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What Have You Done With Jesus? – part 4
Isaiah 50:1-11 (11)
May 26, 2024

Tonight we come to the conclusion
Of this remarkable 50th chapter of Isaiah.

I remind you again that this is Jesus speaking
And He is speaking to the people of our time.

Isaiah 50-66 is a prophetic segment of Scripture
That occurs after the first coming of Jesus.

It is mostly the evangelistic call of Christ to the nation of Israel that rejected Him when He came.
• We see events like His incarnation and rejection (here)
• We see His crucifixion (ch. 53)
• We see multiple evangelistic appeals from Christ to Israel.
• We see Israel’s future repentance (ch. 64)
• We see God’s salvation and subsequent millennial reign (ch. 65)

But it is also an evangelistic call even to Gentiles of our day.
• A gospel message is a gospel message no matter the crowd.

Here in chapter 50 we are dealing with that initial coming of Christ
And the rejection He received by Israel when He came.

John 1:11 “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”

We are looking at those people,
With the addition of the remnant, which was the small group that did believe.

We are looking at 4 different responses to Christ and His gospel.
As we have said, every human who has heard the gospel fits into 1 of these 4 categories.

#1 THE REBEL
Isaiah 50:1-3

• These were those who did not believe when He came.
• They rejected the light of the gospel.
• As a result they were broken off, or here it is said that they were divorced and sold into slavery.

#2 THE RIVAL
Isaiah 50:4-9

• These were not content simply to reject Christ, they are the ones who militantly attack Him.
• While the first group rejected the light, this group has set out to extinguish it.
• They bring charges against Christ.
• They seek to condemn Him.

• The were condemned by the gospel of Christ and they must either crucify themselves or crucify Christ. They chose Christ.
• But they don’t last either.
• Christ reveals that they will wear out like a moth-eaten garment.

#3 THE REMNANT
Isaiah 50:10

We saw them this morning.
This is the group that did believe.

Their faith is evidenced by their fear of God
And obedience to His commands.

However, their faith has been costly.
• They live in a world of rebels and rivals and the frustration has mounted.
• They are becoming hopeless and it feels to them like the light is gone.

Christ’s command to them was to trust and rely upon Him.
Don’t just say you trust Him…TRUST HIM.
Don’t just say you rely on Him…RELY ON HIM.

Run to Him in faith.
He is your Savior.

SO WE’VE SEEN
1. The Rebel who rejects the light.
2. The Rival who seeks to extinguish the light.
3. The Remnant who must cling to the light.

And tonight we look at our final group:

#4 THE REPROBATE
Isaiah 50:11

The word REPROBATE it defined as: “a depraved, unprincipled, or wicked person; a person rejected by God and beyond hope of salvation.”

WHY would we say that about this group?
• Not only have they rejected the gospel.
• Not only have they sought to eliminate the gospel.
• They have now replaced the gospel with their own system of belief.

Let me show you 3 things about this final example; this reprobate.

1) FALSE LIGHT

“Behold, all you who kindle a fire, Who encircle yourselves with firebrands,”

We are now speaking of salvation through the analogy of light.

Light would reference really any message of salvation.

Everyone who preaches any message of salvation (even pagan idolatrous ones) love the analogy of enlightenment or light.

And Scripture is no different.
• We are certainly aware that Jesus refers to Himself as “The Light of the
world”

Matthew 4:12-16 “Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES— “THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED.”

When Peter spoke of the Scriptures he said:
2 Peter 1:19 “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”

And when Jesus talked about the preaching of John the Baptist, He referred to it as light.
John 5:33-35 “You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. “But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. “He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.”

So you understand the analogy here.
Light is simply a reference to a saving message.

Certainly only Jesus was the TRUE light.
John 1:9 “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”

Only Jesus is the true message of salvation,
• But in a general sense everyone who comes preaching a message of salvation is offering some kind of enlightenment.

The reference here is to people who rejected the light of Christ
And have instead sought to replace it with their own light.

It is NOT a true light.
It is NOT a saving light.
But they have clung to it anyway.

• They “kindle a fire”
• They “encircle [them]selves with firebrands” (called “sparks” in the KJV)

It is a false light.
It is a man-made light.
But it is their plan of salvation.

And WE SEE THESE types of false lights often times today
Just as we saw them in Jesus’ day.

One such false light is:
WORTH

By that we mean a person’s faulty view
Of their own self-worth or their own goodness.

We talked about it Wednesday night,
• You actually had the Pope come out this week on 60 minutes
• And declare that all people are basically good.

THAT IS OFTEN TIMES THE BELIEF OF MAN.

We remember the Rich Young Ruler’s faulty self-assessment.
Matthew 19:18-20 “Then he said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?”

For anyone to claim that they have kept any one of those commands
Is a tremendous case of FDS
(faulty discernment syndrome).

When Jesus came and rightly taught the Law in the Sermon on the Mount
• We quickly found out that there is not a single command which we have not
broken repeatedly.

Paul gave us that profound conglomeration of Old Testament passages
In Romans 3 reminding us that there is none good, not even one.

But people still tend to believe it.

• Even people who have been found guilty of atrocious sins in our world
will still often times defend themselves by saying, “But I am not a bad
person.”

• There used to be a post that went around Facebook that said, “I have a
good heart, but this mouth…”

BUT YOU UNDERSTAND THE FALSE LIGHT HERE.
It is people who measure themselves with faulty standards
And actually think they have no need of salvation
Because they are already good.

Another false light is:
WORKS

This is good old-fashioned legalism.
I have done something that has made me now acceptable to God.

I will admit that I was sinful.
I will admit that I fell short of God’s requirement.

However, I have now done something that has made it up to God
And I am now justified in His sight.

Luke 18:11-12 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’”

Or we think about those people whom Jesus rejected at the judgment but were so sure of themselves by reason of their religious works.

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

Romans 2 (if you’ve been with us on Wednesday nights)
• Is set to crush all the legalistic beliefs of the Jews who thought they were saved because they had been circumcised.

IT IS A COMMON FALSE LIGHT.

Today people think they are saved
Because they’ve been baptized or because they go to church
Or because they take communion or some other work.

They are all false lights for no work of man
Ever measured up to the righteous requirements of God.

• He gave His Law and it must be followed flawlessly in order for salvation to occur.
• You cannot break the Law and then substitute some other work and call it all good.

That is a false light.

Another false light is:
WITNESSES

They come from various sources,
And the first is usually your own corrupt heart.
People simply invent their own gospel message and adopt it instead.

For example:
Acts 23:8 “For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.”

