Sermon # 219 Series: Isaiah

Title: HEPHZIAH

Text: Isaiah 62:4-5

Subject: God’s Delight in His People

Date: Sunday Evening – August 20, 1995

Tape # R-69

Introduction:

I cannot think of anything that gives me more pleasure and satisfaction than bringing delight to someone. Can you? There is something about giving delight that causes delight. But think about this for a minute – What do you suppose gives God delight? What would it take to delight the infinite, holy Lord God Almighty? What do you imagine, if anything, it would take to bring a beaming smile across the face of the Lord God? I have searched the Scriptures to discover the answer to that question. You will not be surprised, I am sure, when I tell you that the Bible speaks of only a very few things that give delight to God. But you might be surprised at what they are. In fact, I can only find three things in the Word of God in which we are told that the Lord God delights:

1. The Lord God, being perfect and complete in himself, delights in His Own Glorious Character.

For any man to delight in himself, as most do, is utmost arrogance and pride. But for God to do so is right, because he is God. Perfection has every reason to delight in itself. And God plainly asserts that he delights in his own character. God delights in what he is. (Jer. 8:23-24).

A. God delights in Lovingkindness – What words can describe the infinite lovingkindness of our God? “God is love.” And God, who is love, is full of lovingkindness toward his people.

Awake, my soul, to Joyful lays,

And sing thy great Redeemer’s praise.

He justly claims a song from me-

His lovingkindness, O how free!

He saw me ruined by the fall,

Yet loved me notwithstanding all.

He saved me from my lost estate-

His lovingkindness, O how great!

Though num’rous hast of mighty foes,

Though earth and hell my way oppose,

He safely leads my soul along-

His lovingkindness, O how strong!

When trouble, like a gloomy cloud,

Has gathered thick and thundered loud,

He near my soul has always stood-

His lovingkindness, O how good!

B. God delights in Judgment. “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne” (Ps. 89:14). Judgment is the exercise of justice. And God delights in that as fully as he does his lovingkindness. The text, of course, is talking about the judgment of the sins of his people in Christ, our Substitute.

NOTE: The judgment of sin in the wicked is God’s strange work (Isa. 28:11). He never delights in that. He will punish sin, because “The righteous Lord loveth righteousness.” But he will never delight in the execution of justice on the wicked.

But God does delight in the judgment of his peoples’ sins – (Rom. 8:1-4).

Illus:

The Rent Vail – The Risen Saints
The Enthroned Redeemer
The Accepted Ones

C. God delights in Righteousness. He does not delight in the self-righteous works of men. He does not even delight in the righteous deeds of his saints, in themselves. Our righteousnesses are filthy rags in the sight of the holy Lord God, a stench in his nostrils! God delights in his own righteousness…

The Righteousness Wrought our and Brought In by Christ (Mt. 17:15).
The Righteousness Imputed to Us.
The Righteousness by Which We Have A Right To Eternal Life and Eternal Glory.

Turn now to Micah 7:18. Here is another aspect of God’s character in which he is said to delight.

D. “He delighteth in Mercy!” How I love those words. God almighty, against whom we have sinned, whose law we have broken, who alone can save us, is a God who “delighteth in mercy!”

Depth of mercy! Can there be

Mercy still reserved for me?

Can my God His wrath forbear –

Me, the chief of sinners spare?

Yes, He can, for Jesus died!

By his blood God’s satisfied!

See the Savior on His throne –

Thus I know, the work’s all done!

There for me my Savior stands,

Holding forth His wounded hands!

God is love, I know, I feel,

He delights in mercy still!

1. The Lord our God delights in his own glorious character – In His Lovingkindness – In His Judgment – In His Righteousness – And in His Mercy! Hos. 2:19 Not turn to Isaiah 42:1.

2. Here we read that the Lord God delights in His Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ – (Matt. 3:17; 17:5).

This is not an assertion that God delights in his Son as his Son in the holy trinity. That is obvious. These texts assert that the Lord God delights in his Son as his Servant, as the God-man, our Mediator.

His Obedience (John 10:16-18).
His Intercession (I John 2:1-2).
His Ultimate Accomplishments (I Cor. 15:24-28).

God delights in his own glorious character. That is not surprising. And God delights in his Son. Certainly that is not surprising. But, if you will read Isaiah 62:4-5. I am sure this will be an astonishing thing for you to think about.

