Series:  The Way to Godliness

The 3rd  Step toward Godliness - Redemption

January 25, 2009

Isaiah 1:21-31

Introduction – [1st slide with the ? – How should we live?]

Today we come to the final step toward godliness.  We will look at this final step today and next Sunday.  First, we looked at God’s gracious gift of conviction – learning our weakness is ever before us – yet God’s strength and glory shines most beautifully through our weaknesses!  So, our first step in pursuit of godliness is a recognition that it is God’s unwavering grace and steadfast love that sustains us….it is His power that saves and keeps us - and that the life God has for us in not a life of spiritual mediocrity or continued bondage to sin…..but it is a life of freedom in Christ and, as a result, a relationship with our heavenly Father that is glorious….and beautiful….and all encompassing! 

Next, we saw last week that the purpose of God’s gracious conviction is repentance.  With surgical skill, the Holy Spirit lances the cancerous sin within our lives and exposes that sin to us; but why?  We found the answer last week….that being a new creature in Christ means we are being transformed….and this transformation has a purpose – we are being made into the image of Christ!  Repentance is our lifelong pursuit of holiness by which we come to hate sin more and more and love Christ more and more!  It is a fleeing from sin and fleeing to Christ!

Illustration:

On August 15th, 1977 the police in NY city brought to an end a reign of terror unlike any that the city had ever known.  On July 29, 1976 a  young girl, 18 -  Donna Lauria, was murdered while sitting in a car next to her friend (who was seriously wounded) and following after, 6 other young girls died and seven more were wounded. 

The man arrested on 8/15 was David Berkowitz…dubbed the Son of Sam by the press…..he was a young man (23) who had been troubled emotionally since a young child.  After 3 years service in the Army, Berkowitz met some people at a party in NYC and they introduced him to a man who “channeled spirits” and brought “new revelation” concerning the end times.  Berkowitz had been interested in the occult and witchcraft for years…..and he joined this group of occultists and pledged his life to Satan.

10 years after his arrest and imprisonment, David was approached in the prison yard by another inmate with a message… “David, God loves you and wants to forgive you.”  He proceeded to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with David, and gave him a Gideon NT Bible.  A few nights later, while reading the 34th Psalm…..David came to verse 6 “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.”  This man….who had willingly pledged his life to Satan…who had seen visions and heard voices instructing him to kill innocent people…..is now the pastor of a church within the prison (where he is serving a 300+ consecutive year prison sentence) and is known….to prisoners and guards alike….not as the Son of Sam killer, but as the Son of Hope – who daily works with prisoners in emotional turmoil – many of whom are in the prison hospital because of attempting suicide.  In an interview, David was asked how he deals with the criticism and skeptics over his new life:

SCOTT: You're a different man.

DAVID: Yeah. God has put a new heart in me,(he quotes Ezek. 36) and I know no matter what man may say, I know what God has done for me. That he has reached into my life, and he's taken out that rotten heart of a murderer, of a devil worshiper, a heart that was no good. It was like a stone! I was like an animal! I was like a rock! And he's taken that thing out and put in a new heart and a new spirit within me…

I thank God that I can live for hope, and exalt the name of the Lord. And I know that there's nothing I've ever done to deserve any mercy from God. But he showed me, you know, that his hands were outstretched, that he said, "David, I love you, I forgive you, you're my child now." And Jesus says, "My blood has washed away all your sins."….. You know, Jesus [also] says that whom the Son sets free is free indeed. And I know that the Lord has set me free in my mind, in my body -- every which way.” This is the perfect illustration of our final step toward godliness -although it really is no step of ours, but is wholly God’s work of grace.  It is Redemption. 

So, what is Redemption?  Simply, Redemption explains how God saves us!  So how does He?  By paying a personal price!  We are born into sin….enslaved to it….inclined to rebellion against our Creator in every way…..and Redemption is God shattering those chains of slavery to sin at his own expense….God takes away from us…within Himself, the consequences of our sin.  I can stand before you this morning and assure you that….not only is God willing to pay the price for your sins, He already has at the cross of Christ.  And you can enter into redemption freely, by His grace. 

Isaiah places all of his hope in redemption – “Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness.” (1.27)  This is where the Lord wants to take us…..through the conviction of sin into repentance where we experience redemption!  READ IS.1:21-24

In our passage breaks down into two halves:  the first is a lament over our corruption – and the prophet asks the question – What…what have we become and what does God do with people like us?(vv 21-26). {We’ll look at most of this today!}  The second part asks the question,  How does God lead us into redemption?

What – Our Corruption

     How the faithful city

 has become a whore,

 she who was full of justice! (1.21a)

We realize that the church….(born-again Believers) is pledged in marriage to Christ!  2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. (2 Cor. 11.2)

God isn’t just flirting with us….he’s serious in His relationship with us and He wants us….He will have us as His alone.  And when we place any one or any thing before Him….we are committing spiritual adultery (Hosea 1-3).  This is why Isaiah begins the verse with  the word “How” – this is a lament….Something heart breaking has happened.  When the  church is not “full of justice” – when we, the church, are not modeling the gospel – healthy relationships…..missions focused….burdened for the lost, the hopeless / / there’s a cry of sorrow from Heaven!  Righteousness lodged in her,

 but now murderers.   (1.21b)

The lament continues!  We can sense there is a looking back here; the faithful city has become a prostitute…..there once was justice but now adultery!  There once was Righteousness....but now murderers!  There can never be justice without righteousness. The spiritual adultery means that goodness and justice (which come in relationship with God) have been replaced with wickedness and death!

