Isaiah Lesson 66

The Downgrade Controversy, Higher Criticism, and Standing for Truth

God, as we come together, we're excited to hear your Word because it is your Word. We want to be taught by your Word so that, Lord, our lives will be impacted and changed by your Word as we go in and we continue to learn about Jesus Christ, who was obedient to the Father.

We can see that even here in Isaiah. Speak through, Pastor Jeff. Let his words come into our hearts that our hearts would take these words and make them important, make them life-changing. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Amen. Anyone who wants to do the will of God will be persecuted. There was a wonderful man of God in the 1800s whose name is Charles Spurgeon, the hero of that century, right? But in his day, he was considered an overly conservative, zealous, overbearing pastor.

There was a controversy called the downgrade controversy. It's when higher criticism first began to enter the Baptist Union. So certain stories, like Jonah and the whale, were regarded as a myth. They would hold onto other things.

They would believe in the deity of Christ and the real existence of Christ and his miracles and all things. But certain things, they would begin to shade the truth upon. And this became known as the downgrade controversy.

Writing in the Sword and the Trowel, Charles Spurgeon began to stand against some of his own denomination pastors. As a result of this, his charge against the heresies of higher criticism and not believing in the word of God resulted in a conference where they were called together.

And like Luther at the Diet of Worms, Charles Spurgeon stood before the men and they refused to answer the substantive questions that Spurgeon brought up in the downgrade controversy. Instead, they censured the man.

They censured Spurgeon. Now, on this side of history, looking back on it in 2022, nobody knows who those men were who censured Charles Spurgeon. And higher criticism has come in evangelical circles to be seen for what it is.

It's a lie from the pit of hell. It's an attack upon the word of God. It's a serpent of old in the garden. Did God really say? Guess what our passage begins with today? Thus says the Lord. Looking back on history, the one who was disgraced throughout the entire Baptist Union made to look like a fool is then honored.

And in this life, the degree to which you make a stand for truth will be the degree to which you're mocked and ridiculed and considered a zealot and a bigot and all the homophobe, whatever name somebody could possibly throw at you.

But in heaven, you're regarded differently than you are on earth. And the Lord sets a perfect example for this. Today, we're gonna learn about the Lord Jesus from Isaiah chapter 50 because it's all about him.

It's prefiguring him in his being disgraced in the eyes of men, spat upon, mocked, his beard pulled from his face only to be honored in the eyes of God, not disgraced at all. And the very suffering that he endured was his crown.

That's our Lord. And we're gonna read about him in Isaiah 50. Okay, why don't we just read it through first of all, and then we'll break it down. John, would you mind just reading it through and then I'll call on others to read kind of verse by verse, but let's just read Isaiah 50 with that in mind.

Israel’s Unfaithfulness, Exile, and the Need for a Mediator

Thus says the Lord,.

Where is your mother's certificate of divorce with which I sent her away? O which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities you were sold, and for your transgressions your mother was sent away.

Why, when I came, was there no man? Why, when I called, was there no one to answer? Is my hand shortened that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? Behold my rebuke, by my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a desert.

Their fish stink for lack of water and die of thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness and make sackcloth their covering. The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary.

Morning by morning he awakens, he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard.

I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. But the Lord God helps me, therefore I have not been disgraced, therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near.

Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold the Lord God helps me. Who will declare me guilty? Behold all of them will wear out like a garment, the moth will eat them up.

Among, who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of the servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. Behold all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with a burning torches, walk by the light of your fire, by the torches that you have kindled.

This you have from my hand, you shall lie down in torment.

Amen, may the Lord bless the reading of his word and now the expositing, talking about it, drawing out what is already here. Of course, the big picture here is it's the Lord Jesus in view, prophetically.

He offers his back. He will be whipped with a scourge. There'll be scourge on his back. His beard will be torn from his face. He will be spat upon in disgrace. Wearing a crown of thorns to mock him. Wearing a purple robe to mock his claim to be king.

All of those things will be done to the Lord, but he will be vindicated, resurrected from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father. It's a picture of Jesus. Now, in the first three verses, let's look at those.

This is unfaithful Israel. Israel was to be a wife to God, but what does the book of Hosea tell us about Israel as a wife to God? Prostitute. Prostitute, unfaithful. She would depart her covenant commitment rather than keeping it and run after idols.

And of course, God, pictured by Hosea, still pursues her, still loves her. Even though she's unfaithful to him, he is always faithful to her. So look at verse one. This is a thus says the Lord. And again, we need to be reminded that we stand upon truth.

