Glimpses of Glory God's Victory
Series: Isaiah
Speaker: John Lau
Date: 11th June 2023
Passage: Isaiah 43:8-13
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 We have spent two months in the book of Isaiah
00:00:03 --> 00:00:06 and covered about two-thirds of the chapters.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:11 Have you caught a glimpse of God's glory and grace yet?
00:00:12 --> 00:00:16 We have passed through the junction of chapter 39
00:00:16 --> 00:00:20 where Isaiah addresses God's people
00:00:20 --> 00:00:24 as they face the imminent threat of the Assyrian emperor,
00:00:25 --> 00:00:25 Aidan.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:27 Thank you.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:33 And we passed this junction to where now Isaiah addresses God's people
00:00:33 --> 00:00:37 as refugees in exile from chapter 40 onward.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:42 We have seen glimpses of God's glory and grace
00:00:42 --> 00:00:50 through God's holiness, present kingship, rules, judgment, rest, delivery, and arrival.
00:00:51 --> 00:00:55 Please visit our webpage or our YouTube channel
00:00:55 --> 00:00:59 to revisit those sermons until you see them,
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 until you see the glory of God,
00:01:02 --> 00:01:03 the God's glory and grace,
00:01:04 --> 00:01:08 especially if you recently joined us or watching us online.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:14 As Tim Chester very helpfully summarized for us in this book,
00:01:15 --> 00:01:19 we need to study Isaiah at least for the following seven reasons.
00:01:20 --> 00:01:22 It enlarges our view of God,
00:01:23 --> 00:01:24 enriches our love for Christ,
00:01:25 --> 00:01:27 sharpen our understanding of salvation,
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 illuminates our Bible reading,
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 comforts our fear and sorrows,
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 excites our vision for the church,
00:01:34 --> 00:01:36 and fuels our commitment to mission.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:41 These are what you can and should look for as you read Isaiah.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 More than any other book in the Old Testament,
00:01:45 --> 00:01:49 Isaiah forms a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:55 And only hearing a 20 to 30 minute sermon each Sunday
00:01:55 --> 00:02:00 will not be enough for you to see that and to appreciate this link.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:05 So please pick up your Bible during the week and read Isaiah for yourself.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 You can buy this book by Tim Chester called Isaiah for You,
00:02:09 --> 00:02:15 or you can also use this study guide with guided questions for your reflection as you read.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:20 We can email this to you if you give us your detail
00:02:20 --> 00:02:24 using the link in our description in the live stream,
00:02:24 --> 00:02:28 or just fill in the form in the iPad outside on our Connect desk.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:35 Today, I hope to show you God's glory and grace in his victory
00:02:35 --> 00:02:39 as we look into chapter 43 in more detail.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:44 So please turn your Bible to chapter 43 or open our St. Paul's app.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:52 You'll find in chapter 43 themes that contain throughout chapter 40 to 48.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 The chapter can be divided into two sessions.
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 Both sessions start up with the new Exodus.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 The former session followed by God in child,
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 and the later session, human in child.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 And that will be the structure of today.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:18 The Exodus language appears in verse 1 to 7 and 14 to 21,
00:03:19 --> 00:03:20 starting both sessions saying,
00:03:21 --> 00:03:22 this is what the Lord says,
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 and finishing with God mentioning the people he formed.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:33 They both refer to God as our Creator, Redeemer, and the Holy One.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:39 God led his people out of Egypt through the water and river into the promised land.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:44 He wiped out their enemy and provided food and water for them.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:51 He will do it again about 70 years after their exile to Babylon.
00:03:53 --> 00:04:00 It's around 200 years from when God's people initially heed these promises of delivery.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:08 God redeemed his people from slavery in Egypt to form a new nation.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:15 The same promise and operation will take place in the future.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 God will gather his people back to him through a new Exodus.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:24 God sent his people into exile as judgment against their sin,
00:04:25 --> 00:04:26 for they will not follow his way.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:28 They do not obey his law.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:34 But the gathering is not just referring to the return of God from Babylon.
00:04:35 --> 00:04:39 God will gather his people from the east and west,
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 north and south, from the end of the earth.
00:04:43 --> 00:04:47 The promise of a new Exodus, the delivery from God's judgment,
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 is not just for God's people in Isaiah's time.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:56 God will show his mercy and grace and keep redeeming for his glory.
