Isaiah 1:1, Isaiah 1:10-20, Psalm 50:1-8, Psalm 50:22-23,
Genesis 15:1-6, Psalm 33:12-22, Hebrews 11:1-3, Hebrews 11:8-16,
Luke 12:32-40
A). A REASONABLE OFFER.
Isaiah 1:1, Isaiah 1:10-20.
The opening of this wonderful Book of Isaiah introduces us to a Ministry which, on a conservative estimate, spanned some 64 years. The first verse (Isaiah 1:1) tells us of (I) its Divine authorship: it was a “vision”; (II) its human authorship: Isaiah, son of Amoz (not to be confused with Amos, this Amoz was possibly a member of the Royal Family of Judah); (III) the kings who reigned during the period of the prophet’s time of writing: beginning perhaps ‘in the year that King Uzziah died’ (Isaiah 6:1), and ending, according to tradition, with his being ‘sawn in two’ by bad king Manasseh after the death of good king Hezekiah (cf. Hebrews 11:37).
The following verses demonstrate the rebelliousness of God’s own people (Isaiah 1:2); their failure to consider the implications of belonging to God (Isaiah 1:3); an indictment of their sinful backsliding (Isaiah 1:4); a demonstration of the terrible suffering which sin brings (Isaiah 1:5-6); and the utter desolation to which sin ultimately and inevitably leads (Isaiah 1:7-8). Then, at last, the word ‘Except’ introduces the hope of the Gospel: God’s grace in preserving a remnant to Himself (Isaiah 1:9a). Without it there would be no way out of man’s plight: ‘we should have been as Sodom; we should have been like unto Gomorrah’ (Isaiah 1:9b).
Then Isaiah addresses his congregation as “rulers of Sodom” and “people of Gomorrah,” and begins to reason with them (Isaiah 1:10). It is all quite shocking: how dare he expose our comfortable, upright congregation to such strong language? After all, we all think we know what Sodom and Gomorrah stand for…
But let us stop right there. What is it about Sodom and Gomorrah that God condemned in the first instant? Even before the angels arrived with the announcement of the judgment and were treated so vilely (Genesis 19:4-7), the Bible says, ‘the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly’ (Genesis 13:13). The LORD’s own indictment against them is this: ‘Pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me’ (Ezekiel 16:49-50). And He accuses His people of being like them: ‘They commit adultery and walk in lies, they strengthen the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness’ (Jeremiah 23:14).
In effect, Isaiah calls his congregation to Repentance: “Hear the word of the LORD;” “give ear unto the law of our God” (Isaiah 1:10)! What is interesting is that this could apply to any congregation, in any time. We could be so satisfied with our religiosity that we fail to realise that it does not impress the LORD at all. God-given ordinances can so easily be reduced to mere formality: to the point that the LORD rejects them (Isaiah 1:11-15).
After all, obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22; Hosea 6:6). Man is more interested in outward things, but only the LORD looks on the heart (cf. 1 Samuel 16:7). “Bring no more vain oblations,” says the LORD, “it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting” (Isaiah 1:13).
Again comes the call to Repentance. It is in terms of washing yourself; of making yourself clean; of putting away the evil of your doings; of ceasing to do evil; of learning to do well; of seeking justice; of relieving the oppressed; doing right by the orphans; pleading for widows (Isaiah 1:16-17).
Yet if we have learned anything at all it is that, outside of Christ, we can do none of these things. Even our best efforts fall far short of the mark. The law has been constantly demanding these things of us, but who can ever pass the Grade in God’s school?
It is at this point that the Gospel appears, in all its glory. “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD (Isaiah 1:18). All our do-it-yourself religion is doomed to failure. It is not our work that counts, but the work of Christ: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).
‘Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean,’ says the Psalmist: ‘wash me and I shall be whiter than snow’ (Psalms 51:7). There is a fountain opened on Calvary’s hill, for sin and for uncleanness (cf. Zechariah 13:1). It is there that our robes are ‘washed white in the blood of the Lamb’ (Revelation 7:14).
In other words, we are encouraged to cast ourselves, wholly and entirely, upon God’s mercy. Ours is a reasonable faith, and if we be “willing and obedient” then it will be well for us (Isaiah 1:19). But if any should persist in their refusal and continue to rebel, then they shall be devoured. “The mouth of the LORD has spoken it” (Isaiah 1:20).
B). COVENANT PEOPLE IN THE DOCK.
Psalm 50:1-8, Psalm 50:22-23.
“A Psalm of Asaph,” reads the superscription. Asaph was a chief musician contemporary with King David (1 Chronicles 16:4-7). Asaph is also referred to as a ‘seer’ (2 Chronicles 29:30).
