We are his witness

Well, good evening, everyone.

My name is Keith Nolton.

If we haven't met before, it's a pleasure to be able to bring God's word to you this

evening.

We're going to be continuing our series that we've been in on Sunday evenings, looking

at the mission of God's people.

Tonight, we're going to be looking at specifically at a passage from Isaiah 43, verses 8 through

Isaiah 43:8–13

13.

So as you turn there, look on the screen behind you.

I wonder, have you ever received notice that you've been selected for jury duty?

Imagine that if you have, you probably weren't thrilled at the prospect of getting that notice

in the post.

That can mean days off of work.

It can mean needing child care for your kids.

It may mean several boring days or even possibly weeks in a courtroom.

Myself, I've never been called for jury duty, but practicing law, often had to interact with

those who had been called for jury duty.

And it usually would happen on a Monday morning.

You show up for trial and you have a courtroom full of maybe 100 or so potential jurors that

are there for maybe a couple of trials that are to begin that week.

And needless to say, there's not too many smiling faces.

There's not too many people that are happy to be there.

Most people recognize that a real trial is not like a TV drama that's suspenseful and nonstop

action.

They recognize that there's these long statements that are given and open and closed and complicated

examinations with facts and issues that most people could probably care less about.

And so what we look at and see in our passage today is very much a courtroom scene, much like we saw this morning in our passage from John.

But our courtroom scene here is not something that deals with mundane facts that we may have in a typical courtroom.

It is a case between God and Israel's enemies.

And so we'll see that in this courtroom, God invites the nations to assemble, to serve as the jury, that they may examine the evidence and issue a ruling to see the conclusion of this trial.

So in a sense, we are invited into, as we look at this text tonight, it's a challenge that we have to consider the evidence, to serve as jurors, so to speak, to recognize who God is and who we are as his people.

And so let's look at our text, Isaiah 43, verses 8 through 13.

Isaiah 43:8–13

Let's look at the verse, Isaiah 43, verses 8 through 13.

Isaiah 43:8–13

Before me, no other God was formed, nor will there be one after me.

I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no Savior.

I have revealed and saved and proclaimed, I, and not some foreign God among you.

You are my witnesses, declares the Lord, that I am God.

Yes, from the ancient days I am he.

No one can deliver out of my hands.

When I act, who can reverse it?

This is the word of God.

Will you pray with me?

Lord, as we prepare to dig into your word this evening, we ask that your spirit may be among us,

that you may soften our hearts and open our ears, that we may receive your word with joy.

Where we pray that your truth will go forth from this pulpit and that you will receive all the glory and praise from it.

And so now we ask God that the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts may be pleasing in your sight.

Oh Lord, our rock and our salvation.

Amen.

And so as we dig into this text again, I want us to consider this trial scene.

It's important to examine who's in the courtroom as we try to understand what they are examining.

So as I mentioned before, it's the nations that God calls and assembles together.

It says in verse 9, all the nations gather together and the peoples assemble.

And so if there's ever a trial to be a part of, to sit as a juror of, you think that this is the one, right?

It's not a little issue that deals with property issues or a little misdemeanor that really doesn't really have any real significance.

This is a case with serious implications for all the nations.

So if we think about it, this would be one of those cases where those TV satellite trucks are set up out front,

where the news reporters are standing by waiting to tell others about how the trial has progressed.

And so this is a trial of infinite significance with far-reaching implications.

And so what's ultimately being decided in this text, in this trial, is who is God?

And so we need to consider then, well, who are the parties that are going to be putting forth an argument toward this issue?

On one side, we have the enemies of Israel.

These are the nations that have persecuted Israel, that have enslaved Israel,

the nations that worship pagan gods and have rejected the God of Israel.

And these nations, to put forth their case, to support their case, they are supposed to call their own witnesses.

And it's rather open-ended here.

It doesn't really say who they're going to call, but somebody, somebody to testify that these pagan gods

have been able to predict the future and control the outcome.

The other hand, we have the God of Israel, right?

He is the God who created the universe, the God who chose initially to bless Abraham and all his descendants.

And so we see who he decided to call as his witness.

Rather ironically, it says in verse 8,

Lead those out who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf.

And so we see this disabled group that's described here is actually the people of Israel.

