TEXT: Isaiah 43:8-13; 43:22-28; 48:12-19; 51:9-16.
Introduction.
# The Lord is GOOD. Do you agree? I hope you do!
# What are you here for? What do you expect to hear?
# My ONE aim is to speak about what God has said.
# I have as a principle the words Paul spoke to Timothy:
Now the purpose of the commandment [instruction/teaching] is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith. (1Timothy 1:5).
# One of the interesting things about the book of Isaiah is the many references to the Lord by His various names:
| Lord | Mighty One | Light of Israel | Creator |
| God | Branch of the Lord | Root of Jesse | First and Last |
| Lord of Hosts | King | Saviour | Maker |
| The Holy One of Israel | Wonderful Counsellor | Righteous One | High and Lofty One |
| Rock | Mighty God | Upright One | Spirit |
| Sovereign Lord | Everlasting Father | Living God | Father |
| Redeemer | Prince of Peace | Everlasting God | Potter |
| Shepherd | Husband | Glorious Crown | Judge |
Also in Isaiah we have some interesting references to two phrases which speak of the NAME of the Lord.
In the NKJV these are:
“I am He”
“I, even I”
There are seven “I am He” statements in Isaiah: Isaiah 41:4; 43:10,13,25; 46:4; 48:12; 52:6
There are four statements where the Lord uses the personal pronoun twice one after another which is most often translated as “I, even I”, Isaiah 43:11,25; 48:15; 51:12.
I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no saviour. (Isaiah 43:11).
I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. (Isaiah 43:25).
I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him, I have brought him, and his way will prosper. (Isaiah 48:15).
“I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die. (Isaiah 51:12).
These four phrases tell us some incredibly important things which I feel would be greatly encouraging at this time. There are two things on my mind:
[1] The fellowship and its future. We celebrated 200 years last year and it is noteworthy that the church started during a time of war in the early 1800s amongst other difficulties but also at a time when mission was on the rise We are thinking about the future and whom might be leading us. It is an exciting time. We dare not presume upon the Lord! Rather we seek to trust Him all the more.
[2] The rise in rejection of the faith in our country and the possibility of persecution. The C of E is in disarray and their vacillation and failure to speak truth will have repercussions. The country considers the C of E to be Christianity’s spokesman so-to-speak. They are not, of course, but we will have to deal with how people perceive things.
We have to be careful here because we do not want to be reactionaries simply reacting to the situation, and equally we do not want to be like ostriches burying our heads in the sand. What we want is to be lead by the LORD and to go in the power of His strength! So, I propose to look at these four verse where we see the Lord saying: “I, even, I” and ask what the Lord might want us to know.
[1] The Lord is Saviour!
8 Bring out the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears. 9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled. Who among them can declare this, and show us former things? Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified; or let them hear and say, “It is truth.” 10 “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me. 11 I, even, I am the Lord, and besides Me there is no saviour. 12 I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, and there was no foreign god among you; therefore you are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “that I am God. 13 Indeed before the day was, I am He; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?” (Isaiah 43:8-13).
[A] I, even I am the Lord.
The first thing we need to address is this wonderful title or depiction of the Lord as we find it in these four verses: “I, even, I.”
But before this we need to look at the title: “Lord.”
[a] The Lord (Yahweh).
In this first passage we have the name of Yahweh added: “I, even, I am the Lord.” Although the title does not come in the other three statements, it is very clear that the LORD is indeed meant! The Lord revealed Himself to Adam as Yahweh Elohim – The Lord God. [“Yahweh Elohim” : 11X in Genesis 2 and 9X in Genesis 3.The title LORD (Yahweh) occurs in over 180 verses in Genesis and only does not appear in some of the later chapters. What of Exodus chapter 6 where the NKJV reads, “2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them.” (Exodus 6:2,3).
