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Obtaining Peace With God
Isaiah 57:1-21
September 15, 2024

I really want us to begin this morning
Just be basking in one of the greatest descriptions
God gives of Himself in all of Scripture.

(15) “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”

It would really do us all good for a moment
Just to rejoice that this is who the God of the universe is.

We rejoice that He is “high and exalted”,
This is HIS PREEMINENCE
• Namely that He is sovereign over all things.
• That He is in control of all things.
• That nothing is higher than Him and nothing happens outside of His control.

We rejoice that He “lives forever”
This is HIS PERMANENCE
• Namely that we will never have to find another god, or elect a new sovereign.
• That He has always been and will always be.

We rejoice that His “name is Holy”
This is HIS PURITY
• Namely that He is not a corrupt or unjust or in any way unscrupulous.
• He never does anything under the table,
• All His ways are right and true and good and perfect.

And we rejoice in HIS PROCLAMATION:
“I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

It is a determination by our great God, to mingle with the lowly.

Mankind constantly seeks to socialize upward,
But it is God who socializes downward.

He rejoices in men in their humility.
He delights in men in their lowliness.

This is the God whom Isaiah came to know personally.
• He saw the King
• He saw the Holy One
• He saw the train of His robe filling the temple
• He saw the One angles wouldn’t even look at.
And yet Isaiah felt the mercy of this One and fellowshipped with Him.

We rejoice in such a God who shows mercy to sinners.

We just start off this morning rejoicing that He is God and not another.
• He is a sovereign God.
• He is a holy God.
• He is a merciful God.
• He is a good God.

WHAT A BLESSING FOR US.

And what a way to begin our look at this 57th chapter of Isaiah.

If you’re following along in this wonderful study of the end of Isaiah
You know that the SUBJECT of the day IS SALVATION.

Isaiah 53 changed everything.
Because of the atonement of the Christ,
• Salvation is the offer of the day.

Because Christ atoned for sinners
• That barren woman can rejoice in her children,
• That rejected woman can come home,
• That eunuch can celebrate his great name,
• And the foreigner can rest inside the kingdom of God.

SALVATION HAS BEEN PURCHASED
And THE CALL of Isaiah is for the wayward sinners of Israel
To turn from their sinful ways and embrace it.

Most recently we studied chapter 56
Where Isaiah asked if we were ready for salvation?
• That is if we were ready for the Christ to return, to judge His enemies, and to deliver His people?

And what we are now finding out is that the answer is, “NO”
ISRAEL IS NOT READY.
They have not embraced the salvation which Christ purchased.

SUNDAY NIGHT WE SAW
How God first blamed that on their leaders,
• We looked at the 8 sins of a sinful shepherd,

BUT NOW the focus of the message
Turns to the wayward sheep themselves.

And the message of the prophet in this chapter is that
They most certainly are not ready to meet the Lord.

BUT, if they would humble themselves, they could be.

Chapter 57 is yet another invitation of the Lord.

And the subject of the day is: PEACE

A few weeks ago we were studying in Isaiah 55:12
Which spoke of the blessing of answering God’s call of salvation. It said:

Isaiah 55:12 “For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”

And when we looked at that verse one of the questions we asked is:
HOW VALUABLE IS PEACE?

If you’ve ever been in turmoil than surely you have some idea.
• Just to be at peace
• Just to be at rest
• Just to know the conflict is over

Certainly (I would think) those who have been in the midst of war
Understand the desire for peace.

And anyone who has ever understood the gravity of their sin should understand the desire for peace.
• Romans 5 teaches us that in our sinful state we are enemies of God.
• Psalms 7 teaches us that God is angry at the wicked every day.

And if you’ve ever been made aware of that enmity
You know that peace with God is a tremendously valuable thing.

Peace is important.
And peace is the chief thought of this offer of salvation.

This chapter has for it ONE MAIN CONTRAST.
A contrast between the fate of the righteous and the fate of the wicked.

The fate of the righteous is shown at the beginning of the chapter in verses 1-2 “The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil, He enters into peace; They rest in their beds, Each one who walked in his upright way.”

The fate of the wicked is shown at the end of the chapter in verses 20-21
“But the wicked are like the tossing sea, For it cannot be quiet, And its waters toss up refuse and mud. “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

AND THE DECIDING DIFFERENCE
As to whether you are one of the righteous who receives peace
Or one of the wicked who receives judgment
Is whether or not you will humble yourself before the God.

Ch. 57 is simply an invitation of salvation to the wayward nation of Israel.
It is a call for them to see the value of humility before God.

I want to break it down into 4 points.

#1 THE EXPLANATION
Isaiah 57:1-2

As we said, we have recently dealt with the question:
“Are you ready for salvation?”

Here in the first 2 verses we see an explanation of readiness.

It is no surprise to us that those who are ready
Are described as “the righteous man”.

That certainly makes sense since we were told in Ch. 56 to “preserve justice and do righteousness” if we wanted to be ready for Christ’s coming.

Here we have a person who did not make it until the coming of the Lord.
This person died before Christ returned.

• Salvation for him was not when Christ split the sky and returned to earth,
• Salvation for this man was when his body died and his soul departed to be with
the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:50-57 “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

And that is what has happened for this man.
He has stood face to face with the Lord.

And here we find the fate of the righteous when their day comes.

And the FIRST THING we recognize
Is that it is a day totally lost on the unredeemed.

“The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands.”

Worldly men see things with worldly eyes.
• They measure man’s success by what a man achieves in this life.
• They give no account to the afterlife.

Scripture tells us that this way of thinking is foolish.

We all remember the story of the rich man and Lazarus.
Luke 16:19-25 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. “And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. “And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.”

If you only have worldly eyes
It will be quite apparent that the rich man had figured it out.
• He is the one who appears to have God’s favor.
• He is the one who appears to be enjoying God’s blessing.
• He is the one who appears to be able to smile at the future.

But one second totally changed that for both men.
In the blink of an eye each of these men stepped from this life into eternity
And my what a difference we behold then.

It was the poor man who was comforted for all eternity
It was the rich man who will spend all of eternity in torment.

DON’T LOOK AT THIS THING WITH HUMAN EYES.

That is what Isaiah says here.
• You poor pitiful people,
• You see the righteous dying
• You think that somehow they are the losers.

NOT EVEN CLOSE.

“For the righteous man is taken away from evil, he enters into peace; they rest on their beds, each one who has walked in his upright way.”

That certainly held true for Lazarus.
• Lazarus stepped out of poverty into riches.
• Lazarus stepped out of suffering into comfort.
• Lazarus stepped out of reproach into glory.
• Lazarus stepped out of turmoil into peace.

Death for Lazarus was a welcomed friend.

He understood what Paul meant when he wrote:
Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

When a righteous man dies there should be no grief on his behalf.
• Grieve for his wife if you desire.
• Grieve for his children.
• Grieve for the church that will miss his service.
• Grieve for the world that will miss his light.
• BUT DON’T GRIEVE FOR HIM.

He has been
• “taken away from evil”
• “he enters peace”
• He “rests on [his] bed”

And we could go on and on with this comforting truth,
Just by examining what we know of the glories of heaven.

But the simple point to be made at the start of this chapter is that
There are those who are ready for salvation, and it is the righteous.

• They are ready for the return of the Lord.
• They are ready for death.
• They are ready to escape the corruption of this fallen world.

They aren’t living their best life now, that comes later,
AND THEY ARE READY FOR IT.

But it is NOT Isaiah’s plan that his audience should enjoy that comfort.

#2 THE OBSERVATION
Isaiah 57:3-13a

(3) “But come here, you sons of a sorceress, Offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute.”

I hope you grasp his point.
Verses 1-2 were a setup for this carnal congregation.

Isaiah says,
The righteous man “enters into peace…”

BUT THAT IS NOT YOU!
• YOU ARE “sons of a sorceress”
• YOU ARE “offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute.”

Jesus and John the Baptist preferred the term “brood of vipers” (sons of snakes) but the point is the same.

My how Isaiah would hate the modern-day funeral.
• At funerals today everyone is “going to a better place”
• At funerals today everyone is told to “rest in peace”
• At funerals today they love to sing “Go Rest High…”
• Like it is automatic that the next life is better for everyone.

Well Isaiah just broke up your funeral service.

He came walking down the aisle in the middle of the eulogy and said,
“Peace? Not hardly! This man was a wicked man to the core.
There is no peace for him!”

Isaiah is not here to pat rebels on the back and assure their loved ones that they are now enjoying the glories of heaven.

Isaiah is here to tell a wicked congregation that if things don’t change you’ll never know a stitch of peace in eternity.

This chapter is meant to rattle the wicked out of their complacency
And to invite them back to the Lord.

Let’s look a little at Isaiah’s observation of Israel.

1) IGNORANT SCOFFING (4)

“Against whom do you jest? Against whom do you open wide your mouth And stick out your tongue? Are you not children of rebellion, Offspring of deceit..?”

Isaiah already referred to them as “false sons” back in chapter 30:9

We find them here to be scoffers.

Do we remember them scoffing at Isaiah?

Isaiah 28:9-10 “To whom would He teach knowledge, And to whom would He interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast? “For He says, ‘Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.’”

Do we remember the religious leaders in Jesus’ day doing the same to Him?

Luke 16:14 “Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him.”

Luke 23:35 “And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.”

Do you remember when Saul of Tarsus was confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus?

Acts 9:3-5 “As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,”

It was just a total disdain and scoffing at Christ.
Israel does this even to this day
As they reject Him as God’s Son and their Messiah.

Can you really call a man who scoffs at Jesus Christ, “A righteous man who will be in peace in heaven”?

HARDLY.

2) PAGAN WORSHIP (5-6)

“Who inflame yourselves among the oaks, Under every luxuriant tree, Who slaughter the children in the ravines, Under the clefts of the crags? “Among the smooth stones of the ravine Is your portion, they are your lot; Even to them you have poured out a drink offering, You have made a grain offering. Shall I relent concerning these things?”

This is pagan worship.
This is pagan sacrifice.
• They were going out to the high places in their sensual passion to enjoy the pagan worship.
• They were throwing their children off the cliff as sacrifices to the pagan gods.
• They were pouring out drink and grain offerings in the very ravine where their children had been killed in order to seek the blessing of a pagan deity.

These are people who worship the wrong gods.
They are people who delight in the murder of their children.
They are people who sacrifice on that altar that they might be blessed.

So you’re going to tell me that a person
• Who worships a false god..
• Who seeks and celebrates abortion…
• Or who embraces abortion so that they can have an easier or more prosperous
life

Is going to heaven and will be at peace for all eternity?

God asks, “Shall I relent concerning these things?”
Do you think this is the sort of thing God just overlooks?

I THINK NOT.

3) HIDDEN INIQUITY (7-8)

“Upon a high and lofty mountain You have made your bed. You also went up there to offer sacrifice. “Behind the door and the doorpost You have set up your sign; Indeed, far removed from Me, you have uncovered yourself, And have gone up and made your bed wide. And you have made an agreement for yourself with them, You have loved their bed, You have looked on their manhood.”

IT’S GETTING EVEN WORSE.

Do you remember what God commanded all of Israel to hang on their door and on their doorpost?

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

And certainly Israel did write that on their doors.

