WEBVTT 00:00:00.760 --> 00:00:04.639 We want to thank you, almighty God, for your presence with us. 00:00:05.820 --> 00:00:13.140 And thank you for the promise that as your word is read, so you will speak to us. 00:00:14.439 --> 00:00:22.740 But we know that we can only understand you and know you and live in the light of who you are by the help of your spirit. 00:00:24.039 --> 00:00:27.000 And so we pray that he might be at work among us this morning. 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:36.179 And that you might strengthen us and enlighten us so that we might be the people you want us to be. 00:00:37.120 --> 00:00:40.399 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 00:00:41.840 --> 00:00:44.460 Isaiah 9 then, verses 1 to 7. 00:00:45.420 --> 00:00:50.379 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. 00:00:51.100 --> 00:00:55.579 In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. 00:00:55.579 --> 00:01:03.539 But in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 00:01:04.379 --> 00:01:08.019 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. 00:01:08.379 --> 00:01:12.519 Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 00:01:13.299 --> 00:01:15.000 You have multiplied the nation. 00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:16.900 You have increased its joy. 00:01:17.019 --> 00:01:22.359 They rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:30.900 For the yoke of his burden and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 00:01:31.739 --> 00:01:40.019 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumults and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 00:01:40.019 --> 00:01:48.319 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder. 00:01:48.819 --> 00:01:55.579 And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 00:01:56.500 --> 00:01:59.560 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end. 00:01:59.560 --> 00:02:10.280 On the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. 00:02:11.080 --> 00:02:14.360 The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. 00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:19.960 I feel like I should say Merry Christmas after that. 00:02:20.199 --> 00:02:23.520 But if you could keep that open in front of you, it would be great to do that. 00:02:23.580 --> 00:02:27.860 And then on the back of the notice sheet, there's an outline of where we're going as well. 00:02:27.860 --> 00:02:33.320 So as we start, though, I imagine that we've all had the experience of being in a minority somewhere. 00:02:33.720 --> 00:02:37.260 I was once preaching at a church in South Sudan in Juba. 00:02:37.400 --> 00:02:41.940 There were over 2,000 people there, and I was the only white face among them. 00:02:42.020 --> 00:02:46.540 I guess that's what it feels like to be a Scot in St. Andrews some of the time. 00:02:46.760 --> 00:02:52.060 I made the mistake once of meeting up with a friend in a bar not far from here 00:02:52.060 --> 00:02:55.380 who happened to be showing an England versus Scotland football game. 00:02:55.379 --> 00:03:03.159 As I stood at the bar, England scored, and there was a slightly chilly silence in the room. 00:03:03.699 --> 00:03:05.680 Just at the moment, I said to the barman, 00:03:05.840 --> 00:03:07.879 Could I have a cup of Earl Grey tea, please? 00:03:08.579 --> 00:03:10.659 The heads turned in my direction. 00:03:10.799 --> 00:03:14.639 One or two looked as though they might want to give me a Glasgow handshake. 00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:20.319 We made the strategic decision to sit outside in the rain for our tea. 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:25.400 In one way or another, they will have all had that experience, that discomfort. 00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:29.280 These are trivial examples, but of being in a minority. 00:03:30.659 --> 00:03:37.699 And here in the West, at least, that sense of isolation is something that Christians feel in our society more and more. 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:43.000 Some of us, I know, will be the only Christian in our family or in our friendship group or in our class, 00:03:43.060 --> 00:03:46.139 our team on our course or in our office. 00:03:46.139 --> 00:03:50.319 One child, I know, was in a lesson in which the teacher was discussing Christianity 00:03:50.319 --> 00:03:53.679 and said to this group of 10, 11-year-olds, 00:03:53.879 --> 00:03:58.379 Is there anyone here stupid enough to actually believe this stuff? 00:03:59.859 --> 00:04:05.779 I think of a friend who married someone who said that he was a Christian at the time that they got married. 00:04:06.199 --> 00:04:11.199 But any appearance of faith that there was is now a very distant memory. 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:15.679 Some other friends started going to their local church when it was faithful and strong. 00:04:16.279 --> 00:04:19.339 Over the years, they've watched it drift and decline. 00:04:20.039 --> 00:04:24.800 Now when they go to church, even, they feel very much in the minority. 00:04:26.060 --> 00:04:33.500 What does God say to someone who is surrounded by people who do not share their faith? 00:04:33.500 --> 00:04:37.800 That's the situation that the prophet Isaiah was in. 00:04:38.139 --> 00:04:41.220 The people of Judah among whom he was living were God's people. 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:45.199 They were meant to spur one another on to lives of faith. 00:04:45.319 --> 00:04:51.800 But we saw last week that instead of doing that, they'd followed the lead of their faithless king Ahaz. 00:04:52.579 --> 00:04:54.819 They'd abandoned their trust in God. 00:04:54.819 --> 00:05:03.180 So that now Isaiah and a few friends around him were really the only true believers in the whole of their country. 00:05:04.279 --> 00:05:08.319 And today in our passage, God tells Isaiah how to respond. 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:12.039 And you might see it there in verse 11 of chapter 8. 00:05:12.139 --> 00:05:17.639 The sovereign Lord lays his strong hand upon Isaiah. 00:05:17.639 --> 00:05:23.199 I have no idea what it felt like to experience the strong hand of the Lord laid upon him. 