Isaiah

[0:00] 194, June 177. Hail, mighty Jesus, out of thine, as thy victorious sword, the stoutest rebel must resign at thy commanding word.

[0:30] 194, June 177. Hail, mighty Jesus, our divine, is of heart in darknessly as thou asунд.

[1:04] Oh, shall the wisdom không có Naj Ecita arrow As I come in love, as I come in love.

[1:38] Deep love, yes I am.

[1:50] yo spirit is We will be right And joy shall Jesus shine And joy shall Jesus shine When there seems to die

[2:53] Come Will be right And joy to the Lord CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS

[4:12] CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS

[5:14] CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS Amen.

[6:04] Seeking and needing the gracious anointing of the Blessed Spirit, let us direct you to Isaiah's prophecy, chapter 45, verse the second.

[6:22] Chapter 45 in Isaiah, the second verse. I will go before thee and make the crooked places straight.

[6:44] I will break in pieces the gates of brass and cut in sander the bars of iron.

[7:01] It may well be that we have little knowledge of the historical setting of this prophecy, but I will deliver this to you in the name of the Trinity as one of the exceeding great and very precious promises of the new cabinet to every member of the living family of God.

[7:48] All loved by him who are spared to adult life and to some years of experience through this dark, waste, howling wilderness will abundantly know the tremendous need they have for God all nightly in his sovereign power and by his grace and the efficacy of his kingship to perform these amazing words for them.

[8:44] Otherwise, how can we hope to enter the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ unless he goes before us?

[9:04] And how shall his great name be magnified and glorified and extolled and be made very high both in our souls and in the church unless he makes the crooked places straight?

[9:30] And what experience shall we have of the Son, the Eternal Son of God and of the holy efficacy of his gospel unless he breaks in pieces the gates of brass and cuts the bars of iron in sunder.

[9:58] For it is declared that if we know the truth, the truth will liberate us.

[10:10] If we know the Son, we shall be free indeed. Therefore, the complex nature, both of the solemnity and blessedness of this word, will be evident to the spiritually minded.

[10:36] Unless these things are accomplished for us and in us, what abundant proof have we that he is our King and Savior and we his children and subjects.

[10:57] Oh, the solemnity if we die a crooked thing not made straight. But I feel that there should be just a reference to the historic note.

[11:20] As we open the subject, you will notice that a Persian monarch is named Cyrus and wonderful things the Lord speaks concerning his power in the exercise of his faithfulness to Cyrus that he will hold his right hand to subdue nations before him to loose the loins of kings to open before him the two-leaf gates and the gates shall not be shut.

[12:11] and then I will go before thee so that I feel that a word is necessary to open this prophecy.

[12:34] I hasten to deliver it to you because our time is limited you well know that although no people had or have perhaps the privilege of God's chosen nation Israel how rebellious and fractious they were and in the finality of it denied denied and rejected him he came unto his own and his own received him not but I do not think that is the end of the account in God's sight one feels persuaded that this is not the end of it but the point is this he raised them up judges prophets great leaders to go before them so that they had the sacred oracles they had the treasure of the decalogue they had his royal law and yet they so rebelled against him and God visits for sin it is an awful thing if the visitation of God for sin is delayed until the day of death death and then he imputes transgression and pours out his just unmitigated eternal fiery wrath eternally well the

[15:04] Lord warned reproved his nation they had many warnings but he tells us he says and ye would not ye would not they refused to hearken and so many calamities overtook them and one was this 70 years of captivity in Babylon the temple destroyed the holy and the beautiful city and the temple and the wall and the majority of them were carried off into that land there they remained for years now the word here concerning gates of brass and bars of iron is significant because although this belongs to ancient history it is nevertheless undoubtedly correct that

[16:35] Babylon the city was surrounded by one of the strongest walls ever built and that the gates of the city were of brass and iron and these incarcerated Jews never thought many of them they'd ever come through those gates of brass or bars of iron there they were confined and unless a supernatural divine pair operated in their behalf they'd never come out and so are you if you know what it is to be apprehended by the law of

[17:36] God to be condemned to be put into prison to know what it is to be in a cell as a condemned sinner this may sound strange language to some people but if you've ever been in the cell and if you've never been in it or been under the law it's a solemn thing you can never tell me that you love the gospel if you've never come under the condemnation of the law but if you have been apprehended and no condemnation under the law you have been shut up in the prison and it seemed as though these gates of brass and bars of iron you would never come through you would never see any liberty you go from there into hell

[18:47] I don't know whether any of you have seen a prison cell I have seen one of the older cells and also one of the modern both that's an awful feeling it must be to be inside but to be shown inside fills you with awe there it is just the little window with the iron grating the bars of iron the door of enormous strength clamped down locked a triple lock with a prisoner inside now what about it where are you have you ever been in prison have you ever been in captivity

[19:57] I would ask you one very simple question full of profundity are you free has the son made you free are you emancipated by the gospel liberated by Christ well go back to the ideology that is before us these Jews then were in Babylon the enormous ramparts the thick walls the tremendous gates the brass the iron and they were inside will they ever get out now perhaps you can see the force of this in

[21:01] Isaiah now in a truly remarkable way and I would like just to remind you again of dear Mr.

