Grosey's Messages

Isaiah 1

 

Why should one listen to the message of the prophets and of holy Scripture? In an age of doubt and the rationalistic criticism of Scripture, this remains a vital question for the church and all believers. In this sermon on Isaiah 1:1–2 Scripture as the word of God given through the apostles and prophets. God gives His word to His people in times of need and guidance. This word from God is the only reason that the church has any authority to speak to the world and call it to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The message of the church is that Jesus Christ has died for sinners so that they might be righteous and children of God. All who repent and believe in Jesus are saved from sin and the wrath of God. This message of salvation confronts the world in its fallenness and brokenness and tells of the God who has died for the world. God's revelation is the only reason that the church can stand and proclaim this great truth that Jesus has come and died for sinners. This sermon confronts all that they need to repent and believe in Jesus Christ.

The prophet Isaiah wrote to show Judah and Jerusalem the cause of their troubles and the way out. 

Isaiah's message is summarized in the first chapter. The cause of trouble is sin, false ways of dealing with trouble, and the announcement of the true way of deliverance.

Isaiah's message is still relevant today because it deals with man's relationship to God, which never changes. 

Isaiah asks us to listen to his message because it is a vision from God, not his own ideas. God spoke through Isaiah.

The evidence that Isaiah's message is from God includes:

The sublime and elevating character of the message

The unity of message across prophets separated by time 

The historical accuracy of predictions 

The timeless relevance of the message

The condition of man and the world is an astonishing phenomenon and monstrosity according to the message. Everything is obeying God's laws except man. 

Man's troubles are due to his own rebellion against God, not circumstances outside his control.

The essence of man's trouble is sin, which is rebellion against God, not just individual sins. Sin is about man's relationship to God.

Man was made to live for God's glory but rebelled. This is why the world is in trouble. 

God raised up prophets like Isaiah to show people their sin, call them to repentance, and offer mercy. 

God showed the greatest love by sending Jesus to save us from the punishment our sin deserves.

We must realize we are a phenomenon and monstrosity because of our sin, repent, and believe in Jesus to be saved.

 

Christians must consider what their is life worth and what they are willing to give up in exchange to save their soul. Even when shown the damage caused by sin, people continue to live in rebellion, not listening to God's call to repent. While even animals know their master and know the master provides their food and all that they have, people refuse to acknowledge God and all the blessings that come from His merciful hands. Humanity loves sin and wickedness more than their gracious God who has promised to give all things to those who love Him and believe in His name. So, what profit is it to gain the whole world and lose one's soul? What does knowledge and pleasure bring if one dies and goes to hell? People love their sin, but it leads only to death and despair. God has given the best gift possible in Jesus Christ who died and rose from the grave, reigning over all so that all who believe may have eternal life abundantly.

Sin is rebellion against God. It denotes a wrong attitude and relationship towards God. 

Sin blinds the mind and renders man ignorant and incapable of thought. Man fails to think and reason.

Sin perverts man and makes a fool of him. Man behaves in an unnatural and stupid manner, worse than beasts. 

Man is ignorant of what he was meant to be - the companion of God, meant to share in God's glory. 

Man is ignorant of his utter dependence on God. He thinks he is clever and independent but his life is in God's hands.

Man is ignorant of the excellence of the provision God supplies - the message of salvation in Christ.

 

Isaiah 1:7-8, Israel was in a state of complete desolation and ruin. The text describes:

A country that was desolate

Cities that were burned with fire

Land that strangers were devouring in their presence

The daughter of Zion (Jerusalem) left isolated "as a cottage in a vineyard" or "a lodge in a garden of cucumbers"

This represented Israel's spiritual and physical condition - they were isolated, conquered, and watching helplessly as others consumed what once belonged to them.

How Do We Connect Israel's Ancient Condition to Modern Life?

This isn't merely historical study but "a very up-to-date word" for today

The same spiritual principles apply to our modern world

Our world today is "in the same position" as Israel was then

The physical consequences in Israel's case represented deeper spiritual realities

"What happens in the material is a representation of what happens in the realm of the spiritual."

What Does This Teach About the Nature of Sin?

Sin:

Always leads to misery and unhappiness

Is subtle and deceptive - "always comes in a most enticing form"

Makes false promises - "always offers life, always offers a good time"

Results in total loss rather than gain

Robs people of their "most priceless possessions"

Enslaves - making people "utterly slaves" to desires and habits

Eventually isolates - leaving people alone "like a cottage in a vineyard"

"Sin, having taken all out of me, having fooled me and robbed me leaves me at the end as a lonely, isolated, miserable wreck."