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:26.539 But obviously it made something of an impression. 00:05:27.639 --> 00:05:31.839 And it's there to underline the seriousness of what God says next. 00:05:31.939 --> 00:05:36.120 This is the big application really for our whole mourning together. 00:05:36.659 --> 00:05:43.500 As God warned him not to walk in the way of the people around him. 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:48.039 That's what you do when you're surrounded by people who don't share your faith. 00:05:48.159 --> 00:05:49.579 God's strong hand upon you. 00:05:49.579 --> 00:05:54.279 You make sure that you resist the temptation to go with the flow. 00:05:54.959 --> 00:05:57.120 You don't walk in their way. 00:05:58.099 --> 00:06:03.439 We might say avoid their outlook on life, their approach to life, their priorities in life. 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:06.019 And you stay true to God. 00:06:07.379 --> 00:06:10.279 I want to say that is a vital word for each one of us. 00:06:10.919 --> 00:06:14.099 To hear wherever we're at before God this morning. 00:06:14.100 --> 00:06:18.520 And we've got two character studies to think about. 00:06:18.860 --> 00:06:22.420 We're going to look at the bad way of the people first and its consequences. 00:06:23.020 --> 00:06:26.640 And then we'll look at the way of faith and its promises after that. 00:06:26.700 --> 00:06:30.400 And the first point I've called the dark distress of a faithless people. 00:06:30.540 --> 00:06:31.800 So we read from verse 11 again. 00:06:31.800 --> 00:07:01.780 Bear in mind here that God isn't accusing Isaiah of having already failed in these ways. 00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:04.000 He's not assuming that we have either. 00:07:04.120 --> 00:07:06.759 Although that may be the case for some here. 00:07:07.379 --> 00:07:09.980 Rather his purpose is to guard us. 00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:14.620 So that instead of walking in their way, we walk in his. 00:07:15.620 --> 00:07:21.240 And bad character trait number one to avoid is to fear everything but God. 00:07:21.240 --> 00:07:27.819 We've said before that the issue with whom you fear in the Bible isn't about being scared of someone. 00:07:28.579 --> 00:07:36.600 But it's about respecting and revering them to the extent that their desires begin to shape you. 00:07:37.319 --> 00:07:41.540 Because you want this individual to approve of what you're doing. 00:07:42.120 --> 00:07:46.019 And you don't want to upset them or make them angry. 00:07:46.019 --> 00:07:52.079 And so in that way, their preferences start to define who you are. 00:07:53.560 --> 00:07:59.019 And Isaiah was living at a time when almost everyone in Judah was fearing political enemies. 00:08:00.120 --> 00:08:01.819 It won't be quite like that for us. 00:08:02.099 --> 00:08:04.959 But they were fearing political enemies more than God. 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:10.839 You may remember that the kings of Syria and Israel, just a bit of recap if you weren't here last week, 00:08:10.899 --> 00:08:12.799 they were poised to attack Judah. 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:17.520 And even though God had promised to protect his people, they chose to reject God's help 00:08:17.520 --> 00:08:22.420 and to trust in a political alliance with Assyria instead. 00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:25.520 And so in verse 12, God says to Isaiah, 00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:28.939 Don't call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy. 00:08:29.540 --> 00:08:32.680 And do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 00:08:33.539 --> 00:08:37.220 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honour as holy. 00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:39.180 Let him be your fear. 00:08:40.100 --> 00:08:41.500 Let him be your dread. 00:08:41.500 --> 00:08:46.759 That is, everybody else may have given up on fearing me and listening to me. 00:08:47.480 --> 00:08:51.000 But don't you make the same mistake. 00:08:51.820 --> 00:08:58.519 I am your almighty, holy, and faithful creator. 00:08:58.700 --> 00:09:03.559 So fear me, honour me, let me be what defines you. 00:09:03.559 --> 00:09:10.759 Back in January, some of us heard Jesus say the same thing to his disciples in Luke 12. 00:09:10.959 --> 00:09:14.659 Don't fear those who kill the body and after that have no more they can do. 00:09:14.779 --> 00:09:16.799 I warn you who to fear, Jesus said. 00:09:17.639 --> 00:09:22.519 Fear him who, after he's killed, has authority to cast into hell. 00:09:22.659 --> 00:09:24.679 Yes, I tell you, fear him. 00:09:24.879 --> 00:09:25.299 Fear God. 00:09:25.379 --> 00:09:29.500 Later in the New Testament, the apostle Peter quotes these verses from Isaiah. 00:09:29.500 --> 00:09:32.120 He says of those who oppose our faith today. 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:36.620 Have no fear of them, nor be troubled. 00:09:37.480 --> 00:09:41.399 But in your hearts, regard Christ the Lord as holy. 00:09:42.679 --> 00:09:44.000 Fear God. 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:55.179 I don't know what you'll make of this, but I reckon if we're honest, we'll admit that we all enjoy having the approval of the people who are around us. 00:09:56.220 --> 00:10:02.039 We like to fit in and to be respected by our friends, our colleagues, our family, whoever it is. 00:10:02.039 --> 00:10:18.279 And if they're not believers, it is really easy to let our hearts be troubled by them to the extent that we live for and make decisions to please them rather than our God. 00:10:19.839 --> 00:10:22.419 And God's great prophet Isaiah knew that temptation. 00:10:22.419 --> 00:10:31.879 It would have been so easy for him at any moment to slip into putting his confidence in the same human solutions as everybody around him. 00:10:33.419 --> 00:10:34.959 And so God warned him. 00:10:36.079 --> 00:10:37.179 He warns us. 00:10:38.279 --> 00:10:39.439 Don't walk in their ways. 00:10:39.559 --> 00:10:41.019 Don't fear what they fear. 00:10:42.099 --> 00:10:42.599 Fear me. 00:10:44.740 --> 00:10:47.360 So bad character trait, number one, fear anything but God. 00:10:47.579 --> 00:10:49.500 Two, believe anything but God's word. 00:10:49.500 --> 00:10:56.279 It's there in verse 19 when they say to you, inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter. 00:10:57.299 --> 00:11:01.080 Should not a people inquire of their God? 00:11:02.600 --> 00:11:04.240 I've quoted G.K. Chesterton before. 