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Amen. A prayer that the Lord would bless the seed of His Word as it is sown in our hearts this day.
And speaking of the Word of God, we continue this morning our consideration of the book of the
prophet of Isaiah, the prophet Isaiah, and we are today in Isaiah chapter 11. I’ll read verses 10
through 16. I began preaching through this passage on the last Lord’s day, and there’s so much in
this passage that we had to come back and finish it up. So Isaiah chapter 11, verses 10 through 16,
you’ll find that on page 684 in your Pew Bibles. Dear friends, this is the Word of God. Hear it
with reverence and awe. In that day, the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples,
of him shall the nations inquire and his resting place shall be glorious. In that day,
the Lord will extend His hand yet a second time to recover the remnants that remains of His people
from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathras, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath,
and from the coastlands of the sea. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the
banished of Israel and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off. Ephraim shall not
be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim. But they shall swoop down on the shoulder
of the Philistines in the west, and together they shall plunder the people of the east.
They shall put out their hand against Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites shall obey them. And the
Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the sea of Egypt, and will wave His hand over the river
with His scorching breath, and strike it into seven channels, and He will lead people across
in sandals. And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnants that remains of His
people, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt. Dear friends,
the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever. Let’s pray for
the Lord to bless the preaching of His word this day. Almighty God, our gracious Heavenly Father,
once again we ask that by your Spirit you would cause this portion of Scripture which your Spirit
has breathed out. We pray that you would breathe new life into our souls through what we consider
today from your word. And we would ask, Lord, that you would open our minds and our hearts to
behold wondrous things from your word. And once again we ask that you would make us open-minded
and attentive and receptive to your word. We ask that your word, by the blessing of your Spirit,
might bear much spiritual fruit in our hearts and lives. And Lord, bless me,
your unworthy servant, as I speak forth your word. Grant me the grace to declare it with clarity,
with power, and with the assistance of your Spirit. We ask these things, Heavenly Father,
in Jesus’ name, and all of God’s people said, Amen. All right, you may be seated.
Title of my sermon this morning is Messianic Unity and a Greater Exodus. And the key words,
if you’re following along on your sermon outline, there’s five key words to listen for today,
the words unity, messiah, conquest, exodus, and promises. Well, my dear friends in Christ,
whether we realize it or not, our gathering here today to worship the true and living triune God,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is in a very real sense a fulfillment of our passage
for this Lord’s Day morning. A passage which is a prophecy of the Messianic era when our Lord Jesus,
the promised Messiah, would be lifted up as a signal to the nations. And he will be lifted
up as a signal for the nations through the preaching of the gospel and the missionary
labors of the true visible church of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we considered on the last Lord’s
Day, our holy Christian faith is at its heart a missionary faith. And the reason that our Christian
faith is a missionary faith, beloved, is because our God is himself a missionary God. He is a God
whose heart moves him in grace and mercy to seek and to save that which is lost.
How are we and our gathering here today for worship, how are we an aspect of the fulfillment
of this prophecy as recorded by the prophet Isaiah? Well, I want you to think about it for
a few moments. We ourselves, my friends, are part of the remnant that God has graciously brought
into his kingdom from among the nations and he’s brought us in through the proclamation of the
gospel. And we are gathered together today to inquire of Christ or to rally to him, to seek him
as we gather to hear his word. Look at verse 10. It says, in that day, that day, meaning the day of
the Messianic age, the root of Jesse, which is a Messianic title, the root of Jesse who shall
stand as a signal for the peoples of him shall the nations, not the nation of Israel, but the
Gentile nations of him. The nations shall do what? Of him the nations inquire and his resting place
shall be glorious. Though I’m guessing that most if not all of us are Gentiles and though many of
us come from different backgrounds and different places, yet through the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ and by the converting power of the Holy Spirit, we are brought together into the body of
Christ and by his grace, we have been graciously redeemed by his mighty hand and outstretched arm
and we have been drawn to saving faith in his son. Again, this is reflected in verses 11 and 12.
It says, in that day, the Lord will extend his hand, not that God in his divine being has a
physical hand, but this is a picture of God’s power. The Lord will extend his hand to do what?
