Isaiah 43: The Holy Spirit

0:02 Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is the Theology Central podcast making Theology Central. All right, ladies and gentlemen, I need you to get your stopwatch, your timer. You need your timer, You need your stopwatch, because once again we are going to time. How long does it take before a pastor inserts us into Isaiah chapter forty three? How long does it take for a. Pastor to insert us into Isaiah forty three? And today we're going to have a world record. This is going to go so fast that you're going to be like, WHOA this person should go to the Olympics. No one can beat this time. We're about to have a world record happen. All right, But before we start the timer, before we start that, I guess I do need to go ahead and tell you well, welcome everyone. It is Wednesday, October the twenty third, twenty twenty four. It is currently nine forty eight am Central time, and I am coming to you live from the Theology Central studio located right here in Abilene, Texas, where, if I'm being honest with you, what we are about to do is more to just satisfy my own curiosity. Because here's what happened, I don't know, three four in the morning. Somewhere around that time. I'm like, well, we did it. We did a pretty good study on

1:33 Isaiah forty three. I think I think we did pretty good. I think we did pretty good with Isaiah forty three what we did yesterday. So I was pretty happy with what we did. And so I thought, well, you know, again, it was around three or four in the morning, I thought, well, maybe maybe I should do a little bit more work on Isaiah forty three. So I started doing a little bit of work on verse three because I think we did it pretty good on verse one and two, and kind of do verse three to seven, just seeing maybe how I could break this down, what I could do with it. And so I was just kind of thinking about that, you know, kind of awake, not awake kind of thing. I just started, you know, looking and see what I could come up with. And I'm like, you know what, just stop this, just stop this for now.

2:15 It's you know, it's like four in the morning. I know what I'll do. I'll look up another sermon on Isaiah forty. Three and just hit play. Well before I could even hit play, I was like, you gotta be kidding me. You gotta be kidding me. This is a world record. So I hope you have your timer. I hope you have your timer. I hope you have your stopwatch, because I want you to determine how quick it takes for this pastor to insert us into Isaiah forty three. Are you ready? Okay? Are you ready? Get your timer ready, get your stop watch ready? Okay? Are you ready? I'm going to read the title of the sermon. Are you ready? Okay? Here we go. Are your mark?

2:58 Get set go? The Work of the Holy Spirit and the Believer. Stop. Yeah, it's like zero seconds. The title of the sermon. The text for the sermon is Isaiah forty three, verses one through seven. But the title of the sermon is the work of the Holy Spirit and the Believer. What what? As soon as I saw the title, I'm like, okay, well, this breaks the record. We don't even have to hit play. We've already been inserted in the title. Again. Let me let me read the title to you again. I'm just baffled by this. The work of the Holy Spirit in the believer. So what I did is I at least hit play, And I'm like, oh, he's actually reading from Isaiah forty three.

3:48 What in the world, So we're gonna have to listen at least to hear. I mean, I'm gonna let me just read Isaiah forty three one through seven. Let me just read it. Are you ready, Isaiah four three one through seven. But now thus saith the Lord that created THEE, oh Jacob, and he that formed THEE, O Israel. Fear not, For I have redeemed THEE. I have called THEE by thy name. Thou art mine. Of course, obviously this is Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel. When thou, that's obviously the Israel, pass it through the water, I will be with THEE and the and through the rivers, they shall not overflow THEE. When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned. Neither shall neither shall the flame kindle upon THEE. Obviously Israel Israel Israel. We worked through all of these verses yesterday. We saw how we can relate to this in a certain way as Christians.

4:43 But we made it absolutely clear that the text is about Israel. Verse three. For I am the Lord, thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior. I gave Egypt for thy ransom Ethiopia and Siba for THEE. Since thou wast pressed in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved THEE. Therefore will I give men for THEE and people for thy life. Fear not, for I am with THEE. I will bring thy seed from the west, and gather THEE from from the east, and will gather THEE from the west. I will say to the north, give up to the south, keep not back, Bring my sons from afar, my daughters, from the ends of the earth, even everyone that is called by my name. For I have created him for my glory. I have formed him.