[21:12] campers hymn 320 he does move in a mysterious way to perform wonders and everything he does is wonderful everything I wish I could stay to tell you something about these wonders in every realm the realm of creation the kingdom of grace the kingdom of glory from the smallest thing to the greatest it is wonderful you can never fathom it you can never get to the bottom of it no it fills the mind and the spirit with astonishment God's work is wonderful but it was the purpose of

[22:14] God that these Jews or at least a remnant should be liberated strangely and sadly and solemnly enough there were those who had no wish to be liberated they loved Babylon so well that they wished to remain there but there were those who loved things they down say God things to give them about even the ruins, the stones and the dust of the house of God more than all the magnificent temples and places in the earth all the palaces and all the grandeur well how did the Lord deliver them?

[23:37] in this truly remarkable way sometimes I feel led to reiterate this he stirred up the spirit of two reigning monarchs Cyrus the Persian and Darius the Mede and they had a very kind, amiable, tender disposition of heart given them to the Jews and they conquered Babylon but the remarkable thing was this as we believe and this is according to these words and the gate shall not be shut I think if you read in the book of Daniel you will find this that when Belshazzar had that impious feast evidently I suppose they were so drunken and they had taken the holy vessels that had been removed from the temple of God at Jerusalem and they were drinking wine in them and I suppose they were so intoxicated that they didn't even bother to close the gates and the Lord says here and the gate shall not be shut and so evidently when Cyrus advanced he found no difficulty whatever the very gates of brass and bars of iron were wide open and so he could go straight in if you turn to the book of Daniel you'll see this the immediate reference to Darius following upon that impious feast

[25:58] Darius well you'll see the wonder of it of people here incarcerated prisoners shut up for years God's time comes I suppose they thought we're never going to release these people but when God's time comes even the very gates are open now listen to this wrestling prayer can wonders do bring relief in deepest straits prayer can force a passage through iron bars and brazen gates the thing may seem impossible and it may be impossible but not with God and so it's a marvelous thing to know this work of the Lord here he says

[27:07] I will break in pieces the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron in sunder well they were liberated now I am of course beginning to touch a subject which will deeply concern you from many facets there are so many forms of being in bonds and there is so much that you need the Lord to liberate you in and from and you will need the Lord to go before you I hope I shall be helped to touch a few of these things before I leave you tonight but let us now apply ourselves to the first part of the text

[28:09] I know that I shall find myself in a vast ocean of truth he says and I am preaching this as therefore his promise to his dear people I will go before thee and have you the blessed witness and evidence that he is going before you and that he has done all your life long I suppose the initial reference here is to the Lord going before his own nation knowing their sorrows hearing their cries by reason of their taskmasters and he said to Moses

[29:22] I am come down to deliver them and he went himself before them for when you read about that pillar that was visible by day and by night cloud and fire that pillar is or sets forth the glory of the God of Israel the Lord himself his glory shining God was there and that was what was visible of God his glory oh to look up into the sky at night and see a pillar of fire to know that is the glory of God and he led them forth by the right way that they might go to a city of habitation now let us deal with this and take first the fundamental foundation truths of our most holy faith he has gone before his people in his decrees in his decree of salvation and in those divine decrees that remain unmoved that is it is settled in heaven

[31:10] God's master plan plan for you for his church for his people his master plan he has gone before you in boundless love in eternal wisdom and faithfulness and immutability so in his counsels of old he has gone before every one of his dear people isn't it wonderful to think of he went before you the choice was his the plan was his we were singing at Mrs Dan's funeral service that wonderful hymn that was made such a blessing to her in her teens hail sacred love that first began the scheme the scheme to rescue fallen man

[32:32] I will go before thee God's scheme his plan so that everything in your life everything that concerns you is gone before you in his counsels of old and in the cabinet of grace hearken to king David although my house be not so with God yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant ordered in all things there's nothing missing there's no gap ordered in all things and sure this is all my salvation and all my desire although he make it not to grow

[33:39] I cannot stop to open that word now to you but look at the wonder of it I will go before thee this doesn't mean just when you are born and as you come into the experience of it it means in his eternal counsels in his inscrutable will in his divine decrees in his perfect will in Jesus Christ in all his holy purposes I will go before thee and in that covenant of grace I will go before thee making provision for thee in the covenant here Jesus Christ in all his office characters in the covenant

