WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.620 Good morning, church. It's good to see you all. Good to be with you all. Happy Father's Day. 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:11.759 Happy Juneteenth. Would you turn with me to the book of Isaiah? This summer we've been studying 00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:23.580 Isaiah 40 through 55, and today we come to chapter 43, verse 22. That's page 565 in the Pew Bible, 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:28.820 565. And this passage of Isaiah that we're looking at extends all the way to chapter 44, 00:00:28.820 --> 00:00:35.320 verse 23. That's nearly all of page 566 in the Pew Bible. And there are three parts to this passage, 00:00:35.380 --> 00:00:40.439 and Isaiah. I'm going to begin by reading the first two parts. That's chapter 43, verse 22, 00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:48.079 through chapter 44, verse 5. So let me pray, and then I'll read that section for us. Let's pray together. 00:00:48.079 --> 00:01:00.820 Father, grant us light that we may not simply understand your word, but truly receive it by 00:01:00.820 --> 00:01:10.640 your Spirit. And so would you renew us inwardly and outwardly for Christ's sake. In his name we pray. 00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:20.620 Amen. All right. Isaiah 43, all the way through 44. Isaiah 43, 22, all the way through 44, 5. Let me 00:01:20.620 --> 00:01:31.760 read for us. Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob, but you have been weary of me, O Israel. You've not 00:01:31.760 --> 00:01:37.780 brought me your sheep for burnt offerings or honored me with your sacrifices. I've not burdened you with 00:01:37.780 --> 00:01:43.540 offerings or wearied you with frankincense. You have not bought me, sweet cane, with money or satisfied 00:01:43.540 --> 00:01:51.040 me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins. You have wearied me 00:01:51.040 --> 00:02:01.000 with your iniquities. I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:07.140 remember your sins. Put me in remembrance. Let us argue together. Set forth your case that you may be 00:02:07.140 --> 00:02:12.840 proved right. Your first father sinned. Your mediators transgressed against me. Therefore, 00:02:13.180 --> 00:02:18.039 I will profane the princes of the sanctuary and deliver Jacob to utter destruction and Israel to 00:02:18.039 --> 00:02:27.800 reviling. But now hear, O Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen. Thus says the Lord who made you, 00:02:27.900 --> 00:02:33.620 who formed you from the womb and will help you. Fear not, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have 00:02:33.620 --> 00:02:40.319 chosen. For I will pour out on the thirsty, I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on 00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:48.000 the dry ground. I will pour my spirit upon your offspring and my blessing on your descendants. 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:55.159 They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams. This one will say, 00:02:55.159 --> 00:03:00.740 I am the Lord's. Another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, 00:03:00.740 --> 00:03:09.280 the Lord's, and name himself by the name of Israel. Well, I wonder if it's ever occurred to you 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:18.000 that right now you and I could be engaged in one of the most deadly and dangerous of spiritual 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:26.740 activities. Coming to church, singing songs, reading the Bible, listening to a sermon, right now you and I 00:03:26.740 --> 00:03:32.500 could be doing something that is utterly dangerous, even deadly for our souls. 00:03:35.600 --> 00:03:41.939 But how could that be? All the things we're doing right now are things God tells us to do. He tells 00:03:41.939 --> 00:03:46.660 us to gather, to sing, to read, to listen to his word for our spiritual good. Isn't this what we're 00:03:46.660 --> 00:03:52.140 supposed to be doing? How could this be spiritually dangerous? How could this be spiritually deadly? 00:03:52.139 --> 00:04:04.399 Ah, but it can be. In this passage of Isaiah, God is getting down to the root of our human condition. 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:11.500 Last week in the passage right before ours, God speaks, God spoke of his intention to liberate his 00:04:11.500 --> 00:04:17.219 people from exile. Just as he saved them from slavery in Egypt, so he was going to save them 00:04:17.220 --> 00:04:27.820 from exile in Babylon. A new exodus is coming, God says. Yet, yet, that's how our text today starts. Yet, 00:04:28.080 --> 00:04:35.760 there is still a deeper problem that needs to be addressed. And what is that problem? 00:04:37.860 --> 00:04:44.880 Well, it's the problem of our sin. But here's the thing. On the outside, in Isaiah's day, 00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:51.920 the people didn't look all that bad. In fact, they were very, very religious. They went to the temple. 00:04:52.139 --> 00:04:57.399 They sang songs. They offered sacrifices. They gave offerings. They were very, very religious. 00:04:58.579 --> 00:05:06.199 But, and this is why it was so dangerous and deadly, it was all a formality. 00:05:06.199 --> 00:05:21.459 There was a lot of outward form, but no inward reality. 00:05:24.459 --> 00:05:30.399 Could that be you today? Could that be us, corporately, as a church? 00:05:30.399 --> 00:05:38.439 On the outside, could we look like we're doing all the proper things without any inward reality? 00:05:39.579 --> 00:05:45.179 Could it be that though we are very religious outwardly, we're just as lost as ever? 00:05:47.699 --> 00:05:51.179 And if so, what's the answer? 00:05:51.180 --> 00:05:55.340 Well, this is what our passage is about. 00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:02.819 The people need, you and I need, the church needs, not just a political or material redemption, 00:06:03.379 --> 00:06:04.780 but a spiritual heart renewal. 00:06:06.139 --> 00:06:10.319 Let's walk through Isaiah's text, and let's see how God addresses this problem. 00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:19.040 First, in verses 22 through 24, 22 through 24, God exposes our empty formality. 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:22.280 God exposes our empty formalities. 00:06:22.780 --> 00:06:27.900 If you look at these verses again, verses 22 through 24, it's important to realize that the pronoun 00:06:27.900 --> 00:06:33.500 me, in verse 22, for example, is in the emphatic position, and I tried to read it that way. 00:06:33.879 --> 00:06:37.080 In other words, the text is not saying that the people aren't sacrificing at all. 00:06:37.500 --> 00:06:41.060 Rather, they're not really offering their sacrifices to the Lord. 00:06:41.780 --> 00:06:43.160 You've not called upon me. 00:06:43.879 --> 00:06:46.240 You've not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings. 00:06:46.240 --> 00:06:50.879 They're going through the motions, but there's no true worship of the Lord. 00:06:51.939 --> 00:06:57.139 Empty ritual had replaced real repentance and real devotion. 