Well, good evening, everyone.
My name is Keith Nolton.
If we haven't met before, it's a pleasure to be able to bring God's word to you this
evening.
We're going to be continuing our series that we've been in on Sunday evenings, looking
at the mission of God's people.
Tonight, we're going to be looking at specifically at a passage from Isaiah 43, verses 8 through
13.
So as you turn there, look on the screen behind you.
I wonder, have you ever received notice that you've been selected for jury duty?
Imagine that if you have, you probably weren't thrilled at the prospect of getting that notice
in the post.
That can mean days off of work.
It can mean needing child care for your kids.
It may mean several boring days or even possibly weeks in a courtroom.
Myself, I've never been called for jury duty, but practicing law, often had to interact with
those who had been called for jury duty.
And it usually would happen on a Monday morning.
You show up for trial and you have a courtroom full of maybe 100 or so potential jurors that
are there for maybe a couple of trials that are to begin that week.
And needless to say, there's not too many smiling faces.
There's not too many people that are happy to be there.
Most people recognize that a real trial is not like a TV drama that's suspenseful and nonstop
action.
They recognize that there's these long statements that are given and open and closed and complicated
examinations with facts and issues that most people could probably care less about.
And so what we look at and see in our passage today is very much a courtroom scene, much like we saw this morning in our passage from John.
But our courtroom scene here is not something that deals with mundane facts that we may have in a typical courtroom.
It is a case between God and Israel's enemies.
And so we'll see that in this courtroom, God invites the nations to assemble, to serve as the jury, that they may examine the evidence and issue a ruling to see the conclusion of this trial.
So in a sense, we are invited into, as we look at this text tonight, it's a challenge that we have to consider the evidence, to serve as jurors, so to speak, to recognize who God is and who we are as his people.
And so let's look at our text, Isaiah 43, verses 8 through 13.
Let's look at the verse, Isaiah 43, verses 8 through 13.
Before me, no other God was formed, nor will there 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, from the ancient days I am he.
No one can deliver out of my hands.
When I act, who can reverse it?
This is the word of God.
Will you pray with me?
Lord, as we prepare to dig into your word this evening, we ask that your spirit may be among us,
that you may soften our hearts and open our ears, that we may receive your word with joy.
Where we pray that your truth will go forth from this pulpit and that you will receive all the glory and praise from it.
And so now we ask God that the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts may be pleasing in your sight.
Oh Lord, our rock and our salvation.
Amen.
And so as we dig into this text again, I want us to consider this trial scene.
It's important to examine who's in the courtroom as we try to understand what they are examining.
So as I mentioned before, it's the nations that God calls and assembles together.
It says in verse 9, all the nations gather together and the peoples assemble.
And so if there's ever a trial to be a part of, to sit as a juror of, you think that this is the one, right?
It's not a little issue that deals with property issues or a little misdemeanor that really doesn't really have any real significance.
This is a case with serious implications for all the nations.
So if we think about it, this would be one of those cases where those TV satellite trucks are set up out front,
where the news reporters are standing by waiting to tell others about how the trial has progressed.
And so this is a trial of infinite significance with far-reaching implications.
And so what's ultimately being decided in this text, in this trial, is who is God?
And so we need to consider then, well, who are the parties that are going to be putting forth an argument toward this issue?
On one side, we have the enemies of Israel.
These are the nations that have persecuted Israel, that have enslaved Israel,
the nations that worship pagan gods and have rejected the God of Israel.
And these nations, to put forth their case, to support their case, they are supposed to call their own witnesses.
And it's rather open-ended here.
It doesn't really say who they're going to call, but somebody, somebody to testify that these pagan gods
have been able to predict the future and control the outcome.
The other hand, we have the God of Israel, right?
He is the God who created the universe, the God who chose initially to bless Abraham and all his descendants.
And so we see who he decided to call as his witness.
Rather ironically, it says in verse 8,
Lead those out who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf.
And so we see this disabled group that's described here is actually the people of Israel.
So during the time of the prophet Isaiah, we know that the Israelites have been led away as exiles in Babylon.
They're under the rule of the Babylonians.