5:29 Yea, I have made him. Now. I don't know where the Holy Spirit shows up in those seven verses. I have no idea. But okay, they also have. Forty three starting in verse twenty two. Wait, this is weird. Oh just oh, so forty three twenty two all the way into chapter forty four. All right, so we'll see what they do with that. But the very first passage they have listed here is forty three one through seven, which is what we've been discussing. And some supposedly this is about the work of the Holy Spirit and the believer, So I don't know what's going to happen here. I'm look, I'm just curious. I mean, well, I don't know if you're curious. I'm curious because we've been talking about how quickly are we inserted into the text.

6:17 Remember I told you just start using a timer and stop watch for every sermon you listen to. Well, this one, we didn't even need to start the timer. Did we. It's in the title. We've been inserted in the title. So are you ready to find out how we have been inserting, how the Holy Spirit has been inserted, How all of this has been inserted in Isaiah forty three. I'm curious. I'm very curious. Now I see the name of the series, and I'm even more intrigued because this seems to be a part of a series on the Heidelberg Catechism. Now I'm a little bit intrigued by that because I'm pretty familiar with the Heidelberg Catechism. I've taught not through a good portion of the Heidelberg Catechism, so I'm a very kind of like, hm, the Heidelberg Catechism.

7:09 I'm assuming this is on the question of dealing with the Holy Spirit. Or questions. I think I'm familiar with that, but the text is Isaiah forty three. And then I was like, well, which version of the Catechism did I miss this? Reference? Did I miss this? And so maybe I've missed something. I was going to go start looking things up and doing a little bit of research, but I decided, no, I'm just going to go into this somewhat blind and just see what happens, because I'm just curious. All right, So here we go. Ladies and gentlemen, the work of the Holy Spirit and the believer. The text for the sermon is Isaiah forty three one through seven and forty three. It looks like on forty three twenty two to chapter forty four, verse five.

7:53 All right, so we could read a little bit of this, but we'll just let them. We'll just see what they do with that, and if we need to, we'll go read the forty three twenty two to forty four five in a minute and just see. So but are you ready? Here we go, thinking caps on hermeneutical principles at hand. Here we goy of Isaiah chapter forty three, and we'll read the verses one through seven, and then we'll jump to chapter twenty two, or rather to verse twenty two reading to chapter forty four, verse five. I would love to read all these verses, but it's a rather long passage, and so I've cut it down as much as I can.

8:50 Isaiah forty three. Of course I was you know, I know. Again it was you know, around four in the morning, so you know, be fair, you know, to be fair. Maybe my thinking wasn't the most clear, but I just know that I was thinking, wait, this literally the name of this sermon is the work of the Holy Spirit and the believer, and he's literally going to actually use Isaiah forty three. As the text. And so I'm like this, So not only are we inserted, the Holy Spirit's inserted. And not only is the Holy. Spirit inserted, it's the Holy Spirit inserted into the text. Well, we're inserted into the text. And then it's the Holy Spirit doing something in us, not doing something in Israel. This is so I'm already just like what is happening?

9:34 But you know what, you can't judge a book by its cover, and then what we were told, so you can't judge a sermon by its title. Right, I think that's fair. I think that's fair. Right, we have to actually listen, so let's not make any judgments. Let's be very positive, Let's not be negative, Let's not be cynical, because this can only get better. Right here we. Go the verses one through seven. Hear the word of God. But now, thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel. Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name.

10:18 You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flames scorch you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Siba in your place. Since you were precious in my sight. You have been honored, and I have loved you. Therefore I will give men for you and people for your life. Fear not, for I am with you. I will bring your descendants from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, give them up, and to the south, do not keep them back. Bring my sons from Afar and my daughters, from the ends of the earth, everyone who was called by my name, whom I have created for my glory. I have formed him. Yes, I have made him.

11:15 Now he did a much better job reading the text than I did. I was reading it too quickly, just blowing past, you know, punctuation, all the horrible ways in which I do public reading. Okay, but but he did. He read it much better. But even after him reading it in a much better way, I'm still baffled and how I've been inserted into this text and the Holy Spirit's ben inserted in this text. So maybe, just maybe the next section is going to clarify and we're going to be like, well, there's the answer, all right, So are you ready? So now turn your Bibles to Isaiah forty three, verse twenty two. Are you ready?

