The Saving King – part 4
Isaiah 11:1-16 (10)
June 4, 2023
We are now on to our 4th look
At this Saving King which Isaiah wanted to show us.
You really do get the feeling that from the day Isaiah saw Him
He could not wait to sit down and reveal to us His wonderful glory.
We started with:
#1 HIS REPUTATION
Isaiah 11:1-2
And we simply point out again that
He is the most qualified King to ever sit on the throne.
• He is qualified in both pedigree and ability.
• He is David’s descendant
• He is anointed by God
• He is filled with more wisdom than any King before Him
#2 HIS RULE
Isaiah 11:3-5
Very simply put, He will rule with righteousness.
• He is incorruptible
• He judges justly
• He crushes the wicked
• He defends the lowly
He will rule perfectly
This morning we looked at:
#3 HIS RESULT
Isaiah 11:6-9
And to state it plainly His reign results in peace.
• Because He deals with sin…
• Because He reveals the knowledge of God to the world…
The world will walk in righteousness and therefore will walk in peace.
As we said this morning, I would remind you again tonight that
If you really want world peace, that is not achieved through tolerance
It is achieved through the righteousness which only comes in Jesus.
• Only Jesus can produce peace between a bear and a cow.
• Only Jesus can produce peace between and infant and a cobra.
• Only Jesus can produce peace with God.
• Only Jesus can produce peace between men.
He is the Prince of Peace and the result of His righteous reign is peace.
Tonight, let’s look at the 4th reality of this Saving King
#4 HIS REST
Isaiah 11:10
Here we find the response of the world to Him.
And we read some remarkable truths.
“Then in that day the nations will resort to the root of Jesse, who will stand as a signal for the peoples;”
There is a lot of imagery to that statement.
FOR EXAMPLE:
We have already seen the imagery used once.
Isaiah 5:26 “He will also lift up a standard to the distant nation, And will whistle for it from the ends of the earth; And behold, it will come with speed swiftly.”
There we had God lifting up a sign or a flagstaff
In order to signal the nation which would come to attack Israel.
There God’s standard was a symbol and a call for judgment.
But here, it is a call for salvation.
And the STANDARD is none other than THE LORD HIMSELF.
And that is also reminiscent of other events in Scripture.
For example:
Numbers 21:8 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.”
• You remember the people grumbled at God and He caused serpents to come out of the sand and bite them.
• Then if they looked upon that serpent on the pole He would spare their life.
Jesus referenced that as well.
John 3:14-15 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
And again:
John 12:32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”
Jesus spoke of Himself as the sign of salvation
That would be lifted up and thus would draw men to Himself.
This was fulfilled when He was crucified and lifted up before sinners
That He might purchase their pardon.
And that sacrifice is the honor of the nations in the millennium.
“The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, who will stand as a signal for the peoples;”
• As righteousness begins to reign and wickedness is destroyed…
• As peace becomes the new normal…
Men will look to worship the One who brought about such a reality
And as they look, they will see the One who was lifted up.
It is the day when all the world worships Jesus!
Philippians 2:10-11 “so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
• There will be no rebels…
• There will be no refusers…
• There will be no objectors…
Every man will look to Him and come to worship Him.
Zechariah 14:16-19 “Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them. If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the LORD smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.”
The Feast of Booths was the time when every Jewish male went to Jerusalem to live in tents or booths to remember their forefathers who lived in tents in the wilderness.
But it was also a prophetic picture of the day
When God finally brought all of His people home.
In the millennial kingdom they will not be commemorating the Exodus,
They will be commemorating the cross
And the return of Jesus Christ to reign on the earth.
You’ll actually see it next week:
(11-12) “Then it will happen on that day that the Lord Will again recover the second time with His hand The remnant of His people, who will remain, From Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, And from the islands of the sea. And He will lift up a standard for the nations And assemble the banished ones of Israel, And will gather the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.”
This is the event they will be celebrating.
That Jesus has returned and saved His scattered people (Israel) and brought them home from all over the earth.
And all the nations will join in this celebration.
Every nation will participate.
Jesus will be the main attraction for all the world.
And then we come to the phrase I want us to consider most this evening.
“And His resting place will be glorious.”
This morning we looked at the world which He will govern
And we celebrated HIS PEACE.
TONIGHT we ponder His salvation and we celebrate HIS REST.
In all honesty tonight I’m going to borrow a bit from one of the finest preachers the world has ever known.
• I’m going to borrow from Charles Spurgeon.
• He gave a list of sorts of Christ’s glorious rest
• And I don’t see any need to try and improve upon it.
I want us to consider tonight this rest which Christ brings to the world.
And thanks to Mr. Spurgeon
I want us to consider that rest from two perspectives.
1) CHRIST’S REST
We consider first Christ’s rest because
That is most certainly what He is now able to enjoy.
• Every foe is vanquished
• Every enemy is crushed
• Every son is rescued
• Every child is safely home
When Spurgeon spoke of Christ’s rest he spoke of it in 4 AREAS
1. His Rest in the Church
2. His Rest in the Grave
3. His Rest in Glory
4. His Rest in Latter Days
When Spurgeon spoke of: HIS REST IN THE CHURCH
What he was referring to is the satisfaction of Christ
In the understanding that He had successfully redeemed His church
And that the wrath of God on her was satisfied.