00:11:04.419 --> 00:11:07.600 When people stop believing in God, it's not that they believe in nothing. 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:10.019 It's that they'll believe in anything. 00:11:11.080 --> 00:11:12.500 And that was Isaiah's experience. 00:11:13.240 --> 00:11:14.740 Ahaz and Ko had rejected God. 00:11:14.740 --> 00:11:24.600 Now, without any hint of irony, they approach the prophet of the God that they've rejected and ask him to consult the tea leaves on their behalf. 00:11:25.500 --> 00:11:32.840 Mediums and necromancers both promise to summon up the spirits of the dead, the sort of thing you'd find in a spiritualist church. 00:11:32.960 --> 00:11:38.620 Here it seems the people of Judah want to know what the future has in store for them. 00:11:38.620 --> 00:11:46.139 And so they say to Isaiah and to his disciples, can't you just look into your crystal ball? 00:11:47.240 --> 00:11:49.539 Can you tell us what our stars say? 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:51.740 Can you read our palm? 00:11:51.879 --> 00:11:53.720 Tell us our fortune. 00:11:55.019 --> 00:12:01.399 Because they don't care what God has to say, but they still want some kind of word from outside. 00:12:01.399 --> 00:12:07.319 That pattern is pretty common in the Bible as I've been thinking about it. 00:12:07.379 --> 00:12:11.860 Generally, when people wander away from God in the Bible, they don't become atheists. 00:12:13.019 --> 00:12:18.340 Generally, they just replace the true voice of God with a false word instead. 00:12:18.980 --> 00:12:23.840 And then they gather around them people who will reinforce what they want to believe. 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:27.000 And the same is true today. 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:29.320 A couple of examples. 00:12:29.659 --> 00:12:36.039 As a wider society, you'll know we've rejected what God has to say about life after death. 00:12:37.059 --> 00:12:43.860 But when someone dies, people still send each other cards promising that they've gone to a better place. 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:51.159 And that they're looking down on us from heaven and playing on the fairways in the sky. 00:12:52.159 --> 00:12:56.059 They look for little signs to cling on to, to bolster that hope. 00:12:56.059 --> 00:13:01.019 Someone said to me recently, I'm not religious, but I know that my loved one's gone to a better place 00:13:01.019 --> 00:13:06.939 because a dog ran up to me on the beach and they used to love dogs. 00:13:08.439 --> 00:13:15.159 And I totally understand that desire for confidence and comfort in the face of death. 00:13:15.219 --> 00:13:17.659 I was taking a funeral just two days ago. 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:25.279 But isn't it amazing what people will cling on to for hope when they get rid of God's word? 00:13:26.059 --> 00:13:34.619 Or again, you say, we've rejected as a society what God says about morality and how to live. 00:13:35.239 --> 00:13:42.139 But you don't have to look too hard to find a hundred podcasts and books by new authority figures 00:13:42.139 --> 00:13:47.519 who reinforce the messages that our society wants to hear. 00:13:47.519 --> 00:13:52.960 Now you might expect that in a post-Christian place like Britain. 00:13:53.059 --> 00:13:54.559 I think that's what we should expect. 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:58.799 But the sad thing here in Isaiah is that it was happening among the people of God. 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:06.699 And so God lays his hand on Isaiah and he warns him, don't walk in that way. 00:14:07.879 --> 00:14:11.720 Instead, flip the tables and challenge them about where they're looking for answers. 00:14:11.720 --> 00:14:14.180 Should not a people inquire of their God? 00:14:15.160 --> 00:14:15.960 He's to ask. 00:14:17.160 --> 00:14:20.920 Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? 00:14:21.940 --> 00:14:25.320 That is, why would you want the word of someone who talks to the dead 00:14:25.320 --> 00:14:28.560 in place of the word of the living God? 00:14:30.060 --> 00:14:32.160 There would be a place for us to ask the same question. 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:35.800 Two character traits then of a faithless people. 00:14:35.960 --> 00:14:39.040 Fearing everything but God and believing anything but God's word. 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:43.299 It's one thing to analyze it there and it's another to see where it leads. 00:14:43.379 --> 00:14:45.120 And that's what Isaiah does next. 00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:46.779 I've called it the woe of this people. 00:14:47.620 --> 00:14:53.339 And in verse 14 there of chapter 8, it's clear that our attitude to God determines our experience of him. 00:14:53.439 --> 00:14:58.179 So God says of himself, he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense 00:14:58.179 --> 00:15:00.740 and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel. 00:15:01.639 --> 00:15:04.579 A trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 00:15:05.639 --> 00:15:07.259 Many shall stumble on it. 00:15:07.339 --> 00:15:08.579 They shall fall and be broken. 00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:11.159 They shall be snared and taken. 00:15:12.419 --> 00:15:17.000 So if you fear God like Isaiah was, you know him as a sanctuary. 00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:23.419 But if you reject God like Judah, he becomes a stone of offense. 00:15:24.059 --> 00:15:25.860 A rock that we stumble on. 00:15:25.899 --> 00:15:26.459 A trap. 00:15:27.500 --> 00:15:28.199 A snare. 00:15:30.379 --> 00:15:34.659 I'm often teased by our staff team for taking Emily to see films 00:15:34.659 --> 00:15:37.799 when we're meant to be having a date night that aren't all that romantic. 00:15:37.799 --> 00:15:42.259 There may be some justification for this scurrilous accusation. 00:15:42.419 --> 00:15:45.379 One film we went to see was 127 Hours. 