I turn to Isaiah now, to the second
section of Isaiah, which begins at chapter 40.
Now you would have noticed in a number
of books that we've been studying, there are
certain parts that I have spent more time
over, and certain other parts where I just
give you the reference, say a few words
and move on.
Now this is not because those other portions
are unimportant, but to me it's like teaching
you to, or let's say if I were
to teach a small child, how to make
a jigsaw puzzle.
And if a jigsaw puzzle has got a
hundred pieces, the child has probably never made
a jigsaw puzzle before, like many of you
have probably not seriously studied the scriptures before.
So what you do is you tell the
child, okay, this is where you put this,
this is where you put this, this is
where you put, and show them the picture,
and put a few pieces, and then leave
the other 75 pieces for the child to
do on its own, and there's something exciting
about the child completing that jigsaw puzzle on
its own, instead of you doing the whole
thing for it.
So that's what I'm doing, just putting a
few pieces here and there, and saying now
you complete the puzzle, and make the picture
yourself.
And there's something exciting, because that will drive
you to the Holy Spirit.
I've always sought in my ministry not to
explain everything to people in such a way
that they don't need to go to God
anymore, they've just got to come to me.
God is very jealous.
He's a jealous husband who does not want
me to rob his bride.
A lot of preachers rob the bride of
Christ and get married to them, themselves.
So we don't want to do that.
We want you to be united to Christ,
your bridegroom, and the Holy Spirit is very
jealous that you should have a personal relationship
with Him, that you listen to Him.
And so my duty is only to give
you a little appetizer, and to give you
a foretaste, and a little taste, rather, of
what wonderful riches are in this book, in
whichever book you go to, it's there.
And to show you some of the hidden
treasures here and there, so that you can
go to it more in yourself, and find
out a lot more that can thrill your
heart in the years to come.
I'm still excited when I study the scriptures
today.
We now come to chapter 40.
I told you this is like the New
Testament portion of Isaiah.
There are a lot of prophecies here about
new covenant life.
It begins with chapter 40, verses 3 to
5.
Again I won't have time to go into
detail, but I can give you these verses,
you write them down, and see what I've
done is given you some of the most
important verses in the book of Isaiah, in
the last study.
Here are some of the most important verses
in the new covenant section.
First of all, verses 3 to 7, speaks
about, 3 to 5, speaks about the ministry
of John the Baptist.
It's significant that this section of Isaiah begins
with how the new covenant begins, the New
Testament begins.
A voice of one crying in the wilderness,
saying, clear the way for the Lord in
the wilderness, make smooth the desert.
And the way this applies to us is,
Jesus is coming back a second time, like
he came the first time.
And like there was a John the Baptist
who prepared people for the coming of the
Lord, today, you and I are the John
the Baptist, the church is John the Baptist,
to prepare people for the second coming of
the Lord.
So our message is essentially the same as
John the Baptist's, to prepare people for the
coming of the Lord.
What is that?
Verse 4, valley must be lifted up.
There's no place for you to sit down
in the valley, discouraged, depressed, saying, I'm good
for nothing, I'm useless.
Don't keep saying that forever.
You've got to be lifted up, be encouraged,
God has accepted you.
That's the message we preach.
No need to live in the dumps in
the valleys.
You're a child of God, you're a son
of the king, you're a daughter of the
king.
Be lifted up.
Secondly, the mountains, verse 4, must be brought
low.
All the pride that is in you must
be brought down.
And the rough ground must become a plain.
That means there are a lot of rough
areas in your life, they have to be
smoothened out and you've got to be gracious
and gentle.
And then if you read the corresponding passage
in Luke chapter 3, where this is quoted,
he says the crooked will become straight.
So there are crooked things in our life.
Lack of righteousness and money matters.
All those crooked things must be straight.
These four things are mentioned.
Valleys lifted up, mountains brought down, rough places
made smooth, and crooked made straight.
And then what will happen?
Then the glory of the Lord will be
revealed in your flesh.
In your flesh, people will see the glory
of Jesus Christ.
And that is the way we prepare people
for the coming of the Lord.
That's the message we proclaim.
The mouth of the Lord has spoken it,
and all flesh will see the salvation of
the Lord in us also.
And then this verse is quoted in 1
Peter 1, verse 24 and 25, verse 6
and 7.
All flesh is like grass.
Please remember that.
I said earlier that all flesh is like
dust, which has got breath in it.
Remember also that all flesh is like grass,
and all the honor of men is like
the flower of the grass.
All the honor that you can get in
the world from people is only like the
small, teeny weeny flower that grows on some
grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades when the
breath of the Lord blows upon it.
And Peter says, but the word of the
Lord endures forever.
So those who have lived by the principles
of God's word will remain when all the
glory of man one day is wiped out.
You must always keep that in mind.
Everything I see around me is all going
to perish one day.
If I live by the word of God,
I'll have something eternal.
Verse 10 and 11 speaks about the coming
of the Lord.
The Lord will come, His reward is with
Him, and like a shepherd, verse 11, He
will take care of His flock, He will
carry the lambs in His bosom.
Beautiful verse.
Verse 12 to 17 speaks about the power
of God in the control He has over
the whole universe, how He created everything from
nothing.
