Sermon #17 Series: Isaiah

Title: What Can We Expect To See In These Last

Days?

Text: Isaiah 4:1-6

Subject: Fake and True Religion In the Last Days

Date: Sunday Evening - July 23, 1989

Tape #

Introduction:

The title of my message tonight is - What Can We Expect To See In These Last Days? Our text is the middle portion of Isaiah’s sermon concerning the last days. This sermon began in Chapter 2 and concludes in Chapter 5 verse 30. Our text tonight is Chapter 4. The subject in all four of these chapters is “the last days” (2:1-2).

· Chapter 2 - The Glory of God’s Church in the Last Days.

· Chapter 3 - God’s Providential Judgment upon the Wicked

and His Blessings upon the Righteous in the

Last Days.

· Chapter 4 - What We Can Expect to See In the Religious

World in the Last Days.

Now remember, we are living in the last days. (I John 2:18). Those who talk about the last days as being days of a tribulation period in which men will be saved by legal obedience, or a millennial age when people will be saved by being born in natural righteousness, speak in opposition to the Scriptures. The Bible nowhere speaks of a coming…

· Seven Year Tribulation.

· Thousand Year Jewish Kingdom.

· Rebuilding of the Temple, or Gathering of the Jews.

We are living in the last days. When Isaiah speaks of “the last days” and “in that day,” he is talking about the gospel age in which we live. It began with the incarnation of Christ and will end at Christ’s glorious second advent. “Then cometh the end!”

Proposition: In Isaiah 4 the Prophet of God shows us, by the Spirit of Inspiration what we can expect to see in these last days, particularly in the religious world.

Divisions: Give me your attention. Here are five things which Isaiah prophesied would come to pass in these last days. And already we see them happening. Without question, “it is the last time.”

1. The Apostacy of the World (v. 1).

2. The Exaltation of Christ (v. 2).

3. The Perserverance of an Elect Remnant (v. 3).

4. The Purging and Purifying of Christ’s Churches (v. 4).

5. The Protection and Preservation of the Church (vv. 5-6).

I. It has come to pass as Isaiah prophesied, THE WORLD HAS BEEN ENGULFED IN APOSTATE, FREE-WILL, WORKS RELIGION (v. 1).

Without question, this first verse has immediate reference to the desolation which God brought upon the Jewish nation, because of their departure from him - However , the whole passage is written for our instruction in these last days. And the instruction is of a spiritual nature.

A. These seven women represent the whole world.

Seven is the number of completion. These seven women represent the entire religious apostacy of the world - II Thess. 2:1-12; II Tim. 3:1-4).

B. The apostate religion of antichrist is free-will, works religion.

These women want nothing but the name of a man, to take away their reproach. And the religious world wants nothing but the name of Christ to soothe their consciences.

1. The religion of this world is initiated by man, not by God - Free-willism - Pacisionism - “Seven women shall take hold of one man”.

True salvation is initiated by God taking hold of man!

2. The religion of this world is a religion of works and rewards - “We will eat our own bread.”

3. The religion of this world is a religion of self-righteousness. “We will wear our own apparel.”

4. The religion of this world wants nothing from Christ but his name.

No regard for His Word - His Doctrine - His Ordinances - His Will - His Glory.

I have no desire to be contentious or offensive. But I must be faithful to God and to you. I warn you - have nothing to do with free-will, works religion, in any form - (Rev. 18:4).

· In the religion of the world, Christ is nothing but a name.

· In the church of God, Christ is all and in all - (Col. 3:11).

II. Though the world despises Christ and his gospel, IN THESE LAST DAYS THERE IS AN EVIDENT EXALTATION OF CHRIST AMONG HIS OWN PEOPLE (v. 2).

I am a student of history, especially of Church History. And I relish the works of God in the past. I love to read the old writers. I regularly read sermons by the old preachers. I have read Augustine, Luther, and Calvin, Owen, Bunyan, Watson, and Goodwin, Edward, Whitefield, Gill , and Spurgeon. But I am going to tell you something, I have never read better sermons than I have heard preached in my life-time.

There has never been such a day of spiritual darkness as this - but there has never been such a day of spiritual light as this. Christ has never been more beautiful and glorious than he is in the gospel we preach in this day.

A. Christ is called “The Branch of the Lord.”

· His Divine Origin.

· His Humiliation.

· His Davidic Ancestry.

B. Christ is beautiful in His glorious person.

· God-man.

· Savior - Prophet - Priest - King.

C. Christ is glorious in His saving power.

· His Satisfaction.

· His Sovereignty.

· His Salvation

D. Christ, the fruit of the earth, being raised from the dead, is excellent and comely to His elect.

“Unto you, therefore, which believe He is precious!” The more men revile him, the more we adore him. The more others mar the beauty of the gospel, the more clearly we must preach the gospel. The more others detract from his glory, the more we must exalt his glory.

III. Though many apostates abound, departing from the faith (I John 2:19) THERE IS AN ELECT REMNANT WHO SHALL PERSEVERE, STEADFAST AND IMMOVABLE, IN THE MIDST OF WHOLESALE APOSTACY (v. 3).

“The righteous shall hold on his way.” These to whom Christ appears beautiful will not forsake him. Blessed be God, there is a remnant according to the election of grace!

A. God’s elect shall remain steadfast in the truths of the gospel.

B. They shall be called holy.

· Holy by Imputation.

· Holy by Regeneration.

· Holy in Conversation.

C. Our security is our election.

Who shall persevere to the end?” Even everyone that is written among the living in Jerusalem” - (See Rev. 13:8; 17:8).

IV. In these last days, we can expect to see THE PURGING AND PURIFICATION OF CHRIST CHURCHES BY THE GOSPEL (v. 4).

This verse might be interpreted as a prophesy of our redemption by Christ. He has washed away our sins by his precious blood’s atonement. But both Gill and Matthew Henry say that “the daughters of Zion” are individual local churches. I think they are right.

The Lord Jesus purges his church by the preaching of the gospel, separating the wheat from the tares.

A. He washes away the filth of false doctrine and false worship by the pure preaching of the gospel.

B. He purges oppressors from our midst by the same means.

· “The Spirit of Judgment” - is wisdom, justice, and truth.

· “The Spirit of Burning” - is zeal for the glory of God.

The fire of God’s word will burn up the wood, hay, and stubble of falsehood within the church of God.

Note: This purging is God’s work, not ours!

V. In these last days of wholesale religious apostacy, we can expect to see THE CONTINUED PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION OF GOD’S CHURCH (vv. 5-6) - (See Matt. 16:18).

· He shall be a cloud to protect us from the heat of persecution.

· The Lord shall be a flaming light to guide us in the midst of darkness.

· The glory of God shall be our defense.

· The Lord himself shall be a tabernacle, a refuge, and a covert for sinners to flee for refuge to him.

Application: II Timothy 1:13-14

“Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken!”