Learning From The Assyrian Invasion – Part 2
Isaiah 33:1-24 (13-16)
December 10, 2023
I know it’s been a couple of weeks and an entire Disciple Still weekend
In reality it feels like months ago since we last examined what was going on here.
You will remember that there was a major, earth-shattering event that was going on in Isaiah’s day.
The nation of Assyria was literally trying to rule the world.
Tiglath-Pileser had sat as king for a while.
• He was the king that Ahaz of Judah tried to form an alliance with back when Israel and Syria threatened to invade him.
• We read about him back in Isaiah 7
Shalmaneser followed Tiglath-Pileser
• He was actually the Assyrian king who annihilated the northern kingdom and carried them away into exile.
Sargon followed Shalmaneser
• And attacked many of the nations around Judah.
But it was Sennacherib who followed Sargon
• He had now invaded Judah.
And perhaps you remember the story from last time.
By the time Sennacherib invaded every hope of human help had failed.
• Egypt had not delivered.
• Ethiopia had not delivered.
• Babylon had not delivered.
• There were no fast horses for them to flee on.
• And when Sennacherib approached Jerusalem Hezekiah played his last hope
for deliverance.
• He stripped all the gold he could find out of the city and he offered Sennacherib
money to leave.
• Sennacherib accepted the money and then surrounded Jerusalem anyway.
THIS WAS THE END.
And it was at this point that Hezekiah, filled with fear,
Finally entered the temple of God.
It was at this point that Hezekiah
Finally reached out to Isaiah and asked him to pray.
Isaiah did, and God answered.
We saw that answer last time.
(10-12) “Now I will arise,” says the LORD, “Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up. “You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble; My breath will consume you like a fire. “The peoples will be burned to lime, Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.”
That’s all that God had been waiting for.
• Over and over Isaiah had called for the people to repent and return to God.
• Over and over Isaiah had called for the people to cry out to Him for salvation.
They finally did and God answered the call.
We read it in the book of the kings, we’ll actually see it a little later in the book of Isaiah.
Isaiah 37:36-38 “Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, all of these were dead. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh. It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.”
• The threat was finally over.
• Deliverance had finally come.
• Judah had finally chosen to seek God and her choice paid off.
THAT IS WHAT IS GOING ON.
Isaiah’s ministry was just about an 80-year ministry
And Assyria had been the threat almost the entire time.
BUT NOW, having moved past that threat, we are looking at Isaiah 33
And very simply asking, “What did you learn?”
• There are no mistakes in the drama of human history.
• God sits enthroned and sovereign over all things.
• We know that kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall at His command.
• God has been revealing Himself and teaching something.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
We started looking at this last time.
• Isaiah 33 addresses 4 different audiences
• And seeks to identify what has been learned by each.
#1 TO THE DESTROYER
Isaiah 33:1
We very simply learned that “You’re a dead man!”
“Woe to you, O destroyer, While you were not destroyed; And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him. As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed; As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.”
Your time is up.
God had already revealed many years ago through Isaiah:
Isaiah 10:15-19 “Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it? Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it? That would be like a club wielding those who lift it, Or like a rod lifting him who is not wood. Therefore the Lord, the GOD of hosts, will send a wasting disease among his stout warriors; And under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame. And the light of Israel will become a fire and his Holy One a flame, And it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day. And He will destroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body, And it will be as when a sick man wastes away. And the rest of the trees of his forest will be so small in number That a child could write them down.”
• God had raised up Assyria as His rod.
• The purpose was that he would bring judgment to Israel and Judah and the pagan sinners of the area.
• But Assyria had sought to go farther than God intended and had tried to totally eradicate God’s people.
BAD DECISION!
And we learn that
Even when God’s people sin and bring discipline into their lives,
They still remain the people of God.
He will discipline His people but He will not disown them.
He will bring anguish on His people but He will not abandon them.
If you attack the children of God it will not end well for you.
You would think Satan would learn that, but he hasn’t.
• He tried it first with Egypt to no avail.
• He tried it here with Assyria to no avail.
• He’ll try it again with Babylon, Greece, Rome, Germany, Russia, etc.
AND HE WILL NOT WIN.
And ultimately Satan himself will be thrown into the lake of fire and punished forever because you do not seek the destruction of the people of God.