But God revealed himself to Abraham as Yahweh before declaring his name to be El-Shaddai (God Almighty). See Genesis 15:7. He also revealed himself to Jacob as Yahweh-Elohim. See Genesis 28:13. Abraham named the place where he had been about to sacrifice Isaac, “Yahweh-jireh.” See Genesis 22:14. That Moses, the compiler of Genesis, regarded the name Yahweh as known even earlier, appears from Genesis 4:1 where Eve said, as she was giving birth, “I have acquired a man from the Lord” (Yahweh). Many commentators are in agreement that what we have in Exodus 6:3 is a question:
“Rather, was I not made manifest to them.” Charles Ellicot.
“Rather, interrogatively, by My name Jehovah was I not known to them?” Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary.
What then do we understand by this title “Lord” (Yahweh)? “13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” (Exodus 3:13,14).This name “Yahweh” is derived from the verb “to be” and essentially means: “The Self-Existant One.” This is vital teaching!
Some applications.
We tend to think of God as Creator from the title Elohim and from Genesis 1 indicating His immense power. This is good of course. But the title “Lord” is much more frequent than the title “God” (Lord occurs about half as much again). What does this mean?
[i] The Lord is eternal. You and I had a beginning. There was a time when we did not exist at all. We are immortal beings so when we die physically we will still exist. But we once did not exist. This is not the case with God! He is eternal from everlasting to everlasting. And so He will never end. We read this in our text:
13 Indeed before the day was, I am He. This is a clear reference to the Lord being before ever a day was created – it points us back to Genesis 1:1. Surely this humbles us?
[ii] The Lord changes not. You and I not only had a beginning but we started off as a baby and then grew. But the Lord simply IS. This means He never changes. What He was yesterday, He will be tomorrow, and He will be forever the same. This gives us great confidence in Him for we know He is The Rock upon whom we can depend. He is not capricious nor moody given to any variations.
[iii] The Lord alone is independent. Because He simply IS and EXISTS eternally, He depends upon no one and nothing other than Himself. We are dependent. This is something we do not fully realise. We are apt to accept our dependence to a degree – after all we know that the Lord made us and gives us breath and holds our bodies together moment by moment, but how does this affect what we think and actually do day-by-day? Are we ones who rely heavily on ourselves for many tasks? I am always struck by the Lord Jesus – the God Man – who speaks frequently of His dependence upon the Father:
Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. (John 5:19).
I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. (John 5:30).
When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. (John 8:28).
Now you and I are dependent upon God for EVERYTHING.
# Gaius – giving thanks for all things – even for the electricity in the home – whenever we turn the light on we should give thanks.
# But we also see in the Lord Jesus something of the way in which we ought to operate. Full trust in God. We do not do anything except the Lord say so.
# We need to add that all people that ever existed, that exist today, that will exist in the future owe their lives to the Lord – we are all utterly dependent upon Him.
# How does this affect how we view those around us?
# The Lord’s independence means that He can do whatever He pleases and none can stay His hand.
# We read this in our text:
13 Indeed before the day was, I am He; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?”
# What the Lord does cannot be undone.
[iv] The Lord is thus the source of all life and being.
# Since He IS and He needs nothing to support Him or to help Him in any way it follows that He is ultimate reality.
# Before there was any creation God was and was perfectly happy and content.
# He did not need to make anything.
# He is also the measure and standard for all things.
# There was nothing beside Him – no external law, no standard, no measure – by which He could be measured.
# He IS and so He is our starting point and from whom we derive all truth!
[b] “I, even I.”
# The word “even” which is given in italics is not in the original Hebrew. This translation is unfortunate – almost as though it is a startling thing that this one speaking is truly the Lord.
| EHV | I, yes I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no saviour. |
| ESV | I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no saviour. |
| YLT | I — I [am] Jehovah, and besides Me there is no saviour. |
# The word “yes” in EHV added to show the idea of emphasis.
#BUT what we have literally is: “I, I the LORD.” There is no verb to be – this too has been supplied by translators.
# The doubling of the personal pronoun is taken to give an emphatic statement. However what we really have is: “I, I” and “I AM.”
