Transcription downloaded from https://sermons.heritagesermons.org/sermons/8882/isaiah/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] the Lord shall be pleased to help me, I shall call your attention to a subject you will find in the book of Isaiah, chapter 33, and the 17th verse.

[0:17] Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty, they shall behold the land that is very far off.

[0:34] The book of Isaiah, chapter 33, and the 17th verse.

[0:49] If you and I are, by the grace of God, to have a living interest in such a blessed declaration, as is set forth in our text, something must be done for us which we cannot do for ourselves.

[1:16] Another word in this book of Isaiah must be fulfilled to us. The eyes of the blind shall be opened.

[1:31] This is a word in which only such a sinner can have an interest.

[1:41] And it is a wonderful mercy if some of us do hope. God has been pleased to work that miracle in us.

[1:53] Something I know, whereas I was blind, now I can see. It may be, you cannot see as yet, or that your soul longs to see.

[2:10] But you are no longer blind. And maybe, one in writer describes some of you, some small glimmering light.

[2:23] I have yet too dark to see my way. Jesus' presence still I crave. When, oh, when will it be day? You are now like the psalmist when he said, I watch for the morning.

[2:41] And he repeats it, I watch for the morning. And there is help in God for characters like you. Hope in God.

[2:53] Unto you that fear my name shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings. And in the purposes of God, there is a day to dawn when thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty.

[3:15] And then you will feel as you want to feel. Matters are right between your soul and God. and you can declare my Lord and my God.

[3:32] Thine eyes shall see. Mark the word shall. Firm as the everlasting hills is that shall. Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty.

[3:46] The time of love will come when each shall clearly see not only that Christ shed his blood, but each shall say for me.

[3:59] And now I want, as the Lord to help me, to look at this subject from three or four viewpoints.

[4:11] And it might be helpful if I just spend a moment or two in describing the setting of it. And then you will understand how this word is what it really is.

[4:30] A word to encourage every poor sinner following on to know the Lord that in his time, his way, it will be fulfilled.

[4:42] Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty. And now, when Isaiah was inspired of God to record the chapter and our text therein, Hezekiah was Judah's King and Judah was overrun by the Assyrian host and Jerusalem was besieged and Hezekiah was sitting as Judah's King in sackcloth and ashes and they did not know how the matter would fall, what was the will of God until it was revealed.

[5:33] And here, Isaiah is showing what is the revealed will of God at that time. He is saying to Hezekiah and his people, you are now sitting in sackcloth and ashes and mourning and with many fears as to how matters will fall in the kingdom over which you rule.

[6:04] Hezekiah is saying and he turns to the people and says, there is a day coming when you shall see King Hezekiah once more in his royal robes and the Assyrian host will vanish and be no longer besieging you.

[6:28] the Lord will appear on your behalf and while you cannot now go out of Jerusalem because of the siege, you shall be able to go forth to the full extent of Judah.

[6:44] and you shall see the King and his beauty and they shall behold the land that is very far off. And you all know without taking up time how the Lord did appear and wrote a miracle for King Hezekiah and his people.

[7:06] And you remember also how Hezekiah went up before God and spread the matter before him and how the Lord granted deliverance by an angel being sent and the Assyrian host around Jerusalem in the morning were all dead and Jerusalem was delivered that is the setting of the subject but then a greater than Hezekiah is here and it is that greater than Hezekiah of whom I want to say a little that your hearts may be stirred up to worship him aright and seek to have him reigning on the throne of your spiritual affections swaying His scepter over you that you may live your life unto Him and for Him and so let us begin again thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty you may say how glad

[8:30] I should be if I could have if I could have that great favor manifested to me but before it can be manifested to you there are some other sites that you must see preparatory to seeing the King in His beauty there are preparatory there are preparatory sites when He the Spirit of Truth is come He shall convince the world of sin of righteousness and of judgment to come and if you are a sinner born again you will be illuminated you will be given eyes when the eyes of the blind are opened to see how sad our state by nature is from the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it wounds and bruises and putrefying sores and that experience will increase and will be intensified as you journey on through life these people who do see the King in His beauty are described by Solomon which shall know every man the plague of his own heart and it is good when at length you were brought to stand alongside

[10:20] Job behold I am vile and dost thou open thine eyes upon such and one you must also realize in learning your sinnership the exceeding sinfulness of sin sins sins of omission sins of commission sins in thought word and deed will testify against you as your eyes are opened and you were given a gracious lifelong conviction of sin and you will come at length to this if you were taught of God no sinner needed mercy more that ever sought thy face and then you must also see what the

