Sermon #77 Series: Isaiah

Title: When The Gospel Comes In Power…

Text: Isaiah 29:17, 18, 19, 24

Subject: The Day Of Grace

Date: Sunday Evening - June 2, 1991

Tape #

Introduction:

Paul speaks of the gospel coming to men and women. But then he speaks of the gospel coming unto men and women not in word only, “but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance” - (I Thess. 1:5). And there is a difference, a great difference. When the gospel comes in power, God speaks. When the gospel comes in power, conviction is wrought in the heart. When the gospel comes in power, Christ is revealed. When the gospel comes in power, life is given to dead sinners, faith is given to those who had no faith, and God is glorified in the hearts of men. When the gospel comes in power, the saints of God are comforted, reproved, encouraged, rebuked, humbled and edified. Oh, how I pray that, as I preach to you this hour, the gospel will come to you in the life-giving power of God the Holy Spirit!

This the title of my message to you tonight - When The Gospel Comes In Power…In Isaiah 29:17-24, the prophet of God is speaking of this gospel age. He is describing the day of grace, when the gospel comes in power to God’s elect - “In that day!”

Here are five blessed, glorious facts, most plainly revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures. Be sure you understand them.

1. There are some men and women in this world whom God has chosen to salvation from eternity, who must be saved (I Thess. 2:13).

2. The Lord Jesus Christ has made atonement for the sins of God’s elect and redeemed them from the curse of the law by this own precious blood (Gal. 3:13).

· Particular Redemption (Isa. 53:8; John 10:11) - Substitution!

· Effectual Redemption (Heb. 9:12; Eph. 1:6) - Satisfaction!

3. All of God’s elect, having been redeemed by the blood of Christ, shall be called from death to life by the Holy Spirit (Gal. 3:13-14) - (Ps. 65:40).

· Eternal Life is the Gift of God.

· Faith in Christ is the Gift of God.

· Repentance is the Gift of God.

4. The means by which God’s elect are born again, called and given faith in Christ is the preaching of the gospel (Rom. 10:17; Heb. 4:12; James1:18; I Pet. 1:23-25).

5. And there is a day appointed by God in which he will call each of his elect to life and faith in Christ by the gospel (Ezek. 16:6-8; Ps. 110:3).

God will see to it that the sinner whom he has chosen, whom his Son has redeemed, will be in the place he has ordained, with his heart prepared to receive the gospel at the appointed time. And he will send his Word to that sinner by a preacher in the irresistible power and grace of his Spirit.

Illus: Onesimus.

You can mark this down - If you are God’s he is going to get you. There is a time, beyond which you cannot escape, a place beyond which you cannot go, when God will cross your path, meet you in mercy, and arrest your soul! There is a day appointed when the gospel will come to you in power! Perhaps this is that day! Let me describe it for you in the words of the prophet Isaiah.

Read verse 17 - “Is it not a very little while” - Time means nothing to the eternal God. Though the coming of Christ was yet hundreds of years away, God says, “It is a very little while.” With him a thousand years are one day. The day of grace will come to his elect in a very little while. If you are converted when you are 16, or if you are converted when you are 86, it is a very little while to God!

Ilus: Mr. Jones

“And Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field.” Lebanon here represents the Gentile world, which was like a great forest, uncultivated, full of unfruitful trees. But God had ordained from eternity that the gospel should go out to the Gentiles for the saving of his elect among them. Through the preaching of the gospel he dug around and manured these unfruitful, Gentile trees. The Gentiles became God’s husbandry, his fruitful field, abounding with fruit to his praise.

“And the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest.” For more than 2,000 years Israel had been God’s fruitful field. They alone had the Word and ordinances of God. And God multiplied them from being the least of all to bring the greatest of all people. But through their rejection of Christ and his gospel, they became a barren, unfruitful, dark forest (Matt. 21:42-43; Rom. 9:20-21).

Now in the following verses Isaiah tells us six things that will happen when the gospel comes in power.

I. AND IN THAT DAY SHALL THE DEAF HEAR THE WORDS OF THE BOOK (v. 18).

All men by nature, being dead in trespasses and in sins, are deaf to the Word of God. They cannot hear, with understanding, the gospel of the grace of God - (vv. 9-12). But when the gospel comes with power, God gives the deaf a hearing ear - “Blessed are your ears, because they hear!” The preaching lip, the hearing ear and the believing heart are gifts of God.

When God calls sinners…

· He gives them a hearing ear.

· He causes them to hear and understand the gospel.

· He gives the faith in Christ.

A. There is a general call (Matt. 11:28-30).

B. And there is an effectual call.

· Peter and Andrew (Matt. 4:19).

