Sermon #15131 Miscellaneous Sermons
Title: The Day Of Divine Visitation
Text: Isaiah 12:1-6
Subject: The Day Of Grace and Salvation
Date: Sunday Evening—
Tape # X-19a
Introduction:
(Isaiah 12)
"And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou
wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. (2)
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for
the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my
salvation. (3) Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells
of salvation. (4) And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call
upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name
is exalted. (5) Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things:
this is known in all the earth. (6) Cry out and shout, thou
inhabitant of
There is a day that God has appointed for each of
his elect, which will be for them the day of salvation. Tonight, I am going to
talk to you about that day. The title of my message is: The Day Of Divine
Visitation.
An Eternal Work
I fully realize that the work of our Lord in
redeeming and saving his people is an eternal work. There can be no question
about that fact. Long before time began God, in his eternal counsel, purposed
to have a people like Christ. This is the will of God. And he sovereignly works
all things after the counsel of his own will (Rom.
(Romans
8:28-29) "And we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose. (29) For whom he did foreknow, he also
did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might
be the firstborn among many brethren."
(Ephesians
1:11) "In whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:"
(2 Timothy
1:9) "Who hath saved us, and called
us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began,"
·
His Covenant of Grace is called “The Everlasting Covenant” (Heb.
·
His Son is described as “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world” (Rev. 13:8).
·
His People are called “The Elect,” chosen in Christ before the
world began (Eph. 1:4-6).
There is no getting around this fact: Salvation is
God’s eternal work “Known unto the Lord are all his works from the beginning.”
Our God declares the end from the beginning. All that he does in time by the
power of his grace he did from eternity by the purpose of his grace in
sovereign predestination.
Some day the angel shall stand, with one foot on the
sea and one foot on the earth, and declare that time shall be no longer and that the mystery of God is finished (Rev.
10:6-7). Christ shall come. There shall be a new heaven and a new earth. In
that great day the dead shall be raised and stand before God. All the elect
shall be gathered unto God, holy, unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.
And all the wicked shall be cast into hell. “This corruptible shall have put
on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be
brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory”
(1 Cor. 15:54). And we shall reign forever with the Lord in everlasting glory (Rev. 21:1-7).
In that day the purpose of God in eternal election shall be fulfilled (Rom.
Lifelong Work
I also realize that the work of our Lord in
redeeming and saving his elect is a
lifelong work of grace.
·
We have been saved.—Regeneration.
·
We are being saved.—Preservation.
·
And we shall be saved.—Resurrection Glory.
·
And “Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Rom.
·
The hand of God is upon his elect from the womb to the tomb (Jer. 1:5;
Gal.
·
The Lord Jesus Christ is revealed in the heart of the chosen sinner,
when it pleases God (Gal.
Illustration: As God said to old Simeon,
it can be said, with regard to all his elect, “he
shall not see death, before he has seen the Lord’s Christ” (Luke
(John
6:37-39) "All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast
out. (38) For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the
will of him that sent me. (39) And this is the Father's will which hath
sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should
raise it up again at the last day."
(John
6:44-45) "No man can come to me,
except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the
last day. (45) It is written in the prophets, And
they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath
learned of the Father, cometh unto me."
·
And once a sinner is born of God, called and saved by grace, it is by
the power of God that we are kept in Christ - (Phil. 1:6; 1 Pet. 1:3-5; Jude
24-25).
(Philippians
1:6) "Being confident of this very
thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ:"
(1 Peter
1:3-5) "Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath
begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead, (4) To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that
fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, (5) Who are kept by the
power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last
time."
(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 for ever. Amen."
We have come to Christ. We are coming to Christ. And
by the grace of God we shall come to Christ. God will see to it - (Jer.
32:38-40).
(Jeremiah
32:38-40) "And they shall be my
people, and I will be their God: (39) And I will give them one heart,
and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their
children after them: (40) And I will make an everlasting covenant with
them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my
fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me."
He
will keep me ‘til the river
Rolls
its waters at my feet;
Then
He’ll bear me safely over,
Where
my Savior I shall meet!
Though this glorious divine work of redemption and
salvation is an eternal work, though it is through the good providence of God a
continual revelation of Christ, a continual coming to Christ, and a continual
growth in the grace and knowledge of Christ—There
is a day of Divine Visitation, when the sovereign Redeemer is pleased to
meet a sinner and reveal himself in salvation.
Illustration: The Adulterous
Woman—John 4
I am not talking about a twenty-four hour day! You
do not need a calendar to mark the time of your conversion. You do not need to
remember a time, or place, or day in which you first met the Lord. In fact, if
you have to look back to a given event as the proof that you are saved, you are
not saved.
Illustration: My Birth
Certificate
But you can mark this down: There is a day of Divine
visitation. There is a time when the living God gives life, repentance and
faith in Christ to his sheep, by the power of his Spirit through the preaching
of the gospel of his grace.