[11:23] Adam fall has done not only for mankind as a whole but what the Adam fall has done for you so that you come into the world alas as you were born an enemy to God an enemy to godliness and when your eyes are opened you were made painfully aware the carnal mind is enmity against God and is not subject to the law of God and neither indeed can be and while you are as it were under the law learning what you are by nature you will also be taught not the labor of my hands can fulfill the law's demands and you will solemnly confess naked

[12:32] I come to thee for dress and helpless look to thee for grace black eye to the fountain fly wash me savior or I die and that brings you what we may call to a point in your soul's experience from from that time on you know salvation is of the Lord and that you cannot earn it you cannot buy it you cannot merit it you realize by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast and as these things are known and felt in your soul's experience there is one other lesson you learn and that is what the world really is and the true nature of it and you realize no earthly source whatever can supply what you need to make matters right between your soul and God no no earthly source can ease a guilty conscience or relieve a troubled breast or give you a jabez portion oh that thou would bless me indeed and you realize in your heart an aching void which the world cannot fill however much you may try to find help in earth polluted streams you will be disillusioned and disappointed and you will come to this nothing else can satisfy give me

[14:46] Christ or else I die and in learning the nature of the world and what it offers those who dwell therein as you are following on to know the Lord you will come at length to look round the world and all that it can offer and you will have this feeling let others stretch their arms like seas and grasp in all the shore grant me the visits of thy face and I desire no more and now these lessons as you are learning them will bring you at length before Calvary's cross and your great concern will be to win

[15:46] Christ and be found in him and the uttermost of your longing will be thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty and now looking at the subject from another viewpoint it is wonderful how much in this book of Isaiah is said regarding eyes when you have time and you can make a little time to do it for it is to do with your soul's well-being you can look it up and search out the references to eyes and you will find they are very striking I have already quoted one the eyes of the blind shall be open and there is another reference which as

[16:48] I view it is especially a word for those whom God has ordained to preach the gospel bring forth the blind people the avos and that is what the preaching of the gospel is for to make manifest poor sinners whom God has ordained to life eternal and then there is this reference the eyes of them that see shall not be dim and now there are many sinners born again some under union chapel root sinners born again but they have not yet seen the king and his beauty and maybe there are some viewpoints of the truth of God which is not yet clear in their soul's understanding but they do see and they they can see that none but

[17:59] Jesus can do helpless sinners good and now that is a good word for you to thank God and take courage and wait upon him still the eyes of them that see shall not be dim always but here a little there a little line upon line precept upon precept clearer sight will be given until at length doubts and fears ifs buts and hows will be all removed and thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty the time of love will come I have told you when each shall clearly see not only that Christ shed his blood but each shall say for me there is another word in

[19:00] Isaiah and very needful it is to be there for some of us the eyes of the blind shall see out of darkness and out of obscurity all people who were indeed pilgrims to Canaan bound are oft times in journeying through life brought into straits life is very complicated and sometimes the complications are of such a nature that you cannot see how matters will fall as you would like to see them fall for you are good you walk in darkness as to the why and wherefore of the dealings of God you are in obscurity like dear Job and you might copy him when he said before

[20:05] God show me wherefore thou contendest with me you remember how he walked in obscurity I go backward but he is not there I go forward I cannot see him on the right hand on the left hand where I know he does work I cannot behold him but he was helped to do this leave the issue with God I would seek unto God and unto God would I commit my cause the thing that is too hard for thee bring it unto me I will hear it I will deal with it and dear Job said he knoweth the way that I take when he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty and now

[21:14] I want to come to the central theme of the subject the king there is a great declaration concerning him in the psalm I read to you my heart is indicting a good matter I speak of the things which I have made touching the king my tongue is the pen of a ready writer good it is to have an experience like that and the dear psalmist was the subject of it and inspired of God to record it but thine eyes shall see the king you will see the king maybe quite a long while before you see him in his beauty you will see the king to be who he is verily

[22:30] God verily man you will have in your heart a solemn awareness we believe and are sure there are the Christ the son of the living God Lord to whom can we go thou hast the words of eternal life and when you are asked what think ye of Christ you will have an answer although you may not be able to say much as yet about seeing the king in his beauty but you will speak well of him you will speak up for him and you will agree with the hymn writer compared with Christ in all beside no comeliness I see the one thing needful dearest Lord is to be one with thee and all how

[23:36] Jesus Christ as king is referred to in the word of God as the apple tree among the trees of the wood so is my beloved among the sons I sat down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet to my taste and now concerning Jesus Christ as king as the king of Zion and that is his great prerogative as you read in the second psalm and you need to read that almost every day nowadays with the world with hell let loose in it why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the

