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REVIVAL! – part 2 (Isaiah 63:7–64:12 (63:11-19))
REVIVAL! – part 2
Isaiah 63:7 – 64:12 (63:11-19)
December 1, 2024
It has been a long journey as we have walked with Isaiah
And his ministry to the blind, deaf, and stubborn.
God told him from the beginning that he was being sent to a people
Who would not listen and that his preaching would confirm that.
However, Isaiah was also promised a remnant.
And he was allowed to see with prophetic eyes that one day
These stubborn people would repent and return to God.
Isaiah saw that one day Israel would experience revival
That promise fueled him to continue for nearly 60 years.
His vision of that revival is what we see here in chapters 63 and 64.
When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus He said:
John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
And again:
John 3:5 “Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
What Jesus spoke of was the miracle of regeneration.
It is the monergistic and supernatural work of God
To take those who are dead and awaken them to life
So that they can respond to the gospel.
• It is God breathing life into dead bones.
• It is God granting sight to blind eyes.
• It is God granting sound to deaf ears.
• It is God turning a heart of stone into a heart of flesh.
It is God’s work without which no one could ever be saved.
If God doesn’t awaken the dead,
• They can’t hear the gospel,
• They can’t see the glories of salvation,
• And they can’t choose to respond.
God must awaken the dead.
It is the type of thing we saw with the prodigal son.
Luke 15:14-19 “Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. “So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. “And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. “But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! ‘I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”
We see there that this young man “came to his senses”.
I’ve heard many say, “Well, eating with pigs will do that to a person.”
That’s interesting because we see a lot of people who “eat with pigs”
Their entire life and never come to their senses.
No, what is spoken of there by Jesus is again that miracle of regeneration
• God allowed that young man to rightly see his predicament.
• God allowed that young man to smell his own stench.
• God awakened that young man to the solution of salvation.
That was God’s work in his heart to prepare him for revival.
It all started with God allowing him to see where his sin had taken him.
God’s awakening of the sinner is the first step to revival!
And that is the step we will examine this morning for Israel.
We actually started our text last Sunday night.
#1 A REVIVAL LESSON
Isaiah 63:7-11a
Just by way of a quick recap, if you weren’t with us.
Isaiah opened the message by asking Israel
To take notice “of the lovingkindnesses of the LORD”
It is that word we love, the Hebrew word: CHECED
Which is God’s loyal covenantal love which He has for His own.
IT IS WHY throughout the Old Testament God is always on Israel’s side.
• Certainly Israel was NOT more righteous than the nations surrounding them.
• In some cases they were actually worse.
• But God was loyal to those whom He had chosen.
And Isaiah just wants them to stop for a moment and think about
God’s CHECED to them throughout their history.
• Think about “all that the LORD has granted us”
• Think about “the great goodness toward the house of Israel”
• Think about all “He has granted them according to His compassion”
• Think about “the abundance of His lovingkindness”
Isaiah just wants you to go down memory lane
And take notice of all of God’s grace, goodness, and compassion
Towards His people.
It started with GOD REDEEMING THEM.
(8-9) “For He said, “Surely, they are My people, Sons who will not deal falsely.” So He became their Savior. In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.”
It is NOT as though God looked at Israel and was fooled by their phony sincerity.
• God didn’t really think they would be true to Him and only found out later that
they were liars.
No, God was well-aware of what they were when He chose them.
Rather, God took sinful, unfaithful, disloyal, immoral, stubborn people and chose to treat them like they were worthy.
He treated them as though they were righteous when they were not.
That is THE GOSPEL, that God treats men as though they are righteous
When in fact they are still sinners.
God bore their fallenness, “In all their affliction He was afflicted”
• God walked with them and saved them and redeemed them and lifted them
and carried them.
They were hardly worth it, but God saved them anyway!
But we also saw in their history that THE PEOPLE REBELLED.
(10) “But they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.”
How many times we saw that in Israel’s history.
• Complaining about the manna
• Complaining about the water
• Complaining about the lack of meat
• Complaining about Moses
• Complaining about the Promised Land
• Wanting to return to Egypt
And that is to say nothing about their idolatry
• With things like the golden calf,
• The intermarriage with the Moabites,
• And all the Baal worship introduced into the land.
Israel was prone to stumble and they did stumble.
And they often times brought about
Terrible discipline from the LORD into their lives.
But we also saw, that
The PEOPLE would at times REMEMBER how far they had fallen and it would prompt revival.
(11a) “Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses.”
• We saw Josiah open that book of the Law and lead Israel back to God.
• We saw Hezekiah lead them to walk in faith when Assyria attacked.
• Many times during the period of the Judges we saw repentance and revival.
Israel’s history had been one of
Redemption, rebellion, remembering, and revival.
And as we said last Sunday night, that cycle is only possible because of God’s tremendous CHECED.
A God who was not loyal would have had every right
To wash His hands of them completely.
• He had kept His end of the bargain,
• It was them who had broken the covenant,
• God would have been justified to just abandon them forever.
But He is loyal to those whom He has chosen
And because He is loyal revival is always on the table.
God’s people, despite their rebellion,
Can always return to God with the expectation of revival,
Because God is loyal to those whom He has chosen.
We saw that through Israel’s history, and we understand that even today.
That was: A REVIVAL LESSON
#2 A REVIVAL NEED
Isaiah 63:11-19
This is the point of Israel’s future
Where they begin to come to their senses.
We often say that before you can get a person saved
You must convince them that they are lost.
Here is that process unfolding in Israel.
Let me walk you through the steps of their awakening here.
Here is the process:
1) WE’RE MISSING SOMETHING…GOD!” (11-15)
What happened so often with Israel in the past, was that
• They would remember how God had been with them previously,
• They would see that He was no longer with them in such a way
• And it would prompt them to repent and return.
That is what you see happening here.
These people begin to realize that something is missing from their lives.
THAT SOMETHING IS GOD!
It is as though Israel starts reading again the story of the Exodus.
Maybe they were actually sitting at a Passover
• And started reading the story of how their ancestors were slaves in Egypt.
• How they cried out to God and God sent Moses and a bombardment of plagues
and broke the strong arm of Egypt.
• How God led Israel out of Egypt, but they were stalled on the banks of the Red
Sea.
• But how God worked a tremendous miracle and parted the Red Sea and led
Israel through and out the other side.
• And ultimately how God led them to rest in the land of promise.
WOW! What miracles God worked for His people!
If God is in your midst anything is possible!
If God is for you there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome!
TURN TO: EXODUS 15:1-19
That is the song Moses sang after God delivered Israel through the Red Sea and then drowned the Egyptian army who followed.
• Who is God like our God?
• Who can do what our God does?
• When God is for you who can be against you?
And as they ponder what God had done,
It is as though it finally begins to sink in…
WAIT! WHERE IS THAT TODAY?
(11) “Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses. Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock?”
Israel had just been going through the motions of empty religion.
• Their history has been filled with oppression and ridicule and suffering.
• They haven’t seen anything like what God did in the Exocus in a really long time.
And they begin to ask:
Where is our God?
(11b-13a) “Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them, Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, Who divided the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name, Who led them through the depths?”
We remember that when God was among His people,
• He empowered Moses to split the sea.
• He divided the waters and let it be known that He alone was God.
• He led our forefathers through the sea with an inconceivable deliverance.
It was supernatural!
It was miraculous!
It was obvious that God was with us!
WHERE IS THAT TODAY?
(13b-14) “Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not stumble; As the cattle which go down into the valley, The Spirit of the LORD gave them rest. So You led Your people, To make for Yourself a glorious name.”
They recount the strength and confidence that was among those people
When God was with them.
• Those people never stumbled.
• They walked right down into that sea and right out the other side.
• They survived in the wilderness for 40 years as a nomadic people.
Psalms 105:37-41 “Then He brought them out with silver and gold, And among His tribes there was not one who stumbled. Egypt was glad when they departed, For the dread of them had fallen upon them. He spread a cloud for a covering, And fire to illumine by night. They asked, and He brought quail, And satisfied them with the bread of heaven. He opened the rock and water flowed out; It ran in the dry places like a river.”
It was obvious that God was with our forefathers.
His miraculous hand was at work everywhere.
