WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.179 Well, church, would you turn with me to the book of Isaiah, chapter 44. 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:08.120 We're picking up in verse 24. 00:00:09.240 --> 00:00:11.720 That's page 567 in the Pew Bible. 00:00:13.099 --> 00:00:16.719 And then we're going to look at the rest of chapter 45 this morning. 00:00:17.519 --> 00:00:22.039 So, end of 44, beginning of 45, page 567 in the Pew Bible. 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:27.560 Let me pray, and then I'll read the first part of this for us. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:39.579 Father in heaven, as we come now to your word, we pray that you would give us eyes by your spirit to see Christ in his glory. 00:00:40.939 --> 00:00:50.539 We know that all of the prophets testified to him, and it is him that we need to see. 00:00:51.859 --> 00:00:53.840 So, come and do that work, we pray, God. 00:00:54.460 --> 00:00:56.560 And we ask this in the name of Jesus, our Savior. 00:00:56.879 --> 00:00:57.120 Amen. 00:00:57.119 --> 00:01:01.959 All right, Isaiah 44, verse 24. 00:01:02.099 --> 00:01:02.820 Let me read for us. 00:01:03.899 --> 00:01:07.679 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb. 00:01:08.379 --> 00:01:14.079 I am the Lord who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself, 00:01:14.659 --> 00:01:17.700 who frustrates the signs of liars and makes fools of diviners, 00:01:18.340 --> 00:01:20.959 who turns wise men back and makes their knowledge foolish, 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:25.500 who confirms the word of his servant and fulfills the counsel of his messengers, 00:01:25.939 --> 00:01:28.619 who says of Jerusalem, she shall be inhabited, 00:01:29.199 --> 00:01:32.619 and of the cities of Judah they shall be built, and I will raise up their ruins. 00:01:33.339 --> 00:01:36.259 Who says to the deep, be dry, I will dry up your rivers. 00:01:36.939 --> 00:01:41.859 Who says of Cyrus, he is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose, 00:01:42.519 --> 00:01:44.979 saying of Jerusalem, she shall be built, 00:01:44.980 --> 00:01:48.300 and of the temple your foundation shall be laid. 00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:50.579 Continuing in chapter 45. 00:01:50.960 --> 00:01:55.100 Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, 00:01:55.400 --> 00:01:58.240 to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, 00:01:58.340 --> 00:02:00.880 to open doors before him that gates may not be closed. 00:02:01.540 --> 00:02:04.680 I will go before you to level the exalted places. 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:10.300 I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron. 00:02:11.040 --> 00:02:15.500 I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hordes and secret places, 00:02:15.800 --> 00:02:21.860 that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by name. 00:02:22.760 --> 00:02:27.280 For the sake of my servant Jacob and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name. 00:02:27.719 --> 00:02:30.360 I name you, though you do not know me. 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:33.820 I am the Lord, and there is no other. 00:02:34.600 --> 00:02:37.340 Beside me there is no God. 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:41.020 I equip you, though you do not know me, 00:02:41.600 --> 00:02:45.880 that people may know from the rising of the sun and from the west 00:02:45.880 --> 00:02:48.620 that there is none besides me. 00:02:49.440 --> 00:02:52.160 I am the Lord, and there is no other. 00:02:53.320 --> 00:02:54.960 I form light and create darkness. 00:02:55.640 --> 00:02:57.640 I make well-being and create calamity. 00:02:58.300 --> 00:02:59.160 I am the Lord. 00:03:00.360 --> 00:03:01.400 Who does all these things? 00:03:03.320 --> 00:03:05.700 We will end our reading there and pick up in a little bit. 00:03:07.340 --> 00:03:11.040 So there is an old parable that goes something like this. 00:03:11.900 --> 00:03:16.380 There is a group of blind men standing around an elephant, 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:22.540 and each one is trying to give a description of what this elephant is like. 00:03:22.539 --> 00:03:27.340 One man touches its trunk and says that it is a snake. 00:03:28.259 --> 00:03:31.219 Another feels its ear and says, oh, it is like a fan. 00:03:32.139 --> 00:03:34.680 A third man holds the tail and finds it rope-like. 00:03:35.379 --> 00:03:39.799 And the last man feels the tusk and declares that the elephant is like a spear. 00:03:39.800 --> 00:03:49.939 Now, this parable is supposed to illustrate the idea that all religions are equal but limited paths to God. 00:03:50.860 --> 00:03:56.480 According to this parable, every religion is sort of like a blind man only feeling one part of the elephant. 00:03:57.520 --> 00:04:02.900 And so, according to the parable, no one can say that there is only one true religion. 00:04:02.900 --> 00:04:06.500 No one can say that there is only one true God. 00:04:09.040 --> 00:04:13.400 Now, on the surface, that parable can seem appealing, right? 00:04:13.460 --> 00:04:19.139 After all, isn't it sort of arrogant to say that your God is the only true God? 00:04:19.139 --> 00:04:27.959 Isn't it better, we sometimes think, isn't it more humble to say that we're all just blind men grasping our part of the elephant? 00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:38.300 And so, when we come up against a text like Isaiah 44 and 45, it can really rub us the wrong way. 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:47.800 Because the big idea of this section in Isaiah, not just the part I read, but the whole chapter that we'll get to a little later, 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:55.660 the big idea here is that the Lord, Yahweh, the God of Israel, is the only true God. 00:04:57.259 --> 00:05:02.660 If you look with me down at the passage, if you have it open, you'll see this affirmed again and again in our text. 00:05:03.420 --> 00:05:06.019 In Isaiah 45, 5, we read, 00:05:06.139 --> 00:05:07.400 I am the Lord and there is no other. 00:05:07.500 --> 00:05:09.100 Beside me there is no God. 00:05:10.259 --> 00:05:13.180 45, 6, I am the Lord and there is no other. 00:05:14.540 --> 00:05:17.040 45, 14, the nations say, 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:22.040 Surely God is in you and there is no other God, no God besides Him. 00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:25.280 45, 18, I am the Lord and there is no other. 00:05:25.379 --> 00:05:29.160 45, 21, and there is no other God beside me, a righteous God and a Savior. 00:05:29.300 --> 00:05:30.500 There's none beside me. 00:05:31.040 --> 00:05:34.400 45, 22, for I am God and there is no other. 