Isaiah 41:14-20

0:01 All right, Isaiah chapter forty one. The goal hopefully is to finish chapter forty one. I think we can come close. If we don't come close, it's Sarah Danzler's fault because she pointed out that this section that we're getting ready to look at is very similar to a previous section and the previous chapter. So I decided to then take an entire put together an entire comparison of those sections to see what we can learn from that. So that may stop us from getting all the way through, but we will see. The positive thing is this week I didn't listen to any sermons on Isaiah forty through Isaiah fifty five. Because I can't listen to any more sermons on Isaiah. I probably will probably when we get to forty two, I'll listen to at least one or two.

0:54 I'm trying to do it for each chapter. I'm hoping to stumble upon some situation where they actually handle the text in a way that you know, somewhat reflects what's there. Did not. Now this week I did start listening to sermons on Acts twenty seven, which makes uh, yeah, makes Isaiah sermons seem great. Twenty seven is the you know, Paul getting caught in a storm, and of course you know, you know what that turns into. The storm now is not an actual storm. It's the storms that come into our lives. And then we can supposedly learn principles from a historical narrative about a physical storm to apply somehow to our metaphorical storms. The whole thing is just hermoneutically a mess. But pastors do that constantly, and I think what we continue to see, whether it's an Isaiah Acts twenty seven, over and over and over. I continue to try to tell you guys this, sermons are the enemy to biblical interpretation. Sermons are the enemy to biblical interpretation.

1:57 When you start writing sermons, you then nobody everyone involved in that process, the person writing the sermon, the person preaching the sermon, and the people listening to the sermon. If everyone wants sermons, they don't want the text because sermons are the enemy to understanding the text because you have to start looking at it from a completely different perspective and you end up doing great damage to it. So that's that's one of the reasons I've tried to abandon it as much as possible, because you can't preach a sermon without leaving the text. You just can't because everybody wants nice little points and the text is not designed for that in many cases. So today Isaiah forty one, we've looked at the other sections the section we are on this morning. Does anybody know based off our observational outline, first section was Isaiah forty one one through seven, right, second was Isaiah forty one eight through thirteen. So that means we at least are starting in verse fourteen, and I goes to verse twenty, and then the last section is twenty one to twenty nine. So well, we just have two sections to go. I think we're gonna do.

3:15 So I'm utilizing artificial intelligence a lot to try to keep it where I don't. I can keep it very structured, is what I'm attempting to do. But you know, at any point I can veer off and go in any direction. So Isaiah forty one, fourteen through twenty All right, it's going to build on the previous section. All the sections tend to do this right where and in the previous section, God was reassuring whom of his faithfulness and protection? Who was God reassuring of his faithfulness? And protection in the previous section. Okay, look, if you look at the previous section, you should be able to find some scriptures to support your answer. Yeah. Verse eight, But thou Israel arn't my servant, Jacob, whom I've chosen the seat of Abraham, my friend? Everybody see that now. The reason I have to stress that over and over and over and over and over is because after a hundred sermons on the section yet everyone, they may mention Israel, but it becomes about you, becomes about me, becomes you. It's not about us, all right.

4:27 So Isaiah fourteen forty one, fourteen through twenty is going to build on the previous section where God was reassuring Israel of his faithfulness and protection. In this section, the focus is going to shift. Now everyone, look at fourteen through twenty. I'm not just going to read it to you. Look at it. Tell me what's how the focus shifts in fourteen through twenty and what does it shift to?

5:09 Definitely is Israel? That's true, all right, the previous section he's reassuring them. Correct here, does he not kind of the shift kind of focus to Israel's transformation? Has that a good word for it? Where everyone okay with that, because we read fear not thou worm, Jacob, and you men of Israel. Now please note this section begins by calling basically Israel what a worm, which would indicate what weak, small, insignificant? Right, and then what is it going to say? I will help thee saith the Lord and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I will make thee a new sharp, threshing instrument having teeth. God is going to transform Israel.

6:00 So this is it goes from reassurance to transformation. There's still reassurance a part of it, but it builds on the reassurance to now something specific. Does is everyone okay with that? All right? God takes them from weakness to strength. I think that's fair, right, from barrenness to abundance. Can we agree on that if you're looking at fourteen through twenty, because he calls them a worm, but he's going to make them a something, a threshing object. Right, So that's from weakness to strength. Do you see anything about barreness to abundance? What does it say in eighteen? There we go, that's from barrenness to abundance. So everybody see that this passage is going to highlight God's power to restore, sustain, and provide for his people. Does everyone agree with that to restore If you don't like the word restore, God's power to transform, to sustain, and provide. I think that we could justify all of that. Do you feel like that's a decent overview and introduction to the section? I think so. So if I'm gonna now read fourteen through twenty, I'm gonna read it from the ESV, because that's what I have here on my iPad. You can look at it the King James and will reference to the King James most of the time, but I'm just gonna read it from the iPad. Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men

7:32 of Israel, I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord, your redeemer, is the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I make of you a threshing sledge, new sharp and having teeth. You shall thresh the mountains and crush them. You shall make the heels like chef. You shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the tempest shall scatter them, and you shall rejoice in the Lord. In the Holy One of Israel. You show glory. When the poor needy seek water and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open up rivers on the bare heights, fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and dry land springs of water.