11:56 Now, just listen carefully to the words. Listen careful, remember the context, remember the historical context, the textual context. Let's remember everything, and let's see if we are about to find the Holy Spirit and find us. Here we go. And now we jumped down verse twenty two. But you have not called upon meo Jacob, and you have been weary of Meo Israel. All right, stop right there. First, very important clue is this section begins once again with naming who he's referring to. But thou hast not called upon me, oh Jacob, but thou hast been weary of me, oh Israel or Israel. So okay, clearly we're still talking about Israel, and it's still going from Jacob to Israel, right basically from their origin to the you know everything, God forming them, naming them everything. Okay, so we still have them very I mean, this is what it's about, right, I mean, I don't think we have some major change here. But let's see that that's only verse twenty two. We still were going to go all the way to chapter forty four, verse five. So let's be patient. Let me again, let's be positive. Let's expect this to only get better.

13:16 Here we go. You have not brought me the sheep for your burnt offerings, nor have you honored me with your sacrifices. I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings, or wearied you with incense. You have bought me no sweet cane with money, nor have you satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins. You have wearied me with your iniquities. I even I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own namesake, and I will not remember your sins. Put me in remembrance. Let us contend together state your case that you may be acquitted. Your first father sinned, and your mediators have transgressed against me. Therefore I will profane the princes of the Sanctuary. I will give Jacob to the curse and Israel to reproaches.

14:10 Okay, so we finished chapter forty three. Still know me, Still know you, still know us, Still know we. A lot of them, A lot of they, Okay, a lot of Jacob in Israel. That's what I don't see. The Holy Spirit, I don't see me. Look, I am a little bit perplexed. I think I'm going from curious to a little bit perplexed now. Right, So we've knocked out all of Isaiah forty three. And know, I mean, to be fair, I already knew it wasn't in Isaiah forty three. I knew that, right, because I'd already been working on Isaiah forty three. I've already looked at the I mean, I've done a lot of work on Isaiah forty three, and I have plenty of notes ready to go to do more study on the Isaia on Isaiah forty three. So I was already pretty much sure that I wasn't.

15:01 I hadn't missed anything. Now maybe now I haven't done it much work on Isaiah forty four, not recently, so I could have missed something in Isaiah forty four. All right, So let's see if I miss something in Isaiah forty four that would get us to a sermon title about the Holy Spirit's work and well us when it's about God speaking to all right, all right, let's see where we can go here, right, here we go. Now we go to chapter forty four. Look, look, look, look, look, stop being negative, stop being cynical. We're going to be positive, ladies and gentlemen, We're gonna be positive. We know this is going to work. All right? Are you ready? Here we go.

15:42 Yet? Hear me? Now? Oh, Jacob, my servant and Israel, whom I have chosen. Okay, all right, maybe maybe maybe maybe are My positivity is starting to slip just a little bit because now we're now we're in chapter forty four, verse one, and what do we have right from the star. Yet now here, Oh Jacob, my servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen. Look, I do not know how an author can do more to make. It very clear who a passage is about. I don't know. But for some weird reason, the author can can basically bend over backwards to say this is about Israel. And yet preachers come in and go no, no, no, no, no no, this says about us. Remember the phrase I been using narcissistic textual hijackers. I'm not saying this guy's about the hijack the text. But I'm getting nervous now, and I'm just gonna be honest with you that sense of positivity, because now we only have four verses to go.

16:42 We have four verses to go, and somehow in four verses, the Holy Spirit and you and I have to be inserted if the sermon title is even even remotely accurate describing what the sermon is about. But I could be maybe the sermon title is just an error. Maybe maybe that's the explanation. I don't know. Here we go, thus says the Lord who made you, informed you from the womb, who will help you fear not o Jacob my servant, and you j Justssuran, whom I have chosen for. I will pour water on him who is thirsty and floods on the dry ground. I will pour my spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring.

17:24 Okay, so finally we have the Holy Spirit all right now? But notice I will pour my spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine offspring. Who is thy seed? And thine offspring. Who is that? Now? Is this a promise to Israel, to the nation of Israel, that there is coming a time that I'm going to do this for Israel. Now, if we attach this to Ezekiel thirty six, I think we get somewhere right, because God promises in Ezekiel thirty six that there is a coming time for Israel. Because once again God stresses Israel over and over and over, there is coming a time Israel where I Am going to give you a new heart.