00:15:46.259 --> 00:15:47.199 I don't know if you know it. 00:15:47.579 --> 00:15:53.139 The story of Aaron Ralston who was out hiking one day in the canyonlands of Utah. 00:15:53.139 --> 00:15:59.199 A 360 kilo boulder became dislodged and fell on him, crushing his arm. 00:15:59.340 --> 00:16:01.100 You can sympathize with Emily later. 00:16:01.100 --> 00:16:07.740 And pinning him to a wall at the bottom of a crevice and completely unable to move. 00:16:07.860 --> 00:16:13.740 And there he remained trapped for 127 hours, hence the name. 00:16:13.840 --> 00:16:14.740 Five and a half days. 00:16:14.740 --> 00:16:19.799 He only escaped, this is the exciting bit, when he took a blunt knife out of his rucksack 00:16:19.799 --> 00:16:21.860 and amputated his own arm. 00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:23.060 It's an astonishing story. 00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:23.899 It's a true story. 00:16:24.440 --> 00:16:29.240 But picture yourself there for a minute in Ralston's shoes, 00:16:29.659 --> 00:16:31.360 except without the happy ending. 00:16:32.779 --> 00:16:38.180 Trapped, entirely alone, and desperately hopeless. 00:16:38.179 --> 00:16:44.139 And God says that is where the way of this people leads. 00:16:44.979 --> 00:16:48.699 I personally will become a trap to them, a snare. 00:16:49.639 --> 00:16:52.739 They shall fall and they shall be broken. 00:16:55.159 --> 00:16:58.219 The image changes in verse 20, but it's just as powerful. 00:16:58.459 --> 00:16:59.019 Isaiah says, 00:16:59.139 --> 00:17:00.559 To the teaching and to the testimony, 00:17:01.099 --> 00:17:03.559 If they will not speak according to this word, 00:17:03.639 --> 00:17:06.279 it is because they have no dawn. 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:10.399 They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. 00:17:10.839 --> 00:17:12.799 And when they're hungry, they'll be enraged 00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:15.839 and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God 00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:17.599 and turn their faces upward. 00:17:18.200 --> 00:17:19.720 And they'll look to the earth. 00:17:20.339 --> 00:17:23.619 But behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:26.940 And they will be thrust into thick darkness. 00:17:28.819 --> 00:17:33.899 So this time the languages of hunger, distress, gloom, darkness. 00:17:33.899 --> 00:17:36.000 They look to heaven, but no help comes. 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:38.099 They look to the earth, but only silence. 00:17:40.500 --> 00:17:42.700 In his book, A Fresh Start, 00:17:43.019 --> 00:17:44.700 the Australian evangelist, John Chapman, 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:46.359 pointed out that in this life, 00:17:47.160 --> 00:17:51.079 none of us will ever truly be able to comprehend 00:17:51.079 --> 00:17:53.579 the horror of God's judgment. 00:17:55.019 --> 00:17:56.200 And that must be right. 00:17:57.160 --> 00:17:59.000 But then he includes a little playlet 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:04.420 to try and make us think about it a bit more than we do. 00:18:05.259 --> 00:18:06.660 I thought I'd read it to us. 00:18:08.099 --> 00:18:11.079 He had never felt such aloneness before. 00:18:12.779 --> 00:18:13.880 Where is my wife? 00:18:13.940 --> 00:18:14.460 He choked. 00:18:15.700 --> 00:18:17.000 Only that awful echo, 00:18:17.099 --> 00:18:18.720 not here, your wife is not here. 00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:21.460 He tried to piece it all together, 00:18:21.460 --> 00:18:23.200 but the darkness was too thick. 00:18:24.100 --> 00:18:24.860 Once in a while, 00:18:24.900 --> 00:18:26.480 he thought he could see a blurred figure 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:28.019 or hear an anguished moan. 00:18:28.140 --> 00:18:29.880 He remembered the pain, 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:31.400 those last moments of terror. 00:18:32.779 --> 00:18:34.839 But it was nothing compared to the feelings 00:18:34.839 --> 00:18:37.180 that were creeping into his awareness now. 00:18:37.180 --> 00:18:39.460 Again, he cried, 00:18:39.539 --> 00:18:40.360 where is my wife? 00:18:41.140 --> 00:18:42.539 Your wife is not here. 00:18:43.299 --> 00:18:44.519 Where are my children? 00:18:45.640 --> 00:18:46.860 Your children are not here. 00:18:48.080 --> 00:18:50.340 He started to grope about in the darkness, 00:18:50.560 --> 00:18:51.460 but always blindness. 00:18:53.380 --> 00:18:54.960 My God, he howled again. 00:18:55.900 --> 00:18:59.140 Let me feel the presence of one single human being. 00:19:00.840 --> 00:19:04.000 My God, he hadn't said those words in such a long time. 00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:06.759 And now they seemed so hollow. 00:19:08.140 --> 00:19:09.700 Terror was welling up in him. 00:19:11.019 --> 00:19:13.880 He felt like a small child being threatened by deep darkness. 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:16.060 No candles anywhere, 00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:16.980 no love anywhere, 00:19:17.120 --> 00:19:18.000 no voice anywhere. 00:19:18.740 --> 00:19:19.740 Where is my wife? 00:19:19.779 --> 00:19:20.320 He screamed. 00:19:20.420 --> 00:19:21.480 Your wife is not here. 00:19:21.620 --> 00:19:22.720 Where are my children? 00:19:22.840 --> 00:19:23.980 Your children are not here. 00:19:25.340 --> 00:19:27.440 Then the darkest fear of all came to his mind. 00:19:27.539 --> 00:19:28.900 He was terrified to ask, 00:19:29.580 --> 00:19:30.740 but he knew he'd have to. 00:19:31.620 --> 00:19:34.200 His whole body trembled as he pursed his lips 00:19:34.200 --> 00:19:35.720 and wailed into the night. 00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:39.259 Where, oh, where is God? 00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:44.500 As the deepest of all darkness closed in on his soul for all eternity, 00:19:45.500 --> 00:19:47.279 he heard that hideous echo, 00:19:48.339 --> 00:19:50.900 whispering that most horrifying of all judgments. 