Well that’s convenient.
• Just do away with the after-life.
• No fear of judgment,
• No supernatural activity to speak of, just ignore it if you don’t like it.

Or the Jews who were convinced
• They were saved because they were children of Abraham
• Or disciples of Moses.

Neither of those are true gospels.
But people sort of wanted to believe it
In their own hearts and minds so they do.

But Solomon said:
Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

Just because you can rationalize it in your own heart and mind
Doesn’t mean it’s true or that it can save.

OTHERS, simply employ other witnesses to come and tell them what they want to hear.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

Isaiah 30:9-10 “For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the LORD; Who say to the seers, “You must not see visions”; And to the prophets, “You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions.”

2 Corinthians 11:1-4 “I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me. For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.”

They are people who reject the true light of the gospel
And then just employ their own that they like better.

Similar to the United Methodist “Church” deciding this week
That homosexuality is no longer a sin.

Well you can declare it and you can employ preachers to affirm it,
But that is only a false light.

But this is what you see from the Reprobate.
• They haven’t just rejected the true light…
• They don’t just seek to extinguish the light…
• They set out to replace it with a light of their own making.

And that is such a real problem which continues down to this very day.

There’s a second thing we see about this group:

2) FRUSTRATED CONSENT

“Walk in the light of your fire And among the brands you have set ablaze.”

This is the response of the Lord, (The true Light)
To their desire to make their own fraudulent light.

His frustration is seen,
NOT in the fact that He tells them to put that light out,
But in the fact that He encourages them
To keep it burning and trust it fully.

This is the epitome of wrath.
This is why we call them a Reprobate.

Romans 1:21-25 “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

That is what we are discussing here.
God has given them over.
He is allowing them to have the full enjoyment of their light.
• You can keep it.
• You can trust it.
• You can walk in it.
• In fact you can have ALL that comes with it.

It’s the equivalent of God saying:
• Just bring your baptismal certificate to the Great White Throne judgment.
• Just bring your edited copy of the Scriptures when you stand before Me.

He invites them to make a detailed list of all their works,
Get it notarized, laminated, collated, and bound in a fancy cover
And then present it to Me.

BUT WE ALL KNOW HOW THAT IS GOING TO GO.
THAT FALSE LIGHT WILL BE EXTINGUISHED.

• All those works will be burned up.
• All those witnesses will be condemned before their very eyes.

All their worth will be measured next to the glory of Christ
And they will be found terribly wanting in their assessment.

And the only words they will hear will be, “Depart from Me”

The consent that God gives here
Is not a compromise to accept their false light,
But rather a calculated judgment
Upon those who would dare to even try to light their own.

It is consent, but it is consent to judgment.

And then we see a third thing about this group.

3) FURIOUS RESPONSE

“This you will have from My hand: You will lie down in torment.”

Jeremiah came to his people with one of the greatest questions in the Bible:

Jeremiah 5:30-31 “An appalling and horrible thing Has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?”

Those are people who lit their own false fires.
And they loved it.

Don’t they love it today!
Don’t they boast and brag and argue about their false ways of salvation?

To all of that Jeremiah simply asks:
“But what will you do at the end of it?”

Well, that question is answered here.
“This you will have from My hand: You will lie down in torment.”

And what a powerful two lines of Scripture
To clarify for us topics that are under continual debate.

I see the debates all the time:
• God would not send anyone to hell, He’s too loving.
• God doesn’t send anyone to hell, they send themselves there.
• Hell would be contrary to the nature of a good God.

And yet we read:
“This you will have from My hand:”

Not only is judgment real, but it is none other than God who dispenses it.
• He doesn’t judge sinners through a surrogate.
• You don’t receive your licks from a substitute.

No, God Himself does it.

Have we not learned?
Romans 12:19 “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.”

God says that vengeance is reserved for Him alone.

Hebrews 10:31 “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

It is God’s hands you fall into.

When we get a glimpse of hell in the Revelation we see:
Revelation 14:9-10 “Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.”

You can take all your notions and wishes and false prophecies
About God not being willing to judge sinners
And throw them out the window.

He most certainly will.
He most certainly does.

You can also throw out your alternate views of hell.
• Many today favor the view of annihilationism where sinners are just snuffed out of existence.
• They don’t see God cruelly tormenting sinners for all eternity.

But here we read: “You will lie down in torment.”
• He doesn’t say you will be snuffed out of existence.
• He doesn’t say you will go to some Purgatory until you get your act together.

He says that all those who trust in a false light
Will receive from His hand eternal torment.

Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”

It is really a foolish thing to deny the gospel.
It is even more foolish to fight against the gospel.
But the most foolish thing you can ever do is seek to replace the gospel.

If you seek out a false light by which you trust for your salvation
Then the wrath of God is seen in allowing you to believe it
All the way to hell.

DON’T DO THAT.
• Certainly if you are a rebel, repent, God saves rebels.
• Certainly if you have been a rival, repent, God saves rivals.

BUT DO NOT, under any circumstances, stay in your sin
And just determine to invent your own plan of salvation,
For I can assure you that God will not honor it.

In the day of judgment all your confidence will quickly fade.

SO NOW THE POINT OF THE CHAPTER BECOMES CLEAR

THERE IS NO OTHER SAVIOR.

1) You didn’t like Jesus when He came.
• He was too holy.
• He was too convicting.
• He wouldn’t accept your sin.
• He demanded repentance.
• He wasn’t pleased with your religious works.

2) so you decided to rebel against His call to repentance and salvation.

3) Yet somehow, what He said cut you to the quick so instead of just letting it go, you decided to try and condemn Him.
• If you could prove Him false then everything He said about you would be thrown out of court as inadmissible.
• But you realized that no matter how hard you attack Him, you can’t make anything stick.

4) So you determine to just alter the gospel and rewrite your own code of salvation.
• You just looked to your own sinful heart for what you thought was right.
• You gathered around a multitude of teachers to affirm your new doctrine.
• And you’ve got your own plan of salvation.

But it won’t work.
THERE IS NO OTHER SAVIOR.

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”

Only Christ fulfilled the Law of God and lived a sinless life.

Only Christ satisfied God’s righteous requirement.

Only Christ then paid the debt for sinners on the cross.
• It was there that God, by His own hand, afflicted Christ with the punishment that sinners deserve.
• It was there that God poured out all the wrath for all the sin of all the elect for all time.

No one else ever did that.
No one else ever pleased God by righteous living.
No one else ever took the punishment that sinners deserve.
ONLY CHRIST DID THAT.

There is no other way.
There is no other light.