But “Behind the door and the doorpost You have set up your sign”

It was the sign that spoke of their love for another.

Like an adulterous woman she would sneak off to meet her lover
“far removed from Me” and she “uncovered” herself.

She made her bed wide to accommodate many lovers
And she made an agreement with them,
When she was supposed to be in covenant with God.

“You have loved their bed, You have looked on their manhood.”

It is idolatry spoken of in terms of adultery.
• She tried to hide it.
• In hypocrisy she tried to keep it a secret.
• She tried to maintain that sign on the front of the door to appear devout.
• But she was a harlot.

So you’re telling me that a person who pretends devotion to God but who loves and trusts in idols is going to die, go to heaven, and then rest in peace?

I DON’T THINK SO.

4) TIRELESS COMMITMENT (9-10)

“You have journeyed to the king with oil And increased your perfumes; You have sent your envoys a great distance And made them go down to Sheol. “You were tired out by the length of your road, Yet you did not say, ‘It is hopeless.’ You found renewed strength, Therefore you did not faint.”

This speaks to how devoted they were to their idols.
• Even though the journey was long and costly and tiring, they did not stop.
• The summoned up new strength and remained faithful to their deception.

Even when God put obstacles in the way that made it harder for her to go,
She fought through the obstacles and pursued it anyway.

She wanted her sin and nothing could hold her back from it.

And you’re telling me that this person who would not turn from their sin even when faced with obstacles is going to die, go to heaven, and rest in peace?

ARE YOU SEEING THE LUNACY YET?

5) LACK OF FEAR (11)

“Of whom were you worried and fearful When you lied, and did not remember Me Nor give Me a thought? Was I not silent even for a long time So you do not fear Me?”

Here we see that horrific seared conscience of that one who doesn’t even care if God finds out.
• They reached a point where their love of sin was greater than their fear of God.
• They did what they wanted and no longer cared if God was displeased.

And you’re telling me that when they die God will allow them to rest in peace?

NO, THEIR JUDGMENT WILL NOT BE SO PLEASANT.

(12-13a) “I will declare your righteousness and your deeds, But they will not profit you. “When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you. But the wind will carry all of them up, And a breath will take them away.”

On the day that this person stands before the Lord,
Their deeds will be clearly and justly and accurately judged.

• God will pour out all their good.
• God will pour out all their righteousness.
• God will pour out all their deeds.
(You know everyone is a good person at their funeral)

God will pour every bit of that out on the scales and then here comes the verdict: “they will profit you nothing”

ON THAT DAY,
• When the wicked are in hell
• They are screaming for Abraham to send Lazarus to dip his finger in the water
• And touch it to their tongue,
• The answer will be, “Call on your lover; your idol, and let them do it for you.”

“let your collection of idols deliver you.”

But those idols won’t be found because they are nothing.
• They are NOT “high and exalted”.
• They do NOT “live forever”.
• They are NOT “holy”.
• They do NOT “dwell in a high and holy place”.

They are like chaff and “the wind will carry all of them up, and a breath will take them away.”

Do you really think that those who spend their lives mocking God’s truth, pursuing sin, walking in hypocrisy, committed to their iniquity, and without fearing God are going to die, go to heaven, and then rest in peace?

I’M AFRAID NOT.

And that is ISAIAH’S POINT even to the wayward people of Israel today.

It is true that the righteous man dies and then he rests in peace…BUT YOU ARE NOT RIGHTEOUS!

• You have rejected Christ.
• You have trusted in your pagan ceremonies.
• You have walked in hypocrisy.
• You have remained committed to it no matter the cost.
• And you have no fear of God.

PEACE IS NOT WHAT IS COMING FOR YOU.
That is Isaiah’s observation.

BUT… as we said, God is a gracious God!
God is a Savior of sinners!

And this is where Isaiah 57 begins to blow the mind.
• It is clear that God is furious with these people.
• It is clear that they have offended Him in every way.
• It is clear that they in no way deserve heaven.
• And if they stay that course they certainly will not receive it.

BUT…
Even though these prodigals have wandered far from home and offended God in every possible way…

#3 THE INVITATION
Isaiah 57:13b-19

(13b) “But he who takes refuge in Me will inherit the land And will possess My holy mountain.”

Do you want to see the gospel again?
There it is!

“he who takes refuge in Me”

“When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh may I then in Him be found,
Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before His throne.”

We remember well the story of Jesus:
Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

• The houses are your works.
• The storm is the judgment.
• The rock is Christ and He is the only thing that will survive that storm.

If you trust in your idols and run after your sin
• You will not be able to withstand the coming judgment,

But if you run to Christ and trust in Him
• You “will inherit the land and will possess My holy mountain.”

And for that person who comes running to Christ,
Here is the announcement of God:

(14) “And it will be said, “Build up, build up, prepare the way, Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people.”

We are familiar with the similar message of John the Baptist
• Who told sinners to fill in the holes and smooth out the bumps to prepare for
the coming of the King.

Well here we find when a sinner decides to leave his sin and run to Christ
That God calls out that every barrier be removed from him too!

Get out of the way of His people when they are running to Him!

That is what James said when the Jerusalem church was discussing whether or not Gentiles had to be circumcised to be saved.

Acts 15:19 “Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles,”

In short, if you want to run to Christ, God will oblige you!
• He will not hinder you.
• He will not throw up a barricade to stop you.
• He will throw open the gates and smooth out the road.

If you’re a short little man like Zaccheus
• He’ll put a sycamore tree at your disposal.

If you’re a blind man like Bartimaeus
• He’ll be sure to walk down your road.

If you’re a wayward woman at a well,
• He’ll go to your well for a drink.

If you want to come to Jesus, God will clear a path.
EVEN IF YOU’VE BEEN A VILE IDOL WORSHIPING SINNER

Why would God do that?
(15) “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”

Very simply put because God loves to dwell with broken sinners.
God loves to save the lowly and contrite.

His favorite view is of broken people running to Him.
• He welcomes them.
• He dines with them.
• He embraces them.

Ask Matthew and his tax collector buddies.
Ask the prodigal when he got home.
Ask the woman at the well.
Ask Zaccheus.

That is what God does, He saves lowly sinners.

Listen to what He says:
(16) “For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would grow faint before Me, And the breath of those whom I have made.”

What does that mean except that God does not hold a grudge.
• He does not maintain His anger forever.
• He delights in forgiveness.
• He delights in reconciliation.
• He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

THAT IS WHO HE IS.

And then God gives an explanation:
(17-19) “Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry and struck him; I hid My face and was angry, And he went on turning away, in the way of his heart. “I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners, Creating the praise of the lips. Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near,” Says the LORD, “and I will heal him.”

God says,
• It is true, I was angry at him.
• It is true, his iniquity and idolatry did offend Me greatly.
• It is true, I did strike him for his sin.
• And it is true that he did stay in that sin a long time.

If you want to say that Matthew and Zaccheus grieved me for a long time you’d be right…they did.

If you want to point out that the woman at the well angered me and received a lot of punishment for her sin, you’d be right… she did.

If you want to point out that I was grieved by the prodigal and his financial ruin and pig pen occupation was My discipline…it was.

But now, “I have seen his ways”
That is to say, “I have seen his brokenness and humility and contrition”

And, “I will heal him”
“I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners, Creating the praise of the lips.”

I will restore him and heal him and bring him home
Because he humbled himself.

And look at the final call of God.
(19b) “Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near,” says the LORD, “and I will heal him.”

That is and has always been God’s offer of salvation.
• You may have been the most dedicated idol worshiper in the history of the world.
• You may have offended God at every turn and stubbornly persisted in it.
• You may have played the hypocrite with God’s sign on your door but entertaining sin behind it.

And yet, God offers peace to any
Who humble themselves and become contrite in heart.
He promises to dwell with them and to heal them.

WHAT AN INVITATION!
Sinners who humble themselves are welcome to God!

Matthew 5:3-6 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

THAT IS GOOD NEWS.

But there is one more point to be made.

#4 THE DECLARATION
Isaiah 57:20-21

This almost seems like
Just the opposite of what was being offered in verse 13.

But it helps us understand who Isaiah is talking about
When he is talking about the righteous
And when he is talking about the wicked.

Obviously the righteous cannot refer to people who have lived perfectly righteous lives…

WHY?
“Because there is none righteous, not even one.”

If God is going to talk about the wicked then that encompasses all of us.
• We are all wicked.
• We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

But in this chapter the righteous
Is not simply those who have always done righteousness
And the wicked
Is not just those who have only done wickedness.

SO WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

THE RIGHTEOUS
• Are the formerly wicked
• Who have humbled themselves,
• Run to Christ,
• And found forgiveness in Him.

THE WICKED
• Are those who chose not to run to Christ,
• But instead continue with their idols
• And live as though this life is all there is.

THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE.

You and I have already done enough
That we have no logical reason to expect peace at all,
Especially in eternity.

But God has determined that He will extend peace
Even to undeserving sinners
If they will humble themselves and run to Him.

For that is the kind of God that He is!

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8 Sins Of A Sinful Shepherd
Isaiah 56:9-12
September 8, 2024

If you’ve been with us over the course of the last 3 services
You know we’ve been asking a very important question.
Are you ready for salvation?

WE SAW
1. The announcement of the LORD in verse 1 of this chapter that His salvation is about to come.

2. God then outlined for us the specific requirement for what it means to be ready and if we summed it up, we’d say it was righteousness.

3. God had us examine our pursuits, our priorities, and our purity as He continually asked us if we were ready to stand before Him.

Well, I certainly hope as we studied those first 8 verses
You were able to confidently answer that
“Yes” you are ready for the return of the Lord.

Well you might be able to answer “Yes”
But Isaiah’s congregation most certainly could not.

And, as we have said repeatedly,
Since this final segment of Isaiah is really prophetically addressing the Israel of our day (namely the Israel that rejected the cross)

We know that there is NO WAY
In which they can answer “Yes” to that question either.

Israel today has rejected the Lord.
• They are in no way ready for Him to return.
• They are in no way ready for the day of salvation.

AND ISAIAH IS ABOUT TO EXPOSE THAT.
Particularly when we get into chapters 57 & 58
We will see precisely why the nation of Israel is not ready for the return of Christ.

But before we talk about the nation,
As God routinely does, He first desires to address the leaders.

And that is what occurs here at the end of chapter 56.

Before God reveals a nation that is headed for judgment,
God addresses the leaders who are carry most of the blame.

To put it simply, in reading these 4 verses you spotted THE ANALOGY.
The spiritual leaders of Israel are compared to lousy shepherds.
• They are not aware of any dangers.
• They are not looking for dangers.
• They are not warning of dangers.
• They are only concerned about their own comforts.
• And their flock is extremely vulnerable to judgment.

THAT IS THE POINT.

Certainly we do not wish to let the spiritual leaders of Israel off the hook.

Certainly the spiritual leaders of Jesus’ day (men like the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the Chief Priests and the Lawyers) failed the nation miserably.

They led their people to reject salvation.

Jesus said it correctly about them in Matthew 15 when He said:
Matthew 15:14 “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

And again later:
Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”

Peter summed them up later in Jerusalem:
Acts 3:17 “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also.”

There is no way of sugar-coating it.
Israel’s spiritual leaders failed her.

