1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:04,480 To Isaiah 44 verses one through 23. 2 00:00:04,520 --> 00:00:08,800 You can find Isaiah 44 on page 604 in the chair Bibles around 3 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:13,960 you. In this chapter, we'll see many 4 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:17,920 similar themes that we have heard in the previous chapters. 5 00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:24,040 Some themes like Israel as God's chosen servant, God as the maker 6 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:29,720 and Redeemer of Israel is God as the first and the last that that 7 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:34,000 no one compares to God. There's a, there's also going to 8 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,480 be an attack against idolatry, which has been happening quite a 9 00:00:36,480 --> 00:00:39,160 bit. There's the theme of God 10 00:00:39,160 --> 00:00:42,720 bringing his life, giving water upon dry ground. 11 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,320 And and then there's the comforting phrase again multiple 12 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:52,120 times the, the phrase fear not. There's a there's a There are a 13 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:55,560 few unique things in this passage, but much of it is 14 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:58,000 repetition, and that's intentional. 15 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:01,720 The Christian life isn't mainly about learning new things. 16 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:04,879 It's mainly about remembering the old things, right? 17 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:10,560 We remember them so that we can continually apply them to each 18 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:15,880 new season. So as we come back to some 19 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:20,040 familiar themes from this, from the past few weeks, come ready 20 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:23,080 to remember. The truths here are just simply 21 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:27,040 too important to ever forget. So given the length of this 22 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:29,920 passage, well, I'll start by reading the 1st 8 verses and 23 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,760 then we'll read the remaining verses as we continue to walk 24 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:36,240 through this passage. So please read along with me 25 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:43,520 Isaiah 44 starting in verse one. But now here, O Jacob, my 26 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:45,840 servant Israel, whom I have chosen. 27 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:50,120 Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb, 28 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:53,560 and will help you. Fear not, O Jacob, my servant 29 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:58,280 Jesharin, whom I have chosen, for I will pour water on the 30 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,400 thirsty land and streams on the dry ground. 31 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:05,200 I will pour my spirit upon your offspring and my blessing on 32 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:08,000 your descendants. They shall spring up among the 33 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:10,360 grass like willows by flowing streams. 34 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:14,560 This one will say I am the Lord's, another will call on the 35 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:18,080 name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand the Lord's, 36 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:21,600 and name himself by the name of Israel. 37 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:26,640 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the 38 00:02:26,640 --> 00:02:30,600 Lord of hosts. I am the 1st and I am the last. 39 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:35,160 Besides me there is no God who is like me. 40 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:37,680 Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it 41 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:40,160 before me. Since I appointed an ancient 42 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:44,320 people, let them declare what is to come and what will happen. 43 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:49,600 Fear not, nor be afraid. I have I not told you from of 44 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,480 old and declared it, And you are my witnesses. 45 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:57,200 Is there a God besides me? There is no rock. 46 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,640 I know not any. Let's pray. 47 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:08,440 Oh heavenly Father, we come, and we ask that you would do what 48 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:12,760 you say in this passage, that you would pour out water on dry 49 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,440 ground. You would pour out your spirit 50 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:21,120 upon us, upon our offspring, Lord, that there would be true, 51 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:26,360 genuine life that would spring up, true worshippers who seek 52 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:29,080 after you. This we pray in Jesus name, 53 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:34,640 Amen. In 2009, I was living in the 54 00:03:34,640 --> 00:03:38,400 Twin Cities when the biggest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history up 55 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:40,400 to that point broke the headlines. 56 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,560 It was orchestrated by the Minneapolis businessman named 57 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:49,680 Tom Petters, and it totaled $3.7 billion. 58 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:54,280 Petters convinced investors with promissory notes that their 59 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:58,000 money would be used to purchase discounted merchandise like 60 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:01,280 electronics, which then would be sold for a profit. 61 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:05,120 He promised returns of 15 to 20%. 62 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:10,800 The problem was was that there there was no merchandise, just 63 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:15,120 empty warehouses. Petters then lived a lavish 64 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:20,959 lifestyle with mansions, yachts, customized private jet and high 65 00:04:20,959 --> 00:04:25,240 stakes gambling. After Petters was exposed, the 66 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:29,160 fallout was huge. Sun Country Airlines went went 67 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:33,040 bankrupt and so did Polaroid and several hedge funds folded. 68 00:04:34,280 --> 00:04:37,760 Several local Minneapolis religious charities were hit 69 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:41,520 hard to like Minnesota Teen Challenge because they had 70 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:45,840 invested in in they had invested millions of donated money 71 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:49,720 through an organization called the Fidelis Foundation, which 72 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:52,680 put their investments in the Petters Ponzi scheme. 