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:41.180 The Lord, the God of Israel, the God of Jesus Christ, alone is God. 00:05:41.180 --> 00:05:48.579 In other words, the Bible makes the exclusive claim to being the one true version of spiritual reality. 00:05:49.620 --> 00:05:52.540 The Lord, the God of Israel, alone is God. 00:05:52.620 --> 00:05:53.560 There is no other. 00:05:53.560 --> 00:06:01.680 But how can we believe something like that in our incredibly pluralistic age? 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:07.019 I mean, after all, aren't we just blind men around the elephant? 00:06:07.220 --> 00:06:11.660 How can anyone make an exclusive claim about the one true version of spiritual reality? 00:06:11.660 --> 00:06:15.939 But here's the thing. 00:06:15.939 --> 00:06:24.600 This parable about how all religions are relative, did you know it's actually doing the exact same thing? 00:06:24.600 --> 00:06:31.780 That that parable is making an exclusive claim to be the one true version of spiritual reality? 00:06:33.220 --> 00:06:34.520 I mean, think about it. 00:06:34.540 --> 00:06:38.860 After all, the narrator of that parable, the one supposedly telling that story, 00:06:39.580 --> 00:06:42.700 they aren't one of the blind men, right? 00:06:43.480 --> 00:06:44.800 They see the whole thing. 00:06:44.900 --> 00:06:46.379 They see the whole elephant. 00:06:46.379 --> 00:06:55.159 Telling that story, believing that version of reality is presuming to see the whole thing and to see it truly. 00:06:57.180 --> 00:07:03.060 You see, to say that all religions are just blind men feeling an elephant is to assume that you can see the whole reality, 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:05.019 even though other people might not. 00:07:05.980 --> 00:07:13.459 It is no more or less exclusive or presumptuous than a religion claiming to be the one true religion. 00:07:13.459 --> 00:07:20.139 In fact, you might even say it's a bit more disrespectful, not to mention patronizing, 00:07:20.579 --> 00:07:22.500 to people who see things differently than you. 00:07:23.379 --> 00:07:25.259 Let me give you a somewhat trite example. 00:07:25.419 --> 00:07:27.599 Imagine you're sort of stumbling upon a few friends, 00:07:28.219 --> 00:07:32.859 and they're debating whether the Yankees or the Red Sox are the greatest baseball franchise in history. 00:07:33.339 --> 00:07:35.259 Now, some of you might not give a rip about baseball. 00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:38.240 I don't actually like baseball, but just go with the example, okay? 00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:44.600 And you listen to your friends for a while, and eventually, you know, after hearing the sort of debate, 00:07:44.699 --> 00:07:45.280 you say to them, 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:51.000 you know, friends, you're just both blind men grasping an elephant. 00:07:53.100 --> 00:07:56.379 I mean, how patronizing of a thing to say, right? 00:07:57.220 --> 00:08:01.759 To say that all religions are relative, to say that you cannot claim one religion to be the true religion, 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:06.680 is in essence to say that all religions are wrong, and you have finally gotten it right. 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:11.139 It might just be the most arrogant position of all. 00:08:14.019 --> 00:08:20.839 Now, I say all that to say that we can't just dismiss out of hand this big idea of Isaiah 45, 00:08:21.099 --> 00:08:24.240 that the Lord is God and there is no other. 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:30.480 Are you willing to entertain that that might actually be true? 00:08:32.279 --> 00:08:36.980 Everyone makes a stake on what exclusive spiritual reality is like. 00:08:37.779 --> 00:08:39.360 Why not consider that one too? 00:08:41.480 --> 00:08:44.360 Now, how does Isaiah demonstrate this here, 00:08:44.700 --> 00:08:47.759 and then what are the implications of believing something like that? 00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:50.279 In other words, well, is that true? 00:08:50.440 --> 00:08:52.720 And if so, so what? 00:08:52.720 --> 00:08:57.080 Well, there are lots of ways that we could approach the claim 00:08:57.080 --> 00:08:59.040 that the God of the Bible is the only true God, 00:08:59.080 --> 00:09:01.399 and the Bible comes at that question from a lot of different angles, 00:09:01.560 --> 00:09:04.360 but Isaiah's main demonstration here, 00:09:04.480 --> 00:09:05.960 his main sort of proof, if you were, 00:09:06.019 --> 00:09:08.560 that the Lord, the God of Israel, is the one true God is this. 00:09:09.139 --> 00:09:11.639 And we see this again and again in Isaiah 40 through 55. 00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:16.080 This people of Israel were in slavery in Egypt. 00:09:16.420 --> 00:09:18.980 He said he would liberate them, and he did. 00:09:18.980 --> 00:09:22.840 When the people were in exile in Babylon, 00:09:23.340 --> 00:09:24.940 he said he would liberate them. 00:09:25.159 --> 00:09:28.500 That's what Isaiah 40 through 55 is about, and he did. 00:09:29.899 --> 00:09:32.920 And you know, those two great acts of redemption in the Old Testament, 00:09:33.180 --> 00:09:38.320 they sort of unfurl like banners across the whole of the Old Testament, 00:09:38.500 --> 00:09:40.620 saying, consider this God. 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:42.820 Look at what he's done. 00:09:42.820 --> 00:09:46.480 Could any God do something so great? 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:49.980 And this great God says, 00:09:50.620 --> 00:09:52.240 yes, it's true. 00:09:52.500 --> 00:09:54.660 I am God, and there is no other. 00:09:55.420 --> 00:09:58.220 Your Creator and your Redeemer. 00:10:00.120 --> 00:10:02.800 And of course, as we go into the New Testament then, 00:10:03.040 --> 00:10:04.620 that same pattern continues. 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:06.360 When Jesus arrives on the scene, 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:08.620 proclaiming the arrival of God's kingdom, 00:10:08.620 --> 00:10:11.539 He tells the people that He will liberate them. 00:10:12.620 --> 00:10:13.519 And He does. 00:10:14.779 --> 00:10:18.240 He says, the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, 00:10:18.460 --> 00:10:20.279 and to give His life as a ransom for many. 00:10:20.860 --> 00:10:23.019 And then He says, I'm going to be handed over 00:10:23.019 --> 00:10:25.940 to the chief priests and the scribes and the Pharisees 00:10:25.940 --> 00:10:26.720 to be crucified. 00:10:27.580 --> 00:10:29.460 But in three days I will rise. 