Where is He now?
And this moment of awareness leads the people to a question.
(15) “Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious habitation; Where are Your zeal and Your mighty deeds? The stirrings of Your heart and Your compassion are restrained toward me.”
They recognized something didn’t they?
Their ancestors had something that they did not have;
Namely God’s presence in their midst.
GOD HAS DEPARTED.
His “zeal” and His “mighty deeds” were gone.
Nothing had demonstrated God’s CHECED toward Israel
• Like the Exodus
• And the wilderness wandering
• And the conquest of the Holy Land.
Every intervention of God’s “zeal” and “mighty deeds”
Was just a testimony that He was loyal to them.
Psalms 136:10-15 “To Him who smote the Egyptians in their firstborn, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, And brought Israel out from their midst, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. To Him who divided the Red Sea asunder, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; But He overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
And here they are realizing that
They are not experiencing His presence and intervention
Like their forefathers did.
Something is wrong!
We’re missing something…GOD!
But that would certainly lead to another question.
• Why would God depart from us?
• Why would God not dwell among us like He did our ancestors?
Well that is because:
2) WE’RE MISSING SOMETHING…FAITH! (16a)
(16a) “For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us And Israel does not recognize us.”
Can you hear the debate occurring here?
It is people who are not walking in fellowship with God
Trying to convince God that He is their Father
And they are His children.
It is like today when we have people who do not know the Lord,
But they try to maintain that they are in fact a child of God.
That is what they say!
“For You are our Father…”
“Look, I know we’re saved. I know we’re Your children.”
BUT THERE IS A PROBLEM.
They are totally unrecognizable as His children.
What is it that makes a child of God recognizable?
The book of 1 John talks about this in great detail.
1 John 2:4 “The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;”
1 John 2:29 “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”
1 John 3:10 “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”
1 John 4:7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
You just have John there basically identifying Christian DNA.
You know Abigail and Zech are my children
Because they bear my character traits.
It is the same for those who are children of God.
They begin to take on the character traits of their Father.
Well that is the problem these people are being made aware of here.
They are trying to claim that they are children of God,
But the problem is they don’t look anything like their Father.
They don’t even look anything like their father in the Flesh; Abraham.
“For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us And Israel does not recognize us.”
How often was this conversation had in the New Testament!
Matthew 3:7-9 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.”
• Don’t come around here playing that “Abraham card” with me!
• If you want to prove you are children of Abraham you’re going to have to act like Abraham!
Listen to Jesus:
John 8:39-44 “They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
• Those people claimed they were children of God and of Abraham,
• But when the paternity test was taken
• It was proven that they were actually children of the devil.
That is the reality that Isaiah’s audience is now wrestling with.
• They want to claim that they are children of God,
• But they are beginning to realize that they are nothing like God’s children;
• Namely Abraham and Jacob.
So what is the defining characteristic of Abraham and Jacob that these people did not have?
FAITH!
It was never about some earthly lineage.
Romans 9:6-8 “But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.”
It is faith that makes you a true child of Abraham and thus a true child of God.
Galatians 3:6-9 “Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.”
Galatians 3:26-29 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 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.”
It is faith that makes you a child of Abraham and a child of God.
So these people are now starting to realize the problem.
1. God is not with us like He was with our fathers…
2. We thought we were His children but it is obvious we are missing something
that our fathers had…
We are missing the presence of God because we are missing faith.
Now look…If it becomes obvious to you
1. That God is not present in your life…
2. That the reason God is not present is because you do not have faith…
Then that should automatically lead you to this final conclusion.
3) WE’RE MISSING SOMETHING…SALVATION! (16b-19)
(16b-19) “You, O LORD, are our Father, Our Redeemer from of old is Your name. Why, O LORD, do You cause us to stray from Your ways And harden our heart from fearing You? Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage. Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while, Our adversaries have trodden it down. We have become like those over whom You have never ruled, Like those who were not called by Your name.”
Notice their dilemma as they begin to work through it.
• They notice that there has been a separation between them and God
• They even realized that there was a lack of faith on their part.
But look at what they say next.
“You, O LORD, are our Father, Our Redeemer from of old is Your name. Why, O LORD, do You cause us to stray from Your ways and harden our heart from fearing You?”
Do you see their thought process?
Maybe we aren’t like Abraham, but You are still our Redeemer.
It has always been Your job to redeem us and deliver us
Even when we mess up.
SO WHY HAVEN’T YOU?
Look at the question:
“Why, O LORD, do You cause us to stray from Your ways and harden our heart from fearing You?”
Now first of all, let’s just ask:
IS THAT TRUE?
Has God caused them to stray and hardened their heart from fearing Him?
Romans 11:7-8 “What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; just as it is written, “GOD GAVE THEM A SPIRIT OF STUPOR, EYES TO SEE NOT AND EARS TO HEAR NOT, DOWN TO THIS VERY DAY.”
YES!
• God has hardened their heart.
• God has caused them to stray.
God has given them over to the sin of their heart.
• They persisted in rebellion…
• They persistently sought to escape His sovereign rule…
• God finally said, “Have at it!”
The chief culmination of their rejection came
When God sent His Son and they crucified Him.
Matthew 21:33-41 “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who PLANTED A VINEYARD AND PUT A WALL AROUND IT AND DUG A WINE PRESS IN IT, AND BUILT A TOWER, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey. “When the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce. “The vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third. “Again he sent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them. “But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ “But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ “They took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. “Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” They said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.”
• God broke them off.
• God hardened them.
• God scattered them.
They have not been able to see that throughout all these years,
But on this day it has finally become clear to them.
• They are now seeing that there is no fellowship between them and God.
• They are now seeing that there is enmity between them and God.
Which is why you see the first cry for revival:
“Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.”
They recognize a separation
And they are pleading with God to come back.
(18-19) “Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while, Our adversaries have trodden it down. We have become like those over whom You have never ruled, Like those who were not called by Your name.”
I hope you spot the epiphany…
“We have become like those over whom You have never ruled, Like those who were not called by Your name.”
• We have become like pagans…
• We are separated from You…
• We are under your wrath…
• We are not like Abraham…
• We have been hardened and scattered…
What did they just realize?
WE ARE LOST
Luke 15:17-19 “But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! ‘I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”
DO YOU SEE THAT?
This is the first step of revival.
• Before the lost will be saved…
• Before the backslidden will cry for revival…
• There must first be that painful and eye-opening recognition that there is something wrong in the relationship.
I remember Rachelle Morrow grabbing me one morning after Sunday School.
I still remember 20 years ago when Carrie and I came here to Spur.
• We started in September and for 8 months things were as you would expect.
• But then June hit and we had a mass exodus of people jumping in their motorhomes and leaving for the summer.
I remember sitting in my office sometime in August doing some soul searching and I just remember telling God in prayer,
“God, if You were here this wouldn’t be happening.”
It was on that day that God challenged me
To seek Him more and to value His presence more.
That is when we had the first Month of Stillness to focus simply on seeking God.
But it was a painful self-examination for me as a pastor
To realize that it was possible to preach sermons
And have church services and do all the stuff listed in the bulletin
And to do it all without the presence of God.
I’ll never forget that Chinese believer who was sent to America to study the American church. When he returned home they asked him, “So what was the most amazing thing you learned from the church in America?” He said, “All that they can accomplish without God.”
It is the tragedy of being a religious people
Who do not have God’s presence, who do not walk by faith,
And who quite possibly aren’t even saved.
Someday Israel will be awakened to that fact.
They will finally see that since they day they crucified Christ
They have been a people without the presence of God.
God will awaken them to that truth and it will prompt them to call on Him.
All you have to do is see the next verse:
Isaiah 64:1 “Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, That the mountains might quake at Your presence”
Certainly we rejoice in this prophetic announcement of Israel’s return to Christ and all the glories that will follow their salvation.
But at the same time we would be foolish
If we did not learn from this and apply it in our own lives.
IS THERE A DESIRE FOR REVIVAL AMONG US?
Well the first step is the recognition that perhaps there is a problem.
• It comes with the recognition that it is a faith problem.
• It comes with the reality that perhaps there is lostness or backsliddenness.
Until a person reaches that painful awareness
There will be no repentance and cry for it to change.