So during the time of the prophet Isaiah, we know that the Israelites have been led away as exiles in Babylon.

They're under the rule of the Babylonians.

And so we've seen repeated throughout the Old Testament this cycle of sin that Israel falls into.

And when they fall into sin, they're handed over to their enemies.

And so even though they're suffering in this case as they have before,

we see that their stubbornness is persisting.

In fact, throughout Israel, God calls, or throughout the book of Isaiah,

God repeatedly calls his own people deaf and blind.

If we look at chapter 42, just going back one chapter, it says this in verse 18,

Hear you deaf, look you blind and see.

Who is blind but my servant?

And deaf like the messenger I sent.

Who is blind like the one in covenant with me?

Blind like the servant of the Lord?

You have seen many things, but pay no attention.

Your ears are open, but you do not listen.

If you go down to the end of this chapter, it's actually talking about God pouring out his anger,

his wrath on his people for their disobedience.

And even then it says, enveloped in the flames of their own wrath,

they still don't understand.

They're consumed by fire, but they still don't take it to heart.

And so this is our cast of character.

We have the enemies of Israel and whoever their witnesses may be,

the God of Israel and his own witnesses, though they are deaf and blind.

And so the two points I want us to consider tonight as we see this trial unfold are very simple.

You don't have to write them down.

First is God is God and we are his witnesses.

God is God and we are his witnesses.

So let's look at that first point.

So as we see this trial begin, you may kind of try to think of what this jury is thinking about.

If the nations have assembled, they may be having these kind of preconceived notions as how this trial may unfold.

Because they look at the enemies of Israel and see that these are the ones,

these are the guys who are in control, right?

It's the people of Israel that they have enslaved.

And then they look on the other side and they see this God who seems unable to bring his own people out of captivity,

who can't prevent them from being blind and deaf.

But we see that those thoughts are quickly dismissed as this trial plays out.

The enemies of Israel are told to put forth their first witness.

If we look at the second part of verse 9, God asks,

Which of their gods foretold this and proclaim to us the former things?

Let them bring in their witnesses to prove that they are right.

And so basically God is challenging them.

Bring any witness, any evidence that you can to prove that your false gods have been able to predict the future and control the outcome.

And we see the response.

Well, frankly, there is no response.

There is silence.

There is no witnesses.

There is no evidence.

There is nothing at all that is brought by these pagan nations to support their claim that their gods are the true God.

And so we see immediate transition here.

That God doesn't waste any time.

He calls his witness, the people of Israel.

But because of their disability, we see that he steps in their place.

That he testifies on his own behalf.

And it's not this dull examination that can go on in a real courtroom for hours on end and the jurors start to close their eyes.

No, this is an impassioned speech that God gives.

And the interesting part is of what he emphasizes here.

To claim that he is the real God.

Oftentimes when we think of God and we want to characterize God in a certain way or describe him,

we think about his attributes, right?

We say, well, God is loving.

God is good.

Or God is patient.

And while all those things are true, that's not what God himself focuses on here.

He focuses on something that's much more foundational to his case.

Because it really makes no difference if God is loving or God is patient.

If he's not, first of all, God.

And so in his speech, he points out his own godness.

And he does so by emphasizing three points of which I want us to consider.

First of all, he points out that he is unique.

If we look in verse 10,

Before me no God was formed, nor will there be one after me.

It would have been common in those days for these pagan nations to have their gods

and to maybe believe that their gods produced other gods

or there's maybe a succession of gods

or some gods that are stronger than other gods.

The God of Israel is making clear here.

There is no other God before me.

I did not descend from anyone and no one descended from me.

I am incomparable.

I am unique.

I am without rival.

If we think about it in our common day,

you've maybe heard people say that maybe are outside any sort of religion.

Say, well, all religions are the same, right?

You all worship the same God.

It's as if God is sitting on top of a mountain

and each religion is just represented by different people,

you know, hiking up the mountain on different trails

to try to reach the summit.

Or maybe you think about, you know, in our postmodern world

where all truth is relative,

you have people say, well, you know, all religions have their own value.

Everyone's beliefs have equal merit.

And so you don't judge me for what I believe or think,

and I won't judge you for the way that you think.

