Isaiah chapter 55 as a series of sermons on our Lord's Supper celebrations. And then the last two, I guess the last one, I didn't do it. I said I was going to do it. So we're going to continue that series. On Lord's Supper Sundays, we will look at Isaiah chapter 55, section by section. This morning, we'll look at verses 4 and 5. Last time, we looked at verses 1, 2, and 3. And we'll proceed through the chapter over the course of this year. And it is a remarkable chapter. Let's read the 13 verses, keeping our eye on the role that verses 4 and 5 will play. Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. And you who have no money, come, buy, and eat. Yes, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is good. Let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to me. Here and your soul shall live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the sure mercies of David. Indeed, I have given you as a witness to the people, a leader and commander for the people. Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth, it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out with joy and be led out with peace. The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree. Instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree. And it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." Congregation of our Lord and Savior, it is here in this passage that we have this remarkable, timeless witness to the very nature of things, the very core of the gospel, calling us, grabbing our attention, directing us to that which is. I'm thinking this was written back in 1,000 AD, right? Or it's Isaiah, that'd be after that. But millennia ago, centuries before Christ would come. And here it speaks prophetically of man's situation, It speaks prophetically of the salvation and redemption that will come. And of course that redemption and salvation comes through God's man. It comes through the great prophet. It comes through the incarnate Son of God. In fact, in those first verses, if you recall from our previous study, this call and this challenge to all men in all places, why do you spend your money for what is not food? Why do you spend your wages for what cannot satisfy? And he says in a softer tone, he says, come here, come, listen, give me your attention. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. I will tell you. Listen carefully to me. Let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to me. Hear, and your soul shall live. And so it is that the Lord has appointed the proclamation, the prophetic proclamation of His Word as the means by which we would come to see. As the means by which we would come to believe. As the means by which we would come to put our hope, our trust and faith in the sure promises of God. That we might hear and know that we might believe that which He has done. And so it is that we are taught and reminded that the Lord gives life. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. He softens the hearts of the stony hardness of men and molds and shapes them to be and to become that which is according to His will. What we will see this morning as we look at verses 4 and 5, that the sure mercies of David are going to be realized, are going to be granted, of course through the incarnate Son of God. So you see the sermon title, The Coming Christ Shall Be Glorified in His Work. We will note three points. There's a misprint on the second one there. The identity of God's man, the first point. The work of God's man and then the success of God's man. And of course, remembering this is prophesied in a historic context. It comes as words, instructed. Read in verse 3, I will make an everlasting covenant with you. Well, what are we talking about with an everlasting covenant but one that is is greater, more enduring than any else. And so it is, it's a reflection of the big picture, the big story of the Word of God. And so that which was promised in Genesis 3 verse 15, that which was promised about the seed of the woman triumphing over the seed of the serpent, is exactly the everlasting covenant that is going to be fulfilled through the sure mercies of David. What was the principal promise made to David? David was going to make God a house, right? He was going to build the temple. And God says to David, I'm going to make you a house. You will always have someone on the throne. Your offspring. Well, we're not talking about the 20 kings that follow in his line. We're talking ultimately, of course, of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The sure mercies of David. And look at verse 4. Indeed, I have given Him as a witness to the people a leader and commander for the people. And of course you notice as we progress from verse 3 to 4 we notice that the words being spoken is not the prophet. It's not what Isaiah is going to do. Who's talking? Well, it's God Himself. He says, indeed, I have given him as a witness to the people. This is called prophetic language. It is referring to a future event as a present reality. And so the work of Christ, when he would come, when he would endure, when he would hold fast, He had to do those things, but here it is referred to, it is spoken of as an event already passed. I have given him as a witness to the people, a leader and commander for the people. Well, if God is the one doing this, And the one to whom he is referring to is the Lord Jesus Christ in his incarnation, in his life, in his work, in his