John 1:4-7 “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.”

John 3:19-21 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

John 8:12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

John 9:5 “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”

John 12:35-36 “So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.”

There are NOT MANY ROADS all heading up the same mountain.

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

It’s been a while since we’ve discussed this great statement from Jesus,
But by all means you should know it.

Jesus spoke of two gates.
Jesus spoke of two paths.
Jesus spoke of two crowds.
Jesus spoke of two destinations.

One gate is small, you can’t take anything through it with you.
The other gate is wide, it doesn’t cost you anything to go through that gate.

One path is narrow, it has poor visibility and it is full of dangers.
One path is broad, it has easy travel with well marked signs

One crowd is small, only a few people enter that small gate and travel that narrow way.
The other crowd is large, most people have chosen the wide gate and the broad way.

One destination leads to eternal life.
The other destination is eternal destruction.

And it is important to understand what is going on here.

Each of those roads has a sign above the gate,
But it’s not the sign you might think.

That sign above the wide gate does NOT read, “The road to destruction”.
If it did, it wouldn’t be so crowded.

No, the sign above that gate reads, “The Road to Heaven”.
• The problem is that it has been mis-marked.
• That sign was hung by the false prophets Jesus spoke of in the next verse.
• They are people who offer a false light and a phony plan of salvation.

They assure you
• You can keep your sin and keep your friends and keep your idols.
• There is no sacrifice involved in the path to heaven.
• God loves everyone and all are welcome to Him.

And that road is easy, it’s a four-laner, you can set your cruise control and just go down the road without giving it any thought at all.

And it is a popular way, in fact that’s the way most people go.
• It is filled with religious people doing good works.
• It is filled with gay pride banners with people insisting God made them that way.
• It is filled with other religions and tolerance is the way of travel there.

Everyone on that road is just certain they are headed to heaven.
BUT THEY AREN’T.

THAT ROAD ENDS IN DESTRUCTION.
YOU DON’T GET TO MAKE YOUR OWN LIGHT.

But what about THAT NARROW GATE?
Does that gate also say “The Road to Heaven”?

No, that gate says, “The Road to the Cross”.

For the hanger of that sign is the Lord Jesus Christ who told us:
Matthew 16:24-27 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

This gate forces you
• To lay down your idols
• And lay down your sin.
• To enter alone because two at a time won’t fit.

And the road is treacherous and hard.
• The vision is poor and the lighting is dim.

In fact, we saw the people who travel this road in verse 10 of this chapter.
(50:10) “Who is among you that fears the LORD, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.”

These people entered that gate at the command of their Lord,
But the road has been hard and at times they are hopeless.

AND YET, the Lord of that road is faithful to sustain them
Every step of the way and to guide them according to His great light.

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

Their motto as they travel is:
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

And by faith the Lord guides them down that path.

They also often times travel that path alone.
• There are few people who go that way, for most prefer the easy way.

But at the end,
• It is this path which lands them in eternal life,
• For this path takes them by the cross of Jesus
• Where their sin is atoned for
• And they are justified in His righteousness.

It is the only way.
He is the only light.
There is no other Savior but Him.

And this is the message of Isaiah 50.

• Have you been a rebel? REPENT
• Have you been a rival? REPENT
• Are you the remnant? KEEP GOING
• Are you a reprobate? IF POSSIBLE REPENT

There is no other savior.

We trust in this Suffering Servant.

(4-7) “The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient Nor did I turn back. I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting. For the Lord GOD helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.”

He alone can save.
He alone can sustain.
We trust in Him and we trust in Him alone.

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What Have You Done With Jesus? – Part 3
Isaiah 50:1-11 (10)
May 26, 2024

I know it has been a couple of weeks since we were in Isaiah 50,
So allow me to draw this great chapter back to the forefront of our minds.

It is one of 4 suffering servant passages.

(50:4-6) “The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient Nor did I turn back. I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.”

• This great chapter prophesied of
• The incarnation,
• The obedience of Christ,
• The submission and suffering of Christ,
• And the vindication which God poured upon Him through His resurrection and ascension.

We also said that chapter 50-66 is very PROPHETIC
And I believe speaks to our very day.

It is the segment of Scripture which addresses Israel.
• Having rejected their Messiah
• Having crucified Him
• Having been broken off as a result
• The gospel now being preached to Gentiles

This segment reveals the call of the Lord Jesus to Israel
That they would repent and return to Him.

Chapter 50 is a great chapter to begin that segment.

WE SEE HERE
• That when Christ came,
• No one responded,
• As a result they were divorced and sent away.

AND AS WE HAVE STUDIED THIS PASSAGE
We are examining the ramifications of how a person responds to Jesus.

Scripture is clear, you can’t stay neutral with Jesus.

Jesus Himself said:
Luke 11:23 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.”

God has made Jesus “both Lord and Christ”.
All nations will bow to Him
All kings will bow to Him
All of His enemies will be crushed under His feet

THERE IS NO NEUTRAL THIRD PARTY.
God says that Jesus is King.
You are either a servant or a rebel.

That is the point that is being made to the Jews who rejected Jesus here.

We have said that in this chapter we have 4 responses to Jesus.
If you have heard of Jesus, then you fit into one of these 4 camps.

We saw the first two already:

#1 THE REBEL
Isaiah 50:1-3

We remember Christ asking
• What was the reason given for the divorce of Israel?
• What was the reason for them being sold into slavery?

And the answer was clear.
(1b) “Behold, you were sold for your iniquities, And for your transgressions your mother was sent away.”

You weren’t broken off because I failed.
You weren’t sold because of My debts.
It was your fault.

What was this great sin?
(2) “Why was there no man when I came? When I called, why was there none to answer?”

Jesus came and offered salvation, they had no interest in it.
They rebelled against Him
As a result they were sold and sent away.

It does not pay to be a rebel against the call of Jesus.

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of all before his judgment seat;
O be swift, my soul, to answer him; be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

IT WILL NOT GO WELL FOR REBELS.

If you have rebelled against His call for repentance and faith
Then repent of that rebellion and submit your life to Christ.
BUT HE SAVES REBELS WHO REPENT.

Well then we saw the second group:
#2 THE RIVAL
Isaiah 50:4-9

You might describe this group as A MILITANT REBEL.
• Certainly they have rejected the gospel call of salvation.
• Certainly they have rejected the call to repentance and faith.

But rejection for them was not enough.
Their goal is to totally discredit and destroy Christ.
Their goal is to see to it that no one else trusts either.
• They war against Him.
• They battle against Him.
• They stir up the crowds to ask for Barabbas and for Jesus to be crucified.

