Highlights From Isaiah 9:-02 His Name Is Wonderful — James K. Boswell

Sing a chorus as good as all that, and so as quickly as then, I am sure you must come from Wales. I think I told you before that Welsh people enjoy Salve because they can sing about it. The Irish because they can argue about it.

The English because they can talk about it. But we Scottish people enjoy it because it's free. It's without money, it's without price. Another day at Spanish Wells, a lady came up to me and said, Mr. Bosworth, the marvellous voice you have, it's so mellow.

Isaiah’s Messianic Promise and the Call for a Decision

And when you take a look at Westminster's dictionary, look at the word mellow, you know what you read, it's overripe, rotten, half-tipsy. So there it is. Isaiah chapter 9. The ninth chapter of the prophecy of Isaiah.

We're going just to take a few of the highlights of this prophecy these days we are together. Isaiah has been called the evangelist of the Old Testament. Mr. Wildridge and I were together a few days ago and he was listening to the ministry.

He wasn't able to take part himself, but he was listening. He came up to me one day and we were swimming together. I said, Jim, I know there's something about you. You've still got your evangelistic spirit.

So we never lose it, do we? He said, what do you mean, Harold? He said, you're always preaching for a verdict. Even when you're preaching to God's people, you're preaching for a verdict, you're preaching for a decision.

That's what I'm going to do this morning. They're going to preach for a decision. I trust you're going to make decisions on the side of Jesus Christ. Verse number one, shall we? The first seven verses.

The joy before thee according to the joy in harvest. And as a man rejoins, when men rejoin, when they divide they spoil. Now you want to read that verse again. I want you to know that you've dropped the knot out of it altogether.

See how it reads. For thou hast multiplied the people and increased the joy. They joy before thee according to the joy in harvest. And as men rejoice when they divide they spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of the oppressor, as in the day of Midian.

For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise and garments rolled in blood. But this shall be with burning and with fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

Of increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth, even for ever, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform it.

The Lord that is blessed into that shop, reading from his word to our hearts this morning. The ninth chapters of the Bible are very, very precious. None more precious than the one before us for our meditation today.

The prophecy of Isaiah has six to six chapters, thirty-nine making up the first and twenty-seven making up the latter part of this wonderful little prophecy. The very same regarding the Bible. The Bible, remember, has six to six books.

Thirty-nine in the Old Testament, twenty-seven in the New Testament. When you come to the prophecy of Isaiah, taking the latter part again, those twenty-seven chapters divide themselves into three sections of nine chapters each.

And each section closes with these words, There is no peace, says my God, as to the wicked. Now, when the Holy Spirit repeats Himself three times like this, it is for us to give up earnest heed and closer attention to what He is saying.

There is no peace, says my God, as to the wicked. The middle of those twenty-seven chapters is Isaiah 52, 13 to the end of 53. And the middle verse is verse 5. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities.

The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. For this morning I want you to think with me here. We have messianic predictions in the verses I've read. Messianic predictions.

Certain predictions touching on the Messiah, His coming, and His work, while here on earth. Now I want you, please, in verse number two, notice two emblems here. Darkness and light. Darkness and light.

And just see what the verse says. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. They that dwell in the land of the shadowed day, upon them hath the light shined. Now, darkness and light.

All by nature are in darkness. When God said, Adam, the dead are eaters, thereof thou shalt surely die. And when Adam and Eve had partaken of that forbidden fruit in the garden, Eden, they both died. Oh no, they did not die physically, they died spiritually.

And from that moment the last baby born in the world, that spirit part, is dead toward God. Beloved, we're not all there when we're born into the world. See, Boswell, talk for yourself. I am, and I'm talking for you too.

Because I believe that all the children of Adam, I don't think for one moment you came from a monkey. If you did, I didn't. I'm sure you didn't either, because you're far too good-looking for that. No, as in Adam, all died.

By one man's sympathy, many were made sinners. And so that's how we are born into this world. That spirit part is dead toward God. That's why we must be born again. That's why we must receive a new life, a heavenly life, a spiritual life.