God's word is a thus says the Lord. It is not a suggestion. It's not debatable. It's true. What he says is true. And that's the issue here. Where is your mother's certificate of divorce with which I sent her away?

Of which, or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities, you were sold. And for your transgressions, your mother was sent away. Now, Israel will be sent away, driven away, into captivity and exile.

But is it a final divorce? No. No, because his gifts and his call are irrevocable. I knew you'd finish that sentence. Romans 9 to 11 explains this. There's a hardening. And even when Christ comes, there's a hardening in part for a time while the full number of the Gentiles come in.

But in the last days, this is glory upon glory, even the unfaithful wife who is ostensibly divorced will be brought back and grafted back into the same olive tree with the Gentiles now, and so will be with the Lord forever.

So this is pictured as divorce, but it's really ascending into exile, but God still loves them. They're still the apple of his eye. They still will be brought back. Now, why are they being sent? Why are they being sold?

Punished. Yes, for their iniquities, it says here in the text, for your transgressions. Now, notice in verse two what's lacking. Ezekiel would complain that when he looked for someone to stand in the gap, there was none to stand in the gap.

When Job had counselors around him, he needed an advocate. Where is my advocate? But I know my redeemer lives and he will resurrect it. One day we'll stand before his throne. Job didn't have the advocate.

Ezekiel lacked for the man. Same thing here. Look at verse two. Why when I came, was there no man? Why when I called, was there no one to answer? It's a longing for the man. Israel is to be the mediator of God's blessing on earth, but she's an unfaithful wife.

The only way for that to be accomplished is for God himself, the man, to take on flesh, to be faithful where Israel failed, for he himself to come and clothe himself with his own righteousness and stand in the gap.

When Jesus hangs on the cross, he's standing in the gap for Israel and for all who would look to him in faith. This is the longing of Isaiah here. Where there's no man, there's no mediator. It's a longing for Messiah.

You see that? And we're about to see him introduced in verse four, but keep reading. Behold, by my rebuke I dry up the sea. I make the rivers a desert. Their fish stink for lack of water and die of thirst.

Remember the Deuteronomy blessings and cursings? When disobedient, famine comes on the land. Here, even their water sources are dried up and the fish are flopping. You can almost picture it. They're flopping around, hoping to get more oxygen out of the water, but the water's drying up and they're dying, and then they're decomposing and then they stink.

The land is not being blessed, it's being cursed. The two mountains of blessing and cursing. Now they're disobedient and so all is waxing and waning and just everything's dying of thirst. Verse three.

I clothe the heavens with blackness and make sackcloth their covering. This dark imagery, you can almost picture like a heavy storm coming in of his judgment. And the sky's becoming black. God is filled with wrath now.

It's like they're shutting themselves off from God, so God is shutting himself off from them. Yeah, yeah.

He's withholding those blessings. Had they been obedient to the covenant, they would have been blessed. But in Old Testament Israel, the blessings and cursings are related to faithfulness or disobedience, and here they're under judgment.

And the cloud that's coming, that dark cloud is called what nation? Babylon. Babylon. The Assyrian threat has been averted. Remember when that came? And they cried out, Hezekiah turned his face and cried out to God and an angel of the Lord killed 185 ,000 soldiers in one night?

Well, they didn't remain faithful. The next threat is Babylon. And Babylon will in fact crush them and take them into captivity for 70 years. But we already saw, Cyrus will send them back. Remember Isaiah 45?

Called by name as the Messiah, the anointed. A picture of Messiah, not the Messiah. Now we get the Messiah, verses four and five. Who would like to read that?

The Obedient Servant and the Tongue of the Taught

The Lord God has given me the tongue of the Lord that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens me by morning, morning by morning. He awakens my ear to hear as he learned.

When the Lord called, who answered in verse two? No one. No one. No one. But who is this? Remember what we've seen in Isaiah 48 and 49 and earlier that sometimes when Isaiah speaks, he's speaking on behalf of the second person of the Trinity.

We studied this last time I taught from John. We learned that the one Isaiah saw was actually the second member of the Trinity. He saw Jesus. In Isaiah chapter six, seated on the throne, he was speaking with Jesus.

He saw Jesus. Whom shall we send? Who will go for us? He's seen Jesus. In Isaiah chapter 48, verse 16, you have this Trinitarian reference, and I'm saying now the Lord God has sent me and his spirit. The Lord God, the Father, has sent me, the Son, and his spirit.

So you have Isaiah speaking prophetically the voice of the second member of the Trinity. That's what's happening again here. Look at chapter 50, verse four. The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught.