I can’t help but think of those churches in the Revelation.
• Ephesus who had left her first love…
• Pergamum who was courting other lovers…Christ saying, “you have some there who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”
• Thyatira who was in a full-blown affair tolerating the lady Jezebel.
• Sardis who thought they were alive, but they were dead.
And the infamous Laodicea:
Revelation 3:15-20 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. ‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”
• Going through the motions…
• Doing church as though they were a spiritual giant.
• And the whole time unaware of that they were wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
How can it be that we can fall so far as to go through the motions of Christianity and yet be so far away from Christ?
It can happen because are fallen and sinful people.
We must remember that apart from Christ, we can accomplish nothing.
Jesus taught us that in John 15 when He told us He was the vine and we are the branches.
• We need Christ.
• We need Him more than anything.
• Without Him we are just going through the motions.
This is why even in the church marriages fail, children rebel,
We don’t see the lost saved, we don’t see evangelistic zeal…
We can so easily fall into the rut of going through the motions.
And in such a condition we need revival!
We have to face the hard realities that perhaps we have backslidden.
We have to face that personally and corporately.
• It causes a little pain.
• It causes a little brokenness.
• It causes a little grief.
BUT HERE IS THE REALLY GOOD NEWS!
Isaiah 57:15 “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.”
When you want Christ to dwell among you.
When you want His presence to beam through our congregation.
Well, He dwells with contrite and lowly.
And if you want revival.
Well, He revives the heart of the contrite and lowly.
We say all the time that you have to get a person lost before you can get them saved.
WHY?
Because Christ doesn’t save righteous people, He saves sinners.
Matthew 9:12-13 “But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. “But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
That is His gospel:
Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
This morning we are going to take the Lord’s Supper to remember that.
We are going to partake and remember
That our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is in the revival business!
If you want revival in your life, then it starts here.
It starts with trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
• It starts with a return to Him.
• It starts with a desire for Him.
• It starts with a love for Him.
And when we return He revives.
Because His CHECED endures forever.
So this morning church, we’ll have our time of preparation.
I invite you just examine the current state of your relationship with Christ.
I invite you to humble yourself before Him.
• If you are lost, confess that…
• If you are backslidden, confess that…
• If you are walking with Him, but desire more, confess that…
And then cry out to Him to fix it.
• If you are lost, ask Him to forgive you and save you.
• If you are backslidden, ask Him to forgive you and revive you.
And then come to this table where that forgiveness was purchased
AND WORSHIP
That through His work salvation and revival are possible.
Let’s have our time of preparation
And then partake of the table of the Lord…
LORD’S SUPPER
• Deacons come forward
Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
• Give bread to deacons
• Deacon prayer
• Deacons pass out bread
Matthew 26:26 “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
• Take bread
Isaiah 57:15 “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.”
• Give juice to deacons
• Deacon prayer
• Deacons pass out juice
Matthew 26:27-28 “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”
• Take juice
• Deacon prayer
• Parting hymn
REVIVAL! – part 1 (Isaiah 63:7-64:12 (63:7-11a))
REVIVAL! – part 1
Isaiah 63:7-64:12 (63:7-11a)
November 24, 2024
Tonight we finally begin the segment we have been waiting for.
In some ways we still wait for it.
I’ve told you that I am convinced that Isaiah 50-66 is prophetic of Israel today even to the end.
I think Isaiah saw their rejection of the Messiah, their separation from God, and their prophesied repentance and return to Him.
So far we’ve walked all through that rejection which was articulated in chapter 50 as Israel being divorced and sent away.
We saw it was because no one accepted Christ when He came.
But we have also heard Isaiah relentlessly preach the gospel to them.
He has offered a future to that barren woman, that foreigner, and the eunuch.
He has offered restoration to that forsaken and rejected woman.
He has offered water to the thirsty
He has offered mercy to the broken
He has offered freedom to the captives
And he has promised repeatedly that when Israel returns to the Lord that He will return to them.
We even saw this morning that glorious return when He avenges them against their enemies and redeems them to Himself.
It has all been promised.
And down to this day we still wait for the return of Israel.
Well Isaiah saw that return.
Like Zechariah who spoke of the day when Israel looks upon Him whom they pierced, Isaiah also saw the great repentance and revival of Israel.
And that return of Israel is captured beautifully by Isaiah here at the end of chapter 63 and in chapter 64.
And just for a quick fly-over to make the point.
Look at the moment they become aware of their defection:
(63:16a) “For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us And Israel does not recognize us.”
Look at when they realize they have been broken off from God.
(63:17a) “Why, O LORD, do You cause us to stray from Your ways And harden our heart from fearing You?”
Look at the moment they realize they are lost:
(63:19) “We have become like those over whom You have never ruled, Like those who were not called by Your name.”
Look at the moment they realize that works can’t save them:
(64:6) “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”
Look at the moment they realize they must submit to God:
(64:8) “But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.”
What you clearly see in these two chapters is the awakening of Israel.
Jesus told Nicodemus that before a man could enter the kingdom of heaven he “must be born again”
That is to say God must take that which is spiritually dead and breathe life into it.
He must remove the heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh.
He must give life to the dead so that they may see their sinfulness.
He must grant them repentance of their sin.
He must grant them faith to believe and call on the Lord.
That is what this chapter is for Israel.
And might I also say, that we have never seen this from them, even since the days of Isaiah.
We wait for this day.
We watch for this day.
But we are confident that this day is coming!
Zechariah 12:10 “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.”
Speaking to the Jews:
Acts 3:25-26 “It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.’ “For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”
Paul said:
Romans 11:25-29 “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” “THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
In short, Israel will one day come to Jesus!
This is what it will look like when they do.
That alone makes this an interesting study since we have repeatedly said that the salvation of Israel is of significant interest to us.
We love that God keeps His faithfulness to them, as it reminds that He will keep His faithfulness to us.
So we certainly watch this scene unfold with eager eyes.
But even more than that, what a great segment of Scripture to teach us the nature and reality of true revival.
So as we study, may it be more than just a prophetic announcement of Israel’s future salvation.
May it also be a penetrating revelation of what revival is, how to know when it is needed, and how to achieve it.
This is going to be a fun study!
I’m going to take this segment and break it down into 3 points, and each major point will have 3 subpoints because I think that will be the clearest way to work through what we see here.
But let’s get started tonight.
#1 A REVIVAL LESSON
Isaiah 63:7-11a
Isaiah’s announcement begins with a history lesson.
He just speaks of what we have seen over and over and over again in the Scriptures.
It is a testimony to the relentless CHECED of God.
That’s how Isaiah starts.
(7) “I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, the praises of the LORD…”
You are familiar with that Hebrew word CHECED.
Some translations refer to it as lovingkindess
Some refer to it as mercy
Some refer to it as love
What it is more than anything is God’s loyalty to those He has chosen to save.
It is more than faithfulness.
Faithfulness suggests that God will keep His promises, which He will.
But loyalty suggests that even when God would be justified in not doing something, He still does it anyway.
And this is certainly the attribute of God that Isaiah wants to point out about God.
It is the attribute of God that allows us to confidently tell sinners that if they repent God will forgive them.
It is the attribute of God that allows us to remind believer, that even when they mess up, God will never leave them nor forsake them.
And here we learn that it is perhaps the attribute of God that gives us confidence in the possibility of revival more than any other.
So Isaiah wants to discuss God’s CHECED.
You see it show up in verse 7 in various ways.
“According to all that the LORD has granted us” – that would be a reference to the grace of God.
“And the great goodness toward the house of Israel” – certainly that speaks of the goodness of God toward us.
“Which He has granted them according to His compassion” – there it is a reference to the compassion of God.
“And according to the abundance of His lovingkindness”
And you can see how Isaiah sort of binds up God’s grace, God’s goodness, and God’s compassion and he places them all under the broader heading of God’s lovingkindness or His CHECED.
Grace and goodness and compassion are all available to us because of God’s loyal covenantal love toward us.
And Isaiah sees that as the foundation stone of Israel’s existence and her only hope in the future.
And Isaiah begins to talk about the past salvation of Israel, which was definitely an exhibition of God’s CHECED.
