[0:00] Let's turn for a little to the chapter we read in the prophecy of Isaiah 43.
[0:15] I'm not going to read this section, but it's verses 1 to 7. I looked at the first verse early on this year, but I want us to look at these seven verses. I'll read at the beginning and at the end. But now, thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by my name. You are mine. And so on. In verse 4, he says, because you are precious in my eyes and honored, and I love you. I give men in return for you and people in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you. I will bring your offspring from the east and so on. And then verse 7, he says, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.
[1:13] Now, a lot of people ask the question, why am I here? And I suppose it's a very relevant question.
[1:23] What am I doing on planet earth? What is the purpose of my existence in this world? What am I really all about? And people from time to time stop and ask themselves that sort of question. Even people who are very busy and hurrying this way and that, and people whose lives are filled with their work and families and all sorts of things, every so often people stop and they ask themselves, what's it all about? Why am I here? Who am I? And often as people ask that question, they look around and they also look in. Sometimes a bit of soul searching, a bit of delving down and probing and trying to work out, right? Why am I, who am I? What am I achieving? What is my real purpose in life? But you know, you'll never really find the answer within. We can find lots of suggestions and to a certain extent some answers, but we'll never find the real answer. We will never find what life is really all about by simply looking in. We have to look outside ourselves. Indeed, we have to look up. And it's only as we really begin to look up and focus upon the Lord, upon the King of glory, that life really begins to take purpose and meaning and shape. Because the Lord is the one who has made us. He is our maker. And that's what this chapter at the beginning, it was reminding us about that. But now thus says the
[3:11] Lord, he who created you, he who formed you, fear not, for I have redeemed you. And it's really as we look at God as a maker, God is the one who has formed the world and us, and God as the one who has broad redemption, does life really take on any real meaning. I know that there are many people that live their lives and they are quite fulfilled in their lives at the moment. And these people have no thought of God and they're living life just at a particular level. And I'm not in any way suggesting that they are not experiencing fulfillment and satisfaction because I believe a person can have a reasonably satisfying, fulfilling life and never looking heavenward at all. But one day it's going to change. A person cannot live forever like that because there is another dimension to our life.
[4:27] God made us. God formed us. And ultimately, as we will see in a little, it's not about us. It's about him.
[4:41] And God will bring every person, every created being to a place and a point where they will realize that fact. And even if they never realize it in time, they will in eternity. Because God, everything, everything is about him. And that is why it is so important that people will come to understand this great truth and not become so absorbed with themselves, so caught up with themselves, that they never look beyond themselves. They never look anywhere else but within themselves.
[5:17] And they never look heavenwards. And it's really as we grasp hold of who God is, and as we come to know who God is, as we come to interact with him and live in him and fellowship with him, that our life will be brought onto a deeper and more fulfilling dimension.
[5:42] It is there that we come to experience the real fulfillment of life and experience what God's purposes really are for us. Man's chief end, the chief goal of his being, the chief purpose of his existence in this world is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. And if we're not living in this way, then we're missing out. It's like a car that's just not functioning properly. It's going, but it's chugging.
[6:16] Some of you hear cars and they're chugging down the road and there's this sputtering going on. And you're saying, oh, if only it's just, it's missing. And it's like trying to ride a bicycle with one of the wheels with a puncture. It just, it's not going properly.
[6:31] And that's how it'll be unless we have the Lord Jesus Christ as our own Lord and as our own Savior. It's in Jesus that life takes on its ultimate fulfillment.
[6:44] And I'll say that to anybody in here, even although today you may be without Christ and you may be relatively satisfied in life and you may say to yourself, you know, life, I'm really enjoying life at the moment.
[6:55] And that's good. And I believe you. But one day it'll change. One day it will. And that's why it's so important to have Christ. Have him now. Have him. Have him even while you're enjoying life.
[7:12] Come to discover the fulfillment of what life is really like. And in a sense, these verses are teaching us what the Lord thinks of us.
[7:25] What the Lord has done for us. And the Lord is encouraging his people. And he's encouraging them by trying to help them not to fear.
[7:39] Because we live in a world where there is fear. That's why we lock our doors at night. Because of fear. Because we live in a world that is uncertain.
[7:52] That is why there is so much security in this world. Because there's fear. We live in a world where there is sin. Where there is a lack of peace. And when there's a lack of peace to bring, there's fear.
[8:02] There's all these kind of things. But the Lord is saying to us to fear not. And he's saying, don't fear man. Don't even fear nature.