Yet a second time. The first time was the Exodus. The second time is in the Messianic era. The Lord
will extend his hand a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people from Assyria,
from Egypt, from Pathras, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath and from the coastlands
of the sea. And then verse 12, he will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the
banished of Israel and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
In context here, this is not just speaking of a return from exile, though that would be part of
the fulfillment of this passage. This is speaking of the conversion and the ingathering of the
Gentile nations for the root of Jesse, the Messiah, would be raised up as a signal to the
nations. Now, on the last Lord’s day, we focused our main attention on these verses, verses 10 through
12. Now, that being the case, again, let me revisit the question. How are we to understand
the fulfillment of this prophecy as recorded in verses 10 through 12 by way of review? Well,
in other words, what event or events is Isaiah under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration predicting?
Some interpreters, including some conservative evangelical interpreters, suggest that this
passage points to and is fulfilled simply in the return of God’s people from the Assyrian and
Babylonian exiles. But while the return of the post-exilic community to the promised land
was a wonderful thing, and while that event may perhaps be viewed as an initial historical
fulfillment of this prophecy or perhaps as a foretaste of a greater regathering to come,
the view that this prophecy is fulfilled exclusively in the post-exilic community
simply does not do justice to the heightened language that Isaiah uses in this passage,
in particular, the eschatological language, the in-that-day language, and the language
of the promised Messiah, the Messianic language, namely the root of Jesse. Who was Jesse? Well,
remember, Jesse was David’s father. So speaking of the root of Jesse, that’s a clear reference
to the Davidic King, the promised Messiah. So in the context of this passage, this is speaking of
something much greater than the return of God’s people from exile in Babylon, though, again, that
was a mighty work of God as well. This is speaking of something much, much greater. In other words,
the language Isaiah uses in this passage makes it clear that he was speaking prophetically about the
future Messianic era, an era where the promised Messiah would be raised up as a signal to the
Gentile nations. These details in the text point to the fact that this passage finds its ultimate
fulfillment in Jesus, the promised Messiah, and in the in-gathering of Gentile converts
in the Messianic New Covenant era, a fulfillment, of course, that was made possible through the
saving work of our Lord Jesus Christ and was carried out through the missionary and evangelistic
endeavors of the church, the church being, of course, the true Israel of God.
And so that is how we are a fulfillment of this passage. We’re part of that in-gathering. Jesus,
our Messiah, was lifted up before our eyes through the preaching of the gospel and the spirit has
drawn us with the cords of love to faith in Christ. However, in Isaiah’s day, the covenant people of
God as they existed at that time were sadly divided into two kingdoms, the northern kingdom,
the northern tribes, which is called Israel, sometimes called Ephraim or Samaria, and the
southern kingdom of Judah. So how could the Gentiles be assembled along with believing Jews
as a remnant into one assembly, one body, when God’s people were divided? Well, that brings me to
the first main point that I want us to consider from verses 13 and 14 today. Let us consider from
verses 13 and 14 the unity of God’s people in the Messianic age. We learn here of the unity
of God’s people in the Messianic age. It says this in verse 13, the jealousy of Ephraim shall
depart. Ephraim again, that’s the northern kingdom. The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart
and those who harass Judah, that’s the southern kingdom, those who harass Judah shall be cut off.
Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah and Judah shall not harass Ephraim. There will come a time
when this great schism, this great division among the covenant people of God will be healed,
will be repaired. There will be unity once again among God’s people and that unity is displayed
in their oneness of mission and purpose which is spoken of in verse 14. It says they, that is,
Ephraim and Judah, they shall do what? Shall swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines in the
west and together they shall plunder the people of the east. They shall put out their hand against
Edom and Moab and the Ammonites shall obey them. Now again, as we reflect upon verse 13,
we need to consider that one of the tragic events of Old Testament history was the great schism
among the people of God between the northern kingdom of Israel which again was sometimes
referred to as Samaria or Ephraim and the southern kingdom of Judah. And of course,
the Davidic kings ruled over the southern kingdom of Judah and the capital city of Judah was the
holy city of Jerusalem and the temple was there in Jerusalem and so forth.