And this verse, verse 13, is the verse
that's quoted in 1 Corinthians 2.16, who
has taught the Holy Spirit, or has His
counselor informed Him?
No.
And it goes on to speak about all
the nations of the earth, verse 17, as
being nothing before Him.
They're all regarded as less than nothing and
meaningless.
We must see something of the sovereignty of
God if we are to serve Him, that
all the people in the world are like
dust.
Particularly, you know, when we go to difficult
places and there are people who appear to
be so powerful because they've got all the
authority of the state behind them and they
oppose us as we seek to serve the
Lord.
We must remember some of these verses and
see the tremendous power of God, all the
people on the earth are like dust, the
dust in the balance, nothing at all.
And further, in verse 22, there's
a little expression here which I want you
to see.
It says, it's talking about the Lord, don't
you know, verse 21, have you not heard?
It is He who sits above the circle
of the earth.
600 years ago, man discovered that the sun
is the center of the solar system and
gradually discovered that the earth is a circle.
But 2,700 years ago, Isaiah wrote it
in the Bible that the earth is not
flat, the earth is a circle.
It's here.
I just thought I'd point out that to
you, something very interesting.
And verse 26, it says, look at the
one who controls the stars.
He's given them all names.
See, Isaiah was given a vision of this
tremendous almighty power of God, not only His
holiness, but His almighty power.
And I believe these are two visions of
God that we must always have before us
when we serve Him.
One, His tremendous holiness and the other, His
almighty power.
Verse 29 to 31, if this is the
God we worship and serve, He will give
us strength when we are weak.
And if we lack might, He will give
us power.
He will give us health to serve Him.
He will give us strength to serve Him.
Young people, verse 30, will grow weary and
tired.
Vigorous young men, verse 30, will get exhausted
trying to serve the Lord.
But those who wait on the Lord, what
a wonderful promise.
No matter what their age is, they will
gain new strength.
And while the young people are collapsing, these
older men who wait on the Lord will
mount up with eagles.
They will run and they won't get tired.
They will walk and they will never become
weary.
I want to encourage you from early on
in your life, learn to wait upon God.
Learn to, it says here, they will gain
new strength, or some translations say they will
exchange their strength.
That means, Lord, I give you my strength,
you give me yours.
Exchange.
It's wonderful to exchange things with the Lord.
All that I have is yours, Lord, and
all that you have is mine.
Like Jesus said in John 17, verse 10
and 11.
So it's good to have that type of
exchange with the Lord.
Exchange our strength.
Because in the Lord's service, you need the
Lord's strength.
You need the Lord's power, even physically, to
endure till the end.
And sometimes we really need to trust the
Lord to give us that supernatural strength from
above, resurrection power, not only in our spirit,
but resurrection power in our bodies to serve
the Lord so that we never get tired,
and even in old age, we continue to
bear fruit for Him.
Chapter 41, verses 8 to 18 are tremendous
verses.
These are verses, you know, those of us
who serve the Lord, some of these verses
are fantastic, you know.
Isaiah 40 to 66, the second section of
27 chapters, has been a very precious portion
of scripture for me through many, many years.
Isaiah 49 was the chapter through which God
called me to His service on the 6th
of May, 1964.
I remember it very vividly.
Very precious, these passages have been, and I
want to encourage all of you who serve
the Lord to take these chapters very seriously.
There's some tremendous promises here for those who
are wholeheartedly seeking to serve God in the
footsteps of that first true servant of Jehovah,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
So verses 8 to 18 speak about, I've
chosen you, verse 9, and not rejected you,
verse 10.
Verse 11, don't be afraid.
I am with you.
We're all promises when we are in the
midst of difficult situations.
Don't anxiously look about you for help.
Verse 10, I'm your God.
I will strengthen you.
I will help you.
I will uphold you with my right hand.
All those who are angry with you, verse
11, will be ashamed and dishonored.
Those who fight with you will become as
nothing.
They will perish.
You will look for those who quarrel with
you, verse 12, but you won't find them.
Those who make war with you will become
nothing and non-existent one day because I
am the Lord your God.
I hold your right hand.
I say to you, don't fear.
I will help you.
You're a worm, verse 14, but don't be
afraid.
I'll help you and even though you're so
weak, I'm going to make you, verse 15,
a new sharp threshing sledge with double edges
because the word of God, the two-edged
sword is in your mouth, and you will
thresh these mighty mountains to pieces, pulverize them,
you'll make the hills like chaff, and you
will rejoice, verse 16, in the Lord your
God.
Take it to heart, dear brothers and sisters
who seek to serve the Lord, apply it
to yourself and claim it in Jesus' name.
Verse 17 and 18, when the afflicted and
needy, God is always interested in the poor.
Are you poor?
Are you needy?
God is interested in you.
And you're seeking for water, seeking for the
Holy Spirit.
When your tongue is parched, say, oh God,
I cannot live without the power of the
Holy Spirit.
I, the Lord, will answer them.
I will open rivers, verse 18, in their
lives, springs in the midst of their lives.
I'll make their life like a pool of
water and the dry life will become like
a fountain of water.
I thank God for the tremendous blessing and
encouragement verses like this have been to me
for nearly 40 years.
I pass them on to you.
Chapter 42 speaks about the servant who is
anointed by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is one of the main
themes of the New Testament, and the Holy
Spirit is also one of the main themes
of Isaiah 40 to 66.