8:19 I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the achaia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert the cypress, the plain, and the pine together that they may see and know, may consider and understand together that the hand of the Lord has done this, The Holy One of Israel has created it. And to really double down that this is about Israel in this section God's reference of himself. Does he not reference himself in connection with Israel numerous times in this section just to ensure that no one is confused. Did y'all see that? Notice? Yeah, the Holy One visual he says that a few times here, so just to ensure that no one can be confused. Again, And it's kind of again, it's so frustrating that this section of scripture goes so far out of its way to ensure everyone knows what it's talking about. But for some weird reason, and again I'm gonna go back to what I said at the beginning. Why you should your thoughts should be well, why is it so complicated? It's not.

9:33 It becomes complicated because pastors are tasked with doing what preaching sermons, not teaching the text. And to teach a sermon or to preach a sermon, you have to immediately make it about whom, about us. That's what people want. What people should want is I don't want you to make it about me. I want you to make it about what the text. That's what it should be. But you know, all right, so here we go. Let's break it down, context and structure. We're going to break it down into two parts, the immediate context and then the structural breakdown. All right, context and structure, the immediate context, and then the structural breakdown the immediate context. Everyone should know this Isaiah forty one one through seven. That's the first section. God's sovereignty over history. He raises up a deliverer.

10:23 We believe that to be Cyrus. Correct. I believe history teaches that to be Cyrus. Isaiah forty one eight through thirteen, God assures assurance to Israel he has chosen and will protect them all. Everybody got, I mean, we've covered these like multiple times, so y'all should know all of this. Isaiah forty one, fourteen through twenty God's transformation of Israel. He will turn their weakness into strength and provide for their needs. And then the last section twenty one through twenty nine, God challenges idols to prove their power, showing that only he can control history and provide for his people. Right, that's the media context, the before the present text, and what comes after. Any questions there, I don't think I need to review that. I mean, we've covered all this in our observational outline structural breakdown. Verse fourteen, God's help for weak Israel or worm Jacob? Right, as every look at verse fourteen? Does that feel like an accurate description God's help for weak Israel or worm Jacob? However you would like to describe it? How about verse fifteen through sixteen, Israel's transformed into a powerful instrument? Does that look accurate?

11:38 Verse seventeen through eighteen, God's provision for the poor and needy? Does that look accurate? Verses nineteen through twenty, the miraculous transformation of the barren land? Does that look accurate? Now? Immediately? What's probably and I'll just throw this in there, from fourteen to twenty, what would be possibly the most dangerous text that a pastor could miss use and do. I'll call it spiritual malpractice actually hurt people with why fifteen? Okay, okay, that's one possible danger. Right. How about verse seventeen and eighteen, because that's talking about what God's provision for the poor knee? Right, God's provision. That's talked all the time that God's gonna provide everything. God's gonna provide, God's gonna provide, God's gonna provide, God's gonna provide. Well, people say these things all the time. Right, God's gonna do this, God's gonna do this, God's gonna do this, God's gonna do this. I was listening yesterday to a sermon Acts twenty seven. Right. It was being preached at Pacific Gardens Missions in Chicago. Right, So a lot of homeless people there, and it's like, well, if you will trust God and the storms of your life, you will survive, because in Acts twenty seven, everyone survives

13:08 the storm you can't take Acts twenty seven and promise anything to anybody as the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life. You can't take this promise of God's provision here and apply it to providing for anyone else. That's not about us. It's not about your problems, it's not about your difficulty, it's not about what you lack. But sermons do that nonsense over and over and over and over, because that's what people want. I don't know why people want that. I guess they just go to church to hear something that make them feel good. That don't really want the truth. But this is not about us, all right? Everybody got that? All right? And then I think it's true. Though. You could take this those verses on fifteen through sixteen and even nineteen through twenty, I see see God transforms, and then what would they what would be a good cruss reference they would use with this? Yeah, if anyone's in Christ, here's a new creature. Old things passed away, all things have become new. And again that is true positionally, it's not true practically. So you can see how damaging this can be. Basically, you can leave church hearing a sermon on this section being told God can will transform you, and God will provide everything you need.

14:25 And then you're gonna go, We'll go, well, I need this, or I need this, or I know what's well you And then the answer always is and because Christians always have an ace up their sleeve, right, well, if God doesn't provide it, what are they gonna say, you don't need it. It's always to get out of free you know, get out of jail free card. All right, So there's a structural breakdown, all right, media context, structural breakdown. All right, Now let's go through this. All right, we already know what verse fourteen is about. We did the structural breakdown, so now we're gonna do the exegetical analysis. This is really Sai. This text is not difficult. Verse fourteen God's help for weak Israel. Right, we've already identified it. Fear not you, worm Jacob, you men of Israel, I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord, your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. The phrase worm Jacob, it's a humbling description. It is a metaphor for weakness and insignificance. This highlights Israel's vulnerability and exile. They were powerless without God. So he's reminding them. It's describing them, Hey, you're a worm, You're helpless. You're helpless. There's nothing you can do that everyone can. You don't even need my help.

