Sermon #64                                                            Series:  Isaiah

 

          Title:       A Review, A Promise And An Invitation

          Text:       Isaiah 26:12-21

          Subject:  Isaiah’s Song Of Peace

          Date:      Tuesday Evening - December 4, 1990

          Tape #

 

          Introduction: 

 

          The nation of Israel was a type and picture of the church of God.  And the history of that nation, as it is recorded upon the pages of Old Testament Scripture, was highly symbolic and representative of the things experienced by God’s church in this world.  Their physical struggles were pictures of our spiritual struggles.  Indeed, the true Israel, the Israel of God, is the church of God.  Everything spoken to, experienced by and done for the nation of Israel has application to us.

 

1.   As Israel was a great nation, sprung from the seed of Abraham, so the church is a great nation sprung from Christ, the seed of Abraham.

2.   As Israel was the beneficiary of a covenant made by God with one man, so the church is the beneficiary of the covenant God made with Christ before the world began.

3.   As Israel was held bondage in Egypt for 400 years, so we were once held in bondage to sin, satan and the law of God.

4.   As Israel was delivered from Egyptian bondage by the blood of the lamb and the power of God, so we have been delivered from our bondage of nature by the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, and by the power of God the Holy Spirit.

5.   As Israel had many struggles with many enemies before she entered into the land of promise, so God’s saints in this world have many struggles with the world, the flesh and the devil.

6.   As Israel was at last brought across Jordan and delivered into the land of Canaan by Joshua, so the whole church of God, shall, in the last day, be delivered into heavenly glory by our great Joshua, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

          Isaiah 26 is a song of praise to God for all that he had done for Israel and Judah.  But the song looks beyond that physical nation, her physical troubles and her physical deliverances.  This is a song that Isaiah said would be sung in this gospel day.  Those physical representations have reference then to us today, the church of God.

 

·        The first part of this song is a declaration of Security and Peace (1-4).

·        The second part is an encouragement to Faith and Confidence (5-11).

·        The last part is a celebration of God’s wonderful works (12-21).

 

Tonight, I want us to look at verses 12-21.  The title of my message is: A Review, A Promise And An Invitation.  In verses 19-20 the church is encouraging herself with the words of Christ.  And in verse 21 the church again speaks to the praise of God and for the encouragement of faith.

 

          Look at verse 12 - “Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.”

 

          Whatever trouble we may experience on this earth, believers may comfort themselves with this fact, God will ordain peace for us in the end.  Every creature and every event, every experience and every thing that comes to pass in the lives of God’s elect he will make to work for our peace.  Even those things that seem to be altogether against us, he will cause to work for us, for our everlasting peace.

 

          “Thou hast wrought all our works in us.”  We are all debtors to the grace of God.  We are not what we should be.  We are not what we want to be.  We are not what we shall be.  But, blessed be God, we are not what we once were.  And we are what we are by the grace of God.  Whatever good work may be wrought by us, it is the result of God’s good work of grace wrought in us.  Being acted upon, we act.  “For it is God which worketh in (us) both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).  Every grace that we exercise is the fruit of his Spirit and the gift of his grace (Gal. 5:22-23).

 

Divisions:  The remaining verses of this song are an exposition, or explanation, of verse 12.  These remaining verses contain three things: 

 

1.   A Review Of Our Past (vv. 13-18).

2.   A Promise Of Grace (v. 19).

3.   An Invitation Of Mercy (vv. 20-21).

 

I.      Here is A REVIEW OF OUR PAST (vv. 13-18).

 

          Whenever we think about the history of God’s church, or the history of our individual lives there are some things we should always bear in mind.

 

A.  Remember where the Lord found us (v. 13).

 

          This is a confession of sin.  As Israel had served other gods and subjected themselves to the superstitions and customs of the heathen, they had  been under the dominion of other lords.  But now they promise that it shall be no more so of them.  The words, “by thee only will we make mention of thy name,” means we will worship no god but you.

 

          Let us remember where the Lord found us (Isa. 50:1).

 

                             Illus:  My Remembrance Room.