00:06:58.439 --> 00:07:00.600 And that meant they weren't doing these things for the Lord. 00:07:01.220 --> 00:07:06.360 They weren't doing these things for the Lord to know Him, to enjoy Him, to love Him. 00:07:08.180 --> 00:07:11.040 It turns out they were doing all those things for themselves. 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:14.319 They went through the empty formality. 00:07:14.500 --> 00:07:18.960 They went through the religious motions, maybe, maybe just to look good to their neighbors, 00:07:19.640 --> 00:07:25.100 you know, to keep up appearances, or perhaps to please their family, you know, to just go 00:07:25.100 --> 00:07:26.900 through the motions of what their parents had done. 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:36.379 Or perhaps, more subtly, they did these things to try to get God's favor or to try to manipulate 00:07:36.379 --> 00:07:37.019 God. 00:07:38.839 --> 00:07:43.300 This is the kind of thinking that says, God, I'll do these things for you. 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:45.500 Now, you do something for me. 00:07:46.219 --> 00:07:47.139 I'll show up. 00:07:47.420 --> 00:07:49.240 I'll do the rites, the rituals, the acts. 00:07:49.300 --> 00:07:50.180 I'll go through the motions. 00:07:50.600 --> 00:07:53.420 You give me a comfortable life. 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:56.579 You keep me from trial and hardship. 00:07:56.719 --> 00:07:57.719 I do my part, God. 00:07:57.839 --> 00:07:58.699 You do yours. 00:07:58.699 --> 00:08:09.459 I wonder, do you see any of this in your own heart as we sit here at church, sing songs, 00:08:09.639 --> 00:08:11.680 and listen to Scripture read? 00:08:13.039 --> 00:08:16.000 Do you see any signs of empty formality in your own life? 00:08:18.180 --> 00:08:22.779 Here are perhaps two signs that were sliding in this dangerous direction. 00:08:23.779 --> 00:08:25.899 First, weariness. 00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:28.120 Notice again verse 22. 00:08:28.699 --> 00:08:34.120 You did not call upon me, O Jacob, but you have been weary of me, O Israel. 00:08:35.819 --> 00:08:39.360 Empty formality, you see, is wearying. 00:08:40.100 --> 00:08:41.279 It's burdensome. 00:08:41.639 --> 00:08:42.819 There's no joy in it. 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:49.980 If as a church we do things because that's how we've always done them, or because this 00:08:49.980 --> 00:08:54.080 is how we keep up appearances as godly people, or if we go through the motions because we think 00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:59.040 this is how we get a comfortable life from God, there will be no joy. 00:09:00.120 --> 00:09:01.320 It will get stale. 00:09:01.740 --> 00:09:03.360 It will become a burden. 00:09:03.360 --> 00:09:09.820 And tragically, we'll even start to be weary of God himself. 00:09:09.820 --> 00:09:14.200 You have been weary of me, God says in verse 22. 00:09:17.040 --> 00:09:22.480 Now, of course, for Old Testament believers, the temple worship and the sacrifices weren't 00:09:22.480 --> 00:09:24.100 originally given to be a burden. 00:09:25.240 --> 00:09:30.780 The Old Testament sacrifices were meant to be signs of a vital relationship with God. 00:09:30.779 --> 00:09:36.000 They were meant to be means to experience the promises of God's forgiveness and grace. 00:09:36.259 --> 00:09:40.120 Ultimately, we know they were signs pointing ahead to the ultimate atonement in Christ. 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:42.799 So these things weren't meant to be a burden. 00:09:42.939 --> 00:09:46.759 They were meant to be signs or ways to enjoy their relationship with God. 00:09:46.759 --> 00:09:55.259 But when religious practices become an empty ritual, empty formalism, they're not that anymore. 00:09:56.460 --> 00:09:57.419 They're a burden. 00:09:57.899 --> 00:09:59.159 And we become weary. 00:09:59.840 --> 00:10:02.899 We even start to get weary, we think, of God himself. 00:10:08.600 --> 00:10:13.679 The second sign that we might be sliding into the danger of empty formalism is that we're 00:10:13.679 --> 00:10:16.439 blinded to the reality of our sinfulness. 00:10:17.720 --> 00:10:19.720 Look at the end of verse 24. 00:10:20.799 --> 00:10:24.179 You have burdened me with your sins, God says. 00:10:24.679 --> 00:10:27.679 You have wearied me with your iniquities. 00:10:28.460 --> 00:10:32.980 God, in essence, is saying here, all that time you were going through the empty motions, 00:10:33.139 --> 00:10:37.759 trying to keep up appearances, trying to get me in your pocket, that whole time you were 00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:40.539 doing those outwardly religious things, you know what was really happening? 00:10:40.819 --> 00:10:42.639 Your sins were just mounting up. 00:10:42.639 --> 00:10:49.279 You thought that your religious acts could make up for your sins. 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:53.340 You thought that if you gave enough sacrifices or performed enough religious duties that you 00:10:53.340 --> 00:10:57.600 could maybe earn or get a little closer to a right relationship with me or at least get 00:10:57.600 --> 00:10:58.960 a comfortable life out of me. 00:10:59.100 --> 00:11:00.319 But it was just the opposite. 00:11:02.179 --> 00:11:06.519 God says, your empty religion was the very thing separating you from me. 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:12.759 Your empty religion was actually driving you further away from me. 00:11:12.840 --> 00:11:13.179 Why? 00:11:13.980 --> 00:11:16.279 God says, because you were treating me like an idol. 00:11:17.179 --> 00:11:21.319 You were treating me like an idol that you could manipulate, a false god that you could 00:11:21.319 --> 00:11:22.980 placate or control. 00:11:22.980 --> 00:11:25.860 But friends, God is not that kind of God. 00:11:29.220 --> 00:11:35.639 And our empty formality will just drive us even further from a real relationship with 00:11:35.639 --> 00:11:36.320 the living God. 00:11:38.399 --> 00:11:41.120 God says, it just piled up your offenses against me. 00:11:44.259 --> 00:11:48.940 And that's why sitting in church can be one of the most spiritually dangerous or deadly 00:11:48.940 --> 00:11:50.080 things you could ever do. 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:56.639 Because if we think that going through the religious motions will earn God's favor or 00:11:56.639 --> 00:12:00.980 get God on our side, if we're here because that's what so-called moral people are supposed 00:12:00.980 --> 00:12:05.040 to do, then friends, we're in worse trouble than when we started. 