sometimes you got to dance through the darkness sing through the fire praise when all make sense sometimes you got to stare down a giant worship from the Lion's stand yeah sometimes you got a shout from the mountain louder in the valley trusting that he's going to get you there sometimes you got to welcome the Wonder wait for the answer worship with your hands in the air I'll praise you anywhere praise give him praise give him praise in the highest praise give him praise give him praise in the highest he is worthy he it worthy of all of the praise sometimes you got to prise in the prison cry out to Heaven shout to the door swing wide sometimes you got to stand on your shackles in the battle worship with your heads H high I'll praise you anywhere praise give him praise give him praise in the highest praise give him praise give him praise in the highest wor worthy of all praise him praise him praise in the highest praise give him praise give him praise in the highest is worthy he is worthy all of Praise yeah he's been faithful we worship you father faithful all my life blessings day and night countless reasons wi I'll praise you anywhere every promise kept goodness every step each and every breath I'll praise you anywhere faithful all my life blessings day and night countless reasons why I'll praise you anywhere every from goodness every step each and every breath I'll praise you any ways pra give him praise give him praise in the highest praise give him praise give him praise in the highest is Worthy is worthy of all of the praise I'll praise you anywhere oh yeah I'll praise you [Music] anywhere well good morning church is somebody excited here to be in the house of God come on yeah this is the Lord's House it's his place and uh we're so blessed to be able to be here to have the freedom to gather all together I mean look at this place what a blessing so God um we just invite you in this space Lord we know that you're already here but we say this so that our hearts would be softened so that the walls would come down lord we invite you here and we invite your presence and we just declare your Worthy your sovereignty and all that you are all that you've been God so we love you and we continue to Worship in this place Jesus name amen [Music] amen rors of the son of man stories of a savior Holiness with human hands treasure for the traitor no we it hurt no I it see the image of the father until Heaven came to live with me rescue like no other you are [Music] worthy you are worthy of your name you are worthy you are worthy of your name [Music] Jesus oh you did not speak you made no sound you died for your [Applause] [Music] accusers but as your blood fell to the ground you redefine my [Applause] future and on the day that you arose Darkness red [Applause] cover the King of Kings is claimed his throne now until forever you are [Applause] worthy yes you are you are worthy of your name you are worthy you are worthy of your name Jesus [Music] you're my author my maker my Ransom My Savior my refuge my Hiding Place you're my helper my healer my Blessed Redeemer my answerer my Saving Grace You're My Hope in the shadow my strength in the battle my anchor for all my days oh you stand by my side and you stood in my place Jesus no other name Jesus no other name you are you are worthy you are worthy of your name you are [Applause] worthy you are Jesus you are worthy of your name you are worthy you are worthy of your name you are worthy yes you are you are worthy of your name Jesus You Are [Music] Holy Alpha and Omega Jesus you are you are worthy you are worthy of your name you are worthy you are worthy of your [Music] [Music] Jesus we worship you oh God oh Lord my God when I in all some Wonder consider all the world I hand and make I see the stars I hear The Rolling thund by power throughout the the universe is play Then s my soul myor God to me how great th how great thou sings my soul my savior God to me great th how great th every when I think that God is send him to die I S can take but all Ro my bur he BL and die to take away my sin then sing my soul my savior God to how great th How Great Thou Are then sings my soul myor God to the how great thou how great th when Christ shall come with shout of acclamation then take me home where Joy shall fill my heart then I shall bow in Humble adoration and their proc my God how great th yeah my soul my God to Hallelujah how great th how great th then sing my soul my savior God to how great th how great my soul my Savor God to me how great th how great th then sings my soul oh myor God to me how great th how great how great how great th oh thank you Lord oh thank you Lord [Music] we break our hearts open like oil overflowing falling at your feet giving everything come make our hearts tender we yield and surrender to the only one you're the only one one we break our hearts open like oil over overflowing falling at your feet giving everything come make our hearts tender we yield and surrender to the only one you're the only one no else no one else deserves worship no else no El deserves Our Praise Jesus you alone are worthy no the glor [Music] oh con this Temple py your people like a Holy Fire sacri Lord teach us repentance to our honor your presence you're the only one you're the only one no one else no one else deserves our worship no one else no one else deserves Our Praise Jesus you alone are worthy no one else deserves the glory tear down the idols we want Revival clean hands with pure hearts we behold you come be the center high priest forever you tore the Veil we could