ministry. Then the last question is, who are we talking about in terms of the people? I have given him as a witness to the people, a testimony, a prophetic word to the people. I have given him as a leader and commander for the people. So in David's lifetime, he fought the Lord's battles. In David's lifetime, he conquered all his enemies. In fact, in the height of the unified kingdom, it was literally from north to south to east to west, all of those things, the promises were fulfilled and more. But of course, David wasn't the fulfillment of the promise of Genesis 3, was he? He was a foreshadow. He was an example of that fulfillment, which would be coming still more and higher. And so it is a prophetic reference to the future work of the coming Christ. And notice, we go to v. 4 to v. 5. Notice the change in speech again. I will do this. I will do that in v. 4. Now v. 5 says, Surely you shall call a people you do not know, and nations who do not know you shall run to you. So God is prophetically speaking now to whom? He is speaking prophetically to his own son. About what he is going to do. About what will be the result of his work. Shall call a nation you do not know. What does that assume? Well, to call, to speak, to command assumes right, assumes authority, assumes that he is able to do that which he calls and that which he commands. And that is exactly what we see. For the work of God's man is to advance the purpose, the call and the claim of God upon the world and the realm of earth. And what is the result? You shall call a nation you do not know and nations who do not know you shall..." What does it say? "...they shall run to you." Of course, this is not a particular nation or people. But it is clearly prophetic. of the New Testament church that will become, think Revelation chapter 4, chapter 5, that will become a people from every tribe, race, language, and people and place over the face of the whole earth. Or as we saw in our study from Ephesians chapter 2, he has broken down the middle wall of separation And out of the two, Jews and Gentiles, what has he done? He's made one. And so this prophetic witness to the work and ministry of Christ, of course, is going to be realized both within and without his lifetime, right? Because the New Testament church continues that work of bringing in the nations as Paul's missionary journeys stretch east and west and north and all of these things and continues since then. Remember the threefold circle from Acts chapter 1, verse 8? Wait in Jerusalem until the Spirit has come upon you, and then you will be witnesses to me. Where? In Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. Those who were not a people will become His people. Those who had no hope will become full of hope of the grace and mercy of God. So this describes the work of Christ. And we can think of the Great Commission. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me, he says to his apostles. Therefore, go in, make disciples of all nations. baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And lo, I will be with you always, even to the end of the age." All authority belongs to Christ. We serve not an impotent Savior, a God who wishes He could do more. No, we serve a God who does all of His holy will. And in the process of time and history, he raises up a nation, and he humbles the nation. In fact, I think it's Jeremiah chapter 17 or 18, he says that's God's prerogative. If I say I'm going to bless this nation, and they harden their heart and turn for me, I'll stop saying I'll bless this nation and I'll curse this nation. Which I think has some pretty serious relevancy for a nation with a history like ours. Just because God blessed and promised to bless his people at one point in time, we ought not to be presumptuous to think that somehow we are beyond that judgment. And of course, think about abortion. Think about the permissiveness of sexuality of any and every kind. You know, I think people could talk about homosexuality, but that's not the point. When there's sex out of marriage, it's the same point, right? It's outside of the bounds that God has appointed for us as his people. And if we rightly have our heart and our mind in the proper place, as the catechism says on the seventh commandment, we rightly loathe it with our whole heart. Men think they're wiser than God. when men think that there's hope and life outside of knowing Him and serving Him and worshiping Him as they ought. The gospel and its power continues to affect the lives of men and women all over the world. And as that word is heard, as that word is responded to, the unflappable argument or explanation that any of us would be free to say, once I was lost, but now I am found. Once I was blind, but now I can see. That's right. And so it is that the work of the gospel and the ministry continues, and hearts and lives continue to be transformed. Hearts and lives renewed. You know, I know there are some people that take issue with... There's this... It's an old radio show called Unshackled, right? And they always kind of tell the same story. A person was caught up in drugs, was caught up in adultery, was caught up in whatever, right? Until their lives and their minds became unshackled by the power of the Gospel. Well, would Would that that grace and knowledge of God would set every sinner free. All the oppressed, all those whose eyes are blind, whose ears are clogged and are not able to understand the call