Our life is the life from above. But on says the Book of Proverbs, the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord. And so with Adam and Eve's sin, that candlelight was snuffed out. So man isn't only spiritually dead, he's spiritually in the, he's spiritually in the dark.

And of course 1 Corinthians chapter 2 says, the natural man cannot understand the things of the spirit because they are spiritually a dessert. This book is a dry book, is a closed book to the natural man.

He can understand the book. Two young people from Cambridge University came to me one day and said, Mrs. Boswell, do you believe the creation story of Genesis chapter 1? Looking at I say, you know, Scotland, I'm going to answer your question by asking another.

Scotland always does that. It gives them time to think of the question. But I said, here's the question. Have you received the Lord Jesus for eternal life? They said, oh no. I said, well we'll deal with that one first.

And after two hours, those two young people got up from their knees. Have you received the Lord Jesus, Lord and Savior? I turned to the young man and said, Gordon, what about Genesis chapter 1? Well he says, that's all clear to us now.

We know the author. You got it? The natural man cannot understand the things of the spirit. They are spiritually a dessert. And that young man is in Zambia today as a medical officer. That is his job.

But he's made work. His missionary work. And God's using him very deftly there. Now keeping all that before you, I want you to think of the emblem of darkness, and as we all are, as children of Adam. Irrespective of your social status, your intellectual ability, or your scholastic achievement, your position, your property, or your possession, beloved, we're all in the dark where God is concerned.

And we are spiritually angels. Not very complimentary, is it, to such a fine, refined, cultured congregation. But we must face facts. We must face facts. And praying today, we are spiritually dead by nature, and we're spiritually in the dark.

Now darkness speaks of ignorance. It speaks of ignorance. It also speaks of sin. It also speaks of sorrow. Now there we are by nature. We're in darkness, we're in ignorance, we are in sin, and we are in sorrow for the terrible plight to be in.

My friend, once we hear the glad tiding of the light has now come, those who stand in darkness have seen a great light. Thank God the light has dispelled the darkness. Who is that light? The Lord Jesus said, I am the light of the world.

He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. I have come, the light of the world. Now isn't this just lovely? Now what does the light speak of then? The light speaks of knowledge.

Knowledge in contrast to ignorance. No longer are we ignorant regarding God, and God's word, and God's plan for our life. Thank God tonight we've been brought into glorious knowledge that is in Christ Jesus, and we are at once darkness, are now light in the Lord.

And the Bible says, if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. We are at once away from Him, out of fellowship. Isaiah 59 too says, your sin and your iniquity have separated between you and your God.

But thank God for the believer that great debauchery is forever removed, and we're no longer in gospel. We are now in the light, no longer in ignorance. But thank God we're in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We've come to know Him, whom to know is life eternal, and we know the joy of this new life in Christ Jesus. I say darkness speaks of sin, but we're no longer in sin. Isn't that just wonderful to know the sin question has been dealt with, where the believer is concerned, that once in the end of the age of Christ appears to put away sin?

By the sacrifice of Himself, Hebrews 9 .26, whom He wants never again, ne 'er again will God Jehovah smite the shepherd with the sword, ne 'er again will cruel sinners set it not. Our glorious Lord, thank God once in the end of the age that Christ appeared to put away sin, sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

And so we were once in sin, are now in purity, are now in purity. For the glorious contrast, the darkness speaking of ignorance and sin, the light speaking of knowledge and now purity. Why? The Lord Jesus Christ, O pure ones, who by His first comfort lays in the life of the believer.

Oh, the wonder of this glorious truth. Lastly, in this connection, sin speaks of sorrow. A little girl back in Bristol, England, where Mr. and Mrs. Wooley come from, says to her mother one day, Mommy, sin has taken all the happy out of my heart.

Now, isn't that very childlike, but very sweet? Sin has taken all the happy out of my heart. And friends, when sin is ruling in your heart, there's no real joy, none whatever. The darkness speaking of ignorance and sin and sorrow.

Our beloved today, get this, he became a man of sorrow, that where we are concerned, that sorrow may be forever removed, and in the place of sorrow there's joy, there is joy. May I go back over that little outline?