אָנֹכִי אָנֹכִי יְהוָה
# Veiled reference to TRINITY. See this more explicitly (48:16).
# Taken simply as a declaration we note that ONLY the self-existent One can say “I” with any authority.
# Since we are dependent created beings our “I” is never like this.
# We are personal & individuals. We respect this and honour all.
He fashions their hearts individually … (Psalm 33:15).
# But only the Lord can say “I” and have none question Him.
# As individuals we may say “I like this …” OR “I would like to do that …” BUT we are under authority and we are dependent.
# Centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant. When the Lord said He would come we find the centurion responding with these words:
8 … “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard it, He marvelled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! (Matthew 8:8-10).
# An oblique ref. to TRINITY and a statement of emphatic intent.
[B] “… and besides Me there is no saviour.”
# We might think that the statement “I, even, I am the LORD” ought to be enough, but even though we have an emphatic declaration of the nature of the Lord here, He spells it out clearly for us.
[a] “besides Me …”
# What could stand besides the Lord?
# Since He alone IS and all else (creation, people, angels …) are dependent how could any compare?
# Our problem is that we have such a SMALL view of the Lord and an INFLATED view of ourselves, other people or of certain things.
# The Lord makes this idea clear in verse 10:
10 … Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me.
# Whatever may be called “god” is utterly nothing besides Him.
# The opening words of the Bible & John’s gospel affirm this truth:
[] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1).
[] 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1:1-3).
# Father, Son and Holy Spirit existed before ever there was any creation in perfect love and harmony.
# There cannot be anything “besides” the Lord. No comparison.
# The Lord stands alone in a class of His own. He alone is God!
# This is why idolatry is so heinous – in Isaiah this is a theme.
[b] “… there is no saviour.”
# But we must take this further, for not only can there be nothing “besides” the Lord, there can be no other SAVIOUR.
# The Lord makes this clear in the text we read for He asks whom among the nations can make any declaration? Verse 9 reads:
9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled. Who among them can declare this, and show us former things? Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified; or let them hear and say, “It is truth.”
# Note He speaks of “all the nations” and asks who can bring forth any “truth”? The answer is NONE!
# Oh people today may say: well that was way back in Isaiah’s day which is 2,700 years ago but now we know better!
# Really? Seriously?
# The Lord who made all things and who came down at the right time and died for sins, rising again, and being taken up into glory where He reigns supreme, and who indwells His people by His Spirit is now to be sidelined or thought little of because modern man has done some investigations into the universe?
# What can man boast of? Do we know anything at all?
# Where are the wise and learned men of today?
# Can they stop wars? Can they eliminate sickness? Can they prevent earthquakes and other disasters?
# How far has man surveyed the universe?
# He has travelled about a quarter of a million miles from earth in 6 short trips to visit the moon but what does that compare to the One who has traversed the depths of the oceans, walked on the wings of the wind, and walks above the circle of heaven?
[] Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths? (Job 38:16).
[] He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, who makes the clouds His chariot, who walks on the wings of the wind. (Psalm 104:3).
[] Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see, and He walks above the circle of heaven. (Job 22:14).
# The thought that modern man is so superior over the ancients is utter pride and arrogance.
# Can anyone save? Can anyone offer hope? NO! Only God can.
# Only He has done so! Look at what He has done!
# We read:
12 I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, and there was no foreign god among you; therefore you are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “that I am God. 13 Indeed before the day was, I am He; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?” (Isaiah 43:12,13).
# The Lord alone has “declared” and “proclaimed.”
# None other has announced the way of salvation and then – true to His word – brought it all to pass!
# But wonderfully we read here that the Lord has “saved.”
# Salvation is an accomplished fact.
# When the Lord does anything none can undo it and none can “reverse it!”
# This ought to make us greatly confident of our salvation in Him.
An exhortation.
# The context of verse 11 is against the backdrop of false and vacuous empty idolatry.
# What can the world and its varieties of idols offer? NOTHING.
# BUT the people of God are God’s “witnesses,” and His “servant” (verse 10).
# Note that “witnesses” is plural but “servant” is singular. We are individual witnesses for the Lord and to Him but we are as ONE BODY the servant of the Lord.
