THE LORD’S CALL FOR RECONCILIATION
TO THE CHILDREN OF MEN
Isaiah 45: 22, 23
New Year’s Day sermon by:
Rev. L. Roth
PUBLISHED BY
PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
OF THE
FREE REFORMED CHURCHES OF NORTH AMERICA.
(December 2004)
LITURGY:
Votum
Psalter 48: 1, 3, 5
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 45
Text: Isaiah 45: 22, 23
Belgic Confession Article #27
Psalter 166: 3, 4, 6
Congregational Prayer
Offerings
Psalter 218: 1, 6
Sermon
Psalter 415: 2, 4, 6
Thanksgiving Prayer
Psalter 235: 1, 2
Doxology: Psalter 236: 1
Isaiah 45:22, 23 The Lord’s Call to the Children of Men
Beloved Congregation.
We have entered the New Year, 2005. We do not know what this year will bring. But, what a privilege to begin this year in God’s House around His infallible Word. For, there is no more precious thing that we can possess in life since it declares to us the way of salvation and true life. Without it, man lives and dies like the beasts of the field, without hope, without any perspective. Instead, eternal destruction will be their end. How terrible is the thought, to be forever without God, in hell, without hope. And yet, as we often say, where there is life, there is hope. The Lord has spared all of our lives that we might again enter a New Year. And what a mercy, He comes to us with the message of reconciliation, of sinner’s love also this morning, urging us to seek His favor and grace revealed in Christ Jesus.
Well now, let us examine the words of our text on this New Year’s Day under the following theme,
THE LORD’S CALL FOR RECON-CILIATION TO THE CHILDREN OF
MEN.
In the first place let us consider A Direct Call.
Secondly let us regard A Powerful Call.
In the third place let us examine A Humbling Call.
In the first place let us consider A Direct Call. The words of our text, congregation, were the words used by the Lord to bring about a change in Spurgeon’s life, Look unto Me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth. Apparently a rather unlearned exhorter was preaching on this text and repeated it over and over again during his exposition of it. And the Lord used it to give light to him who was to become a prince of preachers.
Our text is a very well known one. It speaks of God’s willingness to have dealings with a deeply fallen human race. It is a word that comes indiscriminately to each and everyone that hears it. No one who hears this earnest call of the gospel can say, This word is not meant for me; it does not apply to me. Why not? Because it is a call made by almighty God. And therefore everyone that hears this call of the Lord to turn to Him will be held accountable with respect to how he or she has responded to it. No one can say that the Lord has made this declaration, but, really He did not mean it. That’s an awesome thought, congregation, which makes us therefore accountable unto the Lord.
You see, these opening words of our text were not spoken by a mere man who may not be able to fulfill its demands. But this precious word spoken through the Prophet Isaiah was given by the living God! Yes, the living God, the Maker and Sustainer of all life has spoken it, Look unto Me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth. God Himself has spoken it in line with His promise concerning the Messiah Who would one day come. He, Who cannot lie and will perform what He has said, speaks. And so this word of the living God comes directly to all of mankind.
In the words previous to our text the Lord had been speaking more particularly to the people called after His own name, to Israel. For example, verse 19 reads, I have not spoken in secret in a dark place of the earth. I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye Me in vain, I the Lord, that is the God of the covenant speak righteousness; I declare things that are right. And then in verse 21 He invites those Israelites who have escaped from the nations to come to Him Who is a just God and a Savior, there being none else beside Him. And then, yes, then the Lord widens the scope of his address calling the whole of humanity to turn unto Him. There is no one who is able to say that the Lord did not call him or her. This is a direct call to all and everyone who receives the Word and hears the Gospel. We can even go a step further. Just think of what Paul writes in Romans 1:18, 19, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has showed it unto them. They knew this from creation itself so that they are without excuse, as we read at the end of verse 20.
But there is another way in which we can regard this call of God revealed in our text. Not only is it a call to all of humanity, but it is a direct call in that it strikes the heart of the matter, the center of man’s life. Now, when our translation gives the command, to look, we should know that the original gives this command a little stronger. It might better be translated, Turn ye all the ends of the earth. This is the sense in which the Prophet speaks in Chapter 55:7, when he says, Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and He will have mercy on him.
But, what is it to look or to turn unto the Lord? This refers to the fact that sinners are exhorted to seek the Lord, to expect everything they need for body and soul from Him. For just look at what the Prophet attaches to this turning to the Lord. He says, Look unto Me, and be ye saved. Yes, this looking and turning to the Lord are necessary for salvation. For when one goes on through life seeking to direct their affairs according to their own insights, then they will not be delivered from their sins at all.
But now the Lord gives this command through His servant the prophet. He speaks as the sovereign Lord. For listen to what he says, For I am God and there is none else. Yes, it is the Almighty, the one true living God. Should His command not carry weight? Indeed it should! For He has given life and health and strength to the children of men to continue life. Moreover, He has spoken the word with an oath. In verse 23 we read, I have sworn by myself. It is no wonder that this word of the Lord has power, beloved. Not that the Lord had to swear an oath. For His word is always truth; it is always dependable. But the Lord uses an oath on our behalf, because we are so inclined to believe a lie rather than the truth. Of ourselves, we cannot distinguish between a lie and the truth. And, besides that, congregation, by nature we cannot understand the lofty truth of God’s Word and we do not have the capacity to trust in it. And that is why the Lord uses an oath, calling upon Himself to witness and no one else.