I want you to get it. First of all, the darkness, ignorance, sin and sorrow. But thank God the light has come and shone into these hearts of us. Remember, King Corinthians 4 .4 says, The God of this age has blinded the mind of those who believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel in Christ Jesus, who is the image of the invisible God, might shine unto them.

My friends, the God of this age, Satan, has blinded the mind of those who believe not. Who believe not? We saw that right here in the campus yesterday afternoon. How sin, my friends, has blinded the mind of an intellectual like that young nurse yesterday.

But thank God we have to pray publicly. God, the devil's no right to the soul. The devil's no right. And in the name of the Lord Jesus, on the ground of Calvary shed blood. Deliver the soul. And God delivered that soul.

And brought it right into the glorious knowledge of sin forgiven through Jesus Christ our Lord.

It's the God of this age who has blinded those who believe not.

Lest the light of the glorious gospel, my friend, you hear this morning without Christ. God, the God of this age, Satan, has blinded your mind because you believe not. The Bible says you're condemned already because you believe not.

John 3, 18 is crystal clear in this point. For we've come from darkness into light. You've come from ignorance into knowledge. You've come from sin into purity. And you've come from sorrow into joy. Isn't this lovely now?

Increasing Joy and the Spiritual Harvest

Now look, we'll see what this joy does. There's number three. Thou hast multiplied the people and increased the joy. Hallelujah. The Lord not only gives us joy, but it's increased joy. It's multiplying joy.

The Lord always uses the parative. Every time. Not only life is life and abundance. Not only peace, but peace passing all understanding. Not only joy, but joy unspeakable and full of glory. And so today we've got a joy.

I thank God for that, don't you? And we can truthfully say, now none but Christ can satisfy. None other name for me. There's love. There's life. There's lasting joy. Lord Jesus, found in me. Do you want real joy?

Lasting joy? This joy, my friends, not found in religion, nor in a church membership, nor in a quorum, or a creed, nor a catechism, nor a covenant. This joy is found in a person. And this person is the Son of God.

And if you have this one, my friends, you know joy. Real joy. This joy. An increasing joy. And Christ said, my joy in you. That your joy may be full. And Nehemiah said, the joy of the Lord is your strength.

The joy of the Lord. So many more about this increasing joy. You know, somehow or other, I looked around this congregation this morning, and I know that a lot of you know this joy. And I look at your couches and just see you smiling from ear to ear.

Now, I know you're not smiling at me. Maybe you're smiling along with me. But just the joy is so real to you because what I'm saying, you're in the good of it. And you know this joy, this increasing joy, this multiplying joy, because you know Christ.

And the more you know Him, the more you want to know. Not only is He giving you life, but He's giving you life in abundance. Not only joy, but increasing joy. Unspeakable joy. This is your, dear child of God, this morning.

And because it's yours, aren't you longing others may come to know this joy? Come to know this new life in Christ Jesus? I know you are. Now, another something more is the joy of harvest. As he would have said in verse number three, the joy before we are calling the joy in harvest is the joy of fruit.

Oh, my friend, the joy of real fruit. I had a letter a little earlier in the last spring, in the summertime from some folks up there in the prairies. They had over 2 ,000 acres of land up there. And a very, very valuable land too.

And they said, Jim, there's a bumper crop this year. A bumper crop. And they were so happy because everything just looks so wonderful.

Significant, significant time. They've been gathering the grain and having a real storm game. And three quarters of that acreage was flattened.

New joy. But there is a joy in harvest, my friend. And I want to talk to you a little about the spiritual harvest. The spiritual harvest. My friend, isn't it a great joy when souls are being born again by the Spirit of God?

Remember in Acts chapter 2, it speaks about 3 ,000 souls being saved that day. And they gave 5 ,000 souls. Then multitudes believed that in Acts chapter 8, what does it say? The city was filled with joy.

There was great joy in it. Why? Because revival had broken out. Because souls were being born again. You tell me a place where souls are being saved. And I'll tell you a place with a great joy. Eh? The joy in the harvest of precious souls.

