Introduction
The Witness Protection Program (or Witness Security Program, or WITSEC):
Witnesses and their families typically get new identities with authentic documentation. Housing, subsistence for basic living expenses and medical care are provided to the witnesses. Job training and employment assistance may also be provided.
The U.S. Marshals provide 24-hour protection to all witnesses, while they are in a high-threat environment including pretrial conferences, trial testimonials and other court appearances.
In both criminal and civil matters involving protected witnesses, the U.S. Marshals cooperate fully with local law enforcement and court authorities to bring witnesses to justice or to have them fulfill their legal responsibilities.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Federal_Witness_Protection_Program)
The Past Is Gone (Isaiah 54)
1)Principle
In Christ, present and future joy supercedes past failures.
2)Introduction
Some of us are less than proud of our past lives. We've squandered opportunities. Lived for our own pleasures. Caused hurt and damage to others. Maybe even dragged the name of the Lord through the mud. Lead others astray.
Any number of things from our past can crop up to haunt us. And certainly, we are not called to just drop our past and move on. Wherever possible, we should attempt to reconcile any past sins – any grievances others might have against us.
But once we are past that, once we have repented of our sins and been cleansed of the past by the work of Christ on the cross, then we are not to live in continual remorse over those things in the past. We may bear scars, but we need not continue to dwell in the past.
The present and future are where the believer must live. God is pointing out in this passage that His people had a lot to be ashamed of:
They had not been fruitful. In fact, the fruit they had produced was rotten.
They had been like an unpleasing wife to her husband. And they were rightfully put away.
They had experienced the affliction of invasion. The center of worship and rule had been torn down and the jewel of the kingdom was no more.
But rather than continuing to dwell on their past failures and unfaithfulness, Isaiah is calling on the people to shout for joy.
Because of the work of the great Servant, Jesus, God's people can...
Bear Fruit Now (1-3),
Experience God's Eternal Compassion (4-10),
And Receive An Eternal Home With God (11-17).
3)Bear Fruit Now (Isaiah 54:1-3)
In the OT there was often a stigma attached to a woman being barren.
Example: Rachel and Jacob. Hannah and Elkanah (Samuel's parents). Elizabeth and Zechariah (John the Baptist)
Often the idea of having offspring was associated with being blessed by God and barrenness being seen as the opposite. (see also Psalm 127:3-5)
In each of the cases mentioned, God used the barrenness of the woman to achieve His purposes. And each of the offspring became great in the hands of God.
And so here God uses this illustration to point out that there is a change now. Rather than the state of barrenness, Israel would blossom. There would be a spreading out. A moving of tent pegs. A dispossessing of nations in order to accommodate the growth.
The barrenness of the past will no longer be something to burden the mind and should in fact be put behind.
Each of us who began to walk with the Lord late in life have experienced this. We know what it is like to have years where there was nothing of spiritual significance to show for our lives.
But once we began our life in Christ, once we received the great exchange, his death for new life, we were no longer barren. What was shameful from the past has been replaced with a new ability to bear fruit. To live as productive citizens of a heavenly kingdom.
What past failures do you need to leave in the past and move ahead toward fruitful living today?
Not only do God's people bear fruit now, but because of Jesus, Gods people experience His eternal compassion.
4)Experience God's Eternal Compassion (Isaiah 54:4-10)
God often uses the marriage covenant to depict His relationship with His people. In fact, that same metaphor is carried through into the New Testament to depict the Church as the bride of Christ.
A marriage should be a relationships of...
Love
commitment
protection
concern for the needs of the other
compassion – when one is suffering, the other is sympathetically aware of that suffering
This and much more is true of the marriage covenant.
This type of commitment to one another begins to break down when one or both of the parties begin to neglect some aspect. Or when one partner begins to be more interested in themselves and their needs rather than putting the other first.
But God depicts this change that has taken place between him and his people by pointing out what was, and then leaving it behind for what is.
There was reason for shame and disgrace and humiliation. No doubt about it. But God is telling them that will be a thing of the past that will be wiped away.
Whatever they were will no longer be to their account because of the new relationship.
He, their Maker is the husband (to carry forward the analogy). And He points out that it will be like a rejected bride who is now completely accepted.
The stigma of being put away by the first husband will be gone now that the new husband, their Maker, is theirs.