And if we break this first point down a little further, what we talk about first is the reality of our history lesson:
1) GOD REDEEMED (8-9)
(8) “For He said, “Surely, they are My people, Sons who will not deal falsely.” So He became their Savior.”
I suppose you could read that in one sense as though God was incredibly naïve.
Almost like God terribly misjudged Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Like God failed to rightly discern what type of people they were in Egypt.
But of course that it is not at all what Isaiah is speaking of.
God was well-aware of who and what Abraham was when He chose him.
God was well-aware of Isaac and Jacob and every Israelite in Egypt when He chose to save them.
What Isaiah means is that God took sinful people with sinful passion and chose to treat them as though they deserved salvation.
God took a pagan slave trader named Abram and treated him like a righteous man who deserved the greatest blessing ever pronounced.
God took a spiritual dud like Isaac and treated him like a zealot for righteousness.
God took a lying swindler like Jacob and treated him like a man who deserved to father a nation.
God took a rabble of fickle slaves and treated them like a nation of priests.
That is salvation in a nutshell.
It’s what you and I refer to as UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION.
That God chooses unworthy men as though they were worthy.
We think of Jesus looking at Simon and saying, “You shall be called Peter”.
Simon was anything but a rock.
There is not a more “up and down” disciple among the 12 than Peter.
But that is who God is.
He saves sinners and treats them like they are not sinners.
And certainly God did this for Israel.
Furthermore Isaiah speaks of the great pains God took to save His people.
He writes:
(9) “In all their affliction He was afflicted,”
Stop there for a second.
It is the gospel heart of God.
We see God walking with Abram throughout his wanderings and journeys.
We see God approach Abram to discuss the annihilation of Sodom and Gomorrah.
We see God accompanying Jacob to Padan-aram and back to Canaan.
We see God dwelling with the slaves in Egypt and traveling with them through the wilderness.
Many times their sin grieved Him…
Many times their faithlessness angered Him…
The point being, it was costly for God to save these people.
And certainly all of that was nothing but a foreshadow to the coming Savior, Jesus Christ.
It is Jesus who would take on humanity.
It is Jesus who would suffer and take our griefs and sorrows.
It is Jesus who would bear the wrath that we deserve.
It is Jesus who would die in our stead.
And Isaiah recognizes that in regard to the saving heart of God.
God is a Savior who gets down into the pit to save those who do not deserve it.
It is tremendous lovingkindness exhibited by God, and our past is full of expressions of it.
“And the angel of His presence saved them;”
We remember the Passover
We remember the pillar of fire
We remember the cloud of glory
God was not a distant savior.
He was ever present.
“In His love and in His mercy, He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.”
And that is certainly the testimony of God’s saving grace toward Israel.
He chose to love those who were not loveable.
He chose to save sinners as though they deserved it.
Thought it was costly He drew near to them and saved them.
He bought them from their slavery and exalted them.
He dwelled with them and carried them all their days.
And that is very understandable to us, for God has done the same things for us.
We recognize and understand what the salvation of God looks like for we have experienced it ourselves.
And Isaiah simply wants to draw our minds back to that reality.
So think about it for a moment…
Galatians 4:1-7 “Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”
Ephesians 2:1-10 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
Colossians 2:13-14 “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
Titus 3:3-7 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
You get the point.
We were unworthy
We were sinful
But God granted us compassion.
He demonstrated His grace and goodness to us by treating us as though we deserved salvation.
Our salvation was costly to Him, as it cost Him the precious blood of His holy Son, and yet He paid that price anyway to redeem us from our bondage.
And since that day God has done nothing but lift us and carry us and be a loyal and faithful God to us.
That is true in every sense of our understanding.
And Isaiah begins by calling your mind back to that reality.
God redeemed
But there is a second lesson here Isaiah wants to call to your mind as well.
2) PEOPLE REBELLED (10)
“But they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.”
Despite the measureless loyalty of God given to these undeserving people, gratitude appeared to be in short supply.
They disregarded His goodness…
They trampled upon His grace…
They ignored His CHECED…
And they rebelled against God.
Psalms 78:12-22 “He wrought wonders before their fathers In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. He divided the sea and caused them to pass through, And He made the waters stand up like a heap. Then He led them with the cloud by day And all the night with a light of fire. He split the rocks in the wilderness And gave them abundant drink like the ocean depths. He brought forth streams also from the rock And caused waters to run down like rivers. Yet they still continued to sin against Him, To rebel against the Most High in the desert. And in their heart they put God to the test By asking food according to their desire. Then they spoke against God; They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? “Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out, And streams were overflowing; Can He give bread also? Will He provide meat for His people?” Therefore the LORD heard and was full of wrath; And a fire was kindled against Jacob And anger also mounted against Israel, Because they did not believe in God And did not trust in His salvation.”
Psalms 78:40-42 “How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness And grieved Him in the desert! Again and again they tempted God, And pained the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power, The day when He redeemed them from the adversary,”
Psalms 78:54-64 “So He brought them to His holy land, To this hill country which His right hand had gained. He also drove out the nations before them And apportioned them for an inheritance by measurement, And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents. Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God And did not keep His testimonies, But turned back and acted treacherously like their fathers; They turned aside like a treacherous bow. For they provoked Him with their high places And aroused His jealousy with their graven images. When God heard, He was filled with wrath And greatly abhorred Israel; So that He abandoned the dwelling place at Shiloh, The tent which He had pitched among men, And gave up His strength to captivity And His glory into the hand of the adversary. He also delivered His people to the sword, And was filled with wrath at His inheritance. Fire devoured His young men, And His virgins had no wedding songs. His priests fell by the sword, And His widows could not weep.”
And that is nothing new to you.
There was no gratitude or loyalty from the people to God.
They never loved Him as they should…
They never obeyed Him as they promised…
“They rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit”
Psalms 95:7b-11 “Today, if you would hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, “When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work. “For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways. “Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest.”
They responded to God’s CHECED in the most despicable way.
And the brought the discipline of God upon their lives.
We saw plagues in the wilderness…
We saw serpents biting them from the sand…
We saw neighboring nations given permission to persecute them…
We saw Babylon deport them…
Their lack of faithfulness to God and their rebellion against Him brought tremendous discipline into their lives.
They grieved God.
They angered Him.
They betrayed Him.
He would have been totally justified in wiping them out completely and moving on to select a new people.
We know the story of Israel.
But at the same time, it is difficult for us to point much of a finger at them.
How is your gratitude for salvation?
How is your loyalty to God?
How does your faithfulness stack up to His?
Have I ever grieved God’s Holy Spirit?
Ephesians 4:25-32 “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another. BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
According to Paul
If I have ever failed to speak truth…
If I have ever lost my temper…
If I have ever stolen anything…
If I have ever failed to share…
If I have ever spoken unwholesome words that failed to give grace…
If I have ever displayed bitterness, or wrath, or anger, or clamor, or slander…
If I have ever failed to be kind or forgiving…
Then I too have grieved the Holy Spirit of God.
I think back to the mindset of God prior to the flood when He said:
Genesis 6:5-6 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”
Or I think back to the mindset of God as Israel made a golden calf:
Exodus 32:9-10 “The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. “Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.”
And I can’t help but realize that I have done the same things.
Most of us remember and even willingly confess the sinfulness of our lives when we were lost.
We remember life before salvation and testimonies are filled with stories of wickedness that required the intervention of Christ to deliver me.
We know about the former lives of one another:
Foul language…
Sexual immorality…
Greed…
Idolatry…
And we have shared how Christ saved us even though we were sinners.
But far less glamorous to discuss, and indeed far less spoken about is the sin that I have committed after being saved.
How after Jesus saved me from my sin and set me free, about that time that I relapsed into the old man and was again given over to lust or greed or idolatry or unwholesome speech.
Here I was, a man redeemed!
Here I was, a man set free!
Here I was, a recipient of grace and I still committed the very sins that I was forgiven of.
That is a far less glamourous testimony.
That is far more embarrassing.
After I knew better.
I fell back into that same old sin.
I won’t ask you to share your stories, but my guess is that you know exactly what I am talking about.
And we realize that, like Israel, we also have had the propensity to receive the salvation of God and then rebel and grieve His Holy Spirit.
