrees of apostasy from the gospel of Christ (II Thess. 2:1-12).

Illustration: Papacy

Campbellism

Southern Baptist Seminary

Jerusalem was once a faithful city. But she became a harlot! She once produced just and righteous men. But when she forsook God, she brought forth murderers!

2. Apostate religion always retains a measure of truth - It is always a deadly mixture of truth and error (v. 22).

“The word of God which is as silver purified seven times was now corrupted with false glasses and human traditions, which were as dross” - John Gill

The wine of gospel doctrine is mixed with the water of free will. Dross shines like silver. But it is worthless. And wine mixed with water still looks like wine. But it is useless.

No false prophet comes, saying, “I hate the grace of God, the blood of Christ, and the work of the Spirit.” But they mix grace of God with the works of men, the blood of Christ with the merit of men, and the work of the Spirit with the will of man. And the result of this mixture is a damning false doctrine (Gal. 1:6-9).

3. The preachers and religious leaders of apostate religion are selfish, self-serving thieves (v. 23).

They talk about the glory of God, the will of God, and the souls of men. But they are motivated by greed, ruled by ambition, and driven by the rewards of money, power, and success (Jer. 5:30-31; 6:10, 13, 14).

4. Apostate religion is always the object of God’s most fierce anger and wrath (v. 24).

Judgment is God’s strange work. Throughout the scriptures, we see God as one who is slow to anger and has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. But here he speaks of comforting himself, easing himself by the destruction of those who have perverted the truth.

a. Free-will, works religion is and adversary and an enemy

to God.

· It robs him of the glory of his grace.

· It destroys the souls of men.

b. And God is the adversary and enemy of free-will works religion.

c. God will, at his own appointed time, rid the world of all antichrist religion.

Note: But, in wrath, God will remember mercy. He will not allow his elect remnant to be destroyed by the religion of antichrist (II Thess. 2:13-14).

II. Secondly, Isaiah declares THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD TOWARD HIS ELECT REMNANT (v. 25).

God will intervene to save his elect. There is a remnant, sealed and preserved by God, whom he will save. Look at what God promises to do for his elect.

A. “I will turn my hand upon thee.”

He promised wrath to his enemies. But he turns his hand of grace, almighty, effectual, irresistible grace upon his elect, to save them (Zech. 13:7). When God sets out to save a sinner, he turns his hand upon that chosen one to retrieve him from the fall - His hand never fails to accomplish his purpose.

B. “I will purely purge away thy dross.”

This he does by the precious blood of Christ. By sacrificing his Son in our place, he has purged away all the dross of sin from his people.

1. Christ put our sins away when he died (Heb. 9:26).

2. The blood of Christ purges the conscience of guilt in conversion (Heb. 9:14).

3. And our God will purge all sin from us in the resurrection.

C. “I will take away all thy sin.”

That is to say, “I will take away all your self-righteousness.” In conversion, God graciously strips his elect of self-righteousness, that he may clothe us in the righteousness of Christ.

Illustration: (Philippians 3:6-9)

God says, “I will” - not, “I want to,” or “I will try,” or “I will if you will let me.” He says, “I will!” And blessed be his name, He will! I love God’s “shalls” and “wills.” When God turns his hand to save, he accomplishes his purpose. And he tells how he does it.

III. Thirdly, we see THE METHOD OF GOD’S GRACIOUS OPERATIONS (vv. 26-30).

We would not, must not, and cannot limit God. He is infinite, sovereign, and glorious. He always does what he will, when he will, with whom he will, in the way he will. But here the Lord graciously tells us how he will save his elect. God is talking about his work of restoration and revival. When God turns to revive his church it is for the salvation of his elect and the glory of his name. Here he promises three things. This the method of God’s gracious operations.

A. When God turns to save his elect He restores faithful pastors and preachers to His church (v. 26).

When God delivered Israel from Egypt, he raised up Moses. When he delivered his elect from the bondage of apostate Judaism, he raised up Peter, James, John, and the rest of the apostles. When he stretched forth his hand to the Gentiles, he raised up Paul. When he would deliver his elect from the superstition and darkness of papacy, he raised up Luther, Calvin, and Knox. When he would deliver his church from dead, dry, ceremonial protestantism, he raised up Gill, Toplady, Whitfield, and Edwards.

This is what I am saying - The first token of God’s gracious work in his church in any age is the restoration of faithful preachers to her pulpits (Jer. 3:15).

When God sends John the Baptist to town, you can mark it down, King Jesus will soon make a visit!

1. God’s preachers are judges in Zion, who discern and declare the truth, without consideration of cost or consequence.

2. God’s servants are counselors, who direct sinners to the way of life.

3. Whenever God restores faithfulness to the pulpit, he will restore righteousness and faithfulness in his church.

Note: Churches are the reflection of pastors!

B. God will redeem His elect (vv. 27-28).

Redemption is a big word. It means “to purchase,” “to deliver,” “to free.” And God will fully redeem Zion, his elect church.

Note: “Zion” is the church of God - “Her converts” are those who were born into her by God’s almighty grace, being returned to her from the four corners of the earth.

1. God has redeemed his elect by righteousness and judgment through the obedience of Christ (Rom. 3:24-26).

2. God redeems his elect from the bondage of sin and the power of satan by his irresistible grace in regeneration.

3. And our redemption will be complete in the last day, when the ungodly and those who have forsaken the Lord are consumed in his wrath (Ps. 104:34-35; II Thess. 2:8; Rev. 18:4-8; 19:1-6).

Note: Our redemption will not be complete until sin, satan, antichrist, false religion, and every enemy to God’s glorious throne is destroyed.

C. When God turns His hand in mercy, His elect shall be converted by His almighty grace (vv. 29-30).

Conversion is God’s work. He causes his people to turn from their idols to serve the living God (I Thess. 1:9).

Conversion is a painful, but necessary turning of the heart from idolatry to the living God, from self to Christ, and from self-righteousness to the righteousness of God in Christ. When God reveals himself to a man in Christ, in saving grace, this is what he does -

1. He will cause you to be ashamed of your idolatrous religion - “The oaks which ye have desired” (Jer. 2:20; 3:6).

2. He will cause you to see the foolishness of your free-will, works of religion, and meaningless ceremonies - The gardens ye have chosen” (Isa. 66:16-18).

3. He will cause your righteousness to fade away and all the comfort of your self-righteous works to disappear.

4. And when you have nothing to offer God, you will turn to him for mercy and grace in Christ - You will turn to him, because he said, “I will tun my hand upon thee.”

IV. In the last place, the prophet shows us THE BASIS OF GOD’S EVERLASTING WRATH (V. 31).

God will make those who are strong in their own eyes to be like a wick dipped in fuel, and their works of self-righteousness shall be the spark to ignite the flames of hell.

If you go to hell, it will not be because you are too wicked to be saved. It will be because -

· You will not acknowledge your sin - (I John 1:9).

· You will not give up your own righteousness - Rom 9:31; 10:4).

Illustration: Strait Gate - Narrow Way.

· You despise the gospel of God’s free grace in Christ - (Pro. 1:23-33).

Application: The Artist and the Beggar