Isaiah 43:1

Now, thus saith the Lord that created thee, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name, and you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior. I gave Egypt for thy ransom, and Ethiopia, and Seba for thee. Since you were precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee; therefore, will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not, for I am with thee, and I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west. I will say to the north, "Give up," and to the south, "Keep not back." Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth, even every one that is called by my name. For I have created him for my glory, and I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

Father, as we look into your word, we ask for your wisdom and understanding. We ask that, Holy Spirit, you would guide us in all truth, that you'd teach us all things. Give us understanding tonight. Help us as we study through this passage to make application. And Lord, when we leave from here, may we not be the same as when we came tonight. We ask that you'd transform us by the renewing of our minds, for we ask it in Jesus' name. And all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

As we have been studying through the last several chapters of the book of Isaiah, you'll remember that Isaiah chapters 36 through 39 served as a historical parentheses, a historical interlude. During this time, we were given insight into the condition of what was taking place in the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah at the time that Isaiah was receiving this prophetic vision from the Lord. At the end of Isaiah chapter 39, when Hezekiah was king, there was a prophecy given that Hezekiah's people in the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah would go into captivity.

There in Babylon, that prophecy wouldn't be fulfilled for another 120 plus years. However, God spoke to a people who had just been through a great trial, a great difficulty, as the Assyrian army came against their nation and almost completely obliterated them. Now, they were told that another war, another devastating event, was going to happen to them. In the midst of that news, there could be great despair. Yet, God seeks to comfort His people in these chapters, starting in Isaiah chapter 40.

The comfort is found in the fact that God would bring a Redeemer. We read again about this Redeemer as we come to Isaiah chapter 43, where the Lord says, "I have created you." Thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and that formed thee, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by thy name, and you are mine." The Lord is the one who created. It is so important for us to recognize and remember that great truth about our God.

In fact, the very first thing we learn about God in the book of Genesis is that He is the Creator. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. We are introduced to God as Creator in Genesis chapter 1, and here, once again, God reminds His own people that He has made them. Not only did He create them as beings, but He also formed them as a people. He says, "I am the one that formed thee, O Israel." He was the one who took from that one man, Jacob, who himself was a scoundrel. The guy was not a good person. Yet, God redeemed Jacob, and from Jacob brought forth multitudes of people.

He says, "I formed you. Do not fear, because I have redeemed you." It is interesting that God speaks to them in the past tense here, saying, "I have redeemed you," as if it were already an accomplished work. In reality, it is an accomplished work in Christ. Our God, the Creator God, is outside of time and space. He works in a way that we can't fully comprehend. When God does something before time and space, it may not be accomplished here in the realm of time, but it is a done deal.

We often consider the fact that Jesus came 2,000 years ago to be crucified for our sin, to take our guilt and our shame there on the cross. It happened at a specific place and time, where we can put a little dot on the timeline 2,000 years ago. Yet, it was a work that was accomplished before the world began.

Because we read in Revelation chapter 13 that He is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, we find comfort in God's promises. Although God's people were going to see very difficult times and would end up as exiles in Babylon, God speaks in the past tense, saying, "I have redeemed you." There is the comfort: "Fear not. Be comforted, Israel, because I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine."

God has also spoken the same thing to you and me. Although we are not part of the children of Israel tonight, God speaks to us and says, "Do not be afraid. Do not be troubled." To His disciples in John chapter 14, before Jesus was crucified, He said, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me." Then, speaking through the Apostle Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1, He says, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

It is so important for us to recognize that God has not given us a spirit of fear. When we are tempted to be fearful, anxious, or afraid, it is not from the Lord; it is from the enemy. The enemy desires to steal our joy, to rob us, and to leave us in a place of fretting and fear. Yet, God has not given us a spirit of fear. In reality, in Christ, we are more than conquerors. Although we may see difficulties and go through tribulations in this world, we are more than conquerors in Christ.

Here, God was speaking to His people who were about to go through tribulations as a result of their own sin. He says, "Don't be afraid because I have redeemed you." He continues to build upon that in verse 2: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall a flame be kindled upon you."

It was a given that the children of Israel would go through the waters of trial. The swollen river of adversity would surround them, and the fire of testing would burn even seven times hotter against these people. It wasn't a matter of if it would happen, but when it would happen. So, He says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When the rivers come up against you, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire."

We can't help but think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when we read about walking through the fire. This was written more than 100 years before Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would ever be brought to the fiery furnace in Daniel chapter 3.