And they continue to fail her to this day.
• Every rabbi, every spiritual leader with the Jewish religion that continues to
reject Christ
• And point the Jewish people to some sort of legalistic set of ordinances for
salvation is failing their people miserably.

They have done nothing for 2,000 years
But lead the Jewish people into sin and judgment.

They are guilty.
They remain guilty.
They will be held guilty.

And certainly that would be thrust of these 4 verses.

HOWEVER, WE ARE A GENTILE CONGREGATION,
AND BEYOND THAT,
We are a congregation that believes in Jesus Christ
And trusts in His work.

So I don’t see the benefit to you to spend an hour
Bashing Jewish leaders for their miserable failings.

I DO HOWEVER see great benefit to learning from their mistakes.

Certainly we understand the existence of spiritual leadership.

My views regarding the structure of leadership are certainly not unknown to you.
• You know that my personal conviction is that the Bible lays out a blueprint for a plurality of elders in the congregation to corporately shepherd God’s flock.

Our current structure in our church is that we have 1 pastor
And a group of deacons who serve in a type of leadership role.

This sermon is NOT about challenging the structure or promoting a different one.

I merely wish to point out that leadership is present in our church, regardless of the structure we adopt.

I AM THE PASTOR.
• Scripture calls me an overseer or a shepherd.

WE HAVE DEACONS,
• The word means servant,
• But no one could argue that in the Baptist structure deacons function more like
leaders than servants.

WE EVEN HAVE A GROUP OF MEN
• Who are currently studying and training to be in a leadership position,
• Whatever that position may be titled.

So I should think that these 4 verses
Should be of incredible interest to several in our church.

CERTAINLY I AM INTERESTED,
But if you are a deacon you should also be very interested.
If you are a man in training for leadership, you should be very interested.

And certainly even for the entire congregation,
Knowing what is expected of men in leadership is valuable information.

THIS IS IMPORTANT STUFF.

AND TONIGHT, as we look at the failed leadership of Israel,
Let me just show you what becomes easily visible.

Namely: “The 8 Sins of a Sinful Shepherd”

• Scripture speaks so thoroughly to each of these sins that we could likely make a sermon out of each one of them,
• And perhaps the men who are currently in leadership or training should concern themselves with each of these more deeply.

FOR THESE 8 SINS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR
Israel’s rejection of Christ and her current position under God’s wrath

THESE FAILURES ARE CATASTROPHIC.

I’m reminded of what Paul told Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:16 “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

Salvation hangs in the balance here.
It certainly did for Israel and it still does today.

But tonight I have elected to cover all 8 of these,
• Because I think a big picture is also vitally important.
• Because I want all 8 of these in one sermon as a resource for later use among leaders in training.

Just know that there is a lot of ammo left on the counter here.
Scripture is not brief about any of these shepherding blunders.

But let me show you the 8 great sins of a sinful shepherd,
Then I’ll show you why they are so dangerous for the flock.

#1 BLINDNESS
Isaiah 56:10a

“His watchmen are blind,”

Now I know we just skipped verse 9,
Don’t worry, we will come back to it in a moment.

But the first sin listed here is that “His watchmen are blind”

Now I want to give you the second one too,
Because they really work together.

#2 DEAFNESS
Isaiah 56:10b

“All of them know nothing.”

So let’s stop a moment and talk about
The first two major sins of the shepherd
And that is blindness and deafness.

Now, you could make the argument
• That we are here referring to spiritual blindness and spiritual deafness,

Certainly these words can be understood in that way.
The word for “know” as in “know nothing” is the word YAW-DAH.

Isaiah has already used it to refer to spiritual blindness:
Isaiah 6:9 “He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’”

• There the same word is translated “understand”
• These people do not understand or “know” spiritual things.

Isaiah 19:12 “Well then, where are your wise men? Please let them tell you, And let them understand what the LORD of hosts Has purposed against Egypt.”

• There again it is rendered “understand”

So we could call it a spiritual blindness
And perhaps say that these shepherds aren’t even saved at all.

And especially regarding Israel’s current shepherds that is not a stretch.
They do not know the Lord and that is a major problem.

But that is NOT the problem being addressed here.

The problem being addressed here
Can even be found in redeemed shepherds.

You can be saved, with a genuine and true relationship with Jesus Christ
And still make this shepherding blunder.

The key is in going back now to verse 9.
• Here we actually have God calling out to the agents of judgment
• And telling them that His flock is an easy target.

(9) “All you beasts of the field, All you beasts of the forest, Come to eat.”

God is actually sending out an announcement
To the lions and hyenas and wolves and every other predator
And He’s telling them to go and eat the flock.

Now, the natural hesitancy of those predators
Is that THERE IS A RISK in it for them.

We have read the story of David
• And how he took the lion by the mane and killed him
• Or how David also slew the bear.

The lion may attack the flock, but if they’ve got a David for a shepherd
The lion is taking his life in his own hands by attempting it.

But here God assures the predator
That there will be no difficulty in eating this flock because:

“His watchmen are blind, All of them know nothing.”

That is to say,
• They won’t see you coming.
• They won’t hear you coming.

They see no threats
They hear no threats
They are totally unalert to the dangers that are present for their flock.

And what a terrible sin for a shepherd to commit,
To fail to recognize the pack of wolves
That is descending upon his flock.

Scripture teaches us:
1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Do those of us who are leaders in the congregation
Not realize that this congregation is being hunted?

Do you want to know how thorough the hunting party is?
• Remember when Satan approached God looking for someone to devour and
God asked if he had considered Job?

Do you remember what Satan said to God?
Job 1:10 “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.”

• God said, “Have you considered My servant Job..?”
• And Satan said, “Yes, and You’ve got him well fortified.”
• Satan had checked Job, his house, his possessions on every side.

Do not suppose that he is any less thorough with us.
He is at work to tempt and to deceive, to still and to kill and to destroy

And it is the job of the shepherd
To see him and hear him long before the sheep do.

Acts 20:28-31 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.”

• It is the duty of the shepherd to “Be on guard…for all the flock”
• “Savage wolves” are coming.
• We must “be on the alert”.

Failure to do that is a sin against God and a sin against His flock.

WHAT ARE DANGERS TODAY?
What are the deceptions today that threaten the flock?

How about:
• A worldly pressure to tolerate sin?
• A temptation to love the world and all its treasures and pleasures?
• Good Ole Boyism?
• A propensity to make idols out of politics and worldly leaders?
• A growing freedom to grumble and gossip and slander when you’re unhappy?
• The age old temptations of legalism?
• Obvious ones like pornography or gambling or drinking?

We see Satan attacking God’s people with such temptations.
We hear his subtle calls even to God’s people to embrace such errors.

If a shepherd does not see or hear such Satanic attacks on his congregation he is committing a grave error.

WE DON’T HAVE TIME,
• But go read the epistles or go read Jude or 2 Peter
• Listen to Paul and Jude and Peter continually warn the flocks about dangers
that threaten them.

• Paul warning the Galatians about legalism.
• Jude warning the church about the hidden reefs in their love feasts.
• Peter warning the church about the false teachers making merchandise of
them with their sensual teachings.
• John warning about the dangers of Gnosticism.

That’s the bulk of the information in most of those letters.

It was shepherds with open eyes and open ears
Helping the sheep spot the wolves around them.

IT IS THE JOB OF SHEPHERDS.

Blindness, Deafness
#3 SILENCE
Isaiah 56:10c

“All of them are mute dogs unable to bark”

This means that even in those instances when they spot the danger,
They are unwilling to sound the alarm about it.

This is perhaps even worse.
• It is bad enough that the shepherd can’t recognize the signs of the wolf,
• But to see the wolf and still not bark is even worse.

Again, go and read 1 & 2 Timothy or Titus
And make note of how many times Paul says something like:
• “In pointing out these things…” (1 Tim 4:6)
• “Prescribe and teach these things…” (1 Tim 4:11; 5:7)
• “Remind them of these things…” (2 Tim 2:14) (Titus 3:1)
• “These things speak and exhort and reprove, let no one disregard you” (Titus 2:15)

Those books are full of commands for the shepherd to sound the alarm!

Titus 1:10-11 “For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.”

2 Timothy 4:1-5 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 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. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

The point is obvious.
• It’s bad enough not to see the rattlesnake.
• It’s bad enough not to hear the rattlesnake.
• But to see it and hear and not warn about it is a terrible sin.

How many times in the gospels do we hear Jesus say:
• “Beware..?”
• Or “Be on the alert…?”

He was not just observing danger,
But He was constantly pointing it out to the flock.

Luke 12:15 “Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”

Matthew 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 16:6 “And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

That’s what a good shepherd does.
He warns the flock.
A silent shepherd is a failing shepherd.

If you are in a position of leadership in the church,
Not only is it your duty to spot the danger, but to warn about it.

When the Lord was calling me into the ministry,
• There were many passages He used to sort of shape and mold me,
• But one passage certainly thumped me harder than all the rest.

Ezekiel 3:16-21 “At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. “When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. “Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself. “Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. “However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself.”

Don’t be a shepherd with bloody hands.

That is what Paul told the Ephesian elders too.
Acts 20:26-27 “Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.”

Don’t commit the sin of silence.
The threat must be detected and the threat must be exposed.

Let’s keep moving.
Blindness, Deafness, Silence
#4 LAZINESS
Isaiah 56:10d

“Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;”

And now we get to the root of the problem.
• They didn’t see the wolf because they were sleepy.
• They didn’t hear the wolf because they were napping.
• They didn’t warn the flock because they were dosed off.

Remember the parable of the wheat and the tares?
Matthew 13:24-25 “Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. “But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.”

Sleepy servants will get you every time.
These are men who are lazy.

They’re not doing the work of a shepherd because they’re too lazy.
• They don’t want to stay awake.
• They don’t want to deprive themselves of sleep.
• They don’t want to be vigilant.

It is hard work to keep watch, nobody particularly relishes the job.

It would be much better if the sheep were in a secure pasture
Where no predators could attack, but that is not where we are.

Shepherds who will stay awake and spot the dangers
And warn the sheep are essential to the health of the flock.

Shepherds must be willing to follow the command of Paul:
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

Satan is launching all kinds of assaults on the church of God,
And it is the shepherds who must be vigilant to spot them.

A failure to do that is a failure to the flock.

Proverbs 6:6-11 “Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest. How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? “A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest”— Your poverty will come in like a vagabond And your need like an armed man.”

That’s not only true for making money.
It is required for successful shepherding too.

#5 STUPIDITY
Isaiah 56:11b

We are talking here about a good old fashion LACK OF DISCERNMENT.
And it is massive problem.

First in verse 11 we see a second reminder of the threat.

“And the dogs are greedy, they are not satisfied.”

• That is a reminder that the threat we face is real.
• Those dogs kill for the pleasure of killing and they will never get tired of it.

I had a fox getting in my backyard and killing my chickens.
He wasn’t eating them, he was just killing them
And dragging them up into the tree.

We face a cruel and relentless threat.
The flock faces an enemy who will show no mercy.

And the problem:
“And they are shepherds who have no understanding;”

In verse 10 he said they “know nothing”
Here he says they “have no understanding”

This is a different word.
“understanding” translates BEAN
It means “to separate” or “to distinguish”

1 Kings 3:9 “So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

There it is translated “discern”

This speaks of a shepherd who saw the wolf and heard the wolf
But didn’t warn the flock
Because he didn’t think the wolf was dangerous.