They are eager to see Him struck.
They are joyous to see Him attacked.
They aren’t just skeptics, they are antagonists.

The conviction Christ has laid upon their hearts has not relented They must either kill their sin or kill Christ and they choose Christ.

(8) “Who will contend with Me?”
(8) “Who has a case against Me?”
(9) “Who is he who condemns Me?”

AND WE SEE THIS TYPE IN OUR WORLD.
They don’t just rebel against Jesus, they war against Him.

But again, that is A FOOLISH DECISION.
(7) “For the Lord GOD helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.”

As for all those who stubbornly war anyway:
(9b) “Behold, they will all wear out like a garment; The moth will eat them.”

A certain death.

When you chop at the tree that is Jesus,
You will chop your whole life and never fell that tree.
You’ll wear out 1,000 axe heads before you ever make a dent.

He cannot be defeated.
God has already exalted Him.

Psalms 2:1-6 “Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

As God’s exalted King no rival will be left standing.

If you have found yourself to be a rival, always warring against Christ,
Let me invite you once again to repent.

CHRIST SAVES RIVALS TOO.
Saul of Tarsus wasn’t just a rebel, he was a rival.

Acts 26:9-11 “So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. “And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. “And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.”

He was out to destroy everything that Jesus did.
And Jesus Christ saved him.

You can see then how this is such a pertinent message
• Not only to Israel who have rejected Christ to this day,
• But to all who are His rivals.

Rebels are cast aside.
Rivals are destroyed as a moth destroys a garment.
But if you repent, He will forgive you and He will save you.

Well, those are the first two groups that we saw two weeks ago.

THIS MORNING, let’s examine this third group.

#3 THE REMNANT
Isaiah 50:10

You know that the REMNANT is a favorite group of Isaiahs.

God revealed them to him on the day that God called him into ministry.
• When God sent him to those who had ears but couldn’t hear and eyes but couldn’t see.
• And Isaiah asked how long?
• And God said until everyone is destroyed.

BUT
Isaiah 6:13 “Yet there will be a tenth portion in it, And it will again be subject to burning, Like a terebinth or an oak Whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump.”

While most will be exposed and crushed by the preaching of the gospel,
THERE WILL BE A REMNANT.

“There will be a tenth portion”
They are “the holy seed”

THAT IS THE REMNANT.
• It is that few who believed on Christ when He came.
• It is that few who believe Him still.
• It is that few who repented of their sins and trusted in Christ.

So it is obvious now that of the 4 options given to us here in Isaiah 50,
WE ALL STRIVE TO BE THIS ONE.

Here in verse 10, their description is clear.

“Who is among you that fears the LORD, That obeys the voice of His servant..?”

Instead of being rebels, they gave reverence and fear to Christ.
Instead of being rivals, they submitted to obey Christ.

• These are the genuine converts.
• These are the redeemed Isaiah has spoken of.
• These are the remnant.

Jesus said of them:
Matthew 13:16-17 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. “For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

THEIR LIVES ARE MARKED WITH FEAR AND OBEDIENCE.

“fears” is the Hebrew word YAH-RAY

It is NOT faith, but it IS A FRUIT of saving faith.

Abraham believed God in Genesis 15
And “God reckoned it to him as righteousness”.
All Abraham brought was faith.

But in chapter 22 we see what genuine saving faith looks like.

Remember the chapter?
Genesis 22:1-2 “Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”

And you know the story.
• How Abraham bound the boy
• How Abraham raised the knife
• How the angel stopped Abraham

And then we read this from God:
Genesis 22:11-12 “But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

Notice God didn’t say, “now I know that you trust Me”
He said, “now I know that you fear” Me.

Same word Isaiah uses here.
• It is a fruit of genuine faith.
• It is what is produced in a heart that truly trusts God.

AND it is a fear or reverence that is revealed through obedience.

This is how you know someone has genuine saving faith.
It is through their fear and obedience.

James 2:18-20 “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?”

To which James goes on to say:
James 2:19-24 “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

What is James’ point?
That a man can’t be saved by faith alone?

NO, THAT IS NOT WHAT JAMES IS SAYING.
James is saying that you can’t be saved by a faith that is alone.

Faith alone is all God requires for justifying sinners.
But if that faith is not accompanied by fear and obedience
Then it is not the kind of faith that God accepts.

We heard that from Jesus didn’t we?
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

SO YOU UNDERSTAND THE POINT.
We are not just talking about the profession of faith,
But the possession of faith.

We are talking about true saving faith.
And a person knows if they have true saving faith
Because of the presence of fear and obedience.

John 8:31 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;”

NOW, I POINT THAT OUT TO YOU
Because I want you to know that the people being referenced in verse 10
ARE TRULY REDEEMED PEOPLE.

• These are people who are genuinely saved.
• Their faith is real and we know it is real because of their fear and obedience.

“Who is among you that fears the LORD, That obeys the voice of His servant..?”

THESE ARE THE TRUE REMNANT.

And it is important that you understand that
Because the second half of this verse might call us to question that.

Why?
Because we see their current predicament.
We see their current condition.

“That walks in darkness and has no light…”

The reason that’s confusing is because that sounds like a lost man.

We remember that passage back in Isaiah 9 where Isaiah prophesied of the coming Christ who would bring light to those in darkness.

Matthew actually saw Jesus and quoted that passage:
Matthew 4:15-16 “THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES— “THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED.”

Jesus is referred to often as “the Light of the world”
And we see that as a call of salvation to those who are lost.

BUT HERE, it is used to describe genuine believers.

Here Jesus addresses those who have true faith
And yet who “walk in darkness and have no light”

Is that even possible?
ABSOLUTELY!

What we are speaking of here is frustration, fatigue, hopelessness, confusion, bewilderment, despair, etc.

It is the struggle that genuine believers are prone to experience
As they live in a world of rebels and rivals.

The apostle Paul certainly understood this.
Colossians 1:24 “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.”

• Paul WASN’T SAYING that somehow the suffering of Christ was incomplete and that he was finishing it for Him.

• No, what Paul WAS SAYING is that the world isn’t finished beating Christ, but since Christ isn’t here the world takes out their hostilities on the church.

And Paul says that he has received his fair share of those sufferings.

Galatians 6:17 “From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus.”

1 Corinthians 4:9, 11-13 “For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men…To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.”

And the effect of such a reality
Can certainly lead to despair and frustration.

Paul himself testified:
2 Corinthians 1:8 “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life;”

That is exactly the person Jesus is addressing here in Isaiah 50:10.
A true believer who has hit a wall
And who is frustrated and growing hopeless.