But here God says, when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned. You remember the story of Nebuchadnezzar. He was so angry with the three men because they would not bow down to the image that he had built and created. He ordered that they be cast bound into the fiery furnace, which was burning seven times hotter than it normally would be. The great armed guards who cast them into that furnace died because of how hot the flame was.

Then we read in Daniel chapter 3, verse 24, that Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished. He rose up quickly and spoke to his counselors who were around him. He asked, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered, "Yes, king, there were three." He replied, "Lo, I see four. Four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt. The form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

Here, God is prophetically speaking to the people of Judah in the city of Jerusalem over a hundred years before they would go captive into Babylon. He tells them not to be afraid because the waters will not pass over them. They will not be taken out; the rivers will not overflow them. They will walk through the midst of the fire, and they shall not be burned. The flame will not be kindled upon them.

We have the same sort of promise from the Lord. Although we may experience trials, and Jesus even promised that we would see difficulty and persecution, we have the added benefit of knowing that the trials that come into our lives are for the very purpose of testing us. The apostle Peter, in his first letter, 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 12, says, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing has happened unto you. But rejoice inasmuch as you are partakers with Christ's sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad with exceeding joy."

We have the great benefit of knowing that, yes, we may go through difficulties. We will experience trials. But God uses those things in our lives to refine us, to transform us, to sanctify us. Even though this life may be terrible—maybe you've had the worst possible day, the worst possible week, or the worst possible month, and this year is quite terrible—we know from the Scriptures in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 that it's just a light and momentary affliction. For our light affliction is but for a moment, as stated in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 17.

And it works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. And again, therein lies the comfort. God was speaking to the children of Israel 2,700 years ago, here in the book of Isaiah. He was saying that there is adversity that is going to come. There are difficult trials that they will face. They will go captive into Babylon and be exiles there for 70 years. But ultimately, He is going to bring about a great salvation. The salvation on the other side of the suffering is what brings comfort and joy in the midst of those difficult things. We must hold fast to God's promise. He says, "I shall be with you. It shall not overcome you. You shall not be burned."

Remember the words of Jesus, really the last words of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew chapter 28. When He tells them to go into all the world, He concludes with, "Lo, I am with you always." He doesn't say, "Lo, I am with you some of the time," or "Lo, I am going to be with you for most of the time." He promises, "I will be with you always." Here, God says, "Do not be afraid. I am with you," even when you are in the waters of adversity, even when you are going through the fiery trial.

Why is the Lord with us? Why was Israel the recipient of such a great and precious promise from God? Look at verse 3 of Isaiah 43: "For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt for thy ransom, and Ethiopia and Seba for thee." Why would God give such great and precious promises to the children of Israel? Because the Lord was their God. There are great benefits to being a follower of the one true God. Yes, you may go through trial. Yes, you will face tribulation. But if He is your God, then you have the promise that He will be with you, and you will not be destroyed by those things that come against you.

The rest of the world goes through trials. Your friends who don't know Christ face difficult situations. They experience job losses, foreclosures, and medical conditions that are very heavy and pressing upon them. But they do not have the comfort of the Lord or His Spirit with them. Here, God says, "I am with you because I am your God. I am the Holy One of Israel. I am your Savior. I gave Egypt for your ransom."

Now, I teach Isaiah at the Bible College. Every semester that I teach it, I receive all kinds of questions about the last little section of verse 3: "I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba before thee." People wonder, what in the world does that mean? What does it mean that God gave Egypt for your ransom?

This is certainly referring us back to the book of Exodus. God sacrificed the Egyptians instead of the children of Israel. He destroyed the firstborn of Egypt and saved Israel's firstborn. He drowned the Egyptians in the Red Sea while the Israelites passed through safely. In this way, God gave Egypt for their ransom. He opened the way for them to come out of the land of Egypt and even sacked the people of Egypt.

Furthermore, when we read about Him giving Ethiopia and Seba, people wonder what that is about. It very likely relates to something that took place back in Isaiah chapter 37. Remember when we were reading through that historic interlude? When Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, surrounded the city of Jerusalem, he heard a rumor that the Egyptians and the Ethiopians were coming up against him. As a result, he left Jerusalem for a time to go and fight with the Ethiopians and the Egyptians. God saved the city of Jerusalem through an interesting method by causing Sennacherib to be taken away from the battle there.