But here in verse 13, the Lord promises that in the Messianic age that schism would ultimately
be healed and there would be one people of God. Now you may say, okay, well, Pastor, if this is
speaking of the Messianic age, this new covenant age in which we live, the age following the
arrival of the Messiah Jesus of Nazareth to the scene of human history, if this is speaking about
our age, how can we say that the people of the Messiah are one today? You see, in this present
age, the visible church is obviously and regrettably divided into numerous denominations and fellowships
and ecclesiastical organizations. And yes, it is clear, it is true that there is not yet
a perfect visible unity in the body of Christ. However, there is for those who are truly in
Christ, there is a deeper unity, a unity in the truth of the gospel. Unity is not achieved
outside of the truth, it’s achieved in the truth of the gospel and by the work of the Holy Spirit.
You see, if we are truly in Christ, we are spiritually united as brothers and sisters in
the Lord and that is true even if we happen to belong to different denominational expressions
of the true visible church of the Lord Jesus Christ. So in view of this, let us seek to maintain
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace as we are commanded to. And again, this is not to say
that denominational differences and distinctives are unimportant or that we should not be concerned
to bear witness to our own denominational and confessional distinctives because we believe
that those distinctives are based upon and agreeable to the Word of God. But the point
is that we share true unity in Christ and by the Spirit with all who truly embrace the gospel of
Jesus Christ in its fundamental integrity and look to Christ alone for their salvation.
And so as the apostle Paul instructs us in that very familiar passage of Ephesians
chapter four verses one and six and let me just read these verses to you.
Paul writes, I therefore a prisoner of the Lord urge you to walk, that is to live in a manner
worthy of the calling to which you have been called. And how is that? He says with all humility
and gentleness. There’s a lot of harshness out there today. Where to be characterized by humility
and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, bearing with one another in love,
eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And then Paul writes,
and this is the spiritual reality for those who are truly in Christ. He says there is one body.
There may be many different ecclesiastical organizations but today, that exist today,
but the foundational reality for the true, those who are truly in Christ, there is one body and
one Spirit. Just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith,
one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
Dear listener, do you belong to the promised Messiah? Do you believe, do you belong to the
Lord Jesus Christ? And do you belong to a faithful expression of his church? Christ calls you,
dear sinner, to repent of your sin and to turn in faith to him. So repent and believe the gospel,
believe the good news that God has conquered sin through his Son, Jesus Christ. Christ is the God
man who died upon the cross to pay the penalty for sin, who rose from the dead physically, bodily,
miraculously, so that all who believe in him might not perish but have life everlasting. And he reigns
at the Father’s right hand. He’s going to come again to judge the living and the dead. And if you
are trusting in him, resting upon him alone for your salvation, then you have been called by him
into his messianic fellowship, into the church. And if you are in Christ, you ought to belong to
a faithful local expression of the body of Christ. Is that true of you? Turn to Christ and come into
the fellowship, the messianic fellowship of a true visible expression of his church.
Now, verse 14 of our passage is interesting as well, because it talks about a united people of
God in the messianic era swooping down on the shoulder of the Philistines and plundering the
peoples of the East and putting out their hand against Edom and Moab, causing the Ammonites to
obey them and so forth. What are these nations? What are these people groups? Well, groups like
the Philistines, along with Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites, these represent Israel’s gentile
neighbors in Old Testament times, neighbors who often proved to be not very nice neighbors.
In fact, they often proved to be hostile enemies of God’s people. But here, God’s united people
are depicted as swooping down upon them, plundering them, and subduing them. That sounds like rather
violent language, doesn’t it? The language here appears to be the language of royal conquest. So,
does that mean that in this age of the Messiah, we as the church are called upon to take up the
sword as God’s people under the Old Covenant were called upon to take up the sword and to put to the
sword the Canaanites who were put under the ban, put under God’s curse? Are we to use the sword and
propagate our faith through the power of the sword?
How can that be since Isaiah has depicted the Messiah in chapter 9 verse 6 as the Prince of Peace?
The language here, again, appears to be the language of royal conquest. But how are we to
understand this violent language in light of the coming of the promised Messiah, the one who is
revealed as Prince of Peace? Well, once again, I think that Dr. E.J. Young in his excellent
commentary has some helpful thoughts. He says the following, and I happen to agree with him on this.
He says, what Isaiah is describing here cannot, of course, be understood in a literal sense.