[8:14] Because you see, God is above all these things. God is the one who's made everything. And we've got to remember that. And there are different pictures given to us. The Lord is saying, don't fear.
[8:27] And as we've said before, when the Lord says, don't fear. He always gives a reason why we shouldn't fear. The Lord doesn't just say to us, don't be afraid. The Lord says to us, don't be afraid.
[8:39] And I'll tell you why you ought not to be afraid. And the Lord here is saying, don't be afraid. Because I want to remind you.
[8:49] This is what the Lord is saying. I want to remind you of some of the things that I have done for you in the past. And what I have done for you in the past is proving to you my love for you.
[9:02] An unchanging love. He's saying to them, remember Egypt. I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom.
[9:14] All Israel have to do is to look back. Look back at a nation that was the pride of this world.
[9:25] And see it being destroyed. God devastated the land with the plagues. Devastated the household by taking away the firstborn.
[9:36] Devastated the army by plunging them into the depths of the Red Sea. Devastated Egypt. Why? In order to deliver his people. And the Lord is saying, remember that.
[9:50] There you are. You're fearing these kingdoms of the world. You're fearing all these nations. Think back. Think to what I did for you. You were in oppression. You were in captivity.
[10:01] I just raised my hand against. Against Pharaoh and against all these people. You are mine.
[10:13] And the Lord goes on to say, not only with regard to man should you not fear, but even against nature. Supposing the floods and the waters threaten to engulf you.
[10:24] Supposing the fire threatens to burn you. Remember that you are mine. And not only are you mine by birth. You are mine by redemption.
[10:34] For I have redeemed you. And of course we know that's one of the names given to Jesus. That he is the redeemer. To redeem. It's a beautiful word. And it carries with it different pictures.
[10:46] It means to rescue. It means to deliver. It means to protect. It means to pay a ransom. It can mean to buy back what you once had.
[11:02] And it can mean to be a substitute. And when you think of all these words. There's different. The redeemer has a different slant. It's used in different ways.
[11:14] But when you think of all these different expressions. These different words. To rescue. To deliver. To protect. To pay the ransom.
[11:25] To buy back. And as a substitute. And there you see Jesus. And Jesus has done all these things. Through his life.
[11:36] Through his death. Through his resurrection. Jesus was a substitute. He went in our place. Jesus paid back with his life.
[11:47] Jesus was a ransom. You look at it in all the different ways. But this word. Where we have here. Fear not for I have redeemed you.
[11:59] It doesn't just focus upon. Saving us and protecting us. But also. Preparing the conditions. Where the believer will flourish and grow.
[12:11] So the whole idea is not just saving. Not just delivering. But also preparing conditions. Where you will prosper. Flourish and grow.
[12:22] The Lord doesn't just save you. Save you from death. Save you from hell. And say right. I brought you into a pleasant place. That's you. You are safe now. But you are on your own.
[12:34] The Lord doesn't do that. He is with you all the time. And he has prepared for you. What will nourish you. And strengthen you.
[12:44] The Lord wants you. To develop and grow. Or to grow in grace. And in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the more we know.
[12:56] The more. Our Christianity. Will become important to us. The more we will enjoy it. You sit down. And spend a little time.
[13:07] With a book. That really captivates your mind. About who God is. You know sometimes you will pick up a book. And it begins to explain to you.
[13:18] Something of the Godhead. Maybe beginning to focus upon. The attributes of God. Beginning to focus upon his wisdom. His power. His love.
[13:29] And as you begin. It's a book. It's a kind of book. That stimulates your mind. You say to yourself. This is a God. That I have.
[13:40] This is a God. Who loves me. This is a God. Who has redeemed me. And. It stimulates you. And you say to yourself.
[13:51] I am the most. Fortunate. Person in the world. To have this God. As my God. So you see.
[14:01] The Lord is concerned. About our development. And growth. And he's going to see to it. That you will grow. He will see to it. And then he also says.
[14:13] Fear not. Verse 5. In light of captivity. This is in relation to captivity. When they were taken. From their own land. Because this was going to happen.
[14:24] To his people. They were going to be. They were going to be taken. Taken captive. Even there. He says. Fear not. Because I'm going to gather you. Back again. That's what I'm going to do. Fear not.
[14:34] For I am with you. He's going to say. I will bring your offspring. From the east. And from the west. I will gather you. I will say to the north. Give up. And to the south. Do not withhold.
[14:45] Bring my sons. From afar. And my daughters. From the end of the earth. No matter where God's people. Have gone. And you know this.