We too have wandered in the wilderness…
We too have grumbled over manna…
We too have considered returning to Egypt…
We too have complained about Moses and his leadership…
We too have failed to claim God’s promises and enter the land…
We too have embraced that which was under the ban like Achan…
We too have become like the world…
We too have embraced our idols…
We know exactly what Isaiah is talking about because not only have we read it in the Old Testament, but we’ve seen it in our lives.
God redeemed and we rebelled
But there has always been a third part of that story with Israel.
3) PEOPLE REMEMBERED (11a)
“Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses.”
What is that?
It was the beginning of the fires of revival.
It was the beginning of God’s awakening of their dead hearts.
It was the grace of God to allow them to recognize how far they had fallen and that they were in need of the lovingkindness of God yet again.
TURN TO: PSALMS 106
That is the cycle Isaiah reminds of here.
We are talking about a people who have always been treated by God far better than they deserve.
We are talking about a people who were loved and redeemed and saved with no merit of their own.
We are talking about a people who then, in spite of that great grace, still rebelled against God and brought discipline into their lives.
But they “remembered”
God allowed them to remember the glories of their salvation and God allowed them to see how far they had fallen from it.
Like the prodigal son, God granted them the grace to “come to their senses” and smell the pigs and return to their Father.
And even though He had suffered in their salvation…
And even though He had been grieved by their rebellion…
God demonstrated His lovingkindness yet again.
His CHECED never fails.
His CHECED endures forever.
And the Psalmist said:
Psalms 106:44-46 “Nevertheless He looked upon their distress When He heard their cry; And He remembered His covenant for their sake, And relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness. He also made them objects of compassion In the presence of all their captors.”
It is what we call revival.
Israel’s history is full of those too.
We see them over and over throughout the period of the Judges as the people would suffer and then turn back to God and He would send a Judge to deliver them.
We see them during the period of the Kings under leaders like Josiah who restored the Law to the people or Hezekiah who led them in faith against Assyria.
We see them under Haggai and Zechariah as the people repent and determine to rebuild the temple of God.
We see it under John the Baptist as the people come to the Jordan and are baptized confessing their sins.
We see it at Pentecost when the people grieve over their rejection of Christ and the church bursts forth throughout the land.
Though Israel did not deserve God’s CHECED they have always received it.
And that is the foundation upon which Isaiah will give us the rest of this chapter.
He is about to call Israel to once again “remember”.
He is about to show us the day God will open their eyes yet again.
He is about to show us how Israel will once again return to God and God will save them.
But it is a good reminder to us as well.
When we come to our senses regarding our sin…
When God graciously opens our eyes to the discipline we have been under…
When God mercifully shows us the sin that has grieved Him…
He does so in order that we might confess it and return to Him.
For just like Israel throughout the pages of Scripture we know that God’s CHECED never fails us either.
1 John 1:5-10 “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”
We do not serve a God who turns a blind eye to sin.
He has never been ok with sin and He never will be.
However, He is merciful to sinners; even when those sinners are those He has already redeemed.
And when we come to terms with our sin and confess them to Him, He promises forgiveness and revival to us again.
That is a testimony to His CHECED
And that is the foundation for why revival can still happen today.
We’re going to stop there tonight and we’ll start looking at the coming revival of Israel next time.
May God show us what revival is, and may He lead us to it.
The Watchman’s Report (Isaiah 63:1-6)
The Watchman’s Report
Isaiah 63:1-6
November 24, 2024
We saw the statement last Sunday morning.
Isaiah 62:6-7 “On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; All day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves; And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”
We listened as Isaiah called on the watchmen of his day
To announce to the nation the truth of God.
They were to follow Isaiah’s lead and preach:
• The Gospel of Salvation & The Glory of Salvation.
• They were to clear the way, build up the highway, and point to the Savior.
They were also called to continually call out to God
• Until God made good on His promise to restore Jerusalem.
• Like the persistent widow in Luke 18 they were to remind God continually until God fulfilled His promise.
In short, it was the watchmen’s job
To remind the LORD and to prepare the people.
Well here in chapter 63, we get THE WATCHMAN’S REPORT
Isaiah, through prophetic eyes,
Is looking over the wall in Jerusalem
And announcing to us what he sees.
It is the day that the people of God have been waiting for.
Isaiah knew this day was coming…
Isaiah 34:1-8 “Draw near, O nations, to hear; and listen, O peoples! Let the earth and all it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it. For the LORD’S indignation is against all the nations, And His wrath against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to slaughter. So their slain will be thrown out, And their corpses will give off their stench, And the mountains will be drenched with their blood. And all the host of heaven will wear away, And the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; All their hosts will also wither away As a leaf withers from the vine, Or as one withers from the fig tree. For My sword is satiated in heaven, Behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom And upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction. The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, It is sated with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, With the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah And a great slaughter in the land of Edom. Wild oxen will also fall with them And young bulls with strong ones; Thus their land will be soaked with blood, And their dust become greasy with fat. For the LORD has a day of vengeance, A year of recompense for the cause of Zion.”
Isaiah knew that one day the LORD would come with vengeance
And destroy His enemies as He liberated His people.
ON THIS DAY, Isaiah saw the LORD after that battle had been fought.
And here, as the faithful watchman, Isaiah reports it to you.
First let’s examine the announcement
Then we’ll discuss it a little more fully.
I’m going to break this down into 3 points.
#1 THE ARRIVAL OF THE GLORIOUS ONE
Isaiah 63:1
Verse 1 gives us the DIALOGUE OF THE WATCHMAN.
• He’s looking over the wall,
• He’s watching for danger or any pertinent news for his people,
• All of a sudden Isaiah sees a figure emerge.
And Isaiah simply hollers at the One approaching, “Who goes there?”
“Who is this who comes from Edom, With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah…”
Isaiah sees the figure and He is wearing “garments of glowing colors”
The word “glowing colors” is KHAW-MATES in the Hebrew.
It can be translated “leaven” as in leavened bread.
It can be translated “sour”
It can be translated as “embarrassed” or “red-faced”
It is sometimes translated “ruthless”
It seems the best understanding is
Someone who is showing anger or embarrassment on their face.
That is why some translates translate it “red” or “crimson”
We could say “with garments of bright red color”.
And Isaiah notes that
• He is coming from the south which is where “Edom”
• And her capital city of “Bozrah” is located.
Isaiah also notices is that He is glorious.
“This One who is majestic in His apparel, Marching in the greatness of His strength?”
“majestic” is AW-DAIR
It can mean honor or respected or lifted up or partial
This One who is approaching is an exalted One of great importance
And He is marching in great strength.
• He’s not limping…
• He’s not dragging along…
• He’s marching in great glory and a great display of strength…
And He is approaching Jerusalem.
So we’ve got a mighty man of glory rapidly approaching Jerusalem
He’s coming from the south and wearing bright red garments.
And Isaiah rightly asks, “Who is this…?”
Who are you?
And THE ANSWER is immediately given by the One outside the gate.
“It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”
Isaiah asks, “Who are You?”
And the Man answers, “It’s Me!”
I’m the One who has been speaking to you “in righteousness”
• “I’m the One who has been speaking to you all these years.”
• “I’m the One who has called you.”
• “I’m the One who has commissioned you.”
• “I’m the One who has filled your mouth with My words.”
I am the Holy One you stood before.
I am the One you serve.
“It is I”
AND I am the One who is “mighty to save.”
Isaiah sees this glorious One approach, asks who it is,
And the Man answers, “It’s Me, your Savior!”
This is the One Isaiah saw back in chapter 6.
When Isaiah said, “I saw the Lord”
If you will remember, that was Jesus whom He saw.
John 12:41 “These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.”
Isaiah’s entire ministry has been to announce this Holy One to the people.
• Isaiah saw His glory in the temple in chapter 6.
• Isaiah saw His virgin birth in chapter 8.
• Isaiah saw His coming kingdom in chapter 9, 11, 35
• Isaiah saw His humiliation and suffering in chapter 50
• Isaiah saw His crucifixion in chapter 53
AND HERE ISAIAH SEES HIM AGAIN
He is again glorious, but it is a different type of majesty that we see.