Rather, here is a beautiful picture of the unity that is the possession of the saints of God,
obtained for them not through their own works but through the blood of Christ and of the vigorous,
active participation in the work of conquering the enemy world, a conquering which is brought about
through the sending of missionaries and the constant active, vigorous, faithful proclamation
of the whole counsel of God to every creature. And so, friends, as we consider verse 14 in particular,
in this passage, the Lord gives two wonderful promises that will be fulfilled in the Messianic
Age and which is being fulfilled even today, for we live, brothers and sisters, in this Messianic
New Covenant Age. First of all, we see the promise of the reunification and thus the spiritual unity
of the true people of God. Through faith in Jesus Christ and the truth of his gospel,
and by the grace of the Holy Spirit, God’s true people would be united into one body,
one people of God, and thus united in their mission to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
In spite of the denominational and ecclesiastical diversity that we find today in Christ’s visible
church, we share genuine spiritual unity, genuine unity in the Holy Spirit with all those who are
our true brothers and sisters in Christ. A unity that has been secured by Christ’s finished work,
a unity that has been produced by the Holy Spirit through the word of the gospel. It’s not a unity
that ignores the truth or that ignores doctrine. It’s a unity founded upon the fundamental truths
of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and so we find that reunification and spiritual unity
promised here, and that is being worked out in this present Messianic Age. We also see the promise
of a Messianic conquest of the nations, but again this raises the question,
how does Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah whom Isaiah had described earlier as the Prince of
Peace, how does he conquer all of his and our enemies in this present age, this present Messianic
Age of grace? For not with swords, loud clashing, nor roll of stirring drums, the deeds of love and
mercy, and the greatest deed of love and mercy is to proclaim the gospel through the gospel of Jesus
Christ. That’s how Christ conquered you, sinner. If you’re a sinner who’s found salvation in Christ,
Christ has conquered you, but he’s conquered you not by crushing you, but by humbling you
and raising you to newness of life in himself, and he’s done so not by putting a sword to your neck,
but through the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, which by the blessing of the Spirit has
converted your soul, and you’ve been effectually called from darkness to light, from the deadness
of sin to new life in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so how does the United Church of the Lord Jesus
Christ in this Messianic Age conquer God’s enemies? Not by being cultural warriors,
not by getting the right people elected into office. Again, I’m not saying that there isn’t
a place for responsible Christian citizenship. There is, but that’s not the church’s job. It’s
not the church’s job to transform our culture. As the gospel is faithfully preached, as discipleship
happens, as we fulfill the Great Commission, that will have ripple effects that oftentimes
will impact, positively impact, our culture. But the point is, we’re not called to conquer our
culture. We’re called to love our neighbor. We’re called to pray for the salvation of the lost.
We’re called to take the good news of Jesus to sinners who desperately need that good news.
How does Christ conquer all of his and our enemies in this present Messianic Age? Oh, judgment is
coming for those who do not repent and believe, indeed. But he conquers not by means of destroying
them, as was the case under the old covenant with the conquest of Canaan, but by means of saving them
through the offer of grace in the gospel. I’m reminded of what, again, the quote from Paul,
I’m reminded of what the apostle Paul writes about this in 2 Corinthians chapter 10,
verses 1 through 6. Let me just read that passage quickly for you. Again, this is a different context
here, but nevertheless, I think it can connect, the principles here can connect with what we’re
considering today. Paul, as he defends his apostolic ministry to the Corinthians, some of whom are
questioning his apostolic credentials, he says, I, Paul, myself entreat you by the meekness and
gentleness of Christ, I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away.
I beg of you that when I am present, I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I
count showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. But notice what
he says, starting in verse 3, for though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according
to the flesh or by carnal means. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have
divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments. We don’t kill people. We destroy
arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought
captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete.
And so friends, praise God, we serve a conquering savior, but he conquers as the prince of peace.
Let us be a people of peace who graciously love our neighbor and as we have opportunity, seek to
share the good news of Jesus with them. But in our passage as well, as we move on to verses 15 and 16,
we note next the greater exodus of the Messianic age, the greater exodus of the Messianic age.
Look at verse 15. It says this, and the Lord, notice the word Lord is in all capital letters.
