Series: Isaiah
Title: Feet of Them
Text: Isaiah 52: 7-8
Date: July 7, 2013
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Isaiah 52: 7: How beautiful upon the
mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth
peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that
saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! 8: Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice;
with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when
the LORD shall bring again Zion.
In
those days, a messenger carried news from one city to another. A watchman stood
on top of the walls of the city or in elevated towers watching for the
messenger. When the watchman got the news, he lifted up his voice, declaring
the news to all those in the city.
Last
time, we saw how verse 7 applies to Christ Jesus our Prophet, “How beautiful
are the feet of him…” But in Romans
10, when the apostle Paul quoted verse 7, he applied it to gospel preachers,
saying, “how beautiful are the feet of
them.” He said,
Romans 10: 14: How then shall they call on him in whom
they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not
heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15: And how shall they
preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel
of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Today our
subject is: The Feet of Them. We
will see what God says of his preachers.
Proposition: The means God has ordained to save his people is gospel
preaching. Our text tells us what all God’s ordained preachers are and what
they shall do.
I. FIRST, VERSE 8 SAYS THAT GOD’S PREACHERS
ARE “THY WATCHMEN.”
The Gift of God
God’s
preachers are Christ’s gift to his people—THY watchmen.
Ephesians 4: 8: Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up
on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men…11 And he gave some, apostles; and some,
prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
So when
the Corinthians were saying, I am of this preacher and others were saying I am
of the other preacher, Paul said they are ALL yours—THY watchmen. He said,
1 Corinthians 3: 21: Therefore let no man glory in men.
For all things are yours; 22: Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas,…;all are
yours; 23: And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s. 14: 1: Let a man so
account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of
God.
Watch MEN
Note
they are watch “men” and not watch “women.”
In the church, women are to learn in silence for it is God’s order and
because it was not the man, but the woman that Satan deceived in the garden.
1 Timothy 2: 11: Let the woman learn in silence with all
subjection. 12: But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over
the man, but to be in silence. 13: For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14: And
Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
They Watch For Your Souls
God’s
preachers are called “thy watchmen” because they watch for your souls. God’s
preachers are made watchmen by God.
Ezekiel 3: 16: And it came to pass at the end of seven
days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 17: Son of man, I have
made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel:
God’s faithful
preachers get their message from God and give his people warning from God.
Ezekiel 3: 17:…therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give
them warning from me.
Verse 18 tells us, God’s preachers must give account to
God. If a man is a false preacher, he will fail to give warning from God as he
ought, and God will require it of him. But God’s true preacher will give
warning from God, therefore he shall be delivered from the blood of others,
even if they refuse to obey. God says,
Ezekiel
3: 18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou
shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the
wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall
die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 19: Yet if
thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked
way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. 20: Again,
When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit
iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou
hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness
which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at
thine hand. 21: Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the
righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned;
also thou hast delivered thy soul.
This is
a very serious charge to God’s true watchmen. That is why the Spirit of God
says in Hebrews 13:
Hebrews 13:17: Obey them that have the rule over you, and
submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give
account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is
unprofitable for you.
Nothing
causes more grief to a pastor than those who stiffen their necks and refuse to
be taught. It is unprofitable for those who will not obey God’s ordained means because
those who will not have Christ’s preacher to rule over them will not have
Christ to rule over them! The LORD told
Samuel, “they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should
not reign over them.” (1 Sam 8: 7) But
nothing is more joyful to a pastor than when your brethren delight to be taught
and are willing to be taught. John said,
3 John 4: I have no greater joy than to hear that my
children walk in truth.
II. SECONLY, OUR TEXT SAYS GOD’S TRUE PREACHERS
DECLARE THE TRUTH OF GOD BOLDLY—V8: Thy watchmen shall LIFT UP the voice;
False
preachers hold back certain doctrine or simply will not declare it or they
mutter and peep so that you cannot exactly tell what they really mean. God
says,
Isaiah 8:20: To the law and to the testimony: if they
speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
But it
is not so with God’s preachers—they lift up the voice for all to hear all that
God declares in the scriptures.
Isaiah 62:6: I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O
Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make
mention of the LORD, keep not silence, 7: And
give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the
earth.
The
kind of warning that God gives to me to give to you is this: those of you who
refuse to believe on Christ are in grave danger! The wrath of God is upon you. If
you die today you will die in your iniquity. Therefore, God will justly cast
you into hell for all eternity because God’s justice demands it. But you cannot save yourself by any of your
own works. Salvation is through faith in Christ, “For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Isaiah 55: 6: Seek ye the LORD while he may be found,
call ye upon him while he is near: 7: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will
have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
And those
of you who do believe,
1 Peter 5: 8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour: 9: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions
are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
III. THIRDLY, OUR TEXT SAYS GOD’S PREACHERS
ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH EACH OTHER—v8: Together with the voice shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.
