Cry Aloud and Spare Not…But How?

In Isaiah 58:1 The LORD says “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”

Why are we given this mandate? Like the great commission in Matt 28: 19, 20, His desire is to use us to draw all men to Him in repentance and salvation.

So then how do we “Cry aloud and spare not?” Does God have a certain method for us to follow? Prov. 14:12 “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

God does not think like us nor is He altogether like us. Ps. 50:21 “These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.”

Isa. 55: 8, 9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

How did God cry aloud and spare not? Did He literally cry aloud and tell people their sins?Isaiah 42.1-3 “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.”

Isaiah 11:3 “And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:”

John 12:47, 48 “And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”

God’s delight is in His servant and the Spirit of God is upon Him, yet without a cry heard, or His voice lifted up in the street, nor after the sight and hearing of men and without a reed broken or flax quenched He brings forth judgment to the Gentiles.

“For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?” 1 Corinthians 4:20, 21

Jesus woke early morning by morning to learn how to speak a word in season. Isa. 50:4 “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.”

Jesus submits to the instruction of His Father. He humbles Himself to learn God’s ways and He is not rebellious. Jesus is our example. We need to learn how to speak words in season to qualify for the attendance of the Holy Spirit.

It is the work of the Holy Spirit to lead us to repentance. “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” Romans 2:4 (Gal 5:22)

Every truth spoken must be centered in the atonement of Christ. “The sacrifice of Christ as an atonement for sin is the great truth around which all other truths cluster. In order to be rightly understood and appreciated, every truth in the Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation (including Isaiah 58:1), must be studied in the light, which streams from the cross of Calvary …”

Lifting up the cross of Christ both cuts and heals through the former and latter rain. “Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” Hosea 6:1-13

“Jesus is inviting and drawing by His Holy Spirit the hearts of young and old to Himself. . . When Christ crucified is preached, the power of the gospel is demonstrated by the influence it exerts over the believer. In place of remaining dead in trespasses and sins, he is awakened. Lift up the Man of Calvary higher and still higher; there is power in the exaltation of the cross of Christ.” SD 221

The preaching of Christ crucified is “crying aloud and sparing not.”
What happens in the heart when the Lamb of God is lifted up? Jesus has said, “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.” John 12:32. Christ must be revealed to the sinner as the Saviour dying for the sins of the world; and as we behold the Lamb of God upon the cross of Calvary, the mystery of redemption begins to unfold to our minds and the goodness of God leads us to repentance. In dying for sinners, Christ manifested a love that is incomprehensible; and as the sinner beholds this love, it softens the heart, impresses the mind, and inspires contrition in the soul. SC 26.4

“One ray of the glory of God [Galatians 5:22, Ex 20, John 17:22, 26], one gleam of the purity of Christ, penetrating the soul, makes every spot of defilement painfully distinct, and lays bare the deformity and defects of the human character. It makes apparent the unhallowed desires, the infidelity of the heart, the impurity of the lips. The sinner’s acts of disloyalty in making void the law of God, are exposed to his sight, and his spirit is stricken and afflicted under the searching influence of the Spirit of God. He loathes himself as he views the pure, spotless character of Christ.” SC 29.1

Without the knowledge of sin we feel no need of repentance, so it is obvious that while the Lamb of God is being lifted up the Holy Spirit is doing the work of showing us our sins. God’s love softens the heart impresses the mind and inspires contrition. This is not something man’s thrusts upon one another can do. It is clearly the silent working of the Holy Spirit.

True shepherds lead the sheep by example through the Door. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.” John 10:1-4

Showing people their sins (Isa. 58:1) in any other way than through the Atonement of Jesus is not bringing the lost sheep into the fold through the Door and makes us thieves and robbers or false shepherds.

The Holy Spirit shows us how He reproves of sin. John 16:8-14 “And when he is come, HE will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged… Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.”

What (who) does the Holy Sprit show us that will reprove us of sin? It is none other than Jesus. The Holy Spirit cries loud and shows people their sins through Jesus Christ. Like Jesus, “He [the Holy Spirit, the Godhead work as one] shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.”