And that way all religions or all values or all ways of living

are equally good and valid.

But that's not what God is saying here.

He makes clear, no, there are no other gods but me.

There is no one who is equal to me.

There is no one who is the same.

I alone stand.

And so we see this emphasized over and over again in the Old Testament.

And if we turn to Deuteronomy 435, it says,

the Lord is God.

There is no other besides him.

And so this is really an incredible statement,

especially in our day and age with relative truth,

to be able to claim with absolute certainty

that the God of Israel is the one true God.

And so we see that religion, it's not based on preferences.

Your opinion does not dictate reality.

God is saying that he is Yahweh and that there is none beside him.

And so that brings us to our second point then.

He emphasizes his uniqueness.

He also emphasizes his own sovereignty.

If you look in verse 12,

you are my witnesses, declares the Lord, that I am God.

Yes, and from ancient days I am he.

No one can deliver out of my hands.

When I act, who can reverse it?

So God is asserting here his authority over all things throughout all times.

Past, present, and future, God is in control.

And that's what really makes him God.

When we think about God's sovereignty,

that gives him his Godness.

If we take away God's sovereignty,

he is no longer God.

Because if we think about it,

if he is not in control,

then he is in fact controlled by something or somebody else.

If he is not the absolute ruler,

then he himself is being ruled by something.

And so we see this truth resounding throughout the book of Isaiah

about God's sovereignty.

If we look at Isaiah 45, verse 7, it says this,

Isaiah 45:7

I form the light and create darkness.

I bring prosperity and create disaster.

I, the Lord, do all these things.

And so if we think about our own lives,

how easy is it for us to trust God and his sovereignty

when things are going well?

But when things go maybe ways that we didn't plan,

or we face hardship,

we begin to question God's sovereignty.

But we see in this verse,

what does it say here?

That he brings prosperity and creates disaster.

Israel was not under Babylonian captivity

because God didn't possess the ability to deliver them.

We don't face sickness or hardship in our life

because God isn't able to change the circumstances.

We don't suffer in certain ways

because God has turned his attention elsewhere.

No, God is before all things and in him,

all things hold together,

as Paul says in Colossians.

And so the reason for this is because God does all things

according to his own will.

If we look further in Isaiah,

Isaiah 46, verse 10,

Isaiah 46:10

I make known the end from the beginning,

from ancient times what is still to come.

I say my purpose will stand

and I will do all that I please.

And so the reality is that God is God-centered.

He does everything that he desires

for his own purpose according to his own will.

There's one commentator that I read

as I was looking into this text

and he pointed out that between verse 11 and verse 13,

there are 29 words in the original Hebrew

and 12 of those words are in the first person.

So God is giving evidence.

The evidence that he is putting forth is himself,

that he is God.

He is the totality of all deity.

And so you may have heard that in order to win a case,

if you're in trial,

you have to carry the burden of proof, right?

In a civil case,

civil cases that I did back in the States,

I'm assuming it would be very similar here

in the UK as well,

that burden of proof would be called

the preponderance of the evidence.

And so if you consider the scales of justice, right?

For me, in order to win my case,

all that I had to do

was tip the scales ever so much

that they were in my favor.

Likewise, for the plaintiff,

if they're even,

if he tips it ever so much in his favor,

he's won the case.

We see here that the evidence

that God is putting forth in trial

as himself

is certainly enough

to meet the burden of proof.

He is not simply tipping the scales here.

His evidence is overwhelming

that he is the sovereign Lord overall.

And so what a comfort it is

to know that we have

the opportunity

to serve and live under

a sovereign God.

But the thing is,

it's not just his sovereignty

that should bring us comfort.

It's the fact that

because of his sovereignty,

we get to experience

the benefit of it.

And so that brings us

to our third point then.

We recognize that God is unique

and that God is sovereign.

He's also pointing out here

that he is a God

who saves.

Look at verse 11.

I, even I,

am the Lord

and apart from me

there is no other,

or excuse me,

there is no Savior.

I made that mistake myself.

That's anticipating

what I think that text might say.

You're like,

he's talking about his exclusivity, right?

You expect him to say

there is no other.

No, he says

there is no Savior.

Verse 12 as well.

I have revealed

and saved

and proclaimed.