 

When God found us, we were serving other lords, under the dominion of the world, the flesh and the devil, walking after the course of this world, under the rule of our hearts’ lusts, and taken captive by satan at his will - Remembering where we were when God found us, let us resolve henceforth to praise his name forever and serve him.

 

                             Illus:  Baptism - To walk in the newness of life.

 

B. Remember too what the Lord has done for us by his grace (v. 14).

 

          As he destroyed Israel’s enemies who held them in bondage for so long, so he has destroyed ours - (Pharoah and Egypt in the Sea!)

 

1.   Satan has been cast out, and shall never rise again with power to hurt us.

 

                             Illus:  Bunyan’s Pilgrim and the Roaring Lion.

 

2.   Our sins have been punished, slain, removed and shall never again be remembered against us.

 

C. Always remember that salvation is of the Lord (v. 15).

 

          “Thou hast increased the nation.”  From one man, Abraham, God made a great nation.  And from one man, Christ Jesus, God has raised up a far greater nation.  And it is his work altogether - (Matt. 16:18).  The Lord adds daily to his church such as should be saved.

 

                   Note:  As Israel multiplied exceedingly  in  Egypt,  so

                              God’s   church   increases   in   the   midst   of

                              adversity   and persecution   -   Nothing     can

                              hinder the cause of Christ!

 

D. Ever remember that the object of God in all his works for us and in us is the glory of his own great name (v. 15).

 

          “Thou art glorified!”

 

          It is the glory of God to save his people.  And it is the glory of his people to glorify him.

 

E.  And remember that though we are often unfaithful to him, the Lord our God is always faithful to his own (vv. 15-18).

 

1.   As he scattered Israel among the nations that they might be forced to seek him, so he sends trouble, adversity and affliction upon us to graciously force us to seek him (15-16).

2.   When spiritual trouble comes upon us, we cannot deliver ourselves (vv. 17-18).

·        We cannot revive ourselves.

·        We cannot overcome our enemies.

·        We are helpless until God helps us - “Turn us” - “Call us” - “Wilt thou not revive thy work?”  Indeed, he will!

 

          The history of God’s church and the history of our souls is a history of grace, pure, free, sovereign, immutable grace.  Let us never forget it (Mal. 3:6).

 

II.   As we review the past we see nothing but grace.  And as we look to the future our only hope is grace - So here is A PROMISE OF GRACE - (v. 19).

 

                   The promise here is threefold:

 

A.  The spiritual resurrection of God’s elect.

 

          “Thy dead men!”  Though they are dead in sin, they are his!

 

B. The needed revival of God’s saints - (Ps. 138:7; Isa. 57:15; Hos. 6:2; 14:7).

C. The glorious resurrection of our bodies (I Thess. 4:13-18).

 

III. Here is AN INVITATION OF MERCY (vv. 20-21).

 

          As we live in this world, often in the midst of trouble, looking forward to that great day of our resurrection and glory, the Lord invites us to find refuge in him.

 

A.  He invites us to come into our chambers.

 

1.   Our chambers of distinction.

 

          “Come out from among them and be ye separate.”

 

2.   Our chambers of defense.

 

·        His Name.

 

                             Illus:  Noah -  Israel   in    Egypt   - Rahab     in

                                       Jericho.

 

3.   Our chambers of devotion.

 

          “Enter into thy closet and shut the door.”

 

B. The Lord assures us that our trouble will be over soon.

 

          “Hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.”

 

Illus:  When Athanasius was banished from Alexandria by Julian, and his friends greatly lamented his exile, he urged them to be of good cheer, saying, “It is a little cloud that will soon blow over.”

 

C. In the end our God will reckon with our enemies (v. 21).

 

1.   He will come out of his place from the mercy seat to the judgment seat.

2.   He will punish the inhabitants of the earth.

3.   The Lord will reveal all things in that day.

 

·        The Righteousness of His People.       } Ezek. 18:20

·        The Wickedness of His Enemies.     

 

          “Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou hast wrought all our works in us…Thou art glorified.”  Amen.