[14:55] We can apply that to ourselves. And we can look at it even. When somebody begins to drift spiritually. Maybe you're here today. And you're saying to yourself. You know I've drifted.
[15:06] I remember a day. When there was a vibrancy in my heart. I remember a day. When Christianity was. It was. There was a. A kind of a. A bounce in my step.
[15:18] Every time I read. I got something. Every time I came to God's house. I got something. I. I was different. Today. I'm flat. I'm cold.
[15:32] And it bothers you. You're concerned. And you're saying. The Lord. This is not how I want it to be. Well my friend. There are two. There are two ways of drifting.
[15:44] There's a drifting. Where a person just drifts. And drifts. And drifts. And drifts. And drifts. Let me say this. A person doesn't drift. Their way to heaven. Bible doesn't tell us.
[15:55] That we just. Drift. Their way to heaven. The kingdom of God. Is taken by violence. It is pressing. It is striving. And the Lord. Will see to it. That even if you're drifting.
[16:07] Today. That you won't continue to drift. And if you're drifting. And it doesn't concern you. In the slightest. I would become concerned. But if you feel. That you're drifting.
[16:18] And you're saying. To yourself. You know. I wish it wasn't like this. I wish there was. A spiritual. Vibrancy. Back again. My friend.
[16:29] That shows. That there is life. That shows. That there's concern. In your soul. And the Lord. Won't leave you. He's going to bring you back. Even if today. You're saying. You're saying. I. I.
[16:39] I feel. I've drifted back. Rather than going forward. I feel. I'm going back. While the Lord. Is saying here. I will bring you back. I will bring you back. I'm not going to.
[16:50] My people. Don't just. Drift forever. On their way to glory. I'll see to it. And that's what the Lord. Is saying here. And what a. What an encouragement.
[17:01] That is to us. And so he says. Bring my son. From afar. My daughter. From the end of the earth. And one of the questions. That we have to ask ourselves.
[17:11] Is. Why? Why is the Lord. Doing all this. For us. And at one level. The question is answered. By saying. Because. Because I love you.
[17:22] That's what he says. I love you. He says that in verse 4. You are precious to me. He says in verse 4. Because you are precious. In my eyes. And honored. And I love you.
[17:33] So at one level. We can say. The Lord is doing all that. For us. Because he loves us. But it goes even deeper. Than that. We see in verse 7.
[17:44] That. The Lord sees. Everyone who is called. By my name. Why? Whom I created. For.
[17:56] My. Glory. There are. Basically. Two ways of living. In this world. Living. For ourselves. Or living.
[18:07] For the Lord. Living for our own. Glory. Or living. To and for. The glory of God. And the Bible. Shows us in many different ways.
[18:18] These types. Of lives. Lived out. I suppose. One of the classic examples. Is Genesis 11 and 12. Genesis chapter 11. We find them building.
[18:28] The tower of Babel. And as they build. The tower of Babel. Up to heaven. This was their dream. They said. We will make a name. For our shells. Let us make a name.
[18:39] For ourselves. And you know. Man is still trying to build. The tower of Babel. That is still at the heart.
[18:50] Of so many people. That is what drives. So many people on in life. Let us make a name. For our shells. I want to be a somebody. I am all about. My own glory.
[19:01] Me. Mine. My will. My ways. My right. My future. It is all about me. And that is. Genesis chapter 11. Genesis chapter 12.
[19:13] We find God intervening. God picks a man. Called Abraham. And God is going to make Abraham great. And God says to Abraham. I am going to make your name great.
[19:24] But I am also going to make my name great. Through you. And through you. All the nations of this world. Will be blessed. God is going to take glory. To his own name.
[19:35] Through this man. Abraham. And so there are two seeds running. The tower of Babel. And Abraham. These two seeds. These two courses.
[19:46] These two glories. And really where we are today. It is one or other. What are we about? Who are we about?
[19:57] So God is seeking glory. In his people. And that is what we are told. Let your light so shine before men. That they may see your good works.
[20:11] And glorify. Your father which is in heaven. We are told in the Bible. Whatever you do. Whether you eat. Or drink. It does not matter what you do.
[20:22] Do it to the glory of God. God. The glory of God. It has been defined. As the beauty of his perfection. We often tend to think of.
[20:34] We may focus on one attribute. Or another. But we have to take the sum. Of all the attributes of God. And it is all perfect. In harmony. And glory. In every aspect of his being.
[20:46] So you may say to yourself. Well. How can I glorify God? Do I add to the glory of God? Do I enhance the glory of God?