How Do We Illustrate the Deceptive Nature of Sin?

Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 - tempted with becoming "like God" but losing paradise

The Prodigal Son - seeking freedom but ending up with swine and husks

Judas Iscariot - betraying Christ for money but abandoned by his co-conspirators 

Modern addictions - especially alcohol which "is not a stimulant, it's a depressant" though marketed as bringing joy

Death of the ungodly person - leaving everything behind and going out "alone, empty handed"

He summarizes: "Sin always comes in a most enticing form...But that is never what it gives. Never."

What Solution Can We Offer to the Problem of Sin?

The Solution is Christ alone:

Christ is "the only one" who can help in our isolation

He "takes away our guilt" and bears our punishment

He reconciles us to God

He promises to "never leave us nor forsake us"

Unlike sin which robs, the gospel "gives and gives us gloriously"

"Sin fools us, robs us, leaves us helpless, leaves us hopeless, leaves us isolated, whereas the gospel gives and gives us gloriously, gives us continuously, gives us endlessly."

Sin takes us further than we want to go, keeps us longer than we want to stay, costs us more than we want to pay.

Isaiah 1:7-8 Your country lies desolate; your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence foreigners devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners. And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a lodge in a cucumber field, like a besieged city. (ESV)

Sin affects everything and its results are seen in many of the difficult daily patterns of life. In this sermon on Isaiah 1:7–8 titled "Enslaved by Sin,"

Its consequences reach into every area of existence. When disasters strike, people often wonder about the reason behind why something like that happens. Sin alone explains the state of the world as it is in complete rebellion to God and His character. Christians know that the wrong choices they make will result in bad things, and yet still choose to do them, even though it never keeps its promises to fulfill. Sin never gives anything of value but instead robs of what is best. After this, sin leaves the sinner alone and isolated. In contrast, consider the promises and the call to life in the gospels that Jesus extends to those who are lost. Unlike the problems of sin, Jesus promises to never leave His people, and He fulfills the promises He makes.

The prophet Isaiah describes the terrible condition of the people of Israel. 

Their country was desolate, their cities were burned, and strangers were devouring their land.

The daughter of Zion was left alone like a cottage in a vineyard.

Sin always leads to misery. It never gives anything of value and always robs us of precious things.

Sin leads to loss - it robs us of cities, land, and possessions. 

Sin leads to slavery - we become slaves to sin and the forces of evil. 

Sin leaves us isolated and alone like a cottage in a vineyard.

The story of Judas illustrates how sin leaves us alone and isolated.

The death of the ungodly shows how sin leaves us with nothing, alone and afraid.

In contrast, the Gospel gives us everything and the Giver Himself is the greatest gift.

 

God's final appeal to sinners through reasoning together.  Isaiah 1:16-18, where God calls sinners to "Come now, let us reason together," showing how God demonstrates the rightness of His demands, the justice of His judgment, and the grace of His offer of forgiveness. This is  "God's final word to an unrepentant sinner," highlighting the extraordinary nature of God's willingness to reason with rebellious humanity.

What a truly awe-inspiring thought that the God of the universe, the Creator, has called sinful humans to come to Him. In this sermon on Isaiah 1:16–18 titled "The Terms of Judgment," Be reminded of the incredible offer from God Himself to come before Him. In this passage, God calls sinners to reason with Him, to have a discussion about their sins. Yet there is another element to this— a challenge. Because He is the maker, God is just to demand what He does. Because people have disobeyed Him, the punishment for their sins is just. What silences this, though, is the grace of God's offer that follows this challenge. All need clean hands and a pure heart to stand before God, yet because every one has the guilt of sin staining them, they cannot merit this forgiveness on their own. But, as Isaiah states in this passage, Jesus has offered to take sins that are as red as scarlet and make them as white as snow. As the old hymn communicates so poetically, there is a fountain filled with blood that is drawn from Emmanuel's veins. Yet, sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains. Trust in Jesus today for forgiveness from sins.

God addresses an appeal to man through the prophet Isaiah. There is nothing more astonishing than God appealing to and calling upon men. 

God says "Come now, let us reason together." This is an invitation to a debate, discussion and to state our case before God. It shows God's fairness, reasonableness and condescension. 

"Come now, let us reason together" also contains an element of challenge. God will allow us to say anything but then He will answer and we must answer Him. 

The first principle is the rightness of God's demands on us. God made us and has the right to lay down conditions for us. His demands are right and good. 

