8. Let Us Reason Together (2)

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Hymns: RHC 542 Saved by Grace 544 When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder 510 Come Now, Saith The Lord

Isaiah 1

15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; 17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Let Us Reason Together (2) 

OUTLINE

(1) Sin Abound (v15)

(2) Cleansing Needed (v16-17)

(3) Cleansing by the LORD (v18) 

(4) Be Willing and Obedient (v19-20)

Continue…

(3) Cleansing by the LORD (v18)

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

The most difficult problem to solve in this universe, dear friends, is the problem of human sin. The consequence of human sin, is not just physical death but more starkly spiritual and eternal death. This is called the Great White Throne Judgment recorded in Revelation 20:11-15.

Revelation 20:11-15 (KJV) And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Even that, God provided the solution through His Son Jesus Christ.

This was first enunciated after the fall of Adam and Eve – Genesis 3:21 (KJV) Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Israel is the special people whom God meet with and showed the way back to Him. This was shown through the Levitical Sacrificial System in the building of the Tabernacle that pointed to Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary.

The only means by which the devil can be remedied, Isaiah now invites them to consider, to determine for themselves where they would stand before God, coming to Him as Saviour, or receiving from as Judge? If they would be penitent, pardon and deliverance would be received. If they would be disobedient, total ruin is the end. God extends the invitation that He would be willing to show mercy, justice is on His side, and asserting His power and willingness to pardon the most aggravated sins – Come now, let us reason together. [J.A. Alexander]

… though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Scarlet — the colour of Jesus Christ’s robe when bearing our “sins” (Mt 27:28).[1]

28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.[2]

So was Rahab’s thread (Jos 2:18; compare Le 14:4 for the cleansing of the leper).[3]

18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee.[4]

4 Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: [5]


If we would reject and treat lightly so great a salvation, there is only a fearful awaiting of judgment.

Ponder this statement, “Pride is the ground in which all other sin grows, and the parent from which all the other sins come.” And also Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

It was the sin of pride, the haughty spirit that caused the most beautiful and perfect of God’s creature, the “anointed cherub” to fall. 

This is found in Isaiah 14:11 “Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.” Sin did not first take place on earth. Sin first took place in heaven. It was an angel who sinned first, not man. The word of God says in a parallel passage to our Scripture text in Ezekiel 28:15 “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” 

The iniquity by which Lucifer fell was pride, or his being lifted up by reason of his superlative beauty and brightness. 

Ezekiel 28:17 “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.”

When we achieve success, our success can get into our head and we think that it is “I” and “me” that have achieved this great feat. The Christian writer Andrew Murray also observes that pride is ‘the root of every sin and evil.”

When were angels created? I submit to you that it was on the second day, God created the heavens with all the heavenly creatures. Our text is a description of the fall of Lucifer, a Latin translation of the Hebrew word that means “the shining one” or “the bright one” or “day star” or “light-bearer”. Lucifer, a chief angel, rebelled against God and fell into sin (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:11-19). Lucifer became Satan. He was banished from heaven and cast down to earth. Satan means “the adversary”, in the book of Revelation he is called Apollyon, Abaddon, the Devil which means accuser or slanderer, the old Serpent, the deceiver of the whole world, dragon which means power and the accuser of the brethren. 

When Lucifer fell, he did not fall alone. In Jude 6 we are told that other angels fell with him, Jude 1:6 “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” The parallel verse, 2 Peter 2:4 “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.”

When Satan was cast down to earth, he tempted man. He had the intention to kill man through his lies. His falsehood brought about the fall of man. Satan lied; man believed. And Man died! This death is three-fold: (1) physical death (2) spiritual death (i.e, alienation from fellowship with God), and (3) eternal death (i.e., eternal condemnation in the lake of fire). 

Revelation 20:10 “And the devil that deceived the saints was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

The condemnation of Satan was thorough. The word “How” is an interrogative adverb expressing mourning and reproach. How sad it is to see the fall of one that was made for the express Glory of God spurning that great privilege. Ezekiel 28:15 says “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”

The prophet Jeremiah made a good observation when he said, Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”

God searched the heart of his trusted angel, the perfection of His creation and found Lucifer wanting. 

There is no salvation for the fallen angels, they are indeed very angry. But for man, God has provided salvation through His Son.

The entire redemption and the happenings today are the cumulative workings of the evil one against God, the mortal target of his hatred, “vulnerable” God’s people.

Snow — (Ps 51:7). Repentance is presupposed, before sin can be made white as snow (Is 1:19, 20); it too is God’s gift (Je 31:18, end La 5:21; Ac 5:31).[6]

Psalm 51:7 (KJV) Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Jeremiah 31:18 (KJV) I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.