00:19:50.900 --> 00:19:53.900 God is not here. 00:19:53.900 --> 00:20:01.080 God says to Isaiah, 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:05.360 do not walk in the way of this people 00:20:05.360 --> 00:20:09.660 because it leads to unimaginable woe. 00:20:09.660 --> 00:20:12.500 I think we forget that often 00:20:12.500 --> 00:20:15.720 when we're faced with sin and temptation. 00:20:17.040 --> 00:20:19.740 We think we can play and get away with it. 00:20:21.940 --> 00:20:24.180 Walk instead in the way of faith. 00:20:25.220 --> 00:20:26.620 That's our second point this morning, 00:20:26.720 --> 00:20:27.519 the dawn of peace 00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:30.440 for a waiting remnant. 00:20:30.440 --> 00:20:34.920 Two character traits to emulate this time. 00:20:35.080 --> 00:20:36.799 They're waiting for the Lord on the one hand 00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:38.600 and clinging to his word on the other. 00:20:39.660 --> 00:20:41.880 Really, they're just two sides of the same coin. 00:20:43.480 --> 00:20:46.140 So glance first to verse 16 of chapter 8. 00:20:47.299 --> 00:20:47.960 Isaiah says, 00:20:48.080 --> 00:20:48.980 bind up the testimony, 00:20:49.220 --> 00:20:51.380 seal the teaching among my disciples. 00:20:51.640 --> 00:20:53.700 I will wait for the Lord 00:20:53.700 --> 00:20:57.039 who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. 00:20:57.220 --> 00:20:58.240 I will hope in him. 00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:00.279 Verse 20, 00:21:00.380 --> 00:21:02.720 when the people are listening to every voice but God's. 00:21:03.640 --> 00:21:04.799 Isaiah's battle cry, 00:21:05.059 --> 00:21:05.660 seven words, 00:21:05.759 --> 00:21:06.480 to the teaching 00:21:06.480 --> 00:21:08.680 and to the testimony. 00:21:10.799 --> 00:21:12.500 And that is the opposite way. 00:21:12.579 --> 00:21:14.319 This is the way of a faithful people. 00:21:15.339 --> 00:21:15.920 This is the, 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:18.259 surrounded by a people 00:21:18.259 --> 00:21:20.460 who fear man and neglect God 00:21:20.460 --> 00:21:24.000 and who choose to listen to man and not God. 00:21:24.819 --> 00:21:27.460 The way of faith is to wait for the Lord 00:21:27.460 --> 00:21:30.100 by clinging to his word. 00:21:31.420 --> 00:21:32.120 Remember again, 00:21:32.200 --> 00:21:33.319 Isaiah almost on his own. 00:21:34.220 --> 00:21:35.920 He knew what it was to be a minority, 00:21:36.180 --> 00:21:36.819 isolated, 00:21:37.100 --> 00:21:39.340 so isolated that you're tempted 00:21:39.340 --> 00:21:41.400 to walk in the way of the people around you. 00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:44.279 But when he heard God's word, 00:21:44.360 --> 00:21:46.519 he didn't harden his heart in disobedience 00:21:46.519 --> 00:21:47.900 as it's so easy to do. 00:21:48.860 --> 00:21:49.460 But resolved, 00:21:50.420 --> 00:21:52.779 I will wait for the Lord. 00:21:52.779 --> 00:21:55.940 From a human perspective, 00:21:55.940 --> 00:21:57.639 he had almost nothing to cling to. 00:21:58.200 --> 00:21:59.019 He was alone. 00:21:59.859 --> 00:22:01.960 God was hiding his face from Judah. 00:22:02.700 --> 00:22:05.619 We read in verse 17 there. 00:22:09.220 --> 00:22:10.399 But still he said, 00:22:10.500 --> 00:22:11.519 I will wait for the Lord. 00:22:13.859 --> 00:22:14.899 Sometimes in life, 00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:16.799 you will know that it does feel 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:18.339 as though there is no light 00:22:18.339 --> 00:22:19.579 at the end of your tunnel. 00:22:19.579 --> 00:22:24.039 You will feel that you've got nowhere to turn. 00:22:25.259 --> 00:22:26.559 And as you run your mind 00:22:26.559 --> 00:22:28.179 through every possible future 00:22:28.179 --> 00:22:29.159 in front of you, 00:22:29.359 --> 00:22:30.859 they are all bleak. 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:34.879 I have the privilege in my job 00:22:34.879 --> 00:22:36.539 very often of spending time 00:22:36.539 --> 00:22:37.799 with people who are dealing 00:22:37.799 --> 00:22:39.779 with incredible trials in life. 00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:43.000 And I live, therefore, 00:22:43.220 --> 00:22:43.859 with some of you 00:22:43.859 --> 00:22:44.779 through those moments 00:22:44.779 --> 00:22:46.720 of just real darkness 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:48.680 steadfastness and uncertainty. 00:22:50.440 --> 00:22:51.600 But can I say very often 00:22:51.600 --> 00:22:54.360 that the steadfastness and faith, 00:22:55.360 --> 00:22:56.759 which I see among you 00:22:56.759 --> 00:22:57.700 and among God's people 00:22:57.700 --> 00:22:58.559 in those moments, 00:22:58.740 --> 00:23:00.299 is an inspiration. 00:23:02.039 --> 00:23:03.420 I remember sitting with someone 00:23:03.420 --> 00:23:04.880 who was waiting for a diagnosis, 00:23:05.240 --> 00:23:06.180 fearing the worst. 00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:08.500 His response? 00:23:09.220 --> 00:23:10.819 I will wait for the Lord. 00:23:12.339 --> 00:23:14.100 Someone else had to bury their child. 00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:16.079 Can't think of anything worse to do. 00:23:16.720 --> 00:23:18.140 I will wait for the Lord. 00:23:19.220 --> 00:23:20.940 Someone unemployed for many years. 00:23:21.180 --> 00:23:22.539 Someone being bullied actively 00:23:22.539 --> 00:23:23.440 for their faith. 00:23:24.120 --> 00:23:25.940 Someone facing the end of a marriage. 00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:28.600 Each time, their response, 00:23:28.759 --> 00:23:30.140 I will wait for the Lord. 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:31.819 I will cling to His word. 00:23:32.819 --> 00:23:34.039 And I will trust. 00:23:34.279 --> 00:23:35.920 And I will wait and wait 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:37.920 and wait for the Lord. 00:23:40.299 --> 00:23:41.220 Later in Isaiah, 00:23:41.360 --> 00:23:42.680 we're told that God blesses 00:23:42.680 --> 00:23:43.720 those who wait for Him. 00:23:43.720 --> 00:23:44.720 Later again, 00:23:44.779 --> 00:23:45.779 that God acts 00:23:45.779 --> 00:23:47.180 for those who wait for Him. 00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:48.059 The psalmist says, 00:23:48.140 --> 00:23:49.759 our soul waits for the Lord. 00:23:50.279 --> 00:23:51.539 He is our help 00:23:51.539 --> 00:23:53.120 and our shield. 