Okay, behold, my servant, this is referring to
Jesus Christ and applies to us also, whom
I uphold.
A true servant of God is upheld by
God, not by American money or Christian organizations
or by any such thing.
It's by the Lord.
He's the one who should uphold you.
You may get your money from any source,
that's not the point, but don't depend on
it.
Uphold means what are you dependent on?
We must be dependent on the Lord alone.
That's very important.
And when you come to that place of
helplessness, God will put His Spirit upon you.
You see, it's the helpless person who depends
on the Lord, who's trusting God, upon whom
the Spirit comes.
And look at this lovely verse, which refers
to Jesus.
Verse three, a bruised reed.
First of all, verse two, he will not
cry out or raise his voice in the
streets.
Beautiful verse.
It's quoted in Matthew chapter 12, verse 18,
I think.
He will not make his voice heard in
the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break.
That means a discouraged person.
He will not discourage him further.
He will encourage him and heal that broken
reed.
And that wick of a candle will just
about die out.
He won't just put it away.
He will blow it and make it into
a flame.
So God is interested in weak believers.
God is interested in those who are discouraged
and depressed.
He wants to lift up their spirits.
And if you are a true servant of
the Lord, wherever you go, you'll have a
ministry of encouragement.
Lifting up the spirits of people who are
depressed and people who feel, well, I can't
do anything for the Lord.
You'll stir them up and say, God's not
going to break a bruised reed.
He's not going to blow out that burning
wick.
Please seek for such a ministry.
Because everywhere in our churches, people need it.
Verses five to eight, the Lord who created
the heaven says, I've called you in righteousness,
verse six, I've called you to open blind
eyes, verse seven, to bring out prisoners from
the dungeon.
And one thing, please remember all your life,
very, very, very important verse, verse eight, the
Lord says, I will never give my glory
to another person.
Don't ever take glory to yourself.
That is like stealing.
It's like going into somebody's room and stealing
his property.
It's like taking somebody's purse and taking out
money from his purse.
To take glory to yourself, which belongs to
God, is a very, very serious crime.
God will use you.
He'll bless you.
He'll do many things for you, but he'll
never give his glory to you.
Once you start touching the glory of God,
you will destroy yourself.
Once you start taking honor to yourself, once
you start promoting yourself before people, drawing people
to yourself instead of to the Lord, once
you start claiming credit for what you did
instead of what God did, you're on very
dangerous ground.
This is how many people have lost the
anointing.
Verse 19 and 20, I want to interpret
this for you, perhaps in a different way
than usually accepted.
You could take it as sarcasm, saying who's
blind but my servant, but it appears as
though it's referring to Jesus.
And if that is the case, my servant
in verse 1 is definitely Jesus.
And when it says who is blind but
my servant, what does that mean?
Was Jesus blind?
Who is deaf like my messenger?
Who is so blind as the one who
is at peace with me totally?
So blind as the servant of the Lord?
This is not sarcasm.
A true servant of God must be blind
and deaf to many things.
That means, verse 20, you see many things
but you don't observe them.
You don't go looking for sin in people.
You don't go looking for things to judge.
You don't go listening to catch somebody on
some word that he said.
You know, the Pharisees were like that, always
listening to catch Jesus in some word.
And there are some people who are like
that, always waiting to catch somebody in some
word because they are jealous of his ministry.
Don't be like that.
Be deaf.
Be blind to a lot of things in
the world.
That means you heard that somebody said a
bad story about you.
Supposing you were deaf and I come and
tell you this is what somebody is telling
about you.
You can't hear a thing.
Be like that.
Isn't it good for a servant of God
to be blind when he is tempted by
pretty women?
Who is blind like my servant?
Who is deaf like my messenger?
A tremendous challenge.
You have eyes but you don't look.
You have ears but you don't want to
hear all that.
Because you don't want to judge by your
eyes what your eyes tell you or what
your ears tell you.
It's got a connection with what we saw
in Isaiah 11.
We go to chapter 43, verses 1 to
5.
Tremendous promise again.
Don't fear, I have redeemed you.
Verse 2.
When you pass through the waters, I'll be
with you.
When you pass through difficult situations, rivers, they
won't overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, it will
not hurt you, nor will the flame burn
you.
Another tremendous promise.
For I am the Lord your God, you
are precious in my sight.
It says in verse 3, the last part,
I gave Egypt for your ransom.
To us, he says, I gave the blood
of my son for your ransom.
Therefore, you are precious in my eyes.
Verse 5.
Don't be afraid.
Do you know the number of times in
Isaiah this word comes?
Fear not, fear not, fear not.
The word that Jesus frequently spoke to his
disciples.
Fear not, fear not, fear not, fear not,
fear not.
A word I tell you in the days
to come in India, the word that God's
servants need to hear is this, fear not.
I am with you, says the Lord.
That's why I would encourage all of you
to really seriously take these 27 chapters of
Isaiah.
I believe it has a word, a prophetic
word for the times in which we are
living in India today.
Verses 10 to 12.
You are my witnesses, says the Lord.
I am the Lord.
There is no savior beside me.
You are my witnesses.
Verse 12.
Verse 18 and 19.
Don't think about your past life, forget it.
Forgetting the things that are behind, put it
behind you.