73 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:57,160 Now investing in an organization called the Fidelis Foundation, I 74 00:04:57,160 --> 00:04:58,920 mean, that really sounds secure, doesn't it? 75 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:04,560 But behind all the promised security and success was 76 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:09,400 absolutely nothing. Petters is now serving 50 years 77 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:12,840 in prison. What gives you a sense of 78 00:05:12,840 --> 00:05:16,920 security? Is it your your money, your job, 79 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:22,960 your relationships, your health, your grades, your church, your 80 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:27,000 country? Is that sense of security 81 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,640 actually founded upon something secure and unchanging and 82 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:36,000 trustworthy? Isaiah 44 is a prophetic call 83 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:41,640 from God to make Him your rock, a foundation that will never be 84 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:45,600 shaken. This prophecy foresaw a time in 85 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:49,960 Israel's future of great insecurity due to their sin. 86 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:53,800 They would be punished with the destruction of Jerusalem and and 87 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:57,240 the destruction of the temple, and people would be exiled to a 88 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:01,120 foreign nation. And here God makes a case to 89 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:05,760 Israel and to us that through all the instability in life that 90 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:11,480 He is to be our rock because he is our Redeemer, He is 91 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:15,120 sovereign. So in this passage, we'll see 92 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:18,120 four reasons to rest secure on in the rock. 93 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:21,280 Then we'll consider the deconstruction of idols. 94 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:25,320 And then we'll end with three ways we can rightly respond to 95 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:30,560 God as our rock. So first, four reasons to rest 96 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:35,080 secure in the rock from the 1st 8 verses of this chapter which 97 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:38,000 you just read. Now the first reason we're to 98 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:42,880 rest secure on God is our rock is because He is faithful to His 99 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:46,640 covenant of grace. He's faithful to His covenant. 100 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:49,960 We see this in the 1st 2 verses of Isaiah 44. 101 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:53,800 This chapter begins with a call for Israel's attention. 102 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:59,400 But now here, oh Jacob, my servant God was about to give 103 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:03,800 Israel a message that contrasted with His previous message. 104 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:07,320 To what was that message? Well, last week Pastor Chris 105 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:11,680 preached on Isaiah 43, and that chapter ended with the promise 106 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:15,760 of punishment for sin. Here's the last two verses of 107 00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:20,000 Isaiah 43. Your first father sinned, and 108 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:22,160 your mediators transgressed against me. 109 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:27,120 Therefore, I will profane the Princess of the sanctuary and 110 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:32,040 deliver Jacob to utter destruction and Israel to 111 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:37,120 reviling. Jacob was going to face utter 112 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:40,840 destruction for their sins of idolatry and the wickedness that 113 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:43,440 was just so rampant in their day. 114 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:48,240 This pronouncement of utter destruction, well, it may be a 115 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:51,640 prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Temple in 116 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:56,520 Fib 586 BC by the Babylonians, so that that devastating 117 00:07:56,520 --> 00:08:00,600 pronouncement at the end of Isaiah 43 then gives way to a 118 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:03,600 new and different announcement here in Isaiah 44. 119 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:10,080 Even though utter destruction was coming for Judah, the story 120 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:14,600 wasn't going to be over. God's relationship with His 121 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:19,160 chosen people wasn't ending. God was going to stay faithful 122 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:23,040 to his covenant of grace even though his people had been 123 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:29,040 unfaithful. God calls Jacob to hear, to 124 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:32,679 listen, because help would be coming on the heels of 125 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:35,799 punishment. Look at verse 2. 126 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:40,480 Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb, 127 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:47,400 and will help you, Fear not. Israel was not to fear that this 128 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:49,920 sentence of utter destruction would end their covenant 129 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:53,400 relationship with God. The story would not be over. 130 00:08:54,120 --> 00:09:00,160 Judgment and exile were a part of a longer story, a history of 131 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:04,240 God's redemption of his people, a history that began with Adam 132 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:06,960 and Eve and it continued throughout the millennia and 133 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:11,240 would continue even after the Babylonian destruction of 134 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:15,120 Jerusalem. There would be life after exile, 135 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:19,360 mercy after judgment, revival after rebellion. 136 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:25,040 God's people are to find their security in Him as their rock 137 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:29,520 because He is always faithful to His covenant of grace. 138 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:33,720 His promise to hit to His people to to be their God when they 139 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:36,760 believe in the promised Savior Jesus Christ. 