00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:55.420 And that's the assurance 00:23:55.420 --> 00:23:56.880 that Isaiah is given here as well. 00:23:56.940 --> 00:23:57.660 In verse 14, 00:23:57.779 --> 00:23:59.980 God promises to be a sanctuary to Him. 00:24:01.440 --> 00:24:04.539 There's a fancy spa in London 00:24:04.539 --> 00:24:05.440 called the Sanctuary. 00:24:05.539 --> 00:24:06.819 That's not what's in view here 00:24:06.819 --> 00:24:07.940 with all their beauty products. 00:24:07.940 --> 00:24:09.840 This is the Old Testament word 00:24:09.840 --> 00:24:12.320 for God's tabernacle or temple. 00:24:12.460 --> 00:24:13.820 This is where God dwells 00:24:13.820 --> 00:24:14.539 with His people. 00:24:15.140 --> 00:24:16.299 So this is the promise 00:24:16.299 --> 00:24:17.580 of God's presence 00:24:17.580 --> 00:24:20.080 with His waiting people. 00:24:20.220 --> 00:24:21.279 Whatever our trial 00:24:21.279 --> 00:24:22.500 and however isolated 00:24:22.500 --> 00:24:24.120 we might feel, 00:24:24.220 --> 00:24:25.900 that still He is present with us. 00:24:26.160 --> 00:24:26.759 Emmanuel, 00:24:27.620 --> 00:24:29.600 guarding the eternal well-being 00:24:29.600 --> 00:24:30.559 of our souls 00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:33.940 and continuing to do so 00:24:33.940 --> 00:24:35.720 until He acts decisively 00:24:35.720 --> 00:24:37.819 to bring about 00:24:37.819 --> 00:24:39.220 the world of chapter 9. 00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:41.960 And we do read it 00:24:41.960 --> 00:24:42.899 in our carol services. 00:24:43.079 --> 00:24:44.480 We've had a few sermons 00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:45.379 on this bit, 00:24:45.480 --> 00:24:46.299 9-1-7, 00:24:46.379 --> 00:24:47.419 over the last few years 00:24:47.419 --> 00:24:48.019 here in church. 00:24:48.179 --> 00:24:48.940 My hunch is, 00:24:49.019 --> 00:24:49.619 if you know any bit 00:24:49.619 --> 00:24:50.259 of this passage, 00:24:50.359 --> 00:24:51.059 it'll be this bit. 00:24:51.500 --> 00:24:52.279 And so we're not going to spend 00:24:52.279 --> 00:24:53.279 as much time on it 00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:54.519 this morning. 00:24:54.619 --> 00:24:55.839 But what is worth stressing 00:24:55.839 --> 00:24:57.079 is just how brilliantly 00:24:57.079 --> 00:24:58.500 it fits the context. 00:24:58.500 --> 00:25:01.440 Here it comes as the ultimate 00:25:01.440 --> 00:25:03.440 motivation for Isaiah, 00:25:03.619 --> 00:25:04.259 for us, 00:25:05.259 --> 00:25:06.900 to make sure we don't walk 00:25:06.900 --> 00:25:08.579 in the way of a faithless people, 00:25:09.339 --> 00:25:10.880 but cling in faith 00:25:10.880 --> 00:25:11.980 to God and His Word. 00:25:12.039 --> 00:25:13.539 It's meant to lift our eyes 00:25:13.539 --> 00:25:15.180 from our trials to the future, 00:25:15.859 --> 00:25:17.119 to our God, 00:25:17.200 --> 00:25:17.819 to our King. 00:25:19.140 --> 00:25:20.319 And it assures us 00:25:20.319 --> 00:25:21.259 that however great 00:25:21.259 --> 00:25:22.319 our present pain, 00:25:23.460 --> 00:25:24.740 all God's people, 00:25:25.319 --> 00:25:26.279 every one of us, 00:25:26.339 --> 00:25:27.339 has a secure 00:25:27.339 --> 00:25:28.879 and better future 00:25:28.879 --> 00:25:30.740 in front of us. 00:25:30.759 --> 00:25:32.019 A world not of the darkness 00:25:32.019 --> 00:25:32.939 of God's judgment, 00:25:33.099 --> 00:25:33.759 but of light. 00:25:34.220 --> 00:25:35.519 Not of despair and distress, 00:25:35.740 --> 00:25:36.259 but of joy. 00:25:36.359 --> 00:25:37.199 And not of oppression, 00:25:37.439 --> 00:25:38.240 but of justice 00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:39.720 and peace. 00:25:41.319 --> 00:25:42.299 It is a world 00:25:42.299 --> 00:25:43.959 in which the deepest longings 00:25:43.959 --> 00:25:44.639 of our heart 00:25:44.639 --> 00:25:45.939 are fully satisfied, 00:25:46.659 --> 00:25:48.899 and in which the faithless city 00:25:48.899 --> 00:25:50.319 has finally become 00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:52.279 the city and home 00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:53.000 of righteousness. 00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:53.240 righteousness. 00:25:55.400 --> 00:25:56.819 Now even among those of us 00:25:56.819 --> 00:25:57.799 who are Christians, 00:25:58.019 --> 00:25:59.420 you will have known days 00:25:59.420 --> 00:26:00.160 where it felt 00:26:00.160 --> 00:26:01.359 as though all was dark. 00:26:03.059 --> 00:26:03.819 One of you 00:26:03.819 --> 00:26:05.019 was telling me recently 00:26:05.019 --> 00:26:06.119 about lying on a floor 00:26:06.119 --> 00:26:06.660 in agony, 00:26:07.359 --> 00:26:08.500 crying out to God 00:26:08.500 --> 00:26:09.380 and asking Him 00:26:09.380 --> 00:26:10.480 to take you home to heaven. 00:26:12.400 --> 00:26:14.619 Others will often feel trapped 00:26:14.619 --> 00:26:16.599 by your circumstances 00:26:16.599 --> 00:26:18.819 or the choices 00:26:18.819 --> 00:26:19.779 that you've made 00:26:19.779 --> 00:26:21.680 or the consequences 00:26:21.680 --> 00:26:22.519 of your sin. 00:26:24.099 --> 00:26:26.220 Here is a hope 00:26:26.220 --> 00:26:28.259 and a promise 00:26:28.259 --> 00:26:30.000 that can sustain us. 00:26:30.920 --> 00:26:31.920 Because the people 00:26:31.920 --> 00:26:33.180 who walked in darkness 00:26:33.180 --> 00:26:34.859 have seen a great light. 00:26:35.740 --> 00:26:37.259 And God has acted 00:26:37.259 --> 00:26:38.200 in history 00:26:38.200 --> 00:26:39.899 to increase 00:26:39.899 --> 00:26:41.220 the joy of His people 00:26:41.220 --> 00:26:43.720 by defeating the world 00:26:43.720 --> 00:26:44.319 and the flesh 00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:44.899 and the devil 00:26:44.899 --> 00:26:45.920 that seek to oppose 00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:46.859 and oppress us 00:26:46.859 --> 00:26:49.500 and to create for us 00:26:49.500 --> 00:26:51.359 a world of perfect peace. 00:26:53.119 --> 00:26:54.799 And here in chapter 9, 00:26:54.899 --> 00:26:55.959 that's global peace 00:26:55.959 --> 00:26:57.159 between nations. 