Now, the exact interpretation may be questioned. Some may wonder whether it relates to the Exodus or what took place during the time of the Assyrian invasion. However, the interpretation is clear: God had been a gracious help to His people. God is constantly gracious to His people. Although they were worthy of the same destruction that the Egyptians received, and the same punishment that the Ethiopians received, they received God's grace and goodness.

Isn't that true for you and me tonight as well? We are worthy of God's judgment and punishment, and yet He has been gracious. As we read here that He gave Egypt for their ransom, we can also reflect that God gave His own Son for our ransom. What an awesome thing to consider! He who knew no sin became sin for us.

It was right when the children of Israel said in Isaiah chapter 9, "Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been like Sodom, and we would have been like unto Gomorrah." There in Isaiah chapter 1, verse 9, the children of Israel recognized that if it had not been for the Lord's grace, they would have faced destruction.

If it had not been for the Lord's goodness, they would have been completely consumed like the Sodomites and the Gomorrah, as described in Genesis chapter 19. We are guilty of great sin just as they were, and we too should have been punished. Yet, we have received God's grace. He has been good to us.

Continuing on, verse 4 states, "Since you were precious in my sight, you have been honorable, and I have loved thee. Therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life." Why was Israel the recipient of such great and precious promises that God would defend them, that God would tend to them and care for them? Because God was their Lord. But why was the Lord their God? We read here in verse 4 that they were precious in His sight. The reason that He was their God, the reason that they had received His grace, is because they were precious in His sight.

Turn in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Bible. In Deuteronomy chapter 7, God, speaking through Moses, explains to His people, the children of Israel, why He chose them. Why is it that God chose the children of Israel? In Deuteronomy 7, verse 6, we read, "Well, that seems like a pretty privileged position, does it not?" I know that there have been many Gentiles who have come to Christ and wonder, "Why is it that the Jewish people have been chosen of the Lord? And why do they have this privileged position?" The Lord explains it to them in verse 7: "The Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people. For you were the fewest of all people."

God says it's not because of your strength, it's not because of your might, and it's not because of anything great in your power. But because, in verse 8, "the Lord loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn unto your fathers." Lest the children of Israel grow prideful, and unfortunately they did, God says the reason He chose them is not because they were the best looking, the smartest, or the strongest. It's because of His love. I think that this is such an important thing for you and me to consider as well.

Sometimes, we can develop a high and mighty view of ourselves in Christ. We may think that there is something special about us, as if to say, "Of course the Lord chose me. I'm so smart, I'm so good-looking, I'm so powerful. He got a really good deal when He picked me up." In our flesh, we can begin to think like that. Yet, the Lord would remind us that the only reason He chose us is because He is a good God and He loves us. How awesome it is that He has chosen us!

In Deuteronomy 7:9, it says, "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God." He chose us because He is faithful to His promises and His covenants. He is the God who keeps covenant and mercy with those who love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations. He repays those who hate Him to their face to destroy them; He will not be slack to him that hates Him. He will repay him to his face.

God says, "Listen, the reason I chose you, Israel, is because I loved you. The reason I've defended you, the reason I've been gracious to you, is because you have been precious in My sight. That's why you have been honorable, and I have loved you." Therefore, He says, "I will give men for you."

Consider the fact that throughout the centuries, God has spared the children of Israel from total annihilation. It is an awesome thing to reflect on. They have faced trouble and great persecution; they have endured amazing hardship. The children of Israel even wandered as a dispersed people for nearly 20 centuries. Yet, God has kept them from complete destruction.

Since they became a recognized nation once again on May 14, 1948, God has protected them. Even in 2010, the Israeli Defense Force is one of the strongest and most tactically equipped militaries in the world. Despite being a tiny nation, they are able to accomplish great things. However, if you were to speak with any of the generals in Israel today, they would tell you it is a miracle that they are still alive. It is God's power and strength that have set them apart. It is only by God's power and might that they are still around today. God has made a covenant with them, and He will not break that covenant; He even states in Deuteronomy that it will last for a thousand generations.

And so, based upon that, notice what God says to His people in Isaiah 43, verse 5: "Fear not. Do not be afraid." A second time, God instructs them to fear not. Then, as God always does, He reminds them of the basis of their confidence. What's the foundation of their confidence? "Fear not, for I am with you." Would you underline those words in your Bible?