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:32.139 This is what Jesus said to His disciples, 00:10:32.659 --> 00:10:34.759 and that's what He did. 00:10:34.759 --> 00:10:39.159 He was crucified, and three days later He was raised to life. 00:10:39.559 --> 00:10:42.720 And it's this same Jesus who said, 00:10:42.960 --> 00:10:45.980 I am the way and the truth and the life. 00:10:46.679 --> 00:10:49.240 No one comes to the Father but through Me. 00:10:50.559 --> 00:10:55.159 The unique work of Jesus, laying down His life, 00:10:55.259 --> 00:10:56.819 doing what no one else has done, 00:10:57.019 --> 00:10:59.059 then paves the way for this claim 00:10:59.059 --> 00:11:02.259 that He is the one way to God. 00:11:02.259 --> 00:11:05.740 The incarnation of the one true God. 00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:09.379 This is the message of the New Testament. 00:11:09.539 --> 00:11:11.019 There's only one true God, 00:11:11.100 --> 00:11:13.559 and the Lord, Jesus, is His name. 00:11:14.879 --> 00:11:16.939 Now, if you're here and you're exploring Christianity, 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:18.399 if you're kind of new to spiritual things 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:20.240 and you're trying to figure out what you believe, 00:11:21.500 --> 00:11:23.460 you know, the best way you can do that 00:11:23.460 --> 00:11:27.700 is by reading the historical accounts of Jesus for yourself. 00:11:27.700 --> 00:11:33.800 Figure out for yourself if this Jesus is who He says He is, 00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:34.900 who others say He is. 00:11:36.100 --> 00:11:37.720 Read the accounts for yourself 00:11:37.720 --> 00:11:41.060 and ask if He's worthy of your trust. 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:45.060 Consider the historical claim. 00:11:45.140 --> 00:11:46.980 Did He really rise from the grave? 00:11:48.780 --> 00:11:50.820 It might surprise you how plausible 00:11:50.820 --> 00:11:54.960 and how life-giving the real Jesus really is. 00:11:54.960 --> 00:11:58.500 In fact, every person should figure out for themselves 00:11:58.500 --> 00:11:59.860 what to make of Jesus Christ. 00:12:00.580 --> 00:12:02.180 You know, don't just go along with the herd 00:12:02.180 --> 00:12:04.840 or the popular opinions on social media. 00:12:05.280 --> 00:12:05.920 Be authentic. 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:08.180 Where do you stand? 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:09.620 What do you think of Him? 00:12:11.280 --> 00:12:13.280 Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead. 00:12:14.560 --> 00:12:16.759 Muslims believe that Jesus didn't actually die 00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:18.080 but was sort of taken up to heaven. 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:22.400 Jews and atheists and agnostics for that matter 00:12:22.400 --> 00:12:25.080 believe that Jesus died and remain dead. 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:27.800 You know, only one of those can actually be true. 00:12:29.240 --> 00:12:30.580 Where do you stand? 00:12:32.860 --> 00:12:36.259 Do you have the courage to figure it out for yourself? 00:12:37.780 --> 00:12:39.520 Even if you've grown up in the church, 00:12:40.400 --> 00:12:43.560 don't simply believe because your parents believe. 00:12:44.460 --> 00:12:45.940 Seek Him out for yourself. 00:12:45.940 --> 00:12:50.780 But what are the implications then? 00:12:50.820 --> 00:12:52.420 What are the implications of believing 00:12:52.420 --> 00:12:55.380 that the Lord alone is God? 00:12:56.060 --> 00:12:57.820 Well, there are at least two implications here 00:12:57.820 --> 00:12:59.660 in Isaiah 44 and 45. 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:03.160 And the first half of our passage that I read for us 00:13:03.160 --> 00:13:04.140 shows us this, 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:07.740 that because the Lord alone is God, 00:13:08.560 --> 00:13:12.700 we must honor Him for all common grace. 00:13:12.700 --> 00:13:14.840 Because the Lord alone is God, 00:13:14.900 --> 00:13:17.640 we must honor Him for all common grace. 00:13:17.680 --> 00:13:19.900 Let me briefly explain how we see this in our text. 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:22.160 What's going on in the end of Isaiah 44 00:13:22.160 --> 00:13:23.620 and the beginning of Isaiah 45 00:13:23.620 --> 00:13:25.360 is that the Lord is saying, 00:13:25.800 --> 00:13:26.540 in my sovereignty, 00:13:26.840 --> 00:13:28.520 I'm going to use Cyrus, 00:13:29.220 --> 00:13:30.940 the pagan ruler of Persia, 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:33.300 to come and free my people 00:13:33.300 --> 00:13:34.759 from their Babylonian exile 00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:36.259 and rebuild Jerusalem. 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:38.320 I'm going to use Cyrus, 00:13:38.440 --> 00:13:39.200 a pagan ruler, 00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:40.700 to come and free my people 00:13:40.700 --> 00:13:41.900 and bring them back home. 00:13:43.100 --> 00:13:44.540 Now, that message, of course, 00:13:44.580 --> 00:13:45.940 would have been a source of scandal 00:13:45.940 --> 00:13:48.379 to some of God's people, right? 00:13:48.420 --> 00:13:49.720 How could God use Him? 00:13:51.040 --> 00:13:52.379 And it probably would have been 00:13:52.379 --> 00:13:54.200 a source of doubt to others, 00:13:54.940 --> 00:13:55.600 thinking, you know, 00:13:55.700 --> 00:13:57.860 well, look, if Cyrus is the liberator, 00:13:58.220 --> 00:14:01.759 perhaps Cyrus' gods are better than our God. 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:04.559 But no, says the Lord. 00:14:05.659 --> 00:14:07.319 The good that Cyrus does 00:14:07.319 --> 00:14:09.759 is because I, the Lord, 00:14:10.240 --> 00:14:11.179 did it through him. 00:14:12.500 --> 00:14:13.779 Look at verse 5. 00:14:14.139 --> 00:14:15.679 Speaking to Cyrus, God says, 00:14:15.899 --> 00:14:17.639 I am the Lord and there is no other. 00:14:18.220 --> 00:14:20.039 Besides me, there is no God. 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:22.419 I equip you, 00:14:23.340 --> 00:14:24.879 though you did not know me. 00:14:26.620 --> 00:14:28.840 The good that Cyrus accomplished, 00:14:28.840 --> 00:14:31.300 it wasn't ultimately Cyrus' doing. 00:14:32.180 --> 00:14:33.560 It was the Lord's doing. 00:14:35.320 --> 00:14:36.940 As the one true creator 00:14:36.940 --> 00:14:38.120 and ruler of all, 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:40.320 God was the one 00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:41.540 who was equipping Cyrus 00:14:41.540 --> 00:14:42.800 to do what he did. 00:14:44.139 --> 00:14:44.780 And friends, 00:14:44.860 --> 00:14:47.300 that is true across the board. 00:14:48.740 --> 00:14:50.280 And the theological term for that 00:14:50.280 --> 00:14:51.060 or word for that 00:14:51.060 --> 00:14:52.900 is common grace. 