My friend, we're going to know that joy in ever increasing measure during these coming days. Won't we? One of that joy came to your jaw this morning. You heard of one or another having placed his or her trust in Jesus Christ.

And remember, it's man's highest wisdom to know Jesus Christ and whom he has sent. Oh my friend, you can know the joy this morning. The joy of harvest. The joy of knowing your sins forgiven. That is a wonderful joy.

To know your sins forgiven. We heard a lot of it this morning. Well, my friend, you were forgiven. You weren't forgiven much. But thank God you know the joy of being forgiven for his namesake. For his namesake.

Oh, what joy, my friend, it brings into your heart when you know your sins are being forgiven. Well, it's a greater joy than that. Say, what is that joy? It's the joy when you'll lead your first soul to Christ.

The joy of the harvest. When you're born to reproduce. When you're a reproducing Christian. And what a joy it is when you'll lead your first soul to Jesus Christ. That's just like you catch one fish, you're going to catch two.

Two, you're going to catch four. And there's a joy of the harvest. John in his third letter says, I've no greater joy than to know my children walking through. Oh, may we know that fearful joy. And there's a deeply increasing measure.

The joy of knowing sin is forgiven. The joy of becoming a soul with arms. You know, reproducing Christian. And the joy of seeing those legs of Christ maturing and diverting. And going on with the Lord Jesus.

And manifesting the beauty and the virtue of the indwelling Christ. What joy is this? But then the joy of success. The joy of success. And my friend, isn't this just lovely? Keep that before you. Keep your finger there.

But go back with me for a moment to Judges chapter one. By the way, am I talking far too fast for you? If I am, just try to keep up. Joshua chapter one, please. And verse number eight. This book of the Lord shall not depart out of my mouth.

But thou shalt meditate therein day and night. That thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. For then shalt thou make thy way prosperous. And then shalt thou have what? Good success.

Beloved, observe to do. Thou shalt make thy way prosperous. And thou shalt have good success. I have quoted just now, I'll read to you Joshua one and verse number eight. Joshua one and verse number eight.

Thou shalt make thy way prosperous. Then thou shalt have good success. Another joy is the joy of victory. When you divide the spoils. Isn't this just lovely now? So there is the joy. The increasing joy.

The joy of harvest. The joy of success. How are you going to be a successful, joyful Christian? By observing to do. And as you meditate upon God's holy word. You learn the will of God to get into your life.

Whereby you're going to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, my friend, you shall have the joy of real success. That spiritual success that's going to come both for time and for all eternity.

Victory Through Death and Fruitfulness

But here's the joy of victory. Joshua says that the main divide the spoils. I love this with all my heart. I really do. As it may have pleased us the other day. God came in the salvation of precious souls.

Our hearts rejoiced and exulted together. And I turned to those people. They've been working there for a long time, sowing the good seed. I said, dear brethren, dear sisters, these are not my souls. You have done the sowing.

You've done the weeping. You've done the agonizing. I'm at the travail. These are your souls. We're dividing the spoils. And the soul and the reaper shall rejoice together. Both now and at that day. When we'll see the Lord Jesus face to face.

Oh, my friend, dear Sunday school teacher, don't give up. You go on sowing the good seed. That seed is precious. That seed is powerful. That seed is productive. And that seed's going to bring forth an abundant harvest.

I'm not much of a gardener. I like gardening after it's all done. My wife's a very good gardener. I'm very happy about that. Buddy, I remember planting some potatoes some time ago back near Birmingham, England.

You can't make too many mistakes planting potatoes. I remember getting those potatoes into the ground. Time came to gather them. I set the garden pot placed in the ground. Lifted up the root of potatoes.

There they were. Six little things like marbles. Just as it's great. Just as it's great. But the little potato was still there. Firm and strong as ever. Not being daunting, we go to the next root of potatoes.

This time it was more ever hot they come. There they are. Thirteen lovely, majestic potatoes. Majestic was the name of the potato, by the way. But there they are, thirteen lovely potatoes. And I looked in vain for any trace of the old potato.