Imagine, if you would, that you're in the schoolyard as a young child, and a group of guys comes up and starts to push you around. They want to pick a fight with you. Your 4'1" friend, who weighs all of 85 pounds, says, "Don't worry, man, I got your back." Would you be filled with confidence in that moment? Probably not. It would seem like a very empty sort of exhortation. But when the King of Kings and Lord of Lords says, "Do not be afraid. I'm with you," that should instill great confidence.

God continues, "I will bring your seed from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, 'Give up,' and to the south, 'Keep not back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth, with everyone that is called by my name. For I have created him for my glory, and I have formed him. Yes, I have made him."

Do not be afraid, because I am with you, and I will bring back your seed. Exile in Babylon was their future; they already knew where they were going to go. They were going to become captives in the land of Babylon. Yet, God also gave a promised restoration. God would bring them back from the east; He would gather them from wherever they would be dispersed. God says, "I'm going to bring you back."

God has made good on this promise ever since He spoke it 2,800 years ago. In 586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came and destroyed the city of Jerusalem. He led all the people of Jerusalem back to the land of Babylon as captives. And God was with them the whole time they were captives during those years in Babylon.

And then God sent Cyrus, king of Persia, to deliver His people. Ultimately, they were brought back to the land of Jerusalem, where they stayed. God prospered them in many ways until 70 A.D., when Titus, the Roman general, marched upon Jerusalem and destroyed the city. Once again, they were dispersed from their homeland. From 70 A.D. until the late 1890s, they wandered as a dispersed people without a land.

Then, they began to gather back in the land. God brought them back, and ever since the late 1890s, He has been bringing them back from the east, from the west, from the north, and from the south, back to the land of Jerusalem. God is a good God who makes good on His promises. Notice He says here in this passage, "Everyone called by My name, I’m going to bring back everyone that is called by My name." Until God's word and God's work are fulfilled, He will continue to move forward and bring back everyone called by His name.

This includes not just those who are descendants by blood of Abraham; God has also called you, His elect. He has called and chosen you. Everyone that God has elected before the foundation of the world will come. Those that are called will come. Notice He says at the end of verse 7, "For I have created him for My glory." Every single one of those called will come because He has created them for His glory.

The first of the 107 questions that comprise the Westminster Shorter Catechism, completed in 1647, is, "What is the chief end of man?" Some of you know the Westminster Catechism, so you know the right answer to that question, and it is an important answer. The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

When we read verse 7, where we see that God has created us for His glory, we are reminded again that yes, God is Creator, as we saw in verse 1. We are reminded that God hasn't just created us for nothing; He has created us for a purpose. We have a purposeful existence. It has been said that without a purpose,

There's no reason to exist. The honest evolutionist will recognize that he has no intrinsic purpose, and therefore there's little reason to this life in this world. That's why you'll find that those who really hold on to evolutionary theory have a very hard time figuring out just what it is that they're supposed to be doing and what the purpose is.

But how wonderful it is to know that God created us, and He created us for a reason. He wants us to fulfill that reason. Even more so, how awesome it is to know that when we are glorifying God and pleasing God, we are fulfilling the very purpose for which we've been made. It's important to know the purpose for which we've been made. It's also important to use our lives in the right way.

Each one of us has goods. We have cameras, for example. A digital camera is a good example. There's a purpose for which the camera company made that camera, and the camera works best when you use it in accordance with the purpose for which it was created. It may look sturdy and strong, but it probably will not function well if you decide to use it as a hammer. That's not the purpose for which it was created. It functions best when it's used according to its purpose.

The same thing applies to this instrument that God has given to us, this machine that we call our body. God created it for a purpose. We look around this world today, and there are billions of people using the equipment that God has given to them, that God has made them stewards over, in the wrong way. They wonder why their lives are so broken. It's because they've been using the instrument, the machine, in the wrong way for the wrong purpose.

Our lives are best used when they are used according to the purpose that God has created us for. God promises that He will bring back everyone that's called by His name, for He has created them for His glory. He has formed them; yea, He has made them.

Verse 8 states, "Bring forth the blind people that have eyes and the deaf that have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together and let the people be assembled. Who among them can declare this and show us the former things? Let them bring forth their witness that they may be justified."

Or let them hear and say it is truth. The blind and the deaf are referenced four times in Isaiah chapter 42. I know we studied through Isaiah 42 a couple of weeks ago, but several different verses—four different verses—reference the blind and the deaf. Isaiah 42 identifies these individuals as those who trust in idols. God says that those who put their confidence in false gods, those who put their trust in idols, are blind and deaf.