00:14:53.780 --> 00:14:56.139 That God showers His gifts 00:14:56.139 --> 00:14:57.779 on the just and the unjust. 00:14:58.759 --> 00:15:00.360 He gives innumerable blessings 00:15:00.360 --> 00:15:02.600 to both believers and unbelievers. 00:15:03.500 --> 00:15:04.699 And in His sovereignty, 00:15:04.840 --> 00:15:06.620 He brings about His good purposes. 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:10.860 We see common grace pretty clearly 00:15:10.860 --> 00:15:12.039 in the physical realm, right? 00:15:12.139 --> 00:15:13.720 God makes His sun to shine 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:15.039 on the evil and the good. 00:15:15.100 --> 00:15:16.299 He makes the rain to fall 00:15:16.299 --> 00:15:17.539 on the just and the unjust. 00:15:18.360 --> 00:15:20.059 But we see it in the intellectual realm. 00:15:20.179 --> 00:15:21.460 God gives gifts of reason 00:15:21.460 --> 00:15:22.539 and learning. 00:15:22.539 --> 00:15:24.659 He sheds them abroad 00:15:24.659 --> 00:15:26.719 to all humans 00:15:26.719 --> 00:15:28.899 that we might understand the world 00:15:28.899 --> 00:15:30.740 and make something of it. 00:15:31.759 --> 00:15:33.360 We see it in the creative realm. 00:15:33.480 --> 00:15:35.659 God gives gifts of art and music. 00:15:36.519 --> 00:15:38.079 We see it in the moral realm. 00:15:39.019 --> 00:15:41.219 God gives a sense of justice 00:15:41.219 --> 00:15:42.179 and compassion. 00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:44.159 And He does all of this 00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:46.740 to believers and unbelievers alike. 00:15:48.240 --> 00:15:49.959 Every good and every perfect gift 00:15:49.959 --> 00:15:50.679 is from above, 00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:51.899 James says in the New Testament, 00:15:51.899 --> 00:15:54.179 coming down from the Father of lights. 00:15:54.939 --> 00:15:56.319 Or as God says here in Isaiah, 00:15:56.459 --> 00:15:58.240 besides me, there is no God. 00:15:59.059 --> 00:16:00.039 I equip you, 00:16:00.899 --> 00:16:02.419 though you do not know me. 00:16:03.860 --> 00:16:05.000 So don't be surprised, 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:06.379 God says to Old Testament Israel, 00:16:06.559 --> 00:16:08.100 when Cyrus liberates you. 00:16:08.740 --> 00:16:09.840 This is my doing. 00:16:10.340 --> 00:16:11.699 It is my common grace, 00:16:12.199 --> 00:16:14.399 working through Cyrus for your good. 00:16:15.819 --> 00:16:17.019 And for us today, 00:16:17.340 --> 00:16:18.679 don't be surprised 00:16:18.679 --> 00:16:21.039 if you listen to a piece of music 00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:23.099 composed by an unbeliever 00:16:23.099 --> 00:16:24.019 and find yourself 00:16:24.019 --> 00:16:25.459 in genuine wonder and joy. 00:16:26.659 --> 00:16:27.439 Common grace. 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:30.439 Don't be surprised 00:16:30.439 --> 00:16:32.620 if you find incredibly kind 00:16:32.620 --> 00:16:33.339 and loving people 00:16:33.339 --> 00:16:34.319 outside the church. 00:16:35.319 --> 00:16:36.000 Common grace. 00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:38.500 Don't be surprised 00:16:38.500 --> 00:16:39.959 if social good 00:16:39.959 --> 00:16:41.899 is at times advanced 00:16:41.899 --> 00:16:43.319 by unbelieving people. 00:16:43.439 --> 00:16:45.120 There is common grace. 00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:48.419 But notice, 00:16:49.039 --> 00:16:50.019 what's the point 00:16:50.019 --> 00:16:52.080 of seeing this common grace? 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:54.840 Look at verse 6 of our text, 00:16:55.480 --> 00:16:56.580 that people may know 00:16:56.580 --> 00:16:58.279 from the rising of the sun 00:16:58.279 --> 00:16:59.200 and from the west 00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:01.120 that there's none beside me. 00:17:02.139 --> 00:17:02.799 I am the Lord 00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:03.580 and there is no other. 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:05.099 You see, 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:06.240 when Cyrus liberates the Jews 00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:06.619 in exile 00:17:06.619 --> 00:17:07.359 and sends them home, 00:17:07.539 --> 00:17:09.000 who is meant to get the praise? 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:10.500 Cyrus? 00:17:10.500 --> 00:17:10.660 Cyrus? 00:17:11.660 --> 00:17:12.819 Cyrus is God's? 00:17:12.819 --> 00:17:13.539 No. 00:17:13.539 --> 00:17:13.740 No. 00:17:14.399 --> 00:17:15.000 The Lord. 00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:17.460 The sovereign giver 00:17:17.460 --> 00:17:19.319 of all good gifts. 00:17:19.460 --> 00:17:20.159 When we see 00:17:20.159 --> 00:17:21.299 God's common grace, 00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:23.159 we must give God 00:17:23.159 --> 00:17:24.700 the honor for it. 00:17:27.240 --> 00:17:28.220 Now, the doctrine 00:17:28.220 --> 00:17:28.859 of common grace 00:17:28.859 --> 00:17:29.740 helps us to avoid 00:17:29.740 --> 00:17:30.480 two pitfalls 00:17:30.480 --> 00:17:31.379 in the Christian life. 00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:33.720 On the one hand, 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:34.879 you know, 00:17:34.919 --> 00:17:35.419 the Israelites 00:17:35.419 --> 00:17:37.299 could have rejected 00:17:37.299 --> 00:17:38.839 the good 00:17:38.839 --> 00:17:41.019 that Cyrus brought about 00:17:41.019 --> 00:17:42.359 because Cyrus 00:17:42.359 --> 00:17:43.160 did not worship 00:17:43.160 --> 00:17:43.700 the Lord. 00:17:43.819 --> 00:17:44.400 They could have viewed 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:45.759 everything he did 00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:46.639 as evil, right? 00:17:47.079 --> 00:17:47.980 They could have said, 00:17:48.180 --> 00:17:49.480 I'm not going to 00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:51.960 take any gifts from him. 00:17:52.259 --> 00:17:52.819 I'm going to just 00:17:52.819 --> 00:17:53.460 stay in Babylon. 00:17:55.900 --> 00:17:56.240 You know, 00:17:56.279 --> 00:17:56.980 Christians sometimes 00:17:56.980 --> 00:17:58.139 fall into this same pitfall. 00:17:58.759 --> 00:18:00.059 We must not reject 00:18:00.059 --> 00:18:00.960 the good things 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:02.019 that unbelievers do 00:18:02.019 --> 00:18:03.079 as totally evil 00:18:03.079 --> 00:18:03.720 just because 00:18:03.720 --> 00:18:04.559 they're unbelievers. 