140 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:43,240 Even though God's people would go into exile and their 141 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:48,120 descendants would be scattered. God, because He is faithful to 142 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:51,600 the covenant He made with Abraham, He would pour out His 143 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:55,080 spirit on future generations so that they might put their faith 144 00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:58,480 in the Lord. So brothers and sisters, you 145 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:01,920 cannot find anyone more faithful to their promises than God 146 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,040 himself. So read the Bible, read the 147 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:09,840 promises of God that are there for all who put their faith in 148 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:13,400 Christ, and then rest secure in those promises. 149 00:10:15,560 --> 00:10:19,680 Rest in the faithfulness of God. That although we sin like 150 00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:23,520 Israel, God is faithful to discipline us as a loving 151 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:26,240 Father. He will lovingly correct us and 152 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:29,480 restore us back to a right relationship with Him. 153 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:35,000 To rest secure in the rock, the one who makes and keeps His 154 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:40,440 promises. The second reason we should rest 155 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:43,840 secure in God our rock is because He loves His chosen 156 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:47,920 people. Look again at verse verses one 157 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:51,360 through 2 one and two. But now hear, O Jacob, my 158 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:53,880 servant Israel, whom I have chosen. 159 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:57,160 Thus says the Lord, who made you, who formed you from the 160 00:10:57,160 --> 00:11:01,440 womb, and will help you. Fear not, O Jacob, my servant 161 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:07,840 Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. The Lord reminds Israel who they 162 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:13,360 are and whose they are. They are the chosen servant of 163 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:18,400 the Most High. He Himself formed them into a 164 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:21,880 people. He set His heart on them in love 165 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:25,080 and chose them out of all the peoples of the earth to be His 166 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:28,920 treasured possession. He blessed Israel so that they 167 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:33,680 became fruitful and multiplied. He rescued Israel from slavery 168 00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:35,560 in Egypt. He He helped them in the 169 00:11:35,560 --> 00:11:38,880 wilderness and gave them the Promised Land of Canaan as their 170 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:43,520 very own. And at the end of verse 2, God 171 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:48,560 calls them a very endearing name, I believe and calls them 172 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:52,200 Jesharan. What does Jesharan mean? 173 00:11:53,840 --> 00:11:57,640 That's first used used in Moses song in Deuteronomy 32. 174 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:03,200 There's many parallels between Deuteronomy 32 in this in this 175 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:06,800 chapter, by the way, and there's some there's some uncertainty 176 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:10,600 about the exact meaning of Jesharan, but scholars generally 177 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:15,600 give it a positive, affectionate meaning, perhaps meaning upright 178 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:21,360 or beloved. Even though God has sent Isaiah 179 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:26,640 to prophecy to a rebellious people, God still affectionately 180 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:31,160 calls them Jeshurun, seeing them not so much as what they 181 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:35,280 currently are in rebellion, but who they will be one day. 182 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:42,640 By his grace, by his faithful covenant keeping Israel, who is 183 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:46,920 now turning their back on God, will one day be upright to 184 00:12:46,920 --> 00:12:51,040 gesture an upright because of the mercy of God. 185 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:54,720 It's just, it's so comforting, if comforting and reassuring to 186 00:12:54,720 --> 00:13:01,360 know that God sees us not, not just for what we are now, but He 187 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:07,720 also sees us for who we will be, His glorified bride, shining in 188 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:09,640 perfect holiness and righteousness. 189 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:15,280 So, dear Christian, rest in the rest, in the love of God for 190 00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:18,560 you. He loves you and He chose you so 191 00:13:18,560 --> 00:13:23,000 that he might forever love you. Rest secure in His love. 192 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:27,680 His love for you will not falter when you fail. 193 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:33,920 He sees the big picture of not not just who you are now, but 194 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:39,560 also who He's making you to be. He loves you, and He will always 195 00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:43,480 love you. There is no rock more secure 196 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:50,480 than God's love. The third reason from this 197 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:53,640 chapter for why we should rest secure in the rock is because 198 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:56,520 His Spirit is the wellspring of life. 199 00:13:57,360 --> 00:13:58,800 Let's look at verses 3 through 5. 200 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:02,920 Now. For I will pour water on the 201 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:06,680 thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground. 202 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:10,520 I will pour my spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on 203 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:13,000 your descendants. They shall spring up among the 204 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:15,320 grass like willows by flowing streams. 205 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:19,400 This one will say, I am the Lords, another will call on the 206 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:24,000 name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand the Lords and 207 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:28,200 his name, and name himself by the name of Israel. 208 00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:34,240 Here God says that He will help his people after they face 209 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:38,120 punishment by raining down a spiritual revival upon their 210 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:42,240 descendants. Israel in their rebellion is 211 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:47,720 like is like a wilderness, void of life, void of faith. 212 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:52,680 But God promised to pour out his Spirit upon that dry ground, 213 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:56,960 upon the offspring of Israel, so that they might come alive and 214 00:14:56,960 --> 00:14:59,840 grow like trees beside a river of water. 