I will do something new.
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
Look ahead, don't worry about your past failures.
Isaiah is tremendously encouraging.
These are prophecies of comfort like the previous
first section was prophecies of judgment from the
throne of the Lord.
Here are prophecies of comfort from the Lamb
who was slain.
Verse 25.
I am the one who wipes out your
transgressions and I will not remember your sins
anymore.
A new covenant promise.
Chapter 44.
Verse 3.
A promise for the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit.
It's all new covenant stuff here.
I'll pour water on the thirsty ground.
I'll pour my spirit on you and your
children.
And my blessing on your descendants.
You know, these are promises of God.
Second Corinthians 1.20 says all the promises
of God are yes and amen in Christ.
So we can claim these promises in Jesus'
name.
This is a new covenant book for us
today.
Okay.
And we come to chapter 44 and verse
8.
Don't tremble.
Don't be afraid.
Again, don't be afraid.
You are my witnesses.
Is there any God beside me?
Why are you worried about these people who
worship idols?
And then it speaks about the folly of
idolatry in the remaining verses.
And then in verse 21, it says, you
are my servant.
I have formed you.
You will never be forgotten by me.
Sometime when you're serving the Lord in some
lonely place and everybody's forsaken you because you're
true to the Lord.
Remember this promise.
You will not be forgotten by me.
Sometimes when you think your prayers are not
heard and it looks as if God has
forgotten all about you.
Take this promise to heart.
You will not be forgotten by me.
And further, in verse 26 to chapter 45,
verse 6, is a prophecy about King Cyrus.
150 years before Cyrus came on the scene
and took over the leadership of the kingdom
of Medo-Persia after the Babylonian Empire.
Isaiah prophesied about his coming by name.
Verse 1 of 45.
Thus says the Lord to Cyrus.
Verse 44, 28.
I say to Cyrus, he is my shepherd.
It's an amazing passage that refers to something
that Cyrus would tell the Jews to go
back and build the temple.
We saw that in the book of Ezra.
200 years before the temple was built, Isaiah,
before the captivity, before the Babylonian Empire was
destroyed, speaks of the kingdom that's going to
come after Babylon and names the ruler of
that kingdom, Cyrus.
Okay, we go on to 45 in verse
8.
Let the heavens drip down, let the clouds
pour down righteousness.
And verse 9.
Woe unto the man who quarrels with his
maker.
Don't argue with God in the way he
deals with you.
Verse 9.
An earthenware vessel, that's what we are.
Can the clay say to the potter, what
are you doing?
The basic meaning of this verse is, humble
yourself in all the dealings God is taking
you through.
He takes you through difficult situations.
Humble yourself.
He is molding you into a vessel.
And don't criticize him.
And when God is making you, don't say,
what are you doing?
And it speaks here.
I think this has got reference to our
situation in India where, you know, in many
parts of India, there are parents who do
not like a girl baby.
They always want boys.
And there are sad cases where girl babies
are left at the doorsteps of some orphanage
or thrown in the garbage bin.
And even killed sometimes.
Here is a verse for such people.
Verse 10.
Woe, there is a curse on the one
who says to a father, what are you
a begetting?
Or to a woman, what are you giving
birth to?
Is this a girl?
I wanted a boy.
And the Lord says, there is a curse
on people who speak like that.
Or even if it is a retarded child.
We have no right to kill a retarded
child because it is retarded.
A retarded child can make us people of
great compassion if the Lord decides to give
us a child like that.
Don't say, what are you begetting?
Don't do an abortion.
This is a verse against abortions.
Ok, that's just in passing.
Then verse 17.
The last part is a beautiful verse.
You will not be put to shame or
humiliated to all eternity.
That means in an eternal way.
Jesus was humiliated and we will be humiliated
that way.
But from the eternal standpoint, we will never
be put to shame.
We will never be humiliated if we follow
the Lord.
It's full of encouragement.
That's why I tell you when you are
discouraged, go to Isaiah chapter 40 to 66.
At least you know where to turn in
the Bible.
Almost any chapter you will find something that
encourages you.
And verse 22.
Turn to me and be saved all the
ends of the earth.
I am God, there is none else.
I am just giving you the pieces of
this jigsaw puzzle.
You can put it in place and see
the beautiful picture that finally comes out.
Ok, chapter 46 verse 4 is a beautiful
verse.
As you grow older, and those of you
who are older.
Even to your old age, the Lord says,
I will be the same.
I don't grow old, says the Lord.
Even when your hairs become grey, I shall
carry you.
I have done it.
Or in other words, I created you, I
made you.
And I will carry you.
I will bear you.
I will deliver you.
To whom can you liken me?
And make me equal?
And compare me with?
The Lord says, the contrast here is.
It's a very humorous contrast.
Idols, people have to carry their gods.
You, I carry you.
That's the contrast.
Do you carry your God?
Or does your God carry you?
That's the question.
That's the contrast in this chapter.
And the Lord says, even if you are
an old man.
I will carry you till the very end.
And keep my anointing upon your life.
Chapter 47.
Verse 8.
Refers to Babylon again.
You know.
Sitting as a queen.
As a widow.
I will not sit as a widow.
This is quoted in Revelation 18.
Verse 7.
I am a queen.
I won't have any problems.