And so we've seen repeated throughout the Old Testament this cycle of sin that Israel falls into.
And when they fall into sin, they're handed over to their enemies.
And so even though they're suffering in this case as they have before,
we see that their stubbornness is persisting.
In fact, throughout Israel, God calls, or throughout the book of Isaiah,
God repeatedly calls his own people deaf and blind.
If we look at chapter 42, just going back one chapter, it says this in verse 18,
Hear you deaf, look you blind and see.
Who is blind but my servant?
And deaf like the messenger I sent.
Who is blind like the one in covenant with me?
Blind like the servant of the Lord?
You have seen many things, but pay no attention.
Your ears are open, but you do not listen.
If you go down to the end of this chapter, it's actually talking about God pouring out his anger,
his wrath on his people for their disobedience.
And even then it says, enveloped in the flames of their own wrath,
they still don't understand.
They're consumed by fire, but they still don't take it to heart.
And so this is our cast of character.
We have the enemies of Israel and whoever their witnesses may be,
the God of Israel and his own witnesses, though they are deaf and blind.
And so the two points I want us to consider tonight as we see this trial unfold are very simple.
You don't have to write them down.
First is God is God and we are his witnesses.
God is God and we are his witnesses.
So let's look at that first point.
So as we see this trial begin, you may kind of try to think of what this jury is thinking about.
If the nations have assembled, they may be having these kind of preconceived notions as how this trial may unfold.
Because they look at the enemies of Israel and see that these are the ones,
these are the guys who are in control, right?
It's the people of Israel that they have enslaved.
And then they look on the other side and they see this God who seems unable to bring his own people out of captivity,
who can't prevent them from being blind and deaf.
But we see that those thoughts are quickly dismissed as this trial plays out.
The enemies of Israel are told to put forth their first witness.
If we look at the second part of verse 9, God asks,
Which of their gods foretold this and proclaim to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove that they are right.
And so basically God is challenging them.
Bring any witness, any evidence that you can to prove that your false gods have been able to predict the future and control the outcome.
And we see the response.
Well, frankly, there is no response.
There is silence.
There is no witnesses.
There is no evidence.
There is nothing at all that is brought by these pagan nations to support their claim that their gods are the true God.
And so we see immediate transition here.
That God doesn't waste any time.
He calls his witness, the people of Israel.
But because of their disability, we see that he steps in their place.
That he testifies on his own behalf.
And it's not this dull examination that can go on in a real courtroom for hours on end and the jurors start to close their eyes.
No, this is an impassioned speech that God gives.
And the interesting part is of what he emphasizes here.
To claim that he is the real God.
Oftentimes when we think of God and we want to characterize God in a certain way or describe him,
we think about his attributes, right?
We say, well, God is loving.
God is good.
Or God is patient.
And while all those things are true, that's not what God himself focuses on here.
He focuses on something that's much more foundational to his case.
Because it really makes no difference if God is loving or God is patient.
If he's not, first of all, God.
And so in his speech, he points out his own godness.
And he does so by emphasizing three points of which I want us to consider.
First of all, he points out that he is unique.
If we look in verse 10,
Before me no God was formed, nor will there be one after me.
It would have been common in those days for these pagan nations to have their gods
and to maybe believe that their gods produced other gods
or there's maybe a succession of gods
or some gods that are stronger than other gods.
The God of Israel is making clear here.
There is no other God before me.
I did not descend from anyone and no one descended from me.
I am incomparable.
I am unique.
I am without rival.
If we think about it in our common day,
you've maybe heard people say that maybe are outside any sort of religion.
Say, well, all religions are the same, right?
You all worship the same God.
It's as if God is sitting on top of a mountain
and each religion is just represented by different people,
you know, hiking up the mountain on different trails
to try to reach the summit.
Or maybe you think about, you know, in our postmodern world
where all truth is relative,
you have people say, well, you know, all religions have their own value.
Everyone's beliefs have equal merit.
And so you don't judge me for what I believe or think,
and I won't judge you for the way that you think.
And that way all religions or all values or all ways of living
are equally good and valid.
But that's not what God is saying here.
He makes clear, no, there are no other gods but me.