# Therefore we ought to put our shoulders to the plough both as individuals and in harmony with one another!
# Let us determine in our own lives to seek Him and know Him earnestly, AND, let us ensure the unity and harmony of the church.
# This means we must bear with one another, and we must respect one another’s gifts.
# Our confidence to witness both individually and collectively stems from three incredible facts:
{1} God has spoken: He has “declared” and He has “proclaimed” (v12).
{2} God has stated clearly that: “besides Me there is no saviour” (v11). (There are no other gods in truth).
{3} God has “saved” (v12). The work is all done! Christ has done it all!
[2] The Lord deals with sin for His sake.
22 “But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; and you have been weary of Me, O Israel. 23 You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings, nor have you honoured Me with your sacrifices. I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings, nor wearied you with incense. 24 You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; but you have burdened Me with your sins, you have wearied Me with your iniquities. 25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. 26 Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together; state your case, that you may be acquitted. 27 Your first father sinned, and your mediators have transgressed against Me. 28 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; I will give Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches. (43:22-28).
[A] “He who blots out your transgressions …”
[a] What He has done!
# We ended on a note of salvation (the Lord ALONE is Saviour). He has actually “saved” (past tense) and so accomplished the work.
# In Isaiah 43:25 we get the means the Lord has procured salvation.
# We have this designation “I, even, I” again but this time we have the third person pronoun “He” added: “I, even, I am He.”
# Literally in the Hebrew this reads: “I, I, He.” אָנֹכִי אָנֹכִי הוּא
# Whom is “He”? Our text: “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.”
# Who blots out transgressions and remembers our sins no more?
# The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in wonderful communion and harmony planned in eternity this great salvation.
# The Father chose us in Christ before the world began (Ephesians 1:3-6) and He commissioned the Son to come (John 3:16).
# The Son willing obeyed the Father and gave His life as a ransom for us (Ephesians 1:7-12).
# The Holy Spirit sent of the Father and the Son came and brings comfort to those chosen, regenerating them and applying the work of Christ to those saved (Ephesians 1:13,14).
# He has blotted our sins out! Cancelled! Removed! Not reckoned!
[b] The context!
# Before we get so excited look at the context our text is situated in.
# Jacob (Israel) had not “called upon” the Lord but had become “weary” of Him (v22).
# Their worship of the Lord and their fellowship with the Lord was pathetic and weak (v23,24).
# Instead they had “burdened” the Lord and “wearied” Him with their sins and iniquities (v24). They had even forgotten Him (v26).
# The Lord points to the origin of this sinful nature (v27):
Your first father sinned, and your mediators have transgressed against Me.
# Paul speaks of this in Romans 5. We are all “In Adam” and thence in Adam’s sin from the beginning by nature.
# Their “mediators” faired no better. Judges, the Kings, or the priesthood matters little. The whole system the people were in was a failure. The tabernacle, sacrifices, temple, priesthood were all pointers to the Saviour and were only intended as a temporary thing.
# Sad to say but the people relied on these and put their trust in the types and shadows of the good things that they pointed to.
# This is the setting for our text! In the midst of such rebellion and failure, the Lord blots out transgressions and sins!
# What am amazing Lord! When did the Lord die for us?
# It was at the right time but it was:
- when we were still without strength
- (when we were) ungodly
- while we were still sinners
- when we were enemies
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. (Romans 5:6-11).
[B] “for My own sake.”
# We are so bound in and to self! We think the Lord has saved us for our sake. Of course He has saved us! He has wonderfully saved us.
# But He has done this for His own sake, for His own purpose.
# Focus upon the Lord (great goodness glory grace Psalm 145)!
# If we look to self = doubt/worry. The Lord saved for His sake!
none can forgive sins but him: and this he does for his own sake; it is not procured by anything of the creature; not by riches, nor by righteousness, nor by repentance, nor by faith, nor by obedience to any ordinance; it is not for the sake of these that the Lord forgives sin, but for his own sake, and his Son’s sake, which is the same; it is an instance of unmerited and distinguishing grace; it flows from the free grace of God; it is a branch of the covenant of grace; it is through the blood of Christ, and yet according to the riches of grace; and it is for the glory of all the divine perfections, justice, truth, and faithfulness, as well as grace and mercy; and after such a list of sins of omission and commission, to hear such language as this is surprising grace indeed! (John Gill. 18th C Baptist Pastor).