215 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:05,120 God had brought about numerous revivals in Israel's history, 216 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:10,680 and he promised once again to revive his people, the Exiles 217 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:13,960 who were sent to Babylon. And who and who would return? 218 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:17,440 They they would identify themselves as the Lords, as a 219 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:22,800 people belonging to Him. Just as God had formed and 220 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:25,760 created his people with the calling of Abraham, Isaac and 221 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:30,320 Jacob, so also would God would would recreate His people after 222 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:32,600 the majority of them had fallen away from Him. 223 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:39,240 God is the Creator Savior, the one who saves his people by His 224 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:44,200 creative powers, by creating spiritual life and faith where 225 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:53,960 there was once nothing. God would perform the greatest 226 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:58,760 outpouring of of his Spirit at Pentecost in the book of Acts, 227 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:02,800 when he would give his Spirit to not only the apostles but also 228 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:06,080 to the Gentile. Peoples would hear the gospel, 229 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:11,160 believe it and be saved. And so even Gentiles, not non 230 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:15,960 Jewish people, they can become the offspring of Israel when 231 00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:20,400 they put their faith in Jesus Christ, the true Israelite. 232 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:25,240 Jesus is the offspring of Abraham through whom all the 233 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:27,440 families of the earth will be blessed. 234 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,880 And Jesus said in John seven that whoever believes in him, 235 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:38,840 out of his heart will flow rivers of living water, which is 236 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:42,520 the Spirit of God. The Spirit poured out upon one's 237 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:46,240 soul to revive them, to bring them new life. 238 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:56,080 Do you have the Spirit of God? Is there within your heart faith 239 00:16:56,400 --> 00:17:02,280 and trust in the Lord Jesus? Is he the security of your 240 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:06,920 heart? If so, then the Spirit has been 241 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:11,040 poured out upon you. Do you see yourself as a Sinner 242 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:14,280 in need of the gruesome cross of Christ? 243 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:18,800 Have you asked Him for forgiveness for your sins? 244 00:17:20,319 --> 00:17:24,520 Then the Spirit is flowing in your heart like an ever flowing 245 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:30,240 supply of the life of God. Is your heart growing in in 246 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:35,480 loving what God loves, in hating what He hates, and growing in in 247 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:41,600 obedience to Him? Are you rejoicing in God and and 248 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:44,560 praying to Him as as as a child communicates to His Father? 249 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:50,840 This too is a sign that God has mercifully poured His Spirit 250 00:17:50,840 --> 00:17:55,000 upon you. That's the third reason we are 251 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:59,040 to rest in the rock, for He is like the wilderness rock that 252 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:03,600 Moses struck and gushed out water for Israel. 253 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:08,320 He pours out His Spirit on his people, that they might have 254 00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:15,520 abundant life forever. And 4th. 255 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:19,000 We should rest secure in our rock, because He is unique and 256 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,840 unmatched. Look at verses 6 through 8. 257 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:27,760 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the 258 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:31,840 Lord of hosts. I am the 1st, and I am the last. 259 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:35,720 Besides me, there is no God who is like me. 260 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:38,760 Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it 261 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:41,200 before me. Since I appointed an ancient 262 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:44,720 people, let them declare what is to come and what will happen. 263 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:48,920 Fear not nor be afraid. Have I not told you from of old 264 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:51,400 and declared it? And you are my witnesses. 265 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:56,320 Is there a God besides me? There is no rock. 266 00:18:56,560 --> 00:19:01,920 I know not any. God challenges His people to 267 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:04,520 find anyone who can compare with Him. 268 00:19:05,360 --> 00:19:11,240 He is unique and unmatched. He alone is the King of Israel, 269 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:16,280 greater than any earthly king, and Jesus, an Israelite and 270 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:18,200 descendant of the kingly line of David. 271 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:23,200 He would come to be the everlasting King, to reign over 272 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:28,280 God's people forever. Verse 6 calls God not only the 273 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:31,120 King of Israel, but also Israel's Redeemer. 274 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:34,480 And so it is with the Lord Jesus Christ. 275 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:39,440 He is our King, Redeemer, the royal Son of God who put on 276 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:44,960 human flesh, was born of a poor insignificant family and live 277 00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:48,400 the perfect life and died as an atoning sacrifice for the sins 278 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:53,800 of His people in order to redeem them, to make His beloved people 279 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:59,160 his own forever. God is the unmatched King and 280 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:02,680 Redeemer. He's also unmatched in his 281 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:06,840 eternality, His eternality. Look at verse 6. 282 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:10,880 He declares I am the 1st and I am the last. 283 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:15,000 You remember who else said that they were the first and the 284 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:17,640 last? We just read that, didn't we? 285 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:21,920 And Jesus in Revelation One Jesus. 286 00:20:22,360 --> 00:20:26,320 Said I am the 1st and the last. He also is he's the he is. 287 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:30,960 He is the eternally existing son of God, the Alpha and the Omega. 