Well now, this is the highest plea that anyone may go to. And so you and I can be assured that what the Lord speaks is dependable. When God the Lord speaks, it is a righteous word, a word that shall be dependable in all situations. Yes, man may appeal to the highest Judge, relying upon the Word of God. That is true concerning the word of God’s law as well as His words of grace. Both are spoken in truth. When the Lord speaks in judgment against those who transgress His Law, this is in truth. He will perform it. When the Lord comes with His declaration of mercy upon repentance, then that also is trustworthy. For the Lord has spoken it. And therefore we have no greater appeal upon God’s mercy than His own Word. Place your finger upon God’s own Word and plead His grace, for His own name’s sake. And, He.…. will hear from heaven according to His own promise.
Well now, the Lord has issued a direct call to us to turn unto Him on the first day of this New Year, congregation. How will you respond? By this call the Lord reveals that He does not seek our death, but our life. Will you be so stubborn and unfeeling so as to just allow that call of the Gospel to go by as it were, unheeded? Realize well, when we ignore God’s call we are also reacting to it. We are in essence saying, I have no desire to have anything to do with the Lord. That’s a terrible thought! If someone wants to have nothing to do with the overflowing fountain of all good, with the Lord Who has revealed His love for sinners by sending His only begotten Son, that’s very appalling. Yes it is; but that’s how things stand with man by nature. May that become our guilt, and that more and more, dear friends.
For only then may we also experience A Powerful Call, our second thought.
The Lord has declared His willingness to have dealings with the children of men. He has extended this call to the farthest recesses of this earth. Our text reads, Look unto Me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth. This is very remarkable in light of the fact that the middle wall of partition between Gentile and Jew has not yet been broken down as we read for example in Acts 10. There Peter was given a vision of clean and unclean animals and was commanded to take and eat. Moreover Paul also writes in Ephesians 2:14 that the Lord Jesus is the peace of His people, having broken down the middle wall of partition between the Jews and the Gentiles. But this thought of a world wide call has already been put forward by Isaiah in Chapter 42:10 where he speaks of praise being given to God from the ends of the earth.
However, we should take a little closer look at what turning to the Lord actually entails. What is it to look unto the Lord in a saving way? Perhaps we can make it clear by using another portion of Scripture. The Lord Jesus actually says much the same thing when He compares Himself with the brass serpent that was lifted up in the wilderness in John 3. You will remember the story, right children? When Israel had sinned against the Lord He sent poisonous snakes among them that bit them, causing them to die. And then the people cried out to Moses who was commanded by the Lord to make a serpent of brass and to put it upon a pole. Whoever looked upon the brazen serpent was healed whether he was near by or far away.
Well now, as the brazen serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, in the same way Christ also would be lifted up upon the cross. And whoever puts their trust in the Lord Jesus would receive everlasting life. But is the life of faith so simple, someone asks, that you only need to look to the Lord Jesus as the Israelites did to the brass snake? How are we to see this? Well, quite simply, if the history concerning the serpent of brass in Numbers 21 is true -and it is true- then the whole dilemma concerning the simplicity of faith in the Lord Jesus is true as well.
But, is the life of faith that simple? You see, for the Old Testament Israelite to look upon the brazen serpent meant that they had to be looking away from those slithering serpents which were endangering their lives, biting them. Moreover, to gaze upon the brazen serpent also meant that they had to ignore all their pain and suffering and their deadly wounds.
Well now, in a similar way looking unto the Lord, turning to the Savior is not such a simple thing. For that means, congregation, that you and I must look away from self, that first. We must look away from our own accomplishments and attainments and so on. We must also be on our guard that we do not pity ourselves on account of what we are called on to bear.
But even more than this, we must learn to turn away from the poisonous ways of sin, from the ways of the world and from the powers of darkness himself, who tries to portray himself as having all the answers and dainties of life to satisfy our desires. In other words, this means that we are called to deny ourselves and to look unto the Lord from where all our help must come. And this is nothing other than looking unto the Christ of God, the anointed of the Father, the blessed Savior, the one, truly, righteous Man. As the second Adam He alone is able to save to the uttermost.
Look unto the Lord, congregation, who alone is able to help you and to save you to the uttermost from all your trials and infirmities, and last but not least, is able to deliver you from all your sins. Yes, beloved, look to Him Who is not only able but Who is also willing to help. Christ, and Christ alone is able to deliver you out of all your needs; He is able to free you from all your sin; He is able to deliver you from the bands of death and hell itself. Oh look unto Him, congregation, Who is most suitable to meet your every need. Look to Him in His all sufficiency. He is able to deliver you from all your calamities and needs. He is able to save to the uttermost.
Yes but, someone, says, how can I be sure that the Savior is willing to help and to save me? I am such an insignificant, unworthy sinner. I am such a great sinner! Will the Lord be willing to also have dealings with such a one as me? If questions such as this trouble you, let me ask a counter question. Did the Lord come to this earth for any other reason but to save sinners? Is there any sin which must be regarded as too great for Him to deal with? You know, beloved, the only sin that is unforgivable besides the unpardonable sin in calling God’s work the work of the devil is, when you will not turn to the Lord, when you will not look to Him and seek refuge from all your sin and guilt with Him. But, someone counters, I have heard that only some people may go to the Lord, namely, those who are elect unto eternal life. Well now, how are we to see this? While there is truth to this, that is not what the Lord says in the words of our text. He does not say, Look unto Me all ye that are elect. But, look unto me all ye ends of the earth. Let us lay this word before the Lord, beloved, pleading His grace. Let us be content to hold on to the Lord’s revealed will.