# Such an act displays His glory as well as His grace.
# He does this wonderful work of salvation to declare His just goodness and His mercy to all. He truly is:
6 … “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6b,7).
# He is so merciful! He tarries so that all may hear and all may come.
Some further exhortations.
[i] Put the Lord in remembrance (v26). We are apt to forget!
[ii] Know that none but the Lord can save:
3 Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. 4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish. 5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God. (Psalm 146:4-6).
[iii] Remember that the Lord saves for His good purposes.
# It is for His glory! He is WONDERFUL & GOOD!
[3] The Lord has spoken and sent His Son!
12 “Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last. 13 Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand has stretched out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand up together. 14 “All of you, assemble yourselves, and hear! Who among them has declared these things? The Lord loves Him; He shall do His pleasure on Babylon, and His arm shall be against the Chaldeans. 15 I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him, I have brought him, and his way will prosper. 16 “Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, I was there. and now the Lord God and His Spirit have sent Me.” 17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go. 18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. 19 Your descendants also would have been like the sand, and the offspring of your body like the grains of sand; His name would not have been cut off nor destroyed from before Me.” (Isaiah 48:12-19).
[A] “I have spoken: yes”
# We have spoken of the Lord alone bringing salvation to bear by blotting out sins through Christ’s death on the cross.
# Here we learn more of the greatness of the Saviour’s work.
# First: “I, even, I” but this time there is no name (Lord) or pronoun.
# Instead we have these words: “I have spoken.” DEEP words!
# V13. The Lord spoke all into being (Genesis 1 – 10 times “God said” and so what was spoken came to be (6 times: “and it was so”).
# The Lord Jesus is described as “The Word” made flesh – the One who communicates to us the Father (John 1:14,18; 14:1f).
# When the Lord speaks He brings about what He intends absolutely, with perfection and holiness and all in His perfect timing.
# He needs no addenda, no corollary, no erratum, no appendixes, no plan B. And we have the word of God here before us!
# Note small word “yes” after the words “I have spoken.”
# An affirmation! What He says is true. Someone might say: “are you sure He has spoken?” or “did the Lord really speak about that”?
# Well this little word “yes” removes all doubt!
[B] “I have called him, I have brought him, and his way will prosper.”
[a] him?
# The first thing we need to ask here is who is the “him”?
# The answer is shown in the next verse:
“Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, I was there. and now the Lord God and His Spirit have sent Me.” (Isaiah 48:16).
# Note: this verse is in speech marks – another person is speaking.
# From verse 12 to verse 15 we have the Father speaking.
# In v14 of NKJV “Him” and “He” but v15 “him” – same person!
# These pronouns should all be capitalised “Him” not “him.”
# In v16 we have the one of whom the Father was speaking (“Him”).
# But look at verse 16. This One says that He has openly spoken in public from the beginning.
# And then we find that this same one was before creation, for He says: “from that the that it was, I was there.”
# I think John refers to this in his opening section:
He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:2).
# Whatever the case, this one was there in the beginning.
# But then this one tells us that “the Lord GOD and His Spirit have sent Me.”
# Could any indication of the TRINITY be clearer?
# The Father sent the Son.
# Jesus – the Word made flesh – was conceived of the Holy Spirit.
[b] “I have called him, I have brought him, and his way will prosper.”
# The Father has called the Son (Hebrews 5:4) to come and has made the way open, and we discover that the Son’s way will be successful.
# What a glory!
# He who called the whole creation into order and being (verse 13) is obeyed willingly by the Son (v15).
Some applications.
[i] The Lord has spoken.
# The Lord has spoken publicly and openly from the beginning.
# His word is not far from us.
# He exhorts us to: “Come near to Me, hear this.”
# What an amazing thing that the Lord of glory says to you and I to come near to Him. (Matthew 11:28-30).
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8).