Taken as a whole, the content of this Psalm appears as a court case, with El Elohim Yahweh, “the Mighty God the LORD” (Psalm 50:1) presiding as Judge (Psalm 50:6) - and God’s covenant people in the dock (Psalm 50:5).
The scene is set with the appearing of God. Our God is the mighty God, the God who speaks, the God of all Creation (Psalm 50:1). The God whose word shines forth from the heavenly Zion, and from the earthly Jerusalem (Psalm 50:2). The God who comes, and is coming, and shall not keep silence (Psalm 50:3a).
Our God is a consuming fire (Psalm 50:3). But He is also the God of grace (cf. Hebrews 12:28-29). When He calls His covenant people to judgment, those bound to Him by sacrifice (Psalm 50:4-5), it is not necessarily something to strike terror into our hearts: because that covenant is true, and that all-sufficient sacrifice is Jesus.
And the heavens shall declare His righteousness (Psalm 50:6), even the righteousness which is ours in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:22). For God is judge Himself (Psalm 50:6), ‘that there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1). ‘And we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous’ (1 John 2:1), who silences the accuser of the brethren, and stands in our room and stead.
That is a judgment we can bear.
The first indictment is about formalism in worship (Psalm 50:7-15). Here the accused are addressed as “Israel,” and are reassured that they are dealing with (literally) “I, God your God” (Psalm 50:7). It is not that God was against the sacrifices altogether (Psalm 50:8) - after all, He had commanded them, and they pointed forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus (cf. Hebrews 10:4-10) - but He was refusing to accept their sacrifices as long as they were offered as bribes, or as long as people imagined that He benefited from them. This is like church people imagining that their attendance at church earns them credits with God, or that their sacrificial giving is somehow them helping God!
The second indictment is about hypocrisy (Psalm 50:16-22). Hypocrisy, play-acting, lurks in many a dark corner in many a church and theological faculty - and in our own hearts. It is one thing to ‘talk the talk’ as the saying goes, but it is quite another to ‘walk the walk.’ What good is all our religion if we have not justice, mercy, and faith (cf. Matthew 23:23)? The second indictment ends with a solemn warning (Psalm 50:22; cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).
I am put in mind of another court case, when the Son of Man (i.e. Jesus) comes in all His glory and, as a shepherd, separates the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:33). He will COMMEND the sheep on the basis of what they have done (Matthew 25:40). In like manner He will CONDEMN the goats - the ones among the sheep who are posing as sheep - on the basis of what they have failed to do (Matthew 25:45-46).
The last verse rounds off the argument with an instruction (Psalm 50:23). In answer to the first indictment, it is the one who offers praise who glorifies God (cf. Romans 12:1). In answer to the second, it is to the one who orders his conduct aright that God will show His salvation (cf. James 3:13).
C). THE LORD OUR SHIELD.
Genesis 15:1-6.
After the battle of the kings, Abram no doubt would have had a rush of emotion. First of all, perhaps, elation: look what God has enabled me to do with a small household army (Genesis 14:14-16). Secondly, a sudden realisation: I have just picked a fight with powerful kings, kings who invaded several other kingdoms simply because they refused to pay taxes (Genesis 14:4). Thirdly - perhaps not dissimilar to the reaction of the victorious Elijah who had single-handedly beaten 400 Baal prophets, then ran in sheer terror when the woman Jezebel said, “Baa” (1 Kings 19:1-3) - the last reaction is fear.
Abram was no doubt in a state of fear when the word of the LORD came to him (Genesis 15:1). That is how it is sometimes with spiritual battles: we return from the field exhausted, and our joy soon turns to discouragement. Yet it is just at this point that the Lord steps in with a word of encouragement.
The phrase “the word of the LORD came to Abram” actually marks him out as a prophet (cf. Genesis 20:7). Repeated in Genesis 15:4, this is the only time that this particular formula is used in the books of Moses. Yet Moses’ desire that all God’s people should become prophets (Numbers 11:29) was fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2:16-18), and Christian people are also able to hear the word of the Lord.
We are not only told to vanquish fear, but we are also given a word of comfort and reassurance (Genesis 15:1). First, the LORD sets Himself as our shield: we cannot see Him as such, but the Word tells us that He is there. This was the experience of Moses and the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 33:29), and is also the portion of the righteous in all ages (Psalm 5:12).
Second, our great reward for stepping out in faith - as Abram had done when he selflessly risked his own life to save those who were in bondage - is further manifestations of the LORD Himself. Of course, Abram looked for the reward in the earlier promise of being made into a nation (Genesis 12:2) - yet to the old man that promise seemed remote and impossible: as things appeared at this time, a slave born into his household was his heir (Genesis 15:2-3). It is good to give reverent voice to our concerns, because faith requires exercise in order for it to grow.