00:26:57.500 --> 00:26:58.159 I love the picture 00:26:58.159 --> 00:26:59.139 in verse 5 there. 00:27:00.179 --> 00:27:01.019 God, as it were, 00:27:01.119 --> 00:27:02.659 gathering every piece 00:27:02.659 --> 00:27:03.339 of military 00:27:03.339 --> 00:27:05.199 and paramilitary hardware 00:27:05.199 --> 00:27:06.059 in uniform 00:27:06.059 --> 00:27:07.039 in the whole world. 00:27:07.119 --> 00:27:08.299 Every gun 00:27:08.299 --> 00:27:09.119 and missile 00:27:09.119 --> 00:27:10.000 and tank 00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:10.740 and submarine 00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:11.579 in uniform. 00:27:12.740 --> 00:27:13.699 And then burning 00:27:13.699 --> 00:27:14.539 the whole lot 00:27:14.539 --> 00:27:15.959 in a massive bonfire. 00:27:16.859 --> 00:27:17.939 Because none of it 00:27:17.939 --> 00:27:18.899 will be needed anymore. 00:27:20.679 --> 00:27:21.659 And what will be left 00:27:21.659 --> 00:27:22.219 will be a world 00:27:22.219 --> 00:27:22.979 in which we no longer 00:27:22.979 --> 00:27:24.019 need a police force 00:27:24.019 --> 00:27:26.279 or a health service 00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:28.099 because there will be 00:27:28.099 --> 00:27:29.099 no more broken laws 00:27:29.099 --> 00:27:30.639 and no more broken bones. 00:27:32.579 --> 00:27:33.379 A world in which 00:27:33.379 --> 00:27:34.079 we'll have no need 00:27:34.079 --> 00:27:34.759 of therapists 00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:35.619 and counselors 00:27:35.619 --> 00:27:37.939 because every one of us 00:27:37.939 --> 00:27:38.379 will enjoy 00:27:38.379 --> 00:27:39.759 perfect mental health 00:27:39.759 --> 00:27:41.539 and will no longer 00:27:41.539 --> 00:27:42.759 carry any scars. 00:27:44.299 --> 00:27:45.119 A world without 00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:46.119 the need for tissues. 00:27:46.119 --> 00:27:46.679 We get through 00:27:46.679 --> 00:27:47.519 so many tissues 00:27:47.519 --> 00:27:48.479 in our house. 00:27:49.139 --> 00:27:50.239 In that new world 00:27:50.239 --> 00:27:51.239 God will have wiped 00:27:51.239 --> 00:27:52.819 away every tear 00:27:52.819 --> 00:27:54.239 and there will be 00:27:54.239 --> 00:27:55.000 no more pain. 00:27:56.699 --> 00:27:57.599 The world in which 00:27:57.599 --> 00:27:58.339 the dwelling place 00:27:58.339 --> 00:27:59.219 of God is with man 00:27:59.219 --> 00:28:00.259 and he dwells with us 00:28:00.259 --> 00:28:02.279 and we are his people 00:28:02.279 --> 00:28:03.859 and he himself 00:28:03.859 --> 00:28:04.759 will be with us 00:28:04.759 --> 00:28:05.559 as our God. 00:28:06.659 --> 00:28:08.079 That is the future 00:28:08.079 --> 00:28:10.139 of those who 00:28:10.139 --> 00:28:11.500 wait on the Lord 00:28:11.500 --> 00:28:14.019 and cling to his word. 00:28:15.279 --> 00:28:16.299 And it is all made 00:28:16.299 --> 00:28:17.200 possible through the 00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:18.160 birth of the child 00:28:18.160 --> 00:28:18.720 that we've been 00:28:18.720 --> 00:28:19.980 thinking about all morning. 00:28:20.519 --> 00:28:21.440 What is God's grand 00:28:21.440 --> 00:28:22.660 plan for achieving 00:28:22.660 --> 00:28:24.220 this perfect new world 00:28:24.220 --> 00:28:25.900 to which we can all 00:28:25.900 --> 00:28:26.680 look forward if we 00:28:26.680 --> 00:28:27.359 trust in him? 00:28:28.440 --> 00:28:29.900 To us a child is born. 00:28:30.740 --> 00:28:32.400 To us a son is given. 00:28:33.400 --> 00:28:34.279 And the government 00:28:34.279 --> 00:28:35.539 shall be on his shoulder 00:28:35.539 --> 00:28:36.539 and his name shall be 00:28:36.539 --> 00:28:38.139 called Wonderful Counselor 00:28:38.139 --> 00:28:40.539 because Jesus is 00:28:40.539 --> 00:28:41.440 full of wisdom 00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:44.619 and mighty God 00:28:44.619 --> 00:28:46.599 because Jesus is 00:28:46.599 --> 00:28:48.039 the Lord God Almighty. 00:28:48.220 --> 00:28:48.879 He proved it 00:28:48.879 --> 00:28:49.879 day after day 00:28:49.879 --> 00:28:50.980 in his life on earth. 00:28:52.619 --> 00:28:53.839 Everlasting Father 00:28:53.839 --> 00:28:56.079 because Jesus cares 00:28:56.079 --> 00:28:57.359 for us and guides us 00:28:57.359 --> 00:28:58.379 and protects us 00:28:58.379 --> 00:28:59.279 and wants what's best 00:28:59.279 --> 00:28:59.879 for us and 00:28:59.879 --> 00:29:01.379 nurtures us 00:29:01.379 --> 00:29:03.039 as he proved 00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:03.920 day after day 00:29:03.920 --> 00:29:04.899 on earth. 00:29:04.900 --> 00:29:07.280 and Prince of Peace 00:29:07.280 --> 00:29:09.580 because Jesus 00:29:09.580 --> 00:29:10.880 was willing to die 00:29:10.880 --> 00:29:12.259 on a cross 00:29:12.259 --> 00:29:14.480 to give us 00:29:14.480 --> 00:29:15.580 perfect peace 00:29:15.580 --> 00:29:16.060 with God 00:29:16.060 --> 00:29:16.740 forevermore. 00:29:18.720 --> 00:29:19.780 And of the increase 00:29:19.780 --> 00:29:20.519 of his government 00:29:20.519 --> 00:29:21.200 and of peace 00:29:21.200 --> 00:29:22.320 there will be no end 00:29:22.320 --> 00:29:24.600 on the throne of David 00:29:24.600 --> 00:29:25.620 and over his kingdom 00:29:25.620 --> 00:29:27.660 to establish it 00:29:27.660 --> 00:29:28.560 and to uphold it 00:29:28.560 --> 00:29:29.320 with justice 00:29:29.320 --> 00:29:30.480 and with righteousness 00:29:30.480 --> 00:29:32.040 from this time forth 00:29:32.040 --> 00:29:33.860 and forevermore. 00:29:33.859 --> 00:29:35.699 the zeal of the 00:29:35.699 --> 00:29:36.279 Lord of hosts 00:29:36.279 --> 00:29:36.939 will do this. 00:29:37.039 --> 00:29:37.240 Friends, 00:29:37.319 --> 00:29:38.119 that is the future 00:29:38.119 --> 00:29:38.759 that awaits 00:29:38.759 --> 00:29:40.019 God's faithful people. 00:29:41.019 --> 00:29:42.019 It was proven 00:29:42.019 --> 00:29:42.859 and accomplished 00:29:42.859 --> 00:29:43.819 when Jesus came 00:29:43.819 --> 00:29:44.659 the first time 00:29:44.659 --> 00:29:46.219 and it will be 00:29:46.219 --> 00:29:46.979 perfected 00:29:46.979 --> 00:29:48.079 when he comes again. 