come through tear down the ID we want Revival Clean Hands and pure hearts we behold you come be the center High forever he to the F so we could come no one else no one else Jesus our worship no one else no one else Our Praise Jesus you are Lord of wory no one else deserves the glory tear down the idol we want Revival Clean Hands in pure hearts we behold you come theer high priest forever you tore the veil so we could come through tear down the we want Revival clean heads and pure hearts we behold you come us Cent High prise forever you tore the ve so we could go through no one else no one else deserves our worship no one else no one else deserves Our Praise Jesus you alone are [Music] worthy no else deserves the glory and no one else no one else deserves our worship no what else no one else deserves Our Praise Jesus you alone are [Music] worthy no one else deserves the glory amen Lord yeah you're so good to us you've been so faithful and uh God I ask all across this room that you would remind us of who you are re-educate us of your character that um when our carnal Things fall short that when our desires of the flesh fall short God it's All For Your Glory It ultimately ends with glory to your name and that's what it's all about that's what we sing about no one else deserves the glory but you and we ask you would tear down the idols the things that we chase after in this world money success acknowledgement God you acknowledge us you see us you know us intimately every hair on our head every fiber of our being you knit together so we praise you as creator we praise you as the Lord of our life and so we thank you all across this place Lord let this worship be a sweet sound to your to your ears we love you we pray this all in the name of Jesus amen amen amen you all can have a seat amen what a wonderful time of worship well we're in Isaiah 42 and church I hope that you are fastening your seat belts for Isaiah because when Isaiah says that we will walk We will run we will soar like the eagles he is not joking right uh this is just an incredible time in scripture you know I am filled with faith for all that the Lord will do in each of our lives and in US collectively as a body as we grow in trust in God because that's what this series is all about growing and trust in God all Idols falling and we have many and God Alone reigning Supreme the lord loves this congregation you know that right and he's constantly inviting us into new works that's what going to Japan is all about that's what the team that just came back from Dominican Republic was all about people are ready to go back that's what the cafe and the Playland are also all about a new and bigger way of opening ourselves up to show Hospitality uncommon Hospitality to our city to our community to our friends and soon to be friends who are far from Jesus and as we open the cafe and the playscape in the fall Lord willing there will be new people here and so we need to update all the signage but before we can update the signage we needed to update our logo and so that's what we've done with the help of a wonderful Studio that we worked with now you may ask well why did you need to update the logo well throughout our history there have been different versions of the oako logo there was this one and this one and even this one on the truck which the truck died um and this one now that last one is the current one and it's a great one but we threw it together rather quickly as Canton and West Bloomfield were launching our designer of the time sketched something up quickly and said to them hey use this but all along the Hope was that with more time we'd be able to develop it more and so this is [Music] [Music] it there it is yeahoo okay now on your seats you have two cards so please take the green card put it on your fridge and pray pray for all the things that the Lord is doing the new things that he's doing in our congregation and then take the blue card and invite someone to church invite a friend to church now we also have for you a t-shirt with different variations on the logo okay so you can have this one or this one or this one those are two different people by the by the way um or this one now please take only one the t-shirts are in the atrium they are of great quality and uh if you're able to donate $10 to help us cover the cost great you can pay cash there's a QR code but if you can't that's fine we still want you to have the shirt now this is all great and fun it's great fun but here's the most important thing Church our God is always doing new things in each of you your lives and in us as a body and in the world and so join us join us in this Mission join us in prayer as we continue to know Jesus and make him known let's go to God in prayer Our Father in Heaven you love our church family so much your favor through the years the men and women you've raised up for yourself the preaching of your word the many Ministries you've built and developed these are all evidence of your grace at work in our midst would you enable us through your word in Isaiah to grasp a bigger vision of who you are and to live with a fearlessness and sacrificial love that are worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we just sang of this name that is all worthy of praise and it's in his name that we pray amen I Isaiah 42 I hope you have your bibles if you don't have one there are some out at the entrance Verse 18 hear you deaf look you blind and see who is blind but my servant and deaf like the messenger I send who is blind like the one in Covenant with me blind