18:08 I'm going to give you a new spirit, and then you'll go into the land. Is this a promise for Israel's ultimate descendants that they will get all the promises that God has made? Or do we step in and go no, no, no, Israel, This is not your actual this is not your physical offspring, this is not your your physical descendants. Somehow this is your quote unquote spiritual descendants, which then we get to step in and. Go, oh, this is us? Is that how this is. Going to work? Now I'm getting a fill for how we've been inserted. Now I see how the Holy Spirit's been inserted. Let's see what happens. They will spring up among the grass like willows by the water courses. One will say I am the Lord's Another will call himself by the name of Jacob. Another will write with his hand Lords and name himself by the name of Israel.

19:05 So far the word of the Lord. Aber Catechism to Lord's Day twenty and you could find this in the back of your assaulter on page forty eight. What do you believe concerning the Holy Spirit? First that he is true and co eternal God with the Father and the Son. Secondly, that he has also given me to comfort me by a true faith part to come I'm sorry. Secondly, that he has also given me to make me by a true faith partaker of Christ and all his benefits, that he may comfort me and abide with me forever. Last time, we reflected on the first part of this question and answer, but the person of the Holy Spirit, and this afternoon, with God's help, we want to reflect on the second part of this answer.

20:04 That He has also given me to make me by a true faith partaker of Christ and all his benefits, that he may comfort me and abide with me forever. Okay, so we so he goes from Isaiah forty three one through seven forty three, twenty two to forty four five. All right, we do have the Spirit mentioned somehow. Now he goes from there to the Heidelberg Catechism, which is Lord's Day twenty or question and answer fifty three. Here is the question, what do you believe concerning the Holy Spirit? Answer?

20:44 First, that the Holy Spirit, with the Father and Son, is eternal God. Second that the Spirit is given also to me, so that through true faith he makes me share in Christ and all his benefits, comforts me, and will remain with me forever. Now there are one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven passages of scripture offered as supporting evidence for this question and answer. What you will discover is Isaiah forty three is nowhere to be found at least in the addition of the Heidelberd Catechism that I currently have in my hands.

21:25 So I'm a little perplexed. And how Isaiah forty three is going to come into play here? Right? And please note though the question. And answer, it's about us? So how do we go to Isaiah forty three, which is clearly about Israel? I mean? How many different ways do I have to demonstrate this? Right? I mean just a basic normal reading of the text? Now, Yes, when we get to forty four five or forty four, Yeah, about forty four three and forty four five, we can say, okay, maybe, okay, could we possibly do something with this? But even then, the first thing we would have to do.

22:05 Look, even if we're gonna go to forty four, if. We're just gonna skip through forty three, even if we go to chapter forty four, the big text begins yet now here, Oh Jacob, my servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen. So the first hermoneutical. Question would be, how does forty four and these promises being given here? How does it have to do with the nation of Israel? Because that's who's being spoken of here, all right, So that would be the first hermeneutical test is how does this deal with Israel. Let's see how this sermon deals with it. We will see, all right, we will. I'm gonna I'm gonna try to remain somewhat positive because at least the Holy Spirit is mentioned. I was getting nervous there for a minute. But at least the Holy Spirit is mentioned, and it talks about descendants and offspring.

22:54 Could I could see where someone would try to insert ourselfs in here, But. I'm just gonna be I'm going to be patient. I'm going to be patient. I'm not as optimistic and as positive as I was, but I'm not going to be cynical. And I'm just going to be patient and see how this plays out. With the Lord bless the reading and preaching of His word, but of a congregation. We are this afternoon in the process of making our way through Lord's Day. Twenty of our Hylibur categism, the question is asked about. The Holy Spirit. What do you believe about the Holy Spirit? And the answer is that he is true and coeternal God with the Father and the Son. And secondly that he has also given me to make me by a true faith, partaker of Christ and all his benefits, that He may comfort me and abide with me forever. As I said a few moments ago, the first part of this Lord's Day with the person of the Holy Spirit that was the subject of the sermon last week. At that time, we learned that the Holy Spirit is not as some have taught and still do teach.

24:14 He is not an. Impersonal force or energy. Rather, he is a divine person within the Holy Trinity, coequal, co eternal, co essential with the Father and the Son. And when we say that he is a person, we mean that he is an independent, intelligent individuality, or as theologian sometimes say, subsistence within the Godhead. He possesses a will, he possesses desires, and he even has feelings. He can be grieved. We talked about that last week. We learned that as a divine person, he proceeds from both the Father and the Son. It's one of the differences between the Roman Catholic and also Protestant churches and the Orthodox churches. The Orthodox churches believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father. But we believe he proceeds from the Father and the Son, and that has all kinds of implications that I won't get into right now.