And this is a phenomenal reality to us.
In your preconceived expectations of what you will see on the day your Savior arrives, what are you expecting that He will look like?
How are you expecting Jesus to look when He returns?
It almost seems here as though Isaiah was somewhat shocked
At the appearance of the Lord.
He was almost surprised
• By His glory
• And His red raiment
• And His mighty march.
Perhaps Isaiah was startled, even afraid by what he saw.
And that leads to the second question of the Watchman.
#2 THE CURIOUSITY OF THE STAINED GARMENTS
Isaiah 63:2-3
Now that the approaching One has been identified to us as the Lord,
Isaiah has another question.
“Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?”
That tells us a great deal more
About these bright red garments he is wearing.
Isaiah said He looked like someone who had just tread in the wine press.
I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the outfit of someone who did that,
• But he’s referencing someone who got in big trough of grapes and just started
stomping on them with their feet.
• As the grapes pop you know it splatters up grape juice onto the robe of the one
stomping.
• As more and more grapes are squashed the grape juice begins to fill up the
trough and the hem of the garment is dipped in it turning the robe completely
purple.
So imagine this splattered and saturated garment,
Just covered in the bright red color.
Isaiah says He looks like He has been very busy trampling grapes.
IS THAT IT?
And the Lord answers.
(3) “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.”
Isaiah asks, “Have you been treading in the wine vat?”
And the Lord says, “Close, I’ve been trampling sinners.”
“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.”
This isn’t grape juice, this is blood.
The bright red glowing color of His garment
Is because it is soaked in the blood of His enemies.
HE HAS BEEN IN BATTLE.
But He wasn’t injured, He wasn’t even tired.
• Remember He was “Marching in the greatness of His strength”
• This wasn’t His blood, it was the blood of His enemies.
And because He has come “from Edom” and “from Bozrah”
We know who the victims of His wrath have been.
The Lord has just crushed the Edomites.
• He has trampled them under His feet.
• It is their blood, not His, that covers His garments.
I’m not sure we can even imagine the scene.
What is clear from the text is that
There is another question left to ask,
• In fact the Lord will answer it in verses 4-6,
• But perhaps Isaiah was so dumbfounded at what he had already learned he just stood there with an open mouth.
The obvious question is:
• WHY DID YOU TRAMPLE THEM?
• WHY DID YOU CRUSH THEM UNDER FOOT?
And that is the next question that is answered.
#3 THE EXPLANATION OF EDOM’S DESTRUCTION
Isaiah 63:4-6
Why did You do it?
And the answer is clear:
(4) “For the day of vengeance was in My heart, And My year of redemption has come.”
The Lord gives two reasons why He has crushed Edom.
VENGEANCE & REDEMPTION
Let’s start with VENGEANCE.
We hear about vengeance quite regularly.
• Movies like to talk about it.
• We hear about it on the news.
• Politics talks about it.
What we notice is that vengeance is routinely seen as a negative thing.
You hear people say, “We don’t want vengeance, we want justice.”
Justice is painted as the high road
And vengeance as the negative response.
Does it surprise you then to know that Jesus Christ is the God of both?
Certainly He will reign and rule in justice.
• Isaiah has outlined that many times.
But do not let the fact escape your notice that
He is also unequivocally the God of vengeance
And His vengeance will one day break forth.
We’ve read it many times:
Romans 12:19 “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.”
• Paul quotes there from Deuteronomy 32.
• It is a passage called “The Song of Moses”
• I want you to read it this morning.
TURN TO: DEUTERONOMY 32:34-43
The first 33 verses of this song are Moses prophesying that the children of Israel will continue to be like their fathers.
• They will abandon God.
• They will worship idols.
• And God will punish them with the affliction of the nations.
However, God will also avenge Himself and His people
On those nations that afflict His people.
(READ 34-43)
That is the same vengeance we see delivered here.
Incidentally, this song of Moses will be sung again.
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.”
You are familiar with that scene.
It is the Lord trampling His enemies under foot.
Immediately following that scene we read this:
Revelation 15:1-4 “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED.”
Everyone in earth and heaven understands the vengeance of the Lord.
He comes and crushes His enemies under foot
And even heaven rejoices to sing again the song of Moses.
OUR GOD IS A GOD OF VENGEANCE
Isaiah 34:8 “For the LORD has a day of vengeance, A year of recompense for the cause of Zion.”
Isaiah 35:4 “Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.”
And look, we could spend a great section of time this morning
Doing nothing but reading passages which speak of
The Lord’s vengeance on His enemies.
BUT THE POINT IS:
He has promised that a day is coming
When He will return in glorious splendor
And will crush His enemies under foot.
And the aftermath of such a judgment
Looks like a man who has been treading grapes in the wine press.
• He is covered in blood.
• He is covered in judgment.
WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THAT?
Why would Isaiah reveal that his generation?
Isaiah reveals it so that you might understand
The love that God has for His children.
I don’t know if you realize this, but
HIS VENGEANCE IS ACTUALLY ROOTED IN HIS LOVE.
But you must have a proper understanding of His love to know how it fits.
God’s vengeance is rooted in His love for His children.
One of the reasons this world has no room for a Jesus who shows vengeance
Is because they have this sort of contorted doctrine
That God unconditionally loves all people
And therefore a God of love would never show vengeance.
Look, God is love; God does love
But you have to understand it to have an accurate view of Him.
God does have a beneficent love for all people.
• That is to say God has “good will” toward all men.
• He desires good for all.
God does have a benevolent love for all people.
• He sends His rain on the just and the unjust.
• It is the common grace that all men enjoy from God.
But there is a covenantal love of God that far exceeds those two.
It is the love which God savingly shows to His own;
A love which the unredeemed do not experience.
IN FACT, the unredeemed not only do not experience that love,
But they experience God’s vengeance.
Let me show you another picture of it.
TURN TO: PSALMS 136
• The NIV translates that passage over and over, “His love endures forever”
• Chris Tomlin sang the famous song of this Psalm and the part that they sing
sounds really good.
“Give thanks to the Lord, our God and King, His love endures forever!
For He is good He is above all things, His love endures forever!”
And it sounds really good, like God just loves everyone
And never gets angry or would dare show vengeance.
But look at what David says later in the Psalm.
(READ 136:10, 15, 17-22)
God was showing love there, but it was covenantal love to His people.
Egypt, Og, and Bashan experienced God’s vengeance.
You understand that even as a sinful man.
• Do you wish evil on any man? You’d say “No”.
• Are you willing to help anyone who is need? You’d say “Yes”
• But what if a guy enters your home and starts attacking your family? “Vengeance”
AND THAT IS THE POINT.
The Lord Jesus Christ will return
And He will show terrible vengeance
On His enemies and on the enemies of His people.
That’s why His garment is red.
That’s what He has done in His anger.
The first time He came in humility to save His children.
The second time He’ll come in wrath to avenge them.
We already read Revelation 14, but look at Revelation 19
Revelation 19:11-16 “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.”
There it is again.
Listen to Jesus as He preached on the end:
Matthew 24:27-28 “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
It’s as if the disciples asked where this great battle will occur
And Jesus said, “You’ll know when you see all the buzzards.”
Revelation 19:17-21 “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.”
IT MAY BE SELDOM DISCUSSED,
But it is an inescapable picture of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He is filled with mighty vengeance on His adversaries
And on those who have afflicted His people.
In this case it is “Edom” and “Bozrah”
Why Edom?
You remember them, they ancient enemy of Israel, descendants of Esau.
Do you remember Edom?
Obadiah 1:10-14 “Because of violence to your brother Jacob, You will be covered with shame, And you will be cut off forever. “On the day that you stood aloof, On the day that strangers carried off his wealth, And foreigners entered his gate And cast lots for Jerusalem— You too were as one of them. “Do not gloat over your brother’s day, The day of his misfortune. And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah In the day of their destruction; Yes, do not boast In the day of their distress. “Do not enter the gate of My people In the day of their disaster. Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity In the day of their disaster. And do not loot their wealth In the day of their disaster. “Do not stand at the fork of the road To cut down their fugitives; And do not imprison their survivors In the day of their distress.”