Now first one, the old potato still there, strong and firm as ever. Six little things like marbles. What a disgrace. Here's the other. Thirteen lovely potatoes but no trace of the old one. What is the lesson?

John 12, 24. Except a corn or wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, the same bringeth forth much fruit. Brethren, we've got to die. T .G. Gilbert came to me some time ago and said, I was speaking at a conference and he was in the congregation.

He came up and said, Jim, it's a grand thing to hear a dead man preach. See, we have known the secret of our union with Christ in death. We are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Oh, the flesh will produce little things like marbles.

They can produce professions, but they'll never develop, they'll never mature, they'll give you many a heartache, many a sorrow. But when the Spirit of God does the work, there's no trace of the old life.

No trace of the old self-life. Nor how we pray time and time again. May His beauty rest upon us as we seek the lost to win. And may they forget the channel, seeing only Him. Not I, but Christ, in every look and in every action.

Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord. Oh, to be lost to me. Oh, that there may be no more I, but Christ, who lives in me. And it was John Welch who taught me that years ago back in Britain. John Welch passed away in our friend's home in Harrisburg.

He taught me that years ago, our union with Christ in death. I am crucified with Christ. No less I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me. It's no longer I, but Christ. I love that, don't you? May I quote the verse again?

Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord. Oh, to be lost to me.

Oh, that there may be no more I, but Christ, who lives in me.

Except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, we're going to divide the spoils. We're going to divide the spoils. The joy of glory is victory. Now you go down to the next verse, shall we?

This is something very precious to me. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the stamp of his shoulder, and the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. The word I want to give you is the joy of emancipation.

Emancipation from Sin and Bondage

The joy of emancipation. See what it says? Thou hast broken the yoke of his burden. A good brother John didn't know, but I was going to preach on this morning. And there was a person, the last name of Dov Kilroy, I think, would have seen before my heart.

He breaks the power of cancelled sin. He sets the prisoner free. His blood can make the foulest clean. His blood avails me that joy of glorious emancipation. Romans 6, verse 18 and verse 22. And having him set free, made free, emancipated, all the emancipating power is in Christ with the love of the world.

And as you receive him, my friend, he dispels the darkness. He comes into the light. You remove, my friend, the deadness, and he comes into the light. And light more abundant in Jesus Christ. This can all be yours this morning.

All the emancipating power is in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I trust you know this emancipating power today. There they were way down the land of Egypt. There they were down in Bondi, in the house of Bondi, on the great chasm out of Theros, grumbling and grousing and complaining.

No singing in Egypt. No song in Egypt. Night, the very night the blood was applied to the two-sided post, nippled into the doorway. Remember, that same night they left the land of Egypt. The blood was applied, and at midnight they moved forward, and they come face to face to the Red Sea.

My friends, they come face to face to the Red Sea. Moses stands still and sees the salvation of the Lord. The Egyptians whom you see today, you see them again no more forever. No more forever. God says, through Moses, go forward.

And to the measure of moving forward, Moses did. The Red Sea divided, rolled back, became congealed, and there was still like two great walls of crystal from either side. And God sent a strong east wind, and that dried up the bed of the Red Sea.

And the children of Israel walked right through them dry ground, having now left the yoke and the bondage and the old taskmaster. And on they go. And as they go on, they come up on the other side. What did old Pharaoh say?

Old Pharaoh said, I will pursue, I will liberate, I will destroy, I will divide the spoils, all that great big capital. I, I will pursue, I will liberate, I will destroy. And on he comes hurling on all his money, all his money.

He's got to go after them, you know. He can't let them go. But as they go right down to the bed of the Red Sea, remember, now the children of Israel come up on the other side, and God allowed the waters to come back.

Remember old Pharaoh? I will pursue, I will destroy, I will liberate, I will divide. And God just blew a little puff of wind. That was all our God had to do. Just a little puff of wind. And remember, beloved, those waters rolled back.

And filled all his mighty heart, and went down as lead into the Red Sea. Now the children of Israel standing on the other side, look back upon the old sphere, and it says, They sang, the children of Israel.