25:27 Even though he. Proceeds from both the Father and the son, he's not subordinate to the Father or the son. He is as I said, he's co equal, He's coeternal Coe sens. Now, this is all great stuff, great theology showing the distinction between the East and the West and theology. Okay, great, this is awesome. We would be in agreement with everything we would obviously, I would be in agreement with this question and answer from the Heidelberg Catechism. So everything here is complete, total agreement. I'm just what I'm and what we're listening to find out is where does Isaiah forty three come into play here? How in the world is Isaiah forty three here?

26:08 That's where I'm This is more of a hermeneutical issue. From a philological standpoint, I'm like, yeah, this is good. This is solid. This is not saying crazy things about the Holy Spirit are destroying the doctrine of the Trinity. This is great, solid theology. I would recommend this. This is awesome, this is wonderful, this is great. It's coming from a catechism. I always love catechisms. So everything here is wonderful and great. I'm just okay, where is Isaiah? So come on, get to Isaiah. That's what I want to hear. Let's see what's getting ready to happen. Sure with the first two persons of the Trinity. So the first part deals with the person of the Holy Spirit.

26:50 Now the second part of this answer concerns the work of the Holy Spirit, specifically the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart and life of the believer. Okay, so now he's We're going to move to the second part of the question and Answer of Lord's Day twenty of the Heidelberg Catechism, and it's going to get to the work of the Holy. Spirit in the believer. Now, just not immediately. You know where the focus is. The focus is on us, but the text is in a passage where the focus is not us. So how are we going to get a a thiological discussion about us and get that inserted into a text that's not about us. That's where I'm baffled.

27:34 That's where I'm I'm still curious. I'm I'm not optimistic, but I'm patiently kind of hopeful. Maybe I'm getting a little nervous here. But we will see. We will see, and what we have here is a summary of what the belie, what the Holy Spirit does for his people. The prophet Isaiah propheside of this many hundreds of years ago in the passage of scripture that we read together from Isaiah forty three and the first part of forty four. These words of our scripture reading were addressed to the future exiles of Judah in Babylon.

28:20 The captivity had not had taken place. Isaiah lived abut one hundred fifty years before the captivity. But he's anticipating, as God had revealed to him, that one day the Babylonians would come and they would take the people of Judah and they would be in captivity in Babylon. Okay, all right, so he is mentioning the historical context. That is great. Okay, Oh now I'm getting a little hopeful. I guess. Well, I'm getting hopeful. But I'm even maybe as my hope is increasing, my confusion is increasing because he's even acknowledging this is about Israel, It's about exile, Babylonian captivity.

29:05 So so how are we going to get here? How are we going to get here? Anybody got an idea? Anybody got any Now, if we were in Hermoneuticts class, right, I would be like, okay, all right, class. How how is he going to get us in the text? How is he going to get us out? How is he going to get this to the Holy Spirit's work and us? How is he going to get there? Does anybody have a guess? I'm just I'm just throwing it out there because I want you to be answering it out loud. I have an idea, I have an idea of how it may happen. I'm going to be very obviously probably opposed to it. But let's let him put forth his own hypotheses, his own theory. And again, I call this is my I'll throw this in there. Now, I'll throw this in now. I've become more and more convinced that every interpretation, every interpretation, is nothing more than a hypothesis.

30:03 It's just an educated guess because obviously no one can be sure, since no one can agree on literally any interpretation on anything right, Literally no one can right. So it's just speculation at best. And I know people say, no, it's certain, it's the word of God may be certain, but our interpretation clearly is not certain because nobody has agreed on anything for two thousand years. I mean, he even demonstrated right here there is disagreement. Does the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father alone, or does the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father and the Son. There's a division between the East and the West. And we can go on and on and on and on and on and on. He even mentioned how some people believe the Holy Spirit, they say it more as an impersonal force than a person.

30:46 Because there's these differences in these arguments, and these debates have never ended. So but that's okay, he's gonna put forth on hypothesis. I'll put forth my hypothesis and then guess what. This is the way it works. Every individual just gets to decide which one they want to go with. Really, that's ultimately the way it works. You decide the one you want to go with. You find the church that agrees with the way you want to go with it. Basically. But now I'm getting to see my cynicism starting to creep in, right. Oh, there's that negativity. All right, stop it stop it, stop it stop it be positive because at least so far we've got good theology and we have an acknowledgment of the historical and textual context. That's more than we can typically, that's more than what we have seen recently. So I am going to take positive from this, but I'm still curious and how we're going to be inserted here.