He thought that wolf just wanted to befriend the sheep,
He had no idea that the wolf’s heart was bent on destruction.

How could a shepherd be so stupid to not know that the wolf will kill the sheep?

WELL how could a shepherd be so stupid to not know that
• Worldly ideology
• Legalism
• Word/Faith theology
• Man-centered theology
• Psychology
And things like that will kill the sheep too?

Jeremiah 10:21 “For the shepherds have become stupid And have not sought the LORD; Therefore they have not prospered, And all their flock is scattered.”

Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

Do you see the danger?

Who is it that teaches a toddler not to drink Drano?
And who is it that teaches a new believer about destructive heresies?

An undiscerning shepherd is sinning against his people.

If he thinks the biggest threats are
physical safety or financial security or personal comfort,

But he is totally oblivious to the spiritual threats
His flock faces he is failing miserably.

THAT IS A SINNING SHEPHERD.

Paul told Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:13-16 “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

Salvation hangs in the balance, the shepherd must get it right.

Being blind, deaf, silent, lazy, or undiscerning is a sin in a shepherd.

#6 WORLDLINESS
Isaiah 56:11c

“They have all turned their own way, Each one to his unjust gain, to the last one.”

Now we find out even more to explain their bad shepherding.
They don’t care about the sheep.

• They only care about their own comforts and gain.
• They are exploiting the sheep for their own benefit.
• They are using the sheep for their own worldly gain.

• Maybe they tickle the ears because sheep with itching ears pay more.
• Maybe they avoid offending sheep because unoffended sheep pay more.
• Maybe they overlook the sinful sheep because that keeps me popular among wayward sheep.
• Or maybe they just flat out lie and tell the sheep to give money to sow a spiritual blessing in their lives like the prosperity guys.

No matter how subtle or grandiose they do it,
They exploit the sheep for their own personal gain.

They look away from the attack of the wolf
Because it is in their best financial interest to do so.

This is strictly forbidden.
1 Timothy 3:3b “free from the love of money.”

Acts 20:29-30 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”

This is why Paul also said:
Acts 20:33-34 “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. “You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me.

It should go without saying, but sadly it is a massive problem.
But the ministry is not something you do for money.

Yes, the Bible commands churches to compensate their leaders,
But those that wouldn’t do it at their own expense should not do it at all.

And this isn’t just about a paycheck.
There are plenty of men who are in the church
To help their business, or to get elected, or to earn community favor, etc.

That is not a concern for the flock
That is a concern for your own benefit and that is a sin against the flock.

The shepherd cares for the flock out of love for God and for His flock.
Loving the world and using the flock to obtain it is a sinful shepherd.

#7 DRUNKENNESS
Isaiah 56:12a

“Come,” they say, “let us get wine, and let us drink heavily of strong drink;”

You’d think this would be obvious too,
But Isaiah isn’t the only one who felt the need to mention it.

1 Timothy 3:3a “not addicted to wine…”

• Paul warned against it too.

In Isaiah’s day this was also a problem.
Isaiah 28:1 “Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley Of those who are overcome with wine!”

We find out later that
• The drunkards in Isaiah 28 where the prophets
• And Isaiah compared their preaching to the vomit they left on the tables in their
drunken stupor.

Isaiah 28:7-8 “And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; They reel while having visions, They totter when rendering judgment. For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place.”

You can argue all you want about whether or not a Christian
Can drink a beer if they don’t get drunk, but that is not the issue here.

The issue here is that a shepherd has to stay away from it.
WHY? Because he has to be alert!

You are “on duty” and you never come off.
If you can’t sleep then you sure can’t get drunk.

These shepherds love the flesh too much.

#8 COMPLACENCY
Isaiah 56:12b

“And tomorrow will be like today, only more so.”

They have no sense or fear of a coming judgment.
• Instead of warning the flock of the dangers yet to come…
• Instead of warning the flock of the judgment of God…
• Instead of warning the flock of the coming salvation…

They are busy assuring the flock that they are fine where they are.
• Nothing will get you here (as the wolf approaches)
• You are perfectly safe (as sheep after sheep are carried off)

They are the epitome of the false prophets Jeremiah warned of:
Jeremiah 8:10b-11 “Because from the least even to the greatest Everyone is greedy for gain; From the prophet even to the priest Everyone practices deceit. “They heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace.”

They assure their listeners that
They are fine in their sin and have nothing to worry about.
TO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION

One thing God continually promises is that
If you accept a position of leadership among God’s people
You will most certainly give an account.

1 Peter 5:1-4 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

James 3:1 “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”

Jesus is coming and His under-shepherds will answer to Him.
A shepherd who lives without that understanding is a sinful shepherd.

AND I KNOW THAT IS A QUICK LOOK, and certainly those of you in leadership can search those out even more, and probably should.

But understanding the 8 great sins of a sinful shepherd.
Understand the 8 sins that led to the demise of Israel.

Blindness, Deafness, Silence, Laziness, No Discernment, Worldliness, Drunkenness, and Complacency.

NOW:
WHY ARE THOSE SINS SO DANGEROUS IN A SHEPHERD?

Because dogs are real.
Dogs are hungry.
Dogs are greedy.

(9) “All you beasts of the field, All you beasts of the forest, Come to eat.”
(11) “And the dogs are greedy, they are not satisfied.”

Shepherds are called to spot them, expose them,
And protect the flock from them.

And if you want to know the one characteristic
That seems to right all of those wrongs mentioned, it is this:

BE SOBER
(as in not drunk, as in not asleep, as in not naïve)
(as in be alert, as in be serious, as in be aware of the coming judgment)

Israel’s shepherds were not sober
And their flock has wandered in judgment for 2,000 years.

These shepherds sinned greatly against God and against their flocks
And as God begins to explain the sin that led to the judgment of Israel,
The shepherds get exposed first.

As a shepherd, I would tell the other shepherds of this flock
And to those in training, BE SOBER.

The flock depends on it.

download here

Ready For Salvation? – Part 3
Isaiah 56:1-8 (3-8)
September 8, 2024

Luke 12:35-40 “Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. “Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. “Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. “Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. “You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”

It is the call we read over and over from the Lord – “be ready”
And of course He is speaking of being ready for His return.

That is the theme of Isaiah 56:1-8.
The LORD reveals “My salvation is about to come And My righteousness to be revealed.”

It is the call of John the Baptist who told his audience, “Make ready the way of the LORD, make His paths straight, every ravine will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be brought low; the crooked will become straight, and the rough roads smooth; and all flesh will see the salvation of God.”

It was a call to be prepared for the day when the Lord returns, crushes His enemies, & totally, finally, & eternally saves His people

And the question we are asking is: ARE YOU READY?

We are looking at the requirements for being ready.

#1 A STATED REQUIREMENT
Isaiah 56:1

It could not be any clearer:
“Preserve justice and do righteousness,”

• It was a call to pay close attention to that which God is says is right.
• It was a call to pay heed to the things that please God.
• And then it is a call to do those things.

In short the call is for righteousness.

Our understanding of the gospel teaches us that the righteousness of God is that which is credited to us when we place our faith in Christ.

Romans 3:21-22 “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;”

So certainly we would say that
If you want to be ready for the coming of the Lord
Then you need to be in Christ.

That is to say that
• You must have placed your faith in His finished work.
• You must have trusted in Him so that His righteousness has been imputed to you and you are justified in the sight of God.

If you are not trusting Christ then you are not ready.
That is a clearly stated requirement from the LORD.

#2 A SERIOUS REQUIREMENT
Isaiah 56:2

We are still talking about righteousness
But we see the seriousness of it in the fact that
It is linked to whether or not we receive the blessing of God.

Moses laid it out over and over for his people.
They could have “the blessing or the curse”.

The blessing came through righteousness,
The curse came through disobedience.

It is the serious standard of God on which He does not budge.

As we learned in chapter 55 of Isaiah,
It is not God who changes His thoughts or ways,
It is us who must change ours.

AND THEN ISAIAH BEGAN TO SHOW US
Exactly what he means when he is speaking about righteousness.

If you want to evaluate your life to see if you are ready,
There are 3 areas here that Isaiah looks at to help you see.

I think they are incredibly beneficial to understand.
These are great evaluators.

1) YOUR PURSUIT

“How blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who takes hold of it;”

• Certainly a man must be justified through faith in Jesus Christ.
• Certainly a man must have the righteousness of Christ imputed to him by faith.

But Isaiah is going even further here as he talks about
The person who pursues righteousness beyond just being justified.

A true believer is NOT one who believes in Jesus,
Gets justified in the sight of God,
And then is content to go back to living in sin.

If that is your thought process
There is tremendous reason to question if you’ve been saved at all.

Paul taught the Romans
Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”

The writer of Hebrews warned us
That without “sanctification” “no one would see the Lord”.

A genuine believer who has been justified in God’s sight
Will then pursue that righteousness practically in their life.

And we read all those practical commands in both Ephesians and Colossians that show the lifestyle that is expected of a believer.

And the simple question we used to evaluate our lives is:
AM I PURSUING RIGHTEOUSNESS?

WE ARE NOT YET RIGHTEOUS, and we will never be perfect in this life,
But like the apostle Paul can we say that we have “forgotten what lies behind and we reach forward to what lies ahead”?

Can we say we are pursuing the practical expression of Christ’s righteousness in our lives?

That is essential to being ready for His coming.

1 John 3:2-3 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

So we look at our PURSUIT.
• Are we declared righteous through faith in Christ?
• Are we pursuing Christ-likeness in our lives?

Then last Sunday night we looked at a second evaluating point.

2) YOUR PRIORITY

“How blessed is the man…who keeps from profaning the sabbath”

This is a theme that is going to run even throughout verses 3-8.

We talked about the Sabbath and how Sabbath rest was a prophetic picture of the salvation that was going to come in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews taught us:
Hebrews 4:10 “For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.”

When God rested after creation
• It was not because He was tired, but rather because He was finished.
• It was good, flawless, and needed nothing tweaked or added to it.

And we enter that same rest when we trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
• A work that is also flawless and finished and needs nothing tweaked or added to it.

As Christians we rest continually in Jesus Christ who is our Sabbath rest.

But Isaiah had even more in mind than just that here.
What Isaiah spoke of was PRIORITY

We looked at Jeremiah and we looked Amos
We saw that the common problem with the Sabbath was that it was a nuisance to the people of God.

• They couldn’t wait for the Sabbath to be over so they could get on with their lives of making money.
• A day to rest from their worldly pursuits and delight in God was a massive hurdle to all of their plans.
• They profaned the Sabbath because of a heart that didn’t really want to be there.

And it provided a good opportunity for us to EXAMINE OUR PRIORITIES.

We are not so legalistic that we now replace the Sabbath with Sunday and hold a man’s salvation over his head if he misses a service.

But, can we not see a problem when there no longer becomes
A time or a day at all that is simply for enjoying the Lord?

Sunday used to be called “The Lord’s Day”
• Many now should only call it “The Lord’s Half-Day”
• Perhaps even more should only call it “The Lord’s Occasional Day”.