00:04:56 --> 00:04:59 And most remarkably, he says,
00:04:59 --> 00:05:04 I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 Since you are precious and honor in my sight,
00:05:09 --> 00:05:13 and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you,
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 nations in exchange for your life.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:27 God loves the people he created for his glory,
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 whom he formed and made.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:34 He will continue to give people a nation in exchange for them.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:40 God accomplished the new Exodus by doing an exchange,
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 substituting one for the other.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:46 In the book of John in the New Testament,
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 it tells us that the person that God gave up in exchange for us
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 and to give us new life is Jesus.
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 John 3.16 says,
00:05:56 --> 00:06:00 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
00:06:00 --> 00:06:04 that whomever believed in him shall not perish,
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 but have eternal life.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:11 Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of God's promise
00:06:11 --> 00:06:17 of a more significant, better Exodus from slavery and death.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:22 God promised in Isaiah 43.19 that,
00:06:23 --> 00:06:27 I am making a way in the wilderness and a stream in the wasteland.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:34 Jesus, in John 14, referred to himself as the way, the truth, and the life.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:39 In both John 4.7,
00:06:39 --> 00:06:42 Jesus referred to himself as the living water
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 that will cringe all human thirst.
00:06:44 --> 00:06:50 The writers of the New Testament see Jesus as a redeemer
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 who set us free to lead us back to God.
00:06:53 --> 00:06:56 Last Sunday, when we looked into Isaiah 40,
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 we highlighted how Mark's gospel
00:06:59 --> 00:07:02 began to announce the end of exile
00:07:02 --> 00:07:06 and how Jesus was referred to as the Passover lamb.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:12 Based on Isaiah's proclamation of God's promise,
00:07:12 --> 00:07:17 writer in the New Testament could interpret what Jesus accomplished
00:07:17 --> 00:07:21 as the ultimate Exodus of liberation from sin and death.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 Throughout the New Testament,
00:07:24 --> 00:07:28 the work of Jesus is described using New Exodus language.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 At the Transfiguration in Luke chapter 9,
00:07:33 --> 00:07:38 Jesus, Moses, and Elijah spoke about Jesus' departure,
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 which in Greek means Exodus.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:47 Luke's account of the Last Supper in chapter 22
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 referenced the Passover lamb,
00:07:49 --> 00:07:53 Passover because Jesus is a true Passover lamb
00:07:53 --> 00:07:57 whose blood redeemed us from sin and protect us from death.
00:07:58 --> 00:08:01 Paul and Peter also wrote their letters
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 with the Exodus model in mind.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:07 God's people were given a promise of hope
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 that their exiles of judgment will come to an end.
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 This promise is also offered to us
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 with the same intimacy
00:08:15 --> 00:08:19 as spoken in verse 2 to 5 in Isaiah 43.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:40 Maybe you feel like you're sinking
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 or being overwhelmed by life
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 or you're feeling the heat
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 of all the troubles that are happening.
00:08:46 --> 00:08:51 If the thought of God coming to you
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 scares you more than bringing you joy,
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 maybe there is something in your past
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 that caused you to worry about
00:08:59 --> 00:09:00 whether God still loves you.
00:09:01 --> 00:09:05 God is telling you to forget the formal things.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:07 Do not dwell in the past.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:09 See, I am doing a new thing.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 Now it's springing up.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 Do you not perceive it.
00:09:13 --> 00:09:18 The past is helpful for certain things,
00:09:18 --> 00:09:19 which I will talk about later.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 But God has repeatedly reminded his people
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 to forget the formal things
00:09:25 --> 00:09:26 and not to dwell on the past
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 because many of God's people
00:09:28 --> 00:09:32 often have eyes but are blind,
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 have ears but are deaf,
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 as stated in verse 8.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:41 Human do not perceive the work of God
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 in their life and the world
00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 because humans have a very small
00:09:46 --> 00:09:47 and limited view of God.
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 We do not see God as who he is.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 So God is taking a nation to court.
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 We do not see...
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 He put himself on trial,
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 bringing accusation against the other gods
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 and ideology of the world,
00:10:07 --> 00:10:10 ultimately challenging our perception of him.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 All the nations gather together
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 in the people's assembly,
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 which of their gods foretold this
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 and proclaim to us the former things.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 Let them bring in their weakness
00:10:23 --> 00:10:24 to prove they are right
00:10:24 --> 00:10:27 so that others may hear and say it is true.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 God lays out the evidence of his credentials
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 in verse 10 to 13,
00:10:34 --> 00:10:35 and this is what he says.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 I am the creator.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 Before me, no God was formed,
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 nor will there be one after me.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:46 All other gods or ideologies are man-made.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:51 God goes into details in chapter 40 to 46
00:10:51 --> 00:10:55 as to the foolishness and delusion
00:10:55 --> 00:10:59 of those who create idols of God's creation.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:02 He goes on to say,
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 I am the savior.