00:18:05.240 --> 00:18:06.480 We can still 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:07.559 acknowledge the good 00:18:07.559 --> 00:18:08.960 and give God 00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:09.839 the praise for it. 00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:13.480 On the other hand, 00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:14.359 the other pitfall, 00:18:14.959 --> 00:18:15.119 you know, 00:18:15.159 --> 00:18:15.599 the Israelites 00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:16.240 could have swung 00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:17.259 in the opposite direction. 00:18:17.859 --> 00:18:18.819 They could have viewed 00:18:18.819 --> 00:18:19.659 what God did 00:18:19.659 --> 00:18:20.220 through Cyrus 00:18:20.220 --> 00:18:20.879 as proof 00:18:20.879 --> 00:18:22.919 that all of Cyrus' actions 00:18:22.919 --> 00:18:24.339 and even Cyrus' gods 00:18:24.339 --> 00:18:25.459 were worthy of praise 00:18:25.459 --> 00:18:26.439 and worthy of allegiance. 00:18:28.959 --> 00:18:30.039 Now, Christians today, 00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:30.500 I think, 00:18:30.839 --> 00:18:32.720 have to be even more careful 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:33.759 of this pitfall. 00:18:35.659 --> 00:18:36.779 When we see 00:18:36.779 --> 00:18:38.439 some genuine good 00:18:38.439 --> 00:18:39.179 in an unbeliever, 00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:41.099 or in a social movement, 00:18:41.379 --> 00:18:42.679 or in a political party, 00:18:43.059 --> 00:18:45.159 we must not suddenly 00:18:45.159 --> 00:18:45.659 give it 00:18:45.659 --> 00:18:47.220 our wholesale allegiance. 00:18:49.220 --> 00:18:50.559 We have to be 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:51.859 more discerning than that. 00:18:52.740 --> 00:18:54.079 Just because we see 00:18:54.079 --> 00:18:55.539 a threat of common grace good 00:18:55.539 --> 00:18:56.240 doesn't mean 00:18:56.240 --> 00:18:56.819 we should give 00:18:56.819 --> 00:18:57.919 our wholesale allegiance 00:18:57.919 --> 00:18:59.039 and agree with everything 00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:00.000 that particular person 00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:00.480 or party 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:00.899 or movement 00:19:00.899 --> 00:19:01.939 stands for. 00:19:03.859 --> 00:19:05.240 Rather than rejecting 00:19:05.240 --> 00:19:05.679 everything 00:19:05.679 --> 00:19:07.079 and accepting everything, 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:09.240 we need to honor God 00:19:09.240 --> 00:19:09.720 for the good 00:19:09.720 --> 00:19:10.519 of common grace 00:19:10.519 --> 00:19:12.059 but think and act 00:19:12.059 --> 00:19:13.119 with integrity 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:14.460 as God's people. 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:16.699 The Israelites 00:19:16.699 --> 00:19:18.039 were meant to go home 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:19.460 but they weren't meant 00:19:19.460 --> 00:19:20.319 to start worshiping 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:21.240 the Persian gods. 00:19:24.779 --> 00:19:25.759 Now, that's the first 00:19:25.759 --> 00:19:27.039 implication of Isaiah 45 00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:28.179 because the Lord alone 00:19:28.179 --> 00:19:28.599 is God. 00:19:28.679 --> 00:19:29.960 We must honor Him 00:19:29.960 --> 00:19:31.759 for all the common grace 00:19:31.759 --> 00:19:32.299 that we see 00:19:32.299 --> 00:19:33.019 and experience. 00:19:33.759 --> 00:19:34.519 But at this point, 00:19:34.619 --> 00:19:35.279 Isaiah has to make 00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:36.139 an important clarification. 00:19:36.960 --> 00:19:37.779 God has just said 00:19:37.779 --> 00:19:38.799 that He's going to use Cyrus, 00:19:38.980 --> 00:19:39.639 a pagan ruler, 00:19:39.740 --> 00:19:40.579 to liberate His people. 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:41.359 What does that mean 00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:42.460 about Cyrus? 00:19:43.680 --> 00:19:44.660 What does that mean 00:19:44.660 --> 00:19:46.200 about all those nations, 00:19:46.279 --> 00:19:46.879 all those people 00:19:46.879 --> 00:19:47.579 who, like Cyrus, 00:19:47.660 --> 00:19:48.599 don't worship the Lord? 00:19:50.839 --> 00:19:51.799 Well, the second half 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:52.599 of Isaiah 45 00:19:52.599 --> 00:19:53.480 tells us this. 00:19:54.119 --> 00:19:55.440 Because the Lord alone 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:56.160 is God, 00:19:56.779 --> 00:19:59.099 we must turn to Him 00:19:59.099 --> 00:20:01.700 for all saving grace. 00:20:02.079 --> 00:20:03.019 Because the Lord alone 00:20:03.019 --> 00:20:03.379 is God, 00:20:03.440 --> 00:20:04.599 we must turn to Him 00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:06.379 for all saving grace. 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:07.579 Now, let's skip down 00:20:07.579 --> 00:20:08.980 to verse 18 00:20:08.980 --> 00:20:10.299 in chapter 45. 00:20:10.399 --> 00:20:10.779 We're going to read 00:20:10.779 --> 00:20:11.419 a little more 00:20:11.419 --> 00:20:12.279 of our text. 00:20:12.399 --> 00:20:13.759 Picking up in verse 18 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:15.079 of chapter 45. 00:20:16.439 --> 00:20:17.439 For thus says the Lord 00:20:17.439 --> 00:20:18.879 who created the heavens, 00:20:19.159 --> 00:20:19.879 He is God 00:20:19.879 --> 00:20:21.399 who formed the earth 00:20:21.399 --> 00:20:21.859 and made it. 00:20:21.959 --> 00:20:22.899 He established it. 00:20:23.299 --> 00:20:24.339 He did not create it empty. 00:20:24.439 --> 00:20:25.480 He formed it to be inhabited. 00:20:26.439 --> 00:20:27.199 I am the Lord 00:20:27.199 --> 00:20:28.459 and there is no other. 00:20:29.619 --> 00:20:30.879 I did not speak in secret 00:20:30.879 --> 00:20:31.779 in a land of darkness. 00:20:32.459 --> 00:20:33.099 I did not say 00:20:33.099 --> 00:20:34.019 to the offspring of Jacob, 00:20:34.019 --> 00:20:34.920 seek me in vain. 00:20:35.660 --> 00:20:36.160 I, the Lord, 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:36.879 speak the truth. 00:20:36.940 --> 00:20:38.059 I declare what is right. 00:20:39.119 --> 00:20:39.940 Assemble yourselves 00:20:39.940 --> 00:20:40.480 and come. 00:20:41.319 --> 00:20:42.339 Draw near together, 00:20:42.440 --> 00:20:43.240 you survivors 00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:44.359 of the nations. 00:20:45.619 --> 00:20:46.720 They have no knowledge 00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:47.420 who carry about 00:20:47.420 --> 00:20:48.139 their wooden idols 00:20:48.139 --> 00:20:48.960 and keep on praying 00:20:48.960 --> 00:20:49.519 to a God 00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:50.480 that cannot save. 00:20:51.579 --> 00:20:52.259 Declare and present 00:20:52.259 --> 00:20:52.740 your case. 00:20:52.839 --> 00:20:53.900 Let them take counsel 00:20:53.900 --> 00:20:54.319 together. 