288 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:36,840 No one is like Him. In verse 7, God also declares 289 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:40,320 that no one is like him in his sovereign power and omniscience. 290 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:45,200 He appointed an ancient people, He formed all the peoples of the 291 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:49,640 earth, and He is uniquely and He uniquely called and appointed 292 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:54,080 Abraham to have descendants as numerous as the stars. 293 00:20:55,680 --> 00:21:00,800 God alone can declare what is to come and what will happen, for 294 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:05,320 He alone not only knows the future, but declares and ordains 295 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:08,880 it to be. No one is like Him. 296 00:21:09,360 --> 00:21:16,400 He is infinite in power. Let us rest in this unique and 297 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:23,720 unmatched rock. Isaiah's prophecy then takes a 298 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:26,680 turn toward the topic of idolatry. 299 00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:30,480 Idolatry was a rampant problem in Israel, as we've seen 300 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:33,360 throughout the book of Isaiah. And so God wanted to make it 301 00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:37,200 crystal clear that no one is like him, not even the idols. 302 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:40,200 Idols are nowhere near anything like Him. 303 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:45,200 Before Israel entered the Promised Land, God commanded 304 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:48,760 them in Deuteronomy 7 to destroy all the nations living there, 305 00:21:49,120 --> 00:21:52,480 because otherwise they would tempt Israel, often through 306 00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:55,920 intermarriage, to follow their Pagan gods. 307 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:00,240 God warned His people about this in Deuteronomy, but the people 308 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:03,360 did not listen, and they never fully eradicated the Pagan 309 00:22:03,360 --> 00:22:06,880 nations. And just as God had predicted, 310 00:22:07,360 --> 00:22:09,960 they struggled with idolatry ever since. 311 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:16,600 Here is here in Isaiah 44. God is going to condemn idols 312 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:20,000 again, as he has been doing a lot here. 313 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:22,680 But this time he's going to use a really interesting and 314 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:25,520 persuasive argument against idols. 315 00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:33,000 He's going to deconstruct them. He he exposes them for how they 316 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:35,360 came to be and what they really are. 317 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:41,000 Idols had a had a certain mystical ethos to them because 318 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:43,680 of their appearance, perhaps, and, and definitely because of 319 00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:47,320 the Pagan culture that, that, that taught that, that, that 320 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:50,200 these idols were, were something, something powerful. 321 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:55,800 They're kind of like, you know, voodoo dolls or tarot cards 322 00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:58,320 today. If someone gave you one of 323 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:01,720 those, you'd probably be uncomfortable uncomfortable 324 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:04,760 having them in your possession because of their appearance and 325 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:08,360 the the mysterious and evil culture associated with them. 326 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:14,440 The idols of Israel's day had the same mysterious ethos to 327 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:20,120 them that made people fear them. And so God pops the bubble of 328 00:23:20,120 --> 00:23:24,440 their empty ethos by revealing what they truly are in their 329 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:28,040 nature. Mere pieces of metal and blocks 330 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:34,160 of wood, nothing more. As we look at this next section, 331 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:38,920 we'll look first at what idols actually are in verses 9 through 332 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:42,240 17, and then in verses 18 through 20, we'll see what idol 333 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:46,600 worship does to us. Let's read with Read with me 334 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:51,120 verses 9 through 17 as God deconstructs these idols. 335 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:56,320 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they 336 00:23:56,320 --> 00:24:00,560 delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor 337 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:02,960 know that they may be put to shame. 338 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:07,360 Who fashions a God, or casts an idol that is profitable for 339 00:24:07,360 --> 00:24:10,480 nothing? Behold, all his companions shall 340 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:13,680 be put to shame, and the Craftsman are only human. 341 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:17,640 Let them assemble, let them stand forth, they shall be 342 00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:19,640 terrified. They shall be put to shame 343 00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:23,440 together. The ironsmith takes a cutting 344 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:25,440 tool and works it over the coals. 345 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:29,160 He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. 346 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:32,400 He becomes hungry and his strength fails. 347 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:34,200 He drinks no water. In his faint. 348 00:24:35,120 --> 00:24:39,400 The Carpenter stretches a line. He marks it out with a pencil. 349 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:42,240 He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. 350 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:46,280 He shapes it into a figure of a man with the beauty of a man to 351 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:50,840 dwell in a house. He cuts down Cedars, or he 352 00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:54,960 chooses a Cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow among the trees 353 00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:57,840 of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain 354 00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:01,560 nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man. 355 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:04,560 He takes a part of it and warms himself. 356 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:07,800 He Kindles a fire and bakes bread also. 357 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:12,200 He makes a God and worships it. He makes it an idol and falls 358 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:15,800 down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire. 359 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:20,000 Over the half he eats meat. He roasts it and is satisfied. 