like the servant of the Lord you have seen many things but you pay no attention your ears are open but you do not listen it pleased the Lord for the sake of his righteousness to make his law great and glorious but this is a people plundered and looted all of them trapped in pits or hidden away in prisons they have become plunder with no one to rescue them they have been made loot with no one to say send them back the word of the Lord so we continue our series Isaiah Yahweh alone is God we're in chapters 40- 55 some of the most rapturous chapters in all of scripture and I'm not using that word lightly raptures at the universal level these chapters speak to the experience of Exile the feeling of displacement of not belonging that we all have that we all share and it's strong I feel left out have you ever felt that or said it I've heard it from children from teenagers from grown-ups I've heard it in work context and in different friendships and relationship Dynamics family Dynamics now you may say well so why that you're left out do you really want in have you seen who's in do you really want to be a part of that yes we do yes we do if it's the group we covet and we don't all cover the same groups but if it's the group we covered we want in and the reason we want in is because we were created for connection for intimacy for love and the reason the feeling is so strong that we are displaced that we don't belong that we're exiled is because we all are exiled from God ever since our first parents rebelled against God and lost their place with God they were exiled from Eden that same condition persists down to this day in every human heart and so at the universal level we're all exiled and Isaiah has a word for us in that condition but then at the particular level these chapters are dealing with the historical reality that Came Upon Israel in the 6th Century BC they lost their land their Temple their national identity their place with God and Isaiah is addressing that situation specifically and he's prophesying about it long before it happens by about a hundred years he's prophesying on behalf of God so in chapter CH 40 the section begins with the words Comfort Comfort my people says your God the people of God are confronted with the nature of God but also surprised with the tenderness with which God addresses them it's a new day there's a new word for them and then in chapter 41 the promise was that God's people would go from feeling like a little worm to being a threshing Sledge crushing ing mountains and Hills nothing and no one stands in the way of what God is doing and then in chapter 42 we were introduced to the servant of the Lord the Lord Delights in this servant he puts his Spirit on this servant this servant brings Justice to the Nations AB bruised read he will not break he will not falter or be discouraged until he is establishes Justice on Earth the ministry of this servant is so perfect and exalted that the ends of the Earth are called on to sing a new song of praise to God and that's where we left it off last week and we pick up today and didn't Charlie do an amazing job last week yes it was so good so good thank you brother so let's begin by talking about God's failed servant God's failed servant Verse 18 hear you deaf look you blind and see who is blind but my servant and deaf like the messenger I send who is blind like the one in Covenant with me blind like the servant of the Lord okay wait what did just happen what just happened we went from reading about the servant of the Lord you know the one who Delights the Lord and has his spirit and opens eyes that are blind and frees captives from prison and establishes Justice on the earth to now reading about the servant of the Lord who is blind and deaf what's going on well that's Isaiah for you that's Isaiah for you you know when reading Isaiah you can doze off or you're going to miss important nuances and switches and changes and shifts and key images you see Isaiah is not like Olivia Rodrigo's songs and I like some of her songs but she's been singing about the same thing for this few the last few years some boyfriend that snubbed her now Isaiah is more like a Beethoven symphony with many layers millions of people are still listening to Beethoven 200 years after his death and if we're still listening to Olivia's vampire and driver's license 200 years from now something went terribly wrong and I am glad I will not be here for it so what what happened how do we go from talking about the exalted servant of the Lord and now reading about the deaf and blind servant of the Lord what's going on well the answer is that the exalted servant and the blind servant are not the same the exalted servant is a figure that will continue to grow in stature as these chapters of Isaiah develop the blind servant is Israel though they were in Covenant with God they did not hear they did not see look at verse 20 you have seen many things but you pay no attention your ears are open but you do not listen it pleased the Lord for the sake of his righteousness to make his law great and glorious but this is a people plundered and looted all of them trapped in pits or hidden away in prisons they have become plunder with no one to rescue them they have been made loot with no one to say send them back okay so Isaiah is describing the Exile which again from the time when he prophesied about this some at least 100 years before it happened for the people in Judah it would have been hard to believe that such total devastation would take place and yet the devastation came and it