Isaiah 54 (Our response of faith to Isaiah 53)

ISAIAH 54 - OUR RESPONSE OF FAITH to Christ’s
Atonement (described in Isaiah 53)

The work of Messiah has provided every spiritual blessing for the
believer opening up a new life, a new power and new possibilities.
Those who believe the report of Isaiah 53 will see the arm of the
Lord revealed(v1). So what are they to DO in response?
This is described in Isaiah 54
(1) PRAISE and THANKSGIVING.
If we believe this report, our first response is PRAISE, we break forth
into singing. Rejoicing should characterise believers in Christ.
v1: "SING, O barren, you who have not borne!
BREAK FORTH INTO SINGING,
and CRY ALOUD, you who have not laboured with child!”
Why? There are many reasons, but the one given is fruitfulness in
life especially in having spiritual children through bringing people to
faith and discipling them: “For more are the children of the
desolate than the children of the married woman, says the
LORD.” God says: ‘You may have been barren before but now
I have called and empowered you to have spiritual children’.
Praise and thank God in anticipation that through Christ and His
Atonement He is turning your barrenness into fruitfulness, your
inability into ability, failure into success, sickness to health.
In particular by the Gospel you will have spiritual children. That is
what we are here for. We should all be helping someone to faith and
in faith. In the first creation God’s command to man was to go forth
in dominion, and be fruitful and multiply. Now in the New Creation
He told us in the Great Commission to do the same, to go forth and
multiply ourselves, preaching the gospel with His authority and teach
(disciple) the new ones. God’s purpose and calling for us is to be
fruitful and He empowers us for this. If you don’t think you are
fruitful, praise God in faith that He has made you fruitful - here He
tells the barren (not the fruitful) to sing. Christ’s work results in a
growing family: “When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days and the pleasure
of the LORD (His seed is the believers) shall prosper in His hand”
(Isaiah 53:10). He does not produce offspring by Himself,
He does it through us. He wants us barren no more but to share our
faith and nurture the young in the Lord, as a fruitful mother or father.
God wants to work and be fruitful through you so BELIEVE it and
REJOICE in it.
2. ENLARGE your VISION and your HEART.
Expect and plan your effectiveness and fruitfulness to GROW.
Pray with Jabez: ‘bless me and enlarge my borders’. Believe for
growth in your life, ministry, blessing and fruitfulness to others.
v2,3: "ENLARGE the place of your tent, and let them stretch out
the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes. For you shall EXPAND to the right and
the left.” Being fruitful, having children and looking after them will
stretch you. You must create more room in your life. So the next
thing to do is to enlarge your heart to make room for more spiritual
children who need your help and encouragement. Enlarging
your heart and ministry also requires you getting deeper in God,
growing in depth as well as width, inwardly as well as outwardly:
“lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.”
Foundations must be strengthened. You can only build as high as
your foundation is deep. It is worth it: “your descendants will
inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities inhabited.”
You can’t tell how great the results of your obedience will be to have
and nurture children! People you reach will go to various nations,
reaching others and doing things for God because of your input.
So you have a share in what they do. Fruitfulness multiplies.
Who knows how far-reaching in eternity your obedience and love
will be?
3. FEAR NOT - don’t allow yourself to be controlled by thoughts of
negative expectation for your future because God is with you and has
good plans for you.
v4-8: "DO NOT FEAR, for you will not be ashamed; neither be
disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget
the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of
your widowhood anymore. For your Maker is your husband, the
LORD of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer (Christ) is the
Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. For
the LORD has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in
spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused," says your
God." For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great
mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from
you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have
mercy on you," says the LORD, your Redeemer.”
He has FORGIVEN you. You are free from fear of condemnation and
rejection. Believers are no longer rejected and condemned, but
accepted, beloved and forgiven. This was all effected by the
Atonement (Isaiah 53:5,6) where God’s wrath upon our sin was
propitiated forever, so we are not to fear God’s anger.
v9,10 explains this further: "For this is like the waters of Noah to
Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer
cover the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be angry with
you (ever again), nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart
and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from
you, nor shall My covenant of peace (the everlasting New
Covenant) be removed," says the LORD, Who has mercy on you.”