This concept is echoed in Psalm 115 and Psalm 135. Psalm 115 states that the gods of this world are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak. They have eyes, but they do not see; they are blind. They have ears, but they do not hear; they are deaf. They have noses, but they do not smell. They have hands, but they do not handle. They have feet, but they do not walk. Neither do they speak through their throats. The psalmist concludes that those who make them are like them, and so is everyone who trusts in them, as stated in verse 8 of Psalm 115. The psalmist clearly indicates that the person who trusts in an idol is deaf, dumb, and blind.

In Isaiah 43, God speaks to all the idol worshipers and manufacturers of the world. He says, "Bring forth the blind people that have eyes." They have eyes, but they cannot see, just as Psalm 115 describes. They are idol worshipers. They have ears, but they do not hear. God calls for all the nations to be gathered together, for all the people who worship and trust in false gods to assemble. He challenges them to declare the former things, to speak knowledge and wisdom.

God invites all the idol worshipers of the world to come before Him and show a witness. He asks them to reveal if they are to be feared and to justify themselves if they have any power. If they have anything truthful to say, then they should come and reveal it. You can almost sense the silent pause at the end of the verse. God calls to all the idol worshipers and says, "Hey, stand up and let us see. Do you have any power?"

And again, I'm reminded, as I shared a couple of weeks ago, of 1 Kings chapter 18 and the battle between the prophets of Baal and Elijah. The prophets of Baal were all day long jumping up and down, cutting themselves, yelling and screaming for Baal, their false god, to pour out fire from heaven. And nothing happens. Where are the false gods? They are the work of men's hands—silver and gold. They are fiction; they are nothing.

Who among the idols, or those who manufacture them, can declare anything that is truth? God gives them an opportunity to justify their existence, and they can do nothing. So God stands up. In verse 10, He says, "You are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He. Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and beside me there is no Savior. I have declared, and I have saved, and I have showed when there was no strange God among you. Therefore, you are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God. Yea, before the day was, I am He, and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. I will work, and who shall reverse it?"

The King James Version says this powerfully. God says to His own people and calls to the nations in verses 8 and 9, asking them to stand up and show us if they have any knowledge or truth. Then He calls to His own people, saying, "You are my witnesses, saith the Lord."

It's very interesting to note verses 10 through 13, which I think are such a powerful passage from Isaiah chapter 43. These four verses are actually from which the Jehovah's Witnesses get their name. However, it is fascinating that these verses devastate the faith of the Jehovah's Witnesses. We read right there in verse 10, "You are my witnesses, saith Jehovah." They take their name from this passage, yet it really obliterates their faith.

Why? Well, these verses, along with Isaiah 41:4, which says, "Who has wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the Lord, the first and with the last, I am He," and Isaiah 44:6, which says, "Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts," provide a profound declaration of God's sovereignty and truth.

I am the first and I am the last. And beside me, there is no God. In Isaiah 48:12, it says, "Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called. I am he. I am the first and I am also the last." God speaks to His people and says, "Listen, you are my witnesses. I am God. I am the first. I am the last." The false gods cannot tell you what happened ten minutes ago, let alone what is going to happen one hundred years from now. God says, "I can tell you what happened all the way back before creation ever began, and I'm going to tell you what's going to happen and how it's all going to end up."

"You are my witnesses," God says. "I am the first. I am the last. Besides me, there is no other. There is no other Savior. There is no salvation in anything else." God continues, "Listen, you are my witnesses. Before you ever followed after false gods, I spoke to you," as He says in verse 12. "Before you ever had a strange god among you, I am the one who said, 'This is what's going to take place,' and it has all come to pass."

Why does this passage devastate the Jehovah's Witness Church? God says, "You are my witnesses. I am the Lord. I am the first and the last. Besides me, there is no God. I am the Savior, and there is no Savior beside me."

What does Revelation chapter 1 say? In verse 10, Jesus is speaking. We saw God the Father speaking in Isaiah chapters 41, 43, 44, and 48. Revelation 1:10 states, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet, saying, 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last.'"

Who is speaking to John? If we go down to verse 17, it says, "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead, and he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, 'Fear not,' just like God said in Isaiah chapter 43. 'I am the first and the last. I am he that lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen.'"

Who was alive, then dead, but now lives again forevermore? Jesus. He says, "I am the first and the last," just like God said in Isaiah chapters 41, 43, 44, and 48.