Proposition: There
is a day appointed when God will meet every chosen, redeemed sinner in saving
power and grace - (Ezek. 16:6-8).
(Ezekiel
16:6-8) "And when I passed by thee,
and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in
thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood,
Live. (7) I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and
thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy
breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked
and bare. (8) Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold,
thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and
covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with
thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine."
Illustrations: Job—Jacob—Moses—Isaiah—Paul
Revival
The Lord has also appointed set times when he will
visit his church and kingdom in revival.
(Hosea 6:2) "After two days will he revive us: in
the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight."
(Hosea 14:7) "They that dwell under his shadow shall
return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent
thereof shall be as the wine of
(Habakkuk
3:2) "O LORD, I have heard thy
speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the
years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy."
It is my prayer that this is such a day. I earnestly
pray that our God will be pleased to make our upcoming conference a day of
divine visitation! Indeed, I have good reason to expect such a great boon of
grace.
(Psalms 138:7) "Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of
mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me."
(Isaiah 57:15) "For thus saith the high and lofty One
that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and
holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble
spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the
contrite ones."
·
I see what I perceive to be signs of revival already.
·
The gospel is being preached in this day as never before.
·
Open doors of utterance are continually set before us.
·
The Lord has put it in my heart, as never before, to pray for it.
I want us to look at Isaiah’s prophesy tonight, and
notice how this phrase is used—“In that day.” Isaiah uses the words “in
that day” to indicate the presence of the Lord and the work of the Lord in
redeeming, saving grace. And he tells us five
things about The Day Of Divine Visitation.
I. First, in Isaiah 2:11-12 and 17, the prophet shows us that THE DAY OF DIVINE VISITATION IS A DAY OF HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTION.
(Isaiah
2:11-12) "The lofty looks of man
shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD
alone shall be exalted in that day. (12) For the day of the LORD of
hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon
every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:"
(Isaiah 2:17) "And the loftiness of man shall be bowed
down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be
exalted in that day."
When God the Holy Spirit comes into a sinner’s heart
in saving power and grace, he always comes to reprove, convince and convict. He
reproves all whom he calls “of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment”
(John 16:8). Where there is no conviction, there is no conversion. Where there
is no reproof, there is no regeneration. If you have never experienced Holy
Ghost conviction, you have never experienced Holy Ghost salvation.
(John
16:8-11) "And when he is come, he
will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (9) Of sin, because they believe not on me; (10) Of
righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; (11) Of
judgment, because the prince of this world is judged."
·
Judgment always precedes grace!
·
Emptying always comes before filling!
·
Humbling always comes before exaltation!
·
Stripping always precedes clothing!
This convicting of the Spirit is threefold:
A.
He convicts us of our sin.
B.
He convicts us of Christ’s
righteousness.
C.
He convicts us of
accomplished redemption—God’s judgment of sin and satisfaction made for sin in
the death of Christ.
II. Now
turn to Isaiah 11:10, and you will see that THE DAY OF DIVINE VISITATION IS A DAY OF GRACIOUS REVELATION.
(Isaiah
11:10) "And in that day there shall
be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall
the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious."
In order for us to have faith in Christ, Christ must
be revealed in us. We cannot trust an unknown, unrevealed Christ. And he is
revealed to us and in us by his Spirit through the Word.
Illustration: The Woman at
the Well
Saul of
Our Savior is called by many names. He is: The Root
of Jesse—The Seed of Woman—That Prophet—God’s Priest—The King—The Lion of the
Tribe of Judah—The Rose of Sharon—The Son of David—The Banner of the People
(Isa. 9:6).
(Isaiah 9:6) "For unto us a child is born, unto us a
son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall
be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
Once he is revealed, to him we do look; and looking
to him, we find that his rest is glorious!
III. Thirdly, in Isaiah 25:9, we see that THE DAY OF DIVINE VISITATION IS A DAY OF SAVING FAITH.
(Isaiah 25:9) "And it shall be said in that day, 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."
When Christ is revealed in the heart, faith is born
in the heart. Faith is born of and rests upon the revelation of Christ in our
hearts (2 Cor. 4:3-6).
(2 Corinthians
4:3-6) "But if our gospel be hid,
it is hid to them that are lost: (4) In whom
the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest
the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should
shine unto them. (5) For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the
Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. (6) For God, who
commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ."
Illustration: Simeon—“Mine eyes have
seen thy salvation!”
Thomas—“My Lord and my
God!”
Paul—“Lord,
what wilt thou have me to do?”
·
Faith in Christ is more than embracing a doctrine!
·
Faith in Christ is more than making a profession!
·
Faith in Christ is more than coming to a position!
·
Faith in Christ is more than reforming a misspent life!