15:46 Right next, what does he say after he calls him a worm? Yeah, ye me, you were fear not thou worm, Jacob, and you men of Israel. Again, that's just identifying who's referring to too, so nobody can get confused. And then what's the next phrase? I will help you or I will help thee Saith, the Lord and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Basically he's saying, here, I am the one who's going to help you. He identifies their weakness, points it out, confronts them with their weakness, and says, I'm the one who's going to help you. God assures.

16:29 God does not. God doesn't. God does not mock Israel's weakness, but assures them of his help. The phrase I am the one who helps you is repeated from Isaiah forty one to ten and verse thirteen, reinforcing God's active role. Made He wants them to know what, I am the one helping you. Why is he emphasizing that I'm the one helping you. Okay, very good, because because remember we talked about that, there's a strong temptation that they're facing. They've been in Babylonian captivity, they've been surrounded by Babylonian religion. There's idols everywhere. They are prone, we know, going all the way back to Exodus, Israel is prone over and over and over to turn to what idolatry, over and over and over do they do. So, so he's coming in and saying, hey, I know you're weak. I know you're weak, I know you're insignificant. But I'm going to be the one to help you. The idols aren't going to help you. And fact, what he also wants them to realize is even though he's raising up a deliverer to deliver them, it's still whom God like. He wants them to understand he's the one doing this. And I'll look at the next phrase here in a minute. So, worm Jacob, if we're breaking verse fourteen apart, worm Jacob, I'm the one who helps you. And then your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. He identifies again his connection to them. Right redeemer refers to a kinsman redeemer

18:02 who rescues a relative from distress. We know that from the Book of Ruth. We know that from Leviticus twenty five. Right, we don't have to go into a lot of detail there. But what's the point of saying your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel? What do you think his point is that your redemption, that I'm the one redeeming you is based off his covenantal relationship with Israel. Right, he is their rescuer, he is their deliverer, he is their redeemer because of a covenant relationship. I cannot stress that enough. Why do I emphasize that so many times? Because if you look at the Old Testament, sometimes we get very confused just the subject of prayer, Right, I talk about it all the time. Prayer is one of the most convoluted and confusing things from a theological perspective. Right, So I'm gonna pray. First, I'm praying to a God who either allowed what happened to me to happen or decree it to happen. So if I'm praying for God to remove what he brought into my life, am I praying in accordance to God's will, So then how do we pray?

19:16 It bring raises all kinds of questions. But when we go to the Old Testament, we see them praying specifically for things. And a lot of times preachers go to the Old Testament take those things about prayer and apply them to us. You can't they prayed specifically for things for what reason? Because they could pray in accordance to the covenant promises given specifically to them. So they could pray in that direction, right, And so so much of what takes place in the Old Testament is taking place because it's working out in line with the covenant made with a specific group of people. Right. Therefore, it makes sense, right if this is happening to us, they can pray for something opposite. They don't even have to get caught up and well, wait a minute, God allowed it, God decreed it. They know they can pray this because they have a covenant saying God will do these things for them.

20:11 Therefore their praying and accordance to his will? Does that make sense? Where we really how we are supposed to pray becomes very much more theologically complicated, But for them, it's very simple, very straightforward. So he points out the fact that he is their redeemer because he's the Holy One of Israel. And this goes right back to their covenantal relationship. All right. God acknowledges Israel's weakness, but he does not leave them in it. He promises redemption and strength. All right. So that's verse fourteen, worm, Jacob, I'm the one who will help you. Your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. That's three ways we broke that down.

20:53 Everybody got that verse fourteen. It's pretty simple. Now, what would be the tempted in a sermon right here to make this all about us? If we're going to make it about us, what would be the only way to apply this to us in any way that would be accurate while we are weak in our sin and God will redeem us or save us. If you want to apply it in a soteriological way, then you're somewhat okay. If you start applying this to your difficulties in life, you're going to lead people with false hope because God may not do what. He may not help you in any way, shape or form for your practical problems. So don't go taking Now. If I apply this soteriologically, I am a worm. I'm weak, I'm helpless, I'm hopeless. God is the one who will redeem me. But that's a redemption from a soteriological perspective, saving me from my sin.

21:55 That makes perfect sense. That's about the only way we can apply it. But remember this text is not designed to even be about that. Okay, right, next, verses fifteen through sixteen. We already broke this down in our structural breakdown. What did we call verses fifteen through sixteen Israel's transformation into a powerful instrument. Let's read it. Behold, I make of you, depending on your translation, I will make thee a new sharp, threshing instrument. Or I will make you a new sharp. I will make a threshing sledge, new sharp having teeth, again, depending on your translation. Thou shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shall make the heels as chief. Thou shallt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them.

22:49 And thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, and shall glory in the Holy One of Israel. There's that Holy One of Israel phrase again, that's repeated another time. See it all right? So what we how do we break this one down. Well, let's break this down into mainly two parts, from weakness to strength, and then we'll call the next part crushing the mountains. All right, So the first from weakness to strength. A threshing sledge is an agricultural tool used to crush grain new sharp and having teeth symbolizes power and effectiveness. So God is going to take the worm.