A comfortable Christianity.
That does not know God.
That does not walk in humility.
Chapter 48.
Verse 10.
Behold, I have refined you.
But not as silver.
I have tested you.
In the furnace of affliction.
For my own sake, I will act.
For how can my name be profaned.
And again that word.
My glory, I will never give to another
person.
48.11. In case you missed it the
first time.
The Lord reminds you a second time.
Don't touch His glory.
And when you go through affliction.
Take this verse.
I am refining you.
Better than silver.
I am testing you.
In the furnace of affliction.
I am testing you to see whether you
are faithful.
It's not going to be forever.
You don't put gold in the fire forever.
The gold is put in the fire, purified.
And then it hangs around.
You know, sits on the crown of some
king.
Or hangs around the neck of some queen.
It doesn't stay in the fire forever.
And you also.
One day, God will take you up.
And make you part of His crown.
But now He has to purify the gold.
Ok.
And He does it for His own sake.
Verse 11.
Then verse 15.
I have spoken.
Come near.
Verse 16.
Listen to this.
I have not spoken in secret.
From the time it took place.
Now the Lord has sent me.
And His spirit.
Verse 17.
I am the Lord who teaches you to
profit.
Who leads you in the way that you
should go.
If only you had listened to my commandments.
Paid attention to them.
Your well-being would have been like a
river.
And your righteousness like the waves of the
sea.
And when the Lord leads us.
It says in verse 21.
They did not thirst.
Even when they went through the deserts.
And He made the water to flow from
the rock.
But for the wicked.
Verse 22.
There is no peace.
Now these 9 chapters.
40 to 48.
Are prophecies of deliverance.
In various situations.
And now we come to chapter 49.
To 57.
Where we have specific prophecies.
About the Messiah.
About Jesus.
And it applies to us also.
Chapter 49 is a wonderful chapter.
It's been a tremendous chapter for me.
As I told you earlier.
For last 36 years.
I don't have time to go into it
all.
Think of verse 2.
He has made my mouth like a sharp
sword.
When we speak God's word.
We speak like a sharp sword.
At the same time.
We also speak words of comfort.
In the shadow of His hand.
He has concealed me.
He has hidden me in His quiver.
He speaks of discouragement here.
In verse 4.
The servant of God can be discouraged sometimes.
Lord I wasted my life.
I have not spent my strength usefully.
And the Lord says don't worry.
I am going to use you.
I am going to make you a light
to the nations.
There is a beautiful verse here.
In 14 to 15.
Can a woman forget her nursing child?
Verse 15.
You say I have forsaken you.
Can a woman forget to have compassion on
the son of her womb?
See when God wants to compare His love.
With human love.
The best example He can get on earth.
Is the example of a mother's love for
a child.
That's why He says.
He doesn't say can a husband forget his
wife.
Husbands may forget their wives.
Can a wife forget her husband?
Wife may definitely forget her husband.
But a mother.
Mother forgetting the child.
Just born.
He takes that example as the greatest example
of love on earth.
Can a woman forget her child?
Even they may forget.
But I will not forget you.
Remember that verse all your life.
Because.
Verse 16.
I have inscribed you on the palms of
my hands.
When Jesus looks at the palms of His
hands.
And He sees the hole there.
He thinks of you.
That's a great verse.
And.
Verse 23.
Last part has been a tremendous encouragement to
me.
Through many many years.
Those who hopefully wait for me.
Will never be put to shame.
Praise God.
You come to the Lord.
And you say Lord I am trusting you
for this thing.
According to your word.
You will never in your life be put
to shame.
And.
Verse 25.
49 and verse 25.
I will feed your enemies with their own
flesh.
And the last part.
Sorry sorry.
Verse 25.
The captives of the mighty will be taken
away.
And those who fight with you.
I will fight with them.
And those who fight with your children.
I will fight with them.
And I will save your children.
For those of us who are married.
Who got children.
Who are facing problems.
Here is a tremendous verse.
I will save your sons.
Take it before the Lord.
And claim it.
Ok we go to chapter 50.
And verse 49.
Is a very clear promise about.
Prophecy about Jesus.
And it says about Jesus that he had
a very disciplined tongue.
Verse 4.
The servant of God must have a disciplined
tongue.
And.
A tongue by which he can sustain.
A weary person with a word.
In chapter 49.
We saw.
That his mouth was like a sharp sword.
Verse 2.
But here in 50 verse 4.
It is not only like a sharp sword
that cuts people.
You serpents.
You generation of vipers.
It is also a word.
A tongue that encourage people.
Go in peace.
Your sins are forgiven.
Neither do I condemn you.
Go and sin no more.
He knew how to sustain a weary person
with a word.
The tongue of a servant of God.
Must be sharp.
To denounce sin.
And comforting.
To those who are sorrowful for their sin.
And Jesus.
Woke up morning by morning.
Verse 4.
To listen.
I have been emphasizing listening.
He says his ear was awake.
Verse 4.
To listen to what the father had to
say.
And when he heard something.
He was not disobedient.
He did his father's will.
Even if it involved.
Verse 5.
He was not disobedient.
Verse 6.
Even if it involved other people slapping him.
Other people hitting him on the back.
Verse 6.
Other people spitting on him.
He did not turn back.
Is this disgraceful?
That people are spitting on you.