00:20:55.039 --> 00:20:56.940 Who told this long ago? 00:20:57.079 --> 00:20:58.420 Who declared it of old? 00:20:58.480 --> 00:20:59.240 Was it not I, 00:20:59.379 --> 00:20:59.819 the Lord? 00:20:59.819 --> 00:21:01.480 And there is no other 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:02.339 God beside me, 00:21:02.339 --> 00:21:03.339 a righteous God 00:21:03.339 --> 00:21:03.859 and a Savior. 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:05.939 There is none beside me. 00:21:06.919 --> 00:21:07.879 Turn to me 00:21:07.879 --> 00:21:09.939 and be saved. 00:21:10.699 --> 00:21:11.919 All the ends 00:21:11.919 --> 00:21:12.519 of the earth 00:21:12.519 --> 00:21:14.799 for I am God 00:21:14.799 --> 00:21:16.720 and there is no other. 00:21:18.480 --> 00:21:19.240 By myself, 00:21:19.319 --> 00:21:19.939 I have sworn 00:21:19.939 --> 00:21:20.679 from my mouth 00:21:20.679 --> 00:21:21.259 has gone out 00:21:21.259 --> 00:21:21.799 in righteousness 00:21:21.799 --> 00:21:22.399 a word 00:21:22.399 --> 00:21:23.779 that shall not return, 00:21:23.939 --> 00:21:24.859 that is return void, 00:21:24.980 --> 00:21:25.559 return empty. 00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:26.759 To me, 00:21:26.859 --> 00:21:27.759 every knee shall bow. 00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:27.799 Now, 00:21:28.579 --> 00:21:29.339 every tongue 00:21:29.339 --> 00:21:30.579 shall swear allegiance. 00:21:32.119 --> 00:21:33.079 Only in the Lord 00:21:33.079 --> 00:21:34.240 it shall be said of me, 00:21:34.619 --> 00:21:35.180 our righteousness 00:21:35.180 --> 00:21:35.960 and strength. 00:21:36.879 --> 00:21:37.700 To him shall come 00:21:37.700 --> 00:21:38.259 and be ashamed 00:21:38.259 --> 00:21:39.059 all who are incensed 00:21:39.059 --> 00:21:39.700 against him. 00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:41.119 In the Lord, 00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:41.759 all the offspring 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:42.379 of Israel 00:21:42.379 --> 00:21:44.160 shall be justified 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:45.879 and shall glory. 00:21:47.579 --> 00:21:47.960 Now, 00:21:47.980 --> 00:21:48.660 the key verse here 00:21:48.660 --> 00:21:49.500 is verse 22. 00:21:50.500 --> 00:21:51.759 Turn to me 00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:53.099 and be saved, 00:21:53.539 --> 00:21:54.500 all the ends 00:21:54.500 --> 00:21:55.059 of the earth, 00:21:55.059 --> 00:21:56.779 for I am God 00:21:56.779 --> 00:21:58.339 and there is no other. 00:21:59.779 --> 00:22:00.159 Friends, 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:00.480 you see, 00:22:00.599 --> 00:22:01.500 common grace, 00:22:02.659 --> 00:22:03.200 those gifts 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:04.480 that God sheds abroad, 00:22:05.720 --> 00:22:06.279 common grace 00:22:06.279 --> 00:22:07.759 is not saving grace. 00:22:09.099 --> 00:22:09.659 You can be 00:22:09.659 --> 00:22:10.559 highly intelligent, 00:22:11.139 --> 00:22:12.000 very creative, 00:22:12.200 --> 00:22:13.220 incredibly moral 00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:14.019 and all these 00:22:14.019 --> 00:22:14.899 are gifts of God. 00:22:15.460 --> 00:22:16.240 You didn't earn them, 00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:17.200 they were gifts to you. 00:22:18.119 --> 00:22:19.279 But even an abundance 00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:20.039 of these gifts 00:22:20.039 --> 00:22:21.019 of common grace, 00:22:21.019 --> 00:22:23.139 they aren't saving. 00:22:23.140 --> 00:22:25.440 They don't put you 00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:26.880 in a right relationship 00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:28.300 with God, 00:22:28.700 --> 00:22:29.480 with your Creator. 00:22:30.380 --> 00:22:31.780 They don't take away 00:22:31.780 --> 00:22:32.940 your guilt. 00:22:33.640 --> 00:22:34.480 They don't take away 00:22:34.480 --> 00:22:35.040 your shame. 00:22:36.080 --> 00:22:37.620 We need saving grace. 00:22:39.220 --> 00:22:40.600 And what do we see here? 00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:42.600 We see that this one 00:22:42.600 --> 00:22:43.360 true God, 00:22:43.700 --> 00:22:44.160 who yes, 00:22:44.580 --> 00:22:45.540 covenanted with Israel 00:22:45.540 --> 00:22:46.200 to bring about 00:22:46.200 --> 00:22:47.140 his plans of redemption, 00:22:47.520 --> 00:22:48.620 who sent Jesus Christ, 00:22:48.680 --> 00:22:50.420 we see that this one God, 00:22:50.420 --> 00:22:52.020 what does this God do? 00:22:53.140 --> 00:22:54.120 He extends 00:22:54.120 --> 00:22:55.980 not just common grace 00:22:55.980 --> 00:22:56.700 to the nations, 00:22:57.020 --> 00:22:58.180 but he extends 00:22:58.180 --> 00:22:59.759 his saving grace as well. 00:23:00.740 --> 00:23:01.620 Turn to me 00:23:01.620 --> 00:23:02.360 and be saved 00:23:02.360 --> 00:23:03.759 all the ends of the earth. 00:23:05.580 --> 00:23:06.580 Here is an invitation, 00:23:06.780 --> 00:23:07.400 a summons 00:23:07.400 --> 00:23:08.960 for everyone. 00:23:09.860 --> 00:23:10.560 Every nation, 00:23:10.840 --> 00:23:11.460 every culture, 00:23:11.740 --> 00:23:12.520 every language, 00:23:13.160 --> 00:23:13.680 everyone 00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:15.060 is summoned 00:23:15.060 --> 00:23:16.040 to receive 00:23:16.040 --> 00:23:17.580 God's saving grace. 00:23:17.579 --> 00:23:19.480 That was true 00:23:19.480 --> 00:23:20.319 in Isaiah's day 00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:21.439 and it's true today, 00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:21.939 friends. 00:23:22.500 --> 00:23:23.679 He is summoning us, 00:23:23.740 --> 00:23:24.619 he's summoning you 00:23:24.619 --> 00:23:25.199 today 00:23:25.199 --> 00:23:26.419 to come 00:23:26.419 --> 00:23:27.559 and receive 00:23:27.559 --> 00:23:28.939 his saving grace. 00:23:31.439 --> 00:23:32.399 But to receive 00:23:32.399 --> 00:23:33.199 this saving grace, 00:23:33.319 --> 00:23:34.559 what must we do? 00:23:35.619 --> 00:23:36.759 We must turn, 00:23:37.059 --> 00:23:37.539 Isaiah says, 00:23:37.579 --> 00:23:38.419 we must turn 00:23:38.419 --> 00:23:39.460 and embrace 00:23:39.460 --> 00:23:40.159 the Lord alone 00:23:40.159 --> 00:23:40.639 as God. 00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:43.840 because ultimately 00:23:43.840 --> 00:23:44.720 this is the God, 00:23:44.800 --> 00:23:45.820 as verse 23 says 00:23:45.820 --> 00:23:46.340 in our text, 00:23:46.420 --> 00:23:46.800 to whom 00:23:46.800 --> 00:23:48.220 every knee shall bow 00:23:48.220 --> 00:23:49.500 and every tongue 00:23:49.500 --> 00:23:51.400 shall swear allegiance. 