Here's the one who listens and speaks. He hears, and so therefore he's taught. Remember what Jesus said? I don't say anything of my own. I say only what the Father gives me to say. He speaks the Father's word.

Deuteronomy 18, 15 to 20, you must listen to every word he says. He's being taught by God. Every single word. That's Jesus, okay? Now as the rest of the verse unfolds, that I may know how to sustain with the word him who is weary.

Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Father. Jesus is giving the bread of life. Morning by morning he awakens. It's like manna from heaven. He awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.

The Lord has opened my ear and I was not rebellious. I turned not backward. Now look at verse six for the conclusion of this and why I'm convinced obviously that it's Jesus in view. Kristen, would you mind reading just verse six?

I gave my back to those who strike and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard. I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.

The Suffering of Christ, the Cross, and His Humiliation as Glory

So he speaks for God. He's the obedient son. Whereas Israel was disobedient and therefore sent a certificate of divorce. Now the Messiah comes. He hears and speaks the word of God. Perfectly obedient.

But he's treated like this. His back given to those who strike. My cheeks to those who pull out the beard. Imagine the pain of that. That's our Lord. I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. Remember Pontius Pilate?

Shocked that he doesn't defend himself. And Jesus answers, you would have no power over me except it was given from above. He's giving his, doesn't it say that? I gave my back to those who strike. Who takes his life?

No one. He gives it willingly. Let's let's read a little bit about it in the New Testament. Someone read for me Matthew 27, 29, 30. I've got it in the notes or you could flip there.

And then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. Hail, King of the Jews, they said. And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.

Why did they give him a crown?

Mockery. Why did they give him a staff? Mockery. And a robe. This is this is disgracing him. Mocking his claim, but then having done that, spitting on him. Anybody ever been spat upon? That's about as degrading as can be.

It's treating you like you're the filth, the worm of the earth to put your human spit in their face. Go back to Isaiah 50. He says, I gave my back to those who strike. Why would he give his back to those who strike?

He was fulfilling the father's will. Fulfilling the father's will. Why would that be the father's will? Doesn't he love his son? Yes, he's the sacrifice for sin, for man's sin. Amen.

He's the sacrifice for sin. He's giving his back willingly to those who strike because it's our sin laid upon him. When we get to Isaiah 53, John, it's coming. Isaiah 53 is almost here, but you're getting precursors of it right here already.

Isaiah 53, verse 10. Go ahead and read it. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief, and he make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days. It pleased him.

Pleased the Lord. When he bruised, that's how much he loved us. Awesome.

And look at the love of Jesus in this because it's in the first person. We're seeing this as the words of Jesus to us so that we would understand how much Jesus loves us. I gave my back to those who strike.

Was that the Jew or the Gentile? The Roman soldier or the Jew yelling crucify? Which one was it? Both. It was both. Was it you and I? It was. It was our sin. Every time we've rebelled against the will of the Father, the one who breaks the law is the lawbreaker.

And if you're guilty of breaking even one law, you're guilty of all of it. And the soul that sins must die, right? So we deserve the wrath of God on us. But instead, he steps in for us and puts his back between the Father's wrath and our just desserts, interposing his flesh in our place on the tree and absorbs that into his back to hide us under his righteousness.

Wow. That's what he did. I gave my back to those who strike. He took that punishment in my place to protect me from, to save me from, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard. It's incredible suffering of the Messiah for us.

I'll ask you to comment here after I finish with what's in your heart on this. I hid not my face from disgrace and spit. The disgracing, the humiliation of the Son. I think of Philippians 2, how he humbled himself to take on flesh.

And having taken on flesh, he humbled himself to die. Can you imagine God dying? But not any death. Even death on a cross. The most humiliating, painful, degrading, disgraceful death. To be strung up, to be gawked at, and mocked.

To bleed to death over time, heaving for life. What are your thoughts about this verse, John?

I was with an individual over this past weekend trying to ascertain the concept of salvation. And getting to the point of acknowledging that not only do they believe in a concept, but they believe in the depths of their heart.

It takes you to Jesus' word on the cross to tell us to die. And if I read these words on the extent, and the way that you put it, Jesus' back is between me, who deserves it, and God's wrath must be given.

The folly of thinking that I can add to what Jesus did. Good word. It mocks, it mocks that the father would be pleased that his son, who would do that if there was another way? There can't be. Can't be another way, yeah.

Good word. So the idea of a purgatory, where you're going to go pay off part of that death that's been paid. Right. This is finished. He stood and took it all to tell us to die. It's finished. Now, yeah, in this world, we look at someone who's been disgraced as a disgrace.