[20:57] Not at all. You and I don't enhance the glory of God. But by becoming Christians. And living for him. We display his glory.
[21:10] That's what happens. We don't enhance his glory. Because he is perfectly glorious in himself. But we display his glory. In the very same way as the heavens.
[21:22] Talking there of the sun. The moon. The stars. You look up. And you sometimes suppose. We have had beautiful days. Since last. You think of last weekend.
[21:32] And you look around. You say. Oh. That is so beautiful. Look at the sky. Isn't that amazing? You look up at night. And again. You see the. Just the explosion of stars.
[21:45] And you say. Isn't that. Isn't that wonderful? Well. The psalm tells us. The heavens. Declare. The glory of God. It's not that the heavens. Are enhancing.
[21:55] The glory of God. But they're revealing it. They're declaring it. And similarly. It's so with you. Your life.
[22:07] Your changed life. Is displaying. The glory of God. It's wonderful.
[22:19] And you know. When you think about. When you look up. And you look around. At the glory of God. Is revealed like that. You know. It takes a twisted. Pervers mind. To look at.
[22:30] A starry night. Or to look at this world. And say. You know. Happened by chance. When you see the pattern. Of day and night. And the seasons.
[22:41] And say. It just. Happened. By chance. Gravity. By chance. Birth of a baby. By chance.
[22:51] The changing of people. People's lives. Who were. Heading into ruin. And destruction. Changed into love. And peace. By chance.
[23:02] And there's people. Who are saying that. It's all by chance. Rubbish. You know. It has. You. Somebody has to. Really work at it. And suppress. The light.
[23:13] Of truth. That's facing them. To say. Oh. It's all rubbish. It's all. It's all chance. It's all. There is no God. A person has to fight. Against what their eyes.
[23:24] Are telling them. To say. There is no God. But God is revealed. And that's why we have. What is termed. The natural revelation.
[23:35] There are. What we term. Two revelations. This is special. Revelation. The word of God. To enable us. To. To understand more. Than we can ever understand. From the natural revelation.
[23:46] So man cannot turn. The Bible says. In Romans. Man. You are inexcusable. No person can turn around. At the end of the day. And say. I didn't know there was a God.
[23:58] God tells us. From his word. That he has made it. Abundantly clear. To the human race. That he exists. That he is powerful. That he is eternal.
[24:10] That he is the creator. All these things. Are known. So for a person. To say. I am an atheist. There is no God. They have to suppress. And that again.
[24:20] The Bible tells us. That is what man does. He gets the truth. And he suppresses it. And he glorifies. The created. Rather.
[24:32] Than the creator. My friend. That is. That is the sin. Isn't it? What a sin. Where we worship. What God has made.
[24:43] Rather than worship. Him. Him. Him. Himself. Let us ask ourselves. The question today. What road.
[24:54] Is our life. Going down. Who motivates us. What motivates us. Whose glory. Is uppermost. In our heart. Is your life.
[25:06] Is your life. All about yourself. Or is your life. Ultimately. About the glory of God. That doesn't mean. Of course. That we never think. Of ourselves.
[25:16] Of course. We have to. But what is. What is it. That really drive. What is it. That is underneath. What is that motive. Do you. Honestly. Pray in your heart.
[25:27] Lord. Please help me. To live to your glory. May my life. Display. Your glory. As I live it out.
[25:38] Day by day. Or do you never pray. Like that. Well. It's very. Very. Important. To remember. That our chief purpose. In this world.
[25:49] The chief reason. For us being here. Is to glorify. God. Please. Seek that. And that is where your life. Will become more.
[26:01] And more. And more. Fulfilled. Let's pray. Lord. We. We pray. That we may. Indeed.
[26:12] Live our lives. To the glory of God. That our lives. May display. That glory. Forgive us. Oh Lord. For when we become. Too caught up. With ourselves. And our own dreams.
[26:23] And our own way. Although. Lord. We. We acknowledge. So much good. That is given to us. And we acknowledge. That. We have to. At one level. Live out.
[26:34] Our days. Where we are. Caught up. With a lot. That concerns. Ourselves. Yet. Help us. To have that. Balance. And to have it. In such a way. That the Lord. Comes first. Help us.
[26:46] Lord. As we go forward. In life. And may we be given. The energy. And the needs. Supply. All that we need. Supplied. Every day. Give us Lord.
[26:57] That focus. And prosper us. Spiritually. And temporally. Do us good. Bless our homes. And our families. And all whom we love. Have mercy on us. And take away our sin.
[27:07] In Jesus name. Amen.