Isaiah chapter 50 tonight-- speaking of East LA accents, Raul Ries [LAUGHTER] tells an interesting story about a family going on vacation. And there was a thief watching their house, waiting for them to leave. The family finally left. And under the cover of darkness, the thief broke into the house and was moseying around and was ready to loot the entire thing, sack it, when he heard a strange voice. I see you and Jesus sees you.

And of course, this kind of spooked the thief a little bit, not knowing where the voice came from, and turned on his flashlight. And he looked around. And again, he heard the voice. I see you and Jesus sees you.

Well, he kept looking around, seeing not a person, finally went into the kitchen and heard it for the third time. I see you and Jesus sees you. And just then, the thief had the flashlight on the counter. And there on the counter was a cage with a parrot. [LAUGHTER] And as the flashlight was on the parrot, sure enough, the parrot said, I see you and Jesus sees you.

Well, the thief relaxed and sighed and thought, it's just a parrot until his flashlight went down a little bit. And there next to the counter was a Doberman Pinscher with a snarl and glistening teeth. And then the parrot said, attack, Jesus, attack.

[LAUGHTER]

You got to picture Raul Ries telling that story. That little illustration illustrates a problem that a lot of people have with Jesus. See, a lot of people picture God, the God of the Bible, as the attack Jesus. He's always mad at someone. He's always in a bad mood, a God of judgment.

In our text, we come across this phrase, the servant of the Lord. And we see Jesus Christ, the perfect servant, displayed. We've already seen a couple of these Servant Songs highlighted in the book of Isaiah. And we come up to a couple of them again here tonight in our passage of Isaiah 50 through 52.

The previous chapters up until here has been sort of a courtroom scene. God calls the nations together, and especially the idols of the nations, saying, let's have a comparison. Let's have a battle, a duel. Who can do what only I can do? None of you can predict the future. None of you have the ability to perform the mighty deeds that only I can perform. Then also, there is the prediction of the fall of Babel and the prediction of the rise of King Cyrus and the glory of the incomparable God. All of these are themes that arise out of the previous chapters, especially chapters 40 through 48.

Beginning with chapter 49, as you saw last week, and continuing here, those subjects fade into the background. And the Messiah, the servant of the Lord, the work and the person of the Messiah come to the forefront. Chapter 50 of Isaiah shows the Messiah as the submissive son submitting to the will of the Father. Chapter 52 shows the Messiah as the righteous ruler, the one who will rule and reign forever from Israel but over the whole world.

And then beginning at the end of chapter 52, which we'll just touch on tonight, and on into chapter 53, it's the Messiah as the sin-bearing sacrifice. Now the first three verses of chapter 50 are a link or a bridge between the previous chapter and these prophecies. Verse one, "Thus says the Lord, where is the certificate of your mother's divorce whom I have put away? Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? For your iniquities, you have sold yourselves. For your transgressions, your mother has been put away.

Why when I came was there no man? Why when I called was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Indeed, with my rebuke, I dry up the sea. I make the rivers a wilderness. Their fish stink because there is no water and die of thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness. I make sackcloth their covering."

It's as though God were having a heart-to-heart talk with the nation of Israel, speaking to them about the trouble they're in. They're not in trouble because of God's powerlessness. God can do anything. They're in trouble because of their own sinfulness, what they have done to themselves, the Lord says. And he asked the question in verse 2. Basically why isn't it that anyone believes me? How come nobody hears me? Why is it that no one obeys me?

And he calls them to look back at the Red Sea, the deliverance through the Red Sea, and later on to the Jordan River. Here Israel is called the wife of the Lord, the wife of Yahweh, the wife of Jehovah. It's a common image. In the book of Isaiah, Jeremiah highlighted, especially in the book of Hosea and Ezekiel, Israel is seen as the wife of the Lord.

It was at Mount Sinai that God made a covenant with these people. So you might say the giving of the law at Mount Sinai was the wedding. The vows were exchanged. Israel said, we will obey all that the Lord God has told us. They told Moses, go up and get the law. And whatever God tells you, we'll do it.

A covenant was made. The wedding vows were exchanged. But as time went on, Israel had an affair, went out with other lovers, courted idols, false gods. And eventually came a divorce, where Israel was taken captive by the Assyrians. But here, Judah is addressed largely. And Judah would be taken captive for 70 years in Babylon. Now God will bring them back. But there will be a separation, a right of divorce, or in verse one, a certificate of divorce.

Now you're going to notice something in the next several verses that we cover. There's a lot of personal pronouns that are capitalized. And of course, when you have newer translations that give you those capitalized personal pronouns, you know you're dealing with God-- either God the Father, or the Lord Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit. And so we know God is speaking. But in particular, it's the Messiah that is speaking as the submissive son to do the father's will.