This is Yahweh, the covenant name of God. And again, it has in view God’s covenant redemptive
mercies towards his people. And the Lord, Yahweh, will utterly destroy what? The tongue of the sea
of Egypt. In other words, he’s going to dry it up. When did that happen before in biblical history?
Happened in the exodus, right? A newer and greater exodus is being predicted here. The Lord will
utterly destroy the tongue of the sea of Egypt. And not only that, it says he will wave his hand,
simply by a wave of the hand, it’s as if he’s using that imagery, will wave his hand over the
river. What’s that referring to? What river? That’s usually in scripture when it talks about
the river, it’s speaking of the Euphrates River, the other extreme of the territory there in the
east. So he’s not only going to dry up the sea of Egypt, he’s going to dry up the Euphrates
with a wave of his hand, with his scorching breath and strike it into seven channels that
are easy to pass. That’s the picture that we get in our minds here of this.
And he will lead people across in sandals. It’ll be so dried up that you don’t have to worry about
getting your feet muddy. You can cross them with sandals. And then verse 16, and there will be a
highway from Assyria on the east. Assyria, remember, the Assyrians were great oppressors
and enemies of God’s people, right? But there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant
that remains of his people as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.
You know, friends, the major redemptive event in the Old Testament times that God’s people
at that time would look back upon as the evidence of their special relationship with God, as the
evidence of God’s favor towards them and his saving power toward them. The event they would
look back to was the Exodus event. Just as if someone might come to you and say, well, as a
Christian, what central event of the Bible do you look to that defines you as a Christian?
If you’re a Christian who knows your Bible and knows the gospel well, you’ll say, well, the cross
and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus died for my sins. He rose from the dead. That’s what I look back
to. That’s the central, ultimate redemptive event that we look to as God’s people living today in
this Messianic New Covenant era. But if you were a believer who lived under the Old Covenant,
you would look back to the Exodus as definitional of God’s grace to you. Because in the Exodus,
Yahweh, the God of Israel, rescued his people from their slavery to Pharaoh and the Egyptians,
and he brought them miraculously into the promised land. He did that by his mighty supernatural power
alone, and not because of the worthiness or with the help of the Israelites.
But one significant theme that we find in Isaiah, and we’ll see this as we continue to work our way
through Isaiah, is the promise of a newer, indeed a greater, Exodus in the Messianic age,
an Exodus that would far surpass the miraculous events that took place during the original Exodus.
I mean, you think about the original Exodus. There’s some pretty amazing stuff that happened
then. Remember the plagues? The Lord turns the water of the Nile. Remember the Egyptians worshiped
the Nile. The Lord turns the water into blood. It’s a miraculous event. And he sent hail
to destroy the Egyptians, but he made a distinction between the Egyptians and the
Israelites. And then, of course, the death of the firstborn. The greatest miracle of the Exodus was
God parting the Red Sea so that the people walked through on dry land. But when the Egyptians
foolishly decided to follow them, what happened? The Lord closed the Red Sea over them.
You may say, well, what could be more miraculous, more amazing than the plagues of Egypt or the
parting of the Red Sea? Well, maybe, just maybe, the resurrection from the dead,
the raising of Jesus from the dead, the miracles of Christ, and especially his physical bodily
resurrection from the dead. Friends, in hindsight, we know that this greater Exodus that is depicted
in this passage, this greater deliverance, is not merely a deliverance from physical slavery
and oppression. Rather, this language here, this Old Testament language that Isaiah is using here,
points to new covenant realities. Ultimately, it points to and is fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is the Exodus of deliverance from the guilt, the penalty, and the dominating power of sin,
which was accomplished by the saving work of Jesus, the Messiah. And in verse 14,
in verse 15, we learn of a highway. I’m sorry, 16, 14, 15, 16, whatever. Verse 16,
and there will be a highway from Assyria, a highway from Assyria. We will read about that
more in chapter 19, where it talks about God making a highway between Assyria and Egypt,
and all three, Israel, Assyria, and Egypt, coming and worshiping together the Lord. That, of course,
is a foreshadowing and a prediction of the ingathering of the Gentiles in the new covenant
age. There will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant that remains of his people.