23:30 You can't forget the verse fourteen, okay, because it sets it up. They go from being a worm to a threshing sledge, a worm to a threshing sledge. Now, immediately we do have to ask ourselves a hermoneutical question. When it describes what the threshing sledge is going to do? What does it say and verses fifteen and sixteen? All right, now, immediately when you see this, what does this tell you just from basically read reading comprehension, not even hermeneutically, would we take this in a very literal way or is this a metaphorical There was a hesitation there, okay, all right, why why would give you that indication? Like yeah, okay, right, that a literal way would this would start kind of making any sense? Right? Okay? So it's usual. So what's the idea? Now, Now, this is the thing. This is always so just from a hermaeutical lesson. Once you determine something as being poetic, hyperbolic, metaphorical, you have to not then just say, well I can Ooh, Israel's gonna get

25:01 a mighty weapon in twenty thirty and it's gonna destroy their enemy. Like stop doing crazy stuff. Right, This is you have to understand what the metaphor is pointing to. It is only pointing to what is what is the entire point of this poetic, hyperbolic type language. I think the point is that this worm is now going to be able to do what have the power and the ability to do what leave their captivity and go back to the land that they've been promised, and anything in their way is going to be what conquered. Everybody remember that, because that's what Sarah Dansler pointed out, that this is connected to a previous section. Right right now, you should already be going, wait, I know which section she's talking about. Right, there's a very important section that this is referencing. Okay, we think, all right, we're gonna test it here in a minute, all right, So it's just the metaphor simply is saying, Hey, you're gonna now have the power, and a mountain or anything that's in your way is gonna be basically done. What just gonna be destroyed blown away? Right, So and so this is this is just demonstrating that they're gonna go from this week they're basically slaves and captivity to now having this power, and this power is designed to get them back new sharp and having teeth

26:33 symbolizes power and effectiveness. There's from weakness to strength. How about crushing the mountain. We kind of already talked about it. Thresh the mountain is a symbolic way of describing obstacles or powerful nations. So the mountains would represent what obstacles are nations. Mountains represents obstacle or nations. So they're gonna thresh it meaning they're gonna do what no obst goal or no nation is going to do. What keepe them from going back to the land that they were promised? And why is this all happening because of a covenant promise God made with Israel. Right, God is empowering Israel to overcome great challenges, much like he empowered them in the Exodus and conquest of Canaan. Right, So God is going to transform his weak people into an unstoppable force.

27:31 Weak Israel is now going to be unstoppable. Unstoppable though now we got to be careful not to apply it to just anything. It clearly is limited historically, is it not. Because they go back to Babylonia, they go back to Judah, they go back to Israel, they go back to their land, and they go back rebuild Jerusalem. But what happens do they remain unstoppable? No, because by the time you open the New Testament under the boot of Rome and then by seventy eight they're wrapped off the face of the earth. So when it starts giving this language that this is going to happen, and this is going to happen once again, what does it sound like? Well, maybe not identical, but does it not sound like again Deuteronomy twenty eight, twenty nine thirty right. If you do this, God will do this.

28:22 If you don't do this, this is that thing is playing out over and over and over and over and over again. That's why ultimately they're going to need what a new covenant, because if they continue to live under that covenant, they're never going to be successful because they will never do what God tells them to do. Correct, right, That's that's the whole point. Okay, So there's there's verse fifteen through sixteen. Now we have verse seventeen through eighteen. What did we call this? I gave you what it's called in the structural breakdown, God's provision right for the needy, for the All right, we can read verse seventeen and eighteen.

29:02 I'll read it from the ESV. When the poor and needy seek water and there is none, and their tongue has parts with thirst, I the Lord will answer them, I the God of how many times is that being emphasized? Well, not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. Let's break this down into two parts. The poor and needy, all right, this is a picture of desperation. This describes Israel. Now, this is where we could argue. Is this describing israel spiritual exhaustion during exile or is it describing their physical exhaustion during exile?

29:44 Or is it describing both. When it talks about being poor and needy, do you think this is describing both their spiritual condition and their physical condition or do you believe it's one of versus the other. What do you think they're literally? They're literally? Yeah, here's what I'm gonna say, considering the previous section was very poetic and metaphorical. That is, I don't think we have to get too specific on what it is. It's just saying, hey, guys, the poor and needy, right, I'm going to be there to do what you You may be poor, you may be needy.

30:47 That's desperation, and I'm here to do what. And there is none that their tongue is parts with thirst. Either Lord will answer them, either God of Israel or not forsake. Then the point is, no matter what your needed, no matter the desperation, God is ultimately the solution to their particular problems, whether it's spiritual or whether it's physical. I think that's really the basic idea. Does that make better sense? So the poor and needy is a picture of some form of desperation, some form of weakness, which goes back to them being basically what it starts in verse fourteen, A worm all right, they are a poor, needy, desperate worm. Okay, all right, then, so that's the first part we're going to break Verse seventeen eighteen down is the poor and eighty second, God's miraculous provision rivers on the bare heights.