So in verse 4, "The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned," this is now the third of four Servant Songs that refer to the Messiah. We've already looked at a couple of them in Isaiah 42. Isaiah 49 is the second one. Here is the third. And the end of Isaiah 52 and on into 53 is the fourth of the Servant Songs that refer to the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The first two Servant Songs speak of his opposition, how he will be opposed by the nation. This song highlights the obedience of the servant, the obedience as a submissive son in the midst of suffering. You remember the passage, no doubt, in the book of Hebrews chapter 5, verse 8, speaking of Jesus. Though he was the Son, he learned obedience by the things that he suffered. Now we're going to see that highlighted in these coming verses.

Something else to notice as you go through it-- four times, the phrase the Lord God is mentioned, the Lord God-- literally in Hebrew Yahweh Adonai, the Lord God, or Jehovah Adonai, the sovereign Lord. It is a phrase that is particular to this section of Isaiah. It appears in none other of the Servant Songs. And the idea is that God is the supreme sovereign ruler of everyone and everything. Thus, the proper response would be obedience.

"The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens me morning by morning. He awakens my ear to hear as the learned." Think of the Lord Jesus. He invited people. He was so gracious with people. He said, I am gentle and lowly. And you will find rest to your souls.

Think of the words he spoke, words of encouragement to the paralytic who was let down through the house in that stretcher. First thing he did when he saw him is, "Son, be of good cheer. Your sins are forgiven." Or to the woman caught in adultery about to be stoned after Jesus drove away those who were accusers, he said, "Woman, where are your accusers? Sir, I have none. Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more"-- a beautiful picture of Jesus as it says here, "a word in season to him who is weary."

It was William Barclay who said one of the highest human duties is the duty of encouragement, encouragement, to follow in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ and give out a word to the weary in due season. Years ago, a man by the name of Dawson Trotman started an organization known as The Navigators, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Dawson Trotman was an encourager by nature, a great Christian leader.

He died an interesting death. He was an expert swimmer, but he died of drowning. It seems that he was on a ship on Lake Michigan that had problems and went down. And what he did is he jumped off and took several of the passengers drowning. And he pushed them to the top. And he saved them. But he kept going, doing it so many times that he was just out of sheer exhaustion, he gave up. And he drowned. When he died, one of the national news magazines in America ran a special article on Dawson Trotman and on the front page showed his picture and said, Dawson Trotman, always holding somebody else up.

You might say Jesus Christ, always holding somebody up. It's a beautiful description of him. Here's the question. How well does that describe you? Are you the kind when you hear a rumor to say, oh, tell me more? I knew that was true about that person, never liked him anyway. Are you the kind to tear down or to build up? Are you holding somebody else up? Are you an encourager?

Somebody once said a pat on the back, though only a few vertebrae removed from a kick in the pants, is miles ahead in results, miles ahead in results-- a word in season to him who is weary. "The Lord God," verse 5, "has opened my ear. And I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away." Now the opening of the ear refers to a procedure of the piercing of the ear done to a slave, who at some point in his life decided to be a slave perpetually, forever.

In those days, a person would be a slave because he incurred debt. And to pay off the debt, he would go into slavery. He would work for somebody. He would be released on the year of jubilee or if he paid the debt. But sometimes the relationship between the slave and the owner grew to be a wonderful relationship of love. And the slave could decide to continue that servitude perpetually.

If he decided to do it, they would take this slave to the doorpost of the home of the master, take an awl-- sort of like an ice pick-- and bore a hole through the ear and then put a ring in it, which signified, I belong voluntarily to the master of this house. A bond has developed.

And so the Lord has opened my ear. I was not rebellious. Judah was nothing but rebellious. But Jesus Christ, the perfect servant of the Lord, was willingly obedient. Question-- how obedient? The next verse tells us, "I gave my back to those who struck me and my cheeks to those who plucked out the beard. I did not hide my face from shame and spitting."

In Matthew's gospel, chapter 26, we get insight into what Jesus suffered before the cross. They spat on him. They beat him. They took the palms of the hands. And they struck him while he was blindfolded and said, prophecy. Who hit you?

In Philippians chapter 2, Paul the Apostle tells us that Jesus Christ, though he was in the form of God and thought it not robbery to be equal with God, he emptied himself. Or he made himself of no reputation and took on the form of a bondservant. And he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. In doing so, he suffered immensely. He was submitted to the Father's will even to the point of death.

The Gospel of Luke tells us that Pilate agreed to a diplomatic gesture of having Jesus flogged, scourged the Bible calls it. And what that meant is the Roman guards took Jesus. And they tied him to a post with his arms out forward, or sometimes his arms stretched up atop of him. His back was taut. And there were two lictors, men who carried the whip, a small wooden handle with leather cords. And at the end were attached bits of metal glass or bone. And diagonal blows were struck across the back of the prisoner.

