Series: Isaiah
Title: For My People
Text: Isaiah 65: 8-10
Date: January 10, 2016
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
The nation Israel rejected God in favor of their idolatry. God said the nation was “A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face.” (Is 65: 3) They worshipped what they would, where they would, how they would. Yet, they separated themselves from one another saying, “Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou.” (Is 65: 5)
If you wonder what was going on, just look at our nation today—look at the world at large, today. We live in a world full of idolaters. Men and women are—“lovers of their own selves…despisers of those that are good…highminded…lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.” (2 Tim 3: 2-4)
Yet, all claim to be authorities on God and right and wrong—“having a form of godliness but denying [Christ] the Power thereof.” (2 Tim 3: 5) In religion, in politics, in civics—all are divided, all criticize the other for their so-called “political incorrectness”, each time they do so they are saying, “Stand by thyself, come not near me; for I am holier than thou. God says “These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.”
So God declared to political Israel that God would turn them over to reprobation and destroy the nation because they earned it by their iniquities. And God will soon do the same to this whole world.
Yet, in our text, God gives a word of grace and hope for some in Israel; a word of grace and hope for some in this world today. He says “For My People.” The one reason that God preserved Israel is the one reason God preserves this world now, it is because God has an elect remnant who he shall save in Christ Jesus his Son--“For My People.”
Isaiah 65: 8: Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all. 9: And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. 10: And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.
GOD’S ANALOGY
God uses the analogy of a withered grapevine—“Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all.” (Is 65: 8)
The grapevine is dried up, producing no fruit. So the owner is about to cut down the whole vine. But “new wine is found in the cluster.” In the midst of the dried branches there is a small cluster where new wine is found. Therefore, the owner of the vineyard says, “Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it:” God says, “so will I do for my servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all.”
God declared Israel had rejected him for their idolatry. They were a dried, dead, fruitless vine. The same is true of this whole world today; it is a dry, dead, fruitless vine. So God declared he would destroy Israel and recompense their former works into their bosom. Soon God will do the same to this whole reprobate world.
Yet, in the midst of Israel there was “new wine found in the cluster.” In Song of Solomon 1: 14, the church says of Christ, “My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.” Since God chose his elect in Christ in eternity, the Church—every chosen child of God—has been preserved in the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, (Rev_13:8) Christ our Surety “is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Col 1: 17)
Therefore God says, “Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all.” Though God declared he would certainly destroy reprobate Israel, God preserved them for a time. Why? Why is God preserving this present ungodly world right now? The one reason God preserved reprobate Israel for a time is the one reason God preserving this world. It is because God has an elect remnant, chosen in Christ, who God shall bring to repent and believe on Christ.
2 Peter 3: 7:…the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 8: But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9: The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance…15: And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation.
Noah is an example. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. So God commanded Noah to get in the ark. But God did not rain down one drop of judgment until God had shut Noah and his family in the ark. So it is that God will not allow one of his chosen children to perish but shall call each one to repentance. Then will God judge and destroy the reprobate world.
GOD’S WORK
God declares this is his work in Christ in his Son for his chosen people—“And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains…” (Is 65: 9)
Salvation is the work of God. God says, “I will…” By God’s sovereign, eternal purpose—“I will”; by God’s free and sovereign grace—“I will”; by God’s mighty hand—“I will.”
Brethren, do not be worried when you see the craziness going on in this world! Everything that comes to pass in this world is under God’s control. It all comes to pass according to God’s eternal purpose to glorify his Son in the salvation of his people.
THE SEED OUT OF JACOB
Christ is the preserving Cluster, the Promised Seed—“I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains.” (Is 65: 9)
In the garden, after Adam plunged us all into sin and death, God declared to the devil, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Gen 3: 15) It is the same gospel God declares in our text. God promised the Son of God would become the Son of man, the Seed of woman. Women do not have a seed. In the history of the world, only one woman had a seed. That Seed is Christ. God declared he would use the devil to put Christ on the cross and bruise Christ’s heel. Thereby, the GodMan would crush the devils head and save his people from our sins.
So even though Adam transgressed, though sin entered and death passed upon all men, God looked upon Christ the Seed and said, “Destroy it not for a blessing is in it!” God says the same thing in our text, God says, “Destory it not for a blessing is in it!...I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob and out of Judah.”