came because they were acting living for centuries like they were not in Covenant with the Lord now there are two seemingly in congruous things that are placed before us on the one hand the one is that it pleased the Lord to make his law great and glorious and then on the other hand that his people are plundered and trapped his law great and glorious his people plundered and trapped how does that work because you see God's law God's revelation what he gave at Torah uh the Torah he gave in at sin was great and glorious but it was going to be known through Israel and so if Israel is in disgrace God's law is in disgrace you see the world would only come to know God's law God's revelation through Israel but they were helpless in a foreign land with no one saying send them back why would God allow this to happen well there's more to the explanation verse 23 which of you will listen to this or pay close attention in time to come who handed Jacob over to become Loot and Israel to the plunderers was it not not the Lord against whom we have sinned for they would not follow his ways they did not obey his law so he poured out on them his Burning Anger the violence of War it enveloped them in Flames yet they did not understand it consumed them but they did not take it to heart so the explanation is that the Lord is the one who handed Judah over Israel over to be plundered and Isaiah says was it not the Lord was it not the Lord that did this and I like how Isaiah includes himself among the Sinners he says was it not the Lord against whom we have sinned he includes himself among the Sinners you see back in chapter 6 and many of you are familiar with this chapter Isaiah had seen a vision a most magnificent vision of God with seraphim called in out to one another these winged creatures holy holy holy is the Lord Almighty the whole earth is full of his glory and Isaiah's response to that was woe is me I am ruined for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the king the Lord Almighty Isaiah knew that he was now worthy to stand in the presence of such a magnificent perfect holy God but then one of the seraphim flew over to him with a life coal and touched his lips and said see this has touched your lips your guilt is taken away your sin is atoned for but Isaiah never forgot that he was among the Sinners and so he explains now to them that it was the Lord that send them into Exile that allowed them to be plundered and trapped why because they did not follow his ways they they did not obey his laws and so all the penalties stipulated by the law they're all there in Deuteronomy Came Upon them the violence of War uh enveloped them the Flames consumed them and yet they did not pay attention yet they did not take it to heart so this is God's failed servant let's talk now about God's redeemed servant it goes on chapter 43:1 but now this is what the Lord says he who created you Jacob he who formed you Israel do not fear for I have redeemed you I have summoned You by name you are mine we are shocked again because after reading of all the different things leading up to Israel's failure and penalty we would expect verses that follow to tell us how Israel is cast off forever from the presence of God but that that's not what we read what we find instead is this Monumental but now this is what's happened but there things are going to change from here on out and we see here how when they were utterly hel helpless the Lord begins to address them with Incredible tenderness incredible tenderness Isaiah reminds them of why it is that the Lord takes interest in them he says he who created you Jacob he who formed you Israel do you see Israel was created by God in a different way than God created all the other nations God is the creator of all things but his relationship with Israel is different in that he came to a Wandering aramean Abraham and made him into a great nation God's nation and so God's commitment to them is heightened and so he begins to address them do not fear he says there is that word on fear again we've seen it before many times he says for I have redeemed you I have summoned You by name you are mine I have redeemed you what does that mean you know I have to say that this theme of redemption is one of the most profound things that has affected me in this whole study of Isaiah and I hope that it does so for you today and in weeks to come I have redeemed you the Lord says what is that well a redeemer is someone who takes a special interest in you and makes you whole at cost to themselves okay so redeemer is someone who takes interest in you makes you whole at cost to themselves land could be redeemed relatives could be redeemed if they got themselves in trouble something you use to own could be redeemed that is bought back it reminds me of all those fixer upper shows on HGTV you know what I'm talking about there are hundreds and hundreds of episodes of these shows and it's always the same thing right it's the same formula some abandoned ugly piece of property comes into the hands of a wonderful designer and construction crew and they do their magic and over time voila the transformation is jaw dropping right I mean you've seen this and they always do the reveal at the end right you see the whole thing they're working on it they're demolishing but then we always look forward to that last time uh part of the show when they show you the before and after from junk to Jewel right and we're all like wow that's amazing and we keep watching this thing again and again they keep they keep making the same showes with different