Psalms 137:7 “Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom The day of Jerusalem, Who said, “Raze it, raze it To its very foundation.”
These Edomites joined in the destruction of God’s people,
Cutting down survivors and cheering for the destruction of the temple.
Christ is executing vengeance on them for that.
He trampled them underfoot and their blood splattered on His garments.
“I also trod them in My anger And trampled them in My wrath;”
HE SAID “the day of vengeance was in My heart,”
• He fully desired it.
• He trampled them because of His vengeance.
THAT IS THE FIRST REASON FOR HIS TRAMPLING OF EDOM
But there is a second reason why He did it: REDEMPTION
“And My year of redemption has come.”
He did it out of love for His people and a desire to deliver them.
Read it again:
Isaiah 35:4 “Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.”
Isaiah 40:10-11 “Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might, With His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him And His recompense before Him. Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.”
Isaiah 52:7-10 “How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, They shout joyfully together; For they will see with their own eyes When the LORD restores Zion. Break forth, shout joyfully together, You waste places of Jerusalem; For the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. The LORD has bared His holy arm In the sight of all the nations, That all the ends of the earth may see The salvation of our God.”
He is rendering vengeance for the sake of redemption.
He is coming to save His people from their enemies.
We understand what it is to live in a world under Satan’s influence.
• We know what it is to be at constant war with immoral ideologies.
• We know the oppression of Lot who felt his righteous soul tormented as he
lived among immoral men.
And yet we are emphatically told to never take our own revenge.
• We are told to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile.
• We are told to respond to their curses with a blessing.
• We are told to pray for our enemies.
• We are told to share the gospel with them.
And that often times puts believers, in a worldly sense,
On the short end of the stick.
Paul said:
2 Corinthians 4:8-10 “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”
But we also know that the Lord will not allow it to be that way forever.
Romans 8:36-37 “Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”
THE ONE WHO LOVES US IS COMING.
He will render vengeance on His enemies
And He will redeem and restore His people.
And I think, as His people, we must marvel then and ask:
“What great love does our Savior have for us?”
• He will not allow us to be reproached forever.
• He will not allow us to be hated forever.
• He is coming to avenge us and to deliver us.
All the prayers of all the saints
Who throughout the ages have cried, “How long?”
Will be answered on that day!
He is coming in vengeance and redemption.
But there is one other aspect of His coming that He has been emphatic about and that is that He is doing it ALONE.
(3) “I have trodden the wine trough alone, and from the peoples there was no man with Me.”
(5) “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.”
Isaiah has already alluded to this once.
Isaiah 59:15-20 “Yes, truth is lacking; And he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey. Now the LORD saw, And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice. And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld Him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle. According to their deeds, so He will repay, Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; To the coastlands He will make recompense. So they will fear the name of the LORD from the west And His glory from the rising of the sun, For He will come like a rushing stream Which the wind of the LORD drives. “A Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares the LORD.”
Isaiah already revealed to us that when the Lord comes,
He will execute both vengeance and redemption ALONE.
WHY?
BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE CAN!
Do you remember what we read a moment ago in the song of Moses?
Moses spoke about God’s coming vengeance,
But do you remember why God did it alone?
Deuteronomy 32:36-39 “For the LORD will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free. “And He will say, ‘Where are their gods, The rock in which they sought refuge? ‘Who ate the fat of their sacrifices, And drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you, Let them be your hiding place! ‘See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand.”
Israel had trusted in so many foreign gods…
Israel had trusted in so many foreign nations…
But God does not share glory!
Has that not been the message of Isaiah so many times to this people?
Isaiah 41:10 “‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”
Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.”
Isaiah 43:3 “For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place.”
Isaiah 43:11-13 “I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me. “It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And I am God. “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”
Isaiah 44:6 “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.”
Isaiah 44:8 “‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.’”
And on and on and on.
When God delivers He does it alone,
Not only because He is the only capable savior,
But also because He alone will receive glory for it.
AND WHAT A GREAT REMINDER EVEN TO US TODAY.
THE CHURCH HAS ONE SAVIOR!
The United States of America cannot and will not save you.
Donald Trump cannot and will not save you.
We appreciate any grace of God
That puts a restraint on the spread of immorality, but that is all it is.
The vengeance that awaits the wicked…
The redemption that is coming for God’s people…
That is only coming from one person and that is Jesus Christ.
He is coming and He is coming in terrible wrath and judgment.
He will trample the wicked under His feet and He will liberate His people.
He is coming and He is coming to save His own.
• He will not come again in humility.
• He will not come again in meekness.
• He will never again be laid in a manger.
He is coming back in vengeance, His recompense is before Him.
He will destroy the wicked and He will do it for His children.
Praise Him for it!
Bask in His great love for you!
Psalms 98:7-9 “Let the sea roar and all it contains, The world and those who dwell in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy Before the LORD, for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness And the peoples with equity.”
This morning we do that.
• We stop to anticipate the great and terrible coming of the Lord!
• We rejoice in His vengeance and His justice!
• We bask in His love for us!
Rest in that church!
Amen, Come Lord Jesus!
Securing the Sheep (2 Peter 1:1-11)
Securing the Sheep
2 Peter 1:1-11 (1-2)
As you know, tonight we kick off a new Sunday night study.
We are looking at the second letter of Peter.
And as we commonly do, before we dive into our detailed study,
I sort of like to give the book a little introduction.
I like for you to see the whole,
So that when we go back and start looking at the parts,
You will know more accurately what we are looking at.
(If I dump a bunch of pieces of wood on your floor you would be confused, but if I first show you a picture of a dresser, then the pieces begin to make sense)
(1-2) “Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;”
We know here that Peter is the writer,
And we see how he identifies himself.
“a bond-servant”
I’ve told you before, the word here is DOULOS and it speaks of a willing slave.
Its roots are in Exodus
Speaking of a slave who must be set free:
Exodus 21:5-6 “But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’ then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.”
It is one who was under the full charge of his master in all things,
And one who was there willingly.
“apostle”
This indicates that Peter was sent by Christ on a special mission
With full authority.
1 Thessalonians 2:5-6 “For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed — God is witness — nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.”
So in one sense, he was a lowly slave,
And in the other sense, he was a divine ambassador.
So it is with all who serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
But there is obviously more to be learned
About who exactly Peter was.
Peter was formerly known as Simon.
(It was actually Jesus who changed his name to Peter)
He was NOT the first disciple Jesus ever called,
In fact, it was Peter’s brother Andrew who led him to Jesus.
PETER WAS NOT THE FIRST, BUT HE WAS THE LEADER
Matthew 10:2 “Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;”
Simon (or Peter) was called “the first”
This is obviously not a chronological reference
Since he was not the first to follow Jesus.
Rather “first” translates PROTOS
“chief”
The same word Paul used when he called himself “the chief of sinners”
Or “foremost of all” sinners.
Peter was the leader of the 12
(that is perhaps why most of the time we see Peter doing the talking)
NOT ONLY WAS PETER LEADER OF THE DISCIPLES,
BUT PETER WAS ALSO GRANTED LEADERSHIP OVER THE CHURCH.
Matthew 16:18-19 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
It was Peter whom the Lord singled out in John 21
Three times telling Peter to “Feed My sheep”
And it is obvious that this was a responsibility that Peter accepted.
On the day of Pentecost
• It was Peter who arose to address the masses
• It was Peter who confronted their decision to crucify Jesus
• It was Peter who gave the invitation for salvation
• And when the early church had issues, they came to Peter
We could easily say that Peter was a man
Who was fully concerned about the flock of God at all times.
He was a true pastor in every sense of the word.
Where Paul was the traveling missionary, continually planting churches,
Peter stayed to take care of the flock.
(This does not mean Peter never went on mission,
He was actually the man who saw the first Gentile convert – Cornelius)
BUT PREDOMINANTLY PETER WAS A PASTOR
This was his duty, this was his charge, and he fully embraced it.
That also helps us understand what Peter said in his first epistle.
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.”
Peter knew his role as a shepherd of God’s flock.
After all Jesus had said, “Feed My sheep”
And Peter encouraged others in a similar role to do the same.
And so while it should be obvious to us,
It becomes especially clear now that Peter was a man
Who was devoted to the flock of God.