When worship of the Lord and fellowship of the saints
Becomes a hindrance and a hurdle to the things of this life we want to do
Are we not demonstrating a profaning attitude?

Can we really say we are ready for the Lord to return when worship of Him and fellowship with His people is a hindrance to us and not a delight?

When Christ comes
• He will crush the idols of this world
• His glory alone will shine.
• We will worship Him continually.

If that is not appealing to you now,
Then you must wonder if you are ready for that day.

So we look at our PURSUITS and our PRIORITIES.

THIS MORNING there is one more area we examine.

3) YOUR PURITY

“How blessed is the man who…keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

This is not only a man who is pursuing righteousness,
But a man who at the same time is fleeing from evil.

TO CLAIM to pursue righteousness without fleeing from evil
Only puts a man on par with a Pharisee.

Jesus said about them:
Matthew 23:1-7 “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men.”

They were men who appeared to pursue righteousness,
But they did so externally only while they still loved sin in their heart.

Jesus continued:
Matthew 23:23-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. “You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

IT WAS JUST A SHOW.

They could claim to be pursuing righteousness sure enough.
• I mean they tithed, they fasted, they prayed, they did all the external things.

They could certainly claim to be making the Sabbath a priority,
• Even though they totally missed the point.
• But they never missed it, they even repeatedly confronted Christ and claimed that He broke it.

So when talking about PURSUIT and PRIORITY
They would have sat smugly in their chairs believing they fit the bill.

That is why this third requirement is also necessary.
A man must also be fleeing from that which is evil.

Paul wrote:
Romans 12:9 “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.”

To have an unhypocritical love of God is two-sided.
• On one hand to truly love God is to “cling to what is good”
• On the other hand to truly love God is to “abhor what is evil”

After all God’s love, we are told:
1 Corinthians 13:6 “does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;”

SO YOU SEE THE QUESTION NOW AT HAND.
In my quest for righteousness, am I also seeking to remove sin?

• Perhaps I am pursuing righteousness.
• Perhaps I am reading the word to see what is required.
• Perhaps I am faithfully attending worship to hear preaching and have my sins exposed.

But when my sin is revealed to me.
When my sins are shown to me.
WHAT DO I DO THEN?

Do I hate them?
Do I abhor them?
Do I leave them?

Am I seeking pure hands?

This is a prerequisite for standing before the Lord.
Psalms 24:3-4 “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully.”

When James spoke of a man who was ready to be exalted by God, James gave practical steps that are required.
James 4:7-10 “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

Isaiah addressed this issue very early on in his ministry.
Isaiah 1:15-17 “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.”

Think about some of those practical sanctification passages
We read last Sunday morning to close our service.

Listen specifically to what Paul said, not just about the pursuit of sanctification, but also the reason for the desire to flee what is evil.

Ephesians 5:3-5 “But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

Colossians 3:5-6 “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,”

See, it’s not just what you pursue, but it is also what you flee.
It’s not just what you love, but it is also what you hate.
And we hate it because it invites punishment.

And I think this might be the most telling indicator of all
Regarding genuine salvation in our hyper-tolerance culture.

There are very few sins that our culture still mandates hatred for.
It is love that is held up as the sole acceptable response.

But what do we read in the Scripture?
(Our prayer journal verse Friday morning)
Proverbs 6:16-19 “There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.”

So let me ask you:
• Should you hate haughty eyes?
• Should you hate a lying tongue?
• Should you hate hands that shed innocent blood?
• Should you hate a heart that devises wicked plans?
• Should you hate feet that run rapidly to evil?
• Should you hate a false witness who utters lies?
• Should you hate one who spreads strife among brothers?

And perhaps you are sort of caught in limbo there.
Perhaps you are so indoctrinated by the culture that
You are actually struggling to say yes to those questions.

Well should you love those things?
• Should you love haughty eyes or a lying tongue or hands that shed innocent blood…etc?

THAT BECOMES CLEARER
God hates those things.
We are to love what God loves and hate what God hates.

Now let me give you something perhaps even a little more practical here.

Often times we have talked about
• Those imprecatory Psalms.
• Those Psalms where David calls down judgment upon the wicked.

Psalms 10:12-15 “Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up Your hand. Do not forget the afflicted. Why has the wicked spurned God? He has said to himself, “You will not require it.” You have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to take it into Your hand. The unfortunate commits himself to You; You have been the helper of the orphan. Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer, Seek out his wickedness until You find none.”

Psalms 58:6-11 “O God, shatter their teeth in their mouth; Break out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD. Let them flow away like water that runs off; When he aims his arrows, let them be as headless shafts. Let them be as a snail which melts away as it goes along, Like the miscarriages of a woman which never see the sun. Before your pots can feel the fire of thorns He will sweep them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning alike. The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. And men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely there is a God who judges on earth!”

THOSE ARE INTENSE.
But I remind you that those are Holy Spirit inspired words.
Those are God-written prayers that He has preserved for His people.

• We are never to take our own revenge.
• We are never to meet out justice.
• We leave room for the wrath of God while we turn the other cheek and go the extra mile.

But in our frustration we offer a prayer to the righteous Judge.

But perhaps I might offer to you even another perspective this morning.

Have you ever considered praying such a prayer against your own sinful flesh?
• That God would break your sinful pride?
• That God would seek out the wickedness of your flesh until it is all gone?
• That God would shatter the teeth of your immorality?
• So that you can rejoice when your own wickedness is removed.

DO YOU WANT YOUR OWN SIN GONE THAT BADLY?

If you knew that Christ was going to destroy all those who gossip, would you go to war with your tongue to rid it of gossiping before He returned?

If you knew that Christ was going to destroy all stealing would you buffet your body and make it your slave to put an end to that which Christ will destroy?

If you knew that Christ was going to destroy all who are sexually immoral would you attack your body to make it stop doing that which Christ hates?

How did Jesus put it?
Matthew 5:29-30 “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. “If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.”

How badly do you want that which Christ hates eradicated from your life?

THIS IS ANOTHER AREA
In which we EVALUATE our readiness to see the Lord.

• We look at our PURSUITS and ask ourselves if we are pursuing righteousness.
• We look at our PRIORITIES and we ask if Christ is our first love.
• We look at our PURITY and we ask if I am warring to put away sin from my life.

2 Corinthians 5:6-10 “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

THAT IS THE IDEA.

Those who would trust in Christ for justification
Are expected to obey Christ in sanctification
That we not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.

A Stated Requirement
A Serious Requirement

#3 A SUFFICIENT REQUIREMENT
Isaiah 56:3-8

The simple point to be revealed here is that THIS IS ALL GOD REQUIRES,

Any man who so prepares Himself is acceptable to God
Regardless of his background, past, or failures.

After God sent the apostle Peter to the house of Cornelius to preach the gospel, Peter was humbled by what God did, and Peter said:
Acts 10:34-35 “Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.”

• The apostles, and the rest of the Jewish community had a very difficult time accepting Gentile salvation.

They were foreigners, they were pagans,
And they certainly would have no inheritance in the kingdom of God.

Deuteronomy 23:1-6 “No one who is emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD. “No one of illegitimate birth shall enter the assembly of the LORD; none of his descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall enter the assembly of the LORD. “No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the LORD; none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall ever enter the assembly of the LORD, because they did not meet you with food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. “Nevertheless, the LORD your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the LORD your God loves you. “You shall never seek their peace or their prosperity all your days.”

That certainly seemed clear enough.

And yet, Isaiah gives us clarity on the heart of God here.
Those sinners were banished for a refusal to repent,
But even sinners like them are welcome through repentance.

Isaiah brings up the two groups whom Moses specifically excluded.

Isaiah speak of Eunuchs and Foreigners.
• Two people who would fall under the category of the absolutely hopeless.
• Two people whom it would seem had no reason to expect they could do
anything to be welcomed into the kingdom of God.

Foreigners were pagans
Eunuchs were an offense to God’s created plan.

They seemed to be the very epitome of the disqualified.

And yet it is abundantly clear what God says to each of them here.

(3) “Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, “The LORD will surely separate me from His people.” Nor let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”

God announces that it is absolutely not hopeless
For the foreigner or the eunuch.

• There is hope that the eunuch might have an enduring name.
• There is hope that a foreigner might have an inheritance among God’s people.

HOW?
(4-7) “For thus says the LORD, “To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial, And a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off. “Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, To minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath And holds fast My covenant; Even those I will bring to My holy mountain And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”

I realize they are two separate groups but the point is clear in both.

Those who PURSUE righteousness…
Those who PRIORITIZE worship of God…
Those who PURIFY their lives…
ARE WELCOME TO GOD.

Even if they are foreigners and eunuchs.

Foreigners had no right to expect an inheritance among God’s people.
Eunuchs had no physical hope of an eternal name.
And yet God promised these things to both of them.

It is what Peter said:
Acts 10:34-35 “Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.”

God welcomes them because righteousness is what is required
And righteousness is ALL that is required.

In fact, God even makes a shocking statement:

God will honor a faithful eunuch over an unfaithful son.
“To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial, And a name better than that of sons and daughters;”

How can that be?
• Because the requirement is STATED
• The requirement is SERIOUS
• And the requirement is SUFFICIENT

Remember that Centurian whose servant was healed?
Matthew 8:10-12 “Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Or how about this parable?
Matthew 21:28-31 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ “And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. “The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. “Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.”

Or what Jesus said to the religious elite?
Luke 13:24-30 “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’ “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. “And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. “And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”

You see it everywhere don’t you?
• It is not your pedigree…
• It is not your external religious involvement…
• It is not your denomination…

GOD LOOKS AT THE HEART.
Those who humble themselves
• And trust in Jesus Christ for righteousness…
• And pursue the righteousness of Christ…
• And prioritize the worship of God over the world…
• And purify their lives from sinful living…

It doesn’t matter if they are foreigners and eunuchs
They are welcome to God and ready for the day of salvation.
But the religious elite who do not do those things are passed over.

YOU SEE THE POINT.
THE REQUIREMENT OF GOD IS CLEAR.

CHRIST IS COMING.
• He is coming to judge the living and the dead.
• He is coming to trample sinners under His feet.

And Isaiah wants to know if you are ready for that day?

DO NOT suppose there is no hope because of your checkered past.
DO NOT suppose there is no hope because of your filthy family history.
• All those who trust in Christ…
• All those who pursue Christ…
• All those who prioritize Christ…
• All those who purify themselves for Christ…

Are welcome to Him and will be greeted by Him in favor when He comes.

(8) “The Lord GOD, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares, “Yet others I will gather to them, to those already gathered.”

Jesus is a gatherer of the scattered.

He Himself said:
John 10:16 “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.”

And we are taught in the epistles:
Galatians 3:27-29 “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

• You are free to come to Christ.
• You are free to be welcomed into His kingdom.
• You are free to rejoice in His coming.

BUT RIGHTEOUSNESS IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE REQUIRED.

Trust in the finished work of Christ and be justified.
Consume yourself with the sanctification Christ requires.
• Pursue righteousness,
• Prioritize Christ
• Purify yourself from sin and be sanctified.
And on the day Christ returns you will be glorified.

This is how we ready ourselves for the coming of the Lord.

“Thus says the LORD, “Preserve justice and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come And My righteousness to be revealed.”

