Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, Pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem.
God is the greatest and most important reality. It's only in submitting ourselves to His authority that we'll find our own freedom. And we can find our story, our own purpose clearly brought to life in light of His character and plan. Isaiah 43 gives us another look at our great Creator-Redeemer as we continue our series through Isaiah titled, Behold Your God. This is part four of a message that was first preached on April 21, 2013 at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem.
To hear the entire message or more messages from this series, check out www.delightingrace.com. He goes to his bag and he pulls out a specific club because he has a specific job to be done. My people whom I have chosen to do a job, to do a job. What is the job? Because God is in the business of reconciling people to Himself. What is our job? What is the job of God's chosen people?
Let me use the example of that C.S. Lewis started off with. He says, God invites us to a holiday at sea. That is a UK of way, UK way of saying a vacation at the beach. Okay. Now that doesn't mean that God invites us away from all hardship and stuff because there are still hurricanes at the beach. Right.
But anyway, that's a hurt. You know, in other words, He is inviting us to satisfaction. He's inviting us to His satisfaction and His pleasure because God is the greatest thing for us. And we who are His give testimony to the fact that God is our source and our satisfaction, our sustenance.
That's our job. He says, but the problem with people is that while God has invited us to a holiday at sea, mankind is willing to settle for the mud puddles. Another illustration that I like to use is God has invited us to His banquet feast, but far too many people are willing to settle eating out of the dumpster in the alley. Our sights are set way too low. The job of God's people is to point to God as our source and our satisfaction that He is the greatest thing for us, that He is the greatest and most important reality.
This is last week's theme. And that in submission to Him, we find our freedom. We find our satisfaction. That's the job of God's people. That is the job of my people whom I have chosen.
That is the purpose. And so God's chosen have God's purpose. God's chosen have God's purpose. God is in the business of reconciling mankind to Himself.
We who are His are in the same business. And so God has put upon us the same purpose that He has. And we are His instruments of choice in that purpose.
Verse 7, I created you for my glory. Do you remember what it means to glorify God? To glorify God, that's a phrase and that's terminology that we speak of all the time.
It's good church language, good church lingo, isn't it? What's the chief end of man? But to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Well, think about that. What does it mean to glorify God? To glorify God means to point to God and look how great and awesome He is, that He is in fact the greatest and most important reality. And that in our submission to Him, we find our satisfaction. That's pointing to God, that's glorifying God.
When one interacts with me and they walk away, will they walk away with a sense of the greatness and goodness of God and that I find my satisfaction in Him? You see, that's my job as one of His. He says, you are my witnesses, my servant. In Isaiah chapter 42, the servant was the Lord Jesus Christ, my elect one. You see, He has the same job and we who are in Christ have that same job. Now, my servant whom he's referring to right here is specifically Israel and their job was to point to Jehovah God of Israel and say, He is the creator redeemer. He is your satisfaction.
Come to Him. That's why he says in verse 21, they shall, my people, they shall declare my praise. That's our job. That is God's purpose. Now, as God has granted, and this is, He is speaking to Judah here. Remember the context of this prophecy, written about 700 B.C. Isaiah is telling them about things that are going to happen in the future. They haven't happened yet.
Specifically what? That Babylon is going to come and they are going to take Judah captive. They will be captive for seven years and then God is going to bring them back and restore them to the land. And it hasn't even happened yet.
It's almost a century before it's even going to happen. In that context, He is telling them these things. You are my people. You are my servants. You are my people whom I have chosen.
I have a job. This is my purpose in the world. This is my purpose in humanity.
Now, understand this. As you are my people who have my purpose as my chosen people, I will also give you my protection to accomplish that purpose. Look what He says in verses 2 and 3. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you, for I am the Lord your God.
At the end of verse 2 there, when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned. You think maybe Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thinking of that promise? When they made that bold assertion to Nebuchadnezzar, we will not bow down before your image, because God can deliver us. You see, God's chosen have God's purpose, and they also have God's protection to accomplish that purpose.
What else do they have? God's chosen have God's purpose and His protection to accomplish it, but they also have God's privilege in accomplishing that purpose. Look at verses 4 to 7. Since you were precious in my sight, you have been honored. And I have loved you, therefore I will give men for you and people for your life.
Fear not, I am with you. Look at verse 7. Everyone who is called by my name whom I have created for my glory.
What is that? That is a position of privilege. God says to His people, you are precious, you are honored, you are loved. And as you are precious and honored and loved by me, you are my instrument of choice to communicate to the world that I am the greatest and most important reality, and people will find their freedom and their satisfaction in their submission to me.
That's our job. And we have God's protection and privilege in accomplishing that job. Not only do we have His protection and privilege for the purpose, but we also have His power. Turn with me over to verse 19, verses 19 to 21. Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth, shall you not know it? The beast of the field will honor me, verse 20, and the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Now it shall spring forth, shall you not know it? The beast of the field will honor me, verse 20, and the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert to give drink to my people, my chosen. This people I have formed for myself. They shall declare my praise. Rich, what are you talking about? God says, I will do a new thing.
Forget about all the wonderful, marvelous things I've done in the past. God says, I'm going to do a new thing unlike anything I've ever done before. And He uses the illustration of water in a dry place. Jesus does the same thing. Look at this in John chapter 7, verses 37 to 39. It was the last great day of the feast, and Jesus stands up, and He cries out to the people, and He says, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. Now He's going to interpret it for us right here. Look. But this He spoke concerning the spirit whom those believing in Him would receive.
Isn't that amazing? This new thing that God does is putting His power within His people to accomplish the purpose that He has for them. That's for you and me. That's what He said in Acts 1 8. You shall receive power after what? The Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth.
And then He says something very similar to here in verse 21. They shall declare My praise. God says to us in 1 Peter 2 9, You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, God's own special people.
For what? That you might declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His light, into His marvelous light. You see, that's our job. As God's chosen ones, we have His purpose. In order to accomplish that purpose, we have His protection, His privilege, and His power. That's why Jesus was called the elect one, because He had that purpose. And under that purpose, He had God's protection and privilege and power. Israel was God's chosen for that purpose. And under that purpose, they had God's power, protection, and privilege. God is in the business of reconciling man, and we are His instruments of choice to do that.
But that's not all there is to the story. Look with me at verse 22. But you have not called upon me, O Jacob, and you have been weary of me, O Israel.
Imagine that. Look at the end of verse 24. But you have burdened me with your sins. You have wearied me with your iniquities.
What's going on here? Mankind is made in the image of God. Man was made with volition. Man is a volitional being, because that is our Imago Dei. We are made in the image of God, and God is a volitional being.
What does that mean? Listen, this is astounding, okay? Because Israel was God's instrument of choice. My people whom I have chosen. He gave them His purpose. He gave them His power, His privilege, and His protection. And He says, now be a light to the Gentiles and show the people that I am the greatest satisfaction for them. But what did Israel do?
What did they do? The beach is too far away. I'm going to settle for the mud puddles. I can't find the banquet table.
I'm going to eat out of the dumpster. And they forsook the greater satisfaction. God's chosen people did that. Thanks for joining us here at Delight in Grace. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good and your deepest satisfaction in Him, the one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on wheat days at 10 a.m.