There is no one who is equal to me.
There is no one who is the same.
I alone stand.
And so we see this emphasized over and over again in the Old Testament.
And if we turn to Deuteronomy 435, it says,
the Lord is God.
There is no other besides him.
And so this is really an incredible statement,
especially in our day and age with relative truth,
to be able to claim with absolute certainty
that the God of Israel is the one true God.
And so we see that religion, it's not based on preferences.
Your opinion does not dictate reality.
God is saying that he is Yahweh and that there is none beside him.
And so that brings us to our second point then.
He emphasizes his uniqueness.
He also emphasizes his own sovereignty.
If you look in verse 12,
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 hands.
When I act, who can reverse it?
So God is asserting here his authority over all things throughout all times.
Past, present, and future, God is in control.
And that's what really makes him God.
When we think about God's sovereignty,
that gives him his Godness.
If we take away God's sovereignty,
he is no longer God.
Because if we think about it,
if he is not in control,
then he is in fact controlled by something or somebody else.
If he is not the absolute ruler,
then he himself is being ruled by something.
And so we see this truth resounding throughout the book of Isaiah
about God's sovereignty.
If we look at Isaiah 45, verse 7, it says this,
I form the light and create darkness.
I bring prosperity and create disaster.
I, the Lord, do all these things.
And so if we think about our own lives,
how easy is it for us to trust God and his sovereignty
when things are going well?
But when things go maybe ways that we didn't plan,
or we face hardship,
we begin to question God's sovereignty.
But we see in this verse,
what does it say here?
That he brings prosperity and creates disaster.
Israel was not under Babylonian captivity
because God didn't possess the ability to deliver them.
We don't face sickness or hardship in our life
because God isn't able to change the circumstances.
We don't suffer in certain ways
because God has turned his attention elsewhere.
No, God is before all things and in him,
all things hold together,
as Paul says in Colossians.
And so the reason for this is because God does all things
according to his own will.
If we look further in Isaiah,
Isaiah 46, verse 10,
I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times what is still to come.
I say my purpose will stand
and I will do all that I please.
And so the reality is that God is God-centered.
He does everything that he desires
for his own purpose according to his own will.
There's one commentator that I read
as I was looking into this text
and he pointed out that between verse 11 and verse 13,
there are 29 words in the original Hebrew
and 12 of those words are in the first person.
So God is giving evidence.
The evidence that he is putting forth is himself,
that he is God.
He is the totality of all deity.
And so you may have heard that in order to win a case,
if you're in trial,
you have to carry the burden of proof, right?
In a civil case,
civil cases that I did back in the States,
I'm assuming it would be very similar here
in the UK as well,
that burden of proof would be called
the preponderance of the evidence.
And so if you consider the scales of justice, right?
For me, in order to win my case,
all that I had to do
was tip the scales ever so much
that they were in my favor.
Likewise, for the plaintiff,
if they're even,
if he tips it ever so much in his favor,
he's won the case.
We see here that the evidence
that God is putting forth in trial
as himself
is certainly enough
to meet the burden of proof.
He is not simply tipping the scales here.
His evidence is overwhelming
that he is the sovereign Lord overall.
And so what a comfort it is
to know that we have
the opportunity
to serve and live under
a sovereign God.
But the thing is,
it's not just his sovereignty
that should bring us comfort.
It's the fact that
because of his sovereignty,
we get to experience
the benefit of it.
And so that brings us
to our third point then.
We recognize that God is unique
and that God is sovereign.
He's also pointing out here
that he is a God
who saves.
Look at verse 11.
I, even I,
am the Lord
and apart from me
there is no other,
or excuse me,
there is no Savior.
I made that mistake myself.
That's anticipating
what I think that text might say.
You're like,
he's talking about his exclusivity, right?
You expect him to say
there is no other.
No, he says
there is no Savior.
Verse 12 as well.
I have revealed
and saved
and proclaimed.
Ever since I was a kid,
I've liked to collect coins.
It's not been a huge hobby.
One thing I've liked to collect every year
is something known
as a silver proof set.
So each year,
the Mint will put out
a collection of coins
for that year
that are made of silver
that are double stamped.