And by the way, that includes in context even the Gentile converts. As there was for Israel when
they came from the land of Egypt, God made a way for his people. In spite of the obstacle of the
Red Sea, God made a way for them. Well, we have a way made for us into the ultimate promised land of
the new heavens and the new earth. And what is that way? What is that highway? That highway
is Jesus Christ himself, where Jesus said in John 14, verse 6, I am what? The way, which could also
be translated as the road. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
except by me. And as the Apostles declared in Acts chapter 4, the Apostle Peter declares in Acts 4,
verses 11 and 12, as he confronts the religious authorities with the Gospel, he says,
this Jesus, Acts 4, 11 and 12, this Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders,
which has become the cornerstone. And notice what he says in verse 12, and there is salvation
in no one else. There’s no other God appointed Savior for sinners but the Lord Jesus Christ,
because he’s the only one qualified to save us from our sins. There is salvation in no one else,
for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Any so-called
Christian preacher who tells you you can get to heaven by a way other than Jesus is a false prophet
and must be rejected. Christ is the way. He is the highway. Dr. E.J. Young writes in his commentary,
the Egyptian sea and the Euphrates were far apart, yet they were two obstacles that the people of
God in olden times had to face. And then notice what he says. He says, when God acts, however,
all obstacles will be removed just as they had been in former times. When God leads his people,
he brings them in safety through all hindrances and difficulties into the land of promise. Oh,
do you see the comfort in those words? Let me read that again. When God leads his people,
he brings them in safety through all hindrances and difficulties into the land of promise.
If you, brothers and sisters in Christ, in this present age, we face formidable hindrances and
difficulties and obstacles that threaten to prevent us from reaching our final destination
of heavenly glory. We face the world, the flesh, and the devil. We face enemies such as
the sinful world, this fallen, sin-cursed world that seeks to mold us into its image.
We face spiritual enemies. We face the devil and his demonic hosts that seek to discourage us.
The devil is called the accuser of the brethren, and he comes along and he dredges up those old
sins that you had repented of long ago. But he says, how can you call yourself a Christian
when you did this or you did that? And we face probably the greatest enemy of all.
We face our own sin nature, our own sinful flesh. Left to ourselves, we would all be dislodged from
Christ and end up back on the broad road that leads to destruction. All of these enemies
threaten to pull us off the narrow way and dislodge us from our firm foundation in Christ.
But friends, oh how comforting to know that our God is able to overcome all hindrances and
obstacles and to bring us in safety and joy to the ultimate promised land by His mighty hand,
by His outstretched arm, His omnipotent power. And that language, that imagery of God’s mighty hand
and outstretched arm should have special significance to us as believers in the New Testament as we live
in this New Covenant era. Because the outstretched arms that embrace us are the arms of Christ that
were stretched out upon the cross to bear the penalty of our sin. And those arms are the arms
that embrace us as we come to Him in faith and repentance. Insofar as I can trace and understand
my own conversion experience, I believe I was called in grace to the faith in the Lord when I
was a 15-year-old. I will tell you I’m no longer a 15-year-old. I’ve been in the Lord for a while.
But I’m reminded of that wonderful stanza to that familiar hymn, Amazing Grace,
the stanza that goes as follows. Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come.
It doesn’t stop there.
God overcomes all obstacles as we are on the narrow way. The narrow way is Jesus Christ Himself,
the way, the truth, and the life. As we travel the narrow road of faith in Christ and Christ alone,
we face many dangers, toils, and snares. But as the Lord has led us safely thus far,
He will lead us home. How comforting to know that He who has begun a good work in us through
Christ will indeed carry it through to completion until the day of Christ Jesus, as we’re told in
Philippians 1 verse 6. O friends, let us continue to repose our full confident trust in Christ
and Christ alone, for He has overcome all obstacles, all of His and our enemies,
all hindrances, and our salvation and security are found in Him. Praise God,
from whom all blessings flow. Amen. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, sovereign and eternal God,
we do indeed thank you that you are victorious over sin, death, hell, and the devil. We thank
you that in Christ we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us, who gave up His life
for us, that we might live. We ask, O Lord, that this good news would so enlighten us and so
encourage us, that we would be motivated out of gratitude to lift up as a signal for the nations
the root of Jesse, our Messiah, and Lord Jesus Christ. In His name we pray,
and all of God’s people said, Amen. Friends, let’s close our time together by rising in