That is what the destroyer should have learned.
#2 TO JERUSALEM
Isaiah 33:2-12
You will remember that Hezekiah asked Isaiah to pray.
We see the prayer he prayed in verse 2:
(2) “O LORD, be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be their strength every morning, Our salvation also in the time of distress.”
It was a cry for God to be gracious.
• “we” (the righteous remnant) “have waited for You.”
• “Be their” (the newly repentant) “strength every morning”
• “Our” (us and them) “salvation in the time of distress.”
Isaiah cried out to the LORD BECAUSE
When He brings His tumult, “peoples flee”
When God rises up “nations disperse.”
• God so thoroughly routs an enemy that you can gather spoil “as the caterpillar gathers;” (i.e. slowly)
• God so thoroughly routs an enemy that you can gather spoil “as the locusts” (i.e. thoroughly)
Isaiah cried out to God.
And then Isaiah gave a message to the people.
Isaiah’s reveals WHAT JERUSALEM SHOULD HAVE LEARNED.
(5-6) “The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; The fear of the LORD is his treasure.”
Isaiah reminds again that God is a God of “justice and righteousness”
THAT STANDARD HAS NOT CHANGED.
But if you will turn from your sin and seek Him, “He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge”
God will show up and be to you what no other would-be savior can be.
• Was Egypt a wealth of salvation?
• Was Ethiopia a wealth of salvation?
• Was Babylon a wealth of salvation?
• Was your gold a wealth of salvation?
No!
In fact,
• Your brave men are crying in the streets.
• Your ambassadors are weeping bitterly.
• The land is mourning and all your allies are silent.
God alone is your salvation.
God alone can settle your rocking ship.
God alone can give you stability in unstable times.
We didn’t look at this last time,
But we’re in no hurry and we can look at it now.
TURN TO: PSALM 11
(READ VERSE 1)
• Clearly David there has a statement of faith, but also David reveals that someone has given him some advice based on the current circumstances.
• Someone told David that his only recourse is to “Flee as a bird to your mountain.”
The reasoning behind the advice given to David is laid out in verse 2-3
(READ VERSES 2-3)
1) The Danger is Lethal
“For, behold, the wicked bend the bow, They make ready their arrow upon the string To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.”
• You’ve got an enemy out there in the dark.
• You can’t see him, but he can see you, and his one objective is to put an arrow in your heart.
• It’s not safe here David!
2) The System is Liberal
“If the foundations are destroyed…”
• In other words, we’ve got a corrupt legal system.
• There is no justice here.
• No one is going to help.
3) Hope is Lost
“What can the righteous do?”
• That is what you call unsettled times.
• Perhaps you can relate.
David’s advisors have told him to flee because there is no help to be had.
The whole system is corrupt and broken and no one is coming to help.
Hezekiah must have felt that way.
But notice what David reveals.
It is a sermon with a similar point that which Isaiah preaches.
1) The Foundation Isn’t Shaken
(4) “The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.”
• From where I sit, God is still on His throne.
• God’s throne is still in heaven.
• God is still judging the sons of men.
• I’d say the system of justice is just as strong as it’s ever been.
2) Justice Isn’t Forsaken
(5) “The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates.”
• God is still clear about what He thinks about the wicked.
• God has not flip-flopped.
• God has not adjusted His opinions to match the culture.
• God has not become “woke”
• He’s still on His throne and He still hates sin.
3) Judgment Isn’t Forgotten
(6-7) “Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.”
• God will rise up with justice and bring judgment to the wicked.
• He is righteous and He loves righteousness.
In other words, when all around David were falling in despair
David reminded his advisors, just as Isaiah did that,
“The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; The fear of the LORD is his treasure.”
And this is what Jerusalem should have learned.
“The fear of the LORD is his treasure.”
I don’t know what you are counting on
• To prepare yourself for the coming invasion.
• To deliver you when the bottom falls out.
But I can promise you this.
You don’t have anything as valuable as “the fear of the LORD”
Peter called your faith that which is more precious than gold.
Neither your money…
Nor your guns…
Nor your food storage…
Nor your political candidate…
Nor your military…
None of those things can deliver you from the judgment of God.
The only thing you have of value is “the fear of the LORD”
Jerusalem finally learned that
On the day that Hezekiah entered that temple and asked Isaiah to pray.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED?
