Series: Isaiah
Title: The Believer's Strength
Text: Isaiah 30: 1-17
Date: June 20, 2010
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
The LORD sent a great trial to the children of Judah. In the midst of the trial he sent Isaiah with this message: Isaiah 30: 7: For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still. But Judah rebelled.
I. GOD'S DESCRIPTION OF REBELLION
Isaiah 30: 1: Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: 2: That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!
A. They took counsel, but not of God
1. They had God's word but would not hear it (v9)
2. They had God's prophets but would not hear them (v10)
3. They had access to the Holy One of Israel through prayer but would not ask (v11)
B. They covered with a covering, but not of the Holy Spirit. The word "covering" has to do with making a covenant.
1. They entered into alliance with Egypt convinced it was what they should do. Yet, it was not the Holy Spirit that moved them to make the alliance but their own wicked hearts.
Jeremiah 17: 9: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
C. They added sin to sin
1. In the beginning God sent the trial to turn Judah from their sin to God.
2. Yet, when the Israelites troubled them they looked to the Syrians
3. When the Syrians troubled them they looked to the Assyrians
4. When the Assyrians troubled them they looked to Egypt--but they did not look to God--they added sin to sin.
Application: God sends the trial to you and I, believer, to take away that which is keeping us from him. It is rebellion to seek refuge in that which takes us further away from him.
D. They walked to go down into Egypt, rather than asking God.
1. Amazing! They could have simply asked God.
2. Instead, they labored to return to the land of oppression and bitter bondage from which God had taken their fathers.
Illustration: The extensive labor of criminals. It takes far more effort, far more labor, to rebel against God than to submit to him.
E. They sought to strengthen themselves
1. Not in God, but in the strength of Pharaoh.
2. They put their trust in a shadow rather than in the sovereign God of heaven and earth.
II. REBELLION AGAINST GOD IS ALWAYS COSTLY (v3-7)
A. Pharaoh and the Egyptians required Judah to pay a high price. In return they got nothing but shame, reproach, and confusion.
Application: Compromise with this world will take everything from you and give you nothing in return. We can not be a friend of this world and a friend of God. We can not ignore the counsel of God and expect to prosper.
B. Rejecting the counsel of God will bring the judgment of God. (vv8-17)
III. THE BELIEVER'S STRENGTH (v7, 15)
A. Some of you here have never believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Heed this word "Return to the Holy One of Israel." The word means withdraw. Withdraw from your every vain confidence and return to Christ Jesus. Return--withdraw--from leaning to your own understanding-return from taking counsel with your own evil heart--from looking to Egypt for salvation.
· You compare yourselves with other sinners and think you are alright
· You look to your own works and think God will accept you, but he will not.
· You are a sinner!
· God will only accept a sinner through faith in Christ Jesus.
John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Salvation is in returning and resting in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 30: 15: In returning and rest shall ye be saved;
Turn to I John 1: 8:
Sin is a heavy load upon you. Guilt weighs upon your conscious. You have sought deep to hide who you are long enough! Come to Christ confessing your sin and guilt
1 John 1: 8: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
First, Coming to Christ is to be honest with God. God will not receive liars. It's time to be honest with God. He already knows your heart. Come to Christ and confess what you are.
· He is faithful to forgive our sins. God is faithful to his word:
John 6:37: All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Pr 28:13: He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
· He is just to forgive our sins. Christ satisfied justice on behalf of each chosen child given him by the Father. God is just to send forth his Spirit and make each one alive. God is just to draw you to his Son. He is just to speak peace into your heart saying, "Thy sins be forgiven thee."
(Turn to 1 John 5)
Secondly, coming to Christ believing him. You see, you will never confess your sins to God until you believe the record God has given of his Son.
I John 5: 10: He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11: And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
· Do you believe him? He says,
Matthew 11:28: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
If God draws you to the breast of his Son this hour the sweet peace in your heart will cause you to say in amazement!
Micah 7:18: Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
B. Now a word to you who believe.
Isaiah 30: 15:…in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength:
1. These two go together--the basis of quietness is confidence in God and those who are confident in God will sit still and wait upon him.
· Are you confident that God is able?
· Are you confident that God can provide a table for you in this wilderness?
· Are you confident that as God spared not his own Son but redeemed you from all iniquity, so he will freely give you all things?
C. Here are some things to consider in every decision you have to make.
1. Have I sought God's counsel? By prayer, by seeking his counsel in his word, by heeding the word of his gospel--Judah took counsel but not of God.
2. Am I convinced by the Spirit of God in my heart that this is what the Lord would have me to do? The Lord said, Judah "covered with a covering, but not of my spirit".
· We hear the word of God and profess to trust God. But sooner or later, God puts us in the fire, like he did Judah and far too often fear takes the place of faith.
· We want the answer from God now, we want to be delivered now
· When God waits we grow impatient and try to fix things ourselves.
· Isaiah was sent with this word, "Their strength is to sit still."
3. Will this decision be one that is honoring to my God? Judah's offense was that they counted their wisdom and Pharaoh's strength to be greater than God's. They dishonored God.
4. Will this hinder me and my family from attending the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ? Pharaoh always requires your most costly treasures and your most costly riches. As they added sin to sin Judah became less and less desirous of the truth of God, saying, "Prophecy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us."
5. Will this encourage and benefit God's people, my brethren. The decision Judah made affected every man, woman and child in Judah. Christ has fitly joined his body together so that every saint depends upon every other member.
Matthew 6: 31: Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32: (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
1. Listen to the promise of the Lord: Isaiah 49: 22, 23
Ps 27: 14: Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Isaiah 30: 15: For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength:
AMEN!