people oh let's have these people do that let's have these people do that it's the same thing but I think one of reasons that storyline resonates with us so deeply it's because I think deep down we all hope and wish oh I hope that can happen to me I hope that that's possible for my life that I can go from that before and after well listen for Yahweh the Lord of Israel to redeem Israel from Exile he will move Heaven and Earth effort is involved now whenever we talk about effort when it comes to God we're talking about about it of course from the human perspective that is from what it would take us to do what God Alone can do God doesn't strain to bring anything about there's not such a thing in him but it's kind of like the way we read about the Exodus from Egypt when God takes Israel right when he's when he's formed the nation and he pulls them out of Egypt we read in different places in Scripture that God did so how with an outstretched arm right and so the image is of god flexing to get Israel out of Egypt and when we look on Egypt and we see the devastation required to get Israel out because the Pharaoh would not let them go we see what is meant and I want us to think about this for a few moments because listen the gospel exists the gospel exists because God is both Creator and Redeemer Creator and Redeemer let's think about this for a moment if God were Creator but not Redeemer then there would be no way forward for you or I after failure No Way Forward only the expectation of judgment and retribution and here's the thing by and large that's how the religions of the world work now if God were Redeemer but not creator then he wouldn't have the right to redeem us right we wouldn't be his to redeem he would have no claim on us and honestly this is how many people relate to God they relate to him like he has no claim on them but they still want his help so they want his favor but not to be obligated to him that's if God were Redeemer but not Creator now if God is neither Creator nor Redeemer than people are here on Earth just by chance and time and impersonal forces is there is no love there would be absolutely no love the whole concept of Love would be a farce the most fundamental principle in life would be power if you have the power you call the shots and that's very much how the secular naturalistic culture and World operates survival of the fittest there's no creation There's No Redemption just everyone is out for themselves see how well you do but if God is both Creator and Redeemer we have the gospel the reason that God takes an interest in you and comes after you and claims you and calls you by name is because he is your creator he made you he has known you even before you existed and the reason that there's a chance for us there's a way forward for us after failure and you need some of you really need to hear that word today the reason there's a way forward after failure is because he's a redem Redeemer he comes and finds us wherever we are plundered and looted trapped and he makes us whole who of us has not failed we need a redeemer every single person needs a redeemer so he says I have redeemed you do not fear I have summoned You by name you are mine now listen listen to what the voice of the Redeemer sounds like in the next six verses this is gold verse two when you pass through the waters I will be with you and when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you okay so this language is charged with the jealousy that God feels for his people he says to them when you pass through the waters which suggests to us the Exodus when he took Israel out of Egypt and so he's saying to them that just as I did that I'm going to take you on another perilous Journey but you will arrive at the other end unscathed unscathed when you walk through the fire you will not be burned the Flames will not set you Ablaze why such promises after the failure that we just read about why verse three for I am the Lord your God the Holy One of Israel your savior I give Egypt for your Ransom Kush and SE in your stead so whether referring to the Exodus from Egypt in the past or to the conquest of Egypt by Persia in the future the point is that God values Israel so highly he values his people so highly that he will go to any lengths to rescue them verse four since you are precious and honored in my sight and because I love you I will give people an exchange for you nations in exchange for your life the language of Ransom an exchange which keeps coming up suggests that there is a price there's a price to be paid for the Deliverance for the rescue of people who find themselves captive what motivates God to go to these lengths to make this exchange for them his love his love they are precious he says because you are precious and honored in my sight do you know yourself to be precious and honored in the Lord's sight verse 5 do not be afraid for I am with you I will bring your children from the East and gather you from the West I will say to the north give them up and to the South do not hold them back bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the Earth the jealousy of this passage reminds me of a mama bear roaring against predators that are attacking her precious Cubs do you know what I'm talking about it's like God is saying nor south east west give me back my children bring them back do not hold them from me they are mine my sons my daughters I've created them I made them do you hear his Zeal verse 7 everyone who is called by my name whom I created for my glory whom I formed and made so we're back