00:12:07.300 --> 00:12:09.879 We should all go walk down to Nika's and eat brunch. 00:12:10.340 --> 00:12:12.100 It'd be a better way to spend our Sunday morning. 00:12:15.800 --> 00:12:17.620 Empty formalism, empty religion. 00:12:17.620 --> 00:12:21.620 It's spiritually deadly and it's offensive to God. 00:12:23.080 --> 00:12:26.799 It was a problem in Isaiah's day and it's still a very real problem for us today. 00:12:30.220 --> 00:12:31.159 But what's the answer? 00:12:32.100 --> 00:12:36.740 If you and I feel the danger of our situation, if we can maybe sympathize with the weariness 00:12:36.740 --> 00:12:40.060 or maybe even the blindedness to our own sin, where do we go? 00:12:40.500 --> 00:12:41.279 What do we do? 00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:49.439 Well, after exposing our empty formalism in verses 22 through 24, the next section of our 00:12:49.439 --> 00:12:55.679 passage shows us God's promise of undeserved forgiveness and renewal. 00:12:56.399 --> 00:13:02.620 The end of chapter 43 and the beginning of chapter 44 show us God's promise of undeserved forgiveness 00:13:02.620 --> 00:13:03.860 and renewal. 00:13:03.860 --> 00:13:09.720 Notice, if you look down, if you have the pew Bible open, notice how abrupt verse 25 comes 00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:09.960 in. 00:13:10.500 --> 00:13:16.980 Just when God has exposed our sin and He says, your sins have been mounting up, He comes in 00:13:16.980 --> 00:13:21.740 like a lightning bolt and says, I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own 00:13:21.740 --> 00:13:23.899 sake and I will not remember your sins. 00:13:23.899 --> 00:13:32.000 This is a sheer, a word of sheer undeserved grace. 00:13:33.579 --> 00:13:35.840 And from a human standpoint, it doesn't make sense. 00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:39.159 Just like the transition from verse 24 to 25 doesn't make any sense. 00:13:40.740 --> 00:13:44.379 After offending God and turning the worship of God into a false and empty show, God turns 00:13:44.379 --> 00:13:46.439 and says, I'll blot out your transgressions. 00:13:47.960 --> 00:13:49.860 Doesn't make any human sense, does it? 00:13:49.860 --> 00:13:55.500 In fact, look at how verses 26 through 28 even press home this point. 00:13:56.399 --> 00:14:02.519 Lest the people of Israel think that God can forgive them because, well, we're not so bad 00:14:02.519 --> 00:14:03.419 after all, right? 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:07.399 Lest we think God's forgiveness comes because we're not really that bad. 00:14:07.700 --> 00:14:10.460 God says, okay, put forth your case. 00:14:11.620 --> 00:14:12.399 Don't you see? 00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:19.440 Your brokenness, your sinfulness, it goes all the way down your family tree. 00:14:19.860 --> 00:14:23.180 From your forebears right to today. 00:14:25.220 --> 00:14:29.539 And if I gave you what you deserved, it would be utter destruction. 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:39.680 But for God's own sake, that is out of His own nature and initiative, not because of anything 00:14:39.680 --> 00:14:42.740 in us, He blots out our transgressions. 00:14:42.740 --> 00:14:53.259 Now, in this passage, Isaiah gives no explanation why or how God will blot out our transgressions, 00:14:53.259 --> 00:14:55.220 just that God will do it. 00:14:57.060 --> 00:15:03.720 But we know that this forgiveness, though it comes free to us, is incredibly costly to God. 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:07.379 Forgiveness is always costly, isn't it? 00:15:07.379 --> 00:15:11.200 To absorb the wrong that's done and not to repay. 00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:13.860 It's always costly for the one doing the forgiving. 00:15:14.360 --> 00:15:16.720 And for God, too, forgiveness would be costly. 00:15:19.120 --> 00:15:21.080 Because how would God forgive our sins? 00:15:21.580 --> 00:15:24.659 How would the holy God forgive a sinful people? 00:15:24.659 --> 00:15:29.319 Well, in the fullness of time, God the Son would come. 00:15:30.259 --> 00:15:31.759 And He would take on our human nature. 00:15:32.579 --> 00:15:35.799 And He would live a life of complete obedience to God the Father. 00:15:36.079 --> 00:15:40.559 And there would not be an ounce of empty formalism or empty religion in Him. 00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:45.439 But nothing but genuine worship, love, and obedience. 00:15:46.019 --> 00:15:51.819 And after living a perfect life, the Son of God would give Himself up to pay the penalty for our sins. 00:15:51.820 --> 00:15:58.280 Jesus would be cut off and numbered among the transgressors and die on a cross. 00:15:59.800 --> 00:16:05.379 And through His one perfect sacrifice offered to God on our behalf, 00:16:06.140 --> 00:16:09.820 offered without any pretense, offered without any empty formality, 00:16:09.940 --> 00:16:14.020 that one perfect sacrifice would do what no other sacrifice could ever do. 00:16:14.019 --> 00:16:23.000 It would forgive the sins of all who would admit their empty formalism and sin 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:25.220 and place their trust in Christ alone. 00:16:27.939 --> 00:16:33.399 And with this full and free forgiveness that God would work for us, 00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:38.679 also comes renewal by the Holy Spirit. 00:16:39.899 --> 00:16:42.299 That's verses 1 through 5 of chapter 44. 00:16:42.299 --> 00:16:46.219 After forgiving our sin, forgiving the offense of our empty formalism, 00:16:46.579 --> 00:16:49.719 God doesn't just create a blank slate. 00:16:49.939 --> 00:16:51.519 He pours out His Spirit on us. 00:16:52.359 --> 00:16:55.459 Like water on thirsty ground, like streams in the desert. 00:16:56.399 --> 00:16:57.179 Can you imagine? 00:16:58.740 --> 00:17:04.519 What if your relationship to God wasn't a wearisome burden anymore? 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:09.259 What if you weren't trying to keep up appearances anymore? 00:17:10.779 --> 00:17:12.960 What if you didn't have to go through the motions anymore? 00:17:14.759 --> 00:17:20.299 What if it didn't feel like your Christian life was a giant process of twisting God's arm 00:17:20.299 --> 00:17:22.039 into giving you a comfortable life? 00:17:24.180 --> 00:17:26.200 What if His Spirit was poured out upon you? 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:32.059 And instead of empty ritual, there was reality. 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:38.940 Genuine repentance, heartfelt love for God, desire for the things of God. 00:17:39.700 --> 00:17:44.120 And all of that, not because ultimately we want something from God, 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:48.039 but because we just want more of God Himself. 