So it improves the quality
of the coin.
It's more clarity
and it shines better
and it's something
that I've just collected
ever since I was a kid.
And those are legal tender, right?
I could use those coins
to buy something
if I wanted to
but of course I've never have
because I've wanted to collect them.
I want to be able to admire them
and maybe pass them on
to my kids one day.
Well, that's certainly not
what God is suggesting here.
He's not simply maintaining
his power and his sovereignty
simply for the sake
of having it.
He has his own sovereignty
and he is using it,
using his power to save.
There'd be really no reason
for us to get excited
about the sovereignty of God
if it didn't affect us
in a positive way
because we see
throughout Scripture
God revealing
his sovereign plan
of salvation.
So you would think
to these blind and deaf
people of Israel
that they would recognize this, right?
That even from the beginning
of time in Adam and Eve
when they were kicked
out of the garden
even that God promised them
a savior.
That God made a promise
to Abraham
that he would bless him
and that through him
all nations would be blessed.
We see that the people
of Israel are brought out
and delivered out of slavery
in Egypt
and taken into the promised land.
Through judges and kings
we see that God's control
over his people
never changes.
And so now even though
the people are enslaved
in Babylon
God promises
to deliver them
but even more
he has promised
something greater.
He promises
to send them a savior
whose kingdom
will never end.
And so that's why
we can rejoice too
not only in God's sovereignty
but to recognize
how his sovereignty
has affected
every single one of us
that he has sent
his son Jesus
and through his blood
we are saved.
And so that brings us
to our second point then
to recognize
that God is God
we also need to recognize
that we are his witnesses.
If we look again
at the people of Israel
God calls them blind
and F over and over again
throughout the book of Isaiah.
And so we could think
well for this trial
he certainly could have
just dropped them
as witnesses right?
I mean when I was trying cases
I'd always have to
create a list of witnesses
that I was required
to produce to the judge
and opposing counsel
so everyone know
who you may call to trial.
But rarely did I ever use
every single witness
on that list.
Based on how the trial
was going
based on the strengths
of the witness
or potentially what I felt
the facts
or the issues
that I still needed
to emphasize
I may or may not
call certain witnesses.
And so you may think
well God could have done
the same thing here right?
I mean he's
he's certainly capable
of testifying
for himself.
He could have just dropped
the people of Israel
altogether.
They're the ones
that are blind and deaf.
It doesn't seem like
a positive trial strategy
to keep them
as witnesses.
But we see that God
continues to use
his people
even though they can't
communicate effectively
because their own presence
is sufficient
in communicating
as being valuable evidence
communicating
his own sovereignty.
So look again
in verse 10
it says
you are my witnesses
declares the Lord
and my servant
whom I have chosen.
So God chose Israel
even though they had
sinned against him
even though they had
turned from him
he still desires
to be their God.
And so this fact alone
shows his sovereignty
it's not that Israel
came to God
and asked
to be a part
of his family
no God
chose Israel
that shows his sovereignty
and the fact that
he continues
to serve them
and continues
to be their God
shows that
his sovereignty
continues.
And so there's
really two reasons
that we see in this text
for why in the world
God would use
these deaf
and blind people
to be his witnesses.
I want to look at them.
First it's because
it's for their own benefit
and it's also
for the benefit
of others.
So look at verse 10 again.
You are my witnesses
declares the Lord
and my servant
whom I have chosen
so that you may know
and believe me
and understand
that I am he.
God first chose Israel
to be his witnesses
for their own benefit.
And this makes sense
because we can't share
the good news
of the gospel
if it doesn't first
affect us.
Right?
This uniqueness
and the sovereignty
of God
and his ability
to save
these aren't just
intellectual facts
that we can just
pass down the line
to somebody else.
And so I think
this is something
that we often
can struggle with
because we get so
wrapped up
in our own busyness
with work
and with school
or even good things
like family
or ministry
that we can so
often overlook
the fact
that God
is God.
There is no one
like him.
The God
of the universe
has saved
us.
And so often
we can take that
for granted,
right?
It just becomes
kind of our
Christian vocabulary
and it becomes
so cliche.
