Seeing Our Choices Clearly

Let's read our sermon text Isaiah forty one. We're starting

in verse twenty one. We go through the middle of

forty two. Set forth your case, says the Lord. Bring

your proofs says the King of Jacob. Bring them, Let

them bring them, and tell us what is to happen.

Tell us the former things what they are, that we

may consider them, that we may know their outcome, or

declare to us the things to come. Tell us what

is to come hereafter, that we may know that you

are God's do good or do harm, that we may

be terrified and dismayed. Behold, you're nothing. Your work is

less than nothing. An abomination is he who chooses you.

I stirred up one from the north, and he has

come from the rising of the sun. And he shall

call upon my mind, and he shall trample on rulers,

as on mortar, as potter, as the potter treads Clay.

Who declared it from the beginning, that we may know

and beforehand, that we may say he is right. There

was none that declared it, none who proclaimed it, none

who heard your words. I was the first to say

to Zion, behold here they are, And I give to

Jerusalem a herald of good news. But when I look,

there is no one among their Among these, there is

no counselor who, when I ask, gives an answer. Behold,

they are a delusion. Their works are nothing, their metal

images are empty. Wind. Behold my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights. I have put

my spirit upon him, and he will bring forth justice

to the nations. He will not cry aloud, or lift

up his voice or make it heard in the street.

A bruised read he will not break, and a faintly

burning wick he will not quench. He will faithfully bring

forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged

till he has established justice in the earth and the coastlands.

Wait for his law. Thus says God, the Lord who

created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out

the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath

to the people on it, and spirit to those who

walk in it. I am the Lord, and I have

called you in my righteousness, and I will take you

by the hand and keep you. And I will give

you as a covenant for the people, a light to

the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to

bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and from the

prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord,

that is my name. My glory I give to no other,

nor my praise to carved idols. Behold, the former things

have come to pass, and new things I now declare.

Before they spring forth, I tell you of them, sing

a new song. Sing to the Lord, a new song

his praise. From the ends of the earth, you who

go down to the sea and all that fills it,

the coastlands and their inhabitants. Let the earth, Let the

desert and its cities lift up their voice, the villages

that keeter inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Selah sing for joy.

Let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let

them give glory to the Lord and declare his praise.

And the coastlands. The Lord goes out like a mighty man,

like a man of war. He stirs up his zeal,

he cries out, he shouts aloud. He shows himself mighty

against his foes. For a long time, I have held

my peace. I have kept still and restrained myself. Now

I will cry out like a labor. I will gasp

and pant. I'll lay waste mountains and hills and dry

up all their vegetation, will turn the rivers into islands,

and dry up the pools. And I will lead the

blind in a way they do not know, in paths

they have not known. I will guide them. I will

turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places

into level ground. These are the things I do, and

I do not forsake them. They're turned back and utterly

put to shame. Who trust in carved idols, say to

your metal images, Who say to the metal images, you

are our gods. This is the word of the Lord.

I'm old enough to remember the Pepsi challenge, and some

of you are too. For those of you who aren't,

this is how the Pepsi challenge worked. There were these

places called shopping malls, and if you were walking around

the shopping mall, because that's what we did back then,

you would come across like a little booth or a

table where they had set up the challenge, and they

would give you one cup of pepsi and one cup

of coke, but you didn't know which was which, and

you would taste it and you would declare, this one

is better or that one is better. And usually because

they had gamed this out, you would always pick pepsi

because they only gave you this much, and that's how

much pepsi you can drink and it still tastes good. Right,

I've tipped my hand. You know what side I'm on.

But after that there became challenges of all kinds. You've

seen them where they compared to products side by side.

There's the tide challenge. I think there's all kinds of

different challenges. I pay as little attention as I can,

and it's a case. Right, there's this way, there's this way,

there's this thing, there's this thing, this product and that product,

and the choice is clear. And this passage is like that,

but at a much higher level, much starker distinctions. Passage

continually holds out these choices. Behold, he says, behold, behold,

look see clearly, this is so clear that even the blind,

by God's grace, can choose. There are only two things

we can worship, God or anything else. There are only

two ways to go in life, God's way or any

other way. There are only two states that your heart

and soul ultimately can arrive at. Either. Eventually the wonder

and love and praise of knowing and trusting God, or

the utter disappointment of trusting anything else. What are you

choosing for your ultimate allegiance? That's the question. This passage

in Isaiah works through, and we're going to work through

it in these three basic parts. See what not to choose?

