Sermon #82 Series: Isaiah

Title: Christ Our Hiding Place

Text: Isaiah 32:1-2

Subject: Refuge In Christ the Man

Date: Sunday Evening - July 28, 1991

Tape #

Introduction:

There is one Man who ranks above all men. The Man of whom I speak, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-Man, our Savior. All the blessedness which we enjoy as the children of God in this world, and all the blessedness which we shall enjoy in that eternal world to come, was earned and purchased for us by the Man, Christ Jesus. All blessings come to us from the hands of this Man who is our God and our savior - (Read the text).

Isaiah 32:1-2 is a prophecy of Christ. It speaks of his glorious humanity and tells us that, as a Man, Christ is our Hiding Place. We all recognize and find great comfort and joy in the Divinity of Christ. Jesus Christ is God, I am glad to know that. Were he not God, he could not save us. Were he not God, he would be of no value to our souls. Were he not God, we would have no hope of eternal life. But I am equally thankful for and rejoice in the glorious humanity of Christ. Only as a man could he establish righteousness for men. Only as a man could he sympathize with men, being touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Only as a man could Christ be a Mediator between God and Man. The Lord Jesus Christ could not be our Savior were he not both God and Man, the God-Man, bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh and very God of very God.

Proposition: Since the Son of God has become the Son of Man, by the mystery of the incarnation, he is a blessed Refuge and Hiding Place for men.

Divisions:

1. Isaiah Uses Three Metaphors To Describe the Security And Comfort Of All Who Trust the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. God’s People In This World Are Men And Women Who Must Pass Through Many Storms.

3. The Man Christ Jesus Is Our Blessed Hiding Place In the Storms Of Life.

4. Be Sure That You Take Shelter And Find A Hiding Place For Your Soul In This Man.

I. First, I want you to notice that THE PROPHET ISAIAH USES THREE METAPHORS TO DESCRIBE THE SECURITY AND COMFORT OF ALL WHO TRUST THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Isaiah’s purpose here is to assure God’s elect of their security in Christ. He is urging sinners to trust Christ, assuring us that there is in him complete safety and comfort.

A. Christ is described as “a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest” - That is to say, Christ is the safety and defense of his people, to whom we must flee for protection in times of trouble and danger - (Pro. 18:10).

Illus: The Cities of Refuge -Joshua 20:7-8.

There is in Christ abundant grounds of peace and safety for all who are in fear and danger. Whether your fears and dangers are temporal or eternal, there is safety for your soul in Christ.

1. Christ has undertaken to save all who come to God by him.

2. He is chosen and appointed of God to be a Hiding Place for sinners.

Illus: “There is a place by me…I will hide thee

in the cleft of the Rock.”

3. If we are in Christ the law and justice of God are satisfied regarding our sins, but cannot do us any harm.

4. All who come to Christ are forever secured from the wrath of God.

God, who is honor bound to punish our sins, is honor bound to bless and save all who come to Christ, because Christ has put away our sins. He has earned for us the approval and favor of God!

5. Christ is so dear to the Father that if we are in Christ God the Father accepts us for Christ’s sake.

6. God has given open testimony that Christ has done and suffered enough to make full satisfaction for all our sins - The Resurrection!

7. Christ has been entrusted with the rule of all things for the safety of his people - He is a King who reigns in righteousness.

8. Christ’s love and compassion, which he has fully demonstrated by the sacrifice of himself, show us that he is willing to receive, save and keep forever all who come to God by him.

· You are in grave danger without Christ - the wrath of God is upon you!

· How happy you would be if you would now flee to Christ.

B. Christ is as a river in a dry place - “as rivers of water in a dry place” - That means there is in Christ abundant provision for the full satisfaction and contentment of thirsty souls - (Ps. 46:4; Rev. 22:1; John 7:37).

· A River is Full.

· A River is Constantly Flowing.

· A River is Cleansing.

· A River is Refreshing.

To the thirsty soul Christ is a River, a River running full with the water of life, which, if a man drinks, he shall never thirst again.

1. Do you thirst for excellence and nobility? Find it in Christ.

2. Do you thirst for love and goodness? Find it in Christ.

3. Do you thirst for forgiveness and acceptance with God? Find it in Christ.

4. Do you thirst for peace, happiness, joy and contentment? Find it in Christ.

C. Christ is “as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land” - That means There is quiet rest and sweet refreshment for weary souls in Christ - (Matt. 11:28-30).

1. He takes away the guilt of sin.

2. He invigorates the weary soul with new life.

3. He gives comfort and pleasure enough to make you forget your labor and travail.

How can I persuade you to come to Christ?

1. There is no Refuge for your soul but Christ.

2. Christ is a Refuge at hand.

3. Christ is a well-supplied Refuge! He is all you need!

II. Secondly, our text implies that GOD’S PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD ARE MEN AND WOMEN WHO MUST PASS THROUGH MANY STORMS.

This 32^nd chapter of Isaiah describes times of great storm, hurricanes, cyclones and droughts. Symbolically, they represent the storms, difficulties and trials through which all of God’s pilgrims must pass as we journey through this world. We must through much tribulation enter the kingdom of God (Isa. 43:1-5). But in all our storms, Christ is our Hiding Place.

A. The first storm through which we must pass is the most difficult. It is the storm of guilt, conviction and judgment because of sin - (Ps. 32:1-7)

All of God’s people experience the terrible pain of guilt, the torment of conviction and the agony of self-condemnation before they find peace with God (Ps. 51:1-5).