His beard was plucked out. He was given those lashes. And in severe pain, Jesus Christ suffered. What happened during that scourging, historians tell us, is that not only was the flesh lacerated and shredded, but the muscles underneath were sometimes torn. Even the subcutaneous tissues were affected.

Eusebius, in his ecclesiastical history, writes of the martyrs being beaten, being flogged. And he writes this. "They were torn by scourges, down to the deep-seated veins and the arteries so that the hidden contents of the recesses of their bodies, their entrails, and their organs were exposed to the sight of men."

Now we touch on that here. Later on in 52 and 53, it's even more graphic. But think of it as it's written here. "I gave my back to those who struck me and my cheeks to those who plucked out the beard." I'm looking out at some guys who have beards tonight. And you know what it's like, don't you, when you get the razor stuck, or you get one of the hairs in the beard stuck in something and it pulls? Imagine somebody grabbing a fistful of your beard and yanking it out.

Now that brings up a question of sorts. It seems that a couple of the disciples, and even Mary who first came to the tomb, didn't recognize Jesus. It says their eyes were holden. They didn't recognize him. And it's brought up an interesting question as to why. And some have speculated that because Jesus went through such physical alterations that by the end of his scourging, the end of his beating, he was unrecognizable. Pilate brought him before the crowds and said, ecce homo-- behold the man. And Isaiah will tell us later on he didn't even look like a man.

Now when Jesus rose from the dead, he still bore the scars, didn't he? They weren't gone. They were still there. He reached out his hands to Thomas. And he said, Thomas, put your fingers here and see that it's me and touch your hand in the side. So he still had the marks of crucifixion when he rose from the dead and when he ascended into heaven.

Then when we get to the Book of Revelation and there is the vision of the lamb in the Book of Revelation-- well, first of all, the scroll. The angel takes the scroll and says, "Who is worthy to unloose the scroll and unloose the seals?" And it says, "No one in Heaven or on Earth or under the Earth was worthy to take the scroll and unloose the seals."

John said, "And so I wept much. And one of the elders said to me, do not weep. Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed to take the scroll and loose the seals." And then John said he saw a strange sight. "I turned and behold a lamb as though it had been slain. And the lamb was worthy to take the scroll."

Interesting that John was announced that there would be a lion. He turns and sees a lamb still bearing the marks as though it had been slain. It's a fascinating thought to think that in Heaven, the only work of man that you may see is what we did to Jesus on the cross and that that will not be marks of shame but of glory. Because for the joy that was set before him, he adored the cross, despising the shame. You're the joy. He looked through history and saw you who love and know him. And it was worth it. And those marks, as we often sing, the nails in your hands, the nails in your feet, they tell me how much you love me. And when the heavens pass away, your scars will still remain.

Now let's move on, because we're only in verse 6. And we're needing to move ahead. "For the Lord God"-- there's that term again-- "Jehovah Adonai will help me. Therefore, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like flint. And I know that I will not be ashamed." Jesus was so determined to do the will of the Father, nothing could deter him.

When Peter tried to rebuke the Lord after Jesus told him he would be going to the cross and suffer, it was Jesus who said, "Get thee behind me, Satan." You're thinking like a man thinks, Peter, not like God thinks. Jesus would not be deterred from going to Jerusalem and suffering on the cross. In fact, there is a phrase in the gospel that says, "Jesus set his face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem when he was in Samaria." Here's the obedient son, the submissive son. "He is near who justifies me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together, who is my adversary. Let him come near me. Surely the Lord God will help me. Who is he who will condemn me. Indeed, they will all grow old like a garment. The moth will eat them up."

Now notice the closing of the chapter describes two groups. "Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of his servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God. Look, all you who kindle a fire, who encircle yourselves with sparks. Walk in the light of your fire. And in the sparks you have kindled, then you shall have from my hand. You shall lie down in torment."

Two groups-- those who fear the Lord, those who don't, those who obey the Lord, those who don't, those who walk in the light, and those who walk in the darkness-- Jesus spoke of two options, didn't he? He said, "Enter into the narrow gate"-- the other option-- "for broad is the way. Wide is that road that leads to destruction and many go in thereby." Only two options-- I've heard it. I know you have, too. Well, many roads lead to God.

Well, I suppose that's true in terms of judgment. Everyone will eventually stand before God. John said, "I saw all the dead, small and great, standing before God." So in that sense, all roads lead to God. But not all roads lead to salvation. Christ and Christ alone leads to-- "I am the way, the truth, and the life," Jesus said.

So verse 10 is a call to the unsaved to believe and to obey. Verse 11 speaks of the consequences for those who don't. I was flipping through a magazine. It was an Unusual Gift magazine. That's what it was called-- Unusual Gifts. One of the most unusual gifts in this little magazine that you could order was a sign. The sign said, for sale, parachute, used only once, never opened, small stain."