The second principle is the justice of God's punishment of our failure and sin. God has the right to judge and has told us He will punish sin. We deserve punishment according to God's judgment. 

The third principle is the grace of God's offer. Though we deserve punishment, God offers forgiveness, justification, renewal and blessing. 

God made this offer possible through sending His Son Jesus Christ. Christ's life, death and resurrection enable God to forgive and justify us.

We cannot meet God's demands on our own. We need God's mercy, grace and the blood of Christ to cleanse us. 

If we accept God's offer, though our sins are as scarlet they shall be white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool. We will be cleansed and made righteous in Christ.

this phrase shows God's extraordinary condescension to humanity. He emphasizes that God "stoops down to our level" and invites us to a debate or discussion where we have "complete freedom and liberty to say what we want to say." Lloyd-Jones sees this as demonstrating God's "indescribable fairness and reasonableness," noting that God doesn't "dragoon" people but persuades them. However, he also points out that this invitation contains a challenge - once we've stated our case, God will answer, and we'll be left with nothing more to say.

 1. The rightness of God's demands on us - God's requirements are inherently good and just 

2. The essential justice of God's punishment of our failure and sin - God's judgment is perfectly fair 

3. The grace of God's offer of forgiveness - God's promise that "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow"

God transforms our sins from "scarlet" to "white as snow" through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He refers to this as "the alchemy of Gethsemane" and "the miracle divine that changes the scarlet into the whiteness of the snow." He emphasizes that this transformation happens through Christ's blood, suffering, and death on the cross. Lloyd-Jones describes how God takes Christ's righteousness and puts it on us (justification), while placing our sin on Christ who bore its punishment. He says God not only forgives but also renews us, making us "new men and women" and clothing us with "the righteousness of his son."

Can you get rid of the guilt of your past sins? Can you wash yourself and make yourself clean?" 

we cannot, and therefore we stand condemned unless we accept God's gracious offer in Christ.

 

Repent." This is a command that many, even those outside of the church, are familiar with. But what actually is repentance? Isaiah 1:10:  What does it means to repent and why every single person ever born is in need of repenting. People who trust in Christ for their salvation from sin do so because they see their need. The word "repent," he says, means literally to stop and think again. With the culture moving along from day to day at a blistering pace, it is imperative that all stop and think soberly about what they believe regarding eternity— they must repent. The second aspect of repentance when someone is coming to faith in Christ is a changing of the mind, realizing they have been wrong regarding their beliefs about Him, and put their complete dependence on Him for forgiveness from their sins. Third, repentance is ceasing to rely on one's own capacity and wisdom. Finally, repentance is utter submission to God and His word. Repentance is not when one cries over their sin; it's when they turn from it and change to follow the Lord instead.

The prophet Isaiah calls the people of Israel to repentance in Isaiah 1:10. 

Repentance involves thinking again about one's life and beliefs. It requires a change of mind and turning from sin.

True repentance means ceasing to rely on one's own wisdom and understanding. It requires submitting to God's wisdom found in Scripture.

Repentance is difficult because it goes against human prejudices and the desire to understand everything. One must believe in spite of these limitations. 

The world will ridicule those who repent and believe the Gospel. But their cleverness and laughter will not last. One must be willing to endure scorn for the sake of following Christ.

 

Hearing and obeying the Word of God is the only way to find salvation and new life. One must renounce all other ways of thinking to follow God's wisdom.

Repentance as a three-part process: 1. "Think again" - stopping and reconsidering one's direction and beliefs 2. "Change your mind" - acknowledging that previous thinking was wrong 3. "Utter submission to God's word" - accepting divine revelation over human wisdom

repentance means "that a man, having come to the end of his own wisdom and having seen an end to all other human wisdom submits himself utterly and absolutely to [the Bible] because it is the wisdom of God."

The Prodigal Son is a primary example of repentance. The turning point in his story [was when he] "came to himself." The Prodigal began thinking clearly about his situation, asking "What in the name of conscience am I doing in a place like this? What is my father's son doing in a field sitting down amongst swine and eating husks?" This self-examination represents the first step of repentance—stopping to think seriously about one's condition.

There are several barriers to repentance:

1. Pride of intellect - unwillingness to admit one's thinking is wrong

2. Natural prejudices - the gospel contradicts human expectations about earning salvation

3. Need to fully understand - refusing to believe what cannot be completely comprehended

4. Fear of ridicule - concern about the world's mockery of Christian belief

5. Failure to recognize one's condition - not seeing the need for change

Repentance requires humility: "If any man willeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be made wise."