God’s judgement was fully poured out in the waters of the Flood.
The Ark was a type of Christ providing a covering (atonement) for
believers (those who entered it). It bore the full force of God’s
judgement, so that those within were protected from harm (it took the
punishment for them) and passed through into a new start and a new
life under a new covenant promising that such a Flood of judgement
would never happen again. Likewise Christ bore the penalty of our
sin and if we are in Him we pass through judgement into a new-life
under a new covenant which gives us eternal righteousness, mercy
and peace so that we will never again be under the wrath and
condemnation of God. However, those who refuse through unbelief
God’s provision of salvation, and so do not enter the Ark (Christ)
must bear the judgement themselves.
So now even our afflictions He works for our eternal glory:
"O you afflicted one, tossed with tempest, and not comforted.
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, and lay your
foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
your gates of crystal, and all your walls of precious stones”
(v11,12). Do not fear for He will turn all things for your good as
you trust Him - Romans 8:28).
Do not be in fear about your children for God’s promise to you is:
“All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall
be the peace of your children”(v13).
4. USE YOUR AUTHORITY AS A BELIEVER to deal with
satan’s attacks. Do not fear satan’s attacks because God is greater.
He is for you and has given you His authority.
v14-17: “In righteousness you shall be ESTABLISHED (Isaiah
53:11, establish your heart in the truth of 2Corinthians 5:21 which
will enable you to stand). You shall be far from oppression, for
you shall not fear (fear opens the door to satan’s oppression); and
from terror, for it shall not come near you (for God is your shield).
Indeed they (enemies) shall surely assemble, but not because of
Me (spiritual attacks will come but they are not from God).
Whoever assembles (plots) against you shall fall for your sake
(because you are God’s and carry His name and authority by the
covenant). Behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the
coals in the fire, who brings forth an instrument for his work (the
one behind the heat of afflictions was created by God. Lucifer was
not created evil, but but became satan by his choice. The point is
that demons are created beings; therefore, because God created them,
He can handle them); and I have created the spoiler who destroys.
Therefore I the Almighty One give you this promise: No weapon
(word or curse) formed against you shall prosper (succeed), and
every tongue which rises against you in judgement YOU SHALL
CONDEMN (it is up to us to use our authority and speak in Jesus
name against the working of the enemy. We bind him and any evil
words, declaring his attacks null and void, dismissing him from his
assignment, returning any curse or to the sender, claiming the blood
of Jesus over us). This is the heritage (our inheritance in Christ, our
covenant-right) of the servants of the LORD (as you are serving
God, submitting to Him, you have the right to use your authority
to do this to overcome opposition) and their righteousness
(vindication) is from Me" says the LORD.”
God will back us up in this warfare and vindicate the ones He has
made righteous through the Blood.
5. COME and DRINK from the waters of the Spirit freely poured
out (given) to all believers: "Ho! Everyone who THIRSTS, COME
to the waters (of life); and you who have no money, COME, buy
and EAT (PARTAKE). Yes, COME, buy wine and milk without
money and without price” (55:1).
“Let him who thirsts COME. Whoever desires, let him TAKE the
water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).
"If anyone thirsts, let him COME to Me and DRINK. "He who
believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow
rivers of living water." This He spoke concerning the Spirit,
whom those believing in Him would receive” (John 7:37-39).
SUMMARY.
As we remember what Jesus has done for us let us respond in faith:
(1) REJOICE- break forth in singing, for God is making you fruitful.
(2) ENLARGE your heart, prepare for growth in ministry to others.
(3) REFUSE FEAR. Fear is based on the premise problems and
demons are bigger than God. If you discern problems don’t panic,
but pray and trust God. He is greater!
(4) TAKE AUTHORITY and CONDEMN the work of satan.
(5 COME and DRINK freely. All the blessings provided by Christ
in the Atonement are carried (communicated to us) on the river of the
Holy-Spirit. so freely drink (partake) of God’s healing, wisdom, joy,
victory, life etc.