[LAUGHTER]

Oh. You know, there are some things you can only do once. There are no second chances. Parachuting would be one of them if the chute didn't open. And making a decision for eternity before you die would be another. There's a lot of pathways and a lot of lifestyles but only one that will deliver from death.

Now look at verse 11. "Look, all of you who kindle a fire, who encircle yourselves with sparks. Walk in the light of your fire. And in the sparks you have kindled, this you shall have from my hand. You shall lie down in torment." Now this is a warning against man-made religion. Living in darkness but trying to kindle your own fire, so to speak, light your own fire-- these are made religions, which will never bring a person to Heaven.

In fact, look at the end of the verse. "You shall lie down in torment"-- literally, a place of pain. You try to light your own fire to get out of darkness, you'll never make it. It's the Lord's way and the Lord's way only, these two verses speak about.

Isaiah 51 speaks about the Messiah as a righteous ruler. Not just a submissive son, but the reign of Messiah is in view here. Now picture yourself as one of the Jews in the Babylonian captivity. You're there in Babylon. You're there for 70 years. And you read these verses, this chapter. It would give you incredible hope that God has a future in store for the nation.

But more than just God speaking to the nation of Israel, that he has plans for them and their future, it's the Messiah speaking to the nation of Israel, telling them that he will reign. And you're going to notice some admonitions that come in the form of repetition. You'll notice the phrase, listen to me or hearken unto me. You'll notice the phrase, awake, awake-- that's a wake-up call to them-- and then depart, depart, as they're called to leave Babylon.

"Listen to me or hearken unto me," verse 1, "you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who bore you. For I called him alone and blessed him and increased him." In this chapter, we are called-- or they are called-- and we now in reading it, to look back, to look forward, and then to look within.

First of all is the look back. Look back to the hole from which you were dug or hewn. Now historically speaking, that would be Abraham and Sarah, as it mentions here. The nation of Israel was quarried from Mesopotamia. This single couple, Abraham and Sarah, who walk by faith, though they were old, they trusted in the Lord. And from this single couple, they became progenitors of the entire race of the nation of Israel, that according to God, would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the dust in the Earth.

That's speaking historically. Speaking pragmatically the Jews in Babylon would again read this. And here they were, a remnant-- small, scattered, broken, weak. This would give them encouragement that there is yet hope in the future.

There's a great scripture in Deuteronomy chapter 8, where God tells the children of Israel, "And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you these 40 years, that he fed you, that he gave you water to drink." And that's good to do from time to time, is it not, to look back as you're looking ahead? It's so practical. As you're looking ahead and it's an unknown future and you don't know what's going to happen, hey, look back. Look what God has done for you so far. You've made it.

You might look back to some of the trials you faced the last one or two or three years. But here we are tonight, remembering. We're here. And we look back. And we testify, the Lord is good. The Lord has taken care of me. He's brought me to this place. What have we lacked? Nothing.

I remember when I was in college, and my mom taught me how to cook Hamburger Helper. [LAUGHTER] And so there I was in college in San Bernardino. And I was a connoisseur of Hamburger Helper. I made it all the time. And I eventually ran out of it because wages were really skimpy.

And so in the cupboard, I had bread and peanut butter. And I made peanut butter sandwiches for the next few days. Eventually, I ran out of bread. But I still had peanut butter and a spoon. [LAUGHTER] And I was wondering in some of those instances, am I going to make it? Will the peanut butter hold out? Well, at least I have a little bit of jelly. So that will last me another few days.

But you know, I am here remembering how good God has been. Not a single promise has failed. So we should look back where we came from, the hole in the pit we were dug out of. But then we should view this not only historically, not only pragmatically, but messianically. Because the idea here is that in looking back at God's past providence, it would ensure future deliverance. God has a plan. And his name, for the nation of Israel, was Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

"For the Lord will comfort Zion. He will comfort all her waste places. He will make her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of melody." So the same God who fulfilled all of His promises to Abraham and Sarah and to the nation thus far will transform that nation in the future kingdom into a paradise.

That's looking back. Then he calls them in the next few verses to look ahead. "Hearken to me or listen to me, my people. Give ear to me, O, my nation, for law will proceed from me. And I will make my justice rest as a light of the peoples." This is Messiah's perfect reign. "My righteousness is near. My salvation has gone forth. And my arms will judge the peoples. The coast lands will wait upon me. And on my arm, they will trust.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look on the earth beneath, for the heavens will vanish away like smoke. The earth will grow old like a garment. And those who dwell in it will die in like manner. But my salvation will be forever. And my righteousness will not be abolished."

This deliverance that will include judgment upon the earth and the destruction of the earth begins in Revelation chapter 6, the sixth seal. As the scroll is opened, as the sixth seal is poured off, we read, "The sun became black as sackcloth of hair. The moon became like blood. The stars of the heavens fell to the earth as the fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up. And every mountain and island was moved out of its place."