360 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:24,120 Also he warms himself and says aha I'm warm. 361 00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:26,800 I've seen the fire and the rest of it. 362 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:30,560 He makes into a God his idol and falls down to it and worships 363 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:33,480 it. He prays to it and says deliver 364 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:41,240 me for you are my God. Idols are nothing like our God. 365 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:47,200 Idols are created by man while God is the uncreated one, the 366 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:50,560 first and the last who himself created man. 367 00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:56,880 Idols are physical things, meddler wood shaped with the 368 00:25:56,880 --> 00:26:01,800 great effort of man, but God transcends space and time and 369 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:06,440 matter. In verse 15, God mocks idols by 370 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:10,480 giving the scenario of a man who who grows trees for for fuel for 371 00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:13,480 his fire so that he can break his bread and be warm. 372 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:19,320 But when he discovers he has a leftover piece of wood, yeah, he 373 00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:22,000 spontaneously decides to make a God out of it. 374 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:25,360 And he worships the very thing his own hands made. 375 00:26:26,120 --> 00:26:28,800 He even calls out to the idol to deliver him. 376 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:32,800 This sounds absolutely absurd, doesn't it? 377 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:36,320 And it is absurd when you deconstruct it like this. 378 00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:42,000 Deconstructing something or someone that appears to have 379 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:46,920 transcendent power is a powerful technique and exposing it for 380 00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:51,560 what it truly is. So take for instance, items that 381 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:53,280 people think give them good luck. 382 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:56,360 Now, as Christians, we don't believe in good luck. 383 00:26:56,360 --> 00:26:58,600 We don't believe in luck. We believe in God's Providence. 384 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:04,000 And so those, those filthy socks that you aren't washing because 385 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:07,560 your team's been on a winning streak ever since, ever since 386 00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:10,760 you wore them, they aren't lucky at all. 387 00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:15,200 They're just dirty socks. They're made by someone overseas 388 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:16,960 and they're heading to a landfill soon. 389 00:27:18,120 --> 00:27:23,360 They are powerless. OK, well, what about some modern 390 00:27:23,360 --> 00:27:26,880 idols that are that that people more commonly worship today? 391 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:30,560 Things are a little more subtle. Let's take social media 392 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:33,560 influencers, even Christian ones in some ways. 393 00:27:34,360 --> 00:27:38,000 They they make thousands, if not millions of dollars promoting 394 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,800 the kind of lifestyle that you wish you had. 395 00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:45,280 So let's get, let's deconstruct these idols, expose them for 396 00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:48,360 what they really are. And these influencers, so many 397 00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:52,920 of them, they have, they have a meticulously staged life and 398 00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:58,720 they often have a staff to help them with every photo, every 399 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:01,480 video. Their pictures are photoshopped. 400 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:03,960 Their videos are filmed with professional lighting and 401 00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:07,400 editing techniques. There is so much life. 402 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:09,840 They're not living with their friends and family because 403 00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:13,000 they're putting so much time into being an influencer. 404 00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:16,840 They only show you what they want you to see. 405 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:20,280 But behind, behind the scenes, they're just normal humans. 406 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:23,600 They send, they get hungry, they thirst, they cry. 407 00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:26,240 They're the people who long for something more than what they're 408 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:32,160 getting in this life. The same goes for the 409 00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:34,640 celebrities that people idol idolize today. 410 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:38,120 What? What do those famous musicians 411 00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:41,680 and actors look like if they don't have makeup on like Dolly 412 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:43,720 Parton? What does she look like? 413 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:48,840 What they what would they look like if they if they if they 414 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:51,520 weren't wearing their their designer clothes with their 415 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:55,320 professional lighting and Photoshop and video editing? 416 00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:59,560 Who are they without their professional production and 417 00:28:59,560 --> 00:29:02,960 marketing team propping them up to appear to be more than what 418 00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:07,720 they really are? They're just humans, nothing 419 00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:12,240 more. Athletes we we admire for for so 420 00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:14,080 long. Many of them, you know, turn out 421 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:17,080 to be womanizers or abusers or addicts. 422 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:21,440 Celebrities who seem to have it all have many broken 423 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:24,880 relationships, high divorce rates, and terrible egos. 424 00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:30,400 Do not idolize people. See them for what they really 425 00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:36,120 are by nature, merely human and centers like the rest of us. 426 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:41,680 They have not transcended the universal human experience of 427 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:46,160 suffering or reach plateaus of joy and satisfaction that cannot 428 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:48,920 be reached with a simple godly life. 429 00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:55,080 What about the idol of sexual immorality? 