Isaiah Lesson 66

Lord of 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, arrogant pastor.

There was a controversy called the Downgrade Controversy. It's when higher criticism first began to enter the

Baptist Union. Certain stories, like Jonah and the whale, were regarded as a myth.

They would hold on to 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 going to 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 going to read about him in Isaiah 50. 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.

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 beer. 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 the 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, 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, 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 1.

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, 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?

For their iniquities, it says here in the text. For your transgressions. Now, notice in verse 2, 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, and one day will stand before his throne.

Job didn't have the advocate. Ezekiel lacked for the man. Same thing here.

Look at verse 2. 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 4, 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 3, 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. 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.

Here, they're under judgment and the cloud that's coming, that dark cloud, is called what nation?

Babylon. The Assyrian threat has been averted. Remember when that came?

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 4 and 5. Who would like to read that? Richelieu.

The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned, 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 2? 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 6, 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 4. 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 weird.

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 6 for the conclusion of this and why

I'm convinced, obviously, that it's Jesus in view. Kristen, would you mind reading just verse 6?

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.

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. Can you 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 read a little bit about it in the New Testament.

Someone read for me Matthew 27, 29 and 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 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 to make his soul an offering for sin.

He shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days. It pleased him.

Pleased the Lord. That's how much he loved us. 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?

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 a lawbreaker.

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 it, to save me from.

And my cheeks to those who pull out the beard. It's incredible suffering of this

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 sun. I think of Philippians to 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 in death, even death on a cross?

The most humiliating, painful, 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 that 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. Good word.

So the idea of a purgatory where you're going to go pay off part of that debt that's been paid. Right. This is finished.

He stood and took it all to tell us to die. It's finished. Now, in this world, we look at someone who's been disgraced as a disgrace.

If they suffer, wow, they must have done something wrong. We, we look at the lowly who are dead and gone, you know, what do they have to offer?

They're, 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. Seven to nine.

This very self -same 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 seven, eight, and nine.

You got to emphasize, but. Whoever wants to.

Yeah, Joyce. But Lord God helps me. Okay, 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 resolve that going to the cross was his destiny. Anybody who tried to deter him via Peter, his own best friend.

He says, get behind me, save me. 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.

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? 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, 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 to me. We were talking earlier this morning.

We believers know that 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 9, 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 asked the same question to the Pharisees. 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? Creatures in Christ that were new creatures in Christ.

Ultimately, what is our boast? There's one thing. Far be it for me to boast. Galatians 614.

Except where you're on it. You're very close. But specifically, it's in your notes.

Amen. His humiliation is his glory, and it becomes our boasts. It says, far be it for me to boast, except in the cross of our

Lord Jesus Christ. Now, that's the suffering of Christ. And we delighted 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. Because as they persecuted the prophets who were before us.

But here's the good news. 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. First Thessalonians 2. Let them.

Say what they want. 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 9. 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? 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 rely on 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 1. 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. And 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 is such a 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. Seven. You know. Yeah. Yeah.

But even if we didn't have that kind of experience. What does the word say? What is G? 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? Yeah. It's 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. Let's close the live in ways that I clearly had not seen.

You had mentioned to me. Man, I'm so excited I get to do 50. And I went, okay. Yeah. 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 2. 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 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. 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. Oh 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.

Is that message by your grace. That changes lives. We thank you for these words. In Jesus name.