AND THAT IS WHY HE WROTE THIS LETTER.
He writes (1) “To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours,”
He is writing to those who have made a profession
To be followers of Christ, just as Peter did.
It was this same group that Peter addressed in his first epistle
As those who were “scattered”,
And Peter wrote to encourage them in their suffering.
And so Peter was a man who was
Fully concerned about God’s flock at all times.
And now, according to 2 Peter
He was concerned for them even after he would be gone.
2 Peter was written just before Peter’s death.
You may remember that our Lord
Had previously revealed to Peter how he was to die.
John 21:18-19 “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”
Jesus told Peter that his life would end with the death of a martyr.
And apparently Jesus has now also revealed to him
That it is time for that death to occur.
2 Peter 1:13-14 “I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.”
So here we have Peter,
• The leader of the disciples,
• The leader of the early church,
• A man consumed with the well-being of God’s flock.
And he knows that it is now time for him to die.
This is the end, and this letter holds his final words
Of encouragement to the flock he is about to leave.
When Moses was about to leave he preached Deuteronomy
When Paul was about to leave he wrote 2 Timothy
When Jesus was about to leave He preached “The Upper Room Discourse”
And as Peter is about to leave he gives 2 Peter.
The purpose is clear.
He wants the flock to remain strong, even after he is gone.
2 Peter 1:13-15 “I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.”
Every good preacher understands that when he preaches,
He is not just preaching for the invitation
That will occur in the next 30 minutes.
He is also preaching for decisions
That will be made in the next 30 years and beyond.
Every faithful preacher longs to have his flock
Prepared for the moment before it arises.
And that is precisely why Peter is writing this letter.
So that they will be prepared in the future.
Peter is also writing because he knows what is coming.
When Paul gave his final address to the Ephesian elders he said:
Acts 20:29-32 “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. “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
Paul knew that when the shepherd is gone
The wolves will try and attack the flock.
He also knew that the only hope for the flock was if
They would stay committed to the truths of God’s Word.
“I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up”
Before Jesus left, He told the disciples:
Matthew 7:15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”
And now before Peter leaves, he sends along the same warning to us.
2 Peter 2:1 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.”
Peter knew that savage wolves were coming.
He knew that they would try to deceive the flock and devour them.
And therefore he knew that the only hope for the flock
Was to be built up on the word of God.
2 Peter 1:19 “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”
2 Peter 3:17-18 “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
And so you understand the purpose of 2 Peter.
It was written by a faithful shepherd who is leaving the sheep.
But he desperately wants to prepare the sheep for what is coming.
And just in case you doubt the accuracy of Peter’s prediction.
In 2 Peter 2:1, Peter said false prophets will come,
Secretly introducing destructive heresies.
By the time Jude wrote his epistle, the wolves had arrived.
Jude 4 “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
That means for us Peter’s encouragement is very important.
He is telling the flock how to survive
In a world filled with wolves.
His letter closes with:
2 Peter 3:17-18 “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
So tonight, let’s begin our study of 2 Peter
And understand the importance of a true knowledge of God,
So that we are not easily led astray and devoured by the wolves.
I want to start our study by reading the first 11 verses.
(Because these make the first thought,
And you really can’t study any part of it independent from the whole)
READ 2 PETER 1:1-11
If you’ve ever worked one of those mazes some people start at the beginning and try to work their way to the end.
Others have found it easier to start at the destination
And work their way back to the beginning.
That is sort of the approach
We are going to take to these first eleven verses.
(FIRST IN OVERVIEW, AND WE’LL COME BACK IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS TO GET THE SUBSTANCE)
The point of these first 11 verses is clear to us:
THE SECURING OF THE SHEEP
We know that because of verses 10-11
(10-11) “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”
Peter’s main concern is that none of those he is writing to stumble,
And thus fall away from the faith.
He knows that if they never fall away, then
“the entrance into the eternal kingdom…will be abundantly supplied.”
So he is writing to make sure the sheep are not snared
To stumble and fall away from the faith,
But that they stand strong until the end and enter the kingdom.
This is why he stresses that they make certain that they are God’s flock.
(10) “be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you”
In other words,
• You claim to be called by God and chosen by Him.
• You claim to be His child; His sheep.
• You claim to know God.
But you need to stop and make sure that this is really the case.
One of the key phrases in these first eleven verses is the term “knowledge of God” (2) again in verse (3) again in verse (8).
Peter stresses the true knowledge of God
Because there IS such a thing as “false knowledge of God”
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”
Jesus spoke of those who had a false knowledge,
Made obvious because it did not result in obedience.
PETER WANTS HIS FLOCK TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT IS NOT THEM.
They make certain, by examining their fruit.
(8-9) “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.”
Now we will see the specific qualities in a moment,
But it is obvious that Peter is looking at a list of fruit
And telling his readers that if this fruit is not only evident in their lives,
But also on the rise, then they have a “true knowledge of our Lord Jesus.”
On the other hand, if these qualities are not present,
Then they are “blind or short-sighted” and they have forgotten
That the whole purpose of salvation was to purify you from sin.
And so the path is becoming clear.
• We don’t want you to stumble from the faith.
• The way to not stumble is to make sure you are really in the faith.
• The way to know if you are really in the faith is to examine your fruit.
WHAT IS THE FRUIT?
(5-7) “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.”
These are the attributes that ought to be present in the life of anyone
Who claims to have a true knowledge of Christ.
And as we noted, according to verse 8, these qualities not only need to be present,
But should also be “increasing”.
And so Peter simply asks his readers to examine their lives,
And see if it is obvious that they really do know God.
And that poses for us another question.
WHY ARE THESE ATTRIBUTES GOOD INDICATORS THAT I KNOW GOD?
Today people bank on all sorts of things to prove they know God.
Religious involvement
Participation in baptism
Having prayed the sinners prayer
Family heritage
Many people use those types of things as indicators, but Peter didn’t.
He used “diligence” “faith” “moral excellence” “knowledge” “self-control” “perseverance” “godliness” “brotherly kindness” and “love”.
WHY ARE THOSE THE INDICATORS?
Because you can’t achieve those things in your life by your own ability.
If you have those things it is because God gave them to you.
(3-4) “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
It is God’s divine power that gives us what we need
For “life and godliness”.
And that divine power comes
“through the true knowledge of Him who called us”
It is God who has granted us “His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you become partakers of the divine nature”
All those attributes listed in verses 5-7
Are divine attributes, not earthly attributes.
And therefore Peter says that we should carefully examine ourselves
To see if we have them, and if they are increasing in our lives.
If they are, then we truly know God and we are protected from stumbling, and we can be assured of entering the eternal kingdom.
If they are not, then we have cause for concern, and it is apparent that we are “blind or short-sighted” and need to return to the Lord.
HENCE, THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO THIS COIN
THE DIVINE SIDE – in which God equips us
THE HUMAN SIDE – in which we take full advantage of His equipping
And the result to that is
That we know we are in the faith, and we are kept from stumbling.
So the study of these first 11 verses is clear:
THE SECURING OF THE SHEEP
And in it we learn that
A true sheep is one who knows God and follows God.
John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
And Peter wants to make sure that all of those who read this letter,
Evaluate themselves in such a way.
WHY DOES PETER BEGIN THIS LETTER LIKE THIS?
Because he is about to die,
And he knows that the wolves are coming.
And he knows that the wolves will exploit with false words and deceive people and lead them away from the faith.
And if those he is writing to do not have a true knowledge of God,
Then they will most certainly be led astray,
And will never make it into the kingdom.
(And we will get into the specifics next time)
SO IN CLOSING, LET ME REMIND YOU
There is absolutely nothing in your life that matters more
Than your relationship with Jesus Christ.
If you are right about everything else, but wrong about that,
Your entire eternity will be in shambles.
SO MAKE SURE IT IS REAL
2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?”
We live in a day where people get routine checkups.
Mammograms
Physicals
Blood tests
If that is true physically, how much more important is it spiritually.
• Getting tested is not always pleasant.
• Getting negative results can be extremely painful.
But how important is it to know the truth
So that it can be corrected while there is still time?
So let me encourage you, put Peter’s advice to practice and “be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”
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