See what not to choose and why? See who to

choose and why, and then see the results. See what

not to choose and why? See who to choose and

surprisingly why, and see the results. So see what not

to choose? Well, if you look at chapter forty one

versus twenty one through twenty nine, really the last kind

of half of this chapter that we're we were in

here is an expose of idol worship one through or

sorry twenty one through twenty four. Lay it out, and

God's like, get your idols, get these other things that

you trust to tell you what's going to happen. Surely

your idols know the future. Let them do something amazing.

Surely they're so powerful. And of course the conclusion is,

look behold again, over and over behold. Look see the difference,

See the contrast. Take the idle, challenge these other things

in which you trust are nothing and an abomination? Is

he who chooses you? Whoever can't see the clear difference

between the living God and anything else you might trust

to place your allegiance and faith in. What are you doing?

Why would you choose to trust and base your life

on something that can't deliver? That's the point of those

verses going on from twenty five to twenty nine. He says,

I'm the one who stirred up a conqueror from the north,

and I'm the one who told you was going to

happen when it happened. None of these other things that

you worship or trust or have your affection, they don't

know because what you're worshiping is a delusion. Why would

you choose to trust and base your life on something

that can't deliver. I'm like, all right, great, I don't

have any carved idols in my house, so I think

I'm going to skip this part right. Well, these things

were written as an example for us, so the New

Testament tells us, and we fail to get the benefit

of the example if we fail to grasp what idle

worship is what it is. I don't have any carved

images around my house either, but idle worship throughout all

of the scriptures old and new, is consistently framed as

the ultimate allegiance of the heart. It's not a shrine practice.

It's what or who are you trusting in? What are

who has your ultimate affections? What or who is calling

the shots in your life? As it says an Ezekiel,

For these men have taken their idols into their heart.

It's a matter of the heart. As it says in

Jeremiah too, they've forsaken me, and they've I'm the fountain

of living water. But they've hewed out cisterns for themselves

that can hold no water. Their trust is misplaced. That's

what it's about. It's not about metal, it's not about wood.

It's about trust, seeking life apart from God. In Colossians,

for example, Paul equates covetousness with idolatry covetousness, and then

in Ephesians he equates covetousness with idolatry and also equates

sexual impurity with idolatry. Then later in Philippians he speaks

of those who's God is their belly. Right now, we're

getting close to home. In Romans, right the essential mode

of the human heart that has fallen. That is that

we're not trusting God. Instead, we're exchanging the truth about

God for a lie. We worship and serve the creation,

the creature instead of the Creator. Well, that's not hard

to do. Where is your heart's ultimate allegiance? Where do

you tempted to place your heart's allegiance instead of God? Money?

You know you're going to be okay because money. The

Bible says, cast but a glance at riches and they

will sprout wings and fly away. Paul says to Timothy.

To pursue the desire for wealth. The pursuit of riches

is a trap, and in this way many have fallen

away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Money is not worth your allegiance. Money's not worth your trust,

Money is not worth your love. It will utterly let

you down. Career, career Is that is that you know

you're gonna be okay because a career? Because achievement, Oh,

that'll let you down to now you it's retire, okay,

make it all the way to retirement. If you can

go back and visit the company six months later, they

don't even remember who you are are like that used

to be my chair. It was never your chair that

used to be my office. It was never your office

that used to be my job. Somebody else is doing

it better than you. And now what boyfriend, Well, that'll

let you down faster than money or career. And we

take these things and so many others, these things that

God created and could be good, but we put them

in a place that God doesn't have for them, and

we trust them in a way that God didn't design

for them. Nothing can bear up under the weight of

our trust and our affection, and our love and our

faith except for the one who made it all. How

do I know if I'm trusting something other than God?