00:29:49.559 --> 00:29:50.059 And so today 00:29:50.059 --> 00:29:50.859 the Lord lays 00:29:50.859 --> 00:29:51.939 his strong hand 00:29:51.939 --> 00:29:52.839 upon us 00:29:52.839 --> 00:29:55.319 and warns us 00:29:55.319 --> 00:29:56.199 not to walk 00:29:56.199 --> 00:29:56.740 in the way 00:29:56.740 --> 00:29:57.279 of the world 00:29:57.279 --> 00:29:57.919 around us. 00:29:57.979 --> 00:29:58.359 That may be 00:29:58.359 --> 00:29:59.000 the only world 00:29:59.000 --> 00:29:59.859 that you've ever known 00:29:59.859 --> 00:30:02.240 and God wants you 00:30:02.240 --> 00:30:03.359 to stop and think 00:30:03.359 --> 00:30:04.819 about where it leads 00:30:04.819 --> 00:30:06.740 and its values. 00:30:09.319 --> 00:30:10.379 And he tells us 00:30:10.379 --> 00:30:11.240 instead to trust 00:30:11.240 --> 00:30:11.740 in him 00:30:11.740 --> 00:30:13.279 to cling 00:30:13.279 --> 00:30:14.319 to his word 00:30:14.319 --> 00:30:16.279 to trust 00:30:16.279 --> 00:30:17.019 in his perfect 00:30:17.019 --> 00:30:17.799 son Jesus. 00:30:18.419 --> 00:30:18.939 Read a gospel. 00:30:19.979 --> 00:30:21.019 Find out how wonderful 00:30:21.019 --> 00:30:22.019 he is to know 00:30:22.019 --> 00:30:22.479 and follow 00:30:22.479 --> 00:30:24.179 and wait 00:30:24.179 --> 00:30:25.000 and wait 00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:25.759 and wait 00:30:25.759 --> 00:30:27.480 for him 00:30:27.480 --> 00:30:27.799 to do 00:30:27.799 --> 00:30:28.279 all that he's 00:30:28.279 --> 00:30:28.660 promised. 00:30:32.779 --> 00:30:33.400 Let's pray 00:30:33.400 --> 00:30:33.960 together. 00:30:45.559 --> 00:30:46.140 Our Father, 00:30:46.279 --> 00:30:47.420 we simply want 00:30:47.420 --> 00:30:47.879 to confess 00:30:47.879 --> 00:30:48.940 how easy it is 00:30:48.940 --> 00:30:49.500 for us 00:30:49.500 --> 00:30:49.940 to 00:30:49.940 --> 00:30:52.700 fear 00:30:52.700 --> 00:30:53.900 many things 00:30:53.900 --> 00:30:54.379 in life, 00:30:54.579 --> 00:30:55.099 many people 00:30:55.099 --> 00:30:55.480 in life 00:30:55.480 --> 00:30:55.980 more than 00:30:55.980 --> 00:30:56.639 we fear 00:30:56.639 --> 00:30:57.000 you 00:30:57.000 --> 00:30:59.119 and to 00:30:59.119 --> 00:30:59.439 put our 00:30:59.439 --> 00:30:59.899 confidence 00:30:59.899 --> 00:31:00.500 in 00:31:00.500 --> 00:31:01.939 words 00:31:01.939 --> 00:31:02.159 of 00:31:02.159 --> 00:31:02.719 authority 00:31:02.719 --> 00:31:03.039 from 00:31:03.039 --> 00:31:03.339 people 00:31:03.339 --> 00:31:03.599 other 00:31:03.599 --> 00:31:03.799 than 00:31:03.799 --> 00:31:04.099 you 00:31:04.099 --> 00:31:06.439 to 00:31:06.439 --> 00:31:06.659 allow 00:31:06.659 --> 00:31:06.919 those 00:31:06.919 --> 00:31:07.139 other 00:31:07.139 --> 00:31:07.759 perspectives 00:31:07.759 --> 00:31:08.099 to 00:31:08.099 --> 00:31:08.419 shape 00:31:08.419 --> 00:31:08.659 us 00:31:08.659 --> 00:31:08.819 and 00:31:08.819 --> 00:31:09.219 define 00:31:09.219 --> 00:31:09.419 who 00:31:09.419 --> 00:31:09.599 we 00:31:09.599 --> 00:31:09.919 are. 00:31:11.359 --> 00:31:11.980 And so 00:31:11.980 --> 00:31:12.439 we thank 00:31:12.439 --> 00:31:13.159 you for 00:31:13.159 --> 00:31:14.799 showing us 00:31:14.799 --> 00:31:15.159 that even 00:31:15.159 --> 00:31:15.519 if that 00:31:15.519 --> 00:31:16.019 way of 00:31:16.019 --> 00:31:16.199 this 00:31:16.199 --> 00:31:16.539 people 00:31:16.539 --> 00:31:17.139 feels 00:31:17.139 --> 00:31:18.099 good and 00:31:18.099 --> 00:31:18.359 easy 00:31:18.359 --> 00:31:18.639 at the 00:31:18.639 --> 00:31:19.000 time, 00:31:19.599 --> 00:31:19.980 it's 00:31:19.980 --> 00:31:20.399 not good 00:31:20.399 --> 00:31:20.879 for us 00:31:20.879 --> 00:31:22.539 and it 00:31:22.539 --> 00:31:23.059 leads to 00:31:23.059 --> 00:31:23.679 such a 00:31:23.679 --> 00:31:24.359 trapped 00:31:24.359 --> 00:31:25.259 and dark 00:31:25.259 --> 00:31:25.759 place. 00:31:27.719 --> 00:31:28.379 And we 00:31:28.379 --> 00:31:28.859 praise you 00:31:28.859 --> 00:31:29.139 that you 00:31:29.139 --> 00:31:29.559 sent your 00:31:29.559 --> 00:31:29.799 son, 00:31:29.899 --> 00:31:30.159 the Lord 00:31:30.159 --> 00:31:30.519 Jesus, 00:31:30.779 --> 00:31:31.399 in love 00:31:31.399 --> 00:31:31.939 to die 00:31:31.939 --> 00:31:32.399 for people 00:31:32.399 --> 00:31:33.139 like us 00:31:33.139 --> 00:31:34.619 so that 00:31:34.619 --> 00:31:35.059 that need 00:31:35.059 --> 00:31:35.519 not be 00:31:35.519 --> 00:31:36.079 our future 00:31:36.079 --> 00:31:37.479 but that 00:31:37.479 --> 00:31:37.879 we might 00:31:37.879 --> 00:31:38.299 know a 00:31:38.299 --> 00:31:38.719 world of 00:31:38.719 --> 00:31:39.619 perfect peace 00:31:39.619 --> 00:31:40.199 and joy 00:31:40.199 --> 00:31:40.939 and fulfillment 00:31:40.939 --> 00:31:41.719 and love 00:31:41.719 --> 00:31:42.859 with you 00:31:42.859 --> 00:31:43.599 forevermore. 00:31:44.879 --> 00:31:45.500 And we 00:31:45.500 --> 00:31:45.939 thank you 00:31:45.939 --> 00:31:46.319 for your 00:31:46.319 --> 00:31:46.639 son, 00:31:46.640 --> 00:31:49.940 the one 00:31:49.940 --> 00:31:50.560 who is 00:31:50.560 --> 00:31:52.660 mighty 00:31:52.660 --> 00:31:53.259 God, 00:31:54.259 --> 00:31:56.400 the one 00:31:56.400 --> 00:31:56.759 who is 00:31:56.759 --> 00:31:57.300 wonderful 00:31:57.300 --> 00:31:57.980 counselor, 00:31:59.800 --> 00:32:00.360 everlasting 00:32:00.360 --> 00:32:01.220 father and 00:32:01.220 --> 00:32:01.780 prince of 00:32:01.780 --> 00:32:02.140 peace. 00:32:02.820 --> 00:32:03.580 We praise 00:32:03.580 --> 00:32:03.960 you for 00:32:03.960 --> 00:32:05.460 him and 00:32:05.460 --> 00:32:05.820 we ask 00:32:05.820 --> 00:32:06.040 that you 00:32:06.040 --> 00:32:06.400 would help 00:32:06.400 --> 00:32:06.840 us to 00:32:06.840 --> 00:32:07.620 cling in 00:32:07.620 --> 00:32:09.340 faith to 00:32:09.340 --> 00:32:10.140 his word 00:32:10.140 --> 00:32:11.660 and to 00:32:11.660 --> 00:32:12.180 the future 00:32:12.180 --> 00:32:12.680 that he's 00:32:12.680 --> 00:32:13.160 promised. 00:32:13.160 --> 00:32:15.220 amidst 00:32:15.220 --> 00:32:15.600 all of 00:32:15.600 --> 00:32:15.960 our 00:32:15.960 --> 00:32:16.560 trials 00:32:16.560 --> 00:32:18.040 and all 00:32:18.040 --> 00:32:18.340 of our 00:32:18.340 --> 00:32:19.160 temptations. 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:20.680 And we 00:32:20.680 --> 00:32:21.180 pray it in 00:32:21.180 --> 00:32:21.440 Jesus' 00:32:21.640 --> 00:32:21.860 name. 00:32:23.560 --> 00:32:24.120 Amen.