Let’s move on now to the 3rd group Isaiah addresses.
#3 TO THE NATIONS
Isaiah 33:13-16
I don’t know where Isaiah preached this sermon, but in my mind’s eye
• I like to see Isaiah standing on the city wall around Jerusalem overlooking those 180,000 dead Assyrians.
• I like to picture him lifting his voice to the wind so as to cry out to anyone beyond the borders of Judah.
And it is as though Isaiah ASKS THE NATIONS
What they learned from all that just occurred in the land of Judah?
(13) “You who are far away, hear what I have done; And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”
“You who are far away”
That can be measured in miles or that can be measured in years.
(We are both)
• It is a message to those who had no skin in the game there.
• It is a message who were nothing more than an audience watching from afar.
We have been nothing but observers of the drama.
• We learned of Assyria from the comfort of padded pews.
• We read of their invasion knowing that in a few minutes we would get in our cars and drive to our homes.
• We listened to Isaiah warn of impending doom while sitting in a perfect 70 degree auditorium wondering who would win the football game later that afternoon.
But if you’ve learned anything from your study of the word of God
You know that you are always accountable for what you know.
Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”
You can’t un-hear God’s word.
And once you hear it, you are accountable for it.
Surely the preaching of Isaiah was for the people in Jerusalem.
But the RECORDING and PRESERVATION of his preaching
And the COLLECTION of his writings in your Bible…THAT IS FOR YOU.
AND THE QUESTION IS:
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED?
Did you hear what God did?
• After bringing His people to the edge of annihilation
• He went out and slew 180,000 soldiers.
Do you know that that really happened?
• This isn’t a fairy-tale.
• This isn’t fiction.
• That happened.
And every man either across the globe or down through time
Should pay attention to what God did there.
“And you who are near”
That would be those near BOTH GEOGRAPHICALLY and EMOTIONALLY.
AS WE HAVE
• Studied about the sin of Jerusalem and their hatred for the word of God.
• Read of their immoral living, their fruitless religion, and their complacency about both.
• Read about how God brought punishment on their nation.
Have you felt anything familiar at all in that?
Have you sensed a nearness to that situation at all?
YOU SHOULD HAVE.
AND TO YOU God says, “acknowledge My might.”
You need to see what God is capable of to such people.
BUT IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE SPECIFICALLY
What God would have us learn, listen as God continues.
(14) “Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless.”
• Please note THE LOCATION of the “sinners” mentioned here.
• Please note THE LOCATION of the “godless” Isaiah speaks of.
They are “in Zion”
We are NOT talking here about
• The pagan nations of Egypt or Ethiopia.
• This is not the pagan Philistines or Moabites.
• This is not the immoral drunk in the gutter.
God has walked right into the church and pointed out an alarming fact.
• That there are “sinners” and “godless” people even in the great assembly.
• They are “terrified” and “trembling”
They have spent their lives in sin
And have sought to conceal that sin among the people of God.
“Surely if I just go to church and sit in the pew and participate in religious ceremony then I will never be noticed or found out.”
ON THE CONTRARY!
If you desire to live in sin and have no willingness to repent
Then the church is THE LAST PLACE you should try and hide.
Why?
1 Peter 4:17 “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”
• God is no fool.
• He knows the hearts of all men.
• And when judgment breaks out, He starts in the sanctuary.
In the days of Ezekiel God announced His punishment that He would unleash upon the city of Jerusalem.
• God would actually allow Nebuchadnezzar to enter the city, tear down the wall, and burn the temple to the ground.
• God told Ezekiel that He would slay the unrighteous no matter if they were men, women, children, young, or old.
And when the hammer dropped this was the command of God.
Ezekiel 9:6 “Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary.” So they started with the elders who were before the temple.”
Did you know that Matthew 16 is the first place Jesus ever mentioned His church?
• That is where He said He would build His church.
Do you know in Matthew 18 He gave the first ever teaching in regard to the church?
• And it was on discipline to REMOVE THE SINNING BROTHER.
The purity of the church matters to God.
• The purity of the church matters to Christ.
• He does not take lightly sinners who have sought to find refuge in her midst.