Ever since I was a kid,

I've liked to collect coins.

It's not been a huge hobby.

One thing I've liked to collect every year

is something known

as a silver proof set.

So each year,

the Mint will put out

a collection of coins

for that year

that are made of silver

that are double stamped.

So it improves the quality

of the coin.

It's more clarity

and it shines better

and it's something

that I've just collected

ever since I was a kid.

And those are legal tender, right?

I could use those coins

to buy something

if I wanted to

but of course I've never have

because I've wanted to collect them.

I want to be able to admire them

and maybe pass them on

to my kids one day.

Well, that's certainly not

what God is suggesting here.

He's not simply maintaining

his power and his sovereignty

simply for the sake

of having it.

He has his own sovereignty

and he is using it,

using his power to save.

There'd be really no reason

for us to get excited

about the sovereignty of God

if it didn't affect us

in a positive way

because we see

throughout Scripture

God revealing

his sovereign plan

of salvation.

So you would think

to these blind and deaf

people of Israel

that they would recognize this, right?

That even from the beginning

of time in Adam and Eve

when they were kicked

out of the garden

even that God promised them

a savior.

That God made a promise

to Abraham

that he would bless him

and that through him

all nations would be blessed.

We see that the people

of Israel are brought out

and delivered out of slavery

in Egypt

and taken into the promised land.

Through judges and kings

we see that God's control

over his people

never changes.

And so now even though

the people are enslaved

in Babylon

God promises

to deliver them

but even more

he has promised

something greater.

He promises

to send them a savior

whose kingdom

will never end.

And so that's why

we can rejoice too

not only in God's sovereignty

but to recognize

how his sovereignty

has affected

every single one of us

that he has sent

his son Jesus

and through his blood

we are saved.

And so that brings us

to our second point then

to recognize

that God is God

we also need to recognize

that we are his witnesses.

If we look again

at the people of Israel

God calls them blind

and F over and over again

throughout the book of Isaiah.

And so we could think

well for this trial

he certainly could have

just dropped them

as witnesses right?

I mean when I was trying cases

I'd always have to

create a list of witnesses

that I was required

to produce to the judge

and opposing counsel

so everyone know

who you may call to trial.

But rarely did I ever use

every single witness

on that list.

Based on how the trial

was going

based on the strengths

of the witness

or potentially what I felt

the facts

or the issues

that I still needed

to emphasize

I may or may not

call certain witnesses.

And so you may think

well God could have done

the same thing here right?

I mean he's

he's certainly capable

of testifying

for himself.

He could have just dropped

the people of Israel

altogether.

They're the ones

that are blind and deaf.

It doesn't seem like

a positive trial strategy

to keep them

as witnesses.

But we see that God

continues to use

his people

even though they can't

communicate effectively

because their own presence

is sufficient

in communicating

as being valuable evidence

communicating

his own sovereignty.

So look again

in verse 10

it says

you are my witnesses

declares the Lord

and my servant

whom I have chosen.

So God chose Israel

even though they had

sinned against him

even though they had

turned from him

he still desires

to be their God.

And so this fact alone

shows his sovereignty

it's not that Israel

came to God

and asked

to be a part

of his family

no God

chose Israel

that shows his sovereignty

and the fact that

he continues

to serve them

and continues

to be their God

shows that

his sovereignty

continues.

And so there's

really two reasons

that we see in this text

for why in the world

God would use

these deaf

and blind people

to be his witnesses.

I want to look at them.

First it's because

it's for their own benefit

and it's also

for the benefit

of others.

So look at verse 10 again.

You are my witnesses

declares the Lord

and my servant

whom I have chosen

so that you may know

and believe me

and understand

that I am he.

God first chose Israel

to be his witnesses

for their own benefit.

And this makes sense

because we can't share

the good news

of the gospel

if it doesn't first

affect us.

Right?

This uniqueness

and the sovereignty

of God

and his ability

to save

these aren't just

intellectual facts

that we can just

pass down the line

to somebody else.

And so I think

this is something

that we often

can struggle with

because we get so

wrapped up

in our own busyness

with work

and with school

or even good things

like family

or ministry

that we can so

often overlook

the fact

that God

is God.

There is no one

like him.

The God

of the universe

has saved

us.