31:39 So here we go, and that's where they would remain for some seventy years. And then he tells them in this chapter, actually in the whole third section of Isaiah's prophecy from chapter forty onwards, but including this chapter, he encourages them not to despair. This is a word of comfort. Remember how Isaia forty begins comfort, Comfort you, my people, So this is also a word of comfort. He reminds them here that he is their God and that will not change no matter how many times they sin against him, no matter how many times he punishes them, he will remain their God, and as their God, he would one day bring them back to the promised land.

32:24 Oh that's good stuff. No matter how much they sin, no matter how much chastisement comes upon them, he will be their God. He will be faithful, and he will keep. His covenant promise to them. And that's why we believe God has to ultimately fulfill all the promises he made to Israel, because it's about God's faithfulness. It's about God's. Promises, right, and that gives us assurance of God's promises and faithfulness to us. All right, So all right, this is good stuff. This is good stuff, all right, I mean, dah, this is much better than I thought. I'm still very worried, but so I don't know. It's again, the more I hear, the more I can applaud, But the more than confused I become, like, because somewhere there's gotta be a hard turn coming up. Right Right now, we're just cruising down the highway. We got the windows down, the music is blaring.

33:24 Life is good, everything is and I'm just waiting for the and the car is gonna go. It's gonna flip fifteen times, That's what I'm waiting for. Maybe I'm wrong, Maybe I'm wrong, just sligh back, got the windows. Down, the breeze blowing through my hair. Okay, the music is going. Oh, I've got something to drink. All this What a great day. The temperature is perfect, it's awesome, right, But at some point there's gotta be a hard turn, right, don't you think. If every Bible's open, you can see that. In Isaiah forty three, verses five to seven, God says, fear not, for I am with you. I will bring your descendants from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, give them up, and to the south, do not keep them back. Bring my sons from Afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.

34:12 Everyone who is called by my name, whom I have created for my glory. God's gonna call his people back. They're going to settle in the land, and they're gonna rebuild the temple. They're gonna rebuild the city of Jerusalem, and God will continue to be their god, and they will continue to be his people. And when all this happens, God's going to do something amazing. He tells us what that is in Chapter forty four versus Chapter forty five, rather verses three and four. He says, I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And. That's forty four I think he said forty five forty four three, right, I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour my spirit upon thy sea. Am I blessing upon that offspring. So this is obviously where we're going to get placed into the text.

35:05 Clearly. Now, I would argue from a. Perspective of eschatology or just a perspective of Biblical interpretation, when they come back from exile from Babylonian captivity, does that fulfill all these promises or is it only a picture, a small picture of what God will ultimately do, Because I think when we read about some of the promises, they were not clearly fulfilled when they came back from Babylonian exile nowhere close, right, And even when they come back from Babylonian exile, guess what, it's not long when you read your Bible. You're going to open up the Bible to Matthew and you're going to find that Israel's under the Hill of Rome. And then in seventy eight E they're wiped off the face of the earth. So yeah, and then so but that's okay, that's okay. See, now that's our hermoneutical difference. That's at least a hermaeneutical difference that we can at least like, all right, you think it was all fulfilled.

36:11 I don't think it was all fulfilled. That's at least a reasonable discussion to have. So this is this is at least one of those sermons where it's not getting crazy, right. This is one of those. Sermons that is just like you can have respectful disagreement some of the sermons we've been listening to recently. I mean, come on, that things got so crazy and insane. I didn't even know what to do. This is at least much. More in the realm of Okay, I see where you're going, all right, but let's see, I'm assuming he's reading verse three. I cut him off in the middle of reading verse three. This is where we're gonna get inserted. This is where we I guarantee you, this is where we are about to be inserted into the text.

36:51 Ploods on the dry ground. I will pour my spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your offsp They will spring up among the grass like willows by the water courses. I will pour water. On him. It was thirsty. Water here is a symbol of. The Holy Spirit. Just as water refreshes us when we're thirsty, so the Holy Spirit refreshes the people of God. I will pour my spirit on your descendants. How wonderful is the work of the Holy Spirit. It's like refreshing water that comes upon the dry and parched ground well with the help of the Lord. We want to consider this work of the Holy Spirit in our sermon this afternoon, and that's our theme, the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer.