B. Some believers have to endure a mysterious hurricane within, mental depression and great confusion of mind.

I cannot explain it. I do not understand it. And I cannot excuse it. But I do know the fact of it. Some believers struggle with depression all their lives.

Illus: Cowper - Griswald

Spurgeon - Randy P.

Thom S. - Diane C.

These terrible, cold winds come from every direction, shaking everything, creating unrest and anxiety. Usually, no definite cause can be found. The cause may be emotional, physical, spiritual, or circumstantial (Matt. 6:25-34). But the depression is a real, horrible storm!

C. Sometimes we experience the overwhelming tempests of spiritual distress (Lam. 3:1-26).

This is caused by our own sin, unbelief, selfish lusts and spiritual declension. It is a storm we bring upon ourselves.

D. We often pass through the terrible storm of temptation from satan (Ps. 73).

The fiend of hell knows our weakest, most vulnerable points, and attacks us with all his hellish fury.

E. All of God’s elect will, sooner or later, go through the storm of human opposition.

Those who are the enemies of our God will taunt, slander, threaten, and do their utmost ability to persecute all who seek to serve Christ and his glory. Friends will betray. Family will oppose. Brethren will misunderstand and misjudge. Trusted companions will malign.

David frequently had to endure this terrible trial. But he found his refuge and comfort in Christ (Ps. 9:9; 27:5; 31:19-20; 119:114; 143:9).

F. We all must eventually experience the chilling winds of temporal adversity, sickness, bereavement and troubles - (II Sam. 12).

“Man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble…Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward.”

G. And all of God’s children go through these terrible storms of divine desertion, when we fall and fear that God has forsaken us.

No storm of life is more terrible than the sense of lost communion and fellowship with God, when the Lord hides his face from us (Song 5:2-8).

All these storms of life are too great for us to bear. If, like Judah, we go down to Egypt for help, we only make matters worse. But there is a place of refuge from these storms. There is a hiding place, a peaceable habitation, a quiet resting place, a river of refreshing, a sure dwelling in which we can find peace of mind, quietness of soul and assurance of heart, even in the midst of our storms (Isa. 32:1-2, 17-18).

Our hiding place is Christ Jesus the Lord. We must hide in him if we would find peace and safety from our trying storms (Isa. 25:4; 26:20; Lam. 3:23-26; John 14:1-3).

III. Thirdly, in our text, there is a special emphasis laid upon the manhood of our Savior - It is the Man Christ Jesus who is our Hiding Place in the storms of life.

There is special comfort to be derived from the humanity of Christ. In the storms that trouble us as men, there is a Man to help us. When fear and danger threatens us, there is a Man in whom we can hide. That Man who is God, that God who is Man, Jesus Christ, is our Hiding Place!

A. The Lord Jesus Christ truly is a Man.

I find great comfort in the fact that he is one of us. This Man brings God near to manhood and brings manhood near to God.

1. He is a tempted Man.

2. He is a tried Man.

3. He is a sympathizing Man.

4. He is more than a man - He is the God-Man, the Man-God, who rules the world! God has put this world under the rule of a Man!

B. As the Substitutionary Man, Christ is our Hiding Place - (II Cor. 5:21).

He took the storm of God’s wrath for us. And we hide in him.

Illus: Noah in the Ark.

C. As the Representative Man, Christ is Our Hiding Place.

1. He met the law’s demands for us - Righteousness!

2. He satisfied the law’s justice for us - Atonement!

3. He conquered death, hell and the grave in our stead.

4. He arose for us and claimed heaven in our name.

5. He rules the world as our Representative!

D. As the Ever-living Man, Christ is our Hiding Place.

Because he lives, we live also (John 14:9).

E. As the Interceding Man, Christ is our Hiding Place.

He makes intercession for us continually.

F. As the coming, Conquering Man, Christ is our Hiding Place.

We dread no political catastrophes, social disrupting, or economic failures - “He must reign!” The end is secure. The Lion of the tribe of Judah has and must prevail!” “Behold, he cometh!” And coming, he shall conquer.

G. As the Judging Man, Christ is our Hiding Place - (Acts 17:31).

That Man who shall judge the world in righteousness is himself our Savior and our Advocate.

Illus: Rowland Hill’s Dream.

IV. BE SURE THAT YOU TAKE SHELTER AND FIND REFUGE IN THIS MAN, WHO IS OUR HIDING PLACE.

· Trust Christ as your Mediator - Hide in him!

· Trust Christ as your Protector - Hide in him!

· Trust Christ as your Intercessor - Hide in him!

· Trust Christ as your God and King - Hide in him!

Application:

1. To you who have found a hiding place in Christ, I say, “Abide in him” (I John 2:28).

2. To you who are yet in danger of God’s wrath and judgment, I make this plea - Flee to Christ! Run to this Refuge! Hide yourself in Jesus Christ!

· He is an effectual hiding place - Tried and Proved.

· He is an open, accessible hiding place - Cities of Refuge.

· He is the only hiding place.

· He is an abundant hiding place.

“Yet there is room!” As in the cave of Adullam all of David’s army could hide, so all God’s elect hide in this Man.

· He is an eternal hiding place.

· He is an inviting hiding place - He is the Man Christ Jesus!