Now, turn to Revelation chapter 22, the very last chapter of the Bible. In Revelation 22:12, Jesus is speaking here.

He says, "Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according to his work." In verse 13, He states, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Alpha, the Omega, the first and the last, the one who was and is and is to come. These are the same words used of God the Father in Isaiah chapter 43.

What does this tell us? It tells us that Jesus is God. He is not a God; He is God. Just as we saw there, God says, "There is no other God before me, nor shall there be any after me" (Isaiah 43:10). So, what does God want His people to do with this information? He wants them to know, to believe, and to understand. In verse 10, He says, "You are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know me, that you may believe me, that you may understand that I am he."

That is God's desire: that we would know Him, that we would believe Him, and that we would understand Him. Now, there are many people, just as there were in Judah and Jerusalem 2,800 years ago, who know of God and maybe believe in God, but they don't fully understand who He is.

Hopefully tonight, you don't just know of God, but you know Him. You experientially know Him as Father, as Abba Father. You know that He is your King, that He is your Lord, that He is your Savior, and that you believe in Him. This is not just believing in Him; you have put your confidence and your trust in Him. You no longer trust in your own works to save you, as you did before you became a follower of Jesus Christ. Now, you have put your confidence in the work that He did on the cross 2,000 years ago for you, and so now you understand just who He is.

That is God's desire: that we would know Him, that we would believe Him, and that we would understand.

That we would understand that beside Him there is no Savior. God the Father tells us in Isaiah chapter 43, "Beside me there is no Savior." God alone is Savior and King, and yet, over a dozen times in the New Testament, we read that Jesus is Savior and King.

In Luke chapter 2, verse 11, it states, "For unto us is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." In John chapter 4, verse 42, the people in the city of Sychar, where the woman at the well met with Jesus, said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of your word, for we have heard Him ourselves, and we know that He indeed is Christ, the Savior of the world." In Acts chapter 13, verse 23, we read, "Of this man's seed has God, according to His promise, raised unto Israel a Savior, Jesus."

Philippians chapter 3, verse 20, Paul the Apostle says, "For our conversation is in heaven," or "our citizenship is in heaven, from whence we also look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." We could go on and on looking at passages in the New Testament that establish that Jesus is Savior. Isaiah 43:11 reveals that God alone is Savior. Therefore, with these verses in the New Testament, what do we determine? Jesus is Savior. God is Savior from Isaiah 43. Therefore, who is Jesus? He is God.

Moreover, there is salvation found nowhere else than in Jesus Christ. Although people in this world are looking for salvation in many other places, they will not find it unless they find it in Christ, because He alone is Savior. People think that they are saved by their good works. They think that they are saved by the philosophies of some great guru. There is salvation in no other name given under heaven among men but Jesus Christ.

And so the question comes: Is Jesus your Savior? Because He is the only one. No man can deliver out of His hand, as we see in Isaiah 43, verse 13. Not only is God alone the Savior of this world, but no one can deliver out of His hand. You see, when God comes...

To judge and punish this world, no one will be able to deliver those under His punishment from His hand. Therefore, if you desire salvation, you ought to turn to Him before He returns to judge. Amen?

Verse 14 of Isaiah 43 says, "Thus saith the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, for your sake I have sent to Babylon and I have brought down all the nobles, the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships. I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel." Again, God calls to His people and says, "Listen up." Thus saith the Lord; the Redeemer is speaking. For your sake, I have sent to Babylon, God says. This is speaking of Cyrus, king of Persia, who would come in 539 BC to cast down the nobles of the Babylonians. Unbeknownst to Cyrus, when he arrived, he had no idea that he was fulfilling God's work. Everything that he had done was actually according to God's plan and for God's people's sake. For your sake, I have sent Cyrus to Babylon, God says. This was over 150 years before Cyrus would even come into Babylon that God was speaking this. God was prophetically declaring what was going to come to pass.

Whereas the false gods of this world can't say anything, God says, "Look, I'm declaring to you. I am the Lord." He continues to reveal His exceeding power over all the false gods of this world in Isaiah chapters 40 through 48.

Verse 16 states, "Thus saith the Lord, which makes a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters, which brings forth a chariot and the horse and the army and the power. They shall lie down together and shall not rise. They are extinct; they are quenched as tow." God reminds His people here of their exodus from Egypt. He reminds them how He brought them through a path in the sea, how He opened up the Red Sea, and they crossed over on dry ground. He also reminds them how He brought the mighty Egyptian army down into the sea and overthrew them, and they did not rise again.