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Ready For Salvation? – part 1
Isaiah 56:1-8 (1-2)
September 1, 2024

Are you ready for salvation?
That may seem like a pretty straightforward question.

And because we commonly associate salvation
With things like being forgiven of my sin or being granted eternal life,
One would think that the immediate and obvious answer is, “Yes”.

• “Yes, I’m ready for Jesus to forgive all of my sin.”
• “Yes, I’m ready for Jesus to have mercy on me.”
• “Yes, I’m ready for Jesus to give me abundant life.”

And people tend to assume that they are perfectly ready
For the Lord to extend whatever mercy toward them that He intends.

But that is NOT exactly the question I am asking.
Nor is it the issue that Isaiah is addressing.

You notice in verse 1 that salvation is the issue of the day.
“Thus says the LORD, “Preserve justice and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come And My righteousness to be revealed.”

Isaiah is clearly calling the people to a righteous life
Because “salvation is about to come”

We often speak of salvation in the scope of Christ justifying us
And granting us the righteousness which we do not possess,

So in this sense it would make Isaiah’s statement seem backward.

We DON’T TELL people to become righteous so that they can be saved,
We TELL people they need to be saved because they are not righteous.

In that sense, it would almost make Isaiah’s statement seem anti-gospel.

So you need to understand what Isaiah is saying.
• He is not here speaking about personal salvation.
• Isaiah is speaking about the salvation of the nation of Israel.

And the salvation he speaks of is the day in which their Messiah
Will come to deliver Israel from her enemies by crushing the wicked.

To put it another way, the salvation Isaiah speaks of
Is not the first coming of Christ, but the second coming.

It is the day Christ comes in holiness to judge the living and the dead.
It is the day He comes to save His people totally and finally.

We read about that day in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 19:11-21 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.” And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.”

THAT IS THE DAY OF SALVATION.

Even the gospel writers understood salvation in this sense.

Romans 13:11-12 “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

• Paul wasn’t speaking there about some personal salvation or even justification which you received when you believed in Christ.
• Paul is talking about the total and final salvation of all of God’s people when Christ returns to destroy the wicked and to reign on the earth.
• Paul says that since that salvation is growing nearer and nearer and nearer then you should “lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

And if you’ll notice, that is the message of Isaiah.
He is revealing to you God’s expectation for your life.

That since the Messiah is going to come in judgment, you should, “Preserve justice and do righteousness,”

Peter said it a little differently.
2 Peter 3:10-14 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,”

Peter asked, “since all these things are to be destroyed…what sort of people ought you to be…looking for…the coming of the day of God..?”

That is the question.
ARE YOU READY FOR SALVATION?

This was the ministry of John the Baptist.
Matthew 3:1-3 “Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, “THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!’”

Certainly John was preparing the way for Jesus
And the earthly ministry which He brought.

But John was just as much preparing people for Christ’s second coming as he was His first coming.

In fact, John was actually a little confused
When he was thrown in prison and Christ hadn’t delivered him from the hands of evil men.
• John questioned at that point whether Jesus was really the Messiah because
John had grand expectations of a Messianic reign and the destruction of the
wicked.
• John didn’t fully understand that Jesus first came to save sinners, but would
then come again to judge them.
• When you hear John preaching, he is preaching like an Old Testament
prophet as he desperately seeks to prepare men for salvation.

That is, he is seeking to prepare men for the salvation of the world
When Messiah comes to judge the wicked.

So John told men to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

He spoke to them like the army would be here any second
And you would much rather be pleasing than to be offensive to Him.

Jesus preached that message as well.
Matthew 24:42-44 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

Luke 12:30-40 “For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. “But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. “Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. “Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. “Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. “You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”

SO I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND THEN THE POINT.
When we are asking if you are ready for salvation
• We are NOT asking so much if you are ready to be forgiven,
• We ARE asking if you are ready for the Lord to return and deliver His people by
judging the living and the dead?

The first time Jesus came in meekness to save sinners.
The second time He will come in justice to destroy them.

He will do that to deliver His people from the oppression of this world.
That is the salvation we speak of here.

And the question we begin this segment with is:
ARE YOU READY FOR THAT SALVATION?
• Are you ready to look Jesus in the face upon His arrival?
• Are you ready to stand before the Holy One of Heaven?
• Are you ready to have your life laid bare in judgment before His throne?
• Are you ready to have those books opened and all your deeds exposed?
• Are you ready to face Jesus Christ in all His glory?

Are you ready for salvation?
That is the question.

And in the flow of Isaiah’s ministry it is a fitting question.

We know that everything changed after Isaiah 53.
• Isaiah 53 spoke of the One who came in atonement.
• Isaiah 53 spoke of the One who bore our sins.
• Isaiah 53 spoke of the One who came to justify sinners.

Because of what He did on the cross
Sinners can now be declared righteous in the sight of God.

Because of what He did on the cross
The wicked can be justified in God’s sight.

And we have seen God crying out as He offers that salvation.
That’s what chapters 54 and 55 were all about.
• He called out to that barren woman that she could have the blessing of many children.
• He called out to that rejected woman that she could have the honor of once again being married.
• He called out to that thirsty beggar who had made a mess of his life that he could be satisfied with abundant life.

He called all of them to come!
• He called them to repent by changing their thinking.
• He called them to forsake their thoughts and ways.
• He called them to seek the LORD while He may be found.

But the point is: HE CALLED THEM
They could now come and be saved.
They could now come and be declared righteous in the sight of God.

And that is good, because as we find out here, the Lord is coming again!

And when He comes the next time
He will destroy all of those who have not taken advantage
Of the offer of righteousness that He presented.

That is the point of these 8 verses.
• What have you done with the atonement of chapter 53?
• What have you done with the offer of chapter 54 and 55?
• Are you ready for salvation?

Here in Isaiah 56 we’re going to see what it looks like to be ready.

• What does a man who is ready for the return of the Lord look like?
• What does his life look like?
• How would you spot him?
• How would I evaluate myself to know if I am ready?

Those are good questions.
Those are important questions.

Here is the answer.

#1 THE STATED REQUIREMENT
Isaiah 56:1

“Thus says the LORD, “Preserve justice and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come And My righteousness to be revealed.”

Isaiah starts with the all-authoritative, “Thus says the LORD”

We are talking about the reality of a coming salvation and Isaiah says
This is what God says regarding how to be ready for it.

And the stated command is clear:
“Preserve justice and do righteousness”

LET’S LOOK AT THAT A LITTLE CLOSER.

The word “Preserve” translates SHAW-MAR
It certainly means “to preserve or to protect or to keep.”

• It is the word used when God placed Adam in the garden to “keep it”.
• It is a word used how a shepherd watches over his flock.
• It is to look upon something with great concern for it.

And in this case that which we are called to watch over or protect or to keep is “justice”.

“Justice” translates MISH-PAWT
It speaks of “a discernment of what is right and wrong.”
• Sometimes rendered “judgment”.
• It is sometimes rendered “ordinance”
• It is a word that is used to speak of God’s word.

Often Psalms 119 refers to God’s word as “ordinances” or “judgments”.
It is God’s declaration of what is right and wrong.

AND THIS IS THE FIRST CALL.
If you want to be ready for the second coming
Then you must pay special attention to
What God says about what is right and what is wrong.

• You had better concern yourself with God’s judgments and ordinances.
• You had better preserve and keep God’s revealed justice.

You certainly understand that when Christ returns,
He is coming to “judge the living and the dead”.

On that day, it will not be your standards that He judges by, it will be His.

He will not judge the world by your standard of right and wrong,
He will judge the world by His standard of right and wrong.

Sin will be determined by His definition, not yours.

Therefore you should be very careful and diligent
To find out what His definition is.

That certainly makes sense.

And then Isaiah is again very pointed
When he says that you should “do righteousness”.

“do” is not a hard word to comprehend.
• Don’t just learn about justice, do it.
• Don’t just learn about righteousness do it.

“righteousness” is the Hebrew word SAID-AW-KAH
It just speaks of “what is right.”

Incidentally, it is the very thing which God “reckoned” to Abraham

But there is nothing really confusing about the command here.
LEARN WHAT IS RIGHT AND DO IT.

God said “Preserve justice and do righteousness”
Be focused on what I say is right and do it.

WHY?
“For My salvation is about to come And My righteousness to be revealed.”

John the Baptist said:
“Clean up that trash, fill in that pothole, smooth out that bump for the King is on His way!”

Luke 3:3-6 “And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT. ‘EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED, AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW; THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT, AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH; AND ALL FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.’”

THAT IS THE MESSAGE.

So what do we learn there?
GOD DEMANDS AND EXPECTS RIGHTEOUSNESS

That certainly shouldn’t be too hard to understand.

The very gospel message reminds us:
Romans 1:16-18 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,”

We love the gospel because
The gospel reveals to sinful man
How to obtain the righteousness which God requires.

The gospel message teaches us that
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IS IMPUTED TO US BY FAITH.

And the gospel even reveals to us
Why this righteousness is so important and that is because “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men…”

You must be righteous to escape the judgment of God.

And the gospel tells you that righteousness will be imputed to you
When you place your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

• It is Jesus Christ who came to this earth and lived a righteous life fulfilling God’s Law.
• It is Jesus Christ who then died on a cross and bore God’s wrath for sin He did not commit.

And we are taught in the gospel that
When we place our faith in the work of Jesus,
His righteousness is imputed to us and our sin is imputed to Him.

He is condemned and we are blessed.
We are declared righteous based on His work.
THAT IS ESSENTIAL.

And that is point number 1.
• If you want to be ready for the return of Christ.
• If you want to be ready for the day that He returns to judge the living and the dead.

Then you had better place your faith in His finished work
So that righteousness will be imputed to you.

That is the only way for you to obtain the righteousness
That God has clearly stated that He requires.
If you are not righteous then you are not ready.

That makes sense to us.
God has stated it – BE RIGHTEOUS

It is a stated requirement

#2 A SERIOUS REQUIREMENT
Isaiah 56:2

We find out the seriousness of this requirement here.

And we see it here stated only in the positive.

Certainly there is a negative.
• After all we just read that God’s wrath abides on the unrighteous.

But here, the negative is omitted
And Isaiah only focuses on the positive.

He says, “How blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who takes hold of it;”

The point is that your eternity is based on this.

When we talk about God’s stated requirement of righteousness
We are not simply talking about getting an upgrade in heaven
Or purchasing the deluxe package with special lounge access.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ENTERING OR NOT.
We know the command, “You shall be holy as I am holy”

Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

There is a definite decision to be made.
You will either pursue the blessing of God through righteousness
Or you will receive the judgment of God through sinfulness.

When Moses addressed the people:
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. “But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

That is pretty clear isn’t it?
“So choose life…”

You do understand what is at stake:

God is offering you the tremendous blessing
Of imputed righteousness through Jesus Christ.
AND YOU ARE EXPECTED TO EMBRACE THAT RIGHTEOUSNESS.

But if you try to enter without that righteousness God will not be lenient.

We have all read that parable of the wedding banquet.
• We know of the invitation of the King to come to the banquet.
• We know how eventually that invitation was sent even to the cripples and
beggars.
• Anyone who wanted to come was welcome.
• But we also remember that one guy who tried to slide in there without
wedding clothes.