If they suffer, well, they must have done something wrong. We look at the lowly who are dead and gone. What do they have to offer? They're disgraced in death. Suffering is not an indication in our world of glory, right?

It's to be degraded. But how about in the economy of heaven? Somebody read for me 7 to 9. This very selfsame suffering of the cross, the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.

But to us, it is the power of God. Somebody read 7, 8, and 9. You've got to emphasize but.

Whoever wants to, yeah, Joyce. But the Lord God helps me. OK, stop, stop. Emphasize the word but. But the Lord God helps me. Therefore, I have not been disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a flint.

And I know that I shall not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God helps me.

Who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment. The moth will eat them up. Charles Spurgeon preached a sermon.

I don't remember the title of it, but I remember this image in it. He says he set his face like a flint. And the idea is the steely result that going to the cross was his destiny. Anybody who tried to deter him, be it Peter, his own best friend, he says, get behind me, Satan.

His face is set to go to the cross to endure that suffering for the joy set before him to rise from the dead, to ascend to the right hand of the Father, and be seated and glorified. His face was set like flint.

I love that imagery. It's a picture of steely resolve, determination, because he knows in whom he has believed. And he knows that he can trust the one that he's entrusted that with until that day. Woo, the Lord helps me.

Therefore, I have not been disgraced. For all of that, the suffering is a crown of his glory. Isn't that amazing that the cross, now, we have one on our wall. Think of that, the symbol of Roman persecution and the most shameful thing that humanity could invent to disgrace a man.

Now, in 2022, in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, we have it on our wall. It's a picture of his glory, his suffering on our behalf, his love, his justice, the full range of his attributes brought together on display for the world to see.

This is our God hanging on a cross. That's his love on display. That's his justice on display. The wrath of God satisfied in the suffering of the Son. He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me?

Remember when the contenders tried in Matthew 22, each one asking a question, trying to stump him, and each one turned away by the power of truth, the word of God, and then he turned and asked them a question, and they never questioned him again after that.

The contenders would try. The truth overcomes these lies. Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Well, who is the adversary of the Lord? Satan. There's a great scene in Lego Batman where Batman is victorious, and he's winning everything, but the Joker comes and opposes him, and this little Lego Joker, Batman doesn't even give him the time of day, and Joker pleads that he's a worthy adversary because he thinks about Batman all day long, and he's just begging to even be noticed, and it's pathetic, and he wants to be noticed even in defeat, and Batman doesn't even pay attention.

It's just such a funny scene because he's just begging. Do you think that the devil is a worthy adversary? Who is my adversary? God is the omnipotent God, and this yappy little dog, this lion to us, roaring around, is opposing him, but it's not equal and opposite forces.

This is not dualism. This is the sovereign king who laughs at his enemies in Psalm 2. The adversary is no one to fear. We fear the Lord, and in him, that perfect love casts out fear of the enemy. It's not an equal and opposite force.

He's a defeated foe, and the God of peace will soon crush Satan underneath our feet. Who is my adversary? I love that question. Let him come near me.

We were talking earlier this morning. We believers know that, we know that at the end of the last chapter, God wins, and we have that as our hope. But the fullness of our hope is that he wins on every page.

Why? Amen. He's winning. He has no adversary. Nope.

Amen, brother. Then he says in verse nine, behold, the Lord God helps me. He helps you too. The same God who gave his son for you, how will he not also with him give you all things? Who will declare me guilty?

Well, they might pronounce him guilty and sentence him to death on the cross, but what of them?

They will wear out like a garment. The moth will eat them up. Jesus answered the question to the fire. Which one of you can convict me of sin?

Yep. There was no charge that he was guilty of. Right. He was innocent, perfectly innocent. All of them wore out like a garment. In the end, he's vindicated, and they're the ones condemned and being eaten by moths.

What's our glory in this life? What's our boast? What do we have to boast in? We're the creatures in Christ. That we're new creatures in Christ. Ultimately, what is our boast? There's one thing, far be it from me to boast, Galatians 6, 14, except where?

You're on it, you're very close, but specifically, what's in your notes? Amen. His humiliation is his glory, and it becomes our boast. It says, far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, that's the suffering of Christ, and we delight in that. That's why the cross is on our wall. But it goes on to say, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. If they treated him like this, how will the world treat you and I?

They'll seek to shame you. The weapon of the enemy in this world is shame. They will shame you for standing upon the truth.

And so they persecute the prophets who were before you.