The Lord has triumphed gloriously. The horse and the rider is cast into the depths of the sea. Thy right hand has become glorious in power. Thy right hand has dashed into the enemy. Oh, the joy of emancipation.

Dear child of God, I want you to get this this morning. It is darling of heart. The first song ever recorded in the Bible is Exodus 15. The last song was Revelation 15. But we know what they're going to sing in Revelation 15?

The song of Moses and the Lamb. And once they started singing that again, the banks of the Red Sea, emancipated by the blood of the Lamb, and by the throne of God. Then, Sam, the children of Israel, have you got a singing salvation?

Have you got the joy of glorious emancipation? For Sam has said, Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thee. The soul is imprisoned of fear and of self and of sin. He's not a praiseful Christian.

Very far from that. But you can know the joy of this emancipation this morning. The joy of singing the song, the soul set free. And my last point for you here, is the very next phrase. And I know what it says here, and I know it with all my heart.

Christ’s Victory over the Enemy

There's number five. And every battle of the warrior will be with confused noise, and the garments will be in blood, and this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. It's the joy, now get this, of the utter destruction of the enemy.

The Egyptians whom you've seen today, you'll assume again, no more forever. Now you've been going through Colossians. In Colossians chapter two, what do you read? Verse fourteen. The hand-running of all that was against us, he took it out of the way, kneeling to his cross, having strict principalities and powers.

He made an open show of them, climbing over them in his cross work. O child of God, go back to Golgotha. Go back to all your enemies, my friend. Dealt with once and for all there, the place called Golgotha.

Then you're able to sing with all your heart, my chaser snaps, the bones are still unbroken, and I am free. O let the triumph of his grace be spoken, who died for me. Hebrews two, verse fourteen says, and I love it with all my heart.

For as much as Shonar fought, taken to flesh and blood, he also fell right by the purple sea, that who dead, he might destroy him, at the power of death, and deliver those who feel of death, for the lifetime subject to bondage.

This is the law we've come to know, isn't it? Amen? Isn't it lovely, Lord? Oh, the joy, my friend. The joy. Increasing joy. Multiply joy. The joy of fruitfulness. The joy of success. The joy of victory.

The joy of glorious emancipation. I love this. How may I know victory? So many crimes. Commit thyself to Calvary, consent to die. God, we have gained sinning loss.

We die to live. And his might come, as the cross,.

My life I gave. Though only in the measure, which I have read in my own life, crucified with pride, will I know Christ, all his fullness, living in me. 10th Romans 6. Reckon ye yourselves to be dead, and heed to sin.

Crucify with Christ, that he now may reign within. Reign together with the Lord, filled with life in you. Thus the Spirit doth afford.

Victory for you. The joy of victory, and the joy of the utter destruction of the enemy.

The Invitation to Come from Darkness into Light

Let us this morning go in and possess our possessions in Christ Jesus. Coming from darkness into light. Maybe someone will do that, if we sing number 242. 242. We're going to look at that name wonderful tonight.

Just that one name, wonderful. Five aspects of how the Lord is wonderful.

To those who know him.

242. Utter my bondage, sorrow, and night. Jesus, I come. Into thy freedom, gladness, and light. Jesus, I come. 242. I do not know my congregation here this morning. I just know you all, that you and you preaching, no but holy, and I ask you to stand up and raise your hand and come forward.

In the quiet of your own heart, I want you to make a decision this morning. I want you to decide on the side of Jesus Christ and come from darkness into light.

Come from bondage into glorious liberty of the children of God. You can do that if you sing the same. 242. Softly and prayerfully. Utter my bondage, sorrow, and night. Picture in contrast this morning,.

See the contrast still in here, and you make a decision.

On the silver. Thank you, there's two.

Utter my bondage, sorrow, and night. Jesus, Jesus, I come. I ask you very lovingly, have you made that decision on the side of Jesus Christ? Will you act upon that decision.

And here and now receive Him as your Lord? Have thy way, Father. Work by thy spirit. Bring glory to thy wonderful name through Jesus Christ, our wonderful Lord. It will be glory both now and forevermore.