31:36 That means water and unexpected places, fountains in the valleys, a provision and low places wilderness into a pool, a complete reversal of barrenness. So God's provision is going to be seen wherever, maybe in the most unexpected places, unexpected ways, God will provide. Okay, It's kind of like an madery of Exodus seventeen six where they get water from a rock. All right, same kind of idea, Right, that God, God is Israel's ultimate provider and that he can bring provision where anywhere, because Israel constantly needs to be reminded of that. Right, Remember during the Exodus, what did they do when they had left Egypt and they hadn't been that long out in the wilderness. We're gonna die, We're going to die, and God had to provide for them. Well, they're getting ready to do what taken Exodus from Babylon to go back to Juda. Did we ever? I don't know. Did we determine how far it was from Babylon back to jude I don't think we ever did. It's pretty good.

32:44 I don't have Yeah, I can't remember ask chat GPT, I don't have internet access, so I can't how far was it or how or how long a journey? How how long going it takes the lock from Babylon back to Judah back to Jerusalem, because they're going to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, right, so we need to be specific how long this journey would have been because that because sometimes in our minds, how do we kind of view it in our minds almost like I think we kind of view it like happening over Like they left Babylon and the next day they were in Jerusalem. It's well, yeah, a couple of minutes they got on a train, the Jerusalem Express. Okay, all right, I think three months I would be far more accurate, right, Okay, so probably even longer than three months. So all right, so that's so guess what during that time? Okay, eight hundred and fifteen to nine hundred miles? All right, Okay, there we go.

34:01 All right, so that gives us a picture. So now you can see why they're being given all this information, right, They're being given because it feels just like I'm not identical. But coming out of Egypt to go to Canaan, they we're gonna have to go through a wilderness type area. And immediately what did they start doing? Questioning, doubting God, wanting to go back, wanting a golden calf. So it's playing out the exact same way, all right, I think that makes sense. All right, So there is the seventeen through eighteen. We broke that down to the poor needy, God's miraculous provision. How about verses nineteen through twenty. What do we call this? We broke it down in the structural breakdown. We are structural breakdown. We had fourteen God's help for weak Israel. We had number two verses fifteen through sixteen, Israel's transformed into a powerful instrument. Seventeen through eighteen, God's provision for the poor and needy. Verses nineteen through twenty, the miraculous transformation of the bear and land. Hey everybody remember that? Okay, yeah, but now it's focusing on the transformation of the land. I will put in the wilderness, the cedar, the akeaa the myrtle. Everybody see this in verse nineteen and twenty. What's the focus on here? The land?

35:32 Everybody see the transformation of the land. All right, okay, So let's break this down into two parts. A supernatural change in the environment, and then we'll look at the purpose recognizing Yahweh's power. All right, So a supernatural change in the environment. How many trees are mentioned? How many trees are mentioned? Counts it differently? We'll see how many yacht come up with? Y'all got six? Hey, I says seven? All right, Sarah's got seven. What let's see if we can all get on the same page. Okay, we have cedar?

36:14 Does that? Okay? Sarah will count him out. Does everyone have cedar? Okay? Do you see seven? Now? Okay? We have seven? All right? Okay? Good, all right, So seven trees are mentioned. Now this is where we can get iffy here. Right. I'm not necessarily a fan of this, but you know what someone is going to say, seven symbolizes completeness or divine restoration. I don't know about that. I'm not a fan. So this transporation, well we had is this is this a metaphorical restoration here of the land.

37:11 Yeah do we got Yeah? Back to meta, because I mean the whole section here has been very metaphorical and allegorical, right, So I think I think he's just showing, uh, well, we'll see. But I'm not gonna say seven here symbolizes anything. I'm not a fan of that, but it is interesting. He named seven trees, so I can't completely disregard the use of seven. But I'm not a big fan of trying to say, well, this symbolizes this or this symbolizes that. I'm not necessarily a fan of that, all right, but this seems to be interesting and I needed AI for this. These trees do not naturally grow in deserts. That's what AI says, all right, indicating a supernatural renewal of the land.

37:57 So I get. I guess what it's trying to indicate. Just as it's indicating God will provide, God can do again, it's all demonstrating God's supernatural power at work. I don't think it's supposed to symbolize that these trees are actually going to appear. I think it's more symbolizing that God can transform change. They're going to go from a worm back to their land and rebuild their temple in their city. I think that's the emphasis here, all right. You can get no pun intended. You can get lost within the trees. If you go and start chasing some of this stuff down, I think you'll end up missing the whole point, all right.

38:41 So there's the supernatural change in the environment. And then the second part breaking this down the purpose recognizing Yahweh's power, all right, because you'll see after it names some of those trees, it says that they may see and know. In the ESV. How does the King James reed that they may see and know and consider and understand together, So all of this transformation, all of this is happening that they can do want see, no, consider and understand? And what do they need to know? What do they need to see? No, consider and understand? According to the verse, what do they need to see? No, consider and understand?