[24:43] Lord and against his anointed his dear son saying let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us this is a very striking word it is worded like it is to come down to our understandings he that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision then shall he speak unto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure you dear young people the Lord help you to be observant you will see all this coming to pass and God declares notwithstanding hell itself is let loose and the devil is doing all the mischief he can against me and my church my people yet have

[25:53] I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion and the work he is enthroned to do will be done upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it as thou hast given him power over all flesh to give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him Jesus Christ as king has that wondrous authority and what did he say all power in heaven and in earth is given unto me so that the weakest believer can trust in him and leave all his concerns with him to arrange though hell itself is let loose thine eyes shall see the king exercising authority manifesting his power making it to be known while men are gathering together seeking to pass it out the earth as they think it shall be the government should be upon his shoulder

[27:28] I like to think of that in heaven and earth and air and seas he executes his firm decrees and though his methods are unknown judgment and truth support his and you see his throne and what is to be said about that a throne of grace let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need thine eye shall see the king and every poor sinner taught of God though with sometimes but faith as a grain of mustard seed can see that he is mighty to save and that does cheer up poor sinners who are concerned to be right for eternity thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty and now being a king he has a kingdom and that kingdom is made up of loyal subjects mark the adjective loyal those who were on the Lord's side wherever they may be in their spheres in life yet that is their great concern to be loyal and at all times in living their everyday lives to preface what they do and what they say and where they go with what think ye of Christ will this come between me and matters to do with my soul's eternal welfare what think ye of Christ is the inquiry that must be made and you want to have in the beginning

[29:52] God in what you do and what you say and where you go and the company you keep you will remember the Lord taught his disciples one petition thy kingdom come thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven and now what think ye of Christ what think ye of this kingdom of his are you a subject are you a subject in it and is it your concern in all that you are all that you do to be loyal to him and his truth can you come on the right side of one scripture the apostle Paul penned we can do nothing against the truth but for the truth all these subjects of this blessed king

[31:00] Jesus Christ in his kingdom they desire to be loyal to him and his truth let your yea be yea and your nay be nay lest ye fall into condemnation sometimes you have sung and maybe out of the abundance of the heart the mouth was speaking Jesus to thee I breathe my prayer reveal confirm my interest there my interest in this kingdom where Jesus Christ is king what e'er my humble lot below this this my soul desires to know thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty and now I will go a little farther in speaking about the king and show you what this beauty is and I do hope quite a few of you have seen somewhat of it none of us can say that we have seen very much of it but we would love to see much more than we have seen yet our soul desires anew thy sweet thy lovely face to view thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty and now first of all it is the beauty of his person as the eternal son of God in his divine nature and then to see his beauty as verily man there are two wonderful scriptures which you do need to meditate on before God and it will be very helpful to do it

[33:15] Isaiah says concerning this glorious king in Zion that he is a just God and a saviour too there is another parallel scripture God can be just and at the same time justify the ungodly and now ere that could be done God had to do what he alone could do to bring that to pass his justice must be satisfied if that vast host ordained to life eternal were to be saved with an everlasting salvation for they could not be saved at the expense of it no no such a thing would be impossible and therefore let it be unthinkable and God in his wondrous wisdom his great love devised means whereby it could be done oh how often you have heard this scripture and yet how little have you thought upon it

[34:43] I'm not putting any caps on I'm telling you just what is the truth God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life when the fullness of time was come God sent forth his own son made of a woman made under the law and remember that word in the Psalms a body hast thou prepared me and so you first of all see the king made manifest as verily man when you were favored if ever you are I hope you are to go to Bethlehem and see the great thing that came to pass there see a little babe cradled in the manger sheltered in a stable and see

[35:56] God his shoulders held up heaven and earth when Mary held up him this is the beginning of love's redeeming work being done Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners and when you feel to be a sinner as the spirit of God alone can make you feel it how glad you will be to dwell upon that blessed truth because you will have a feeling who can tell that what Christ Jesus came into the world to save such a sinner as I feel to be and that will raise a little hope within who can tell but what God will be gracious unto me especially if you ponder that word and him that cometh unto me

[37:03] I will in no wise cast out and then in the life that he lived and I have told you he was made of a woman made under the law and that law he kept in every jot and tittle of all it demanded and remember he kept it for a number which no man can number how many hells Jesus Christ suffered God the father alone can tell our sins are hell procured and he that hell endured and if you are one whom God has ordained to see the king in his beauty you will know what the psalmist felt when he said the pains of hell that hold upon me

[38:09] I found trouble and sorrow then cried I O Lord I beseech thee deliver my soul this is all preparatory to seeing the king in his beauty as a savior thine eye shall see the king in his beauty there is a wonderful beauty in contemplating how Jesus Christ was born born obeyed by birth mysterious never try to reason about it never cavil at it as to how it could be but believe it and humble yourselves before Jesus Christ as a holy babe the only holy babe that ever was found upon the earth and oh that you might be helped to feel lowly babe we fall before thee