Illustration

If we are the church…..we must be faithful!  We cannot become the Bride of Christ and still play the field spiritually!  When you come to church, what are you expecting? The presence of God…..the power of God working in your heart and the hearts of others!  Worship!  AND….community!  Since the very definition of a local church is a group or Born-Again believers in covenant together to worship and serve God and to practice the church ordinances.  Remember, idolatry takes many forms….and any one or thing placed before God is being unfaithful to Him!  We expect to encounter God…..love and kindness – not wickedness or harshness!  I remember when, as an elder at our church in Knoxville, I was summoned one morning to go to the lobby….that a “pastor” was visiting and wanted to meet me.  When I met him, he proceeded to criticize the church  - “I was not properly greeted at the door;” “I was not offered coffee…..your music was too loud.”  He continued on for several minutes….at which point I ended the conversation and thanked him for “worshiping” with us.  During his “council” there were many guests standing by listening to this man drone on about the unfriendly nature of the church.  The fact was, he WAS greeted at the door…..you literally could not get into the church without being greeted!  Not only were his criticisms off target….they were delivered harshly with a great deal of contempt – all in the lobby before guests (and several unbelieving attenders!).  His heart was not of concern for the guests of the church…..it was full of his own pride! 

Tie-in – When guests come to our church….we want them to experience Christ and His gospel…..we want them to see the love we have for one another!  Being faithful begins with loving God completely and totally – and loving each other genuinely!  That is the community God calls his Bride…..that is His church!

Is 1:22

     22     Your silver has become dross,

your best wine mixed with water.

Sin promises so much…..and it delivers nothing of value!  When we allow to remain….when we settle for remaining in bondage to sin – our best becomes diluted and a sham!  Sin turns the beauty of the Bride into the ugliness of the prostitute!

Is 1:23

     23     Your princes are rebels

and companions of thieves.

          Everyone loves a bribe

and runs after gifts.

          They do not bring justice to the fatherless,

and the widow’s cause does not come to them.

What happens when faithfulness flees – justice goes with it – and the first and most tragic result is that the innocent and weakest are the first to be trampled under foot!  The leaders (Your princes) are leading the rebellion (rebels)….where justice and righteousness should be modeled, we have self-centered ambition, pride, and graft! 

Application

In the church…..is your pastor to be an example?  Scripture makes a strong affirmation – YES!  Pride leads to destruction (Prov. 16.18) – and it comes in so many forms!  When the leaders of the church are not, to put it in the Apostle Peter’s words (1Pet. 5.2), leading “as God would have them” to lead then the church drifts away from God.  Truth becomes expedient and the power and presence of God leave!  But Peter also exhorts the Body in the same passage: “…..be subject to the elders…..Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  (v.5)   The youngest, weakest in the church are trampled when the Body refuses to be led.  God’s way is that we are humble toward each other….but it begins with the leaders. 

     24     Therefore the Lord declares,

the Lord of hosts,

the Mighty One of Israel:

          “Ah, I will get relief from my enemies

and avenge myself on my foes.

Notice the “Therefore” that begins v.24…..for this begins a shift in Isaiah’s prophecy.  The faithful city has fallen into idolatrous wickedness and justice has fled; the righteousness has been diluted and the young and the helpless are despised.  This was the state of Jerusalem as Isaiah preached.  Many churches today hold a similar state!  The focus of the church is not to adore Christ, but to offer the best ways to prosperity.  The holiness of God has been pimped out to make way for cultural acceptance and the political correctness of tolerance.  The beauty of Christ and the power and grace of the gospel is disguised as an insurance policy against hell and obedience is optional!

But God’s grace comes through in v.24!  For there is a Lord of Hosts – AND He is the Mighty One and He cares deeply about His own offended holiness and justice!  We see in v.24, the beginnings of hope!  God will not leave Israel to wallow in sin forever…..and He will not allow His church to either!  God has a plan…..He has had it since before the world was formed (Eph. 1.4) – that He will call out a people from His rebellious creation and make them holy……He will transform them into the image of His beloved Son.  We are about to turn the corner here, from despair to hope, as God promises that all His enemies will be vanquished and Redemption is dawning!

Challenge – God’s grace is extended, even now, to you my brothers and sisters!  God’s Holy Spirit, even now, is working in our hearts – convicting us of sins that hinder our beauty as God’s people and dilute the “new wine” of Christ within us!  Do you want the freedom of redemption in your life…..to live unshackled from the sins that lay hold of you?  All you need do is turn to your Savior….away from yourself and into His waiting, loving arms!

Pray  Most Holy Righteous God……The Lord of Hosts and God of Heaven and Earth – we have tasted the goodness of Christ…..we have experienced the transforming power of the Holy Spirit…..and yet there are sins in our lives that grip us…..that stymie our walk with you – sins that promise us silver but deliver dross instead!  By your grace, bring a new conviction to us of whatever is hindering our walking in the power and love of the Holy Spirit!  Do not let us, any longer, presume on the riches of your kindness and patience, but lead us to repentance

(Rom. 2.4).  Help us to embrace your loving redemption through your gospel!  Amen.                  Invitation – Gospel….