Listen to what Jesus says to the church at Pergamum
Revelation2:14-16 “But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. ‘So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ‘Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.”
• Do you see that Christ will come and declare war on “them”?
• That is those who are sinful in the congregation.
• He sees them as a threat to His bride and He will eliminate them.
Listen to what He says to Thyatira:
Revelation 2:20-24 “But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ‘I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. ‘Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. ‘And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. ‘But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you.”
• Do you see again that there is no burden placed upon the righteous, but the wicked in the midst will be killed?
You can’t hide from God in church.
That’s the worst place to try and hide from Him.
And just in case it isn’t obvious already,
There is ONLY ONE PLACE you can hide from the wrath of God
And that is “in Christ Jesus”.
All throughout the Psalms He is referred to with words like
“refuge” and “hiding place” and “strong tower”.
If you’re not clothed in His righteousness you’re a sitting duck
On the day when God comes to pour out His judgment.
SEEKING TO HIDE IN ZION IS A FOOLISH IDEA.
Do you remember the days of Jeremiah?
TURN TO: JEREMIAH 7
(READ 1-11)
• They were people who thought they could live in sin and then somehow hide
from the wrath of God in the temple.
• Jeremiah reminded them that the temple of God is no hideout for thieves.
And that remained true even in Jesus’ day.
Matthew 21:12-13 “And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’; but you are making it a ROBBERS’ DEN.”
• The only place Jesus ever declared war the entire time of His first advent was
in the temple of God to the sinners who thought they could hide there in
their sin.
DO YOU SEE THE POINT?
YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM GOD, EVEN IN ZION.
“Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?”
THAT IS TO SAY, “Do you suppose you can hide from the presence of God while seeking to be in the presence of God?”
Isaiah learned this firsthand didn’t he?
• There he was, perhaps an arrogant young man, deciding to enter God’s temple.
• He was a hypocrite through and through as evidenced by his unclean lips
• And he had the audacity to walk right into the very temple of God as though he could slip by unnoticed.
But when he was there he saw the holy one and that place filled with smoke and he cried out, “Oh No! I’m a dead man!”
AND THE QUESTION IS. “Do you suppose you can keep your sin and still boldly stand in the presence of God?”
Jonathan Edwards noted that a man can hardly look at the sun without squinting or tears coming to the eyes and do you suppose you will just casually walk into the presence of its creator?
In the book of the Revelation, the sky is pealed back like a scroll and the sinners of earth are allowed a gaze into the heavenlies.
Take note of what they said:
Revelation 6:15-17 “Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
Who will stand before God?
CERTAINLY NOT THOSE IMPOSTERS
Who merely tried to blend in among the people of God.
“Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless.”
We live in a day where
• Very few tremble over sin.
• Very few are terrified about judgment.
• Most just assume God won’t do it.
Asaph noted the same mentality in his culture.
Psalms 73:5-12 “They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace; The garment of violence covers them. Their eye bulges from fatness; The imaginations of their heart run riot. They mock and wickedly speak of oppression; They speak from on high. They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue parades through the earth. Therefore his people return to this place, And waters of abundance are drunk by them. They say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?” Behold, these are the wicked; And always at ease, they have increased in wealth.”
WE SEE THAT IN OUR DAY.
• Romans 1 speaks of people who not only do depraved things, but who give hearty approval to those who practice them.
• Romans 2 speaks of religious people who cast judgment on sinners like that, but then do the very same things themselves.
It is like Asaph’s day.
Men who shrug off their sin.
Men who laugh at their iniquity.
There is no terror, there is no trembling.
SIN IS CELEBRATED, SIN IS PARADED,
Romans 3:18 “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”
But even Asaph noted that such blind apathy won’t go on forever.
Asaph was puzzled by what he saw, until…
Psalms 73:17-20 “Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.”
Asaph saw “their end”
We aren’t at the end yet.
