Series: Isaiah
Title: The Great Contrast
Text: Isaiah 65: 13-16
Date: February 21, 2016
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Having shown us the cause of reprobation, next God declares the great contrast between the reprobate and his people.
Isaiah 65: 13: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: 14: Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. 15: And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name: 16: That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes. (Isa 65:13-16)
Our subject is “The Great Contrast.” The great contrast between God’s servants and the reprobate is the difference the grace of God has made in saving God’s servants from the same sin that condemns the reprobate.
THE CONTRAST IN SERVANTS
Isaiah 65: 13: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall…behold, my servants shall…behold, my servants shall.
God’s grace makes the believer a servant of God. All men and women are servants. But not all are God’s servants. We are either the servants of Righteousness or we are the servants of sin.
Romans 6: 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Notice the juxtaposition between “sin” and “obedience.” The opposite of “sin” is “obedience.” And the “obedience” spoken of here is “faith—faith in Christ.” The opposite of “sin” is “faith in Christ.” The Holy Spirit will convince “of sin, because they believe not on me.” Christ said. “With the heart man believeth unto righteousness.” (Jn 16: 9; Rom 10: 10)
Now, notice the juxtaposition between “death” and “righteousness.” Shouldn’t “righteousness” be translated “life?” Well, there is no life except righteousness. “If Christ be in you the spirit is Life because of Righteousness.” The opposite of “death” is “righteousness”—“life”. Christ is that Life and that Righteousness. God’s elect come into this world the servants of sin like all Adam’s race.
Romans 6: 17: But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed [believed] from the heart that form of doctrine [the gospel of Christ crucified] which was delivered you. 18: Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” [servants of Christ our Righteousness] (Ro 6:16-18)
True servants are made so by God, by Christ delivering the gospel to us, by the Holy Spirit regenerating us, by Christ being formed within us. You have faith when the Faithful One enters your heart. “By grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God.” (Eph 2: 8) So we thank God that we are the servants of Christ—“but God be thanked.” God says now ye are “my servants.”
THE CONTRAST IN LIFE
Isaiah 65: 13: Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry:
God promises that every chosen, blood bought, regenerated believer shall be given eternal life in Christ Jesus—“ye shall eat! ye shall drink!” Eating and drinking is necessary for life. Christ is our Life, our Meat and our Drink. After Christ fed the multitudes, they sought him because they wanted him to fill their bellies. Christ said,
John 6: 27: Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 28: Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29: Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent…35: And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst…47: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 48: I am that bread of life…50: This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
Christ is our Life because Christ is our Righteousness. Sin results in death. But the righteous never die. Christ is our Life, our Righteousness. God promises, “Ye shall eat, ye shall drink!” Ye shall have everlasting life. Also because God has provided his own Son, he will provide all our necessities in this life as well. David said, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” (Ps 37:25)
But if you will not believe on Christ, God promises a great contrast to you, “My servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry; my servants shall drink but ye shall be thirsty.” Those who rebel against God, refusing Christ, shall have no righteousness, only sin; no peace, only condemnation; no life, only death!
Sinner, why do you insist on condemnation rather than peace with God? Why do you insist on working rather than resting in Christ? Life and Rest and Righteousness is freely given by God’s grace through faith in Christ.
THE CONTRAST IN JOY AND SORROW
Isaiah 65: 13…behold my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed 14: behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.
God’s saints rejoice and sing of how great Christ is and of all the blessings we have freely given us in him through faith in his name. We are made the righteousness of God. All our sins are put away. It is because God chose us. It is because Christ redeemed us. It is because the Holy Spirit regenerated us. Our salvation is sure and certain because it is all of the Lord and not of us. God says to us,
Isaiah 61:7: For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
Isaiah 52:9: Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
When you have Christ even when times are bad they are good! We have Comfort even in the worst of times, our Song in the night seasons and for all eternity.
Psalm 42:8: Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.
Having Christ, Paul could say..
Philippians 4: 12: I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
But to you who refuse Christ, God who cannot lie promises that so long as you fight against God and reject his Son, you shall have a great contrast, “My servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.” How sad! Imagine an eternity beholding Christ and his people and all heaven’s bliss while you are cast out!
Luke 13:28: There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
THE CONTRAST IN NAMES
Isaiah 65: 15: And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:
The self-righteous Pharisees thought their name would go on forever, gloried in by men, due to natural things in which they trusted. Such as by blood—being natural sons of Abraham; by the will of the flesh—their works under the law; and by the will of man—their being circumcised by their fathers and by circumcising their infant children. Those are three things every self-made religious man glories in. But that is not how a true child of God is made:
John 1: 12: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Romans 2: 28: For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Therefore, because the reprobate trusted in themselves, God promised, “ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee.” The Jew’s name being accursed and slain by God is a grave reminder to God’s true chosen people to put no trust in these natural things but only in Christ Jesus!
Romans 11: 17: And if some of the [Jewish] branches be broken off, and thou [Gentile], being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18: Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
Remember, God cursed them and slew them. They were broken off because of unbelief, for boasting in their works, trusting in their will. So we have no room to boast, Christ is bearing us, not the other way around.
By his grace, God “calls his servants by another name.” We are called “Christians. (Acts 11: 26) It was derogatory name at first. But it is Christ’s name so we gladly wear his name.
We are called “sons of God.”—1 John 3: 1: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” (1Jo 3:1)
We are called “Hephzibah”—delight of the Lord; and “Beulah”—married to the Lord.
Isaiah 62:4: Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.
We are called “Jehovah-Tsidkenu”
Jeremiah 23: 5: Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6: In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby HE shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Jeremiah 33: 15: In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. 16: In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith SHE shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.
Brethren, we did nothing to earn this name. God the Father choose us. God the Son redeemed us. God the Holy Spirit regenerated us. Therefore, God promises to “call his servants by another name.”
THE CONTRAST IN GLORYING
Isaiah 65: 16: That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.
Believer, our former troubles are forgotten by God, hid from God’s eyes: our sin, our curse and condemnation under the law, all our former troubles are forgotten, hid from God’s eyes.
It is because the God of truth sent his only begotten, spotless, sinless Son who was made sin for us. Christ bore the stripes we deserved. Now, by his stripes we are healed: made the righteousness of God in him. It is because Christ declared God just and our Justifier. It is because “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” (Ps 85:10)
Isaiah 43:25: I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Psalm 103:12: As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Brethren, our sins are ever before us. We cannot forget our sins. But it does not matter what you and I remember. All that matters God remembers them no more.
Now, because our salvation is all of God, among God’s saints, he that blesses himself or he that glories, only glories in one—the LORD.
1 Corinthians 1: 30: But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
For you who are yet in unbelief, may God give you grace to heed these solemn warnings and give you faith to rest in his Son. For you who he has already called, may God comfort you with this great contrast that his grace had made.
Amen!