00:17:48.039 --> 00:17:52.139 Notice verse 5. 00:17:53.819 --> 00:17:57.420 What has replaced the empty formalities, the empty religion? 00:17:57.740 --> 00:17:59.359 When the Spirit is poured out, 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:03.980 when the Spirit is poured out, 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:08.359 they're replaced with a real vital relationship with God 00:18:08.359 --> 00:18:12.139 and a real vital belonging to God's people. 00:18:12.140 --> 00:18:14.160 This one will say, 00:18:14.680 --> 00:18:15.640 I am the Lord's. 00:18:15.720 --> 00:18:16.320 There it is. 00:18:16.660 --> 00:18:18.280 A vital relationship with God. 00:18:18.780 --> 00:18:20.440 Another will call on the name of Jacob, 00:18:20.740 --> 00:18:21.980 belonging to the people of God. 00:18:22.620 --> 00:18:24.100 Another will write on his hand, 00:18:24.180 --> 00:18:24.700 the Lord's. 00:18:24.740 --> 00:18:25.120 There it is. 00:18:25.360 --> 00:18:26.180 Belonging to God. 00:18:26.220 --> 00:18:27.400 A vital relationship with Him. 00:18:27.660 --> 00:18:29.460 And name Himself by the name of Israel. 00:18:29.560 --> 00:18:29.920 There it is. 00:18:29.980 --> 00:18:31.460 Belonging to the people of God. 00:18:33.020 --> 00:18:36.640 A vital, real relationship with God and God's people. 00:18:38.020 --> 00:18:40.060 That's what replaces the empty formalities 00:18:40.060 --> 00:18:41.300 when the Spirit is poured out. 00:18:42.140 --> 00:18:47.420 Friends, what does the church ultimately need today? 00:18:49.140 --> 00:18:50.940 What do you and I ultimately need? 00:18:53.160 --> 00:18:56.440 What we need is God to pour out the Holy Spirit afresh on us. 00:18:58.620 --> 00:19:02.180 At Pentecost, the new covenant work of the Spirit began. 00:19:03.340 --> 00:19:06.020 The Spirit's work of uniting us to the risen Christ, 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:08.520 of flooding our hearts with the assurance of parting, 00:19:08.860 --> 00:19:11.759 of making us living stones in the new temple of God. 00:19:12.140 --> 00:19:15.880 We need the Spirit to come and renew His work among us. 00:19:17.600 --> 00:19:21.620 God, the Holy Spirit, He's the only one who can break us 00:19:21.620 --> 00:19:23.840 and change us from our empty formalism. 00:19:24.940 --> 00:19:28.140 Open our eyes to the beauty of Christ crucified and risen 00:19:28.140 --> 00:19:30.400 and grant us the renewed saving faith. 00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:32.360 We need to be united to Him in the first place. 00:19:36.380 --> 00:19:40.800 Ultimately, we don't need more programs or more policies or more systems. 00:19:42.800 --> 00:19:44.680 Those things are fine and good in their place. 00:19:45.840 --> 00:19:49.660 Ultimately, what we need is the Holy Spirit to come and do His work. 00:19:49.660 --> 00:19:56.000 And here in Isaiah, He promises to do just that. 00:19:56.920 --> 00:19:59.460 I will pour water on the thirsty ground. 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:03.519 I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring. 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:08.759 God doesn't leave us to wallow in our empty formalism. 00:20:08.920 --> 00:20:10.640 He promises to pour out His Spirit, 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:14.280 and then we'll be like willow trees by the water, Isaiah says. 00:20:14.840 --> 00:20:19.840 Strong, sturdy, offering shade and peace to all who pass by. 00:20:21.180 --> 00:20:25.580 What a beautiful image of the church, full of the Spirit. 00:20:28.600 --> 00:20:30.680 So how can we respond to this promise then? 00:20:30.780 --> 00:20:33.860 How can we take hold of this promise in faith that God will fulfill it? 00:20:33.859 --> 00:20:36.319 Well, that's the last part of our passage. 00:20:36.899 --> 00:20:40.679 In the last part, verses 6 through 23 of chapter 44, 00:20:41.079 --> 00:20:43.199 God exposes the futility of false idols, 00:20:43.399 --> 00:20:45.939 and then invites us in response to His promise 00:20:45.939 --> 00:20:49.959 to remember, return, and rejoice. 00:20:50.439 --> 00:20:54.639 So let me read Isaiah 44, 6 through 23. 00:20:56.399 --> 00:20:58.159 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, 00:20:58.299 --> 00:20:59.779 and His Redeemer, the Lord of hosts. 00:21:00.159 --> 00:21:01.759 I am the first and I am the last. 00:21:01.859 --> 00:21:03.219 Beside me there is no God. 00:21:03.220 --> 00:21:04.279 Who is like me? 00:21:04.339 --> 00:21:05.279 Let Him proclaim it. 00:21:05.559 --> 00:21:07.240 Let Him declare and set it before me, 00:21:07.279 --> 00:21:08.860 since I appointed an ancient people. 00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:11.559 Let them declare what is to come and what will happen. 00:21:12.299 --> 00:21:13.220 Fear not nor be afraid. 00:21:13.319 --> 00:21:15.240 Have I not told you from of old and declared it? 00:21:15.500 --> 00:21:16.500 And you are my witnesses. 00:21:17.160 --> 00:21:18.579 Is there a God beside me? 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:20.200 There is no rock. 00:21:20.620 --> 00:21:21.420 I know not any. 00:21:22.380 --> 00:21:23.819 All who fashion idols are nothing, 00:21:24.259 --> 00:21:26.079 and the things they delight in do not profit. 00:21:26.720 --> 00:21:28.700 Their witnesses neither see nor know 00:21:28.700 --> 00:21:30.059 that they may put to shame. 00:21:30.059 --> 00:21:32.120 Who fashions a God or casts an idol 00:21:32.119 --> 00:21:33.399 that is profitable for nothing. 00:21:34.139 --> 00:21:36.459 Behold, all His companions shall be put to shame, 00:21:36.539 --> 00:21:37.739 and the craftsmen are only human. 00:21:38.500 --> 00:21:39.359 Let them all assemble. 00:21:39.479 --> 00:21:40.479 Let them stand forth. 00:21:41.239 --> 00:21:42.039 They should be terrified. 00:21:42.439 --> 00:21:43.579 They should be put to shame together. 00:21:44.579 --> 00:21:46.279 The ironsmith takes a cutting tool 00:21:46.279 --> 00:21:47.779 and works it over the coals. 00:21:47.879 --> 00:21:49.039 He hammers it. 00:21:49.219 --> 00:21:50.319 He fashions it with hammers 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:51.639 and works it with his strong arm. 00:21:51.719 --> 00:21:53.839 He becomes hungry, and his strength fails. 00:21:54.319 --> 00:21:55.719 He drinks no water, and is faint. 00:21:56.619 --> 00:21:58.139 The carpenter stretches a line. 00:21:58.140 --> 00:21:59.780 He marks it out with a pencil. 00:21:59.920 --> 00:22:01.700 He shapes it with planes 00:22:01.700 --> 00:22:02.720 and marks it with a compass. 00:22:03.280 --> 00:22:04.840 He shapes it into the figure of a man 00:22:04.840 --> 00:22:06.000 with the beauty of a man 00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:07.240 to dwell in a house. 00:22:08.220 --> 00:22:09.320 He cuts down cedars, 00:22:09.440 --> 00:22:11.060 or He chooses a cypress tree or an oak 00:22:11.060 --> 00:22:12.040 and lets it grow strong 00:22:12.040 --> 00:22:13.160 among the trees of the forest. 