and the message of the gospel. That the free reign of gospel truth would be heard and believed. Who can do that? Well, I guess our God can do that. His Christ can do that. He can fulfill all that He wills. But He will not do those things. Certainly, He will not do those things if we do not pursue them, if we do not pray for them, if we do not make our requests be made known to the Lord. For every revival in history has been the result of prayer. And so let us pray. Let us pray God's blessing upon our little effort and our work here in Omaha Reformed Church. But think big. Think bigger than that. That God would advance His church and His kingdom in every place. That His name is known. Well, our third point is the success of God's man. Surely, verse 5a, You shall call a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you shall run to you, because they shall run to you because of the Lord your God and the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you. Think about our recent studies from the Gospel of Mark. What did we see over and over and over again? The Son of Man has authority on earth to do what? to heal the paralytic, to calm the wind and the waves of the storm, to cast out a legion of demons. They leave this man and fill 2,000 pigs. I'm not sure how demons work. Does that mean there was that many? Perhaps. But that's not all. He can heal the sick. And that's not all. You can raise the dead. That's how great He is. That's the work of which we read prophetically stated here. Nations who do not know you shall run to you because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you. That's what Jesus says, doesn't He? My works bear witness of Me. that I am the Son of God. The Father is doing His work through me. And so it is that God has chosen to glorify Himself through the continuing work and ministry of His Son. The church continues from the beginning to the end In fact, we'll get to there in our expositions of the Apostles' Creed, but we get to that statement about the Church. We believe in the Christian Church, the Holy Catholic Church. And it says, the Son of God, from the beginning to the end of the world, gathers, defends, and preserves for Himself a chosen communion for Himself in the unity of the true faith. who He will keep and whom He will supply all of their needs. In Psalm 2, though the nations rebel, though they oppose the word and the will of God. Why do the nations rage? The people plot a vain thing. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel to gather against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their quarrels." Oh no, we've got a nail-biter. What's going to happen? What does it say? He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. He'll laugh them to scorn. Hold them in derision. And He shall speak to them in His wrath and distress them in His deep displeasure. I have set My King on My holy hill. So the psalm concludes with this warning to the nations and to all men. Be wise, O kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear. Rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in the way when His wrath is kindled, but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. Indeed, Christ Jesus is the Lord. He is the ruler and the king. He is the one to whom all men will bow their heads and bend their knees. Indeed, He will be praised. For He, as the great King, He who has all power and authority, as Ephesians 1 says, made head over all things for the church. That He might fill all things to overflowing to the praise and the glory of God. And so it is, beloved, that God's purposes have been from the beginning. God's purposes that have been from the beginning have been revealed and made known to men throughout the course of time. Through His prophets. through the Isaiah 55. And of course the point is that they have been fulfilled in history. Christ did come. Christ did fulfill the work that was appointed to him. And then he did establish this kingdom that was planted that has continued to grow and to expand throughout the course of history with the rise and the fall of nations and he is and will be praised both now and forevermore world without end because he is the rightful king and of course if he is the rightful king what should we be we should be his faithful and loyal subjects we should Take what call and challenge and circumstances are before us and willingly bear that yoke. Endure those sorrows and endure those trials knowing that all things will work together for good. All things will work together for good to those who are the called according to the purpose of His will. Might the Lord be pleased to remind us and refresh us with the assurance that God's man, the coming Christ, has been glorified and He will be glorified in His Kingdom, in the world and the age that is, and the age and the world that is to come. Amen. Father in Heaven, we are grateful to You for the many blessings that You supply. We thank You for hearing ears, for understanding hearts. We thank You that we can comprehend at least some of what You have done and of why You are worthy to be praised. Lord, we will satisfy ourselves with Your Word and the assurance that we have as we know it's true. As we now prepare and come to the Lord's table, might it be that His words continue to live and will grant encouragement and strengthen us in our resolve and our devotion to you. We ask and pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.