|
Listen to sermons at FreeGraceRadio.com
|
Sermon #72 — Isaiah Series
Title: Six Provisions of Grace
Text: Isaiah 25:6-8 Subject: ChristÕs Accomplishments Date: Sunday Evening — February 10, 2019 Readings: Merle Hart and Rex Bartley Introduction:
LetÕs open our Bibles to the 25th chapter of the Gospel of Isaiah. Our text will be verses 6-8. — Isaiah 25:6-8.
(Isaiah 25:6-8) And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. (7) And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. (8) He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
Without question, our text is a prophecy of the salvation and grace accomplished for us and bestowed upon us by the Lord Jesus Christ. Here Isaiah, by the Spirit of inspiration, declares the grace of the gospel and the everlasting glory of GodÕs saints in heaven, which is the crown and consummation of grace.
Proposition: In preaching the gospel of Christ we proclaim to needy sinners the accomplishments and provisions of grace for the everlasting consolation of GodÕs elect (Isaiah 40:1-2).
(Isaiah 40:1-2) Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. (2) Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.
Divisions: Keep your Bible open here, in Isaiah 25, and follow along as I show you Six Provisions of Grace proclaimed in this prophetic passage. Here the Prophet of God assures us of six great provisions of grace by which God our Savior is accomplishing the salvation of his elect. Read these promises of God and rejoice. This is what God is doing and shall do for all his people. 1. A Feast Prepared (v. 6). 2. A Veil Removed (v. 7). 3. An Enemy Abolished (v. 8). 4. A Consolation Administered (v. 8). 5. A Reproach Removed (v. 8). 6. An Assurance Given (v. 8).
A Feast Prepared
1st — In verse 6 Isaiah speaks of the coming of Christ and the accomplishment of redemption by him and tells us that in that time there shall be a feast prepared. — ÒIn this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refinedÓ (v. 6).
The gospel of Christ is compared to a great feast (Matthew 22:1-14).
(Matthew 22:1-14) And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, (2) The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, (3) And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. (4) Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. (5) But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: (6) And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. (7) But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. (8) Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. (9) Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. (10) So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. (11) And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: (12) And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. (13) Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (14) For many are called, but few are chosen.
The preaching of the gospel is the spreading of a rich, well supplied banquet table before hungry sinners.
Note: Under the law the Jews were not allowed to eat fat. So this text must have its accomplishment in this Gospel Age.
The gospel is a feast of fat things and full of marrow. That means there is such an abundance of grace in the gospel of Christ that whatever your soul needs you can find in him. And to feast upon the gospel is to feast upon nourishment that will satisfy the needs of your heart (Psalms 36:7-9; 63:5-6).
(Psalm 36:7-9) How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. (8) They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. (9) For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
(Psalm 63:5-6) My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: (6) When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
á ChristÕs Righteousness. á His Redemption.
And the gospel feast is well supplied with wine, well-refined. Wine is a cordial for those who need it, that they may drink and forget their misery (Proverbs 31:6-7)[1]. And the gospel of Christ is for heavy hearted sinners, that we may drink and be of good cheer, knowing that our sins are forgiven. — That person who is intoxicated with the wine of the grape is cursed in his drunkenness. But he who is intoxicated with the wine of forgiveness is blessed above all men!
Illustration: David Dancing Before the Ark
The LordÕs Supper is a symbolic feast of fat things and of wines well-refined (1 Corinthians 5:7-8).
(1 Corinthians 5:7-8) Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: (8) Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
But Isaiah 25:6, it seems to me, is intended to direct our hearts and minds to the marriage supper of the Lamb at the last day (Revelation 19:1, 2, 8, 9).
In the last day, when Babylon, the beast, and the false prophet have all been cast into hell, when all GodÕs elect have been saved, when God makes all things new, there will be a marriage feast held, in which Christ will show to wandering worlds the glory of his grace in his Bride, the Church (Ephesians 2:7; Revelation 19:1-9).
(Revelation 19:1-2) And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: (2) For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
(Revelation 19:8-9) And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (9) And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
(Ephesians 2:7-10) That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (8) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast. (10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ultimately, this is a prophecy of the everlasting happiness of GodÕs saints in heaven. There we shall forever drink of the river of the water of life freely and forever eat of the fruit of the tree of life, whose leaves are for the healing of the nations (Revelation 21:6; 22:1, 2, 16-17).
(Revelation 21:6) And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
(Revelation 22:1-2) And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. (2) In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
(Revelation 22:16-17) I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. (17) And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
All things are ready! Come to the feast!
A Veil Removed
2nd — In verse 7 Isaiah tells us of a veil removed. — ÒAnd he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nationsÓ (v. 7).
There is a covering of darkness and ignorance cast over the people and nations of the world. The hearts and minds of men and women have been blind folded and hood-winked by their own unbelief and by the delusions of false religion (2 Corinthians 3:15; Galatians 3:1-3; Ephesians 4:18).
(2 Corinthians 3:15) But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.
(Ephesians 4:18) Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.
á Muhammed and the Koran. á Paganism and Idolatry. á The Pope and Romanism. á Liberalism and the Social Gospel. á Free-willism and Legalism.