39:30 That the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel. There's that phrase again. ESV says has created it. Is how the ESV puts it, Has the King James put it or hath h? Yeah, the Holy One of Israel has created it. That phrase is used again. So what is the purpose for them to see the power of God, to know God is the one going to do this. When they finally get back to Jerusalem, right, and they're going to rebuild the temple, they can't sit there and pat each other on their back, going we did it, guys, we did it. What else should they be very careful of not doing? Somehow saying putting all the praise on Cyrus, right, that could be a very a dangerous thing. Right, It's not the Babylonian idols who's doing it for them. It's not Cyrus. It's not them, it's God. It's trying to emphasize that. Does that make sense? All right? Some will argue that this passage for shadows. Look at Isaiah fifty five twelve through thirteen.

40:44 Isaiah fifty five twelve through thirteen. I'm not going to be dogmatic about this either, Isaiah fifty five twelve through thirteen. Tell me what you find there. This may may not work. I'm just I don't know if there's any significance here or not, So don't quote me on it. What do we find we have that transformation? All right? Some what some say? What some say is that Isaiah fifty five twelve through thirteen. What Some kind of emphasize that this could be foreshadowing the millennial Kingdom. If you believe in a millennial kingdom, all right, but there's going to be kind of a transformation millennial kingdom. Others will point to Revelation twenty two one through two. Look at Revelation twenty two one through two. Yes, I'm drinking water. For those listening online, they'll be like, what's that sound twenty two Hang on Revelation twenty two one through two, Revelation twenty two one through two, What do we have here? Okay?

42:25 Is that new Heaven New Earth? Okay? Right? So some will say is this foreshadowing the millennial Kingdom? Some may say is this foreshadowing all ultimately the new heavens and New Earth. I don't think it's really in here in Isaiah forty one, I don't want to say it's foreshadowing that. I don't think it's reaching that far at this point, right, it's just trying, in a metaphorical way, telling Israel your worm. But I am the Holy One of Israel, and I'm going to sew, transform, restore, and bring you back into the land promised you in the Covenant. And then you're going to rebuild the temple, rebuild Jerusalem. I think that's the point. And it's doing it in a poetic way, an exaggerated way, hyperbolic way, that type metaphorical kind of language.

43:16 I don't think it's that complicated to see that. Am my estimation. Right, So if we look at some of the thiological themes here, I think we can see God's power to transform. I think that's clearly being indicated, God's divine provision, and God's glory and restoration. I think all of that is seen God's power to transform, divine provision, God's glory and restoration. Now, if we talk about God's power to transform, if we talk about God's power to transform, this is where we get into well, we have a thiological dilemma here, right, we have a thiological dilemma. Right.

44:00 The passage seemed to indicate God's power to transform. Yes, all right, what's the theological dilemma? Then you walk like as soon as you say God has the power to transform, you run right into a brick wall. Well, I mean there's a lot of questions we could ask. Okay, so Adam and Eve send right, Okay, so let's go all the way back they have Cain and Abel. Correct. Well, obviously Cain wasn't transformed because he kills his brother, right, Okay, that starts the story, right, And then what do we have over and over and over all the way up to Isaiah forty one? Sin, destruction, rape, murder, incest. You just just sin, sin, sin, sin, sin sin. Well, if God has the power to transform, why why are they in Babylonian captivity? All right? If God has the power to transform, they don't need to be in Babylonian captivity, do they? They should be what they should be perfect right, Okay?

45:24 And then then and then let's forget Israel that comes all the way down to us. Correct Now, Christianity is the we we we have sold. Christianity is an infocommercial that sells what what is? Christianity is an infocommercial that sells the promise of what transformation? That's all Christianity sells, right, I mean, listen to Unshackled, listen to any any of the great testimonies. I mean, and many churches they have testimonies, right. I know that was what I was trained to do from the word go when I became a Christian. What was I supposed to do, and stand behind the pulpit and tell everyone, here was my life before I was saved.

46:09 I sold drugs. I did drugs. This happened. I had no friends. I was lonely. I was abused, I was suicidal. I was miserable. My life had no purpose. I had nothing. I had nothing. But I became a Christian and done dun du dum transformation. I become changed, I become different. I have now purpose, I have a friend, I have happiness, I have joy, I have everything. I don't need anything. And if you will become a Christian, you can be like me. In that Christianity story. We've been selling it for two thousand years and then so and then for some right they get so mad if they look out there and they don't see transformation. They came up with an entire theology to question that. What is that theology called? Yeah, right here, Lordship's Salvation. There's MacArthur's book and this says, if I don't see the transformation, you're going to hell because you're not saved, and even doubles down on it.

47:28 So and why would MacArthur have to come up with a book like this, because you got to explain the lack of transformation. Even MacArthur knows there's a lack of transformation. Preachers have been screaming and yelling about the lack of transformation forever. How do most preachers handle the lack of transformation? We need it, We need revival because what happens if we're revived transformation? But isn't that weird? Why do we need a revival for transformation? If supposedly when we became saved, we become new creatures and old things away and all things have become new, then I don't need a revival because I've already been transformed. So what's being revived? Is it just bringing life to someone who's already a new creature.