YOU SEE THEM THROUGHOUT THE SCRIPTURES.

Asaph:
Psalms 73:13-14 “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long And chastened every morning.”

Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 15:10 “Woe to me, my mother, that you have borne me As a man of strife and a man of contention to all the land! I have not lent, nor have men lent money to me, Yet everyone curses me.”

Jeremiah 15:16-17 “Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. I did not sit in the circle of merrymakers, Nor did I exult. Because of Your hand upon me I sat alone, For You filled me with indignation.”

Jeremiah 20:7-8 “O LORD, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me. For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, Because for me the word of the LORD has resulted In reproach and derision all day long.”

Job, Moses, Elijah, and Jonah all asked the LORD to take their life.

Living as a follower of Christ in a sin-saturated world
That is filled with rebels and rivals to Christ
Can be a difficult and frustrating thing.

AND THIS IS OUR THIRD GROUP.

They are the remnant.
• They believe God.
• They fear God.
• They obey God.
• But they are disillusioned and afraid.
• They are filled with anxiety and their hope is weak.

There just doesn’t appear to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

And the message to them is clear:

“Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.”

We asked the Rebel and the Rival – “What have you done with Jesus?”

But here we ask the Remnant, “What are you doing with Jesus?”

The call to trust Christ is NOT a one-time call.
It’s NOT something you do just to get saved
And then you take it from there.

AND I MUST SAY:
Christianity is a cold and difficult religion if all you have is fear and submission but no trust and reliance.

Christian service is a hard place to be if Christ is nothing more to you than a boss and a master.

Listen, He is also your Savior and Redeemer and Friend.

He is not simply someone to fear and obey,
He is someone that you can count on.

Two verbs here in the last line of this verse.
“trust” and “rely”

They are obviously synonyms
But there is value in looking at them separately as well.

“trust” is the Hebrew word BU-TACK
It means “to confide in one; to set one’s confidence upon one.”

Isn’t that great!
Do you do that?
• Do you confide in Christ?
• Do you set your confidence upon Christ?

Here we are called to “trust in the name of the LORD”

The “name” represents the fullness of His character.

We are called to be confident in who He is.
• Is He Savior?
• Is He Redeemer?
• Is He Provider?
• Is He Healer?
• Is He Shepherd?
• Is He Peace?

Well then count on Him!
Confide in Him and count on Him!

“rely” translates SHAW-AN
“to lean upon, to rest upon”

When Abraham welcomed the angelic messengers:
Genesis 18:4 “Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree;”

When Sampson sought revenge on the Philistines:
Judges 16:26 “Then Samson said to the boy who was holding his hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.”

Do you rest on Him?
Do you rest in Him?

Are you able to take your burdens and your fears and your worries and your cares and lay them on His back?

Did He not say:
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

And specifically the remnant is called to “rely upon his God.”
• Is He God?
• Is He omnipotent?
• Is He omniscient?
• Is He sovereign?
• Is He unchanging?

Then can you lean upon Him?
Can you let Him carry the load?

This is the call.
To “trust” and to “rely”

So you understand the call here to the remnant.

THEY ARE TRULY REDEEMED, BUT
• Life has frustrated them and perhaps even terrified them,
• Because of their circumstances they can see no light at the end of the tunnel.
• They “walk in darkness and have no light”

And Jesus is asking them to throw their burdens on His back.
• Confide in Me!
• Set your confidence upon Me!
• Lean on Me!

As I began to think about this reality this week,
The NUMBER OF EXAMPLES are easily too many to use.

You can go through the entire book of Hebrews
• And find believing Jews who are being kicked out of the temple and cut off
from the altar and their property has been seized and some are in jail.

And what is the message of the book of Hebrews?
• Christ is your great High Priest!
• He came in human form, He knows how to help!

Hebrews 2:18 “For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

Hebrews 4:14-16 “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

The call was to
• Let go of the old covenant.
• Let go of the temple service.
• Let go of that symbolic altar.
• And put it all on Christ.

And that is the MAIN POINT we’ve seen in THIS CHAPTER.

We saw in verse 4 of this chapter that
This was part of the purpose behind His incarnation.

Isaiah 50:4 “The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.”

He knows how to sustain!
He does it with His word!

Remember Asaph’s lament a moment ago?
• He thought he had kept himself pure in vain.
• He was frustrated and hopeless.

Look at how God responded:
Psalms 73:15-24 “If I had said, “I will speak thus,” Behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children. When I pondered to understand this, It was troublesome in my sight Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form. When my heart was embittered And I was pierced within, Then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory.”

It was God’s counsel (word)
That set Asaph’s heart straight and rekindled his hope.

Remember Jeremiah’s lament in chapter 15 how he was a man of strife that sat alone and he was in despair?

Look at how God responded:
Jeremiah 15:19-21 “Therefore, thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you— Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them. “Then I will make you to this people A fortified wall of bronze; And though they fight against you, They will not prevail over you; For I am with you to save you And deliver you,” declares the LORD. “So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent.”

God restored him with the promise of His word.
In fact, God reiterated the very promise that He gave him
Back in chapter 1 when He initially called him.

Remember Jeremiah’s complaint in chapter 20, how God’s word had only been reproach and derision for him?

God responded there too:
Jeremiah 20:10-11 “For I have heard the whispering of many, “Terror on every side! Denounce him; yes, let us denounce him!” All my trusted friends, Watching for my fall, say: “Perhaps he will be deceived, so that we may prevail against him And take our revenge on him.” But the LORD is with me like a dread champion; Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will be utterly ashamed, because they have failed, With an everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.”

Remember how Paul said that he had the sentence of death within himself?

Well the text continues:
2 Corinthians 1:9-11 “indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.”

And at the end of Paul’s life he wrote:
2 Timothy 4:16-18 “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

DO YOU SEE IT?

These are men of God who found the Christian race to be a difficult race.
• They faced things that frustrated them, just as you do.
• They faced things that scared them, just as you do.
• They faced things that brought them grief and despair, just as you do.

But do you see what they learned?
They learned to run to Jesus, to confide in Him, and to lean upon Him.

One of my favorite passages here:

1 Peter 5:6-11 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Remember that Peter wrote to persecuted Christians.
• They had confessed Christ and as a result they were on the run.
• Life was incredibly hard and dangerous for them.
• It would have been easy to fall into hopeless despair.

What did Peter tell them to do?
“cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you”

Take it to Him!
Put your burdens on Him!
Lean on Him!