So the judgments that will take place in heaven and simultaneously on the Earth with the fresh water, with the seas, with the sources of water, will all set the stage for the kingdom age, the millennial kingdom. So this is sort of like an un-creation, a decimation. As God is judging the Earth, he's undoing all that he has made in times past. In reading these verses and in Revelation, some wonder if there will be the involvement of nuclear weapons. That's been talked about for a long time, no doubt because we have nuclear weapons now. And even though some people would like to minimize weapons of mass destruction, they're a real issue.

And we've been warned time and time again of the danger of unleashing them and how that would upset our biosphere, our atmosphere, the entire balance and ecosystem of life on the Earth. Even years ago, Carl Sagan warned the world of what would happen if nuclear weapons would be unleashed. And Carl Sagan-- you remember Carl Sagan. He's been nicknamed Sagan the pagan by some. He said that nuclear weapons, if used, would plunge the northern hemisphere into a nuclear winter. One half of mankind could die with the descent of night around the clock and a drop of temperature 70 degrees worldwide. So when you read about these holocausts and the stars falling and the sun becoming black, one wonders about the involvement of such weapons.

Verse 7, God calls them not to look back, not to look ahead, but to look within, to examine their own hearts. "Hearken to me or listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people in whose heart is my law. Do not fear the reproach of men nor be afraid of their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment. The worm will eat them like wool. But my righteousness will be forever and my salvation from generation to generation."

I see this as twofold. This was an encouragement no doubt to Jews who lived in Babylon. They were there 70 years. They needed encouragement. They were there as a remnant. They wondered, what would the future hold? They would read this and become encouraged, comforted. But I believe that during the tribulation period, the Jewish remnant will read these verses. "Don't fear the wrath of men. Trust in the Lord. The doom of those who persecute you is at hand."

So they're called to look within, to examine their own hearts. Who's your faith in? It's good for us to do that. As you examine your heart tonight, as you look deep inside, is there fear as you look to your future, or is their faith? You know, faith and fear are mutually exclusive. If your heart is filled with faith, fear will be banished. If your heart is filled with fear, there won't be any room for faith.

So what's inside? Are you standing on the promises? Or are you just sitting on the premises? [LAUGHTER] Is there faith or is there fear?

Jesus predicted that even for those who love and follow him, we would be hassled, persecuted, and hated by all nations for his name's sake. He said we would be reviled. And then he said, rejoice. Be exceedingly glad, for so they persecuted the prophets which were before you.

Several years ago in Albuquerque, we had a part-time staff member named Colby Scott. He was on our staff. He was one of the janitors. He was walking home from work one evening to his house. It was a cold winter in Albuquerque. The wind was blowing. The sand was blowing.

And he had some headphones-- Sony Walkman headphones. Now here's the catch. He didn't have a Sony Walkman. The headphones were put on his head to keep his ears warm. Walking along, has the headphones on-- he was stopped by three thugs who said, we want your Sony Walkman. He said, I don't have a Sony Walkman. But did you know that Jesus loves you?

And they said, shut up. We don't want to hear about Jesus. We want your Walkman. He said, honest, I don't have a Walkman. I'm just keeping my ears warm. But do you know that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and he loves you? And I believe that this isn't a circumstance that just happened but that this is a divine appointment.

Well, the guy said, we don't want to hear about your Jesus. I have a gun. And I'm not afraid to use it. And Colby smiled and said, and I'm not afraid to die for Jesus. Why are you so afraid of Jesus?

Well, that didn't go over very well. [LAUGHTER] They jumped on him. And they broke his jaw. And he walked home with a broken jaw, singing that he was counted worthy to suffer persecution for the sake of Jesus. He showed up at work the next day with a wired jaw and a big smile-- black and blue smile, but a big smile. And I tell you, that was so convicting to the rest of us godly leaders.

Jesus predicted that kind of hassle. And Colby suffered it and was emboldened to share his faith. "Awake, awake," comes the wake up call. "Put on strength, O, arm of the Lord. Awake as in ancient days, in the generation of old. Are you not the arm that cut Rahab apart?" Now Rahab was considered a mythical sea monster and became idiomatic of the nation of Egypt. So it represents Egypt.

"Are you not the arm that cut Egypt or Rahab apart and wounded the serpent"-- referring to pharaoh. "Are you not the one who dried up the sea"-- that would be the Red Sea-- "the waters of the great deep that make the depths of the sea a road for the redeemed to cross over? So the ransomed or the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing unto Zion. And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain gladness and joy. And sorrow and mourning shall flee away."

That was the song that we learned a few weeks ago that pastor Chuck led us in. And I bet he'll lead us in that song again tonight as we close, because it's here. Now the remnant is praying in these verses that God would show himself strong, like he showed himself strong back in the deliverance from Egypt. Just like you opened the Red Sea, Lord, just like you worked in times past, rise up, O, Lord. Let it be a second Exodus. Let us leave this place of captivity in Babylon.