And so often

we can take that

for granted,

right?

It just becomes

kind of our

Christian vocabulary

and it becomes

so cliche.

Yes,

God is sovereign

and Jesus saves.

Think about that fact.

Let that soak in.

It should affect

every single fiber

of our being.

It should be the source

of all hope

and security

that we have.

And so that leads

us to that second

reason.

Yes,

we are witnesses

for our own benefit

but we are also

witnesses for the

benefit of others.

In verse 10,

God calls his people

to be witnesses

and servants.

And it's interesting

that he doesn't,

it's not a command.

He doesn't say

be my witnesses

and you need

to be my servants.

He says they are.

They are my witnesses

and my servants

because I have

chosen you

to be my people

this is your role.

This is your mission.

And so we see

that these two words

witness and servant

they really go

well together.

I mean they communicate

the same thing.

In order to be

God's servant

as we serve God

we are to be

his witness.

And so it's funny

even though God

is addressing

the nations here

he's putting forth

his case to the nations

he's really also

directing this communication

to his own people.

Because he wants

this reminder

the reality

of who he is

to transform

his own people.

That their eyes

may be open

that their ears

may be able to hear

that they can recognize

that God

is sovereign

and to recognize

then their own role

in his mission.

Their task

is to be

witnesses.

And so we see

this language used

over and over again

in the New Testament.

We read this passage

Roddy read it for us

from Acts 1

right?

When this passage

where Jesus

before he ascends

into heaven

he communicates

with his disciples

and what does he say?

You will receive

the Holy Spirit

and you will be

my witnesses

in Jerusalem

and all Judea

and Samaria

and to the ends

of the earth.

When Paul

is recounting

his own conversion

experience in Acts 26

he says that

God said to him

now get up

and stand on your feet

I have appeared

to you

to appoint you

as a servant

and as a witness

of what you have seen

and will see

of me.

And so we see

the role of God's people

has not changed.

It's the same role

that was

to the people of Israel

in the Old Testament.

It's the same role

that he gave

the New Testament church.

It's the same role

that he has given us

to be

servant

witnesses.

And so it's

important to be clear

well what are we

witnessing about?

This passage is about

God being God.

We don't just walk around

saying well God is sovereign

and expect it to make

a whole lot of change

in people's life.

Right?

I mean it's true

but it's only the foundation

upon which

our message

is built.

Our message

is the gospel.

We bear witness

to the good news

of Jesus.

A friend

to sinners

the savior

of the world.

And so just like

that courtroom scene

that we see in the passage

where the nations

have been assembled

to be able to listen

to the evidence

and render a verdict

we here

at Bucleu

are in a very similar

situation.

We have the nations

in this city

and they desperately

need to hear

the good news

of the gospel.

And so it should be

our charge

our

we should question

how are we

to be witnesses

how can we be

effective in

the spread

of the gospel

here

in this neighborhood

in our own neighborhoods

around our city

and to the ends

of the earth.

James talked about

this morning

the need

to pray

how we're going

to start praying

specifically

for neighbors

and

co-workers

family members

who don't know

the Lord

for opportunities

that we can interact

with these non-believers

that we may have

boldness

in our witness

and so let that be

our charge

tonight

that we may

recognize

that God

is sovereign

and that God

saves

and this is good news

that all need to hear

so may we have

the boldness

and the joy

of being witnesses

for our

sovereignty

let's pray

Lord we thank you

that you

are God

and there is

none like you

that you are

sovereign

over all things

there is nothing

that happens

in our lives

that is outside

of your knowledge

and control

and Lord we thank you

specifically

that your

sovereignty

affects us

in such

a beneficial

way

that you

have sent

your son

to die

for our sins

may that reality

never cease

to be amazing

may it truly

transform

who we are

and what we

desire to be

in this world

so God

we ask

to be your

witnesses

that we may

be your humble

servants

in the spread

of your gospel

in our own

neighborhoods

among our

own families

in and around

this church

and university

that we may

see lives

transformed

by the truth

of the gospel

may that be

our heart's

desire God

to see your

kingdom come

we pray this

in Jesus name

amen

now we're

going to stand

for our last

hymn of the

evening

the Lord

is my

salvation

our

martyrdom

and

làm

down

and

our

h