Isaiah 63, our portion is the first six verses. Who is this who comes from Edom with dyed garments from Baltzrah? This one who is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength. I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Why is your apparel red? and your garments like one who treads in the wine-press. I have trodden in the wine-press alone, and from the peoples no one was with me. For I have trodden them in my anger, and trampled them in my fury. Their blood is sprinkled on my garments, and I have stained all my robes. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed has come. I looked, but there was no one to help, and I wondered that there was no one to uphold. Therefore, my own arm brought salvation for me, and my own fury, it sustained me. I have trodden down the peoples in my anger, made them drunk in my fury, and brought down their strength to the earth. So far the reading of God's inspired and inerrant word. So in the second half of chapter 62, which we had last week, the daughter of Zion, was told that her salvation was coming and to look and watch because his reward was with him and his work is before him. And so now the picture, the scene in the beginning of chapter 63 is with the watchmen who are on the walls. Back in chapter 62 verse 6. I've set watchmen on your walls Jerusalem and among them perhaps this daughter of zion who is watching with the watchmen because the salvation is coming and the the one that they see this figure that they see in vivid apparel at first when he's coming in verse 1 and he's a little bit far off, and all they can see is how starkly his clothing, in this case, especially his armor. You remember in the last few chapters, God has his own armor. He clothes himself with salvation, and then it talks about the servant. They're the anointed one who is coming. clothed with salvation. It had used the same language that the Apostle Paul picks up in Ephesians 6. He talks about the armor of God. Well, at first there's a sheen on it that in perhaps the moonlight you can tell is vivid, but you can't tell exactly what it is. Maybe it's painted. And as he gets closer, they're able to tell a little bit more. But they announce, who is this who comes from Edom? with dyed garments from Baltsra. Baltsra was the capital city of Edom. Now the word Edom means red. You remember it was a nickname that Esau got because he was red and hairy and it was strengthened by the incident with the red stuff that he begged for. Why, when they're looking for salvation, when they're looking for the Savior who has both deserved and accomplished his reward and his recompense, which turns to be a people that he has earned and a people that he has obtained for himself by his work, why is he coming from Edom? They can tell. even by the gait, the manner of his walking, that he is a great one. The word here translated traveling, and then in the phrase traveling in the greatness of his strength. It's a phrase that is capturing, he doesn't walk like a normal man. There is a dignity, there is something about this guy that you can even tell by the posture and the strides and the purpose, the strength, that this is a great one. So with what they've been told to watch for and what and whom they see coming, there is an anticipation. This is probably the one, but there are some questions. Why from that direction? And what's up with the glint of the color on his clothing? And his first answer is, I who speak. Now, that's important because in the last several chapters, the Anointed One has been especially one who speaks. The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me because Yahweh has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives, to proclaim the acceptable year of Yahweh, to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion. This is what we saw in chapter 61. This is what Jesus said was about himself. This is what we are to see as Jesus goes about preaching the gospel of the kingdom, like we heard about in Matthew. He is the one who, when in this vision scene in Isaiah 63, and they're asking, who is this? His first answer is, I who speak, he is the speaking one, he is the proclaiming one. He comes proclaiming a gospel and proclaiming a kingdom and it's good news because he is the king and he accomplishes, he deserves and obtains by his righteousness and his power, this kingdom for himself. And so he is the speaking one and he is the righteous one and he is the saving one. It's a very regal in its conciseness, but all of those things are there in that brief answer, in that first initial answer. I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save. And it's amazing that his righteousness is intact because what turns out to be all over him is blood. And ordinarily, blood would defile someone. But this is the one who is the speaking one, the righteous one, the saving one. And so he's a little bit closer at this point. And they say, why is your apparel red? Your garment's like one who treads in the wine press. Well, red. is a play on words with Edom and botsra means vintage, the gathered in grapes that are to be trampled for wine. And so, They ask, why is your apparel red and your garments like one who treads in the wine press? And he uses their language. He picks up their language and he says, I have trodden the wine press alone and from the peoples no one was with me. So there's all of this red on me, even though I'm of great kingly demeanor. because there was no one who would serve or could serve, we know, but there was no one else to do the work. He's the only one who could do that. Now, that's something that we've heard already in chapter 41 and chapter 59, that he looks to the right and he looks to the left and there's no one else who can accomplish the salvation and so he accomplishes it. and using their image of the one treading the wine press. He says, I have done it alone, but he quickly explains that it's the peoples, the nations who were the wine press that has been trodden. Now this is an image from Revelation 14 and Revelation 19 as well. so that when we see that there, we remember Isaiah 63, we know that this is the Savior. He is not just the Avenger. He certainly is that. Jesus has both righteous wrath upon all sin and especially an avenging wrath for what has been done against God and against His people. And so He says, He who has already introduced his work as saving adds vengeance and redemption in verse four. For the day of vengeance is in my heart. That is not that he is a revengeful one, but that to him vengeance belongs. Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. And so just as it's our responsibility not to have a vengeful spirit, but to leave room for the wrath of God, it's Jesus's responsibility to take that wrath. And he has not shrunk from it. He has it in his mind. He has it in his heart. He has not been slow. The timing has not been affected by any reluctance or fear or unwillingness. The timing has been exactly according to the kingly schedule, the royal schedule, the divine plan for the redemption of his people. And so the day of vengeance has been in his heart. And he says, and the year of my redeemed has come. Now, always when you see this word redeemed, especially in the book of Isaiah, Remember, this is not just purchase where he lays out whatever cost is necessary for getting someone out of trouble. This is relation. He is owning himself as next of kin to the one whom he purchases or for whom he lays out the cost. And he is giving them to be able to own him as next of kin. And so now we have not only the speaking one, the righteous one, the saving one, we have the avenging one and the redeeming one, the one who pays all the costs, the one who takes us to be his next of kin. And in the Bible as a whole, probably the most well-known picture of this is Boaz and Ruth, who is taken as his bride, the destitute foreigner who has no other help. and who is actually rejected by those who would have been nearer to her, but who is taken even to be his wife. And so a wonderful, powerful, royal, gospel-preaching, righteous, saving, avenging, purchasing, marrying picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he is glad to do this. He is the only one who could do this, and he has been happy to do it, has been pleased to be this one unto us. He gives us the picture of his being the only one and glad to be the one, particularly with respect to the judgment on the nations, because it is a necessary part of saving. So I looked, but there was no one to help, and I wondered that there was no one to uphold. Therefore, my own arm brought salvation for me. And because vengeance is a part of this salvation, He does it with zeal. He does it with diligence. He says, my own fury, it sustained me. I have trodden down the peoples of my anger, made them drunk in my fury and brought down their strength to the earth. For those who attack the Lord, attack his anointed. Those who attack the Lord's people, attack the Lord and his anointed. And there may actually be just a little hint at the end of verse six of the Tower of Babel there, that man attempted to bring his strength up to heaven, but it was God in heaven who became the king, the servant, the anointed. If you think in terms of the three main sections of the book of Isaiah, we had the little revelations of the coming king, and then we had the servant who turns out to be the suffering servant, and now the anointed who successfully gathers in the nations. God himself came down from heaven, he brought He came to earth in heavenly strength, whereas man wants to lift up his strength against heaven. And the Lord Jesus has taken his vengeance on behalf of God and his people, because his own arm has brought salvation for him. Now, there are many applications we could make. We'll just make these two here. One, the Lord alone can save. And so you are going to have times in your life where you feel that you have messed up morally or that things are messed up circumstantially. And the temptation will be to think that by how well you intend to do and how well you're going to do that you're going to fix what's been done morally. That actually cannot happen. Only the Lord Jesus can atone for our sin and fix what has been done. And then there will be times where you are in such difficult circumstances that either you think that someone else is gonna be what gets you out of them, or perhaps you think that you have to get out of them yourself, which will lead either to pride or despair. And pride ends in despair because you fall on your face if you try, if you think that you are going to figure out how to resolve the situation. There will be a right thing to do. in the situation, but it is the Lord who must resolve it. And these things that are true in your life in various circumstances are true in the whole scope of your life. Only Jesus can atone. Only Jesus can save. Only Jesus can avenge. Only Jesus can fix. And so don't trust in yourself, but do trust in Him. And know the greatness of this majestic one. This picture of his power and dignity and kingliness and resolve and zeal is designed to call forth from you trust in him. He is the hero. and he will not let you down. Ultimately, he will be displayed as a hero and as the daughter of Zion, we are to watch for him. He has come once already, especially being the speaking one at that time. And he will come again as the avenging one, as the not now paying the redemption price one, but the collecting his bride one. This is who the Lord Jesus is. Let us rest our hearts upon him and rejoice our hearts in him. Amen, let's pray. We thank you, our God, for becoming the man to be our Savior. Forgive us for when we have trusted in our own strength or despaired as if there was no strength that would save us. For you, O God, have become our salvation, our Savior, our redemption, our Redeemer, our vengeance, our avenger in the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that Your Spirit would convince our hearts of who He is and what He is like more and more, that we would rest upon Him more entirely and more freely and rejoice in Him with ever-increasing delight in this confidence that You give us in Him. Thank You for Your Word which proclaims Him to us. and make it effective in the hearts of each one in our family, we pray in Christ's own name. Amen.