Because as they persecute the prophets who were before us. But, here's the good news. But. Here's the but. But. Here's the good news. If you're dead to the world, it doesn't faze you. If your delight is in Christ, and you're seeking to please God, not man, 1 Thessalonians 2, let them say what they want.

Who cares? Let them call you all manner of name and all wickedness in Matthew 5. For so they persecuted. But great is your reward in heaven. When you're standing in the truth, when your glory is the cross, when you're already dead, even if they kill you, they haven't harmed you.

I'm already crucified with him. So shame me all you want. Mock me all you want. I have been crucified with Christ. And it is no longer I that live. But Christ who lives in me. Do you see that in the text here?

In verse nine, it's the Lord God who helps me. Who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment. The moth will eat them up. Then finally, verses 10 and 11. Would someone read that for us?

Trusting the Lord in Darkness and the Warning of Eternal Torment

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and the lie of his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches, walk by the light of your fire and by the torches that you have kindled.

This you from my hand, you shall lie down in torment.

Okay, there's actually two separate destinies foretold here, verses 10 and 11. 10 is a good destiny, which is remarkable because where did we begin in Isaiah chapter 50, verse one? The unfaithful wife, who's cast off, but wait a minute.

Because of the suffering of the son who offers his back, now look at the welcome in verse 10. The forgiveness. Who among you fears the Lord who obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.

Many wander and go astray, but just when you realize how sinful you are, that you have no light, you have no hope in yourself, trust in the name of the Lord and he will lift you up. He will save you. But here's the sad part of verse 11.

Somebody carrying the torch. You picture the soldiers coming at night to arrest Jesus by torchlight. If they realize the darkness of their sin and their death that's in them, they turn and believe like the centurion.

This was the son of God. You can be saved, but you carry that torchlight and you keep carrying it. In verse 11, you equip yourselves with burning torches. Walk by the light of your fire and by the torches you have kindled.

And then look at the terrifying end of that. This you have from my hand. You shall lie down in torment. The burning persecution of Christians. Remember when they used to light Christians up like torches in the Colosseum?

Those who persecuted the Christians and the babies in the womb burned with the sulfur of abortion when they inject these substances that the baby would die. And the other manner of killing. Those who carry the torch and that flame will die in flame.

Their own sin is kindling to an eternal torment. So unless they, and this is offered to them. They can turn and trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God and be saved. But those who don't turn go down to eternal torment.

Do we still believe that there's such place as hell? But that's so backward. Isn't that just Dante from the Middle Ages and this old superstition? Yeah, some people might have gotten a forte stuff.

These aren't things that happened in the past. These are happening now.

People that are dying now. Yeah, but even if we didn't have that kind of experience, what does the word say? What is, how does Jesus describe hell? Where their worm never dies. An eternal flame. It's eternal conscious torment.

Hell is actually a real doctrine of the Bible. It's true. It is a terrifying faith. And all the more reason we should go preach our Messiah from here forth, right? That others can believe and avert that.

Yeah. Between Lazarus and Luke, it's not a parable. It actually happened. If it was a parable, there would be the name Lazarus. Jesus never used the proper name in any of his parables. Oh, interesting.

Yeah. And even if someone took that as a parable, it's a parable of a reality. It's explaining that this is really the case. Yeah. It is real. You're right. Well, let's close in prayer and then we can discuss after.

Do you have another thought? Yeah, I had, you brought this alive in ways that I clearly had not seen. You had mentioned to me, man, I'm so excited that I get to do 50 and I went, okay. Romans 1 .16, I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation.

Right? And so as you brought us in the beginning in verse two, there's no man. I'm looking for somebody and there's nobody because I've been judged as a harlot and I've been set because of my sins. And there is nobody.

But then in the middle, you showed us the reality of the Messiah and his obedience even up to the cross. And then it gets to the end in verse 10. At the end of the verse 10 is the crux of it. Trust in the name.

If you don't, then go down to the bottom of 11. So this is really an evangelical chapter. Amen.

You can preach the gospel right out of this. You really can.

This is the gospel. Lord God, we come to you in awe because the reality of sin is turning away from God as a harlot deserving to be sent away. And we come to you rejoicing because of the message of Jesus who even turned his back to the scorned standing between us who deserve it and God who has wrath allowing even his beard to be torn.

Lord, now the message we trust or we don't trust. And if we do, wow, the blessings that we will have. Pray, Father, that we would have a reality check. That we have people that we know, family, friends, neighbors who are choosing verse 11.

And we ask, Lord, that the gospel message is that message by your grace that changes lives. We thank you for these words in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.