Because as we learned in verse 4 of Isaiah 50,
He knows “how to sustain the weary one with a word”.

The word “sustain” is OOTH
It’s only used In Isaiah 50:4.
It means “to hasten to, to help, to succor”

When you draw near to Him, He draws near to you.

And you see that promise in what Peter said:
“After you have suffered or a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

He won’t send someone else to do it.
He will do it Himself!

Palms 37:39-40 “But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him.”

Psalms 109:30-31 “With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the LORD; And in the midst of many I will praise Him. For He stands at the right hand of the needy, To save him from those who judge his soul.”

And this is exactly what He has promised His remnant!
Isaiah 41:10 ‘‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”

Isaiah 41:14 “Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you,” declares the LORD, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.”

Isaiah 43:1-2 “But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.”

You understand it.

So believer, what is it that causes you fear?
What is it that brings you anxiety?
What is it that steals your hope?

Well, what are you doing with Jesus?

Are you simply letting Him save you from hell
While you try to handle the rest?

THAT WOULD BE FOOLISH.

Don’t run to Him for salvation and then seek to handle life on your own.
• If you are weary and heavy-laden RUN TO HIM AGAIN!
• If you are tired and afraid RUN TO HIM AGAIN!
• If you are anxious and without hope RUN TO HIM AGAIN!

He knows how to sustain the weary one with a word.
He knows how to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

Trust Him
Rely on Him
He will come through for you!
HE IS YOUR SAVIOR!

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What Have You Done With Jesus? – Part 2
Isaiah 50:1-11 (4-9)
May 12, 2024

This morning we began this marvelous chapter
Where Christ is now addressing those who have rejected Him.

Indeed the remainder of the book of Isaiah
Is Christ addressing those who have rejected Him
And is His sermon calling them back to Himself.

I am convinced that in the end
• When you have those 144,000 Jewish evangelists or those 2 mighty witnesses in the tribulation preaching to the Jews,
• That many of their sermons will come straight from Isaiah 49-66.

These are the words of Jesus
To those who wouldn’t listen the first time He came.

As we said this morning,
Here we have Jesus addressing 4 different groups of people.

They are all identified by the way they responded to the call of Jesus,
And in several cases, the way they still respond.

Every man who has heard the gospel message of Jesus Christ
Is in one of these 4 camps.

We saw the first this morning:
#1 THE REBEL
Isaiah 50:1-3

We began with the observation that the nation of Israel
(referred to here as “your mother”)
Had been broken off or divorced.

We noticed also that the children had been sold to “creditors”.

AND THE QUESTION WAS THIS:
Why was your mother sent away and why were you sold to creditors?

And the answer to both questions was:
BECAUSE OF YOUR SIN.

(1b) “Behold, you were sold for your iniquities, And for your transgressions your mother was sent away.”

What has happened to Israel is not God’s fault, it is their fault.

WHAT WAS THIS GREAT SIN?
(2) “Why was there no man when I came? When I called, why was there none to answer?”

In short, their sin was the rejection of Christ when He came.

Jesus stated it very clearly:
Luke 11:23 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.”

There is no middle ground of indifference.
You are either a servant or a rebel.

And the first group Jesus addressed were the rebels.
• They rejected the Lordship of Christ.
• They rejected His offer of salvation.

The consequence is they have been
Broken off, sent away, divorced, and sold to creditors.

And even the modern history of Israel bears this out.
• The Antisemitism that has existed in the world continues to exist
• And is actually even on the rise in our world again today.

While antisemitism is evil and while those who participate in it
will be severely punished by the Lord,

It is still true that the existence of it is part of God’s discipline on Israel
For their rebellion against His Son.

It does not go well for rebels.
We saw that this morning.

Tonight, let’s move to the second group.

#2 THE RIVAL
Isaiah 50:4-9

What you see in verses 4-7 is
A great Old Testament gospel account of Jesus Christ.

We see His person and His work there,
And we are certainly going to spend some time examining it.

But I do want you to see at the beginning here
Why we say that Christ is here addressing His rival.

In verses 4-6 Christ speaks of His earthly ministry.
• His coming, His obedience, His suffering and rejection…

But Christ also speaks of His vindication by the Father.
• We know God vindicated Christ in His resurrection.
• We know God vindicated Christ in His glorification to His right hand when Christ sent back the Holy Spirit.
• We know God is vindicating Christ daily through the preaching of the gospel
• And we know God will further vindicate Christ for He has promised that every knee will bow to Him.

God’s vindication of Christ is ongoing.
The preaching of Christ continues even today.

But it is the response to such vindication
That we see a second group of people emerge.

This group we call: THE RIVAL.

They are not only rebellious and have refused the gospel when offered,
But they take it a step further and seek to argue with Christ.

• They seek to discredit Him.
• They seek to dethrone Him.
• They seek to turn men from Him.

Certainly it is in response to His condemnation of their sin,
But they must discredit Christ in order to sooth their conscience.

SO THEY CONTINUALLY WAR.

And you see them specifically in verses 8-9

(8-9) “He who vindicates Me is near; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand up to each other; Who has a case against Me? Let him draw near to Me. Behold, the Lord GOD helps Me; Who is he who condemns Me? Behold, they will all wear out like a garment; The moth will eat them.”

Did you spot their aggression towards Christ?
• “Who will contend with Me?”
• “Who has a case against Me?”
• “Who is he who condemns Me?”

That is what we call a rival.

A rebel might have simply rejected and walked their own way,
But a rival is committed in their rebellion.

They are not content to simply disbelieve,
But they are ambitious to prove Him wrong
And to see to it that no one else believes in Him either.

They war and struggle against Christ.
They war and struggle against Christ’s ministers.

THIS IS A RIVAL.

And we will talk about them more in a minute,
But first we see 4 verses that make it clear to us what they war against.

When we say a rival is warring against Christ, well
WHAT IS IT THAT THEY ARE SEEKING TO DISPROVE?

• When they contend, we ask, “Contend with what?”
• When they build a case, we ask, “A case against what?”
• When they condemn, we ask, “Condemn Him for what?”

And those questions are answered in verses 4-7.
• This is who Christ is.
• This is what Christ did.
• This is what the rival wars against to try and disprove.

Hopefully you still have some recollection of this text from our Christmas Day service, but even if you don’t, let’s look at it tonight.

It is what Jesus declares about Himself
And it is what the contentious rival of Jesus wars against.

I think we broke it down into 5 points on Christmas, but we’ll just break into 4 here tonight.

1) HIS SYMPATHY (4)

“The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.”