Verse 7.
I am not disgraced.
Because he says.
The Lord is with me.
What is the matter if people spit on
me.
If my father is with me.
Therefore even if they spit on me.
I have set my face like a flint.
Verse 7.
Not to take revenge on them.
Not to threaten them.
Forgive them.
Bless them.
And press on.
And I know.
Verse 7.
I will not be ashamed.
Very good verses for us to think of.
In the coming days.
Because the one who vindicates me.
Verse 8.
Is near me.
And who will fight with me.
Let us stand together.
Have you got a case against me.
You want to take me to court.
Come.
The Lord God will help me.
Verse 9.
Who is there the one trying to accuse
me.
And condemn me.
They will all wear out like a garment.
Verse 10 and 11 are also important.
When you fear the Lord.
And you obey the voice of your servant.
It is possible that sometimes you don't have
light.
The Lord doesn't give you light.
You have to move in darkness.
Verse 10.
What should you do in times of darkness.
There is a beautiful expression I heard as
a young man.
Which I have never forgotten.
Never doubt in the darkness.
What God has shown you in the light.
Never doubt in the darkness.
What God has shown you in the light.
Supposing somebody has given me a hundred rupee
note.
In the clear light.
I see it is a hundred rupee note.
I put it in my pocket.
And then it is night.
And then at night.
I say have I got any money.
And I wonder.
And I pick it out.
It is pitch dark.
Is this really a hundred rupees.
I have my doubts.
Because I can't see at all.
But you saw it in the light.
Why do you have doubts about it now.
Never doubt in the darkness.
What God has shown you in the light.
There are times when the light is bright.
When you are encouraged.
God shows you something.
Believe that.
There are other times of pressure.
Discouragement.
Don't doubt what he showed you in the
light.
And at that time.
Don't try to create your own fire.
Like Nadab and Abihu.
In Leviticus 10.
Behold all you who kindle your own fire.
And you make your own fire.
Instead of waiting for God.
You know the darkness has come.
And you try to make your own fire.
No no no.
If you do that.
You will lie down in torment.
Let God in his own time.
That means don't try to defend yourself.
God will defend you.
Chapter 50.
We saw.
Now we go to chapter 51.
It says here.
Those who seek the Lord.
Those who pursue righteousness.
Verse 1.
Look to the rock from which you were
honed.
And the quarry from which you were dug.
That means never never forget.
What you were.
Before you were converted.
What a sinner you were.
What a good for nothing person you were.
You were out in the quarry.
In a pit.
Don't ever forget that.
I want to tell you.
All of you.
Till the end of your life.
Never forget.
Then you won't despise other people.
You won't look down on other people.
Never forget.
What you were.
When the Lord picked you up.
And then verse 7.
Listen to me you who know righteousness.
Don't fear the reproach of men.
Don't be afraid of their revilings.
And verse 12.
I am the one who comforts you.
Why are you afraid of man who dies?
And the son of man who is just
like grass.
Verse 16.
I put my words in your mouth.
I've covered you with the shadow of my
hand.
You must go to the church to Zion
and say.
You are my people.
Don't be afraid.
When you are encouraged yourself.
You can encourage others.
Chapter 52.
Verse 7.
First of all.
Verse 5.
The last part.
My name is blasphemed among the heathen the
whole day long.
It's very true of India.
The name of Jesus is dishonored in India.
Not because of the heathen.
But because of the way Christians are living.
The way Christians fight with each other.
India has not rejected Christ.
India has rejected the Christ they have seen
in Christians.
Which is not the true Christ.
That is what I go everywhere saying.
India has not rejected Christ.
India has rejected the Christ they have seen
among Christians.
The name of the Lord is blasphemed because
of the way we Christians have lived.
But now we are called to proclaim a
new message.
Verse 7.
How lovely on the mountains are the feet.
Evangelists.
How lovely on the mountains are the feet
of those who proclaim the gospel.
Good news means gospel.
Who announce peace.
Bring the gospel of happiness.
And say to Zion your God is reigning.
Remember this.
The good news is not just that Jesus
died.
But also that Jesus is reigning.
That's the good news spoken here.
Who say to Zion your God is reigning.
Jesus Christ is Lord of heaven and earth.
That's the gospel we are to proclaim.
And then it says about Jesus on the
cross.
Verse 13 and 14.
That when Jesus died on the cross.
His face was so marred that it did
not look.
Verse 14.
Like the face of a human being.
You know you see these beautiful pictures of
Jesus hanging on the cross.
He was not like that.
It was blood flowing all over.
Whipped.
There were stripes and scars and blood flowing
everywhere.
All over his body.
I hardly ever seen a realistic picture of
Jesus hanging on the cross.
All of them look so beautiful.
He wasn't beautiful to look at at all.
I'll tell you.
He was the most beautiful person that walked
on the earth.
But when he hung on the cross.
It was so marred that it says it
did not look like the face of a
human being.
Chapter 53 is the central chapter of this
section.
Right in the middle.
It speaks about.
It says who has believed our message.
Who can believe that this is the way
the Messiah will come.
Not with power.
But like a root out of a dry
ground.
He grew up.
Verse 2.
Before his father.
The secret of his life.
He didn't grow up before men.
He grew up before his father.
53.2 He had no appearance that we
should be attracted to him.