Lamentations 5:21 (KJV) Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

Acts 5:31 (KJV) Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

King Nebuchadnezzar fell because of the sin of pride, the pride of achievement. You see here Daniel giving the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Daniel 4:22-37 “It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth. 23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him. 24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king. 25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. 27 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity. 28 All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. 30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. 32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws. 34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. 35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? 36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. 37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s arrogance ruined his life until he humbled himself before the Most High, praising the One who is “able to humble those who walk in pride.” (Daniel 4:37).

Red — refers to “blood” (Is 1:15).[7]

Isaiah 1:15 (KJV) And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

as wool — restored to its original undyed whiteness. A miracle but Israel understood it was true. They had received the blessings of obedience. Their exit from Egypt, their entry through the Jordan to Canaan, the establishment of the Temple.

This is wilful disobedience if they will not turn from their sins!

For sins of ignorance, and such like, alone had trespass offerings appointed for them; greater guilt, therefore, needed a greater sacrifice, for, “without shedding of blood there was no remission”; but none such was appointed, and yet forgiveness was promised and expected; therefore, spiritual Jews must have looked for the One Mediator of both Old Testament and New Testament, though dimly understood.[8]

We see here Isaiah pleading with the people. 

This was the plea of the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews to exhort them to the steadfastness of faith giving warning of His impending judgment upon the impenitent.

Hebrews 3:7-19 (KJV) Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts,as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 

For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

(4) Be Willing and Obedient (v19-20)

19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

If God’s people will let Him lead them, they shall their dominion according to God’s laws and by His grace.

If they would not, and sought their own way, He will deal with them severely! 

Is God too hard with His people? Can we charge God if we would reject Him when judgment comes?

Such was the example of Zedekiah would Jeremiah exhorted to surrender to the yoke of the Babylonians and he and Judah shall live. He refused and destruction came!

Jeremiah 52:1-11 (KJV) Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about. So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land. Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him. Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him. And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah. Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

There was great promise that God gave to Israel as His witness to the nations of the world. Located at the cross-roads of three contintents – Asia, Europe and Africa, God’s plan was to use them to point the nations of the world to acknowledge and worship Him. 

So was the message of Christ to the seven churches in Asia Minor in Revelation 2-3.

To Ephesus, our Lord said in Revelation 2:2-5 (KJV) I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

In one statement, Christ isolates a critical problem in the church. It is in spiritual decline.[9] There is an ailment, a trouble of the heart that is diagnosed here. They have been busy doing but they have forgotten why they are doing it.

The word “left” is the verb “to let go, leave, forsake, depart”. It is the technical term for divorce. It can be translated “forsaken”. 

What is this “first love”? It is the love that first brought you to God. It is the love that you experienced when you saw the cross as it really was. It was when you realized that the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for your sin & you were overwhelmed with His amazing love. So you became a child of God, & you experienced His forgiveness. That’s first love. It is fervent, it is personal, it is uninhibited, and excited. Translate that to the church as a whole.[10]

Remember at the gate Beautiful in Acts 3, when Peter and John gave to gospel to the man who was lame from his mother’s womb? 

Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. 7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:

You would see that the love that characterized the church in earlier times was now entirely missing, leaving no proof in their lives of their faith. The recipients of the message needed to examine their own lives whether their faith is genuine or not.[11]

Jesus warns us that the world, ruled by Satan is always on the prowl to win our affection.

Mark 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

These are the (1) cares of the world (2) deceitfulness of riches and (3) lust of other things. The repeated use (4 times) of the conjunction “and” in Mark 4:19 emphasizes the constant bombardment of these ungodly pursuits that prevent the hearer from receiving the Word of God and bearing fruit.

These are literally the worries, anxieties and distractions of this present life that hold captive the hearts and minds of the hearers to the extent that there is no room for God in their lives; no room to consider, ponder, receive and give priority to things eternal. We see here the weariness from the energy-sapping effect of the cares of the world. They drain the heart of strength so much so that it cannot find true hope and life. To these, Jesus says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Let us come back to Him!

CONCLUSION

May the LORD be merciful. Amen.

[1] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 430). Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version., Mt 27:28). (1995). Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[3] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 430). Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version., Jos 2:18). (1995). Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[5] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version., Le 14:4). (1995). Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[6] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 430). Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[7] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 430). Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7, Moody Press, 1992, 139. 

[10] http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/losing-your-first-love-melvin-newland-sermon-on-book-of-revelation-33564.asp?Page=2

[11] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7, Moody Press, 1992, 140.