Rsbc
July 1, 2001
Sunday Night
The Book of Isaiah
Subject- “ The Righteous Reign of Government”
Text- Isaiah 32-1-8
Intro- It is has been some time since we spoke from the book of Isaiah so let review our last lesson that we had ..From the previous chapter we seen that God gave Judah a stern warning concerning going down to Egypt for help, he proceed to assure them that the Egyptians are not God...vs 3 he goes on to instruct them concerning turning back to him....vs 6 and then gives them the reason...vs 8-9
Assyria shall fall ...then he opens this chapter of with great promise to them that put their trust in the Lord... ‘A KING SHALL REIGN” this is a promise by the Lord to them as a nation that change was on the way..rescue was around the corner, hope began to dawn their hopeless condition...they would be cleansed..
Captivity would soon be over and a new era of righteousness would be set up by their new King...
I... “ JUST GOVERNMENT IS A TRADMENDOUS BLESSING TO ITS PEOPLE...VS 1-2
1st. It is seen in the promise of a new leader.. “ A King Shall Reign”
Israel new many bad Kings and so did Judah, but the promise is that one was coming that all would be able to follow..Matthew Henry seems to think that this is a prophecy concerning King Hezekiah and his righteous reign and how the people were happy under him...
2nd. It is also seen in that is good government when people submit to it..
The Apostle Peter said these words..
1 Peter 2:13‑14 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
3rd. It is seen in the fruit of the people...vs 2
Page # 2
a. A protection from harm... “ a man shall be as a hiding place”
Since the Lord sets up government and Kings it is well to understand that we must be hid in Christ to receive the great benefit from evil.. For in Christ we are hid...
1 Peter 3:13 And who [is] he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
Colossians 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
b. A blessed shelter.. “ covert from the tempest”
Once again the Lord is the shelter from the tempest and that is a wonderful grace, but also when Kings rule in righteousness we have shelter over our heads..when they rule in greed and prosperity for themselves we suffer.
Matthew 7:24‑25 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
c. A wonderful refreshing.. “ as rivers of waters in a dry place..
Christ is that river of water for the thirsty soul also... he said in his preaching these wonderful promises...
John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
John 7:37‑38 In the last day, that great [day] of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
d. A solid foundation... “ shadow of a great rock”..
Page # 3
All of us know the great value of a good foundation and Jesus said that in previous verses that I read but remember he is that rock,...
Romans 9:33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
1 Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
II... “ AN CLEAR UNDERSTANDING AFTER YEARS OF CAPTIVITY”..VS 3-4
Once again I believe this to be the wonderful work of the Lord Jesus Christ in the hearts of the people of God who had been in captivity by the Babylonians and now they were going to be free to be taught and enjoy righteousness as they had not known it..
But I also like the other blessing I mentioned in this message.. Looking beyond the physical and seeing the spiritual it is once again Christ doing this to his people in the wonderful reign of grace that we are enjoying...
A. Eyes opened.. And the ears
Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
When a sinners eyes are opened then his ears will be able to hear and process what he hears to be the truth... The Emmaus disciples said did not our hearts burn when he opened the scriptures unto us...
III... “ NOTE WITH ME FURTHER THAT GOOD FRUIT COMES ALSO TO THOSE WHO ARE IN A RIGHTEOUS GOVERNMENT...VS 5-8
1st. The character of that subject is changed... vs 5
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
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2nd. Not so when they are not changed, and when there is no righteous government in power...vs 6-8
a. He works iniquity...vs 6
Psalm 141:4‑5 Incline not my heart to [any] evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties. 5 Let the righteous smite me; [it shall be] a kindness: and let him reprove me; [it shall be] an excellent oil, [which] shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also [shall be] in their calamities.
b. He turns against the Lord with lyes..vs 6
c. He strips the soul of the needy..vs 6-7