We think of the famous 53rd chapter of Isaiah.
Isaiah 53:10-11 “But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.”
We are talking about the satisfaction which the crucifixion produced.
That the holiness of God was able to finally rest.
Generations of saints now finally atoned for
And God’s holiness now propitiated.
We see this rest or satisfaction most clearly
On the day when Christ was crucified.
Matthew 27:51 “And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.”
• The people of God were finally an acceptable people.
• The people of God could finally go boldly before the throne of grace.
• The people of God could finally confidently draw near.
God was now satisfied with His people.
And Chris is able to rest in a job completed.
On the cross Jesus expresses this rest as He lets out His final cry saying:
“It is finished!”
His rest in His church is a rest in the satisfaction of His work
And that now He has purified a people for Himself.
That is certainly a rest which Christ has enjoyed.
That led secondly to: HIS REST IN THE GRAVE
When we see people die we often speak over the casket,
Or engrave on the headstone, “Rest In Peace”
This tradition stems from:
Revelation 14:13 “And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
It is a rest which signifies a completed task.
There is no more work to do.
When Christ said, “It is finished!”
He had squeezed all that He needed to squeeze out of that earthly body.
We think of His earthly ministry.
On one hand it was a tireless barrage of needy crowds and demanded healings.
Mark 6:31 “And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)”
He was constantly approached with the burdens of humanity.
• Someone always crying out to Him…
• Someone always touching Him…
• Someone always wanting Him to come with them…
It was tireless preaching and debating against sinners.
• How many arguments with the religious leaders?
• How many sermons to the skeptical crowds?
Always seeming to have to argue with sinners about who He was,
Who God was, and what salvation was.
BUT AFTER He completed His mission of atoning for His elect,
He then “yielded up His spirit and breathed His last”
AND HIS BODY RESTED.
3 days later He would rise from the dead,
• No longer to satisfy the crowds
• No longer to argue with sinners,
• But to reveal Himself to His disciples and then He would ascend to the heavens.
And the writer of Hebrews tells us again what He did:
Hebrews 1:3-4 “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.”
Christ took His seat next to the Father.
Something no earthly priest would have ever dreamed of doing.
• But Jesus was finished.
• Jesus had completed His work.
• Jesus now “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high”
He rested from His saving work.
He rested from His days on earth.
He rested from His toils with humanity.
HIS WORK WAS FINISHED.
And all of those are rest which Christ HAS enjoyed and IS enjoying.
But there is a fourth type of rest, and it is the rest that we see here.
It is: HIS REST IN THE LATTER DAYS
This is His coming rest.
• It is the rest of a parent when all their children have made it home and now sleep securely in their beds…
• It is the rest of a soldier when the final battle has been fought and the enemy has surrendered…
• It is the rest of an athlete when the championship game has been won and all that remains are the spoils of victory…
Zephaniah 3:17 “The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”
• Every warriors boot has been burned…
• Every sword has been melted down…
• Every chariot has been repurposed…
The war is over and Christ has won!
All His children are home and He reigns!
It is the rest of a champion.
TURN TO: PSALMS 118
We have read this many times and studied it about a year and a half ago.
It is the PSALM OF A CHAMPION.
It is easy to read the Psalm and see the life of David, specifically his battle with Goliath.
But it is really a Psalm about Jesus and His battle against sin and death.
I remind you of Gethsemane in verses 5-7 where we saw our Savior agonizing and calling out to the LORD, while sweating drops of blood.
I remind you of Gabbatha in verses 8-9 where He stood before Pilate yet chose to trust in God.
I remind you of Golgotha in verses 10-14 where He was surrounded by sinners and mocked and scorned as He looked to the Father for help.
I remind you of the Graveside in verses 15-18 where God did not give Him over to death and He rose from the grave.
But the scene we look to tonight is the scene of Glory in verses 19-29 where we see Him in glory.
• Now finished with the battle.
• No more scorned.
• No more rejected.
• No reigning in victory and loved by all those He has redeemed.
This is the rest which Christ will soon enjoy.
“His resting place will be glorious.”
What a day for Him to sit upon His throne
And be loved and worshiped and sought and adored
By every people and tribe and tongue.
Zechariah 8:20-23 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘It will yet be that peoples will come, even the inhabitants of many cities. ‘The inhabitants of one will go to another, saying, “Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts; I will also go.” ‘So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD.’ “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”
What a day that will be!
• He will be the desire of the entire world!
• And He has certainly earned it.
• That is Christ’s rest.
But just as we share in His peace which we saw this morning,
So also do WE SHARE IN HIS REST.
We saw Christ’s rest
2) THE CHURCH’S REST
He is at rest and He grants rest to His people.
The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is His new creation
By water and the Word:
From heav’n He came and sought her
To be His holy Bride;
With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.
Elect from every nation,
Yet one o’er all the earth,
Her charter of salvation,
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With every grace endued.
’Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace for evermore;
Till, with the vision glorious,
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.
Spurgeon spoke of this rest as well.
REST FROM WORKS
Certainly we understand this one.
Revelation 14:13 “And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
But really and truly it is NOT JUST a rest which we enjoy upon death.
You remember the words of Jesus:
Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
• Rest was that ever-allusive promise that came from the lips of Moses.
• Come to a land of rest and land flowing with milk and honey.
• But the people never found rest due to their inability to uphold the righteous requirement of God.
Jesus however came to fulfill that burden for us and thus give us rest.
TURN TO: HEBREWS 4
(READ 3-5)
Here the writer of Hebrews quotes from Psalms 95 and the promise of God that the people who lived in the wilderness would NOT ENTER HIS REST.
But the writer also notices that David takes that same message
And preaches it to the people of his day.
(READ 6-7)
Obviously to David entering God’s rest
Was NOT ABOUT entering the promised land,
For he was already in the land when he preached this to the people.
• He told his contemporaries not to harden their hearts…
• He told his contemporaries to fear that they might fail to enter rest…
• And they were already in the land.
And this was the point of the writer of Hebrews.
(READ 8-10)
There is a rest today!
• A rest that you may or may not enter.
• And it is a rest that is only entered by faith.
This rest is not land.
• This rest is the assurance of salvation
• That Christ has done for you what you can not do on your own.
This is the rest which the church has found.
• The rest that though I am a sinful man, I am clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
• The rest that though I deserve hell, God has promised to give me an eternal inheritance in heaven because of what Christ has done for me.
• It is the rest which comes from the realization that I no longer have to work to earn God’s favor, but Christ has earned it for me.
That is the rest the church now enjoys, it is a rest from works.
It is not that we don’t serve the Lord, or work in the ministry, for we do.
But while we work, we know our salvation does not depend upon it.
Jesus did it for us and we rest.
But that is not the only rest the church enjoys.
Spurgeon called it: REST FROM COVETING
He wasn’t speaking so much about the 10th commandment
As He was about that unfillable hole in the heart of the lost.
The world has no satisfaction.
They are always seeking more of the world
To try and fill that bottomless pit.
But we who have found Christ have found our soul’s desire.
We can say with Asaph:
Psalms 73:25-28 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”
We can sing: “Take the world, but give me Jesus!”
We can sing: “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold…”
We have found treasure in the field.
We have found the pearl of great value.
We’re not consigned to futility as the Ecclesiastical preacher said
For we have found our Beloved, the One our soul desires.
Like Paul we can suffer the loss of all things and count them but rubbish, for we have gained Christ.
• It is the rest which only the church enjoys.
• It is the rest of having found our purpose…
• It is the rest of understanding our destiny…
• It is the rest of knowing why we are here…
The church has this rest.
Spurgeon also spoke of: REST FROM OUR BURDENS
• For what trial do we endure that Christ does not endure with us?
• What pain do we face that He does not face with us?
We walk through many tribulations in this world,
But we do not walk through any of them alone.
We walk with the promise:
1 Peter 5:6-7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
We have heard from Paul:
Philippians 4:6-9 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
We have been TOLD
We no longer have to worry about what we will eat or what we will wear.
We have been ASSURED
That all our days have been ordained for us before one of them came into being.
That is a rest which we now enjoy as the church.
But again, here in Isaiah 11 we are NOT simply talking about
The rest which is already ours.
We are talking about the rest which is yet to come in that day.
And in that day the rest which we see is: REST IN EXPERIENCING THE PERFECTION OF OUR JOY
It is the rest which we will only enjoy
When we are with our Lord and when He is rightly exalted.
Paul said:
Philippians 1:23 “But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;”
In the upper room the disciples grieved
When Jesus told them that He was going away.
He responded by saying:
John 14:1-3 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
But until that day comes their remains a lack of rest.
We are a bride, trapped in a distant land filled with those who hate our husband and we long to escape and be with Him.
And on that day when we see Him and we fall into His arms
There will be a rest of perfection of joy like we have never known.
“On that day, we will see You, shining brighter than the sun. On that day, we will know You, as we lift our voice as one. ‘Till that day, we will praise You, for Your never-ending grace, and we will keep on singing on that glorious day.”
We will finally be done with sin forever.
We will finally be with the One who satisfies our soul like no other.
We will finally have our joy made full and made complete.
This world will finally honor Him as He deserves.
This world will finally worship Him as He deserves.
• No more the antagonist…
• No more the anti-christ…
• No more skeptic…
But from the rising of the sun to the setting of the same,
The name of the LORD will be praised.
And we will be with Him.
• The heartache over…
• The absence behind us…
We’ll have nothing left but an eternity
With the One who has satisfied us like no other.
Psalms 98 “O sing to the LORD a new song, For He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him. The LORD has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, With the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn Shout joyfully before the King, the LORD. 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.”
Or perhaps the passage you are more familiar with:
Revelation 21:1-7 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.”
We wait for this day!
When our Saving King sits upon the throne
As the adored of all the nations
And we get to sit at His feet in full satisfaction.
“And His resting place will be glorious.”