00:22:13.640 --> 00:22:14.540 He plants a cedar, 00:22:14.620 --> 00:22:15.660 and the rain nourishes it. 00:22:16.340 --> 00:22:18.620 Then it becomes fuel for a man. 00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:20.860 He takes a part of it and warms himself. 00:22:21.060 --> 00:22:22.920 He kindles a fire and bakes bread. 00:22:23.060 --> 00:22:24.060 Also, He makes a god 00:22:24.059 --> 00:22:25.339 and worships it. 00:22:26.200 --> 00:22:27.039 He makes it an idol 00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:28.339 and falls down before it. 00:22:29.200 --> 00:22:30.779 Half of it, He burns in the fire. 00:22:31.299 --> 00:22:32.279 Over the half, He eats meat. 00:22:32.339 --> 00:22:33.500 He roasts it and is satisfied. 00:22:33.720 --> 00:22:35.079 Also, He warms Himself and says, 00:22:35.179 --> 00:22:36.079 Ah, I'm warm. 00:22:36.159 --> 00:22:36.919 I've seen the fire. 00:22:37.139 --> 00:22:37.859 And the rest of it, 00:22:38.119 --> 00:22:40.139 He makes into a god, His idol, 00:22:40.399 --> 00:22:42.179 and falls down to it and worships it. 00:22:42.220 --> 00:22:43.419 He prays to it and says, 00:22:43.799 --> 00:22:45.460 Deliver me, for You are my God. 00:22:47.000 --> 00:22:48.099 They do not know, 00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:50.039 nor do they discern, 00:22:50.679 --> 00:22:51.879 for He has shut their eyes 00:22:51.880 --> 00:22:53.320 so that they cannot see, 00:22:53.380 --> 00:22:53.940 and their hearts 00:22:53.940 --> 00:22:55.240 so that they cannot understand. 00:22:56.500 --> 00:22:57.500 No one considers, 00:22:57.700 --> 00:22:58.600 nor is there knowledge 00:22:58.600 --> 00:22:59.820 or discernment to say, 00:23:00.280 --> 00:23:01.900 Half of it I burned in the fire. 00:23:02.100 --> 00:23:03.980 I also baked bread on its coals. 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:05.460 I roasted meat and have eaten. 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:07.240 And shall I make the rest of it 00:23:07.240 --> 00:23:07.820 an abomination? 00:23:08.620 --> 00:23:09.640 Shall I fall down 00:23:09.640 --> 00:23:10.840 before a block of wood? 00:23:12.220 --> 00:23:13.500 He feeds on ashes. 00:23:14.400 --> 00:23:16.400 A deluded heart has led Him astray, 00:23:16.500 --> 00:23:17.660 and He cannot deliver Himself 00:23:17.660 --> 00:23:18.340 or say, 00:23:18.580 --> 00:23:20.680 Is there not a lie in my right hand? 00:23:21.880 --> 00:23:23.560 Remember these things, 00:23:23.760 --> 00:23:25.480 O Jacob and Israel, 00:23:25.560 --> 00:23:26.500 for You are my servant. 00:23:27.320 --> 00:23:28.040 I formed You. 00:23:28.500 --> 00:23:29.280 You are my servant. 00:23:29.940 --> 00:23:30.540 O Israel, 00:23:31.060 --> 00:23:32.860 You will not be forgotten by me. 00:23:33.740 --> 00:23:35.280 I've blotted out Your transgressions 00:23:35.280 --> 00:23:35.840 like a cloud 00:23:35.840 --> 00:23:36.900 and Your sins like a mist. 00:23:37.220 --> 00:23:38.120 Return to me, 00:23:38.780 --> 00:23:39.980 for I have redeemed You. 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:41.980 Sing, O heavens, 00:23:42.100 --> 00:23:43.160 for the Lord has done it. 00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:44.960 Shout, O depths of the earth. 00:23:45.540 --> 00:23:46.600 Break forth into singing, 00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:47.100 O mountains, 00:23:47.180 --> 00:23:47.640 O forests, 00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:48.640 and every tree in it, 00:23:49.280 --> 00:23:50.780 for the Lord has redeemed Jacob. 00:23:50.779 --> 00:23:53.559 And will be glorified in Israel. 00:23:55.480 --> 00:23:56.899 So how do we respond 00:23:56.899 --> 00:23:59.279 to the promise of the Spirit's renewal? 00:23:59.960 --> 00:24:02.799 First, we remember, verse 21. 00:24:03.420 --> 00:24:05.960 We remember that unlike the false gods, 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:08.059 unlike the idols made by hands 00:24:08.059 --> 00:24:10.940 that Isaiah sort of scathingly exposes here, 00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:13.339 idols that can't see or speak or think or act, 00:24:13.680 --> 00:24:14.879 unlike those false gods, 00:24:15.019 --> 00:24:15.660 this God, 00:24:16.299 --> 00:24:17.059 the God of Israel, 00:24:17.139 --> 00:24:18.339 the God of Jesus Christ, 00:24:18.339 --> 00:24:20.480 will never forget us. 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:22.819 Remember, God says, 00:24:22.899 --> 00:24:24.879 He will not be forgotten by me. 00:24:25.480 --> 00:24:26.319 God made you. 00:24:26.779 --> 00:24:27.379 He formed you. 00:24:27.419 --> 00:24:28.299 He chose you. 00:24:28.959 --> 00:24:30.279 And He will not forget you. 00:24:30.399 --> 00:24:31.339 Remember that. 00:24:32.579 --> 00:24:35.119 Remember the promise of God's grace. 00:24:36.859 --> 00:24:37.659 But how? 00:24:37.660 --> 00:24:40.620 How do we go about remembering 00:24:40.620 --> 00:24:42.220 this awesome truth about God? 00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:44.200 This awesome truth about God 00:24:44.200 --> 00:24:44.779 that sets Him 00:24:44.779 --> 00:24:47.200 in such wonderful distinction 00:24:47.200 --> 00:24:48.700 to all the false gods in the world? 00:24:49.860 --> 00:24:50.279 Well, 00:24:50.940 --> 00:24:52.180 this is the real reason, 00:24:52.340 --> 00:24:52.759 isn't it, 00:24:52.759 --> 00:24:53.820 that we read Scripture. 00:24:54.880 --> 00:24:56.160 This is why Bible reading 00:24:56.160 --> 00:24:57.519 and teaching are so vital. 00:24:58.220 --> 00:25:00.880 Because through the pages of Scripture, 00:25:01.040 --> 00:25:01.660 we're invited, 00:25:01.900 --> 00:25:02.720 once again, 00:25:02.840 --> 00:25:03.600 to remember, 00:25:03.940 --> 00:25:05.740 to remember who God is, 00:25:05.740 --> 00:25:07.660 our Creator and Redeemer, 00:25:08.079 --> 00:25:09.240 who will never forget us. 00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:10.720 Here is a God 00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:12.839 who is not fashioned by human hands 00:25:12.839 --> 00:25:13.900 like all the other false gods. 00:25:14.079 --> 00:25:14.640 Here's the God 00:25:14.640 --> 00:25:15.579 who fashioned us 00:25:15.579 --> 00:25:16.940 with His almighty hands. 00:25:17.019 --> 00:25:17.740 Here's not a God 00:25:17.740 --> 00:25:18.839 who we have made 00:25:18.839 --> 00:25:19.740 in our own image, 00:25:19.819 --> 00:25:20.599 but this is the God 00:25:20.599 --> 00:25:21.839 who made us in His image. 00:25:23.620 --> 00:25:25.259 When we gather on Sundays 00:25:25.259 --> 00:25:26.660 around God's Word, 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:27.880 what we're doing 00:25:27.880 --> 00:25:29.000 is engaging 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:30.539 in a great act 00:25:30.539 --> 00:25:32.099 of remembering God 00:25:32.099 --> 00:25:33.839 and remembering ourselves. 