3. The Lord our God delights in His People!

Imagine that, my brother. God delights in you. Think of this my sister. The Almighty delights in you. Be astonished, O my soul, The holy Lord God delights in me!

NOTE: God does not and cannot delight in us personally, in ourselves, or because of anything we do. But he does accept, delight in, and rejoice over us in Christ (Eph. 1:6).

Proposition: Though we were all by nature, through the sin and fall of our father Adam, cast off, forsaken, and desolate, in Christ, every saved sinner is married to and the delight of the living God.

The One speaking in our text is the Lord Jesus Christ himself, our God and Savior. He gives this name to his church and to every believer in his church – Hephzibah. This name which our Savior gives us mean – “My Delight is In Her!”

Zephaniah 3:17

Christ delighted in us from everlasting as the objects of his love (Pro. 8:31). He delighted in us at Calvary, when he endured the cross for us (Heb. 12:2). He delights in us now, as the objects of his love, washed in his blood and robed in his righteousness, and adorned with the beauty of his Spirit (Ezek. 16:8-14). He delights in our company (Song 7:6), to hear our voices – to see our faces! And he will delight in us hereafter, when he presents us to himself a glorious church, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing (Rev. 21:2-3; Eph. 5:27).

NOTE: Verse 5 reads. “For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons many thee.” That is a good translation of the text. If that translation is retained, it simply means that many shall be born into the church and kingdom of God; and, being born of her, they marry themselves to her. But some suggest, and I tend to agree with them, that the text would be better translated, “So shall thy Restorer marry thee.” Certainly, that fits the context better. Christ, our Restorer, our Redeemer, and our Savior is married to us. He rejoices over her!

Illus: Picture a Bridegroom Receiving His Bride.

Let me show you five things about saved sinners in which Christ our God delights, and I will send you home to rejoice in him who rejoices in you.

I. Our God delights in His Election of Us (Deut. 10:15).

A. Election is a blessed, Bible doctrine.

B. God delights in the objects of his choice as fully now as when he first chose us – Immutable Election!

C. Election ought always to delight our souls.

D. Election is one of the most inspiring doctrines in all the Bible (vv. 16-17).

‘Tis not that I did choose, Thee,

For, Lord, that could not be.

This heart would still refuse Thee,

Hadst thou not chosen me,

And to this and ordained me,

That I should live to Thee!

II. The Lord God delights the godly fear and hope we have in him. (Ps. 147:10-11).

A. He delights in those who fear him.

· Reverence Him.

· Trust Him.

· Obey Him.

· Seek to Honor Him.

B. And God delights in those who hope in his name – (Lam. 3:22-26). We hope in…

1. His Mercies!

2. His Compassions!

3. His Faithfulness!

4. His Possession – (My Portion).

5. His Goodness!

6. His Salvation!

III. Our Savior delights in the Way of His Saints (Ps. 37:23).

He delights in our way because our way is the way he has ordained and he orders our steps in it. He delights in our way because he sees the whole thing. If only we could see our way as he sees it, we would delight in it as he delights in it – Our Way, the way he has ordained for us in which he leads us, will at last bring us to him!

· A Predestined Way

· A Prevenient Way

· A Providential Way

· Preserving Way

· A Pleasant Way

IV. Our great God our Savior delights in the character of His People.

Grace changes the character of a man. It changes the character of a woman. All who are in Christ are new creatures in Christ, and part of that new creation is a holy character that is born in the person who is born again. And in that character God delights.

A. God delights in Honesty; and God makes Men Honest (Pro. 11:1).

B. God delights in Uprightness; and grace makes sinners upright (Pro. 11:20).

Uprightness is described in the context as…

1. Protecting a Person’s Character (v. 13).

2. Faithfulness to One’s Own Heart (v. 15).

3. Grace, Virtue, and Honor (v. 16).

4. Mercy (v. 17).

C. God is truth; He delights in Truthfulness; and He makes people truthful (Pro. 12:11).

· Deal Truly in Spiritual Things. (Preachers)

· Deal Truly in Earthly Things.

V. God delights in the Prayers of His People. (Pro. 15:8).

All True Prayer…

· Comes from God.

· Goes to God.

· Bows to the Will of God.

· Glorifies God.

· Delights God.

· Hebrews 4:16.

Application: Has God called you and me Hephzibah? Does he delight in us? Is he married to us? Then, let us be for him alone (Hosea 3:3).

1. As he delights in us, let us delight in him.

2. As he loves us, let us love him.

3. As he is faithful to us, let us be faithful to him.