Here we have that glorious event which you and I affectionately know as THE INCARNATION.

John described best:
John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

It is the story of Jesus Christ, the second person of the Godhead,
Relinquishing His glory and taking the form of a man
And embracing the role of a servant.

And here Jesus gave Himself a specific title in His incarnation
And it was the title of “disciple.”

• “The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples.”
• “He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.”

“disciple” in the Hebrew is (lee-MOOD)
And it means “accustomed to” or “expert in” or “one taught”.

And it might seem strange that such a title would be applied to Christ,
Or that He would take this title for Himself.

AFTERALL,
• We know that He is God, the second person of the Godhead.
• We even see His omniscience on display at times during His earthly ministry.

For example:
John 2:24 “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men,”

Matthew 9:4 “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?”

• He knew Nathaniel under the fig tree.
• He knew Judas was an imposter.
• He knew when it was and was not His time.
• He knew the crucifixion and the resurrection would occur.
• He knew Judas would betray, Peter would deny, and the rest would scatter.

He was clearly omniscient deity.
So it seems strange that here the title would be “disciple” or learner.

The writer of Hebrews brings clarity:
Hebrews 5:7-10 “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.”

There is a mouthful of truth about Christ in that passage.
• We learn of His suffering in His prayers and crying and tears.
• And we see that God heard Him because of His piety (He was righteous).
• We learn that He was God’s Son.

But we also see that “He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.”

That of course is not factual obedience, but experiential obedience.

He is NOT LIKE a scholar who has read a book on farming,
But who has never picked up a hoe in his life.

HE GOT DOWN IN IT WITH US.
He learned it experientially.
He felt the toil, He felt the dread, He experienced the temptation.

And through that experience
He learned how to be a sympathetic priest.

Hebrews 2:17-18 “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”

The incarnation is a loathsome notion to the Jew.
• They could not fathom how the God of the universe could or would belittle Himself so as to become human dwell among us.

BUT IT WAS NECESSARY.
• No one wants a priest who isn’t sympathetic.
• No one wants a priest who isn’t acceptable to God.
• No one wants a priest who doesn’t understand tears and crying to God.

Jesus became human and lived a human life to learn human suffering.
HE WAS A FAITHFUL DISCIPLE.

BUT HERE, the emphasis is not simply on the incarnation,
But on a specific role He earned through the incarnation.

Notice what He says about Himself in verse 4.
(4) “The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.”

The sympathy He gained is NOT JUST so that He will
Faithfully take our troubles to the Father on our behalf.

It is also so that He will know how to answer us in our struggles.

You’ll see this later, but the third group we’re going to talk about here in Isaiah 50 is “The Remnant”.

Isaiah 50:10 “Who is among you that fears the LORD, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.”

• They are believers.
• They “fear the LORD”
• They “obey the voice of His servant”
• But despite their faith they still “walk in darkness and have no light”

That is to say, THEY ARE WEARY.
Following Christ has made life difficult for them.

But Christ knows exactly “how to sustain the weary one with a word.”
In His human suffering He became a merciful and faithful High Priest.

He was awakened by God “morning by morning”
Because that’s how life works isn’t it.

To a certain degree part of life is simply the marathon of it.
• It hits you anew every day.
• It is ongoing.
• Part of doing it well is just to keep doing it.

Jesus learned all of that.
He experienced all of the human emotion in that.

He is sympathetic toward us.
And that is part of the good news of the gospel.

2) HIS SUBMISSION (5)

“The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient Nor did I turn back.”

Revealing that God had “opened [His] ear”
Is a reference to His comprehension of the will of God.

• How many times do we hear Jesus say, “he who has ears let him hear”?
• We are certainly familiar with Isaiah’s prophecy regarding those “who keep on hearing, but do not comprehend”.

But the will of God was made perfectly clear to Jesus.
And Jesus always obeyed it.

John 5:19 “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”

John 8:26-29 “I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.” They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

This is another very important aspect of His incarnation.

On one hand, He is A PERFECT EXAMPLE for us.
• We are to follow Him.
• We are imitate Him.
• We are to strive to be conformed into His image.
• He is our head, He is our example in all things.

But even more than being our example,
We know that He is our righteousness.
• His obedience is vitally important because we are counting on Him imputing that righteousness to us.

We have discussed this before,
But it is always helpful to hit on it again from time to time.

When we discuss the obedience of Jesus, we do so in two categories.
HIS ACTIVE OBEDIENCE & HIS PASSIVE OBEDIENCE.

Active obedience refers to that which He actively and intentionally fulfilled.

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”

His Passive obedience refers to which He willingly and freely endured.

Luke 22:42 “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

BOTH OF THOSE ARE ESSENTIAL
in order for Christ to be declared righteous by the Father.

ACTIVE OBEDIENCE:
We love the passage in Hebrews:
Hebrews 10:5-7 “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME; IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE. “THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’”

Christ came to fulfill all the requirements of the Law on our behalf.
• This is why He was born under the Law.
• This is why He was circumcised on the eighth day.
• This is why He submitted Himself to baptism.

He was obedient, He earned righteousness through His works.
And God declared Him to be righteous.

“I was not disobedient”

Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”

PASSIVE OBEDIENCE
But we also read “Nor did I turn back.”

This speaks of His endurance in that Passive Obedience.
• He did not stop short.
• He did not quit.
• Even on the cross, in order to fulfill the Scriptures, He says, “I thirst” so that
He could get that drink of sour wine before He died.

He endured it all.
He fulfilled it all.
Hebrews 12:2 “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Christ satisfied the righteous requirement of God on our behalf.
In His body He lived the righteous life that you and I could not live.

That is so important to our understanding of the gospel.
He came to BE our righteousness.
3) HIS SUFFERING (6)

“I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.”

We are aware of this.
Mark 15:19 “They kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him.”

Matthew 26:67 “Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him,”

John 18:22 “When He had said this, one of the officers standing nearby struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?”

This was a part of the atonement He would make for us.

TO BE CERTAIN the full force of the atonement
Is accomplished on the cross when the sun goes dark
And God pours out His wrath on sin.

But the human element of His suffering is part of the atonement too
For this is where we see the humiliation and shame and scorn
That our sin deserves.

Jesus DIDN’T go into a secluded place in the garden and bear God’s wrath outside of human view.
• Jesus suffered publicly.
• He bore shame and reproach and insults and mockery.
• He hung naked in humiliation.

That was part of the penalty of sin.

And Christ came to bear that on our behalf.
1 Peter 2:22-23 “WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

When Jesus came He took the FULL fury of all the wrath we deserve.
• He fulfilled every command for us.
• He suffered every stroke of punishment for us.
• He left none of it undone.