Again the Word of the LORD came to Abram, and the LORD reassured his servant that he would have a son of his own to be his heir (Genesis 15:4), and that his seed would be as numerous as the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5). Even with the best of telescopes located outside of the earth’s atmosphere, we are still unable to see all the stars in all the systems of God’s creation. Yet in time, the promise was fulfilled (Hebrews 11:11-12).
Abram chose to believe God rather than his own doubts and fears (Genesis 15:6). He took no account of the “deadness” of his own body, nor the unproductiveness of Sarai’s (Romans 4:19-21). The LORD accounted Abram’s faith as righteousness, and he became “the father of the faithful” (cf. Galatians 3:29).
God’s apparent delays are not denials. When we step out into the unknown (Genesis 15:7) we may face new challenges. Yet we know that God will not fail to fulfil that which He has begun (Philippians 1:6).
D). THE ALL-SEEING EYE.
Psalm 33:12-22.
This passage begins with a beatitude:
PSALM 33:12. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance.”
In ancient times, it was only Israel who had such a relationship with the LORD. Not that they chose Him, but that He chose them.
It is still true today that there is only one “people” who can thus be defined as those “whose God is the LORD… whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance.” That is the people referred to by the Apostle Paul as ‘the Israel of God’ (cf. Galatians 6:16) - the church of our Lord Jesus Christ - ‘chosen in Him from the foundation of the world’ (Ephesians 1:4), and made up of both Jews and Gentiles (cf. Galatians 3:7-9).
The Apostle Peter says to the church, ‘But ye are a CHOSEN generation, a royal priesthood, an holy NATION, a peculiar PEOPLE’ (cf. 1 Peter 2:9).
So, “Blessed is THAT nation whose God is the LORD; and THAT people whom He hath CHOSEN for His inheritance.” It was His choice, not ours: but what a blessing it is! What an honour!
PSALM 33:13-14. “The LORD looks from heaven; He beholds the sons of men. From the place of His habitation He looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth.”
The all-seeing eye of God is able to see, all at once, “all the inhabitants of the earth.” This is a sobering thought. When He called to our progenitor in the garden, ‘Where art thou?’ (cf. Genesis 3:9), He knew full well where Adam was. Man in His sin, no matter how hard he tries, cannot hide from God!
But for the believer in Jesus, it is a comforting thought. He has promised, ‘I am with you always, even unto the end of the world’ (cf. Matthew 28:20). So for us, it is reassuring to know that He is watching over us, and all our ways, constantly.
PSALM 33:15. “He fashions their hearts alike; He considers all their works.”
Not that we were all created as clones of one another, but rather that He is Creator of each one of us. He is Creator of all men, whether rich or poor; high or low; believer or unbeliever! And He knows our hearts, He knows the intentions of our hearts, and He “considers” our works accordingly.
PSALM 33:16-17. “There is no king saved by the multitude of a host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. A horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.”
Hosts and heroes and horses are what worldly kings depend upon. Not so the Christian (cf. Psalm 44:4-7).
PSALM 33:18-19. “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.”
Here now is the all-seeing eye in our favour. If we reverence the LORD, if we “hope in His mercy;” He will “deliver (our) soul from death,” and “keep (us) alive in famine.” God sees our plight, and reacts accordingly, just as surely as He heard the groaning of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt, and came down to deliver them (Exodus 6:5).
The LORD also heard OUR cry, when we were in bondage to sin and to death (cf. Hebrews 2:15). When we were ‘strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in this world’ (cf. Ephesians 2:12). It was ‘while we were yet sinners’ that ‘Christ died for us’ (Romans 5:8).
PSALM 33:20-21. “Our soul waits for the LORD: He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him because we have trusted in His holy name.”
We trust the LORD, for He has proved Himself to be reliable. ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’ (cf. Hebrews 13:5). Our soul waits, our heart rejoices, because He is our help and our shield. ‘Hitherto hath the LORD helped us’ (cf. 1 Samuel 7:12).
PSALM 33:22. “Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.”
This is not an appeal to the LORD to measure how large our hope might be, but rather that He might respond in proportion to the largeness of His grace and mercy towards us. Do we believe He can do this? Then, says Jesus, ‘According to your faith be it unto you’ (cf. Matthew 9:27-29). Amen.
E). NOW FAITH IS.
Hebrews 11:1-3, Hebrews 11:8-16.
This chapter follows on from the quotation of Habakkuk 2:4 in Hebrews 10:38a: ‘the just shall live by faith’ (see also Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11). “Now faith is,” continues Hebrews 11:1.