The voice of the Holy Spirit is still and small. “And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”

How can we speak loudly with a small voice? Isaiah 58:1 reads “and show [not tell] my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”
Actions speak louder than words. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may SEE your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (‘glorify’ by copying the example)

Our light shines through good actions accompanied by good words. Goodness is a fruit of the Spirit.
Why and how are we asked to lift up our voice like a trumpet? What two messages were associated with the sounding of the trumpet in the sanctuary services?

1. Judgment hour. Lev 25:9
2. Time to worship. Lev 27:13

The first angel’s message calls our attention to both judgment and worship. “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

The loud cry begins during the 3rd angel’s message. Giving the loud cry, “Come out of her my people…” is indeed crying aloud. The three angel’s messages must be proclaimed throughout the earth. As it is given it swells to a loud cry, thus we “cry aloud” telling the people the judgment is come and encouraging them to come and worship. The three angels’ messages are to go to every kindred, nation, tongue and people, it is thus we “spare not”. Not a soul on earth is to be spared from hearing this message.

Man’s Ways Verses God’s Ways

“Respect and Love One Another. –If we keep uppermost in our minds the unkind and unjust acts of others we shall find it impossible to love them as Christ has loved us; but if our thoughts dwell upon the wondrous love and pity of Christ for us, the same spirit will flow out to others. We should love and respect one another, notwithstanding the faults and imperfections that we cannot help seeing. Humility and self-distrust should be cultivated, and a patient tenderness with the faults of others. This will kill out all narrowing selfishness and make us large-hearted and generous.”
SC 121, 1892

“It depends very much on the way we take hold to labour whether we shall have souls as the result of our efforts.” Manuscript 14, 1887
The robber often cries out, “Stop thief!” after some other man, in order to direct pursuit away from himself. So people condemn sin in others, in order that it may not be suspected that they are guilty of the same thing. Often, too, people:

“Compound for sins they are inclined to by damning those they have no mind to,” but of which they are actually guilty by reason of their human nature.

Since all flesh of man is the same, we ought to be filled with humiliation, instead of contempt, when we hear of a gross sin that is committed; for it is really a picture of what is in our own hearts. Instead of saying, “God, I thank thee that I am not as other men,” we should bear the burden of the erring, considering ourselves lest we also be tempted. Very often the man whose weakness we feel inclined to condemn, has not failed so badly as we should have done if we had been tempted in the same way, and to the same degree.

Outcry against Sin, – In “Pilgrim’s Progress” when Talkative left Faithful to decide upon the subject of their conversation, Faithful proposed this question; “How doth the saving grace of God discover itself when it is in the heart of man?” And then Bunyan proceeds thus:

“Talk. – I perceive then that our talk must be about the power of things. Well, it is a very good question, and I shall be willing to answer you; and take my answer in brief thus: First, where the grace of God is in the heart, it causeth there a great outcry against sin. Secondly –

“Talk. — Why, what difference is there between crying out against and abhorring sin?”

“Faith. – O, a great deal! A man may cry out against a sin, of policy; but he can not abhor it but by virtue of a godly antipathy against it. I have heard many cry out against sin in the pulpit, who can yet abide it well enough in the heart, house, and conversation. Joseph’s mistress cried out with a loud voice, as if she had been very chaste; but she would willingly, notwithstanding that, have committed uncleanness with him.”

“A keen perception of right and wrong, and a vigorous denunciation of sin, will never justify any man. On the contrary, they only deepen his condemnation. It is a sad fact that too many of the so-called reformers of the present day seem to think that gospel work consists largely in the denunciation of evil practices. A detective is not a minister of the gospel.” Waggoner on Romans, page 2.40, 2.50

Arise, Shine

“Let those who have a knowledge of the truth arise and shine. ‘Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet.’ No longer mutilate the truth. Let the soul cry out for the living God. Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils. The Comforter will come to you, if you will open the door to Him. ‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in every time of need.’” MS 51, 1901.

Chris Godfrey, Australia