# We must draw near to Him frequently.
# But we must hear what He has to say and be ready to do it.
[ii] The Lord says He is our Redeemer who teaches us.
# V17. I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.”
# We have already been shown that the Lord has done all and that His way prospers in verse 15:
I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called Him, I have brought Him, and His way will prosper. (Isaiah 48:15).
# We are not orphans. We have His word and His Spirit within!
# Let us put our full trust upon the Lord and NOT on men!
# We can ask for help and advice from others BUT our hearts should always be looking ONLY to the Lord – there is no other Saviour.
[iii] Consider the consequences of neglecting what the Lord says.
# His word never fails. Here in v18,19 we have a WARNING.
# If we reject what He says or spurn it or neglect it we will suffer grave consequences.
# This is something we need to listen to with regard to the future.
# I refer to the calling of a pastor and to whatever the future holds with regard to the country and its deterioration.
# I exhort you all to earnestly seek the Lord in His word for the future – both with regard to your own personal life and with respect to the calling of a pastor. See Ephesians 4:11-16.
# In this text we have the warning of Israel who did not heed the word of the Lord:
18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. 19 Your descendants also would have been like the sand, and the offspring of your body like the grains of sand; His name would not have been cut off nor destroyed from before Me. (Isaiah 48:18,19).
# If the church is to prosper we need to heed His commandments.
# Let us love one another, bear with one another, and seek Him earnestly!
[4] The Lord comforts us by His Holy Spirit.
9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord! Awake as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Are You not the arm that cut Rahab apart, and wounded the serpent? 10 Are You not the One who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; that made the depths of the sea a road for the redeemed to cross over? 11 So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. they shall obtain joy and gladness; sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 12 “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass? 13 And you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth; you have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he has prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor? 14 The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed, that he should not die in the pit, and that his bread should not fail. 15 But I am the Lord your God, who divided the sea whose waves roared— the Lord of hosts is His name. 16 And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ” (Isaiah 51:9-16).
[A] A look at the context.
# See how the Spirit comforts amidst grave troubles/worries!
# The people cry out to the Lord to “awake” in v9 even though they knew the Lord never slumbers (Psalm 121:3,4).
# The people forgot their Maker (v13) and so “feared continually every day” in the face of the oppressor (v13).
# In the midst of this heed the Lord’s exhortations:
{1} The ransomed of the Lord will return with joy (v11).
{2} The oppressor (Satan) is no more a threat. “And where is the fury of the oppressor?” (v13).
{3} The Lord had rescued from Egypt so why not now (v15)?
{4} The Lord has put His words in the mouths of those who trust Him, has protected them, and He is building His new creation (v16).
16 And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ” (Isaiah 51:16).
[B] “I, even I, am He who comforts you.”
# We have noted the work of the Saviour in coming and blotting out sins, and we have considered the Lord and His word.
# Now we see the work of the Holy Spirit.
# It is the Lord, the Holy Spirit who brings strength.
# We have mangled this word “comfort” in modern times.
# We tend to think of ease and sitting back and relaxing.
# But Scripture never points us in such a way of idleness.
# That is not to say we cannot have rest and restoration – far from it.
# But comfort really speaks of strength.
# Composite: com = with, and fort = strength. So “with strength.”
# It is interesting how often we see prayer for strength linked to the work of the Holy Spirit:
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man. (Ephesians 3:16). See Acts 9:31.
# It is God who is the “God of (all) comfort” none else (Romans 15:5; 2Corinthians 1:3; 2Corinthians 7:6)!
# What brings comfort? OR how does the Spirit comfort us?
[i] Humble ourselves and mourn for sin we shall be comforted.
Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4).
[ii] Through the Scriptures:
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4).
[iii] God Himself comforts us:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation. … (2Corinthians 1:3,4a).
[iv] Those who have been comforted can comfort others:
4 … that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2Corinthians 1:4b). See also 2Corinthians 7:13.
[v] By faith of others:
therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. (1Thessalonians 3:7).