37:47 And we'll see that this is first of all, a uniting work. Secondly, it is a comforting work. And thirdly it is an ongoing work. A uniting work, a comforting work, and an ongoing work. One of the most wonderful truths about the Holy Spirit, as revealed to us in Holy Scripture, is that he dwells in the believer, not just with the believer. That would be something in itself, but the scriptures tell us more than that. The scriptures say the Holy Spirit actually dwells within the believer. I think of John fourteen, verse seventeen. Okay, did you the music has stopped? The car has flipped.

38:31 Did you see what just happened? All of a sudden? Now it's just like erk and it's now us. Hey, the Holy Spirit is in the believer. Whoa whoa, whoa, whoa whoa whoa. Wait wait, wait, what just happened? How did we how did this get flipped to us? What just happened? Isaiah forty four to three. If we were to read this in the ESV. For I will pour water on the thirsty land streams on the dry ground. I will pour my spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants, this verse seems to contain possibly two possibly two promises, possibly the provision of water on dry ground. Now, some would refer to this as a metaphor for abundance and renewal. God promises to bring refreshment and restoration to a bear and dry and parched land, and the immediate context the imagery speaks to God's future restoration of Israel, both physically and spiritually after their exile. So again, does this refer to exactly what happens after the Babylonian exile or does it also picture and at least lead you to consider what God will ultimately do in Israel. I mean, I think that's I think that's a reasonable question that like, that's the hermoneutical issue here. The hermoneutical issue isn't us. This is not like, hey, We're going to use this to talk about the refreshing work of the Holy Spirit and the believer.

39:55 Whoa, wha, whoa, whoa. Now we're a million miles away from us. We would have to be okay, this provision of water and drag round? First, is that a metaphor? If it's a metaphor, then it's a metaphor. What of abundance and renewal? Okay, is this what's going to happen to Israel after the Babylonian captivity? Or is this a picture of the Babylonian captivity? Will only be one kind of preview of the ultimate abundance and renewal that will come when God will ultimately fulfill these promises, because we know there were never truly ultimately fulfilled. So we have the idea of provision of water and dragground. We could argue metaphor or literal. We could have that discussion. Number two, the outpouring of God's Spirit upon Israel's descendants.

40:39 This second promise has a more profound spiritual dimension. Now, this is why we get inserted into this where. God promises to pour out his spirit upon the offspring and descendants of Israel. The outpouring of the spirit implies a spiritual renewal and blessing for future generations of God's people. So to me, this immediately tells me that something beyond just the people coming out of coming back from exile, right, because we know when they come back from exile, it's somewhat short lived, right, I mean, they come back, then they're very hesitant to get the temple rebuilt. God has to send profits to finally get them to do so. And then the next thing, you know, they're under Rome.

41:21 So well, we may need to do some checking the time. How long did Israel stay? How long when Judah returned from Babylonia exile? How many years did they really remain, you know, free and not under the control of anyone? How long? That's a very important question, all right now, the immediate audience of this. Promise in Isaiah forty four is Israel. I don't think there's any There's no way to get around that, right, I mean, I mean is there? I mean, first, we can just go through how many times Israel has been talked about in forty three. We already know forty four. Yet now here, Oh Jacob, my servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. Clearly, that's right there, there's no way to get around that. It's right there, So then we know this is.

42:08 About Israel, that particularly the exiles of the exiled Israelites. I guess we could say it that way, who are waiting God's deliverance and restoration. The imagery of water on dry ground and the outpouring of the spirit directly addresses their future hope and renewal after the Babylonian exile. God is reassuring his people that he will not only restore them physically to their land, but will spiritually revive them. Now we could get into an argument as it's a picture about spiritual revival, possibly because he says, I will pour water upon him that is thirsty floods upon dry ground, and I will pour my spirit upon thy speed, upon thy seed. The spirit there seems to be going beyond.