00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:36.359 We are so prone 00:25:36.359 --> 00:25:37.079 to forget, 00:25:37.859 --> 00:25:38.839 and that's why 00:25:38.839 --> 00:25:40.339 we must return 00:25:40.339 --> 00:25:41.259 to God's Word 00:25:41.259 --> 00:25:42.379 again and again and again. 00:25:43.299 --> 00:25:44.980 Not as some empty ritual 00:25:44.980 --> 00:25:46.139 or empty formality, 00:25:46.319 --> 00:25:47.419 but we take up 00:25:47.419 --> 00:25:47.899 the Scriptures 00:25:47.899 --> 00:25:49.179 in an act of remembrance 00:25:49.179 --> 00:25:50.199 like we take up 00:25:50.199 --> 00:25:50.859 a love letter. 00:25:51.480 --> 00:25:52.480 Here is the Holy God 00:25:52.480 --> 00:25:53.000 of the universe 00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:53.439 saying, 00:25:53.779 --> 00:25:55.079 I'll never forget you. 00:25:57.220 --> 00:25:58.279 And what do we know 00:25:58.279 --> 00:25:59.039 about this Word 00:25:59.039 --> 00:26:00.059 that God's given us? 00:26:00.059 --> 00:26:02.579 Well, we know 00:26:02.579 --> 00:26:04.980 that God the Holy Spirit, 00:26:05.779 --> 00:26:06.460 whose renewal 00:26:06.460 --> 00:26:07.359 that we need, 00:26:07.859 --> 00:26:08.720 God the Holy Spirit 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:09.179 is the one 00:26:09.179 --> 00:26:09.919 who inspired 00:26:09.919 --> 00:26:10.799 this very Word 00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:11.299 in Scripture. 00:26:12.919 --> 00:26:14.079 God inspired it. 00:26:14.119 --> 00:26:15.339 The Spirit inspired it 00:26:15.339 --> 00:26:17.419 to be the constant witness 00:26:17.419 --> 00:26:19.099 to God's never-failing 00:26:19.099 --> 00:26:19.579 remembrance 00:26:19.579 --> 00:26:20.379 of His promises 00:26:20.379 --> 00:26:21.139 and His people. 00:26:22.099 --> 00:26:22.679 So you see, 00:26:23.019 --> 00:26:23.919 the renewal 00:26:23.919 --> 00:26:24.740 of the Spirit 00:26:24.740 --> 00:26:26.339 always comes 00:26:26.339 --> 00:26:28.319 through the Word 00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:28.879 of the Spirit. 00:26:31.059 --> 00:26:32.179 That's how we remember. 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:33.980 And that's why 00:26:33.980 --> 00:26:34.779 corporately we put 00:26:34.779 --> 00:26:35.079 the Word 00:26:35.079 --> 00:26:35.579 in the center 00:26:35.579 --> 00:26:36.359 of what we do. 00:26:36.960 --> 00:26:38.079 That's week after week 00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:38.619 after week. 00:26:39.240 --> 00:26:39.980 Because we want 00:26:39.980 --> 00:26:40.519 to remember 00:26:40.519 --> 00:26:41.539 God's promises 00:26:41.539 --> 00:26:42.759 in the way 00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:43.339 that the Spirit 00:26:43.339 --> 00:26:43.919 has revealed 00:26:43.919 --> 00:26:44.619 these promises. 00:26:45.639 --> 00:26:46.460 So we teach 00:26:46.460 --> 00:26:47.379 and preach God's Word 00:26:47.379 --> 00:26:47.679 in the way 00:26:47.679 --> 00:26:48.599 He gave it to us. 00:26:49.819 --> 00:26:50.899 And the good news is 00:26:50.899 --> 00:26:52.299 we don't just have 00:26:52.299 --> 00:26:53.079 to do it on Sundays, 00:26:53.200 --> 00:26:53.359 right? 00:26:53.379 --> 00:26:54.119 We can take up 00:26:54.119 --> 00:26:54.500 this Word 00:26:54.500 --> 00:26:55.539 throughout the week 00:26:55.539 --> 00:26:56.559 and remember. 00:26:56.559 --> 00:26:58.319 Remember the God 00:26:58.319 --> 00:26:59.460 who never forgets us 00:26:59.460 --> 00:27:00.779 and who promises 00:27:00.779 --> 00:27:01.519 to renew us 00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:02.240 by His Spirit. 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:03.740 Remember, 00:27:03.859 --> 00:27:04.299 that's verse. 00:27:04.379 --> 00:27:04.679 Second, 00:27:05.259 --> 00:27:05.700 return. 00:27:06.059 --> 00:27:06.859 Verse 22 says, 00:27:06.980 --> 00:27:08.359 return to me. 00:27:08.919 --> 00:27:09.579 It's not enough 00:27:09.579 --> 00:27:10.279 to just remember. 00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:12.079 We must return. 00:27:13.119 --> 00:27:13.319 You know, 00:27:13.359 --> 00:27:14.339 our hearts tragically 00:27:14.339 --> 00:27:15.319 do go after 00:27:15.319 --> 00:27:16.139 those false gods 00:27:16.139 --> 00:27:17.519 as silly as they are, 00:27:17.819 --> 00:27:18.059 right? 00:27:18.099 --> 00:27:19.460 We still chase after them. 00:27:21.079 --> 00:27:22.419 But none of the false gods 00:27:22.419 --> 00:27:23.299 can do what this God 00:27:23.299 --> 00:27:23.679 has done. 00:27:24.579 --> 00:27:25.319 And what is that? 00:27:25.379 --> 00:27:25.960 Verse 22, 00:27:25.960 --> 00:27:27.960 I have blotted out 00:27:27.960 --> 00:27:28.860 your transgressions 00:27:28.860 --> 00:27:29.480 like a cloud 00:27:29.480 --> 00:27:30.860 and your sins 00:27:30.860 --> 00:27:31.519 like mist. 00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:33.059 Return to me 00:27:33.059 --> 00:27:34.500 for I have redeemed you. 00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:37.860 There's no other God 00:27:37.860 --> 00:27:39.759 who can unshackle us 00:27:39.759 --> 00:27:40.319 from the weight 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:41.299 of our sin and shame, 00:27:41.980 --> 00:27:43.000 who can release us 00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:43.500 from the guilt 00:27:43.500 --> 00:27:44.460 of transgressions. 00:27:45.079 --> 00:27:46.259 But this God 00:27:46.259 --> 00:27:47.940 has blotted them out, 00:27:48.299 --> 00:27:49.160 evaporated them 00:27:49.160 --> 00:27:49.740 like a mist, 00:27:49.840 --> 00:27:50.460 Isaiah says. 00:27:51.440 --> 00:27:52.200 Through the cross 00:27:52.200 --> 00:27:52.819 of Christ, 00:27:53.779 --> 00:27:54.940 God has redeemed us. 00:27:54.940 --> 00:27:56.360 Last week, 00:27:56.440 --> 00:27:56.940 Pastor Matt 00:27:56.940 --> 00:27:58.019 mentioned the parable 00:27:58.019 --> 00:27:58.960 of the prodigal son. 00:27:59.140 --> 00:27:59.840 And if you know 00:27:59.840 --> 00:28:00.340 that story, 00:28:00.400 --> 00:28:01.200 you know it ends 00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:02.380 with the older brother 00:28:02.380 --> 00:28:03.740 hard-hearted, 00:28:04.259 --> 00:28:05.480 refusing to celebrate 00:28:05.480 --> 00:28:06.120 the return 00:28:06.120 --> 00:28:07.100 of his younger brother. 00:28:08.380 --> 00:28:09.860 But as many commentators 00:28:09.860 --> 00:28:10.539 and preachers 00:28:10.539 --> 00:28:11.200 have pointed out, 00:28:11.880 --> 00:28:12.940 it actually should 00:28:12.940 --> 00:28:13.720 have been 00:28:13.720 --> 00:28:15.420 the older brother 00:28:15.420 --> 00:28:16.660 going out, 00:28:16.920 --> 00:28:17.279 finding, 00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:18.320 redeeming 00:28:18.320 --> 00:28:19.600 his younger brother. 