Of course, I think it's also prophetic, speaking of the tribulation martyrs, the souls under the altar in chapter 6 of Revelation. They'll cry out, how long, O, Lord, just and true, until you avenge our blood on those who attack us, those who dwell on the Earth? God promises in the next few verses. He responds with comforting words, saying, "I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die and of the son of man who will be made like grass?

And you forget the Lord, your maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the Earth. You have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he has prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor? The captive exile hastens that he may be loosed, that he should not die in the pit, and that his bread should not fail.

But I am the Lord your God who divided the sea, whose waves roared. The Lord of Hosts is his name. And I have put my words in your mouth. I have covered you with the shadows of my hand-- the shadow of my hand-- that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, you are my people."

What God is saying is this. Why should you be afraid of grass when the God of the universe is on your side? Oh, oh, but Lord, it's Nebuchadnezzar. He's a tyrant. Oh, he's grass. Just wait. Wait till you see what I'm going to do to him. Nebuchadnezzar will eat grass for a period of time.

Or those during the tribulation that will be oppressed by the world, by the Antichrist, same message-- why should you be afraid of man who's like grass when the Lord God is on your side? If you look at history, at how many times the church has been persecuted and the persecutors have predicted the demise of Christianity, and in all of those instances, the church has grown stronger and the gospel has flourished. Think of China, the Cultural Revolution, and the church that went underground and persecuted to the point of death. They still are in some places. The church flourished there and has grown stronger through the house church movement. Millions upon millions have come to know Christ.

Or think back in church history when Domitian, the anti-Christian Roman emperor, decided that Christianity ought to be banned. And John ought to be banned to the Isle of Patmos. And he was. But while he was there, he got greater revelation, like the Book of Revelation.

Or think of Diocletian, who made a coin. And on the coin, it was printed, I have succeeded in stamping out Christianity from the face of the earth. Little did he know who was meeting underground in Rome at the time, in the catacombs-- or Voltaire, the 18th century French infidel who said, within 20 years, Christianity will be wiped out. Later on, they used his house to print Bibles. I've always loved that twist. The Lord has a great sense of humor.

There's another wake-up call as Isaiah speaks to Jerusalem in verse 17. "Awake. Awake. Stand up, O, Jerusalem, you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord, the cup of his fury. You have drunk the dregs of the cup of trembling and drained it out. There is no one to guide her among all the sons she has brought forth, nor is there any who take her by the hand among all the sons she has brought up.

These two things have come to you. Who will be sorry for you-- desolations and destruction, famine and sword? By whom will I comfort you? Your sons have fainted. They lie at the head of all the streets like an antelope in a net. They are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of your God.

Therefore, please hear this, you afflicted and drunk, but not with wine. Thus says your Lord, the Lord and your God, who pleads the cause of his people, see, I have taken out of your hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of my fury. You shall no longer drink it. But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, who have said to you, lie down that we may walk over you. And you have laid your body like the ground and as the street for those who walk over you."

In other words, God is saying, I'm going to take the very cup of judgment that you are holding, O. Jerusalem, the very cup of wrath that caused you to be destroyed and in shambles. I'm going to give that cup to your oppressors. I'm going to give it to the Babylonians. Those people who hassled you, those people who have persecuted you, now they have me to deal with. I'm going to take the judgment that you feel you have received and give it to the oppressors.

Of course, once again, in the future, in the Book of Revelation, we see that God will judge the world, and specifically the Antichrist and the false prophet for how it treated-- mistreated, we should say-- God's people. Did you know that when you mess with God's people, God takes it pretty personally? Whoever touches you, God said to Israel, touches the apple of my eye.

Just ask Saul of Tarsus, who was knocked off of his horse. And Jesus said, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Now wait a minute. He might have said, whoever you are, I have nothing against you. I'm out to get those Christians who are ruining Judaism. But he said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

Hey, you touch Christians, you touch Christ. You touch God's people, you touch God. God takes it personally. Now all of that to say this-- think twice next time you criticize another believer, next time you engage in wordplay that would knock down the reputation of another Christian. You're going to say something malicious to rip them down. You're going to attack a brother or sister. You might find that you have a bigger fight on your hands than you bargained for. God might just defend those who are defenseless. By the way, it's always good to let the Lord be your defense. He does it a lot better than you can do.

Isaiah 52 is the third wake-up call to Jerusalem. This time, not just a wake up, but to dress up-- dress up for a party. Put on party garments. The Lord is going to do great things.

"Awake. Awake. Put on your strength, O, Zion. Put on your beautiful garments, O, Jerusalem. The Holy City for the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you." Jerusalem is called the Holy City eight times in the Bible. Now if you go to Jerusalem, you may be disappointed. As you look around, you go, this is it? This is the Holy City?