430 00:29:56,680 --> 00:29:58,400 It is a vice. If that's a vice that you 431 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:01,440 struggle with, then deconstruct that idol. 432 00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:08,000 Think about what it really is by nature, not what you are being 433 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:13,720 sold in an image. Behind the pixels are abused 434 00:30:13,720 --> 00:30:17,560 women, modern day slavery, daughters who hate their fathers 435 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:20,120 for not loving them. Well, if you break down what's 436 00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:23,880 really going on, you'll find drug addiction, suicide, St. 437 00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:28,000 DS, abortions, eating disorders, adultery, divorces, and death. 438 00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:34,520 They offer a transcendent experience of pleasure, but it 439 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:39,680 is a lie from Satan himself. Behind the mask is a world of 440 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:43,920 pain and suffering and evil. Deconstruct the idol of 441 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:46,760 immorality. Remind yourself of the evil that 442 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:51,840 it truly is, that to participate in it is to participate in the 443 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:56,480 abuse of women and other people. Deny yourself. 444 00:30:56,960 --> 00:31:01,880 Take up your cross and pursue the true and lasting pleasure of 445 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:03,920 seeing the beautiful face of God. 446 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:07,720 As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. 447 00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:14,000 The pure in heart shall see God pursue that. 448 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:21,040 Idols are empty and powerless. They are a Ponzi scheme that 449 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:24,960 offer no real security. Deconstruct your idols. 450 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:28,560 Don't ruin your whole life chasing after the life that you 451 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:30,680 that that that you think that they're going to give to you. 452 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:36,000 They are a vanity of vanities, as the author of Ecclesiastes 453 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:44,080 would testify. So what does idol worship do to 454 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:47,320 us? Idols may be empty and 455 00:31:47,320 --> 00:31:51,760 powerless, but worship is very powerful. 456 00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:57,720 So idol worship can and does make a huge impact on us. 457 00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:01,560 Let's read about this in verses 18 through 20. 458 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:09,040 They know not, nor do they discern, for He has shut their 459 00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:12,720 eyes so that they cannot see, and their hearts so they cannot 460 00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:16,320 understand. No one considers, nor is their 461 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:20,320 knowledge or discernment to say Half of it I burned in the fire. 462 00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:22,640 I also baked bread on it, on its coals. 463 00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:26,920 I roasted meat, and I've eaten. And shall I make the rest of it 464 00:32:26,920 --> 00:32:30,120 an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block 465 00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:33,720 of wood? He feeds on ashes. 466 00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:37,680 A deluded heart has led him astray and he cannot deliver 467 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:41,040 himself or say, is there not a lie in my right hand? 468 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:46,800 This is what idol worship does to our hearts and minds. 469 00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:50,960 We become blinded. We don't think straight. 470 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:55,280 We let ourselves get sucked into the mystery or beauty of 471 00:32:55,280 --> 00:32:57,840 something or someone. We we admire them. 472 00:32:57,840 --> 00:33:01,560 We're so in awe of how much greater they are than us, and we 473 00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:06,280 start to imitate them. Psalm 115, verse 8 says of idols 474 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:11,080 and idol worshippers that that those who make them become like 475 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:14,200 them. So do all who trust in them. 476 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:17,840 Those who make them become like them. 477 00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:21,600 Idols are thoughtless and senseless. 478 00:33:22,040 --> 00:33:24,640 They cannot see and they cannot hurt here. 479 00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:27,480 And so when we worship idols, we become like them. 480 00:33:27,480 --> 00:33:30,600 We lose our spiritual sight, we lose our minds, we lose our 481 00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:33,160 reasoning. We become deaf to hear what is 482 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:37,320 right and true. We're like the man in verse 20 483 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:42,120 whose heart is so deluded that he becomes enslaved to the very 484 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:44,520 idol that he asked to deliver him. 485 00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:53,360 Idol worship is enslavement, but the worship of the one true God 486 00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:59,120 is freedom. So what are your idols and what 487 00:33:59,120 --> 00:34:04,400 are they doing to you? The perfect antidote is to 488 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:10,560 pursue the worship of God and to find your security in Him and 489 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:20,080 Him alone. In the last three verses of this 490 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:25,000 section, God takes the focus off of idols and back on to his 491 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:27,920 people, Israel and how they should respond. 492 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:32,000 In the next 3 verses he gives 3 commands, one command for each 493 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:36,440 verse that that instructs them and us and how we are to rightly 494 00:34:36,440 --> 00:34:42,520 respond to our rock. So first we are to remember. 495 00:34:43,360 --> 00:34:48,040 We are to remember verse 21. Remember these things O Jacob 496 00:34:48,199 --> 00:34:50,400 and Israel, for you are my servant. 497 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:56,159 I formed you, you are my servant, O Israel, you will not 498 00:34:56,159 --> 00:35:04,320 be forgotten by me. So notice the chiastic poetry in 499 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:06,800 this verse. The the 2 middle lines have the 500 00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:11,280 same phrase, You are my servant, and the first and last lines 501 00:35:11,760 --> 00:35:14,360 both have two words that are opposite of each other. 