And notice how He points this out in the latter part of verse 8, He will treat them with everlasting kindness and compassion.
This is a relationship built on the eternal promises of God. There is nothing that can deter him from keeping this promise to his own.
And to seal this promise, he calls to their attention the everlasting promise he made to Noah after the flood.
His anger and rebuke...never again (vs 9).
His unfailing love...never removed (vs 10).
His covenant of peace...never removed (vs 10).
How can this be?
Well, in Christ, God sees the perfect righteousness that He requires. Though Christians are still sinners and commit sin, their sins are forgiven. He no longer holds the sin against them. The debt has been paid in full.
No longer is the wrath of God awaiting the child of God, in Christ. He bore that wrath. Our relationship with God is not based upon our performance but upon Christ's righteousness.
There is nothing we did to gain this relationship and there is nothing we can do to lose it. His people are ternally and unconditionally His.
Theologians would say that Christians are positionally righteous before God. Practically, we often fall short of the righteous living that God desires. Though in Christ, we now have the ability to live out a righteous life. Nonetheless, we still fail from time to time.
Not until eternity will we become practically righteous.
What confidence do you find in the fact that because of Christ, God sees you as righteous?
What do you need to change in order to begin living as one with whom God is no longer angry?
5)Receive An Eternal Home With God (Isaiah 54:11-17)
Speaking of Abraham, the writer of Hebrews, in the eleventh chapter says,
Hebrews 11:9-10: 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Whether or not the actual city's depiction is to be taken literally or not, e.g., actual turquoise, sapphires, rubies, jewels, and precious stones, I am not sure.
Whatever the case is, He is pointing out that the past afflictions will pale in comparison to the future glory. The dwelling that God has planned for his own is beyond comparison with any human-built structures.
And besides that, the LORD will dwell there. He will be the teacher. There will be an eternity to learn from God and never reach a point where that learning will be complete.
He will provide peace and establish security. Verse 14 points out that there will be no fear of invaders or enemy attacks.
This promise must have sounded superb to those in Israel who had been familiar with enemies on all sides. Those who had yet to be invaded by Babylon. And then those who would experience exile there.
There are places in the world right now, ravaged by war. No peace in a physical sense. But even in places of civil unrest, those who are in Christ experience an inexpressible peace. Those oppressed by enemies of God can still find that God is their fortress and protector.
God is calling his own not to look for a resting place in this physical world, but live in His peace here and now with the hope of a new dwelling where righteousness will dwell. Where the LORD will provide. And where peace will reign eternally.
What earthly security do you need to exchange for the lasting security that only God can provide?
The Soul Is Satisfied (Isaiah 55:1-56:8)
1)Principle
In Christ, God provides everything a thirsty soul needs to survive.
2)Introduction
We deal with a lot of artificial things in our world today. We have artificial sweeteners. We drink artificial stimulants. We eat foods with artificial flavors and colors. We impose artificial expectation on things that this world has to offer.
Even things that are good in this world that God has placed here for our good, can become an artificial pursuit to quench a thirst and hunger that has no remedy outside its designer's prescription.
You know, there's only so long you can go on the Twinkies diet before it becomes dissatisfying. As hard as we try to convince ourselves that the Twinkies are nutrient-rich, eventually the diet becomes dissatisfying.
But a life apart from God's plan is like a Twinkies diet. We are trying to satisfy the hunger and thirst of the soul with things that were not designed to fill that craving.
And the more we feed our empty souls on such fare, the less satisfied we become and the more we need to pursue harder.
The real problem is that we often don't recognize our pursuits for what they are. Fallen humanity fails to see the correlation between the pursuit of happiness along with the dissatisfaction that ensues and the longing of the soul.
St. Augustine put it this way,s
"Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee."
Blaise Pascal said this,
“There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus”
3)Acknowledge Your Thirst (Isaiah 55:1)
Most never will acknowledge their thirst. Or at least not acknowledge God has what their thirst requires.
But verse 1 calls to the thirsty to come.
Jesus used this illustration with the woman at the well in John chapter 4. He pointed out that like physical water satisfies the thirst, only He could satisfy the soul. That he provided living water that would never run dry. And it wasn't obtained by any type of self-effort but that He gave it freely.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus talks about those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled (Matthew 5:6)
Righteousness is the fundamental problem with the soul, the lack of righteousness that is.