Yes,
God is sovereign
and Jesus saves.
Think about that fact.
Let that soak in.
It should affect
every single fiber
of our being.
It should be the source
of all hope
and security
that we have.
And so that leads
us to that second
reason.
Yes,
we are witnesses
for our own benefit
but we are also
witnesses for the
benefit of others.
In verse 10,
God calls his people
to be witnesses
and servants.
And it's interesting
that he doesn't,
it's not a command.
He doesn't say
be my witnesses
and you need
to be my servants.
He says they are.
They are my witnesses
and my servants
because I have
chosen you
to be my people
this is your role.
This is your mission.
And so we see
that these two words
witness and servant
they really go
well together.
I mean they communicate
the same thing.
In order to be
God's servant
as we serve God
we are to be
his witness.
And so it's funny
even though God
is addressing
the nations here
he's putting forth
his case to the nations
he's really also
directing this communication
to his own people.
Because he wants
this reminder
the reality
of who he is
to transform
his own people.
That their eyes
may be open
that their ears
may be able to hear
that they can recognize
that God
is sovereign
and to recognize
then their own role
in his mission.
Their task
is to be
witnesses.
And so we see
this language used
over and over again
in the New Testament.
We read this passage
Roddy read it for us
from Acts 1
right?
When this passage
where Jesus
before he ascends
into heaven
he communicates
with his disciples
and what does he say?
You will receive
the Holy Spirit
and you will be
my witnesses
in Jerusalem
and all Judea
and Samaria
and to the ends
of the earth.
When Paul
is recounting
his own conversion
experience in Acts 26
he says that
God said to him
now get up
and stand on your feet
I have appeared
to you
to appoint you
as a servant
and as a witness
of what you have seen
and will see
of me.
And so we see
the role of God's people
has not changed.
It's the same role
that was
to the people of Israel
in the Old Testament.
It's the same role
that he gave
the New Testament church.
It's the same role
that he has given us
to be
servant
witnesses.
And so it's
important to be clear
well what are we
witnessing about?
This passage is about
God being God.
We don't just walk around
saying well God is sovereign
and expect it to make
a whole lot of change
in people's life.
Right?
I mean it's true
but it's only the foundation
upon which
our message
is built.
Our message
is the gospel.
We bear witness
to the good news
of Jesus.
A friend
to sinners
the savior
of the world.
And so just like
that courtroom scene
that we see in the passage
where the nations
have been assembled
to be able to listen
to the evidence
and render a verdict
we here
at Bucleu
are in a very similar
situation.
We have the nations
in this city
and they desperately
need to hear
the good news
of the gospel.
And so it should be
our charge
our
we should question
how are we
to be witnesses
how can we be
effective in
the spread
of the gospel
here
in this neighborhood
in our own neighborhoods
around our city
and to the ends
of the earth.
James talked about
this morning
the need
to pray
how we're going
to start praying
specifically
for neighbors
and
co-workers
family members
who don't know
the Lord
for opportunities
that we can interact
with these non-believers
that we may have
boldness
in our witness
and so let that be
our charge
tonight
that we may
recognize
that God
is sovereign
and that God
saves
and this is good news
that all need to hear
so may we have
the boldness
and the joy
of being witnesses
for our
sovereignty
let's pray
Lord we thank you
that you
are God
and there is
none like you
that you are
sovereign
over all things
there is nothing
that happens
in our lives
that is outside
of your knowledge
and control
and Lord we thank you
specifically
that your
sovereignty
affects us
in such
a beneficial
way
that you
have sent
your son
to die
for our sins
may that reality
never cease
to be amazing
may it truly
transform
who we are
and what we
desire to be
in this world
so God
we ask
to be your
witnesses
that we may
be your humble
servants
in the spread
of your gospel
in our own
neighborhoods
among our
own families
in and around
this church
and university
that we may
see lives
transformed
by the truth
of the gospel
may that be
our heart's
desire God
to see your
kingdom come
we pray this
in Jesus name
amen
now we're
going to stand
for our last
hymn of the
evening
the Lord
is my
salvation
our
martyrdom
and
làm
down
and
our
h