· James and John (Mk. 1:20).

· Zachaeus (Luke 19:5).

· Lydia (Acts 16:14).

II. AND THE EYES OF THE BLIND SHALL SEE OUT OF OBSCURITY AND OUT OF DARKNESS (v. 18).

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me!

Once I was lost, but now am found!

Once I was blind, but now I see!

All of us by nature are lost, blind in darkness and obscurity. The light that is in us by nature is darkness. And how great that darkness is - (I Cor. 2:14). But in that day, when God calls, he causes the light to shine in your heart. He makes you see (II Cor. 4:6).

· Your sin and misery.

· Your lost and dangerous condition.

· The way of life and salvation by Christ.

· The great and glorious truths and promises of the gospel.

· The glory of God in Christ - Redemption!

Note: When God teaches, he teaches (John 6:44-45) - But you are born of God, you cannot see (John 3:3, 5).

III. THE MEEK ALSO SHALL INCREASE THEIR JOY IN THE LORD (v. 19).

Our Lord said, “Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.” Meekness is the fruit of the Spirit. And here we see that when God comes to a sinner in saving power, he humbles him, he makes him meek.

A. The meek are those men and women who see themselves as they really are before God as he really is, and tremble - (Isa. 66:2; Ps. 51:17).

1. They are made sensible of their sin and humbled by it.

2. They see the filth of their own righteousness and submit to the righteousness of Christ.

3. They attribute all they have and are to the free grace of God.

4. They quietly submit to every dispensation of providence.

5. They do no envy those who are above them.

6. They do not despise those who are below them.

7. They think the worst of themselves and the best of others.

Note: Only God can make a person meek - Isa. 6). And God will never drive away a meek one. Blessed are the meek!

B. In the day of God’s grace, when he calls, “They shall increase their joy in the Lord.”

1. That is to say, “obtain their joy in the Lord.”

Whereas they once got their joy in the world, they now find their joy in Christ, the Lord our Righteousness.

· In the Greatness of His Person.

· In the Greatness of His Grace.

· In the Greatness of His Salvation.

· In the Greatness of His Promises.

2. They shall “add to” their joy in the Lord.

Our spiritual joy is sometimes interrupted by our own corruption and sin, and by the temptations of satan, but it will be added again and increased (Ps. 51:12; Song 3:5; 2:4).

3. Our joy in Christ is an increasing joy - The more we know him, the more we find joy in him - It is increased by…

· Discoveries of His Love.

· Fresh Views of His Person.

· Experience of His Grace.

· Meditation upon Him.

· Hearing of Him.

· Walking with Him.

IV. AND THE POOR AMONG MEN SHALL REJOICE IN THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL (v. 19).

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.”

· Not the physically poor.

· Not the spiritually poor - all are spiritually bankrupt!

· But the sensibly poor - (I Cor. 1:26-27).

Illus: Mephibosheth

The Canaanite Woman - (Mt. 15:21-28).

Those who know themselves to be spiritually impoverished, bankrupt sinners “shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” Christ is the Holy One of Israel.

A. He is Holy.

B. He makes us Holy.

· Imputed Righteousness.

· Imparted Righteousness.

· Glorification.

C. And we Rejoice in Him.

This is “the joy of faith” (Phil. 1:25). It comes through faith, goes along with faith, and increases with faith. This joy is peculiar to God’s saints. It is unknown to the world. It is joy unspeakable and full of glory - (Phil. 4:4-5).

· The Joy of Forgiveness.

· The Joy of Reconciliation.

· The Joy of Peace.

· The Joy of Faith in Christ.

V. Now look at verse 24 - ‘THEY ALSO THAT ERRED IN SPIRIT SHALL COME TO UNDERSTANDING.”

We all erred in judgment, concerning Christ and his gospel. But when gives grace, he gives understanding also.

· Of the Necessity of Christ’s Coming.

· Of the Sufficiency of Christ’s Work.

· Of the Blessedness of His Gospel.

· Of the Vanity of this World.

· Of the Glory that Awaits Us.

· Of the Value of Time.

· Of the Significance and Value of Gospel Ordinances.

VI. AND THEY THAT MURMURRED SHALL LEARN DOCTRINE” (v. 24).

When God comes in saving power, you who now murmur against Christ and his gospel shall learn the doctrine of Christ - (II John 9).

· Who He Is.

· Why He Came.

· What He Did.

· Where He Is Now.

· What He is Doing There.

Application: Implore God for mercy! Seek him now. He will give efficacy to his Word and make this day to you the day of grace. Call upon him! He will make the gospel to be to you the power of God unto salvation. You need Christ. You must have Christ! You cannot go on without him! Trust him now! Come to him now!