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 Apart from me, there's no savior.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 God alone can save.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 I am not some foreign god among you.
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 Even though God's people
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 often mistake others to be their savior,
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 but in reality,
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 it was God who has saved them.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 God is a revealer.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 I have revealed and proclaimed.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 God has spoken through his prophets,
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 his son, and in his word.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 Only God can talk about the future.
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 Which of their gods foretold this
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 and proclaim to us the former things?
00:11:40 --> 00:11:43 God alone is a true God
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 because he can predict the future,
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 and he can predict the future
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 because he determines the future.
00:11:49 --> 00:11:54 God is a sovereign king.
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 No one can deliver me,
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 deliver out of my hand
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 when I ask who can reserve it.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:05 No God can undo the work of God
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 throughout the history of mankind.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:11 God alone is the creator,
00:12:12 --> 00:12:12 savior,
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 revealer,
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 and king.
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 No one else can create,
00:12:18 --> 00:12:18 recreate,
00:12:19 --> 00:12:20 save,
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 reveal,
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 and reign.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:26 God is unique,
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 and there's no other like him.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 He's mighty to save
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 and worthy of all
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 of our following and praise.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 Is that how you see God?
00:12:35 --> 00:12:38 What kind of God
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 are you presenting to the world?
00:12:41 --> 00:12:44 When people look at your life,
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 is God just like
00:12:45 --> 00:12:47 any other idol
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 people use to fill in their life?
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 Like some vending machine
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 that you put in your good deeds
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 in exchange for comfort and peace.
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 These are essential questions
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 because God has chosen us
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 to be his servant and witness.
00:13:06 --> 00:13:09 God's people are living proof
00:13:09 --> 00:13:12 that God and God alone can save.
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 You are my witness
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 and my servant
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 whom I have chosen
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 so that you might know
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 and believe me
00:13:19 --> 00:13:21 and understand that I am he.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 You are my witness
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 that I am God,
00:13:24 --> 00:13:24 yes,
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 and from ancient days
00:13:27 --> 00:13:27 I am he.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 What you tell
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 or show people
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 about your experience of God
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 in your daily life,
00:13:36 --> 00:13:38 in your testimony you give,
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 in how you treat your colleagues,
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 classmates,
00:13:42 --> 00:13:42 neighbors,
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 and friends
00:13:43 --> 00:13:45 are all the reviews
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 that you provide
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 for God before humanity.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 Testifying to God
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 before humanity
00:13:51 --> 00:13:53 is a role of Christian
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 and God's church.
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 No matter how long
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 you have been a Christian,
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 whether on a staff team
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 or as a leader,
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 Christians are chosen
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 to be God's witness
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 without exception.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:07 God has done
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 what no other God can do
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 and what he has done
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 no other God can undo.
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 If God has trusted you
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 to witness for him,
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 why spend so much time thinking,
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 am I good enough
00:14:21 --> 00:14:21 to do the job?
00:14:21 --> 00:14:25 God has chosen you
00:14:25 --> 00:14:25 and knows
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 what he can do
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 with you.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 It's a worry
00:14:30 --> 00:14:30 about whether
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 you will do a good job,
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 more of a concern
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 about saving your faith
00:14:35 --> 00:14:37 and looking competent
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 before people
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 than helping others
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 to catch glimpses
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 of God's glory
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 and grace.
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 If the creator,
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 savior,
00:14:47 --> 00:14:47 revealer,
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 and king
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 has faith in you
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 as his witness,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 your most appropriate
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 response
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 will only be
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 putting your faith
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 in him
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 and asking him
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 to help you
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 to get the job done.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 So many of us
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 treat God
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 and the role
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 he gives us
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 like the people
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 in Isaiah's time,
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 allowing other things
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 to weary us
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 and see everything
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 as a burden
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 but not bother
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 to ask God
00:15:18 --> 00:15:18 for help.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:20 Yet,
00:15:21 --> 00:15:21 you have not
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 called on me,
00:15:23 --> 00:15:23 Jacob.
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 You have not
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 weary yourself
00:15:25 --> 00:15:25 for me,
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 Israel.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 God's demand
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 are not burdensome.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 He knows
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 what we can handle
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 at different stages
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 of our life.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:35 God says
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 in verse 23,
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 I have not burdened you
00:15:38 --> 00:15:38 with grain offering,
00:15:38 --> 00:15:40 nor weary you
00:15:40 --> 00:15:40 with demands
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 for incense.