[34:44] I will go before thee he is thy prophet thy priest thy king thy counsellor thy husband thy father thy friend he is all and in all I will go before thee you can tell there's an eternity in this can't you doesn't it thrill your soul to have an interest in it I will go before thee and in Christ it hath pleased the father should all fullness dwell full a fullness of grace and strength and power and love and mercy and wisdom and goodness the fullness dwells in him

[35:49] I will go before thee you draw from this fullness this eternal inexhaustible fullness all the wonder of it I will go before thee do you need wisdom you draw it from him strength blessed is the man whose strength is in thee in whose heart are the ways of thee I will go before thee and in the incarnation of the only begotten son of God in his virgin birth in his shortyship and in the things that he suffered his life of humiliation to the cross

[36:59] I will go before thee we have not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities there was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin knoweth how to succour those that are tempted and so in his holy vicarious obedience unto death he went before his people in several ways making a way into the kingdom himself himself being the way I am the way the truth and the life and also that he should be a sympathizing high priest

[38:02] I will go before thee and as he rose and ascended he showed our feet the way and we have covenant union with him in his incarnation in his life sufferings death burial resurrection victory ascension and exaltation I will go before thee can you sing with all your heart Jesus my altar heaven is gone he who my hopes are fixed upon his track

[39:06] I see and I'll pursue the narrow way till him I view favored soul I will go before thee and you'll see him going before you into the kingdom you'll see his track and as up that shining track you saw you will sing death thou hast lost thy sting I will go before thee and he goes before us by the sweet holy powerful blessed prevailing teaching life and influence of his eternal spirit his people are born again made new creatures he goes before them the truth is made precious in their souls he draws them and they run after him he convinces them of sin and gives them to feel the burden of their wretched ruined state and he reveals the refuge the sacred covert from the storm and by his grace favors them to run to him i will go before thee you bless god for every motion of the eternal spirit that you feel in your soul because you'll know it it's supernatural and divine and irresistible it is sanctifying and it will draw your soul to heaven i will go before thee and in all the sacred operations of the eternal spirit he is going before thee quickening regenerating convincing of sin revealing christ christ saying come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and i will give you rest he's going before you you'll run to christ and in his sanctifying influence and divine power in your soul he is going before you setting your affection on things above detaching you from everything that is sublunary weaning you from the flesh and the earth giving you a holy hatred to sin and an intense love to holiness because already you have holiness within you and you'll be satisfied when you are absolutely holy that is a weight with his likeness that word of course in its fullness means first the blessed deliverance of the people of

[43:19] God as they are brought in their ransomed spirits to glory and then as they partake in the immortal glories of the resurrection and their bodies are raised glorious and powerful and spiritual and so body and soul united is in the absolute likeness of Christ I shall be satisfied I will go before thee and he goes before us by his truth and this is a lamp to our feet he goes before us by the precious ascension gift of the ordinance of the ministry a living ministry will be in your experience the Lord going before you teaching you guiding you reproving you directing you and preparing you for says the apostle and this we have quoted within the last 48 hours for

[44:54] I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy for I have espoused you to one husband even Christ that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ that is the holy office of the ministry that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ I will go before thee so by the light of his truth you can do nothing without the word of the Lord the light of his truth and the sweet influence of his spirit constraining and restraining you drawing you irresistibly and by the open door of divine providence

[46:04] I will go before thee if a door is shut never force it pray your way through life and everything that is of God is of this nature I have set before thee an open door which no man can shut I will go before thee oh this is a word a concise word a summary of it thou wilt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory if he is going before you you're going to heaven you're going to eternal bless if he is going before you then it is this he led them forth by the right way it's the right way it's a safe way it's

[47:25] God's way it's the way that he will uphold you in support you in and maintain you in it will be a blessed way there will be no lack of any good thing but all for your soul to realize that he is going before you leading you into the kingdom of glory I will go before thee and make the crooked places straight allow me just a few minutes this is a significant turn the crooked places straight sin and the devil make everything crooked and what does this word crooked mean it means that it is out of alignment with the harmony of the heavens and of the gospel now