He was not attractive.
The message of the gospel is not attractive.
Christ was not accepted by the world in
the first century.
He is not accepted by the world in
the 20th century.
No.
The Christ that people accept is a false
Christ.
Not the real one.
Not the real one who speaks against sin.
Not the real one who speaks against the
love of money.
Not the real one who says you got
to love your enemies.
That Christ is not accepted even today.
There is another Christ.
A conglomeration of various scriptures put together.
And you form a Christ which is not
the real one.
The real one even today is despised.
Verse 3.
Forsaken.
Rejected.
And if you are a servant and a
follower of this Christ, I tell you in
Jesus name, you will be rejected.
You will be rejected by Christendom.
You will be despised.
Just like Jesus was.
It's not the Greeks and Romans who despised
him.
It's the Pharisees.
The fundamentalists.
It will be the same today.
But who has believed our message?
Who wants to listen to such a message?
All these wonderful things you heard till now.
You get so excited.
And now we come to the way of
the cross.
But they go together.
You cannot follow Jesus and just get comfort.
You have to go this way of being
rejected.
Despised by men.
He carried our griefs.
And it says here, you know, this is
all about the cross.
You know it.
He took our sins.
He was oppressed and afflicted.
He did not open his mouth.
Notice it says here three times in verse
7.
He did not open his mouth.
He was silent.
He did not open his mouth.
Christians must know how to open their mouth
and shout at a time of praise and
how to keep their mouth shut when they
are insulted, criticized, slandered.
Jesus knew how to praise his father.
He also knew, according to this verse, how
to be silent.
Unfortunately, many Christians do not know how to
shout and praise the Lord.
But they do know how to shout and
defend themselves when somebody accuses them.
They got it all upside down.
Jesus shouted when he was praising the Lord
and he was quiet when people accused him.
That's the right way.
Okay?
We read about the Lord was pleased, verse
10, to crush him.
And therefore he will see his seed, verse
11, and he was numbered with the transgressors,
verse 10, sorry, he will see his seed
and prolong his days.
That means a result will come out of
that.
Prolong his days means he will be resurrected
and the good pleasure of the Lord will
prosper in his hand.
Now this is the way for us to
go also.
He was numbered with the transgressors, verse 12.
That means people will misunderstand us and put
us in the same category as sinners.
Chapter 54, verse 4, 5 and 6, a
word for widows.
The Lord is your husband and don't be
afraid.
You will not forget the shame of your
youth and the reproach of your widowhood.
And verse 10, my covenant of peace will
not move from you.
My loving kindness will not be removed.
Verse 13, another wonderful promise for parents.
I remember when my wife and I were
married, before we had children we had this
promise.
All your sons will become disciples of the
Lord and the well-being of your sons
will be great.
She got it independently, I got it independently
and I believe it's a wonderful promise for
all parents.
This is a promise for parents.
In Jesus' name, take it and say, Lord,
I want all my children to be taught
by the Lord, discipled by the Lord, made
disciples of the Lord and their spiritual well
-being must be great.
It doesn't mean that your children will never
get sick.
It doesn't mean that your children will not
have the struggles that teenagers and those in
their youth go through but ultimately they'll come
through.
Have that faith, parents and cling on to
it.
And if anyone fiercely fights with you, verse
15, they will fall and then this wonderful
promise to all servants of the Lord in
verse 17, no weapon formed against you will
ever prosper.
Oh, I have praised the Lord for that
promise for more than 35 years.
I believe that no weapon formed against me
will ever prosper if I walk in humility
in serving God and every tongue, verse 17,
that accuses me will be condemned one day.
Jesus was accused, Paul was accused, Peter was
accused.
If you follow the Lord, you'll be accused.
People may believe those accusations.
Let them believe it.
One day God will shut their mouths and
vindicate you.
Their vindication is from me.
Don't try to defend yourself.
Follow this principle.
I've been greatly encouraged to follow that all
these years of my life and people accuse
me and say all types of false things.
The Lord says, keep your mouth shut.
Let them believe what they like.
Let them believe you're the devil himself.
Let them believe you're a false prophet.
Keep your mouth shut.
Let them believe you're teaching wrong things.
One day I will vindicate you.
I will show the world.
Are you willing to listen to that?
If you want to truly serve the Lord,
don't think that you can escape being accused
falsely.
You go and you'll hear stories spread about
you.
Remember this verse at that time.
Live before God's face and leave it to
God to defend you.
Chapter 55.
An invitation preaching of the gospel.
Come and listen.
Come and buy freely the gospel message.
And verse 8 and 9.
The Lord says, my thoughts are not your
thoughts.
My ways are not your ways.
As the heavens are higher, so are my
thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Teaching us that we have to learn God's
ways.
Verse 11.
My word that goes forth out of my
mouth says the Lord will never return empty.
Listen to what God is saying and speak
it.
That word will never come back empty.
Don't just speak your bright ideas from your
head.
Speak God's word.
All my spoken ministry through these years, I've
always spoken from the Bible and again and
again referred people to the Bible because this
word is more important than my word.
Be a man of the book.
Be a man of the Bible in your
preaching.
Chapter 56 and it's speaking about the Sabbath
and it speaks there about the importance of
the Sabbath and for us it applies in
Hebrews 4.
