THE WARRIOR
THE WARRIOR
(Isaiah 63)
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Preached by: Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Memorial Day is a Federal Holiday whereby we remember and honor those American men and women who fought and died for our nation. I believe the victory song of all of those great warriors join with us today as we honor the Spirit of the Warrior, Jesus Christ, who has fought and defeated all of our enemies.
We are set free into liberty which has the courage to risk, the endurance to lose and learn to accept rejection, but never lose hold of our hope. Hope often despairs and yet despair will hope until hope becomes a certainty.
There is a Spirit which never accepts defeat is not broken by disappointment or discouragement and never gives up.
Isa. 63:1-6: “Who is this who comes from Edom with dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength?---I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” Why is your apparel red, and your garments like one who treads in the winepress? I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, And I have stained all my robes. For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed has come. I looked, but there was no one to help, and I wondered That there was no one to uphold; Therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me; and My own fury, it sustained Me. I have trodden down the peoples in my anger, made them drunk in My fury, and brought down their strength to the earth.”
This is a victory obtained by the grace of God in Christ over our spiritual enemies. We find the garments dipped in blood adorning him whose name is called the Word of God. (Rev. 13)
The question is put to the conqueror, “Who is this?” He tells who He is: “I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save” He is the Savior. He speaks in righteousness and will make good every Word that He has spoken. He is might to save, able to bring about the promised redemption.” (Matthew Henry)
Edom is singled out for mention, since her treatment of the Jews and of Judah was so hurtful and so deeply resented in the sixth century (Ps. 137:1, 7). It is widely agreed that Edom is here a symbol of all the inveterate enemies of God’s people. (Rev. 19:15) “And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and he treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.”
“The Edomites were descendants of Esau. They had associated themselves with the Babylonians in destroying Jerusalem. Edomites would go out on raiding expeditions and then retreat to their impregnable strongholds high up in the rocky gorges. These bitter enemies of the Jews perpetuated the enmity of Esau and Jacob (Gen. 25:23; 27:41). They typify the contrariness of the flesh and the Spirit. (Gal. 5:21). The Edomites refused passage to Moses (Num. 20: 14-21). The Hebrew word for Edom is #123 and means red; ruddy.” Its root is “Adam” (#119) and means to show blood in the face; flush, turn rosy; red (ruddy).
The prophet sees in vision a magnificent conqueror, stained with the blood of His enemies, returning from Edom, and from its capital Bozrah. He is a warrior flushed with victory, unsubdued, un-weakened, and coming with the pride and stateliness of conquest. He is a great and Holy Deliverer. Why His gorgeous robes are thus polluted with blood becomes also a question of intense anxiety. The reply of the Conqueror is that He was sent forth to subdue mighty foes; that He went alone; that there was none that could aid; and that he had trodden them down as a treader of grapes treads in the winepress. The whole image here is that of a triumphant, blood-stained warrior, returning from the conquest of Idumea. This is a graphic and vivid picture of the Lord Jesus Christ following His eternal and fully-victorious, all-encompassing, once-for-all victory over sin, sickness, poverty, fear, satan, death, hell and the grave! It is finished! “(Jn. 19:30) (Kelly Varner, Principles of Present Truth from Isaiah)
He gains the victory purely by his own strength. But his people, for whom the salvation was to save, were weak and helpless, desponding, listless and had no heart to do anything. “I looked and there was none to help, none to uphold, and none that had the courage to join with the Lord against their oppressors. God still helps with all other helpers fail.
This scene is the glorious victory of Jesus Christ in the present, the future and the finished work on the cross. Rev. 11:15: “And the seventh angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.”
“The prophet views this scene as one that is completed. The battle is over and we started this race at the finish line! Edom speaks of the flesh and the first man Adam. Jesus Christ, the last Adam, came to bring a lasting end to the first Adam! (! Cor. 15: 44-49- Amplified Bible).
Jesus is this righteous One, Mighty to save. He is the captain of our salvation, and is the Head of a glorious army (Joel 2: 1-11). Here we see Him Who has prevailed. This is Jesus the overcomer, the Heavenly David Who has defeated all His foes. Satan is defeated!” (Kelly Varner)
Now we stand at the threshold of the glorious church rising triumphant to walk in this victory as overcomers:
Heb. 10: 32-39: Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those in prison and joyfully accepted the spoiling of your goods, because you knew that you have in heaven better and more lasting possessions.
