|
The Blood On Christ's Apparel
Jan. 14, 2007 (AM) - Pastor Ronnie Wolfe
Isaiah 63:1-19
We are certainly familiar with the blood of Jesus
Christ, that blood that he shed on the cross of Calvary for our
redemption. We are thankful for the blood that he shed, and that blood
secures our eternal hope for heaven and eternal life.
But notice in these two verses, we are seeing the
apparel of the Lord being covered with blood, but not his own blood. This
blood is the blood of his enemies as it is spilled upon Him as He brings
vengeance against his enemies in the end.
There are three points to the message today: 1. The
Blood of Judgment; 2. The Bestowing of Mercy; and 3. The Begging of the
Lord’s Return
THE BLOOD OF JUDGMENT
The Appearance of the Lord – 63:1-2
He is coming from Edom, because he has been there
for a reason. He is returning from a trip to Edom, that cursed city
of old.
Those who see him coming from Edom marvel at his
garments, because they are garments of a King; He is glorious in his
apparel, and he traveling in the greatness of his strength. He is
majestic and royal in his appearance.
The Lord speaks and says, "I that speak in
righteousness ..." He certainly does speak in or in reference to
righteousness. That is all that He can speak, because he is
perfectly righteous.
"Mighty to save." The Lord is the power in
salvation. He uses to Gospel, but the power actually comes from the
Lord Jesus Christ. He can save, and he does save. No one else can
save.
This beautiful apparel is covered with blood (vs
2). It is as if he were in Edom to tread out the wine in the
winepress. His garment was covered with red.
The Winepress
The Lord answered in verse 3 that he had to tread
the wine alone, that there was no one who could help him do this
important job.
The Lord is treading the wicked in his anger (vs
3), and here he speaks in the future tense, that he will tread out
the winepress of God’s wrath, and the blood of the enemy, and their
blood will be sprinkled on the garments of the Lord and will stain
his raiment.
This is a time of vengeance for the Lord, and he
must carry out this himself, because vengeance belongs only unto
Him. Read vs 4-5. See Rom. 12:29.
The Lord will bring down man’s strength to the
earth, showing God’s power above all man and his imaginations.
This is for a future day as well as for the
prophecy of His coming against the enemies of Israel. One day the
Lord will come again and -- 2 Thes. 1:8 In flaming fire taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ:
See these scriptures:
Re 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without
the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse
bridles, by the space of a thousand [and] six hundred furlongs.
Re 19:13 And he [was] clothed with a vesture
dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Isa. 34:5 For my sword shall be bathed in
heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the
people of my curse, to judgment. 6 The sword of the LORD is filled
with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of
lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD
hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of
Idumea. 7 And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the
bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with
blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. 8 For it is the day
of the LORD’S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the
controversy of Zion.
THE BESTOWING OF MERCY – 63:7-14
A Mention of the Lovingkindness of God
According to his mercy (7)
And the multitude of his lovingkindness (7)
The Lord accepted Israel as his people, his
children, and he was their Savior (8)
The Love of the Lord to Israel
In all of the days of old, the Lord’s love was
manifested toward Israel (9)
When they were afflicted, the Lord was afflicted.
He carried them through all of their trials, and
they had victory through faith.
But They Rebelled (10)
Even in time of mercy, they rebelled.
So much like us today, who rebel against the Lord
in the midst of his great mercy and grace. Are we better than the
Israelites of old? I think not!
In their rebellion, the Lord turned against them
and became their enemy. Pray God will become the enemy of our nation
as he did Israel, for his retribution is more than any of us wants
to pay.
Remembering Moses (11-13)
The pronoun "he" in verse 11 may speak of the
Lord himself, or it may speak of one of the men of Israel, perhaps
Isaiah himself.
Where is the God of old? See 11-13
A Glorious Name (14)
The Lord made himself a great name in Israel
there is no doubt, and that is the reason for his mercy and
lovingkindness to them.
BEGGING THE LORD’S RETURN – 15-19
Where is your zeal? (15)
Where is your strength?
Where is your bowels of mercy?
Are they restrained? (15)
Doubtless Thou Art Our Father (16)
This is Israel’s recognition that God is their
father, and we must do the same today.
Many are trying to deny that God even exists, but
we would do well to acknowledge that God is our father: the father
of the human race by creation, the father of our nation by
providence, and the father of our soul by salvation.
We should remind our children that God is our
father, and we can do nothing without his strength, without his
mercy and without his grace.
Return To Us
"Return for thy servants’ sake ..."
We as God’s people are the only ones who have the
right to ask God to return to us in mercy and love.
Others have no right to ask God to return,
because they never knew him.
We belong to him; the world does not.
Notice verse 19 – The world is not called by his
name, but we are.
Conclusion
Since we know that the blood of the enemies of God will
stain the vesture of our Lord, we should realize that that blood could be
ours if it were not for his own precious blood that redeems.
Today, that precious blood can wash away all of your sins, and you will
be as white as snow, your sins can be cast as far as the east is from the
west. If you will turn from your sins and trust Jesus Christ, his death,
burial and resurrection, he will forgive you and save you forever.
|