00:28:19.599 --> 00:28:19.639 brother. 00:28:21.179 --> 00:28:22.219 The older brother 00:28:22.219 --> 00:28:22.679 is the one 00:28:22.679 --> 00:28:23.119 who should have 00:28:23.119 --> 00:28:23.899 paid the cost 00:28:23.899 --> 00:28:25.359 to bring his wayward 00:28:25.359 --> 00:28:26.240 little brother home. 00:28:27.839 --> 00:28:28.539 And friends, 00:28:28.599 --> 00:28:29.959 the wonder of the gospel 00:28:29.959 --> 00:28:30.659 is this, 00:28:31.399 --> 00:28:33.139 that Jesus Christ 00:28:33.139 --> 00:28:35.099 is the true older brother, 00:28:35.319 --> 00:28:36.319 the true redeemer 00:28:36.319 --> 00:28:37.599 that we need. 00:28:38.299 --> 00:28:39.240 He did go into 00:28:39.240 --> 00:28:39.899 the far country. 00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:41.119 He did pay the penalty 00:28:41.119 --> 00:28:41.919 to set us free. 00:28:42.179 --> 00:28:42.939 And so, 00:28:43.159 --> 00:28:44.740 we can return. 00:28:44.740 --> 00:28:48.299 We can return to God 00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:49.420 and expect to find 00:28:49.420 --> 00:28:51.579 not some angry deity, 00:28:51.940 --> 00:28:52.819 not some angry 00:28:52.819 --> 00:28:53.579 older brother. 00:28:54.200 --> 00:28:55.420 But when we return, 00:28:55.519 --> 00:28:56.279 what do we find? 00:28:56.779 --> 00:28:58.200 We find the embrace 00:28:58.200 --> 00:28:59.839 of eternal love. 00:29:01.319 --> 00:29:02.380 So return, 00:29:02.559 --> 00:29:03.160 God says. 00:29:04.200 --> 00:29:05.299 Return to me. 00:29:06.259 --> 00:29:06.779 Lay down 00:29:06.779 --> 00:29:08.039 your empty formalism. 00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:09.339 Lay down 00:29:09.339 --> 00:29:10.339 your weary burden 00:29:10.339 --> 00:29:11.700 of outward appearances. 00:29:12.880 --> 00:29:13.740 And return. 00:29:13.740 --> 00:29:15.200 Brothers and sisters, 00:29:15.319 --> 00:29:16.279 we can return 00:29:16.279 --> 00:29:17.140 today. 00:29:20.140 --> 00:29:21.059 How do we do it? 00:29:21.120 --> 00:29:21.819 How do we return? 00:29:23.839 --> 00:29:24.319 Well, 00:29:24.359 --> 00:29:25.000 it begins 00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:26.599 through the simple 00:29:26.599 --> 00:29:28.079 and yet profound 00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:28.620 act 00:29:28.620 --> 00:29:29.740 of prayer. 00:29:31.460 --> 00:29:32.440 We turn 00:29:32.440 --> 00:29:33.039 our hearts 00:29:33.039 --> 00:29:33.700 to God 00:29:33.700 --> 00:29:35.299 and speak 00:29:35.299 --> 00:29:36.059 to the God 00:29:36.059 --> 00:29:37.640 who always listens 00:29:37.640 --> 00:29:39.220 and who always hears. 00:29:41.539 --> 00:29:42.359 And we know 00:29:42.359 --> 00:29:43.099 that for the believer, 00:29:43.099 --> 00:29:44.359 the act of prayer 00:29:44.359 --> 00:29:46.959 is also an act 00:29:46.959 --> 00:29:48.159 of the Holy Spirit. 00:29:50.079 --> 00:29:50.919 In prayer, 00:29:51.059 --> 00:29:51.740 God's Spirit 00:29:51.740 --> 00:29:53.219 testifies with our spirit 00:29:53.219 --> 00:29:53.959 that we are children 00:29:53.959 --> 00:29:54.459 of God 00:29:54.459 --> 00:29:55.339 and we cry out, 00:29:55.659 --> 00:29:56.240 Abba, Father. 00:29:57.419 --> 00:29:58.699 So just as renewal 00:29:58.699 --> 00:29:59.619 comes through the Word 00:29:59.619 --> 00:30:00.219 of the Spirit, 00:30:00.480 --> 00:30:01.639 so renewal comes 00:30:01.639 --> 00:30:02.139 through prayer 00:30:02.139 --> 00:30:02.719 in the Spirit. 00:30:03.859 --> 00:30:04.379 And that's why 00:30:04.379 --> 00:30:05.319 in our corporate gatherings 00:30:05.319 --> 00:30:05.919 we give so much 00:30:05.919 --> 00:30:06.839 attention to prayer, 00:30:07.879 --> 00:30:09.199 to prayers of confession 00:30:09.199 --> 00:30:10.039 and thanksgiving, 00:30:10.219 --> 00:30:11.500 to prayers of petition 00:30:11.500 --> 00:30:12.380 and praise. 00:30:13.180 --> 00:30:14.539 We don't just remember, 00:30:14.660 --> 00:30:15.240 we return. 00:30:17.400 --> 00:30:18.559 We return to the God 00:30:18.559 --> 00:30:18.960 who's forgiven 00:30:18.960 --> 00:30:19.839 all of our sins 00:30:19.839 --> 00:30:20.920 and promises 00:30:20.920 --> 00:30:21.559 to renew us 00:30:21.559 --> 00:30:22.420 by His Holy Spirit. 00:30:24.099 --> 00:30:24.799 And lastly, 00:30:24.900 --> 00:30:25.400 we rejoice. 00:30:25.599 --> 00:30:26.220 Verse 23, 00:30:26.640 --> 00:30:27.359 Sing, O heavens, 00:30:27.440 --> 00:30:28.259 for the Lord has done it. 00:30:28.359 --> 00:30:29.019 Shout, O depths 00:30:29.019 --> 00:30:29.480 of the earth. 00:30:30.240 --> 00:30:31.079 Why do we sing? 00:30:31.220 --> 00:30:32.200 Why do we rejoice? 00:30:32.200 --> 00:30:35.400 Because unlike 00:30:35.400 --> 00:30:36.400 all the false gods 00:30:36.400 --> 00:30:37.100 who have no power 00:30:37.100 --> 00:30:37.580 to save, 00:30:37.680 --> 00:30:38.259 this God, 00:30:38.460 --> 00:30:38.980 the Lord, 00:30:39.240 --> 00:30:40.279 verse 23 says, 00:30:41.000 --> 00:30:42.720 has done it. 00:30:44.500 --> 00:30:45.559 We rejoice 00:30:45.559 --> 00:30:47.080 because the Lord 00:30:47.080 --> 00:30:48.380 has done it. 00:30:48.779 --> 00:30:49.340 That is, 00:30:49.400 --> 00:30:49.980 we rejoice 00:30:49.980 --> 00:30:52.140 because it's a finished work. 00:30:53.259 --> 00:30:54.059 The Lord 00:30:54.059 --> 00:30:55.220 has done it. 00:30:55.259 --> 00:30:55.620 Do you want to know 00:30:55.620 --> 00:30:56.200 the difference 00:30:56.200 --> 00:30:57.920 between empty 00:30:57.920 --> 00:30:58.920 formalism 00:30:58.920 --> 00:31:00.140 and the gospel? 00:31:00.140 --> 00:31:03.160 empty formalism 00:31:03.160 --> 00:31:04.020 says do. 00:31:04.720 --> 00:31:05.540 Do this. 00:31:06.100 --> 00:31:06.680 Do that. 00:31:06.980 --> 00:31:07.580 Do this. 00:31:07.700 --> 00:31:08.759 Keep on doing that 00:31:08.759 --> 00:31:09.780 and maybe you'll get 00:31:09.780 --> 00:31:10.500 what you want. 00:31:10.860 --> 00:31:12.460 Do, do, do, do. 00:31:13.460 --> 00:31:15.220 But the gospel says 00:31:15.220 --> 00:31:16.440 done. 00:31:17.600 --> 00:31:19.840 God has done it. 00:31:20.780 --> 00:31:21.440 All of it. 00:31:22.320 --> 00:31:23.400 When Christ died 00:31:23.400 --> 00:31:24.040 on the cross 00:31:24.040 --> 00:31:24.980 and rose again, 00:31:25.100 --> 00:31:26.560 it was done. 00:31:28.240 --> 00:31:29.920 It's a finished work. 00:31:30.140 --> 00:31:31.680 For you to receive 00:31:31.680 --> 00:31:32.800 and enjoy. 00:31:33.680 --> 00:31:34.920 The do, do, do 00:31:34.920 --> 00:31:36.060 of empty formalism, 00:31:36.160 --> 00:31:36.880 of empty religion, 00:31:36.880 --> 00:31:37.400 as we said, 00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:38.759 it just produces weariness. 00:31:39.980 --> 00:31:41.000 But the done 00:31:41.000 --> 00:31:41.840 of the gospel 00:31:41.840 --> 00:31:43.220 produces joy. 00:31:44.440 --> 00:31:45.320 And out of that 00:31:45.320 --> 00:31:46.780 wellspring of joy, 00:31:46.960 --> 00:31:47.800 what comes? 