So do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not one of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but those who believe and are saved.”
“He defeated sin and satan by Himself. We have stained His garments with our redness (the sin of Adam). He took our sin and gave us His righteousness. Rev. 19:8: “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”
Jesus’ indwelling presence is a resource—that we may not be victims, but victorious. It is because of His presence that we dare to fight.
“This is the Day of the Lord’s vengeance upon His enemies. This did happen (in his death, burial, and resurrection); this is happening in our daily lives as we ever put on and appropriate His eternal victory and conquest over all enemies. It will happen in it’s consummation as His people fully put on and appropriate His eternal victory and conquest.”
The Lord undertakes the war purely out of his own zeal. God wrought salvation for the oppressed Jews because he was very angry with the oppressing Babylonians, angry at their idolatries, their pride, cruelty, and the injuries done to His people.
Our Lord Jesus wrought out our redemption in a Holy zeal for the honor of His Father and the happiness of mankind; and a Holy indignation at the daring attempts satan had made upon both. “The day of vengeance is in My heart…The year of my redeemed has come.”
He will obtain a complete victory over all of His people. He now appears red in his apparel. In the destruction of the anti-Christian powers, we meet with abundance of bloodshed. (Rev. 20:13).
The skills of war-making although not always valued by Christian ethicists are a necessary part of existence in a hostile environment (author unknown).
1 Chr. 12:38: “All these men of war, who could keep ranks came to Hebron with a loyal heart to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were of one mind to make David king.”
Ps. 18:32: Thirty Blessings of God: (Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible):
- Girds me with strength.
- Makes my way perfect.
- Makes my feet fast and sure like a hind, so I can catch my enemies or escape if need be.
- Sets me on high places.
- Teaches me to war.
- Gives me salvation.
- Holds me up.
- Makes me great.
- Makes room for my feet.
- Helps defeat my enemies.
- Helps me overtake them.
- Helps destroy them.
- Helps bring them to submission.
- Makes me strong for battle.
- Helps me put down rebellion.
- Makes my enemies helpless.
- Will not hear my enemies.
- Helps me completely destroy them.
- Delivered me from enemies among my own people.
- Makes me rule over the heathen.
- Enables me to be their master.
- Causes armies to fade away.
- Avenges me.
- Brings all enemies under me.
- Delivers me from my enemies.
- Lifts me up above them.
- Delivers me from violent men.
- Gives me great deliverance.
- Shows me His mercy.
There is no defeat in Jesus; we can’t go under for going over.
I heard Sarah Palin say this past week, that she had the fire in her belly to run for President of the United States, but she is still considering the high cost to her family. It will take a fire, a calling and a warrior to arise in this hour to kindle the fires of hope. If Rick Perry arises, this would be a very good thing as well.
“Few presidents have had the ability to ignite hope in the hearts of those who love liberty more than President Ronald Reagan. In his Second Inaugural Address in 1985, he stated:
History is a ribbon, always unfurling. History is a journey. And as we continue our journey, we think of those who traveled before us…Now we hear again the echoes of our past: a general falls to his knees in the hard snow of Valley Forge; a lonely president paces the darkened halls and ponders his struggle to preserve the Union; the men of the Alamo call out encouragement to each other; a settler pushes west and sings a song, and the song echoes out forever and fills the unknowing air.
It is the American sound. It is hopeful, big-hearts, idealistic, daring, and fair. That’s our heritage: that is our song. We sing it still. For all our problems, our differences, we are together as of old, as we raise our voices to the God who is the Author of this most tender music. And may He continue to hold us close as we fill the world with our sound---sound in unity, affection, and love---one people under God, dedicated to the dream of freedom that He has placed in the human heart, called upon now to pass that dream on to a waiting and hopeful world.”(American Patriot’s Bible)
Preached by: Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V. and N.K.J.V. Quotes from F.F. Bruce Bible Commentary, Matthew Henry’s Commentary; American Patriot’s Bible; Dale’s Annotated Reference Bible and Kelly Varner’s Principle’s of Present Truth from Isaiah.
Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of those from whom I have gleaned.