502 00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:20,200 Remember and forgotten. Israel is to remember all these 503 00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:25,000 things in this prophecy, who God is, who God is for them as their 504 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:28,120 rock and Redeemer and king, and who they are. 505 00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:32,080 They are the chosen and beloved servants of God. 506 00:35:33,240 --> 00:35:37,000 We find our identity not so much by asking who we are, but by 507 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:41,920 asking whose we are. You belong to whoever or 508 00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:46,440 whatever you worship. Your heart is able to rest 509 00:35:46,440 --> 00:35:50,040 secure when you learn and then remember daily that you belong 510 00:35:50,040 --> 00:35:54,640 to God as His chosen servant, His beloved bride, His adopted 511 00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:57,640 child. There is no greater security 512 00:35:57,640 --> 00:36:00,920 than to know that that God holds you in His hand as His treasured 513 00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:03,040 possession, as the apple of His eye. 514 00:36:04,360 --> 00:36:09,120 We may forget who God is, but as the last line of verse 21 says, 515 00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:19,000 God will never forget us, His beloved, and God is disciplining 516 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:21,560 us or having us go through dark trial. 517 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:23,960 It may feel like God's forgotten us. 518 00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:30,400 But a few chapters later in Isaiah 49, this is what God says 519 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:32,480 to you who feel that God has forgotten you. 520 00:36:34,600 --> 00:36:37,880 But Zion said the Lord has forsaken me. 521 00:36:38,040 --> 00:36:43,640 My Lord has forgotten me. Can a woman forget her nursing 522 00:36:43,640 --> 00:36:46,800 child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her 523 00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:49,160 womb? Even these may forget. 524 00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:53,880 Yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on 525 00:36:53,880 --> 00:37:01,040 the palms of my hands. As surely as a mother would 526 00:37:01,040 --> 00:37:05,240 never forget her nursing child, so also God will never forget 527 00:37:05,240 --> 00:37:08,000 you. Even in the midst of your dark 528 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:11,720 trial. He sees you, and He's with you, 529 00:37:11,720 --> 00:37:17,040 although you cannot see him. As I said earlier, the Christian 530 00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:19,800 life is more about remembering the old things than about 531 00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:23,280 learning new things. And so remember, dear Christian, 532 00:37:23,720 --> 00:37:28,200 the promise of God written right here before your very eyes. 533 00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:37,560 God will never forget you. Next we're to respond to God, 534 00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:41,320 our rock, by returning to Him. Verse 22. 535 00:37:42,680 --> 00:37:46,160 I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud, and 536 00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:51,160 your sins like mist. Return to me, for I have 537 00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:57,280 redeemed you. Have you wandered from following 538 00:37:57,360 --> 00:38:00,040 the Lord Jesus? Have you been living your own 539 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:02,000 way? Have you squandered all that God 540 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:04,680 has given you on your own desires and passions? 541 00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:11,520 Then it's time to remember who God is, whose you are, and it's 542 00:38:11,520 --> 00:38:15,080 time to return to the Lord in repentance. 543 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:17,800 The last phrase here is so amazing. 544 00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:21,800 God calls us to return to Him, and then he gives this reason 545 00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:27,000 for I have redeemed you. I have redeemed you. 546 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:29,560 That's in the past tense, isn't it? 547 00:38:29,560 --> 00:38:34,440 Even though this prophecy is 700 years before Christ, the 548 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:38,560 redeeming work of Christ on the cross was considered a done 549 00:38:38,560 --> 00:38:41,280 deal. I have redeemed you. 550 00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:44,280 I have blotted out your transgressions. 551 00:38:45,600 --> 00:38:50,080 God's plan of of redeeming His people through the cross was as 552 00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:53,560 good as accomplished because He promised to do it. 553 00:38:54,920 --> 00:38:57,680 Return to the Lord. Repent from your sins. 554 00:38:57,680 --> 00:39:01,360 Cast off the guilt of your sins upon the crucified Christ. 555 00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:12,880 Rest secure in his forgiveness. 3rd And finally, we're to 556 00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:17,840 respond to God by our rock by rejoicing in all that God has 557 00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:23,120 done for us. Verse 23 Sing O heavens, for the 558 00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:26,400 Lord has done it. Shout, O depths of the earth, 559 00:39:26,520 --> 00:39:30,360 break forth into singing you mountains, O forest, and every 560 00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:34,040 tree in it. For the Lord has redeemed Jacob 561 00:39:34,240 --> 00:39:41,120 and will be glorified in Israel. How can we keep from singing the 562 00:39:41,120 --> 00:39:44,400 praises of God after we've heard all of these amazing truths? 563 00:39:45,240 --> 00:39:49,680 God has ultimately redeemed us for His own glory, to display 564 00:39:49,680 --> 00:39:55,400 His matchless worth, to make Him known, to honor Him, to love 565 00:39:55,400 --> 00:39:58,720 Him, to praise His name around the whole world. 566 00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:04,640 To worship God is to live out the very purpose for why you 567 00:40:04,640 --> 00:40:08,840 exist. There's no greater security for 568 00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:13,240 your soul than to find that ultimate purpose and to live it 569 00:40:13,240 --> 00:40:17,520 out. So let us praise our triune God 570 00:40:17,920 --> 00:40:23,600 today, tomorrow, and every day, as long as we live forever and 571 00:40:23,600 --> 00:40:25,600 ever in the everlasting Kingdom of heaven. 572 00:40:27,120 --> 00:40:31,560 Let us pray now and then let us rejoice in the Lord at the 573 00:40:31,560 --> 00:40:33,040 Lord's table. Let's pray. 574 00:40:37,120 --> 00:40:40,280 Oh Lord God, we praise you for what you have done, for who you 575 00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:43,040 are. You are the King above all. 576 00:40:43,040 --> 00:40:48,360 You are matchless, and you have set your love on us. 577 00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:54,320 You chose us, we who were sinful people not, not worthy to be 578 00:40:54,320 --> 00:40:57,120 called your people, Your treasured possession. 579 00:40:58,040 --> 00:41:01,560 We thank you for redeeming us through the cross of Christ. 580 00:41:03,200 --> 00:41:06,840 Lord, I pray that you would continue to pour out your spirit 581 00:41:06,840 --> 00:41:12,080 upon us, that if there is yet any dry ground here, Lord, we 582 00:41:12,080 --> 00:41:14,840 pray that you would pour out your spirit upon that dry ground 583 00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:20,680 and bring about that new life, that faith in you, Lord Jesus. 584 00:41:23,120 --> 00:41:25,240 Thank you, Lord, that you are our rock. 585 00:41:25,840 --> 00:41:28,640 There is no one like you. Amen.