Christ is called “a seed of Jacob” because God chose for Christ to come into this earth through Abraham’s lineage. God promised Abraham “in THY SEED shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” (Gen 22: 18) Paul tells us that seed is Christ, “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” (Gal 3: 16)
So Christ called the seed of Jacob and of Judah because Abraham begat Isaac, Isaac begat Jacob, Jacob begat Judah and Christ came through that line. So according to the flesh, Christ is the Seed of Abraham, the Seed of Isaac, the Seed of Jacob, the Seed of Judah. At your leisure, read the rest of the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1. Judah begot Phares of Thamar. Down the line you find Boaz begat Obed of Ruth, Obed begot Jesse and Jesse begat King David. Down the line, we find Christ is born.
So God spared reprobate Israel until Christ came into this world through the spiritual sons of Jacob and Judah. God said, “I will bring forth A SEED out of Jacob and out of Judah.”
Yet, this “seed” speaks of God’s elect people as well. God’s elect remnant are themselves in Christ the Seed. The elect in Isaiah’s day, the first believers that Christ called out of Israel, all God’s elect in this world today, are a holy seed in Christ the Holy Seed by God’s free grace. Christ is all our salvation. This is why Isaiah said of his nation, “Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.” (Is 1: 9)
Sodom was reprobate like Israel. In fact, God calls Israel Sodom. But God preserved Sodom until he brought Lot out. Only then did God destroy Sodom. Isaiah said, “Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom.” We can say the same today about this whole world! Except God had left us a very small remnant, this whole world should have already been destroyed like Sodom.
THE HEIR OF GOD
Christ is the Heir of God—“…and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.” (Is 65: 9)
Christ is the Inheritor of God’s heavenly mountains—the new heavens and the new earth. Christ is the Father’s preeminent elect therefore God says, “mine Elect shall inherit it.” And in Christ, all God’s elect people shall inherit all heavenly blessings with Christ! Christ established us in righteousness. He purged our sins. Christ justified us. He perfected forever them that are sanctified. We are joint-heirs with Christ.
Romans 8: 16: The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18: For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us
Brethren, did you notice how many “wills” and “shalls” there are in our text. God says “so will I do for my servants’ sakes”, “I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob”, “mine elect shall inherit it”, “my servants shall dwell there.” This is God’s sure work in Christ our victorious Redeemer. Therefore, this glorious inheritance shall be given to all who are joint-heirs with Christ.
THE END
At last we come to the end—“And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.” (Is 65: 10)
God speaks metaphorically of his church and kingdom. After Christ arose to his heavenly inheritance in God’s holy mountain, Christ sent Peter with the gospel to literal Sharon. By the power of Christ “all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron turned to the Lord.” (Acts 9: 35) So it shall be for all Christ’s sheep. “Sharon” is this fat green pasture right here—Christ church! It is wherever our great, risen Shepherd has folded his flocks together in the green pasture of his gospel like he has done for his sheep in this place.
“The valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in.” Every believer has eternal rest in Christ. This was the valley were Achan was stoned for his sin and God turned away from his fierce anger. Since Christ bore our sin and satisfied God’s justice, God has turned away his fierce anger from all his elect. This valley of Achan is what Hosea (whose name means savior) gave to Gomer “for a door of hope.” (Hos 2: 15) Brethren, in this valley in which we live, Christ took our place on the cross. Now, God has turned away his fierce anger from all his elect. Now Christ our Savior, gives himself to us for a Door of Hope.
Yet, there is something else about this valley of Achor! This valley was the first ground the children of Israel stepped foot on when they crossed Jordan into Canaan. Brethren, all this green pasture and this rest we have in Christ, folded together with his sheep, under his gospel, is a foretaste of our hope, a foretaste of our heavenly inheritance, which is reserved for us in the new heavens and new earth. By the same power by which Christ regenerated us to life, one day Christ shall deliver us through death. We shall cross that Jordan and enter our eternal rest with Christ. What a day!
Now, notice, God says this shall be “for my people that have sought me.” The one reason that God preserves this world now is because God has an elect remnant who he shall save in Christ Jesus his Son. Are you one for whom God preserves this present world? Are you one for whom God gives nations—Ethiopia and Seba for thee? (Is 43: 3) Has Christ folded you together and given himself to you for a door of hope?
If so, seek only God our Savior. He says, “Mine elect shall inherit it and my servants shall dwell there…this is “for my people who have sought me” Read 2 Peter 3: 11-14
Amen!