And here Isaiah is pointing out that the invitation is an open invitation, but one must acknowledge that they thirst.
4)Nothing Like the Real Thing (Isaiah 55:1-2)
In the first two verses he points out that everything outside of God's design will fail to fulfill. Every other attempt to fill the void in our soul will not satisfy. And besides that, it cost.
It is an expensive hobby to try and fill up the emptiness of the heart. Because the more one attempts to find satisfaction, the more dissatisfied one becomes.
In addition, the eternal cost is unmeasurable. What can a man give in exchange for his soul? Nothing! What does it profit a man to gain the world but lose his soul? Nothing!
And so God calls to the thirsty to come and buy. He tells us not to bring money. In other words, don't think that somehow you have anything that you can offer. That type of attitude is a deterrent.
But come and buy without money.
And in so doing, you will be satisfied. You will delight in the richest of fare. You will find what is good to eat and what your soul has been craving all along.
Have you ever come to the point where you recognized your thirst? Has that thirst been permanently satisfied?
5)A Window of Opportunity (Isaiah 55:3-7)
A lot of times people talk about a “window of opportunity”. A time in which certain actions will be effective and once that window is gone, those actions will no longer work.
Military strategists use this to speak about the element of surprise. Once the enemy has time to recognize what is happening, often the opportunities afforded by surprise no longer will work.
In certain industries, the time to market is crucial. If you are unable to have your product out within a certain time frame, you miss the optimal potential for revenue.
When it comes to matters of the soul, God points out here that it is so important to move when you hear.
In verse 3 he says to give ear and come. In other words, you may have recognized the thirst, but to ignore the call to come and drink what he has will be a fatal non-action on your part.
You see, as verse 6 points out, there is a time when the LORD may be found. There is a time when he is near. There is a time when His Spirit is moving (if you will) in the heart of a person, convicting of sin. But there is an acute danger of putting off to tomorrow what needs to be done today.
There is no guarantee for tomorrow to be here for any of us. So now is the day of salvation. The time to respond to God's call must be today because the “comfort” of tomorrow is often just a hardening of the heart. When the sense of urgency is there in respect to eternity, seek the LORD!
Within that window of opportunity, he calls the wicked to forsake their wicked ways and evil thoughts. Repent of sin and turn to the LORD. Fall on the mercy of God at the time of conviction and He will pardon.
What a picture of grace through faith!
Have you ever heard and responded to God's call and in repentance received His mercy and pardon? If not, why not tonight?
Have you thanked God lately for calling you and rescuing you from certain doom?
6)God's Effective Words (Isaiah 55:8-13)
Have you ever said, “What was I thinking?” I used to work with a guy who would often say, “What am I doing here?” I began to pick up on that too. He was really saying, where was I now. He would get distracted by someone breaking his train of thought and then he would articulate to himself the fact that he wished the thought train had not been broken.
This is part of the dilemma with a finite cranial capacity. But with God, What was I thinking? And What am I doing here? (Or any such questions) are completely out of the question.
His thoughts and ways, unlike mine, never need refinement. Never need correction.
And the same is true with his words.
I've said things I wish I could take back. Sometimes right away. I've group replied emails I meant to just reply to.
But God's words, like God himself, cannot not achieve His intentions. They are going to bear what He has designed them to bear.
And so, as you read God's word and you sense that God is speaking to you, ask God what he would have you do. Like the preceding section told us, hear what he says and come.
How do we hear God? By reading his word. You and I are in a place of optimal receptivity if in fact we are listening for his voice to us.
7)Not For Jews Only (Isaiah 56:1-8)
In this section, though we don't have time, God is pointing out to Israel, that his provision of salvation is not based upon ancestry.
And he points out that is is based upon a relationship with God.
Verse 6 tells us, the foreigners who:
bind themselves to the LORD (like a servant to a master)
love the LORD
worship the LORD
obey the LORD
These will be in covenant with me. And though He talks about the ceremonial aspects of the Old Covenant, the same is true in the New Covenant. In fact, faith in God has always been a precondition to salvation.
How evident is your love for God?