Now there are certainly some sites that are breathtaking. I love it every time I go there. But you find it's not all that holy today. But the word holy does designate being set apart, set aside God has special plans for her. And I believe this is speaking futuristically, prophetically. It will one day be holy. It will one day be a city of peace when the Prince of Peace, the holy Lord, reigns from Mount Zion. Jerusalem has seen 36 wars, has been razed level to the ground time after time but has risen again and stands there today. It's been the center of controversy for over 2,500 years. The promise here is that release is on the way.

"And so shake yourself from the dust, arise. Sit down, O, Jerusalem. Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For thus says the Lord, you have sold yourselves for nothing. And you shall be redeemed without money."

Silver was the coin of redemption. A little silver shekel was used, a half shekel, for a coin of redemption. And so still today when children are dedicated to the Lord in Israel, a certain coin is bought and presented there in the synagogue. But notice that the promise is that the ultimate redemption will be without money. You don't pay for it. It doesn't cost you. It cost Jesus everything. The ultimate redemption is with blood.

Peter said, "For you are not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from the vain traditions passed on by your forefathers but by the precious blood of the Lamb of Jesus Christ, a lamb without spot and without blemish." "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus"-- redeemed without money.

"For thus says the Lord God, my people went down at first into Egypt to dwell there. Then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. Now therefore, what have I here, says the Lord, that my people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them make them wail, says the Lord. And my name is blasphemed continually every day. Therefore, my people shall know my name. Therefore, they shall know in that day that I am He who speaks. Behold, it is I."

2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ came to the earth, came to his nation, the Jews. The Bible records he came into his own. And his own received him not. But as the day of the Lord progresses in the future and these judgments unfold and Jesus comes again, at the end of that tribulation period, as the conquering king, as the reigning Messiah, they'll recognize him.

"And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced," Zechariah predicts. And they're going to ask, what are the meaning of these wounds in thine hands? And he will say, these are the wounds that I received in the house of my friends. And they're going to piece it all together. Oh, this is the Messiah. This is the great I Am.

As it says in verse 6, "In that day, they shall know that I am He who speaks. Behold, it is I." Even as Jesus said in John 8, "I am. Before Abraham was, I am." And in the garden, "I am he." And they all fell backwards. They're going to piece it all together. They're finally going to get it. He's the one. He's their Lord, their God.

"How beautiful upon the mountain," verse seven, "are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, your God reigns." This is probably initially a picture of the Jews returning from captivity. There would be great joy. Messengers would arise. And they would go on one mountain top and have a signal fire to the next mountain top.

And in that language, sending one signal from one mountain to the other, they would send out the message that we've come back. It's a time of joy. God has given us back the land. And in the millennial kingdom, God will reign. So I think it's a picture, as we've already seen, a dual prediction of the past that has been fulfilled but also of the future, the Messiah ruling and reigning.

Now in the New Testament, Paul broadens out the application of this verse as a reference to preaching the gospel of peace, spreading the gospel-- evangelism. Not all of us have the gift of evangelism. But all of us are called to evangelism in some way. Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father has sent me, so send I you." So in one sense, every Christian is a missionary.

When you leave the courtyard of our fellowship there in Albuquerque, there's a sign that we put up, engraved it in the wall. As you're living the courtyard, it's the words of Jesus. "Go into all the world and preach the gospel." And the reason we put that there is we want people to know every time they leave the church, they're entering their mission field. It's your turn now to use your feet and your mouth to spread the gospel.

Somebody once said churches that don't evangelize will eventually fossilize. I remember going into an bookstore and finding a book. And what sold me was the title purely. The title was Why Churches Die. So I thought, I got to buy that book. I want to know why churches die. I'm curious.

It was a book by Hollis Green. And I thumbed through it. I have it on my shelf. He gave several reasons why, in his opinion, churches die. He says churches die, number one, when converts don't become disciples. They make some decision of sorts in evangelism, but they don't take it to the next level of following and obeying Christ.

But then he said another reason that churches die is when disciples don't become apostles. They take it all in, but they never give any out in terms of evangelism. Converts don't become disciples. Disciples don't become apostles. So that's your mandate.

"Bring good tidings of good things. The Lord reigns. The Lord has a plan. Your watchman shall lift up their voices. With their voices, they shall sing together, for they shall see eye to eye. When the Lord brings back Zion, break forth into joy. Sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem. For the Lord has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem." The Hebrew expression eye to eye speaks of people who are so close they see the body language in the eyes. And it's an expression idiomatically that the messengers will see the Lord's return with their very own eyes when he comes.

"The Lord has made bare his holy arm." That is, he's flexed his muscles. He's ready for action. "In the eyes of all the nation, all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Depart. Depart. Get out from there. Touch no unclean thing. Get out from the midst of her. Be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord, for you shall not go out with haste nor go out by flight. For the Lord will go before you. And the God of Israel will be your rear guard."