00:31:48.660 --> 00:31:49.180 Complacency? 00:31:49.420 --> 00:31:49.780 No. 00:31:50.460 --> 00:31:51.000 Love 00:31:51.000 --> 00:31:51.980 and service 00:31:51.980 --> 00:31:52.900 and righteousness 00:31:52.900 --> 00:31:53.900 and peace. 00:31:53.900 --> 00:31:57.060 It's the weariness 00:31:57.060 --> 00:31:58.200 of formal religion 00:31:58.200 --> 00:31:58.780 that creates 00:31:58.780 --> 00:31:59.600 burdensome, 00:32:00.019 --> 00:32:00.560 tired, 00:32:01.340 --> 00:32:02.280 burned out people. 00:32:02.640 --> 00:32:03.800 But the joy 00:32:03.800 --> 00:32:04.540 of the done 00:32:04.540 --> 00:32:05.320 of the gospel 00:32:05.320 --> 00:32:06.120 creates a people 00:32:06.120 --> 00:32:07.200 who love righteousness 00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:08.040 and justice 00:32:08.040 --> 00:32:09.040 and want everyone 00:32:09.040 --> 00:32:09.460 to know 00:32:09.460 --> 00:32:10.519 and experience it. 00:32:12.780 --> 00:32:13.300 You know, 00:32:13.340 --> 00:32:13.800 the truth is 00:32:13.800 --> 00:32:14.320 we won't be able 00:32:14.320 --> 00:32:15.040 to love and serve 00:32:15.040 --> 00:32:15.800 our fallen world 00:32:15.800 --> 00:32:16.600 for very long 00:32:16.600 --> 00:32:17.780 unless we have 00:32:17.780 --> 00:32:18.340 this joy. 00:32:19.540 --> 00:32:19.780 You know, 00:32:19.840 --> 00:32:20.680 today's Father's Day 00:32:20.680 --> 00:32:21.860 and today's Juneteenth. 00:32:22.779 --> 00:32:23.759 There's a lot of fathers 00:32:23.759 --> 00:32:24.320 who are weary. 00:32:25.140 --> 00:32:25.840 We're in a country 00:32:25.840 --> 00:32:26.660 where there's a long 00:32:26.660 --> 00:32:27.720 history of injustice. 00:32:28.500 --> 00:32:29.740 What's going to empower us 00:32:29.740 --> 00:32:30.340 as people 00:32:30.340 --> 00:32:31.519 to go out 00:32:31.519 --> 00:32:32.920 and to work hard 00:32:32.920 --> 00:32:34.200 to love in our families 00:32:34.200 --> 00:32:34.980 and to go out 00:32:34.980 --> 00:32:35.600 into our communities 00:32:35.600 --> 00:32:36.320 to love 00:32:36.320 --> 00:32:37.160 and to listen? 00:32:39.620 --> 00:32:40.640 Unless we have 00:32:40.640 --> 00:32:41.340 this joy, 00:32:41.980 --> 00:32:42.580 unless we have 00:32:42.580 --> 00:32:43.380 this rejoicing 00:32:43.380 --> 00:32:44.019 that comes 00:32:44.019 --> 00:32:45.620 not from what we do 00:32:45.620 --> 00:32:46.220 but from what 00:32:46.220 --> 00:32:47.259 the Lord Jesus Christ 00:32:47.259 --> 00:32:47.900 has done, 00:32:48.740 --> 00:32:49.759 unless we have that, 00:32:49.799 --> 00:32:50.580 it's not going to last 00:32:50.579 --> 00:32:51.259 long, friends. 00:32:51.759 --> 00:32:53.000 But here's the good news. 00:32:53.480 --> 00:32:55.099 The done of the gospel 00:32:55.099 --> 00:32:56.000 is going to create 00:32:56.000 --> 00:32:57.099 in us a dynamic 00:32:57.099 --> 00:32:58.559 where the Spirit 00:32:58.559 --> 00:32:59.639 doesn't just fill us 00:32:59.639 --> 00:33:00.659 but it overflows 00:33:00.659 --> 00:33:01.439 and we go out. 00:33:03.879 --> 00:33:05.319 So rejoice, church. 00:33:06.819 --> 00:33:07.299 Remember, 00:33:07.679 --> 00:33:08.179 return, 00:33:08.720 --> 00:33:09.559 and rejoice. 00:33:11.259 --> 00:33:12.119 Your sins 00:33:12.119 --> 00:33:13.240 have been blotted out. 00:33:14.439 --> 00:33:15.039 The Spirit 00:33:15.039 --> 00:33:16.399 has been poured out 00:33:16.399 --> 00:33:18.000 and you don't need 00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:18.480 to go through 00:33:18.480 --> 00:33:20.099 the weary motions anymore. 00:33:20.579 --> 00:33:23.299 you can have 00:33:23.299 --> 00:33:24.379 a vital 00:33:24.379 --> 00:33:26.220 living relationship 00:33:26.220 --> 00:33:26.939 with God 00:33:26.939 --> 00:33:27.619 and Christ. 00:33:28.500 --> 00:33:29.399 It's yours. 00:33:32.039 --> 00:33:33.179 May God pour out 00:33:33.179 --> 00:33:33.619 His Spirit 00:33:33.619 --> 00:33:34.460 afresh on us 00:33:34.460 --> 00:33:36.240 and may we remember 00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:37.519 and return 00:33:37.519 --> 00:33:38.759 and rejoice. 00:33:39.279 --> 00:33:39.779 Let's pray. 00:33:39.779 --> 00:33:47.039 Father in heaven, 00:33:47.099 --> 00:33:47.460 as we 00:33:47.460 --> 00:33:50.099 spend a moment 00:33:50.099 --> 00:33:50.779 to just meditate 00:33:50.779 --> 00:33:51.559 on Your Word, 00:33:53.099 --> 00:33:54.519 our prayer is simple 00:33:54.519 --> 00:33:55.099 this morning. 00:33:56.440 --> 00:33:57.700 As we open our hands 00:33:57.700 --> 00:33:58.180 and our hearts 00:33:58.180 --> 00:33:58.660 to You, 00:33:59.879 --> 00:34:01.139 we pray that Your Spirit 00:34:01.139 --> 00:34:01.619 would come. 00:34:04.420 --> 00:34:05.220 We pray that He 00:34:05.220 --> 00:34:05.960 would be poured out 00:34:05.960 --> 00:34:06.579 upon us, 00:34:06.579 --> 00:34:08.360 this blessing 00:34:08.360 --> 00:34:09.500 of the Spirit. 00:34:10.500 --> 00:34:10.960 Oh Lord, 00:34:11.059 --> 00:34:13.400 we pray for the grace 00:34:13.400 --> 00:34:15.539 to receive His work, 00:34:16.500 --> 00:34:17.980 to release us 00:34:17.980 --> 00:34:18.579 from sin, 00:34:19.380 --> 00:34:21.900 to fill us with joy, 00:34:23.299 --> 00:34:24.779 to unite us 00:34:24.779 --> 00:34:25.940 to our risen 00:34:25.940 --> 00:34:27.119 and reigning Lord Jesus. 00:34:29.119 --> 00:34:29.480 Father, 00:34:29.539 --> 00:34:30.159 we know that 00:34:30.159 --> 00:34:31.460 some of us 00:34:31.460 --> 00:34:32.920 have maybe thought 00:34:32.920 --> 00:34:34.319 for a long time 00:34:34.320 --> 00:34:35.519 that we're Christians 00:34:35.519 --> 00:34:36.780 but we're realizing 00:34:36.780 --> 00:34:37.240 maybe 00:34:37.240 --> 00:34:38.780 that it's been 00:34:38.780 --> 00:34:39.680 empty formalism, 00:34:39.960 --> 00:34:41.140 that it's maybe 00:34:41.140 --> 00:34:41.740 just been going 00:34:41.740 --> 00:34:42.380 through the motions 00:34:42.380 --> 00:34:43.019 and there hasn't 00:34:43.019 --> 00:34:43.880 been any reality. 00:34:44.840 --> 00:34:45.120 God, 00:34:45.160 --> 00:34:46.140 I pray this morning 00:34:46.140 --> 00:34:48.140 that You would do 00:34:48.140 --> 00:34:48.760 something new 00:34:48.760 --> 00:34:49.640 in the hearts 00:34:49.640 --> 00:34:50.840 of those who are 00:34:50.840 --> 00:34:51.600 feeling this way, 00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:53.420 that perhaps 00:34:53.420 --> 00:34:54.440 for the first time 00:34:54.440 --> 00:34:56.400 they would lay down 00:34:56.400 --> 00:34:57.960 empty formalism 00:34:57.960 --> 00:34:58.500 and religion 00:34:58.500 --> 00:34:59.940 and take hold 00:34:59.940 --> 00:35:01.640 of the living Christ. 00:35:01.639 --> 00:35:04.799 O God, 00:35:04.879 --> 00:35:05.440 fill us all 00:35:05.440 --> 00:35:06.159 with Your joy, 00:35:06.279 --> 00:35:06.699 we pray. 00:35:07.279 --> 00:35:07.699 Amen.