at creation Now are you familiar with the actor Liam niss you know what I'm talking about I mean he has a gray voice voice uh great actor you know but it seems that every action movie he makes is just another version of the movie Taken do you know what I'm talking about it's like the same formula I mean he's like really upset in that movie as all these other movies he makes should just be called Liam niss angry again part one part three part seven but you know the premise of taken right some bad people have messed up you know messed with his daughter and taken her and he Liam I don't know his name but Liam really is you know he will not sleep or rest or eat or anything until she's safely back in his arms that's a little bit how God shows up in these verses he says to his people you are mine and he says to the Nations give them back to me they are mine they're my sons and my daughters I created them I formed them I made them for my glory now remember the reason the Nations have taken taken God's people to begin with was because of their failure to love God to keep Covenant with him and so now they're plundered trapped and God comes as Redeemer as Redeemer and rescues them even though they do not deserve it but you see because God is both Creator and Redeemer and both themes come out strong in this whole section of Isaiah because he is Creator and Redeemer we have the gospel church and it's a wonderful thing let's look at the work that God now has for his servant God's servant as witness we keep reading and we could just stay in any of these verses for a long time they're that rich that poetic that raptures we got to keep going verse 8 lead out those who have eyes but are blind who have ears but are deaf all the nations gather together and the peoples assemble which of their gods foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right so that others may hear and say it is true okay so now that God has reassured his people that he's both Creator and Redeemer he has not forgotten them he's coming after them Isaiah now goes back to the critique of the Gods of the Nations who cannot see or foresee the future so this the scene is a court trial and God's servant blind and deaf they're brought in not much to look at the Nations also assemble and so Isaiah says okay come on which of their gods the nation's Gods foretold this or proclaim the former things okay let's have them speak let's bring up bring in their Witnesses so they can prove that they were right what's going on here well you see even though God's servants Israel were blind and deaf their God was not by contrast the Nations can boast of great power and they boast of power back in that day to this day but their gods are blind and deaf their gods cannot really see or foresee the future and so the best that the false gods Witnesses which are the Nations can do is just utter empty boast and so the allseeing God now put courage into his Witnesses in verse 10 he says you are my Witnesses declares the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen so that you may know and believe and understand that I am he so what do God's Witnesses testify to the nature of God that Yahweh alone is God and here's the content of their witness do not miss the next few verses here's the content of their witness before me no God was formed nor will there be one another will be one after me I even I am the Lord and apart from me there is no savior I have revealed and saved and proclaimed I and not some foreign God among you you are my Witnesses declares the Lord that I am God yes and from ancient days I am he no one can deliver out of my hand when I act who can reverse it this is powerful you understand don't you the monotheism the believe in only one God Is Not What Humanity believes by default by default left to our own imagination and ignorance we come up with many gods the Egyptians the Assyrians the Babylonians had many gods the Persians the Greeks the Romans had many gods even today Shintoism and Hinduism are polytheistic the only Rel religions that are monotheistic are Judaism Christianity and Islam and it all goes back to Abraham and Abraham's people and Yahweh who revealed himself to them the most basic confession of faith for Israel is the shma in Deuteronomy 6:4 here o Israel the Lord Our God the Lord is what one we are so used to this that we don't even Flinch but guys this was bizarre in the world for all of Israel's history to the coming of Christ and then the Christians proclaiming the same thing bizarre to the Romans bizarre to everyone who heard of this and yet it's not just that he is one God what kind of God Is He And so he begins to to tell them there is no other like him he says no God before me no God was formed nor will there be one after me there is no salvation apart from him he says I even I am the Lord and apart from me there is no savior there is no knowledge or forn knowledge of the future except by him he says I have revealed and saved and proclaimed I and not some foreign God among you there is no one who can rival or stop him he says when he acts who can reverse it when I act who can reverse it guys this is the content of the servants witness the tiny deaf blind Witnesses and yet 2600 years later here we are and where are the gods of the Nations nowhere the believe that there's only one God is by far the most popular ous and successful because he is the only true God and so that's the content of our witness the nature of who God is that Yahweh alone is god let's finish with God's new thing God's new thing in verse 14 we keep going