But when we are, “Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless”
Jonathan Edwards preached:
“There is no want of power in God to cast wicked men into hell at any moment. Men’s hands cannot be strong when God rises up. The strongest have no power to resist him, nor can any deliver out of his hands.-He is not only able to cast wicked men into hell, but he can most easily do it. Sometimes an earthly prince meets with a great deal of difficulty to subdue a rebel, who has found means to fortify himself, and has made himself strong by the numbers of his followers. But it is not so with God. There is no fortress that is any defense from the power of God. Though hand join in hand, and vast multitudes of God’s enemies combine and associate themselves, they are easily broken in pieces. They are as great heaps of light chaff before the whirlwind; or large quantities of dry stubble before devouring flames. We find it easy to tread on and crush a worm that we see crawling on the earth; so it is easy for us to cut or singe a slender thread that any thing hangs by: thus easy is it for God, when he pleases, to cast his enemies down to hell. What are we, that we should think to stand before him, at whose rebuke the earth trembles, and before whom the rocks are thrown down?”
You see the point.
And you see one thing WE OUGHT TO LEARN.
It did not go well for the sinners in Isaiah’s day,
Even those who lived in Zion
And it will not go well for sinners in our day,
Even those who dwell in church.
For as the writer of Hebrews says, “Our God is a consuming fire.”
ISAIAH ASKS:
“Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with the continual burning?”
Well, Isaiah answers that question.
(15-16) “He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, He who rejects unjust gain And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil; He will dwell on the heights, His refuge will be the impregnable rock; His bread will be given him, His water will be sure.”
One wonders if Isaiah was taking notes again from David.
Psalms 15 “O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt and does not change; He does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.”
Psalms 24:3-6 “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the LORD And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face—even Jacob. Selah.”
And we read the same again here.
Who can dwell in the presence of God? ONLY THE HOLY
1. “He who walks righteously” – that is never sins.
2. “and speaks with sincerity” – that is never lies or exaggerates
3. “He who rejects unjust gain” – that is never covets or steals or hordes
4. “and shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe” – who never shows partiality
5. “He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed” – never gossips or listens to it.
6. “And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;” – never finds joy in anything sinful.
That is the person who can stand in God’s presence.
“He will dwell on the heights, His refuge will be the impregnable rock; His bread will be given him, His water will be sure.”
The holy man has nothing to fear when God enters the camp.
The holy man does not fear when the consuming fire approaches.
And friend, just in case you are confused.
THAT IS NOT YOU OR ME
For there is none good, not even one.
And this is why we don’t hide in church.
This is why we don’t hide in our own religious garb.
This is why we hide only in Christ.
“Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee; let the water and the blood, from thy wounded side which flowed, be of sin the double cure; save from wrath and make me pure.
Not the labors of my hands can fulfill thy law’s demands; could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow, all for sin could not atone; thou must save, and thou alone.
Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling; naked, come to thee for dress; helpless, look to thee for grace; foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die.”
Romans 3:21-24 “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”
There is no righteousness in man, but GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS; the very righteousness that is required of you IS NOW MADE KNOWN.
• It is the righteousness Moses spoke about in the Law.
• It is the righteousness the Prophets like Isaiah spoke about.
• It is the righteousness of God.
And it is available to you, not through your works or efforts or church attendance, but “through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe”
Jesus Christ justifies sinners “as a gift by His grace”
AND YOU NEED THAT!
Have you learned that from the Assyrian invasion?
• Have you learned that mere outward religion will not save you from the wrath of God?
• Have you learned the tradition learned by rote will not save you from the Isaiah’s Holy One?
• Have you learned that when the judgment comes you will not be able to flee on horses or pay off the enemy?
80 years of Isaiah’s ministry and it all boils down to this main point.
• Your religion will not save you.
• Your friends will not save you.
• Your money will not save you.
• Your horses will not save you.
• THE LORD IS SALVATION
You must repent of your sin, confess your weakness,
And run to Jesus to save you from the wrath which is to come.
He alone can hide you in His righteousness.
He alone can hide you from the consuming fire.
Romans 5:6-9 “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”
Have you learned that from Isaiah?
If you have, then this morning we celebrate by partaking of the Lord’s Supper.
• It is a celebration that I rest in the righteousness of Christ.
• It is a celebration that I rest in the atonement of Christ.
A TIME OF PREPARATION
• If you have never cried out to Jesus Christ, and asked Him to save you and wrap you in His righteousness…
• If you have never cried out to Jesus Christ, and asked Him to forgive your sin through His atoning death…
DO THAT NOW.
LORD’S SUPPER
• Deacons come forward
Romans 3:19-22 “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;”
• 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
Romans 3:23-26 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
• 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