What kind of what kind of X ray diagnostic can

I do on my heart to see whether I'm just

appreciating something or I'm really trusting it. Here's a good

one I learned from somebody else. Am I willing to

sin to get it? Am I willing to sin to

keep it? Am I willing to sin if I don't

have it? And? So often in our lives rather than

look to the Creator. This is what Brad Digney said

in his book Gospel Treason, great book. I think we

send out a link to it in our latest email,

he says this or something like this. Rather than look

to the Creator to have to deal with his Lord,

we orient our lives towards the Creation, where we feel

like we can be more free to control and shape

our lives in our desired directions. That's what we think.

I get it, and we think this. Even if these

idols are going to let me down, at least they're

going to take it easy on me. My idol, my affections,

the things that I've come to place my trust in.

They might even be self destructive, but they don't scream

and shout at me, they don't scold me. I can

come to my idols and just numb out and be me,

and that even if they're gonna let me down in

the end, even if they're gonna hurt me, even if

they're gonna fly away, even if they're gonna break up

with me, even if they're gonna replace me, I need

the comfort. I need something gentle with me that sound

like the whispers you hear. Well, let me tell you.

That's even why to choose the Lord. Surprisingly, when the

Lord lays out his idle challenge and he says, Look,

these idols are gonna let you down. Look they don't

have any real power. Look, they don't deserve this affection.

Then he says, look, behold my servant. Behold my servant,

whom I uphold, my chosen, and whom my soul deliance.

I've put my spirit upon him. He's going to bring

forth justice to the nations. And he will not cry

aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard

in the street. A bruised read. He will not break

a smoldering wick. He will not snuff out you. Realize

what Isaiah's saying, what the Lord is saying. Saying, as

you make this choice, realize the servant that I'm sending

to you, the messenger that I'm sending to you, the

Savior that I'm sending to you. This is how he

will treat you. He's not gonna scream and shout. He's

gonna bring righteousness. M hm. He's gonna bring righteousness. Oh

that's gonna hurt, he says. Listen, he's gonna bring righteousness,

But a bruised read he won't break. You're a bruise

read is like like a stalk of a plant. And

you've got You've gone past it with the weed eater.

You've beat it up pretty good. It's not broken yet.

But it's like, I feel like that so often. A

smoldering wick, you know, like a candle, you're not even

sure if it's still lit. Is this candle lit? Is

the fire still there? It's just smoldering. You ever feel

like that? And he says, my servant, he doesn't walk

up to that bruised read snap it off. He's not

gonna do that to you. He's not gonna come to

your smoldering wick of a heart and just He's gonna

bring righteousness, but he's gonna bring it with gentleness and

affection and tenderness. Like when God compares the two things

that you could place your faith in him or anything else.

He doesn't just compare powerlessness and ignorance to his power

and his knowledge. He highlights his care, his servant. I

know so many who turn back to idols when they

are bruised and they are smoldering, and they say, they'll

say it to my face. I know this isn't the way,

but at least this will go down easy. Christ is

more tender and more caring than any alternative you think

you can go to for numbness. I've been his for

over twenty five years now, and he has always met

me in my bruised conditions, and he is gotten down

on his knees to straighten me back up. He has

brought his own oxygen to bring my faintly burning wick

back to flame. He is gentle and he is kind.

He does not scold or chide. This is exactly what

Matthew says about him in chapter twelve of the Gospel

of Matthew. Matthew picks up this passage right here, and

he says, look at the Lord Christ. He's going about healing,

he's going about feeding. And then he doesn't stick around

to get into disputes and have shouting matches with the

spiritual authorities who want to crucify him. He just withdraws.

He's not shouting in the streets. I know this is true,

not just because I've experienced it myself, not just because

others have experienced it. I know that Christ is more

tender and more caring than any alternative because of what

he has done to win you. That's what it says

in verse six. I will give you as a covenant,

not just show you as an example, I will give

you as a covenant, a light for all the people

to open the eyes that are blind, to lead out

prisoners from darkness. Jesus didn't just come flip on the

lights or blow open the jail. He was given as

a covenant, just like we're going to see when Isaiah

picks up his next servant song. He bore our griefs,

he carried our sorrows. He was smitten by God and afflicted.