this is what the Lord says your Redeemer there it is the Holy One of Israel for your sake I will send to Babylon and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians in the ships in which they took pride I am the Lord your Holy One Israel's Creator your king okay so finally the Lord announces what it is that he's going to do on behalf of the Exiles he's acting here as Redeemer and what he says is I'm going to for your sake I'm going to send to Babylon and I'm going to bring all the Babylonians as fugitives in the chips in which they took such Pride now again this is this is a huge deal this is Monumental because from the time when uh Isaiah is prophesying this Assyria is still the world power Babylon is still decades from coming into power and yet God's announcement through Isaiah in his own day in the time of when Assyria was in power that announcement leaf frogs bypassing babylon's day in the sun all the way to Babylonian defeat I mean I that's how crazy it is that what he says is hey there's another kingdom coming that one is going to take you into Exile but I'm also going to bring that one down and I'm going to bring you out because the Babylonians were the ones that conquered Jerusalem and took God's people into Exile and so their defeat meant the release of God's people God's Exiles verse 16 this is what the Lord says he who made a way through the sea a path through the mighty Waters who drew out the Chariots and horses the Army and reinforcements together and they lay there never to rise again extinguished snuffed out like a wick okay clearly this is a reference to what the exus from Egypt right clearly this is what's being recalled here the way through the sea a path through the mighty Waters he drew the Chariots and horses this was the most Mighty display of God's power on behalf of isra in their history we read about it all over the place and yet what God says here is something new is happening this was the most incredible Deliverance The Exodus had been up until that point but what God what does he have to say about that in these next few verses listen to this verse 18 He says forget the former things forget the former things do not dwell on the past see I am doing a new thing now it Springs up do you not perceive it then he goes on I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the Wasteland the wild animals honor me the jackles and the owls because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the Wasteland to give drink to my people My Chosen the people I formed for myself that they may Proclaim my praise so the Lord here announces forget the former things as amazing as my Deliverance has been in the past you ain't seen nothing yet I'm doing a new thing now it Springs up do you not perceive it and what's this new thing he's doing what is it a new Exodus it's a new Exodus is described in the same terms as the first Exodus so they know there's a new Exodus coming God is bringing his people out of Babylon back into their land he's making a way through the Wasteland giving new drink to his people Church this was unheard of for people who had been conquered taken out of their land their national identity deci uh just decimated scattered among the Nations for them to be brought back to their land reconstituted reconfigured unheard of except that what God was doing now was way bigger which is why he says forget the former things and so I want to leave you with this what you think God is doing is not big enough what you think God is doing is not big enough and I want you to think about your life right now listen that statement will always be true what you think God is doing is not big enough that statement will all be be always be true of unbelievers and Believers alike that statement will always be true it will always be true of you as an individual it will always be true of the entire Cosmos God will always outthink Out imagine outsmart outdo Humanity God can do immeasurably listen to that immeasurably more than what all we can ask or imagine if you take your plan for your life and for the world right we all have visions of how the world should be run how the world should go and you worked a hundred years on that plan if you have that long and you come up with it it's like this is the plan God would outdo you every time by a factor of infinity no eye has seen no ear has heard no human mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him what you think God is doing is not big enough and so I want us to Think Through the Arc of Isaiah that we looked at today failure Redemption witness new thing failure Redemption witness new thing if you are in Christ Jesus that is the Ark of your story amen failure Redemption witness new thing and it's not just like that was your story like oh yeah no I know cuz I failed and then I came to Christ no no no no that's Arc repeats itself in our lives every single day until we meet the Lord because we will always fail raise your arm if you're going to fail today if you think you're going to fail today in some way if you're now raising your arm you already failed done it's true of us all the time failure Redemption witness we have something now to Proclaim in light of our failure and God's Redemption and then we think we know what happens after that but we don't because a new thing that God is doing is always coming church we fail we are exiled I feel left out we all have this feeling of Exile because we've all been exiled from God why because of our sin we all have sinned we all have failed and if you don't think that we as Humanity have