·
Faith in Christ is submitting to, trusting and embracing a Person!—“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.”
Salvation is knowing, trusting, loving, following, obeying a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is not a theory!
He is not a doctrine! He is not a creed! He is a Person!
·
“Christ is all and in all.”
·
“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
·
“Til Christ be formed in you.”
·
“I am crucified with Christ; never the less I live; yet, not I, but
Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
IV. Fourthly,
Isaiah tells us in chapter 26 verses 1-4, that THE DAY OF
DIVINE VISITATION IS A DAY OF JOYFUL ASSURANCE.
(Isaiah
26:1-4) "In that day shall this
song be sung in the
In that day of conviction, revelation and faith,
God’s elect will have a song to sing and a rock upon which to rest, whatever
the trial (2 Tim. 1:12; 4:6-8). Faith in Christ gives a joyful assurance to the
heart.
(2 Timothy
1:12) "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not
ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to
keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."
(2 Timothy
4:6-8) "For I am now ready to be
offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. (7) I have fought a
good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (8) Henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also
that love his appearing."
·
We have a strong city of refuge.
·
We are surrounded by the walls of salvation.
·
We have entered the gate of life.
·
We are kept in perfect peace by faith.
·
The Lord, Jehovah, is our Rock.
My
hope is built on nothing less
Than
Jesus’ blood and righteousness:
I
dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On
Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand,
All
other ground is sinking sand.
V. Once
more, in Isaiah 12:1-6, we see that THE DAY OF DIVINE VISITATION IS A DAY OF HEARTFELT PRAISE.
(Isaiah 12) "And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD,
I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away,
and thou comfortedst me. (2) Behold, God is my salvation; I will
trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song;
he also is become my salvation. (3) Therefore with joy shall ye draw
water out of the wells of salvation. (4) And in that day shall ye say,
Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make
mention that his name is exalted. (5) Sing unto the LORD; for he hath
done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. (6) Cry
out and shout, thou inhabitant of
When the Lord God visits his elect with saving
grace, they praise him with joyful hearts and praise him alone. No flesh will
ever glory in his presence. Those who know the Lord, those who are visited by
the Lord, glory in the Lord - (Ps. 115:1; 1 Cor.
(Psalms
115:1) "Not unto us, O LORD, not
unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy
truth's sake."
(1 Corinthians
1:26-31) "For ye see your calling,
brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many
noble, are called: (27) But God hath chosen the foolish things of the
world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to
confound the things which are mighty; (28) And base things of the world,
and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which
are not, to bring to nought things that are: (29) That no flesh should
glory in his presence. (30) But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of
God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
(31) That, according as it is written, He that
glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."
I will
glory in the Lord, because…
A. He is my Comforter - (v. 1).
(Isaiah 12:1) "And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD,
I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away,
and thou comfortedst me."
B. He is my Salvation - (v. 2).
(Isaiah 12:2) "Behold, God is my salvation; I
will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my
song; he also is become my salvation."
“Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust, and
not be afraid.”
1. The Lord Jehovah is my
Strength.
2. The Lord Jehovah is my Song.
3. The Lord Jehovah is my
Salvation.
C. He is my Supply -
(v. 3).
(Isaiah 12:3) "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water
out of the wells of salvation."
1. Christ is the Fountain of
Living Water - (Jer.
2. Drawing from Christ the
Water of Life, I am both full and overflowing - (John
(John
7:37-39) "In the last day, that
great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (38) He
that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow
rivers of living water. (39) (But this spake he of the Spirit, which
they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given;
because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"
D. He is my Testimony - (v. 4).
(Isaiah 12:4) "And in that day shall ye say, Praise
the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention
that his name is exalted."
1. Praise the Lord!
2. Call upon His Name!
3. Declare His Doings among the
people!
4. Make mention that His Name
is Exalted!
E. Once more He is my Message - (vv. 5-6).
(Isaiah
12:5-6) "Sing unto the LORD; for he
hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. (6) Cry
out and shout, thou inhabitant of
“Great is the Holy One of
“He
shall be great.”
“How great
thou art!”
1. Great in His Person!
2. Great in His Purpose!
3. Great in His Propitiation!
4. Great in His Pardon!
5. Great in His Preservation!
Application: The
Day of Divine Visitation is:
1. A Day of Conviction!
2. A Day of Revelation!
3. A Day of Faith!
4. A Day of Assurance!
5. A Day of Praise!
It begins the moment a sinner is born again by God’s
almighty grace in Christ. It begins the moment the Daystar rises in your heart.
It begins as soon as the Sun of Righteousness arises in your soul, with healing
beneath his wings. And that day shall never end. It only grows brighter and
brighter, until at last we reach that glorious land of eternal day, in which
there is no darkness at all. May it please God to visit you this very night. I pray that all here may, this very day, enjoy The Day Of Divine
Visitation!
Amen.