00:23:52.040 --> 00:23:52.920 There is coming a day, 00:23:53.020 --> 00:23:53.400 God says, 00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:54.160 when everyone 00:23:54.160 --> 00:23:55.180 will recognize 00:23:55.180 --> 00:23:56.300 my unique 00:23:56.300 --> 00:23:57.440 and utterly 00:23:57.440 --> 00:23:58.720 exclusive 00:23:58.720 --> 00:23:59.759 claim 00:23:59.759 --> 00:24:00.759 to be the one 00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:01.400 true God. 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:02.740 Everyone will 00:24:02.740 --> 00:24:03.380 acknowledge it. 00:24:06.580 --> 00:24:07.700 God is inviting us, 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:08.560 he's summoning us 00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:09.759 to acknowledge it now. 00:24:11.379 --> 00:24:12.079 And that phrase, 00:24:12.179 --> 00:24:12.299 you know, 00:24:12.339 --> 00:24:13.079 every knee shall bow 00:24:13.079 --> 00:24:13.559 and every tongue 00:24:13.559 --> 00:24:14.240 shall swear allegiance, 00:24:14.919 --> 00:24:15.919 I hope that phrase 00:24:15.919 --> 00:24:16.440 sounds a little 00:24:16.440 --> 00:24:17.319 familiar to you 00:24:17.319 --> 00:24:19.960 because earlier 00:24:19.960 --> 00:24:20.559 in our service, 00:24:20.659 --> 00:24:21.419 Dave actually read 00:24:21.419 --> 00:24:21.980 for us from 00:24:21.980 --> 00:24:23.099 Philippians chapter 2 00:24:23.099 --> 00:24:25.139 and in that chapter 00:24:25.139 --> 00:24:25.940 from the New Testament, 00:24:26.179 --> 00:24:28.240 Paul identifies 00:24:28.240 --> 00:24:29.819 none other 00:24:29.819 --> 00:24:31.419 than the risen Jesus 00:24:31.419 --> 00:24:32.980 as this Lord. 00:24:33.879 --> 00:24:34.879 At the name of Jesus, 00:24:35.019 --> 00:24:35.500 Paul writes, 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:37.099 every knee should bow 00:24:37.099 --> 00:24:38.139 in heaven and earth 00:24:38.140 --> 00:24:38.820 and under the earth 00:24:38.820 --> 00:24:40.040 and every tongue 00:24:40.040 --> 00:24:40.680 confess, 00:24:40.780 --> 00:24:41.100 that is, 00:24:41.180 --> 00:24:41.860 swear allegiance 00:24:41.860 --> 00:24:43.400 that Jesus Christ 00:24:43.400 --> 00:24:43.920 is Lord 00:24:43.920 --> 00:24:45.240 to the glory 00:24:45.240 --> 00:24:46.140 of God the Father. 00:24:47.620 --> 00:24:48.960 To turn to the Lord 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:49.980 and be saved 00:24:49.980 --> 00:24:51.220 means turning 00:24:51.220 --> 00:24:53.000 to the Lord Jesus. 00:24:56.220 --> 00:24:57.259 But what do we see 00:24:57.259 --> 00:24:58.640 about this Lord Jesus? 00:24:59.660 --> 00:25:00.620 This sovereign Lord 00:25:00.620 --> 00:25:01.400 who stretched out 00:25:01.400 --> 00:25:01.840 the heavens, 00:25:02.320 --> 00:25:03.080 who established 00:25:03.080 --> 00:25:03.680 the earth, 00:25:04.800 --> 00:25:06.460 this one true God 00:25:06.460 --> 00:25:07.519 who rules the nations, 00:25:07.579 --> 00:25:08.319 what do we see 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:09.140 about this God? 00:25:11.180 --> 00:25:11.920 Well, we see 00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:12.819 that this is a God 00:25:12.819 --> 00:25:14.680 who emptied Himself 00:25:14.680 --> 00:25:15.740 for us. 00:25:16.980 --> 00:25:17.579 Listen again 00:25:17.579 --> 00:25:18.460 to Philippians 2. 00:25:19.740 --> 00:25:20.400 Christ Jesus, 00:25:20.519 --> 00:25:21.480 though He was in the form 00:25:21.480 --> 00:25:22.140 of God, 00:25:23.100 --> 00:25:23.720 did not count 00:25:23.720 --> 00:25:24.759 equality with God 00:25:24.759 --> 00:25:25.980 a thing to be grasped, 00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:27.819 but emptied Himself 00:25:27.819 --> 00:25:29.620 by taking the form 00:25:29.620 --> 00:25:30.160 of a servant. 00:25:31.480 --> 00:25:32.519 Being born in the likeness 00:25:32.519 --> 00:25:32.920 of men 00:25:32.920 --> 00:25:34.700 and being found 00:25:34.700 --> 00:25:35.420 in human form, 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:36.400 He humbled Himself 00:25:36.400 --> 00:25:38.120 by becoming obedient 00:25:38.120 --> 00:25:39.140 to the point of death, 00:25:39.920 --> 00:25:41.019 even death on a cross. 00:25:43.600 --> 00:25:44.860 I recently ran across 00:25:44.860 --> 00:25:45.460 the story 00:25:45.460 --> 00:25:47.660 of Praveen Setupati. 00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:49.740 He's a genetics professor 00:25:49.740 --> 00:25:50.300 at Cornell. 00:25:51.460 --> 00:25:53.200 And when he was 00:25:53.200 --> 00:25:54.240 a freshman in college, 00:25:54.360 --> 00:25:55.860 a classmate asked him 00:25:55.860 --> 00:25:57.080 what he believed 00:25:57.080 --> 00:25:58.300 and he said 00:25:58.300 --> 00:25:58.820 he was a Hindu. 00:25:59.580 --> 00:26:00.519 But the question 00:26:00.519 --> 00:26:01.820 kind of unsettled him. 00:26:01.819 --> 00:26:03.619 Praveen's parents 00:26:03.619 --> 00:26:04.899 had immigrated from India. 00:26:05.059 --> 00:26:05.839 He had grown up 00:26:05.839 --> 00:26:07.259 with Hindu culture, 00:26:07.500 --> 00:26:08.339 but he had little knowledge 00:26:08.339 --> 00:26:08.980 of Hindu beliefs, 00:26:09.119 --> 00:26:10.579 so he started to explore. 00:26:11.220 --> 00:26:12.119 He kind of dug into 00:26:12.119 --> 00:26:13.200 ancient Hindu texts 00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:14.519 and he appreciated 00:26:14.519 --> 00:26:15.200 their richness. 00:26:16.079 --> 00:26:16.980 But the process 00:26:16.980 --> 00:26:17.839 made him aware 00:26:17.839 --> 00:26:18.519 of the fact 00:26:18.519 --> 00:26:20.500 that other world religions 00:26:20.500 --> 00:26:22.079 made different truth claims. 00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:24.980 Now, with the mindset 00:26:24.980 --> 00:26:26.599 of a budding scientist, 00:26:26.879 --> 00:26:27.939 he didn't want to assume 00:26:27.939 --> 00:26:28.599 that the religion 00:26:28.599 --> 00:26:29.279 he inherited 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:30.379 was right, 00:26:30.380 --> 00:26:31.560 so he explored 00:26:31.560 --> 00:26:32.240 other beliefs 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:33.740 and read other religious texts. 00:26:35.300 --> 00:26:36.600 And in the Gospels, 00:26:36.920 --> 00:26:37.860 as he tells his story, 00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:38.780 Praveen found something 00:26:38.780 --> 00:26:39.760 that surprised him. 00:26:41.600 --> 00:26:43.060 He, here, 00:26:43.240 --> 00:26:44.060 in the Gospels, 00:26:45.360 --> 00:26:45.640 Jesus. 00:26:46.520 --> 00:26:47.820 Jesus was the supposed 00:26:47.820 --> 00:26:49.160 hero of the story. 