ÒBut this veil the Lord will destroy, by the light of his gospel shining in the world, and the power of his Spirit opening menÕs eyes to receive it.Ó (Matthew Henry) — (See Isaiah 60:1-3.)
(Isaiah 60:1-3) Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. (2) For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. (3) And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
á The means God uses to remove spiritual ignorance from men is the preaching of the gospel. — Light dispels darkness! á The place from whence the light of the gospel shines into the world is Òthis mountain,Ó the church of God. á As we proclaim the gospel God raises men and women to spiritual life who have long been dead in trespasses and sins (Ezekiel 37).
God still adds to his church daily such as should be saved. — And the means by which he does so is the gospel. Let us ever be found faithful in preaching it. This is GodÕs work, GodÕs cause, not ours!
An Enemy Abolished
3rd — The prophet of God tells us in verse 8 of an enemy abolished. — ÒHe (the Lord Jesus Christ) will swallow up death in victoryÓ (v. 8). Death is the most dreaded and feared of all enemies. But Christ came to deliver his elect from the fear of death. He has delivered us from spiritual death and from eternal death. And in so doing he has delivered us from the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15).
(Hebrews 2:14-15) Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (15) And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Christ Jesus swallowed up death in his death as our Substitute and triumphed over it in his resurrection. Because he died for us, GodÕs elect are out of the reach of death. — Believers can never die (John 11:25-26).[2]
By faith in Christ, believers triumph over death crying, ÒO death, where is thy sting?Ó — ÒThe sting of death is sin.Ó — But Christ has put away our sin! — ÒThe strength of sin is the law.Ó — But Christ has satisfied the law! — There is nothing in death for the believer to fear.
A Consolation Administered
4th — Next, Isaiah speaks prophetically of a comfort administered. — ÒAnd the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all facesÓ (v. 8). — God will not wipe away the tears of all men. But he will wipe away the tears of all believers in the last day (Revelation 7:17; 21:4).
(Revelation 7:17) For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
(Revelation 21:4) And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
The picture is that of a tender parent. Like a mother, or father, might take a handkerchief and wipe away the tears of a child who has been crying, quieten and comfort him, so the Lord God will quieten and comfort his children in heaven, wiping away all tears from our eyes forever!
There are many things here that cause GodÕs saints to weep.
But weeping will be forever banished in heavenÕs glory! There will be no sorrow, no pain, no grief and no weeping in heaven forever. — Heaven is not a place of loss, but of gain, infinite, immeasurable gain!
A Reproach Removed
5th — In addition to all these great provisions of grace, Isaiah here tells us of a reproach removed. — ÒAnd the rebuke (reproach) of his people shall he take away from off all the earthÓ (v. 8).
In this world reproach is constantly cast upon GodÕs saints.
But, blessed be God, in that great day when God makes all things new the reproach that has been cast upon GodÕs elect shall be publicly taken away forever.
The Lord God will show forth in us the exceeding riches of his grace (Ephesians 2:7).
(Ephesians 2:7) That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
The righteousness of the saints shall be revealed to all the world (Revelation 19:8).
(Revelation 19:8) And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness(es) of saints.
á Imputed Righteousness — Justification. á Imparted Righteousness — Regeneration.
No fault shall be found against us or in us, when we have been raised in the likeness of Christ (Jeremiah 50:20; Ephesians 5:25-27; Jude 24:25).
(Jeremiah 50:20) In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.
(Ephesians 5:25-27) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (27) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
(Jude 1:24-25) Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, (25) To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
Let us patiently bear whatever sorrow and shame now that God in his providence allows men to cast upon us, for soon both shall be ended. And the glory of God shall be revealed in us.
An Assurance Given
6th — There is one last thing in our text, which is the crowning provision of grace. — Here is an assurance given — ÒFor the mouth of the Lord hath spoken itÓ (v. 8). — We are assured of these rich provisions of grace because God himself has spoken it. And he will do it (Isaiah 14:24, 26, 27).
(Isaiah 14:24) The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.
(Isaiah 14:26-27) This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. (27) For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?
Application
(Isaiah 25:1) O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
When the Lord God gets done, when time shall be no more, when everything that shall be has been, and we stand before our God, robed in the linen garments of perfect, complete salvation, totally conformed to the image of him who is the image of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, we will fall before his throne and cast our crowns at his feet sayingÉ
(Isaiah 25:9) Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Perhaps you are thinking, — ÒBut, pastor, how can this be? In the midst of such great adversaries, in the midst of such mighty and terrible foes, how shall this be? I am so weak. My foes are so great. How can it be that they shall all be vanquished?Ó Read the last three verses of this chapter, and you will see, it shall be done with great ease, as easily as scattering straw over a dung heap, as easily as a man swims through water. You see, this entire work is GodÕs work. His hand shall rest in this mountain. — Let us then, rest in his hand!
(Isaiah 25:10-12) For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill. (11) And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands. (12) And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.
(Revelation 19:1-9) And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: (2) For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. (3) And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. (4) And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. (5) And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. (6) And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (7) Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (8) And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (9) And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Amen.
Don Fortner
|
Pastor FortnerÕs
|
[1] (Proverbs 31:6-7) Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. (7) Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
[2] (John 11:25-26) Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: (26) And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?