[39:20] Jesus we thee would adore to thee kingdom power and glory be ascribed forevermore yes and think too prayerfully read it in the gospels of the beauty of his life how often do I quote to you you should know it for yourselves in him the father never saw the least transgression of his law in him we then perfection view the saints in him a perfect too and at the end of his wondrous life he declared I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do and then he went up Calvary's hill with willing feet and died in the stead of poor sinners like you and me love's redeeming work was done fought the fight the battle won when that almighty declaration went forth into the world at large and down into the confines of hell and up into heaven as well it is finished love's redeeming work was done and god the father could declare this is my beloved son in whom

[40:51] I am well pleased and I can tell you this when you see the king in his beauty you will be well pleased too you will be as full of happiness as you can hold and you will have a feeling like this oh my Jesus thou art mine with all thy grace and power I am now and shall be thine when time shall be no more oh it is a great experience thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty the beauty of his life and the beauty of his death his death was beyond words to describe but he vanquished death by dying there is an indescribable beauty in it and deliver them who through fear of death were subject all their lifetime unto bondage when you see the king dying on calvary's cross you will see an indescribable beauty in how he died so fair a face bedewed with tears what beauty e'en in grief appears he wept he bled he died for you what more ye saints could jesus do there was no more to be done and on the resurrection morning the angel came down rolled away the stone from the sepulcher and forth came the mighty conqueror and he was indeed the king in his beauty hey and all those whose eyes shall see the king in his beauty came forth with him in mystical union with him as the church's living head so this word has an amazing guarantee for the fulfillment of it thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty the beauty of his resurrection the beauty of his ascension the beauty of where he is at

[43:26] God the father's right hand if any man sin we have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ the righteous yes give him my soul thy course to plead nor doubt the father's grace he shall stand at the right hand of the poor and shall save him from those that would condemn his soul and as he reigns there as the sinner's friend and as king in Zion remembering all our afflictions he was afflicted no words of any preacher can ever describe how wonderful his sympathy is but he can enter into every jot and tittle of what your troubles are and he can be to you at all times wherever you are a refuge sure and nigh and he delighteth in mercy he delights to dispense mercy and mercy is beautiful in the reception of it thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty and

[44:55] I have no time to work it out as I should like to but I could have said and I wish I could say all to do with the king when your eyes are open is beautiful what a beautiful gospel he helps his dear servants to preach when they go forth with divine authority and how glad they are to describe him as the sinner's friend and encourage poor sinners to trust in him oh it is a beautiful gospel and when you think of the word of God itself how beautiful it is I say this with great reverence in the compilation of it because God spake all these words and you cannot find a fault in it all scripture is given by inspiration of

[45:58] God and all the way through from cover to cover there is a beautiful harmony in it and what is the peak of that harmony as it were in the volume of the book it is written of Jesus Christ the king in his beauty you can discern it on every page when you are anointed with that eye self which a man cannot receive except it be given him from heaven to search the scriptures then you will see they are they which testify of me and what a beauty there is in the throne of grace the beauty that you and

[47:01] I as poor sinners hell deserving undeserving can approach unto the king and he stretches forth the scepter of his exceeding great and precious promises to embolden and encourage us to come and when you were helped to come remember thou art coming to a king large petitions with thee bring for his grace and power such none can ever ask too much and as I thought upon this scripture I thought also what a beauty there is in the worship of God when you enter into it arise when you think as you were gathered together at this time and have come from wherever you reside and you have come with one motive propelling you as it were

[48:05] Jesus we come to meet with thee our Lord and King to sit at thy dear feet and hear thy praises sing compassion have on us we pray and empty send us not away oh there is a beauty in worship known and felt in its reality the beauty in singing the songs of Zion when you sing phrases with understanding and the beauty when you approach unto the throne of grace and in your hearts find an amen for the petition sent up in the public prayer when you feel it is good for me to draw near unto God Lord it is good for us to be here and when you realize the gospel to be what it is good tidings of great joy and feel your ear attempt to hear what

[49:14] God the Lord will say to you for your souls peace and profit when you enter into that word blessed is the people that know the joyful sound they shall walk O Lord in the light of thy countenance when you come to hear what God the Lord will say O so cast down and when he does say something to you and you go on your way comforted rejoicing in hope of life eternal you see the king in his beauty unto him shall the gathering of the people be thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty there shall behold the land that is very far off and I will simply conclude with this word my soul wait thou only upon

[50:24]  God for my expectation is from him amen them he but he domin