There is no more command for us to fulfill in order to be righteous.
There is no more punishment to endure in order to be righteous.

JESUS ACCOMPLISHED IT ALL.
JESUS PAID IT ALL.
That is the message of the gospel.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

4) HIS SUPPORT (7)

“For the Lord GOD helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.”

We know about this help of God.
Isaiah 49:8 “Thus says the LORD, “In a favorable time I have answered You, And in a day of salvation I have helped You; And I will keep You and give You for a covenant of the people, To restore the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages;”

We see God’s strength bounding through Him throughout His incarnation.

It is God that allows Jesus to “set My face like flint”
And never cater or bow to the pressure of the Pharisees.

It is God who stands with Jesus
That He might endure the pressure and trial of Pilate.

And when all surrounded Christ to mock Him and condemn Him to death,
It was God who stood by Him.

Psalms 118:10-14 “All nations surrounded me; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. They surrounded me like bees; They were extinguished as a fire of thorns; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. You pushed me violently so that I was falling, But the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.”

It is THE GREAT PARADOX
Of the relationship between the Father and the Son on the cross.

On one hand Jesus is crying “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
• And that is because God is pouring out His wrath on Christ.

And yet on the other hand it is the Father who stands by His side and helps Him throughout the sacrifice.

And it is God who vindicated Jesus by raising Him from the dead.
Psalms 16:9-10 “Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”

Not only that,
But it is God who ascended Jesus into heaven and seated Him at His right hand.

Psalms 2:7-9 “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’”

And the statement of Christ is clear and obvious.
“And I know that I will not be ashamed.”

Christ knows how this ends.
With Himself reigning upon the earth.
• He will return to judge the living and the dead.
• He will tread His enemies under His feat.
• He will reign forever and ever.

This has been decreed.
This has been determined.

Psalms 2:10-12 “Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”

And that is a beautiful rendition of the gospel from Isaiah 50.

• Christ our sympathetic supporter.
• Christ our submissive standard.
• Christ our seasoned sufferer.
• Christ our steadfast soldier.
• Christ our successful savior.

BUT AS WE NOTED AT THE BEGINNING,
These are the very truths that His rivals oppose to this day.

• They deny His virgin birth.
• They deny His deity.
• They deny His sinlessness.
• They deny His atonement.
• They deny His resurrection.
• They deny His bodily return.
• They deny His role as High Priest.

WHY DO THEY DENY ALL THESE THINGS?

Because if the truths about Jesus are true
Then they are sinners and they need a Savior.

The only way to preserve their sin without condemnation
Is to prove Jesus a fraud.

• They must prove He is not from God.
• They must prove He was not sinless.
• They must prove He was not a substitutionary atonement.
• They must prove He was not raised.
• And on and on and on and on.

And so they fight against the truth of Christ.
We often seen rebels turn to rivals as the seek to keep their sin.

And this is what Jesus addresses in verses 8-9

(8-9) “He who vindicates Me is near; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand up to each other; Who has a case against Me? Let him draw near to Me. Behold, the Lord GOD helps Me; Who is he who condemns Me? Behold, they will all wear out like a garment; The moth will eat them.”

• You can “contend” if you want.
• You can build “a case” if you like.
• You can seek to “condemn” all day long.

But none of it will work.
• It did not work when Annas tried.
• It did not work when Caiaphas tried.
• It did not work when Herod tried.
• It did not work when Pilate tried.

They all supposed they had won because Jesus was dead.

But 3 days later God vindicated Him with the resurrection
And God vindicates Him still.

THE SIMPLE POINT?
ATTACKING JESUS WILL NOT WORK.

You can devote all your energy to warring against the truth of Jesus and you will not succeed.
• You can fight against His word.
• You can ignore His conviction.
• You can argue with His revealed truth.

But you will not win.
We know how this all ends.

Philippians 2:10-11 “so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

And Christ here reveals what EVERY RIVAL OF HIS CAN EXPECT.

We saw that the rebel was cut off and sent away and sold for their sin.

WHAT BECOMES OF THE RIVAL?
• What becomes of the one who argues with Christ and seeks to discredit and disprove Him?
• What happens to the one who despite the evidence refuses to submit to who Christ is?

(9b) “Behold, they will all wear out like a garment; The moth will eat them.”

Christ compares them to an old moth eat T-shirt.
It is a slow, but certain end.

You can chop on that tree all day long, but you will not get anywhere.
All you’re going to get is a dull axe and tired arms.

At the end of the day Christ will still be reigning
And you will end up in judgment.

It will do you no good to seek to disprove Christ.
The call is for you to submit to Him.

Psalms 118:22 “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone.”

And here is our application this evening.

When you face Christ, the Bible says He is a double-edged sword
That exposes you inside and out.

• He will call you a sinner in need of a Savior.
• He will call you evil in need of righteousness.
• He will call you corrupt in need of forgiveness.

And He will offer to be that Savior.
• He will tell you how He came to earth as a human.
• He will tell you how He lived a righteous life.
• He will tell you how He fulfilled the Law.
• He will tell you how He suffered on the cross.
• He will tell you how He rose from the dead.
• And He will tell you that He did that to save you.

He will offer you His righteousness and His atonement.

You are forced to choose whose righteousness you’re going to trust in.

If you are willing to crush your own righteousness
• Then you will see in Jesus a sufficient and glorious Savior.

But if you are determined to keep your own righteousness
• Then you must discredit the claims of Christ and prove Him a phony.

And there are men who spend their whole lives seeking to do just that.
They think if they can prove that Jesus was not really a Savior,
Then it proves that they don’t really need one.

BUT THEY WILL FIGHT THAT BATTLE TO NO AVAIL.

And yet that is Israel today.

They may not have been the actual rebels at the cross yelling “Crucify”
But Scripture says through their ongoing rejection of Christ
They crucify Him to themselves.

Hebrews 6:4-6 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

By continually seeking to disprove Him.
By continually striving to contradict Him.
They set themselves up as His rival and there is no victory there.

CHRIST REIGNS.

Tonight, if you have been warring with Christ I invite you to stop.

If He has called you a sinner
• And you are in the process of arguing with Him, STOP.

If He has told you that you are list and need salvation,
• But you are arguing with Him, STOP.

If you would rather prove Jesus a fraud then admit you are one, STOP.

Quit fighting Him and submit to Him.
REBELS AND RIVALS DO NOT SURVIVE.

But those who confess their sins and run to Christ find salvation.