[48:57] I'm sure that you will quickly arrive at the right conclusion to head your list of crooked things you'll say self number one is self I'm a crooked thing you can be finely dressed but man is a crooked thing sin has made us crooked our sins make us crooked the devil has made man crooked what a wonderful thing for a crooked sinner to be made straight you readily admit it you own it you confess it you feel how crooked you are your thoughts are crooked sometimes your words are crooked you go to bed at night and you're ashamed and you're troubled and worried because you've said certain things you are perplexed and bewildered because of the sinfulness of your thoughts and sometimes you perpetrate crooked things you act in a crooked way awkward unkind a lack of charity pride all the many things there are that make us realize we are crooked creatures but he will make the crooked places straight grace does that it makes a vile black rebel a sweet amiable loving willing child it makes a foe a favorite isn't it wonderful it turns one who is full of anger and enmity into a little child it turns a demoniac into a man sitting at the feet of

[52:00] Jesus clothed and in his right mind he makes the crooked things and places straight it means you're brought into harmony with him with Christ with heaven with his will with his gospel with his precepts you're in harmony with the heavens that's when we have liberty and happiness when we're in harmony with him and then there are these crooked places things these ragged things these painful things these trying things in the path these things that you can do nothing with yourself and if you try they seem more crooked things that break your rest that distress your mind that pain your heart and your eyes crooked things things that distress and disturb the peace of the church of

[53:41] God and disturb the peace of your soul crooked things you're not surprised why this word you may sometimes think of ye have sown the wind and ye shall reap the whirl wind and if you get crooked trying things in your path you may be convinced that you have many times sown the wind you can't comply you don't wish to murmur m is a round table it's a case for the throne of grace for the almighty power of

[54:54] God for the wisdom of God for a change of heart for a change of attitude crooked things he can make even it's a wonderful promise what a crooked thing it was when Joseph's brethren most of them were so filled with enmity and when they felt murderous to him and even planned to execute that very act what a crooked thing in Jacob's family to think that he should have a dear son and he thought him dead then that is when he had seen his coat stained with blood that what a crooked thing when he found that the son that he had loved and did love so well was hated by his brethren what a crooked thing what a painful sore but the Lord made the crooked places straight after a number of years those brethren bow down to Joseph presently he can refrain himself no longer he weeps he freely forgives them he feeds them he nourishes them and he promises to feed their families and the crooked places made straight but it took quite a long time there's no doubt about it you hope you'll live to see some of the things that are now crooked made straight it's a painful path it's a path that will ring your heart it's a path that will try your faith that will bring you into the depths it's a path that will bring you to this that you have only one to look to and go to the Lord himself vain is the help of man but the promise is crooked places straight

[58:07] I have witnessed this in the church of God in days past and not only in days past but even more recently I long to see more of it you get some strange things you may get two brothers in the ministry and something develops and there's a barrier of war between them and it may go on for years I have seen this removed taken away before they died it's a blessed thing you will not expect me to betray a confidence but this is one of the most delightful things to witness you may get two of the people of God or others who are separated by a wall of jealousy or enmity mysteriously you wouldn't think it amongst the people of God but of course the devil is a cruel foe he works he works on the emotions and the corruptions of our nature and builds up and it's not long before there's a war it's a crooked thing but no child of God can die like it now you can't die like it the Lord said this for if ye forgive not everyone his brother his trespass neither will your father forgive you your trespasses which interpreted means this that an experience of the forgiving love of God in your soul will teach you to forgive your enemies or love your enemies and forgive everyone that has trespassed against you and you'll never be able to come to your end without you now you may have suffered severely but the Lord will give you a spirit of forgiveness before you die the crooked places are made straight the people of God don't die in enmity and bitterness no remember the words of our dying saviour father forgive them for they know not what they do remember the words of the first holy martyr of his church

[62:02] Lord lay not this into their charge when he had said that he committed his soul to the Lord and fell asleep and make the crooked places straight you take it to God my friend you plead with the Lord about it you plead for a right spirit plead for a right and gracious and loving and forgiving spirit this will prevail in the end take your hardest things to him and listen to him as he responds is anything too hard for the Lord you can have some of your sweetest blessings come out of these things some of your greatest joys when he makes crooked places straight well I suppose I must conclude but you will see the issue

[63:38] I will break in pieces the gates of brass and cut the bars and cut in sand the bars of iron I'll just give you one word in closing there are several and many aspects really of the subject but the first is and we need it for the Lord to deliver our souls now let me give you the contrast you may be in these bars these gates of brass and these bars of iron in your circumstances even be in that you see shut in in trying circumstances and yet your soul can be as free as it is possible to be for instance

[64:55] Paul and Silas were absolutely shut in when they were in that prison bruised bleeding suffering held thirst in the blackness of that prison but their souls were perfectly free there's no bondage in their souls there's no captivity in their souls they had perfect liberty that's the first thing to seek you may be shut in very trying circumstances circumstances that you don't know how to bear you may wish that you could see a way out of it and as creatures you may look north south east and west to see if you could find a way out of it that isn't the way to look the way to look is this looking unto

[66:22] Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God the thing is this P is