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 But God states
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 in verse 24
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 that the main issue
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 is not on his side
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 but what humanity
00:15:50 --> 00:15:50 is doing
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 with our life.
00:15:53 --> 00:15:53 You have burdened me
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 with your sins
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 and weary me
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 with your offenses.
00:15:58 --> 00:16:00 It's not God's demand
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 that are burdensome
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 but our action,
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 our way of life,
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 and our attitude
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 regarding sins
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 and towards God
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 that need to be examined.
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 So,
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 after putting himself
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 on trial,
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 God now
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 put humanity
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 on trial
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 to address
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 the accusation
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 against him
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 and put the record
00:16:23 --> 00:16:23 straight.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 Refill the past
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 for me.
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 Let's argue
00:16:28 --> 00:16:28 the matters together.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 Stay the case
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 for your innocence.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 As I say,
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 the past is helpful
00:16:34 --> 00:16:37 to a certain point.
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 It's helpful
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 as a reference point
00:16:39 --> 00:16:39 for us
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 to see what God
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 has done
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 and reveal
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 how we have
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 treated God.
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 And when humans do,
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 what does humanity
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 have to show
00:16:50 --> 00:16:50 for their innocence?
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 Very little.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:57 There's no case
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 for human,
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 humanity
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 is in innocence.
00:17:01 --> 00:17:01 Your first father
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 sinned,
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 those I sent
00:17:03 --> 00:17:03 to teach you
00:17:03 --> 00:17:05 rebels against me.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:06 Since Adam
00:17:06 --> 00:17:08 rebels against God,
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 the world
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 is broken
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 by sin
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 and everything
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 is falling apart.
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 Looking through history,
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 no one could support
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 the case of innocence,
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 not even Abraham,
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 whom God
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 credited as righteous.
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 And the final
00:17:24 --> 00:17:24 verdict
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 on humanity
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 is destruction
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 as mentioned
00:17:27 --> 00:17:29 in verse 28.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:30 Destruction
00:17:30 --> 00:17:32 is what humanity
00:17:32 --> 00:17:32 deserves,
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 but that's not
00:17:34 --> 00:17:34 the end
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 of God's trial
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 of humankind.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:38 There's a crucial
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 first
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 before God
00:17:40 --> 00:17:40 calls us
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 to reveal the past
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 that we need
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 to look at.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 God says
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 in verse 25,
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 I,
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 even I,
00:17:48 --> 00:17:48 am the one
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 who brought out
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 your transgression
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 for my own sake.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 And remember
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 your sin
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 no more.
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 As I have
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 explained earlier,
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 before God
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 examines our case
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 of inevitable defeat,
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 even before
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 any evidence
00:18:03 --> 00:18:03 is presented,
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 and with such
00:18:05 --> 00:18:05 an undeniable
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 verdict,
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 God already
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 has a substitution
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 to take our place.
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 Jesus steps
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 into humanity
00:18:13 --> 00:18:15 and takes our place
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 in the judgment.
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 There will be
00:18:18 --> 00:18:18 a final day
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 of judgment,
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 but for God's
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 people,
00:18:21 --> 00:18:21 the trial
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 is over.
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 It's done
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 and dusted
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 with the death
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 and resurrection
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 of Jesus,
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 with the judgment
00:18:28 --> 00:18:30 falling on Jesus
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 and him
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 taking our place.
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 God
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 blocked out
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 our transgression
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 and remembers
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 our sin
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 no more.
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 In Romans
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 4,
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 25,
00:18:40 --> 00:18:40 it says,
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 he was delivered
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 over to death
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 for our sins
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 and was straight
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 to life
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 for our
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 justification.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 The not guilty
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 verdict
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 has already
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 been delivered.
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 The examination
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 is over
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 and we have
00:18:56 --> 00:18:56 passed
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 with full marks
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 because
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 we got the
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 grade that
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 Jesus deserved.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 In verse 25
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 tell us that
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 God blocks out
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 our transgression
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 for his own sake.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 God sent Jesus
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 for our sake
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 to meet our need
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 for a redeemer.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 But he also sent
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 Jesus for his own sake
00:19:17 --> 00:19:19 that is to reveal
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 his glory
00:19:20 --> 00:19:20 and grace.
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 God promised
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 not to remember
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 your sins
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 no more
00:19:25 --> 00:19:27 and that's all
00:19:27 --> 00:19:27 the more reason
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 why we should forget
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 the former things
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 and do not dwell
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 on the past.