Then He continues on in verse 18, "Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth. Shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." After reminding them of what He did in bringing them out of Egypt in the book of Exodus, He now says,

Listen, put that from your memory. Don't remember the former things. I'm going to do a new work. What new work? Well, I'm going to bring you out of Babylon. The captives that would be in Babylon, the land of Israel, must have seemed so far away, so distant—the city of Jerusalem. The journey from Babylon back to Jerusalem must have felt treacherous in their minds. Yet God says, over 150 years before they would leave Babylon, "Listen, I have made a way for you in the desert. I have made a path for you." Before it has even come to pass, He has prepared it for them.

The beasts of the field shall honor me, as stated in verse 20, the dragons and the owls, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert to give drink to my people, my chosen. Why were there springs in that desert? Why did God create brooks and rivers in that desert between Babylon and the land of Israel thousands of years before the children of Israel were ever exiled to Babylon and then became refugees leaving Babylon to return to Israel? Why were all those waterways there? Because God prepared them beforehand for His people.

Now, all the beasts of the field were very thankful that God put those waterways out there for them, but they weren't there for them. They were there for the children of Israel. Everything between Babylon and Israel was planted there by God to sustain His people when He brought them back. It is awesome to consider, especially when we fast forward to our own lives and apply it here in our day. God has already prepared the path that we would walk.

Don't we see that in the New Testament? Ephesians 2, verse 10 states that we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God before ordained that we should walk in them. God has already prepared a path for you to walk in, and that's why we're told in Proverbs chapter 3, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path." He shall make your path straight. As we trust in the Lord, He directs us in the way that He desires us to go.

Why does He do that? Well, verse 21 states, "This people I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise." The returning refugees from Babylon were a people that were predetermined.

Preordained and prepared by God to show forth His praise, you and I have the exact same calling. Before the foundation of the world, God chose us in Christ to be witnesses unto Him. He prepared good works that we would walk in those good works. Peter says in 1 Peter 2:9, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a special people." Why? That you should show forth the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

God called us. He has ordained us and set us forth to a work. He's already prepared the work before us. All He desires is that we walk in it. This is a people that I have formed for Myself, God says. They shall show forth My praises. That's our calling: to declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

How many of you here tonight remember walking in darkness? Do you remember what it was like to walk in darkness? How many of you are filled with joy to be walking in the light tonight, to be in fellowship with the King of kings and Lord of lords?

What God has called us to is very simple. We're to go into a dark world and declare the praises of Him who called us out of that darkness to walk in the light. We are to go and tell people who are still in darkness about what it's like to live in the light of the Lord. It shouldn't be that hard. We're witnesses. It doesn't take much to be a witness, does it? You can be walking down the street, and if a crime takes place, you don't really have to do anything to be a witness. You just have to be in the right place at the right time.

To be a faithful witness is merely to tell exactly what you saw. God says, "You're My witnesses, and I want you just to declare what it is you've seen and what it is you've heard." This is exactly what the Apostle John says in 1 John 1. He writes, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life."

He continues in verse 3, "That which we have seen and heard, we declare unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ." John says, "This is all I've been called to do. I saw Jesus. I heard Jesus."

I was able to handle Jesus. I was there right with Him, and now I just declare unto you what I've seen and what I've heard so that you can have fellowship with Him like I have fellowship with Him. That's what we're called to do: to go into a dark world and tell them about the light of Christ.

That was what God had called the children of Israel to as well. Their task was to be priests to this world. God brought them out of Egypt so that they could be priests to the world. That is, they would declare the praises of Him who called them out of Egypt and into His promised land.

In Isaiah chapter 43, verse 22, it says, "But you have not called upon me, O Jacob, and you have been weary of me, O Israel. You have not brought unto me the small sheep of thy burnt offering, neither hast thou honored me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense. But you have brought no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices. You have made me severe with thy sins, and you have wearied me with your iniquities."

They were called to proclaim the praises of Him who called them out of Egypt and into His promised land and into His blessing, and yet they had not called upon Him. They had grown tired of the Lord. They were sick of doing His sacrifices and following His feast days. God says, "You've grown tired of me. You haven't brought sacrifices. You haven't honored me."