That is, he tried to come in his own righteousness,
And not in dressed in Christ’s perfect righteousness.

Matthew 22:11-13 “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

The king wanted to know what that guy was thinking
To have the audacity to try and enter that wedding dressed like that.

Psalms 24:3-4 “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully.”

This isn’t a joke.
This isn’t a recommendation.

Eternal life or eternal judgment hangs in the balance.
“I set before you today the blessing and the curse, so choose life”.

And here Isaiah OUTLINES THE BLESSING.
And with this blessing come 3 EXPLANATIONS.

We are discussing the man who values justice and righteousness
But here Isaiah helps us understand it a little more specifically.

He doesn’t speak of justice and righteousness in a generic sense,
But in a specific one.

It’s as though someone looked at him when he spoke of the importance of justice and said, “For instance?”

Well, here comes your “For instance”.

And let me give you 3 things to consider.
3 things to help you understand if you are preserving justice and doing righteousness.

1) YOUR PURSUIT

Isaiah says, “How blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who takes hold of it;”

We are talking about the man
• Who preserves the righteousness God requires.
• Who seeks to take hold of the justice God demands.

And certainly we first again speak of salvation.
If you have not yet embraced
The righteousness which only comes from Jesus Christ
Then place your faith in Him
And take hold of the righteousness God demands.

But we spoke about that a moment ago.

What I want you to understand here is that
The pursuit of righteousness does not stop after you are saved.

It is true that the moment you believe in Christ you are justified.
• You are immediately declared righteous in the sight of God.

But I can promise you this,
If that has actually happened in your life,
Then you are far from satisfied with just the designation.

Genuine believers are certainly grateful for justification in their life,
But accompanying that gratitude
Is a tremendous desire for practical righteousness.

We call that sanctification,
And genuine believers not only long for it, but they pursue it.

FIRST let me tell you WHY they long for it and pursue it.
It is because upon your justification God sent and indwelled you with His Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit who indwells you is a constant motivator
For your own personal righteousness.

Remember that promised New Covenant?
Jeremiah 31:33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Jeremiah 32:38-40 “They shall be My people, and I will be their God; and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. “I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”

NOW LISTEN.
We are NOT SAYING that a genuine believer always looks perfectly righteous.
Indeed they do not.
We still live in a body of flesh
We still succumb at times to temptation.

A genuine believer may not always be recognizable by
Their possession of righteousness,
But they should always be recognized by
Their pursuit of righteousness.

Adrian Rogers once said:
“The Holy Spirit does not make it where a believer can’t sin. He makes it where a believer can’t sin and enjoy it.”

The Holy Spirit creates a supernatural desire for holiness
That is accompanied by a pursuit for it.

Listen to Paul:
FIRST he spoke of the value of knowing Christ Jesus and obtaining the righteousness that comes from Him by faith.

Then he said:
Philippians 3:12-16 “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.”

• Paul had been declared righteous in the sight of God through Jesus Christ.
• Now Paul wanted to actually be righteous through the process of sanctification.

That is the Christian pursuit.

Paul told Timothy:
1 Timothy 6:11 “But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.”

We are talking about the pursuit of sanctification
And if you want to be ready for the coming salvation
Then this must characterize your life.

THIS IS HOW THAT BLESSING IS REALIZED

1 John 3:2-3 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

Did you catch how John wrote that?
John speaks of all three phases of salvation there.

• He speaks of justification – “now we are children of God”
• He speaks of glorification – “we will be like Him”
• He speaks of sanctification – “everyone who has this hope fixed on Him
purifies Himself”

John expected that a genuine believer, justified by Jesus Christ,
Will then begin the pursuit of Christ-likeness in his life.

If you do not pursue sanctification,
There is good reason to question your justification.

If we have no desire for practical righteousness
We have good reason to question whether our imputed righteousness.

Hebrews 12:14 “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”

Did you catch that?
Without sanctification you will not see the Lord?

When Jesus was in the upper room washing feet.
John 13:8 “Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

We understand then the seriousness of the issue.
And we pursue righteousness.
We pursue sanctification.

If you want to be prepared for the return of Christ
Then pursue Christ-likeness in your life.

And just FOR CLARITY SAKE, I want to end this morning with a look at what it means to pursue sanctification.

I want to get practical here.
I want to simply read a couple of passages that give very real application.

TURN TO: EPHESIANS 4:17 – 5:5

• You see the very practical command of Paul.
• That is what sanctification looks like.
• It is taking off the old man and putting on the new.

Your life should be characterized by that pursuit.

TURN TO: COLOSSIANS 3:5-17

• There it is again.
• This is the Christian life of sanctification.

And I’m just here to tell you that
If you want to be prepared for the coming of Christ
Then start looking like Christ.

FIRST, you must place your faith in Him so that you may be justified in the sight of God.

SECOND, pursue the outworking of that righteousness in your life.

How do you expect Christ to find you when He comes?
Where do you expect Christ to find you when He comes?

Tonight we’re going to talk about PRIORITY.
Where does pleasing Christ rank on your priority list?

ALL OF THIS TO ASK:
Are you ready for salvation?

If Christ returned this afternoon would you be ready to meet Him?

Don’t try it without the possession and pursuit of righteousness.

download here

Ready For Salvation? – part 2
Isaiah 56:1-8 (2)
September 1, 2024

1 John 2:28-29 “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”

That is really the issue isn’t it?

That when Christ does appear and returns to the earth that we not
“shrink away from Him in shame”.

We want to be those who are ready for the coming salvation of Christ.

That is what we are talking about here in the first 8 verses of Isaiah 56.

We just started this text this morning
So I won’t spend a long time recapping where we came from,

But only to remind you that
Isaiah is asking those who have been offered salvation
If they are ready for it.

• In chapter 53 Christ atoned for sinners
• In chapter 54 God offered that salvation to the helpless and hopeless
• In chapter 55 He offered it to the thirsty and hungry

And now in chapter 56 we are asking if anyone is ready for it.

This is NOT asking if you are ready to be forgiven.
This is asking if you are ready for Christ to return to the earth,
Which will be salvation for all those who know and love Him.

• Are you ready to stand before the Lord?
• Are you ready for that great sifting of the wheat and the tares?
• Are you ready for that great separation of the sheep from the goats?

Revelation 14:14-20 “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.”

Two reapings there.
• One of His people into His barn.
• One of His enemies into His judgment.

Isaiah will speak about that in just a few chapters.
Isaiah 63:1-6 “Who is this who comes from Edom, With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, This One who is majestic in His apparel, Marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press? “I have trodden the wine trough alone, And from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger And trampled them in My wrath; And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I stained all My raiment. “For the day of vengeance was in My heart, And My year of redemption has come. “I looked, and there was no one to help, And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; So My own arm brought salvation to Me, And My wrath upheld Me. “I trod down the peoples in My anger And made them drunk in My wrath, And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”

I simply remind you that this is no trivial matter.

We are talking about the full salvation of Christ.
• The day He returns to destroy the wicked that He may dwell on earth among His redeemed.
• That is the great day of the Lord.
• That day will be the completion of our salvation.

And the question we are asking is:
ARE YOU READY FOR THAT DAY?

Here in the first 8 verses of Isaiah we have been learning how to be ready.
We are learning about what is required to be ready.

#1 A STATED REQUIREMENT
Isaiah 56:1

Very simply put, “Preserve justice and do righteousness”

If you want to stand in the presence of Christ then be righteous.
• You must seek out the things that are right in His eyes and do them.
• You must be holy as He is holy.
• You must be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.

And as we reminded this morning,
This only comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

When a person places their faith in Christ
They are justified in the sight of God
And credited with Christ’s own righteousness.

The stated requirement of God is that you be righteous.

And then we started, this morning, looking at the second point.

#2 A SERIOUS REQUIREMENT
Isaiah 56:2

We noted the seriousness because
We noted in play here is either the blessing or the curse.

Moses told us:
“See, I set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse, so choose life…”

It is similar to Joshua’s famous: “Choose you this day whom you will serve…as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”

You can’t have both.

And Isaiah became specific to us
Regarding how a person obtains that blessing.

We said there are 3 truths here and we saw the first one this morning.

1) YOUR PURSUIT

“How blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who takes hold of it;”

If you want the blessing
1. We must take hold of the righteousness which Christ provides.
2. And we must also pursue Christ-likeness in sanctification.

The pursuit of sanctification is a genuine characteristic of the redeemed.

So we talked about THE PURSUIT.

Let’s move on and continue talking about how one obtains that blessing.

2) YOUR PRIORITY

“How blessed is the man…who keeps from profaning the sabbath”

Well this one is certainly tricky for us
And one that will require some discussion
To understand what to do with it.

It is tricky for us because,
We would be those who would be accused of breaking the sabbath
Since we worship on Sunday and not on the sabbath which is Saturday.

So what do we do with a verse like this?
• We certainly do not just overlook this command.
• We certainly do not just pull out our black sharpie and mark it out.

Certainly what is said here matters to us.
Certainly what is said here is of great significance.

After all, we are talking about
Obtaining the blessing of Christ’s favor when He returns.

And here Isaiah says that one of the ways it is obtained is by keeping “from profaning the sabbath.”

So let’s talk a little bit about the sabbath and what we do with it.

You are certainly aware that
There are even quasi-Christian denominations today who hang their hat on the necessity of Saturday worship.
• They are called the “Seventh Day Adventists”.
• There is a small rise of what is called “The Hebrew Roots Movement” who does the same.

But we don’t.
• We worship on Sunday.
• We call it “The Lord’s Day” in memory of the day He rose from the dead.

But clearly here Isaiah speaks of not profaning the sabbath.
SO WHAT DO WE DO?

WELL FIRST OF ALL, and this doesn’t have a great deal to do with Isaiah’s point,
But let me explain to you why we are not in violation of the Law of God when we worship on Sunday.

There is actually a lot of Scripture that deals with this issue.
If we listen to Jesus:

TURN TO: MATTHEW 12:1-8

Jesus’ disciples (and really Jesus) were being condemned by the religious elite for what they considered to be a breaking of the sabbath.
• By snapping off the heads, rubbing them in their hand and then eating the grain
• The Pharisees found them guilty of reaping and threshing their crop which they held to be violation of sabbath law.

The first, and most obvious point is the lunacy of their command.

Anyone who calls that harvesting or threshing
Has never really harvested or threshed anything.

This was a petty attack.

But Jesus addressed it
And thus gave us some great insight regarding the truth about sabbath law.

FIRST the sabbath law never prohibited deeds of necessity;
• Like a man satisfying his hunger and Jesus spoke of how David ate the consecrated bread.

SECONDLY sabbath law clearly did not prohibit deeds of worship;
• Since no one works harder on the sabbath than a priest.

THIRDLY sabbath law does not restrict the Lord of the Sabbath from doing whatever He pleases.
• And that is very important. If Jesus says we can, we can.

And if you keep reading you’ll see
How Jesus walked right into the synagogue
And healed a man on the sabbath as He was prone to do.

Their sabbath laws had totally missed the point of the sabbath
And Jesus refused to participate in them.