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 So don't be
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 better
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 at remembering
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 your sin
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 than God is.
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 Jesus
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 gave
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 the best
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 witness
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 of God's
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 glory
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 and grace
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 of how much
00:19:45 --> 00:19:45 God loves you
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 and me.
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 God says
00:19:48 --> 00:19:48 in verse 10
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 you are my
00:19:49 --> 00:19:49 witness
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 and my servant
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 whom I have
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 chosen
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 so that you
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 may know
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 and believe
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 me
00:19:54 --> 00:19:54 and understand
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 that I am
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 he.
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 The more
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 you witness
00:19:59 --> 00:19:59 and serve
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 God
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 in your life
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 and by your
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 proclamation
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 the more
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 you will
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 know
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 and believe
00:20:07 --> 00:20:07 and understand
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 that God
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 is true
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 and it's
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 your heavenly
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 father
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 who treasure
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 and loves
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 you.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 After the
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 pastor and
00:20:17 --> 00:20:17 theologian
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 Tim Keller
00:20:18 --> 00:20:20 passed away
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 a few years
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 ago
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 many people
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 wrote tribute
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 about his
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24 impact on
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24 them.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 Trish
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 Warren
00:20:26 --> 00:20:28 a New York
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 Time
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 columnist
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 said Tim
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 Keller
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 showed her
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 what a
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 Christian
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 leader
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 should be.
00:20:33 --> 00:20:35 witness
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 Tim
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 Keller
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 in a
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 public
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 debate
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 with a
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 secular
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 humanist
00:20:39 --> 00:20:41 in her
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 early
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 twenties.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 At one
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 moment
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 Keller's
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 opponent
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 struggled
00:20:46 --> 00:20:46 with the
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 point he
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 was making
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 and was
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 fair and
00:20:49 --> 00:20:49 clear.
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 Keller
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 did not
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 go in
00:20:52 --> 00:20:52 for the
00:20:52 --> 00:20:52 cue
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 making
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 his
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 opponent
00:20:54 --> 00:20:54 look
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 foolish
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 instead
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 he paused
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 and asked
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 is this
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 what you
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 mean?
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 Restating
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 and strengthening
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 the argument
00:21:01 --> 00:21:03 more precisely
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 before his
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 countering.
00:21:06 --> 00:21:06 She says
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 this in
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 her tribute
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 this generosity
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 and understanding
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 towards those
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 with whom
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 we disagree
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 helped shape
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 the way
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 I now see
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 the world.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 It had more
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 of an impact
00:21:18 --> 00:21:18 on me
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 as a
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 Christian
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 than any
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 argument
00:21:21 --> 00:21:21 could.
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 Keller
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 refused
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 to easily
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 refuse
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 the easy
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 route of
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 debate
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 insisting
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 on finding
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 the best
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 argument
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 of others
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 even
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 it means
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 strengthening
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 his
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 opponent's
00:21:33 --> 00:21:33 case.
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 He was
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 in pursuit
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 for truth
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 and kindness
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 not
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 point
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 scoring.
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 That night
00:21:40 --> 00:21:42 I saw
00:21:42 --> 00:21:42 what Christian
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 leaders
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 should be
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 like.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 With his
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 life
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 Tim Keller
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 testified to
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 God's
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 victory
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 through
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 Christ
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 to the
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 world.
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 We are
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 not
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 Tim
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 Keller
00:21:53 --> 00:21:55 and many
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 of us
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 rarely
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 engage
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 in public
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 debate.
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 However
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 we
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 interact
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 with
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 many
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 people
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 daily
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 having
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 different
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 conversations
00:22:05 --> 00:22:05 and
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 discussions
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 with
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 others
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 and
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 most
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 of
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 time
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 with
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 ourselves.
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 At
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 all those
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 moments
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15 take
00:22:15 --> 00:22:15 comfort
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 and hope
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 in God's
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 glory and
00:22:18 --> 00:22:18 grace
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 to treat
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 the past
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 and God
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 in the
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 proper
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 perspective.
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 Remember
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 the victory
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 God has
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 accomplished
00:22:28 --> 00:22:28 through
00:22:28 --> 00:22:28 Jesus'
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 exodus
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 for us
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 all.
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 And be
00:22:32 --> 00:22:32 God's
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 witness
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 that we
00:22:34 --> 00:22:34 belong
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 to God's
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 family
00:22:35 --> 00:22:37 in God's
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 present
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 and God's
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 future.
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 May God
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 bless you
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 and keep
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 you.
00:22:42 --> 00:23:12 Thank you.