The apostles and early believers literally
saw Christ eye to eye.
John 1:14: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among
us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)
full of grace and truth.
1 John 1: 1: That which was from the beginning, which we
have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and
our hands have handled, of the Word of life 2: (For the life was manifested,
and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life,
which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3: That which we have
seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us:
and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
But all
God’s true preachers are taught of the same Holy Spirit of God and have seen
Christ through faith therefore they are all in agreement when it comes to the
essentials of the gospel—T.U.L.I.P.
T.—Total depravity of all
men.
In Adam all died. (1 Cor 15: 22)
“By the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation.”
(Rom 5: 18)
U.—Unconditional election by God the Father—
Romans 9: 10…when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even
by our father Isaac; 11: (For the children being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might
stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12: It was said unto her, The
elder shall serve the younger. 13: As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but
Esau have I hated. 14: What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with
God? God forbid. 15: For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will
have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16: So
then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that
sheweth mercy.
If God
makes you to know your sin then makes you to know he chose to save you, you
will say,
Ephesians 1: 3: Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ: 4
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
L.—Limited atonement—God
the Son, Christ Jesus laid down his life for those the Father gave unto him and
made atonement for them alone.
John 10:11: I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd
giveth his life for the sheep….15: As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the
Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep….26: But ye believe not, because
ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
John 17: 1: These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his
eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy
Son also may glorify thee: 2: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that
he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
Isaiah 53:8: He was taken from prison and from judgment:
and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the
living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken….11: He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall
be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he
shall bear their iniquities.
I.—Irresistible grace
by God the Holy Spirit.
Psalms 65:4: Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy
courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of
thy holy temple.
John 6:44: No man can come to me, except the Father which
hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 45: It
is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man
therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto
me."
John 6:63: It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh
profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and
they are life.
Ephesians 2: 4: But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love
wherewith he loved us, 5: Even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye
are saved;…8: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of
God: 9: Not of works, lest any
man should boast.
P.—Perseverance of the saints due to preservation by our triune God.
Philippians 1:6: Being confident of this very thing, that
he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus
Christ:
1 Corinthians 1: 8: Who shall also confirm you unto the
end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9: God is
faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ
our Lord.
Romans 8:30: Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he
also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified,
them he also glorified.
Hebrews 3:14 For
we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence
stedfast unto the end;
Hebrews 10: 39: But we are not of them who draw back unto
perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Not
only do God’s preachers lift up their voices in agreement—his preachers lift up
their voice together with the Voice of Christ. Notice in verse 6, the Lord
says, “my people…shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold,
it is I.” Then verse 7 speaks of the
Lord’s feet being beautiful, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of
him that bringeth good tidings.” Then
verse 8 says, “Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together
shall they sing.” Christ, the messenger
of the covenant, comes across the mountains with the good news. As soon as his
watchman gets the message from Christ, the watchman lifts up the voice together
with the Voice of Christ.
Ezekiel 33: 7: So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a
watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my
mouth, and warn them from me.
It is
by Christ speaking through his preacher that the word is made effectual. Christ said,
John 10: 27: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me:
That is why Paul said to the Thessalonians,
1 Thessalonians 2:13: For this cause also thank we God
without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us,
ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God,
which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
Application: To each of you here for whom I am responsible, I urge you
to never neglect hearing the preaching of the gospel. Those times when you just do not have a heart
to come and hear—those are the times you need to hear the gospel the most!
Romans 10: 17: So then faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 1:16:…the gospel of Christ:…is the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the
Greek. 17: For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
1 Peter 1:23: Being born again, not of corruptible seed,
but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for
ever…25:…And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
Remember,
we are saved through the preaching of the gospel of Christ not only in the
first hour but throughout our life of faith. So as the Lord Jesus said do not
simply hear. Hear then search the
scriptures and ask God for understanding. Christ said,
Mark 4:24: And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear:
with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear
shall more be given.
Example: The Bereans—Acts 17: 11: These were more noble than those in
Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched
the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 12: Therefore many of them
believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.
Only
those who truly called by his grace shall continue to hear and to search the
scriptures and to ask God for understanding:
1 Corinthians 1:18: For the preaching of the cross is to
them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of
God.
Galatians 6: 7: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8: For he that soweth to his
flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit
shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Amen!