THAT WOULD BE LIKE
Attending a church service on Sunday
• But no part of it included any worship of God or proclamation of His word.
• You would not feel inclined to continue to participate in that church even though it said “church” on the sign.

Jesus reveals to us that they had no clue what the sabbath was really for.
(and that’s true for these quasi groups today)

The writer of Hebrews gives us great insight about it:

TURN TO: HEBREWS 4:1-10

• There the writer of Hebrews points out how the children of Israel in the wilderness failed to enter God’s rest.
• God was angry at their sin and refused to let them enter the land of rest which flowed with milk and honey.
• Instead they were forced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years and ultimately die there.

But the writer of Hebrews wants you to know that
There is a spiritual application for us in that.

And it is based on what David says in Psalm 95.
(7-10)

And here is his point.
• Israel not entering God’s rest was an event that happened way in the past.
• We read of it way back in the book of Numbers.
• It was a historical event.

But when David comes along about 500 years later
He writes something interesting.
He writes, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts”

And if you know Psalm 95 you know
It ends with that same threat that “they shall not enter My rest”.

And the writer’s point is that
• If the issue of rest was only a historical issue for the people in the time of Moses
• Then David would not have warned his people about rest 500 years later.

Obviously this is an ongoing issue with the people of God.
The prospect for rest remains and in verse 10 it is clearly defined,
“For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.”

What then is this sabbath rest?
• It is a rest from works.
• It is a rest from the works of trying to earn salvation.

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.”

The sabbath rest we enjoy
Is the exact same kind of rest God enjoyed at creation.

God rested on the seventh day because His work was finished.
• It could not be improved.
• It did not need to be renovated.
• Nothing else should be added.

And when Christ died on the cross He said, “It is finished!”
• All the work was done.

When a Christian trusts in Christ
They are resting on His finished work
And no longer see the need to earn what Christ has provided.

THAT IS THE ONGOING SABBATH REST WHICH WE ENJOY.
And as believers in Jesus we do not merely rest one day a week,
We rest every day of the week.

We rest in the finished work of Jesus.

That is what the sabbath was MEANT TO POINT TO,
But the Pharisees totally misunderstood it and so do many today.

In fact the apostles were adamant about this.
Colossians 2:16-23 “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God. If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”

Paul told the Colossians not to let anyone be their judge
Regarding those old ritualistic traditions including “a Sabbath day”.

Paul said those things look like wisdom
But in reality they totally miss the point.

Paul told the Romans:
Romans 14:5-9 “One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”

• There is nothing special about a specific day.
• If a man uses a day to honor the Lord then leave him alone.

The issue is the love and service and worship of the Lord,
Not the specific day in which it occurs.

Now this does not nullify the command
• That we are to come together for corporate worship,
• It just removes the constraint as to what time that has to be.

It doesn’t matter if you meet on Saturday or on Sunday
So long as in your meeting it is to honor the finished work of Jesus.

Now that is just a simple explanation to you
Regarding where we stand on the sabbath here in the church.

And I just give you that because I know
Discussing the sabbath may be a little confusing to some.

But what we just discussed is NOT the point being made here in Isaiah.

There is a different point being made
And one that is very vital even to our understanding
Of what it means to be ready for the return of Christ.

Isaiah says, “How blessed is the man…who keeps from profaning the sabbath,”

That is to say that once again that blessing or the curse
Is uniquely tied to how the man addresses the sabbath.

So what is the issue?
THE ISSUE IS PRIORITY

That will actually become crystal clear to you
When we work a few verses further down in this text.

In verse 3
God gives assurance to both the Eunuch and the foreigner
• That Christ will accept even them when He comes,
• Provided they also fit the qualifications of righteousness.

But look at how Isaiah explains it to them.
(4) “For thus says the LORD, “To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant.”

You see that Isaiah goes further to explain the issue.
• The issue is not just the observance of some day,
• But it is priority and faithfulness to God.

Not profaning the Sabbath was linked to choosing what is pleasing to God and holding fast to our commitment to God.

To stop your work and to stop your labor to earn a living for worship
Was a picture of devotion and commitment.
IT IS PRIORITY.

Look at what Isaiah says to the foreigner.
(6) “Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, To minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, To be His servants, everyone who keeps from profaning the sabbath And holds fast My covenant;”

There again, it is thrown in to this greater list
That all speaks of devotion and priority and faithfulness.

And this was a real part of their understanding of the Sabbath.

On one hand we rest because Christ has done all the work.
• That is to say, we rest because we trust Him.

On the other hand we rest because Christ is satisfying and we will gladly forsake the world to honor Him.
• That is to say, we rest because we love Him.

This is the issue: PRIORITY

Isaiah will bring this even more to clarity in chapter 58.

You know Chapter 58
• Were the people are disillusioned because they have gathered on the sabbath and they have fasted
• And they don’t think God has answered and they want to know why.

Isaiah 58:3-5 “‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers. “Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the LORD?”

There you see the problem.
• They gathered and they fasted, but it was totally manipulative.
• They just thought they could show up on the sabbath, do without a meal and God would somehow be obligated to grant their requests.

God’s response is:
• What you did isn’t fasting.
• What you did isn’t honoring the sabbath.

And then God will go into an explanation of what true fasting and sabbath honoring looks like.

Isaiah 58:7-8 “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? “Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.”

A true fast in God’s eyes
• Has to do with forsaking worldliness, which is very close to the purpose of the
sabbath as well.
• For one day a week you give up your pursuit of the world that you be devoted
to the worship of God.

And the chapter concludes with a great explanation:
Isaiah 58:13-14 “If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And speaking your own word, Then you will take delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

I hope you see the issue.
• God was looking for a day which was a day of worship.
• It was a day in which obtaining the world was rejected.
• It was a day in which caring the poor was focused on.

It was an act of worship.

Incidentally, you see a similar rebuke from Paul to the Corinthians
Who were coming together for the Lord’s Supper
But were making a mockery of it
Because of their gluttony and drunkenness.

Paul says to them:
1 Corinthians 11:20-22 “Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you.”

See how they claimed to come together for the worship of God but in reality they were pleasing themselves?

That was the problem of Isaiah 58.
That is also what is being addressed here in Isaiah 56.

God is looking for the man who is
Interested in forsaking the world for the glory of God.

Let me give you another good example.
TURN TO: JEREMIAH 17:19-27

Do you see the problem?
To them the Sabbath as a nuisance.
• It got in the way of their commerce.
• It got in the way of their money-making.
• For them worship of God was inconvenient and something that messed with
their plans.

Their heart was not in it and thus God was not pleased.

You see the same thing in Amos
Amos 8:4-6 “Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land, saying, “When will the new moon be over, So that we may sell grain, And the sabbath, that we may open the wheat market, To make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger, And to cheat with dishonest scales, So as to buy the helpless for money And the needy for a pair of sandals, And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”

You see how the Sabbath was just a bother
• It was in the way of their money-making.
• They couldn’t wait for it to be over so they could get back to selling.

And God is not pleased with it.

SO WHAT IF THEY STOPPED AND WENT TO WORSHIP?
All they did was look at their watch eagerly wanting it to be over
So they could get on with their life.

Like we read at the beginning of Isaiah.
Isaiah 1:11-13 “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.”

That is God asking if He is really supposed to be pleased with their presence when it is a nuisance for them to be there?

Do you understand the point?

WE ARE TALKING NOW ABOUT PRIORITY.
And this is what Isaiah is speaking of here in chapter 56.

When he talks about the blessing on the man who
“keeps from profaning My sabbath”,
He is talking about the man
Who rightly honors the priority of the worship of God.

And I find this to be incredibly relevant today.

Tonight you are in the minority in America simply because you came back for Sunday night church.
• Indeed many don’t even hold Sunday evening worship services any more.
• And the Lord’s Day has quickly become the Lord’s half-day.

Daniel and I were discussing this past week
A church advertisement we had both seen on social media where a church was talking about their Thursday night worship service.

But the reasoning this pastor gave for it is because
“People are now busy on Sunday and need an alternative time to meet.”

And one of the reasons he gave is because
He knows parents are busy with things like travel ball.

And that is where he lost me.
• I understand that we are no longer bound to a particular day of worship.
• I understand that we, in a sense, view all days alike.

But my question is simple this: WHERE IS THE PRIORITY?

Where is the man who will put aside the world
In order to participate in the corporate worship of God?

Because look, you and I know,
We could move the church services to Thursday night to accommodate for those who are busy on Sunday AND THAT WOULDN’T FIX A THING.

Then people would miss Thursdays because of something else.
• Well, JV and Jr High football is on Thursday night.
• Well, Thursday night is the only night we had to just be home.
• Well, they scheduled practice on Thursday night and we couldn’t miss it.

Moving the date doesn’t change a thing.

You are either committed to the corporate worship of God
Over the allurements of the world or you are not.

But let’s make sure and take this to its most fitting application.

We are NOT ONLY talking about attendance.
We are also talking about the proper attitude in attendance.

In Isaiah’s day they were profaning the sabbath,
And here is the wild thing,
THEY WERE PROFANING IT WHILE OBSERVING IT.

WHY?
Because they were there but didn’t want to be.

It was sort of like the way things used to be in America 40 years ago when there were “Blue Laws”.
• Men might as well go to church on Sunday because nothing else was open and
there wasn’t anything else to do anyway.

But now, because of all the alternative options it is a little easier to tell.

BUT THE QUESTION WE ARE ASKING
Is whether or not the Lord is a priority in your life?

And how does this fit the point?

Well, we are talking about being prepared for the return of the Lord.

Imagine the Lord returning on a Sunday morning or Sunday night.
• Where would you like for Him to find you? (as though He doesn’t already know)

Beyond that, we are talking about Him establishing a millennial kingdom that will center around the unending worship of Him.
• I mean, if you hate going to church, I must ask, what is your draw for going to heaven?
• What do you think heaven is going to be like? Vegas?

You either delight in the worship of God with the saints or you do not.

And where your heart rests there is incredibly telling
As to whether or not you are ready for the return of the Lord.

THE EARLY CHURCH
• Wanted to meet together so badly that they sold their property to be able to
fund the meetings.
• They opened their houses, they cooked meals, they couldn’t get enough.

It is a far cry from the ways the church has to bend over backward to make worship services more convenient.

But preacher, didn’t Jesus say if your ox is in a ditch that’s a good reason to miss?

Yes He did, and certainly that happens.

But it is amazing today how many things pass for oxen
And how many things look like ditches.

• My ox is in a ditch is not the equivalent of my football team is on tv
• My ox is in a ditch is not the equivalent of my kids have a ballgame
• My ox is in a ditch is not the equivalent of I needed some me-time
• My ox is in a ditch is not the equivalent of I needed some groceries

Try those excuses with your boss.
You won’t because making money
Is higher priority than corporate worship.

And look, I’m not trying to pick on anyone here,
I’m just trying to point out that priority matters.

If you want to be prepared for the return of the Lord
Then perhaps you ought to start giving Him priority now,
For He will certainly demand it when He comes.

THAT IS THE POINT.

And we’ll stop there,
But if you want to be prepared for Christ’s return,
If you want to obtain this blessing Isaiah speaks of.

Then check your pursuit and make sure you are pursuing righteousness.
And check your priority and make sure it is the worship and glory of God.

That is how you get prepared.
This is a serious requirement.