He continues, "I have not been a burden to you, but you have been a burden to me." They may say, "Well, how have we burdened you, Lord?" God responds, "You've burdened me with all of your sin. I have not wearied you, but you have wearied me."

God did not lay a huge burden of sacrifices upon them. He did not weary them with His requirements, but they had burdened Him with their continual sin and had wearied Him with their innumerable iniquities. Instead of being lights to a dark world, they fell into darkness.

What is God's response? Because God is gracious, verse 25 states, "I, even I, am he that blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. Put me in remembrance. Let us plead together. Declare thou that you may be justified."

Thy first father has sinned, and your mediators, or teachers, as the King James Version says, have transgressed against me. Therefore, I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary.

And have given Jacob to the curse and Israel to the reproaches. What great grace! Here, God exposes their sin in verses 23 through 24, and then He says, "I am the one who blots out your transgression for my own namesake. I will not remember your sins."

We might wonder, how is it that God, who is omniscient and all-knowing, is able to forget our sin? Well, it's not that He forgets it like we might forget our wallet, but He chooses not to remember our sin. He says to His sinful people, who were tired of following Him, who stopped offering sacrifices and continued in their steadfast wickedness, "I blot out your sin."

Then He says to them, "Put me in remembrance. Let us plead together." Basically, He asks them, would you rather that I remember your sin? How about you tonight? Would you rather that God remembers your sin? Would you rather sit before Him in a trial and try to justify yourself? That's what He says to them in verses 26 and 27. He says, "Put me in remembrance. Let's sit down and plead it out so that you might be justified."

Would you like to justify yourself tonight? Well, if that's the case, God says, "Sure, if you want to, you can." But your first father was a sinner, Adam, and his sin has spread to you. All your mediators are sinners. That is, all those people who stand in the gap on your behalf are sinners, so they're not perfect enough to stand in the gap. Even all of those who rule in the sanctuary are filled with profanity and have defiled themselves, so they, of course, cannot plead on your behalf.

So, really, you can't stand up for yourself and come before Me in judgment as if it were going to be a trial and say, "Well, here's what I've done. Here's the good works that I've done." Yet, there are people who want to do that. God graciously says, "I will blot out your sins."

Isaiah chapter 1, verse 18 says, "Come now, let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." God says, "If you are willing and obedient, if you'll come to Me, I'll blot out your sins."

And yet, man says, "No, I'm going to do good works, and I want to stand before God on the day of judgment, and I will prevail." No, you won't. Why? Well, Isaiah 64...

Verse 6 says, "All we are an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is as filthy rags." Even our good works are filthy rags before God. So, the question is, do you want to stand before God based on your own merit? Because He'll let you. Or, do you want to come before Him and reason together, saying, "Lord, blot out my sin"? If you'll do that, He'll graciously blot out your sin.

Then, what does He require? He says, "I want you to be My people, and I will be your God. I want you to walk in the light as I am in the light. I want you to go into a dark world and proclaim the praises of Me, the One who called you out of darkness and into My marvelous light." It's an amazing thing that God has offered to us. His grace is immeasurable. We can't even comprehend the full measure of God's grace.

We have sinned so unbelievably, and yet He has removed our sin as far as the east is from the west. We are full of guilt and shame, and yet He placed all that upon His Son on the cross. He didn't just give a wicked people group like Egypt for our ransom; He gave His perfect, precious Son for us. He who knew no sin, that we might receive His righteousness.

Then He says, "Go into all the world and proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." Not only so, He has prepared a way for us, and all He requires is that we trust Him daily. We should not lean on our own understanding but acknowledge Him in all our ways, and He will direct our path. This is a good God. This is a gracious God. An awesome God. Amen?

Let's stand and pray together. Father, we do thank You. We thank You that You have redeemed us. You purchased us back. You bought us back, Lord. As we prepare to dismiss and leave here tonight, I ask, Lord, that You would help us to shine brightly in a dark world. Although we will not have all the answers to every question we receive from every atheist, humanist, Jehovah's Witness, or whatever it may be, Lord, may we faithfully be witnesses, saying, "I was in darkness."

And now I walk in light. This is the one who has called me out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

Lord, give us opportunity even tonight or tomorrow morning to share that reality with someone we come in contact with—a family member, a co-worker, a friend, or someone who knocks on our door and wants to share with us about some material they have. Give us wisdom. Give us grace, but give us boldness, Lord, to share You, the King of kings, the Lord of lords.

We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. God bless. Amen. Thank you.