He was pierced by his wounds. We are healed. He

took it for us, And to run to other affections

means we really have lost sight of the power of

his tenderness. Not just tender treatment, not just tender treatment,

tender sacrifice that changes us. I know many of you

must have seen Erica Kirk forgive her husband's killer in

front of tens of thousands of people and millions more

over the television. And and she told us, she told

us so that that was not an act of human strength,

that was an act of gospel tenderness. I listen, I listen,

gospel tenderness that she must must have received first. The

only way you can demonstrate gospel tenderness is because you

experience it. The only way you can have that kind

of forgiveness to give to others is because you have

received it first. The only way you can forgive someone

who has done something so evil is because you realize

you have been that evil and he extended himself as

a covenant to you. That's what she said. Do you

know how I know that he is gentle with sinners

because you already paid the price for you to not

be punished like a sinner. What idol can do that

is your gun? Is your money gonna die for you?

Your career, a romantic relationship, Nothing and no one can

do that for you. Nothing and no one deserves your

ultimate allegiance. So what not to choose? And why? Who

to choose and why? Lastly this see the results. See

the results. The big picture of this passage from ten

to seventeen, the last part of our passage together. The

big picture is this two paths. We've been talking about

it all morning. Two paths, But the destination of those

two paths, that's what Isaila is out for us here,

for those that choose to place their trust in the

living God, for those who choose to place their trust

in the Living God, not because they're good, not because

they're smart. No Verse sixteen tells us, I will lead

the blind. I will guide the blind. I will turn

the darkness into light, rough places into level ground. Those

who choose to live in God don't choose them because

they're good or smart. They choose them because He has

opened up eyes and those who choose to place the

trust in him. Here's the result. Here's the result. You

could talk about it in lots of different ways. You

could talk as the result is redemption, or the result

is everlasting life, or the result is reconciliation with God.

Here's how Isaiah talks about it. Here you ready the result.

The end of this path is singing, singing, sing to

the Lord a new song. Who sings you sing? Pagans sing?

The ends of the earth sings the villages of Keidar,

the inhabitants of Selah. These are pagan places. People who

wouldn't have known him, those who are blind. Anybody here

been blind. It's gotta be us all. That's who sings.

That's the brag here. The brag here is not people

bragging that they're good enough and smart enough to choose God.

It's God bragging enough that He's powerful enough to rescue

blind people, merciful enough to heal, tender enough to lead

and put a new song in your heart. Praise shouting

for joy is what Isaiah discusses here. That's the result

of trusting in the living God. Ultimately, that's the result. Yes,

And also, all along the way are their trials for sure?

Is their discipline? For sure? Are there lessons to learn?

For sure? Are we going to grow? For sure? Are

we going to be sanctified? For sure? Are we going

to sing? All along the way? You have become a

singing people. If you're Jesus people, you're a singing people.

And that's what we gather here on Sunday mornings and

we put this right into practice. If you're new here,

let me just say, the folks that are up here

are not singing for you. That's not what's happening. They're

they're exercising leadership for you to sing. They would love

nothing more than for you to overpower them. This isn't

a music show. These are those who stand on a platform,

like straight out of Miamiyah, who stand on a platform

as leaders of the people and say, bless the Lord, everybody,

let's go this is you. You are a singing on

Sunday on Wednesday, if you come to my house for dinner,

I'm just warning you you might pass out the mnals

in your devotional times as you've prayed yourself empty and

you've read yourself cross eyed, and then you just sing

because He's put a new psalm in your heart. That's

the result of this path, trusting the living God. Singing

the result of this path. Verse seventeen puts it this way.

They are turned back and utterly put to shame through

trust in carved idols. If you place your affection, your trust,

your faith in anything else, the result will be shame.

Now shame in the Bible, shame isn't just like the

emotional experience of shame. What it means to be put

to shame is to be let down. And what Isaiah

says here, they will be utterly let down. Your money

it's a gift from God. It belongs in the category

of gift and blessing from God, who can do whatever

he wants to with it. That needs to stay there

because if I put my affections and trust, if I

hang my life on that, it will utterly let me down.

Your romantic relationship. It could be a gift from God

if he knows the Lord, if he doesn't run away,

I'm just spitting New Testament facts. Could be a gift

from the Lord. It belongs in that category. Gift from God,

blessing to be given thanks for. But if you place

your trust and your ultimate allegiance, if you build your

life around him, he will utterly let you down. They

can't do anything but utterly let you down. Don't choose

anything else for your ultimate allegiance. Choose God. The choice

is actually really clear.