00:26:50.440 --> 00:26:51.580 But at the climax 00:26:51.580 --> 00:26:52.420 of the tale, 00:26:53.740 --> 00:26:54.220 this Jesus 00:26:54.220 --> 00:26:55.860 was hung naked, 00:26:56.060 --> 00:26:56.580 disfigured, 00:26:56.660 --> 00:26:57.160 and pathetic 00:26:57.160 --> 00:26:57.940 on a cross. 00:27:00.120 --> 00:27:01.019 Very different 00:27:01.019 --> 00:27:02.820 than the Hindu superhero, 00:27:03.240 --> 00:27:03.540 Krishna. 00:27:05.800 --> 00:27:06.620 But somehow, 00:27:06.779 --> 00:27:07.720 the self-emptying 00:27:07.720 --> 00:27:09.019 of this crucified man 00:27:09.019 --> 00:27:10.960 attracted Praveen. 00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:12.180 And after months 00:27:12.180 --> 00:27:12.540 of reading 00:27:12.540 --> 00:27:13.140 and questioning 00:27:13.140 --> 00:27:13.940 and sifting through 00:27:13.940 --> 00:27:14.500 the evidence, 00:27:15.259 --> 00:27:16.400 he started following Jesus. 00:27:18.700 --> 00:27:19.820 Now, as you might guess, 00:27:20.160 --> 00:27:21.320 this was a little more, 00:27:22.019 --> 00:27:23.180 was more than a little 00:27:23.180 --> 00:27:24.100 disturbing, right, 00:27:24.099 --> 00:27:25.179 for Praveen's family. 00:27:27.019 --> 00:27:27.799 Living as members 00:27:27.799 --> 00:27:28.419 of a racial 00:27:28.419 --> 00:27:29.579 and religious minority 00:27:29.579 --> 00:27:30.179 in America, 00:27:30.339 --> 00:27:31.399 they feared that Praveen 00:27:31.399 --> 00:27:32.039 was rejecting 00:27:32.039 --> 00:27:33.019 his Indian heritage 00:27:33.019 --> 00:27:34.099 and wondered whether 00:27:34.099 --> 00:27:35.079 he would change his name 00:27:35.079 --> 00:27:35.659 to something 00:27:35.659 --> 00:27:36.579 Western-sounding 00:27:36.579 --> 00:27:37.879 like Peter or John, 00:27:38.039 --> 00:27:38.279 right? 00:27:40.639 --> 00:27:41.879 But Praveen reassured them 00:27:41.879 --> 00:27:42.779 that following Jesus 00:27:42.779 --> 00:27:43.779 did not entail 00:27:43.779 --> 00:27:44.859 rejecting the culture 00:27:44.859 --> 00:27:45.279 he loved. 00:27:45.339 --> 00:27:45.679 He writes, 00:27:46.019 --> 00:27:46.699 becoming a Christian 00:27:46.699 --> 00:27:47.459 had nothing to do 00:27:47.459 --> 00:27:47.980 with rejecting 00:27:47.980 --> 00:27:48.799 my Indian heritage 00:27:48.799 --> 00:27:49.519 or being called 00:27:49.519 --> 00:27:50.119 by a different name. 00:27:50.179 --> 00:27:50.399 Rather, 00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:51.099 it was about embracing 00:27:51.099 --> 00:27:53.599 God's interwoven presence 00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:54.500 in the history of mankind, 00:27:55.099 --> 00:27:55.659 Christ's love 00:27:55.659 --> 00:27:56.799 and sacrifice for us 00:27:56.799 --> 00:27:57.679 and our desperate 00:27:57.679 --> 00:27:58.419 need for Him. 00:28:00.559 --> 00:28:01.219 Now, there were 00:28:01.219 --> 00:28:01.959 certainly aspects 00:28:01.959 --> 00:28:03.019 of his Hindu heritage 00:28:03.019 --> 00:28:04.139 that he would need 00:28:04.139 --> 00:28:05.579 to leave to follow Christ. 00:28:07.059 --> 00:28:08.179 But Praveen was proud 00:28:08.179 --> 00:28:09.119 to be Indian 00:28:09.119 --> 00:28:10.439 and proud of the rich culture 00:28:10.439 --> 00:28:11.179 which he came from. 00:28:12.240 --> 00:28:13.439 And he was planning 00:28:13.439 --> 00:28:14.079 to pass it on 00:28:14.079 --> 00:28:14.559 to his children. 00:28:16.719 --> 00:28:17.359 So, you see, 00:28:17.480 --> 00:28:19.240 turning to the one 00:28:19.240 --> 00:28:20.219 true God, Jesus, 00:28:20.220 --> 00:28:22.860 means turning to the God 00:28:22.860 --> 00:28:23.960 who emptied Himself 00:28:23.960 --> 00:28:24.660 for us, 00:28:25.059 --> 00:28:25.740 something that no 00:28:25.740 --> 00:28:26.779 other religion claims. 00:28:27.620 --> 00:28:28.480 And turning to Jesus 00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:29.420 didn't mean sort of 00:28:29.420 --> 00:28:30.559 erasing all the 00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:31.700 common grace good 00:28:31.700 --> 00:28:33.100 that's found in our culture 00:28:33.100 --> 00:28:33.940 or in our heritage, 00:28:34.079 --> 00:28:35.059 but rather bringing 00:28:35.059 --> 00:28:36.480 all of that, 00:28:36.559 --> 00:28:37.920 bringing all of those gifts 00:28:37.920 --> 00:28:40.360 in worship of the God 00:28:40.360 --> 00:28:41.220 who gave those gifts 00:28:41.220 --> 00:28:42.200 in the first place. 00:28:45.019 --> 00:28:46.120 How about you, friend? 00:28:47.720 --> 00:28:48.680 Have you turned 00:28:48.680 --> 00:28:49.400 to this God 00:28:49.400 --> 00:28:50.460 to receive His offer 00:28:50.460 --> 00:28:51.860 of saving grace? 00:28:53.279 --> 00:28:54.380 And if you have, 00:28:54.440 --> 00:28:55.019 are you using 00:28:55.019 --> 00:28:56.380 all of your gifts 00:28:56.380 --> 00:28:58.180 to bring Him praise? 00:28:59.820 --> 00:29:00.880 The Lord alone 00:29:00.880 --> 00:29:01.420 is God. 00:29:02.660 --> 00:29:03.279 Honor Him. 00:29:04.440 --> 00:29:05.220 Turn to Him. 00:29:06.360 --> 00:29:06.880 Let's pray. 00:29:06.880 --> 00:29:18.860 Try and God, 00:29:18.940 --> 00:29:19.580 we thank You 00:29:19.580 --> 00:29:22.440 for clearly revealing 00:29:22.440 --> 00:29:23.460 Yourself to be 00:29:23.460 --> 00:29:24.480 the one true God. 00:29:27.280 --> 00:29:28.620 And we give You praise 00:29:28.620 --> 00:29:31.100 for doing what no other 00:29:31.100 --> 00:29:32.720 God claims to do, 00:29:32.720 --> 00:29:36.180 taking on flesh for us, 00:29:36.900 --> 00:29:37.720 laying down Your life 00:29:37.720 --> 00:29:38.220 for us, 00:29:38.700 --> 00:29:39.400 rising again 00:29:39.400 --> 00:29:40.100 that we might know 00:29:40.100 --> 00:29:40.660 new life. 00:29:42.039 --> 00:29:42.460 Oh, Lord, 00:29:42.519 --> 00:29:43.940 help us now 00:29:43.940 --> 00:29:45.039 to turn to You 00:29:45.039 --> 00:29:48.100 and help us 00:29:48.100 --> 00:29:48.960 to honor You. 00:29:50.539 --> 00:29:51.740 Help us not to see 00:29:51.740 --> 00:29:52.380 the good gifts 00:29:52.380 --> 00:29:53.100 that You've given us 00:29:53.100 --> 00:29:53.700 as somehow 00:29:53.700 --> 00:29:55.019 things we have earned 00:29:55.019 --> 00:29:55.960 or things we have done 00:29:55.960 --> 00:29:57.100 or things that might 00:29:57.100 --> 00:29:58.339 puff up our own pride, 00:29:58.440 --> 00:29:59.579 but help us to see them 00:29:59.579 --> 00:30:00.419 as vehicles 00:30:00.419 --> 00:30:04.000 for giving You praise 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:04.720 and displaying 00:30:04.720 --> 00:30:06.059 Your manifold mercy 00:30:06.059 --> 00:30:06.779 and wonder 00:30:06.779 --> 00:30:08.519 here in this world 00:30:08.519 --> 00:30:09.079 that You've made. 00:30:10.099 --> 00:30:11.039 Help us by Your Spirit 00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:11.919 to do that, we pray. 00:30:12.539 --> 00:30:13.960 In Jesus' name, amen.