48:12 That doesn't even make any sense. So there's that we need revival, right, If you can read Finney's book, it was to say, oh, there's a deadness, there's a coldness. People don't read, people don't study their Bible, they don't do this. We need revival. That's always the constant revival technique the lordship. How did they say, forget revival? We need what we need salvation because people aren't saved Christianity. And then others are like, well, oh, got we need to do so? Oh and so then what did they throw out? So we have revival as an answer. We need salvation as an answer. We need small groups. If we all go to someone's household hands, see kumbaya, have a couple of snacks, and talk about our feelings, boom, we'll get that transformation. Well, why do we need small groups?

49:03 If the minute I became saved, I was a new creature, old things that passed away. All things have become new. I don't need your stinking small group. Oh well, we need church. Wait, we need to read our Bible. Wait, we need to pray, we need devotionals. We guess what Christianity is so weird? It promises transformation, but then it constantly has created an entire industry to supposedly teach you how to be transformed. I don't need to be taught to be transformed. If I was transformed, so can someone tell me what went wrong? And if God has the power to transform, just stink and do it. Don't tell me about it, just do it. Then guess what where there would be no problems in church. If you want to see the problems in church, just go to the Roy's report. Just go look at it. Oh again. I mean, I don't even know how many just in the last week, this pastor arrested for sexually assaulting a child. Well, this one for child pornography, this one for this over and over and over and over and over and over and over and it never ends. Why Because this whole talk of transformation is completely bogus. If there's practical transformation, then there would not be a history two thousand years of horrible sin with there. So where's the transformation? Positionally? We agree? Practically,

50:35 so when we take this, what can we understand here? The transformation being promised in this section in Isaiah forty one, first of all, cannot be applied to us. Second, this transformation is only guaranteeing what in its historical context? What is this transformation promising in its historical context? That this is just promising God is going to transform their situation so they get back into the land. That's it. It's not transforming that Israel's going to be perfect, because we know they're not gonna be perfect, right, I mean, they're gonna kill their Messiah, Okay, right, okay, when when Jesus shows up, they don't accept him, do they. I mean, there's a short amount of time some accept him, but then they all walk away. So all right, so they're not transformed. That didn't that. That's not gonna fix anything.

51:30 This transformation talk, it's almost the it's the poison within. I know that nobody's gonna like me to say that it's the poison within Christianity. Why is it the poison because you only got a couple of options. What are your options when you hear transformation transformation trustorming from the moment you became a Christian, You've heard the transformation talk, right, and you didn't even catch on to the contradiction. Because if I, if I was transformed at the moment of my salvation, why are you telling me I gotta do this and do this, and do this and do this. I've already been transformed. I don't need to do anything, right, you gotta read your Bible, you gotta study, you gotta go to church. No, I don't. I'm a new creature. I was transformed instantaneously. Well, it doesn't quite work out that way. I know it doesn't work that way because this entire system is broken. So it leaves you with what one a lifetime of just trying to be something you know never going to be, and you have to can either convince yourself you're doing it, or you find yourself in a total pit of despair and despondency and thinking what is wrong with me? That's that's the story of Christianity. You either lie, pretend, or you one day you're gonna wake up and go this stuff doesn't work.

52:49 That's what you're left with, why or complete despair. And people love to pretend. Oh I'm so, I'm so good you can do you do that? Sooner or later the facade cracks, the curtain gets pulled back and we see who the Wizard of Oz really is, which is a worm okay, who's weak and can't do anything. Nobody likes to hear that. Everybody gets mad at me, But I'm sorry. I got two thousand years at church. I got my own life to look at. Yeah, I got your life to look at. We all know now that doesn't mean everyone's going to commit the same sin in the same way, but we all know if we compare ourselves to the standard, where do we find ourselves again? And you know what scriptures I'm gonna quote I do it all the time.

53:43 Be holy as He is holy? All right. That means you have to be absolutely perfect and internally externally in thought, word, deed, and desire. Nobody in this room pulled that off this week. Love God with all your heart, mind, body, and soul. Nobody pulled that off this week. Desire the Word of God more than food and money. Nobody pulled that off this week. Love your enemy, love your neighbor as yourself, turn the other cheek, do all things without complaining and grumbling. Be content whatever state you find yourself. Do I need to go on? Anybody feel convicted? Yet? So what does that demonstrate that this week? Even this week, after all of these years of being saved, you still did not demonstrate true transformation, did you? So you go to church to be told what you need to do more. You need to read your Bible more. You need to pray more.