[vi] Note: Christ will return for us and will judge the world:
Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1Thessalonians 4:18).
[vii] By the ministry of the saints one to another:
[] Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. (1Thessalonians 5:11).
[] comfort the faint-hearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. (1Thessalonians 5:14).
# Now all of these comforts stem from the Lord Himself but He uses whom He will!
[C] Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass?
# How many times do we hear this kind of statement?
# The phrase “fear not” comes 10 times in the NKJV.
[i] In Genesis 21:17: spoken to Hagar in her distress:
Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.
[ii] In Isaiah 41:10:
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
[iii] In Isaiah 41:13:
For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘fear not, I will help you.
[iv] In Isaiah 41:14:
“Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I will help you,” says the Lord and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
[v] In Isaiah 43:1:
But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.
[vi] In Isaiah 43:5:
Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from the west.
[vii] In Isaiah 44:2:
Thus says the Lord who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you: ‘fear not, O Jacob My servant; and you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
[viii] In Daniel 10:19:
And he said, “O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!” So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
[ix] In Joel 2:21:
Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done marvellous things!
[x] In John 12:15:
Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.
# “Do not fear” (or similar) found frequently spoken by the Lord.
# Our Saviour Jesus Christ issues a similar appeal exhorting at the same time to have fear of the Lord:
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28).
# This rather reminds us that there are but 2 ways:
FEAR THE LORD. RESPECT TOWARDS THE LORD.
FEAR OF MAN. RESPECT TOWARDS MAN.
# But why fear man when his breath is given by the Lord?
Sever yourselves from such a man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for of what account is he? (Isaiah 2:22).
# See also: Psalm 146:3,4 and Jeremiah 17:5.
Exhortation:
# There will be joy and rejoicing (v11). 1Peter 1:6,8.
# The Lord has given us His Holy Spirit. Why fear mere men?
# Let us never forget our Maker – He is powerful (v13)!
# The Lord has done two incredible things for His purpose:
FIRST – PROVISION: “And I have put My words in your mouth” (v16). [James 1:21 word implanted].
SECOND – PROTECTION: “I have covered you with the shadow of My hand” (v16).
PURPOSE: “that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ” (v16).
FINAL EXHORTATION. Our Lord is glorious! The four texts we read:
[] I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no saviour. (Isaiah 43:11).
[] I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. (Isaiah 43:25).
[] I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called Him, I have brought Him, and His way will prosper. (Isaiah 48:15).
[] “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die. (Isaiah 51:12).
# Think often on the Lord!
- The Lord is eternal. He is infinite. All else is created and finite.
- The Lord does not change. He is reliable. Man changes with the wind.
- The Lord alone is “I AM.” We are ALL dependent upon Him.
- The Lord is the source of life and understanding. Not man!
# Consider whom you are!
- We are His witnesses (each) and His servant (body). (Isaiah 43:10).
- The Lord alone is Saviour – none other can even help. (Isaiah 43:11).
- The work Christ was sent to do is complete and perfect. (Isaiah 43:11).
- The Lord saves for His good purposes. To us added bonus. (Isaiah 43:25).
- Put the Lord in remembrance – see: Hebrews 2:1f. (Isaiah 43:26).
- The Lord has spoken! (Isaiah 48:15).
- The Redeemer teaches us and leads us in the way. (Isaiah 48:17).
- Let us heed the warning of Isaiah 48:18,19.
- There will be rejoicing, both in heaven and through trials. (Isaiah 51:11).
- The Lord has given us His HS so why fear men? (Isaiah 51:12).
- Let us never forget that the Lord is our Maker! (Isaiah 51:13).
- The Lord rescued before (Egypt) so why not now? (Isaiah 51:15).
- The Lord has given PROVISION (His word inside) and PROTECTION (The covering of His hand) for His purpose in the new creation. (Isaiah 51:16).
BENEDICTION:
who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that works in us,
be glory in the church
by Christ Jesus
to all generations,
forever and ever.
Amen. (Ephesians 3:20,21).
Penuel Baptist Chapel, Roch 