Sermon #55                                                            Series:  Isaiah

 

          Title:       A Nail In A Sure Place

          Text:       Isaiah 22:22-25 - Reading Isaiah 22:15-25

          Subject:  Eliakim - A Type Of Christ

          Date:      Sunday Evening - September 23, 1990

          Tape #

 

          Introduction:

 

          No man is an island.  None of us live alone.  Everything we say and do affects other people.  You and I really do affect the lives of others, for good or for evil, particularly those who in God’s providence are placed under our care and influence.  Such is the order and constitution of human society that when one man sins many suffer.

 

·        If a Father forsakes the Worship of God, He leads His Whole Family into Hell.

·        If a Husband becomes a Drunk, His Whole Family Suffers the Pain, the Shame and the Poverty of His Actions.

·        If a Man forsakes His Wife or a Wife forsakes Her Husband, the whole family suffers.

 

Wise is the man, wise is the woman, who understand the consequence of their actions upon others.  I am sure that before he died Lot wished he had stopped to consider the consequences of his actions on his family.

 

          Here in Isaiah 22 God called Judah to repentance, during the reign of Hezikiah.  But the nation had no regard for God, his word, or his prophet, because the leaders of the nation under Hezikiah were self-serving, godless men.  The treasurer over the house of Israel, Shebna was singled out by God for his sin.  Shebna was as a nail in a sure place.  But God pulled him down, destroyed him, and set up Eliakim in his place.

 

          This man, Eliakim, who was exalted in the place of Shebna, is set before us in our text as a type and picture of our Lord Jesus Christ.  When Shebna was removed, there was room for Eliakim.  And Eliakim was fastened by God as A Nail In A Sure Place.

 

Proposition:  The Lord Jesus Christ has been set up and fastened by God as A Nail In A Sure Place - Upon him we may confidently hang the weight of our immortal souls.

 

I.      First, I want you to see that ELIAKIM WAS A TYPE OF CHRIST.

 

          His name, “Eliakim,” means “my God will raise up.”  And, as he was raised up to be the ruler over the Lord’s house in the days of Hezikiah, so the Lord Jesus was raised up and exalted to be Head over all things for His Church - (John 17:1-4; Eph. 1:21-23; Phil. 2:8-11) - (Compare verse 22 with Rev. 3:7).

 

A.  The House of David is the Church and Kingdom of God.

B. Christ is the Ruler, the King, the Sovereign of His Kingdom.

C. Christ is the Only Way, the Only Door, of Access into His Kingdom.

 

·        When He opens, none can shut.

·        When He shuts, none can open.

 

D. Christ’s Throne is Glorious to His Father’s House - (v. 23).

 

          So in his exaltation, Eliakim was a type of Christ.  But there is more, much more.

 

II.   Secondly, you will notice that BEFORE ELIAKIM COULD BE SET UP SHEBNA HAD TO BE REMOVED, CUT OFF AND DESTROYED (vv. 17-21, 25).

 

          Shebna, who seemed to be fastened like A Nail In A Sure Place had to be pulled out and discarded, so that Eliakim could be put in his place.  Even so, in the experience of grace, in order for Christ to be established in the heart there must be an overthrow of somebody else.  The strong man must be bound and the devils of self-righteousness must be cast out to make room for Christ in a man’s soul (Matt. 12:28-29).

 

          Whenever Christ comes into the heart, whenever he sets up his throne in the City of Man’s soul there is a battle that takes place.  Every rival to King Jesus must be cast out.  He will share his throne with no one. 

 

A.  All personal worth, merit and righteousness must be pulled out, cast down and torn to shreds.

 

          All men by nature have some kind of righteousness.  There is no man so vile, but that he still wraps himself up in his rags of self-righteousness and comforts himself with the belief that his moral, spiritual, or religious goodness will stand him in good stead with God - Your righteousness must be torn to shreds, every stitch unraveled.  You cannot put on the robe of righteousness, until you have taken off your own.

 

                   Illus:  Adam’s Fig Leaf Apron

                              Paul’s Legal Hopes - (Phil 3).

 

1.   Your religious works - Dung!

2.   Your moral righteousness - Dung!

3.   Your charitable deeds - Dung!

 

          Christ will never go shares in the business of salvation.  As he was alone in his suffering, he will be alone in his saving.

 

B. All self-confidence must be cast down, if you would trust Christ - Free-will - Resolutions - Reformations.

 

          Some seem to have the idea that we are to trust Christ for the past, but look to ourselves for the future.  Our only hope for the future is Christ -

 

·        If I am kept Christ is the One who keeps me - (John 10:27-30).

·        If I am lost, trusting him, Christ is the one who loses me!

 

C. Having cast away all self-righteousness and self-confidence, we must continue to do so as long as we live in this world.

 

          Though in theory we recognize the evil of self-righteousness and despise it, it is always the darling idol of our sinful flesh.  With both hands, we must pull it out, cast it down, and trample it under foot.  We must look to Christ alone as our Savior.  Christ is my Savior…

 

·        Not my Faith.

·        Not my Repentance.

·        Not my Knowledge.

·        Not my Feelings.

·        Not my Faithfulness.

 

III. Thirdly, AS ELIAKIM IN THE HOUSE OF HEZIKIAH, SO CHRIST IN THE PALACE OF HEAVEN IS AS A NAIL IN A SURE PLACE.

 

          The picture here given is of a large, strong nail, fastened as a bracket, or an anchor in a wall, or a post, upon which you might with confidence hang anything.

 

C. Christ is as a nail fastened by God Himself - “I will fasten him as a nail.”

 

          Here is a nail upon which you may confidently hand the weight of your immortal soul -

 

·        Christ is the Mighty God!

·        Christ is the Mighty Redeemer!

·        Christ is the Mighty Savior!

 

1.   The gospel is the proclamation of redemption by Christ - (I Cor. 15:3).

 

          Explain Substitution.

 

 

2.   The gospel promises salvation to all who believe.

          Trust Christ alone and I tell you that, as God is true, you shall never come into condemnation.

 

B. Christ is as a nail fastened in a sure place.

 

1.   In the Covenant of Grace - “The Lamb slain.”

2.   In the Word of God - “Let God be true.”

3.   In Heaven Itself - “We have an anchor.”

 

C. All the vessels of the Father’s house hang upon this one nail, Christ alone -

 

·        The Small Cups.

·        The Great Flagons.

·        The Safety of all is the nail!

 

IV. Fourthly, AS ELIAKIM WAS THE GLORY OF HIS FATHER’S HOUSE, SO CHRIST IS ALL THE GLORY OF HIS FATHER’S HOUSE (vv. 23-24).

 

·        Christ is the Glory of the Father’s House

·        And Christ gives His Glory to all the Father’s House.

 

Application:  Do you hang your soul upon Christ alone?

 

1.   Preachers, teachers, deacons?

2.   You who hear me?