failed you're not paying attention and if you don't think that you as a human have failed you're proud you're proud and you're going to be very difficult for anyone to live with but God comes to us as Creator and he claims us and he says you are mine when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you but we will pass through the rivers you see when when you pass through not if we will pass through the rivers and the that's scary but he comes also as Redeemer and he makes us whole at Great cost to himself he gave up Nations and peoples to ex to redeem Israel in exchange for Israel coming back but for him to redeem the entire human race not just Israel he had to give up his son his son his one and only son whom he loves he gave him up and so the son came willingly willingly gave himself up for us he died for us he is the prize of our Redemption he was given in exchange for us for our Salvation which is why his people all throughout scripture and in Revelation sing to him you are worthy to take this scroll and open its seals for you were slain and by your blood you purchased for God there's their Redemption language the word is the word that we say redeemed you're redeemed for God people from every tribe and language and people and nation and so he has redeemed us and we praise him for his worth and now that he has redeemed us he makes us his Witnesses and we testify that there is no one like him that there is no salvation apart from him that there is no one who knows the end from the beginning that no one can deliver from his hand that when he acts no one can reverse it and low has he acted oh yes by his death and Resurrection Jesus has brought about a new Exodus for all the people of God around the world and he speaks to the east to the west to the South to the north and he says to sin give them up and he says to death do not hold them back these are mine my sons from AF far my daughters from the ends of the Earth everyone whom I've made for my glory whom I've created whom I formed whom I made and so the question the only question left is this do you consider yourself a son a daughter of the only God in the universe do you confess that you have sinned that you have failed and that you need to be redeemed purchased for God made whole by the blood of the Lamb Jesus Christ do you live to be a witness to him to the ends of the Earth and if so so then prepare yourself because what you think God is doing is not big enough forget the former things do not dwell in the past see I am making all things new I am making something new now it Springs up do you not perceive it do you not perceive it what the Lord is doing do you not perceive the new thing that he's doing in your life in our church around the world for the worth of Christ let's pray Our Father in heaven we love you we give you thanks for this incredible word in Isaiah we thank you Lord that you are Our Redeemer that you have sent your son in exchange for us the righteous for the unrighteous to bring us to God thank you thank you we will sing of your worth our whole life life and never tire and then onto eternity and never Tire because he is worthy we love you Jesus we thank you that you are the reason that Israel had to go back to the land and could not just remain scattered because the Messiah had to come salvation is from the Jews and so thank you Lord Jesus that you came as the exalted and perfect servant of the Lord to accomplish our Redemption we love you I pray for anyone who's here who does not know you and I pray you save them I pray you open their eyes I pray you open their ears so that they will receive the message of redemption and I pray that you would Rouse us all to believe that you're doing something new forget the former things do not dwell on the past oh Lord move us along some of us are trapped stuck help us focus our heart and our minds on the worth of Jesus Christ in his name we pray amen [Music] do you feel the world is broken we do do you feel the shares deepen we do but do you know that all the dark won't stop the light from getting through with do you wish that you could see it all made [Music] new is all creation [Music] groaning is a new creation coming [Music] is the glory of the Lord to Be The Light Within our midst is it good that we remind ourselves of this come on let's sing is anyone Worthy is anyone Worthy is anyone whole is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll the lion of Judah who conquered the grave he is David fruit in the lamb would die to Ransom the slave is he Worthy is he worthy of of all blessing in honoring glory is he worthy of this he [Music] is does a father truly love us he does does the spirit move Among Us he does it does Jesus our Messiah hold forever those he loves he does does our God intend dwell again with [Applause] us heers is anyone Worthy is anyone home is anyone a to break the seal and open the the light of Judah who conquered the grave he is David BR in the L would die to rans the SL from every people and tribe for every nation it's all he has made us a kingdom and priest of God to ring with his son is he Worthy is he Worthy is he worthy of all blessing and honoring glory is he Worthy is he Worthy is he worthy oh Hallelujah he is he is he is he is he is worthy he is worthy of all blessing and honoring glory is he worthy of this [Music] let this be our benediction as we go from this place he is worthy he's the Lord Of Our Lives God we worship you in this place amen well thanks so much for joining us you guys have a great rest of your Sunday and we'll see you next time