The first thing that we learn about faith is that it is not nebulous: it is not cloudy, fuzzy, or hazy; not vague, indeterminate, or ill-defined. No, rather it is substantial, it is real, it is tangible. It anticipates the future: it is “the substance (or assurance) of things hoped for;” it is a conviction which stands as “evidence for things not (yet) seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith looks beyond the obvious to behold the hand of the invisible God behind it all (cf. Hebrews 11:27).
The second thing that we learn about faith is that “By it the elders obtained a good report” (Hebrews 11:2). Not only that, but that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). Not that we are suddenly back into the realm of salvation by works, for “faith” is not a ‘work’ in that sense: but rather, as we launch out into ‘The Hall of Faith’ (as I entitled another sermon), we are encouraged to know that these men and women of old had a sense of God’s approval - indeed, His reward - through the exercise of the gift of faith.
The third thing we learn about faith is that “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God” (Hebrews 11:3). Something - everything - in the cosmos was made out of “things that do not appear”: the visible emerged out of the invisible.
Sometimes when we look at our Christian walk and life all we can see are our failures. Healthy self-examination all too easily declines into unhealthy introspection. It is good to be reassured that God views us not as we see ourselves, but as we are in Christ Jesus.
None of the heroes of the faith was perfect. Between the promise of a son to Abraham and the birth of Isaac there was the episode with Hagar (Genesis 16:1-6). Yet God’s final word on Abraham and Sarah was “through faith” (Hebrews 11:11).
Abraham stepped out in faith by obeying the call of God (Hebrews 11:8). The “father of all those who believe” (Romans 4:11) left his home and his kindred to go to a land which he did not know and had not seen. There he received no inheritance, but dwelt in tents with his offspring (Hebrews 11:9), trusting in the promise of something better beyond (Hebrews 11:10; Hebrews 11:13-16).
F). THE MASTER WHO SERVES.
Luke 12:32-40.
Jesus has reassured His disciples that they are of more value to God than many sparrows, and that the very hairs of their head are numbered (Luke 12:6-7). He has also taught us, through the parable of the rich fool, to value the things of God more than the things of this transient life (Luke 12:21). This life, after all, consists in more than merely material things (Luke 12:23).
Jesus reminds His “little flock” that “it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). The imperative of Luke 12:33, rightly understood, becomes a marker of where our heart lies (Luke 12:34). We must hold the things of this earth with a loose hand, and prioritise our lives in such a way as to give precedence to the kingdom of God (cf. Luke 12:31).
Another way of maintaining our present possession of the kingdom is to have an eye to the future: to what is about to happen (Luke 12:35). The allusion takes us back, first of all, to the first Passover, when the children of Israel had to eat the Passover in haste, dressed and ready to go (Exodus 12:11). But the lit lamps point us forward to the five wise virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), and the return of Jesus (Luke 12:36-38).
This little parable is calling us to an active readiness. First, we are cast as men waiting for their Lord, listening for the knock on the door that announces His return from a wedding (Luke 12:36). Second, we are cast as slaves already in possession of a present blessing, watching for His coming, and surprised to be waited upon by Him (Luke 12:37-38).
There are several layers of application for this parable. At the end of His message to the lukewarm church of Laodicea, Jesus paints the endearing picture of Himself standing at the door and knocking, with the promise that ‘if any man will hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him and sup with him, and he with Me’ (Revelation 3:20). This speaks to each individual’s need to open his or her heart to receive Jesus.
The motif of ‘the returning Lord’ anticipates the nobleman who went to receive a kingdom, and to return (Luke 19:12). This points us to the whereabouts of Jesus in this interim period between the two Advents: He has gone to the Father to receive the kingdom (cf. 1 Peter 3:22). From thence He shall return, with power and great glory (Luke 21:27).
The extended beatitude of Luke 12:37-38 points us to the present blessedness of those who are in Christ Jesus. It is because we are blessed that we keep watch, not the other way round. The seeming reward of being served by the Master is a reward of grace, not of merit.
The heart of the parable is found in the picture of the Master tucking his garments into his belt and serving his slaves. The parable took on an almost sacramental significance in John 13:4-5, when Jesus laid aside His garments, and girded Himself with a towel to wash the disciples’ feet. ‘Jesus came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many’ (cf. Mark 10:45).
Jesus is present with us wherever two or three are gathered together in His name (Matthew 18:20). He is manifest to us whenever we participate in the Lord’s Supper. But what is ultimately being anticipated in the parable of the Master who serves is the return of Jesus (Luke 12:40).
Finally, after the positive encouragement of the parable of the serving Master, we have a negative illustration (Luke 12:39). Paul and Peter both refer to the day of the Lord as coming ‘like a thief’ (1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10). Jesus elsewhere uses the expression to call to repentance (Revelation 3:3) - and to pronounce a benediction (Revelation 16:15).