The Lord Is Present (Isaiah 56:9-57:21)
1)Principle
In Christ, the contrite heart experiences God's presence and peace in life and in death.
2)Introduction
Contrite: Deeply sorrowful for sin because it is displeasing to God; humble and thoroughly penitent.
In Isaiah 56:9-12; 57:3-13; 57:20,21, Isaiah deals with the problem resulting from perpetual indulgence in feeding the craving of the soul without consideration for God's provision. There is a suppression of the truth about one's sin to the extent that either one covers it up, or one builds his own gods in order to appease them to satisfy a guilty conscience.
But those who come to a realization of their sin, are sorrowful, and in repentance humble themselves before God and receive the salvation He offers, they experience the very thing God designed humans for – relationship with their Creator.
3)The Wicked (Isaiah 56:9-12)
Just a couple of items to note about those in 9-12 of chapter 56.
These are those who are in authority over the people. They are supposed to be the “watchmen”. The ones who are responsible for making sure those inside the community are not overrun by the enemy.
But they are blind. What good is a watchman who is blind? Not much. You want him to have sharp eyes and be able to distinguish between friend and foe.
But instead, these watchmen are only concerned with their own interests. They are not concerned with those they are called to protect. And even less are they concerned with the mission they are supposed performing.
They are infiltrated by the enemy.
In the New Testament, the writers were often dealing with wolves in sheep's clothing. Those who would rise up among the flock and deceive. Try to gain a following for themselves and get a large congregation. They often appeared to be on target doctrinally, but would eventually show their true colors as people began to gravitate to them. They introduce secret heresies.
Watch out for false doctrine! Be sure you avoid those who teach what is contrary to Scripture. Check the context because many will take text out of context in order to prove a point rather than allowing God's word to speak for itself.
4)Peace In Death (Isaiah 57:1-2)
Inserted between the wicked and the idolatrous, we have a section dealing with God's purposes in death. This is not always the case, but in this case he points out that God is sometimes showing mercy in death because of the evil that is coming.
He will take a person, even in what we would call “his prime” because he is sparing them evil.
And the righteous are at peace, even in death. This merciful act of God does not leave the righteous wringing their hands, but instead content and secure in the truth that they belong to God and His will is being accomplished.
5)Idolaters (Isaiah 57:3-13)
I am not going to say too much in this section. I just want to point out that there is something inside of man that requires him to worship something. This is not an optional feature that can be turned on or off, it is on by design.
And either they will be the object, or a god of their making, or an object, or another person – something will be worshiped in every human's life. And often it is multiple somethings.
The bottom line is this (Isaiah 57:12), everyone's works and righteousness will one day be evaluated by God. He will be the judge and expose every work and the quality thereof.
Those whose object of worship is other than the One True God, will find that their works and righteousness amount to ashes. And as verse 13 points out, God calls these people to evaluate the ability of their gods in saving them.
Everyone's righteousness will one day be judged. Only those who are in Christ will be deemed righteous, and that not due to their own righteousness, but Christ the righteous God-man.
Whose righteousness will God see when you stand before Him in judgment?
Will that righteousness meet God's standard of perfection?
6)God's Presence, God's Peace (Isaiah 57:14-21)
Considering the separation that sin caused between God an man, Isaiah 57:15 is so refreshing:
For this is what the high and lofty One says –
he who lives forever, whose name is holy;
“I live in a high and holy place,
but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
What an amazing picture this is. Because God remains as He always is, high and lofty; eternal and holy.
But because of the work of Christ, he has come to his people, those who are contrite and lowly in spirit, in order to regenerate them. To revive them spiritually and give the ability to relate to God.
He is near His own, because of our status as righteous. His anger is no longer against us, it was directed at His Son (as we saw last week). He has nothing to be angry with those who are in His Son.
And we have every benefit of afforded us in His mercy toward us. We don't live in fear any longer but we live in Peace.
If you belong to God, you have both His presence and His peace as well as the comfort in life that only He can bring.
But the wicked? The wicked are unable to rest in this life. They continue on trying to fill that emptiness within. And will never find peace as long as they continue in their wickedness – living apart from God.
It has been said that all people will spend an eternity in the presence of God. The righteous will spend an eternity enjoying the loving kindness of the One who saved them.
The wicked will bear the justice of God against their sin.
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