I'll come to that when we go to
Hebrews about coming into rest.
And the Lord this verse 7 is quoted
by Jesus in Mark 11 17.
My house should be called a house of
prayer for all people.
Don't ever turn the church into a place
of business where you make money for yourself.
It's a house of prayer.
A lot of people have turned Christian work
into a place of making money for themselves
just like those people in the temple and
Jesus is going to turn them out one
day.
Chapter 57 verse 1 Godly people are perishing
and no one is taking it seriously.
Where are the godly people?
So difficult to find godly people.
Devout men are taken away.
Righteous men are taken away.
We need to be concerned.
Verse 15.
The Lord says I dwell in two places.
I dwell in heaven and I dwell in
the heart of a humble person.
There are only two places where God lives.
One is in heaven and the other is
in the heart of a humble lowly person.
If you want God dwelling in your heart
you got to be humble and lowly.
And verse 19 to 21 the Lord says
Peace, peace to those who are far and
near.
This is quoted in Ephesians 2.17 as
saying that Jew and Gentile are brought together
but the wicked are like the troubled sea
always bringing up mud from the bottom.
Those who keep on bringing up old matters
and causing quarrels are wicked people.
They never have peace.
Chapter 58 speaks about the true fast.
The right type of fast where we share
our bread.
Verse 7.
With the hungry care for the poor and
the naked.
And where we stop.
Verse 9.
Last part pointing our finger at other people
accusing them.
Verse 9.
And if we give ourselves to the hungry.
Verse 11.
The Lord will first of all your light
will arise in darkness and the Lord will
guide you and it says he will give
strength to your bones.
You will be healed and you will be
like a spring of water whose waters fail
not.
If you stop accusing other people be concerned
about the poor and don't make fasting a
ritual.
Chapter 59.
Verse 1.
The reason the Lord doesn't hear is because
of your sins.
He can hear but your sins have separated
you.
Verse 2.
Verse 16.
The Lord is astonished that there are no
intercessors.
Verse 19.
From the east.
It says here in one translation it says
when the enemy comes in like a flood.
The King James version says the spirit of
the Lord will lift up a banner against
him.
Verse 21.
The spirit I put upon you will rest
upon your children as well.
Chapter 60.
Arise shine your light has come the glory
of the Lord has risen upon you and
chapter 61 is the chapter that Jesus quoted
in the synagogue in Nazareth.
We'll see it again when we come to
that chapter.
The spirit of the Lord is upon me
to set people free.
I want you to notice one thing.
Verse 2.
The favorable year of the Lord, 365 days
and the day of vengeance, one day.
God's proportion of grace and vengeance is 365
to 1.
A year of favor and grace, one day
of vengeance.
That's a great encouragement for us to know
that.
And chapter 62.
Verse 3 and 4 speaks about our marriage
to the Lord and we will not be
forsaken.
And those who are intercessors, it says in
verse 6 and 7, don't rest until the
Lord makes Jerusalem, the church a praise in
our land.
Don't ever give up.
Keep on seeking the Lord till the Lord
makes the church a glorious place, a glorious
thing in this land.
Chapter 63.
Verse 8 to 10 says in all our
affliction, verse 9, He was also afflicted.
The angel of His presence saved them.
But in those days they grieved His Holy
Spirit and that's a warning for us.
Chapter 64.
A prayer for revival, verse 1.
Verse 4 is quoted in 1 Corinthians 2.
I has not seen nor you heard the
wonderful things God has prepared for those, here
it says, those who wait for Him.
1 Corinthians 2 says those who love Him.
To love Him is to wait for Him.
When you compare Scripture with Scripture, you see
that those who love Him wait for Him.
But 1 Corinthians 2 says, but the Holy
Spirit has revealed these things to us.
Isaiah 64, 6.
Our righteousness, our good deeds are like filthy
rags.
No use bringing them before the Lord.
Isaiah 65, verse 5.
Don't be like those proud people who look
down on others and say, I am holier
than you.
Such people are a stench in God's nostrils
like fire going into God's nose.
He detests it.
People who are pharisaical like this and look
down on others.
And verse 24.
Before they call I will answer.
Wonderful promise for prayer.
While they are yet speaking I will hear.
Isaiah 66, verse 1 and 2.
If you want the Lord to come and
look at you, it says here, last part
of verse 2, be one who is humble
and broken and who trembles at the word
of God.
God looks at those who read His word
and tremble at it.
Verse 5.
Hear the word of the Lord, you who
tremble at His word.
Let your brothers hate you.
Let your brothers exclude you.
The Lord will be glorified in you.
Verse 13, the Lord says, as a mother
comforts her children.
Again, it's like a mother, not like a
husband or wife.
You will be comforted.
And finally, verse 19 to 23, says about
the day when the Lord will come, there
will be, verse 22, new heavens and new
earth are there, so those who are of
Abraham's spiritual seed will have eternal life forever.
But it speaks about hell in the last
verse, by the worm that does not die
and the fire that's not quenched.
Wonderful book.
A new covenant book.
I've put a few pieces of the jigsaw
puzzle for you.
Please put the rest of it and see
the glory of the Lord in this book.
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, help us to be encouraged and
challenged by the ministry of your prophet Isaiah
even today.
In Jesus name we ask.
Amen.