54:36 You need to go to church more. You need to join a small grip. You need an accountability partner. You need to do this. You need to do this. You need to do this, You need to do this, You need to do that. Every week you come to get a to do list. Then you're gonna go home. And do what not do so that you can come back to church next week to be given another to do list, because every sermon is a to do list. This does show God's transforming power. Now what what now? Philologically? What is one thing we have to acknowledge? Now, this is where it's going to get really complicated. God has the power to transform. So if he doesn't, hmmm, where does that leave us? That gets really iffy, right, because if he doesn't transform me, and we all know that even if you, even if you say you try to remove the sovereignty of God and you put it on us, we know that even with our best efforts, we can't get to perfection. So that means God has not given us the ability to get to perfection. That means somehow sin and failure is a part of the plan. And nobody wants to acknowledge that because that would mean what, well, that's how do you process that? How does the church operate with that reality? I don't know. I don't have a good answer. I don't nobody because nobody wants to

56:06 deal with that. Basically, the church is you get saved, be perfect, and if you're not perfect, you're gonna get yelled at right. I mean, that's basically the way I was taught to do things. What do you do? What's the goal of a sermon? You're gonna get people where from the pew to the altar because it's the number of people who respond to the altar that you know you preached. Well, well, how do you get people from the pew to the altar? Put out all the things that they are not doing? Well, why is it that week after week you can get people from the pew to the altar because week after week, no one is doing the things are supposed to do, including the one preaching the message. Why is it that week after week that continues to happen. Because someone should raise their hand and go, wait a minute, guys, why don't we keep going to the altar? Aren't we all new creatures in Christ?

56:55 The old passed away and all things are new? There should be no no matter what I preach, everybody should be like, well I don't that's not my problem. That's not my problem. That's not I love I do this, I do that. But does that ever know, everyone gets convicted. You know why you get convicted because you never do it? Well, didn't that ever raise a question in your mind. Will wait a minute. If nobody's doing it and everyone's constantly convicted, then how are we new creatures in christs and old things that passed away? All things have become new? Clearly, you should have just logically begin to realize that that doesn't work. Right, I'd stupid me couldn't figure it out. I couldn't figure it out. So I've told the story.

57:35 What did I do? I had to overcompensate. I will read more, listen to more sermons, more study, more get I will go to this school, in this school and this school, and then guess what, At least I can tell everyone? Come on, you don't know as much as I do. You don't read as much as I do. You don't listen to many sermons as I do. I'm better than all of you in all of these areas, So then I could overcompensate. Right, Well, that's stupid, that's a stupid game. And then someone else could be it. Well, I pray more than you. I go to I love, I go to fellowships, and I enjoy them. So I'm I'm more spirited. And that's how the game is played, is it not? Everyone finds their little thing that they do to convince themselves that they're doing the good thing. Well, why is your thing better than my thing? Because my Christian life I was constantly told well, you don't go to fellowships and you don't do this, and you don't like being around people, you're not very spiritual, and I'm like, well I read more than you, and that's all all.

58:31 It turns into, how about we just all admit what, Yeah, we're all flawed. So clearly we have not been transformed. But God has the power to transform. That becomes problematic. Why does he not then just transform us? That somehow the lack of transformation is a part of the plan, because what is it? Constantly then demonstrate our need for Him and our need for what imputed righteousness? Because it's if we're saved by imputed righteousness, we shouldn't have been. How does Protestants who believe in imputed righteousness ever even believe teach transformation? Because imputed righteousness what is the one thing imputed righteousness will not do? Does not change you, does not transform you. So for those of us who reject Catholicism, then turn around and demand change. You don't believe in imputed righteousness. You believe in infuse righteousness, So get out of my face, because I've got two options if I'm going to agree with you that there needs to be changed. I'm going to a Sacred Heart Catholic church and I'm going to go to Mass, and I'm just going to become join the catechism program and I'm going to become a Catholic at least that can be consistent. Right,

1:00:03 because I go to some Protestant church is going to teach this trash that they're so they're denying the very reason they're Protestant. We're Protestants, but we teach infused righteousness. No, you're not. So. The transformation thing leads to lots. God can transform, but clearly he doesn't transform us. But in this section legislated again and we're out of time. The transformation is about what bringing Israel from a worm back to being restored as God's people and the land and rebuilt Jerusalem and the rebuilt Temple. And we know that transformation lasts not very long because in the Inner Testament period they have the Macabean revolt, right, they have problems even before Rome takes over. Do they not Maccabees at first and is at first the second Macabees. You can read about the Macabean revolt. Right, everything happens, that's right.

1:01:01 So they have problems before they even get Rome takes over. So the transformation is not likee when when Jesus gets there, does he gets to does he get to a transformed Israel? No? He gets to what an Israel that rejects their own Messiah and kills him? All right, that's okay. So the transformation we know historically is limited. All right, Now, just ticked off the entire Christian world. But that's okay because when you get ticked off and you say mean things about me, you just show your lack of transformation. So you'll just prove my point. So thank you very much. Right because, and guess what, and I'll respond to your attack upon me in a way that shows my lack of transformation. So them, can we just shake hands and realize, hmmm, neither one of us are transformed? What does that mean? Oh?

1:01:53 Maybe because we're saved by an imputed righteousness which doesn't transform us. That's deep. Huh what does that mean? And how the church should operate? You go figure that out? Let me know, because I don't think anyone has a clue. All right, let's pray it. Lord God, we come before you this morning. Thank you for this place to be able to challenge and question things, and we just try to understand this text to the best of our ability. Forgive us for how we've mishandled it, and we pray that we will continue to work hard to handle the text as accurately as possible. And we asked this in Jesus name, and God's people said