When the Babylonians were conquered by Cyrus, they were set free. This was good news. Depart. You can leave now. You can go back to your city of Jerusalem. But isn't it interesting that God has to urge them to go back? Depart. Skedaddle. Get out of here. Go for it.

You know why? They had gotten so comfortable in Babylon that by the time it was their time to return, only 50,000 Jews went back the first time that a group went back to settle Jerusalem. And then 18,000 came back several years later under Ezra. So only a remnant returned. They had become complacent and satisfied, settled down in this place of captivity. So God urges them. Get out. It's your chance, your time of freedom to leave.

Now we only have a few verses left. We've seen the Messiah as the submissive son. We've seen the Messiah as the righteous ruler. The end of this chapter, which is really an introduction into Isaiah chapter 53, shows the Messiah as the sin-bearing sacrifice. It is an incredible portion of scripture. It's holy ground. And we're going to take it more in-depth next week. But this is now the fourth of the Servant Songs found in Isaiah, chapter 42, 49, what we read just a chapter back, and here in chapter 52, the sin-bearing sacrifice.

"Behold, my servant shall deal prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high." What does this refer to? Some think it refers to the resurrection. The ascension of Christ, his worldwide exaltation. As Paul said in Philippians, God has given him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus Christ, every knee shall bow.

Or this could speak of his suffering. He was extolled. He was put up on a cross. He was lifted very high. Jesus even predicted that when he said, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto myself. And he was speaking of the cross.

"And then, just as many as were astonished at you, so his visage, his physical facial countenance, was marred more than any man and his form more than the sons of men." Again, that plays into what we just discussed about the disfigurement of Jesus Christ by Pilate, by the Roman soldiers at the time of his suffering and crucifixion. "So he shall sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at him. For what had not been told, they shall see. And what they had not heard, they shall consider."

The suffering Messiah would ultimately bring the sprinkling of many nations. Now here's the imagery. In the Old Testament, in the Levitical priesthood, there would be the sprinkling of the blood, and in some cases, blood and oil and water upon the leper. To be cleansed of leprosy in the day of his cleansing, blood was sprinkled to make cleansing and atonement. Here it speaks of the sprinkling of Jesus Christ for-- notice-- many nations, many nations.

The suffering servant Messiah would not only be for the nation of Israel. John the Baptist said it. "Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world." Have you ever had somebody say, well, Christianity is just a Western religion. Well, let's see. It started in the Middle East. And the prediction is that he would be the savior of the world and sprinkle many nations. And finally, kings shall shut their mouths at him. I think what this refers to is the rulers of the Earth seeing this sin-bearing servant of God, the Messiah, eventually being raised up and exalted as the ruler of the world.

Revelation 19-- when Jesus comes back, on his head were many crowns. It's only fitting, isn't it, that the one who suffered so much and wore a crown of thorns would one day wear the crowns of the kings of the Earth? And one day, what a privilege it will be to be before the throne of God and cast, as it were, our crowns before him and say, you're worthy, Lord. You're worthy, Jesus, for what you have done.

That's why all of our worship is warm-up. It's practice. Let's get in practice. Let's not minimize that time of worship. Let's come early to seek the Lord and say, it's warm-up time. It's practice time for seeing Jesus face to face and casting our crowns before him. Let's pray.

Lord, you are so wonderful. Your plan is so magnificent. It includes us. We are unworthy. You have declared us worthy by the blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanses a man, a woman, from all sin. Thank you for the sprinkling that is extended to our lives. Lord, I would pray for anyone who has gathered tonight with us, among us, who isn't quite sure and who needs that salvation that only you can offer, needs cleansing, forgiveness.

Heavenly Father, bless your flock this week. As they go forth in the strength of your arm, show yourself strong. And may they rejoice if they are counted worthy to suffer for the name and the sake of Christ. It's in his name we pray. Amen.

Shall we stand? Again, the pastors are down here at the front to minister to your needs this evening. And so we would encourage you if you are in need of prayer, as soon as we're dismissed, if you'll come forward. They will be here to pray with you and to believe God to work in the needs that you might be experiencing in your life today. And so we encourage you. Come on forward and spend some time in prayer before going because God wants to help you. All right, let's try it-- Isaiah 51:11.

(SINGING) Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing unto Zion. And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing unto Zion. And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads.

They shall obtain gladness and joy. And sorrow and mourning shall flee away. Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing unto Zion. And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads

A-plus. God bless you.

This is the end of this message. If you would like further information on any of our products or to receive our free catalog, contact The Word for Today. The address is PO Box 8000, Costa Mesa, California, 92628. Or you may reach us by our toll-free number, 1-800-272-word. That's 1-800-272-W-O-R-D.