42:50 The other could be physical restoration, physical provision, and the spirit would be spiritual provision. God is going to do this for his people. Now. To me, this seems to be pointing to Isaia, to Ezekuel thirty six. Well, Ezequel thirty six is clearly not them coming back from Babylonian exile. That is a reference. Ultimately, I believe to a future restoration of Israel clearly when you read it, I. Mean you can go to Ezequel thirty six. Is there a correlation between Isaiah forty four four A forty four to three and Ezekuel thirty six? Is there a cross reference a connection there? I may look something up here in a minute to see. So we have physical restoration. The metaphor of water in a dry land speaks of Israel's return from exile, where God will once again make their land fruitful and prosperous.

43:43 Again, did that happen after the Babylonian exile? Or is that a promise? Because if you go to Ezequel thirty six, it seems to be something future. Right. So see, these are the hermeneutical questions we really should be working through. Next. Spiritual restoration. The promise of God's spirit out on their descendants emphasizes a spiritual revival pourting fort a time when God will work a transformative way within his people. All right, So. Yeah, the immediate audience audience is Israel. There's just no way to get around there. So this is so the really the hermeneutical question is I don't know how we got inserted in this. I don't even know right, because he immediately just turned the will of the you know, the steering wheel, and the next thing, you know, we were inside the car.

44:28 I don't even know how we got there. I don't what happened. Now, it's about the Holy Spirit in dwelling us. What do you what does that even mean? Now? I'm I'm going to I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna ask Ai here because I'm just my mind is now trying to. Put this together. Okay? Is there a textual, a textual and philological connection between Isaiah forty three or forty four forty four? What's that? Three? And Ezekiel thirty six? All right, let's see what AI says here, right, this is my idea. Look, I could be wrong. AI sometimes will disagree with my ideas. All right, now, AI says, and I quote.

45:27 Yes. There is a clear textual and philological connection between Isaiah forty three, forty four three and Ezequel thirty six, as both passages focuses on the promise of spiritual annewal through outpouring of God's spirit. These prophecies, though in different context, share similar theme God's work of restoration and transformation among his people. The textual connection. Here's a comparison of the relevant verses Isaiah forty four to three. For I will pour water on the thirsty land streams on the dry ground. I will pour my spirit upon your offspring and my blessing your descendants. Ezequel thirty six, twenty five through twenty seven. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be cleaned from all your uncleanliness and from all your idols.

46:09 I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and a new spirit. I will be put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you all heart. Remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statues, and be. Careful to obey my rules. Now again, when you get to Ezequel thirty six, the promise is of a total transformation of Israel completely, a new heart, new spirit, and they're going to obey all Idolatry is going to be gone, all sin is going to be gone. That's clearly not referencing what happened after the Babylonian exile. That's clearly referring to something that's never occurred before, which we think has to be future. The philological and textual parallels water as a symbol of renewal Isaiah forty four or three, the pouring of water on the thirsty land, symbolizing refreshment and renewal.

47:05 Both physically and spiritually. And Exequel thirty six, God promises to sprinkle clean water on the people to cleanse them from their sins and idols. Here he uses the water again to symbolize purification and both passages water represents cleansing and restoration. Number two, the outpouring of the spirit Isaiah forty four to three and Exequel thirty six twenty seven. God specifically says. I will put my spirit within you. That speaks of a deep internal transformation where God's spirit will empower and renew the people. Restoration and renewal Isaiah forty four three and Exequel thirty six twenty five through twenty seven speaks of Israel's spiritual condition and everything being changed. All right, So I could go through here, Yeah, I got a lot more here. But you can see the parallels. So there is a clear parallel between Isaiah forty four to three and Ezequel thirty six clear parallels.

48:05 What I will say is, yes, God does in part. This is what I would say God does in part when they come out of Babylonian exile, he does. In part he gives them kind of a preview. But then even in Isaiah says, but I'm going to do this for your descendants. There's going to come a time where. I'm going to do this. I think what you could either argue, I don't think that fits perfectly with them coming out of Babylonian exile. Clearly Ezequel thirty six does not. Ezequel thirty six is point pointing to something that did not happen. There's no way to say that Ezequel thirty six was fulfilled coming out of Babylonian exile.

48:47 It just did not. There's just no way to say that. I think that would be just clearly not true. So those these are the hermeneutical issues that should be addressed here. I don't know how when the world has turned into you and may being a dwelt with the Holy Spirit, this has literally nothing to do with us. Now, if you want to draw a parallel, you could say what God. Has promised to do for Israel in a very specific, real way, in a very specific time. God will do something similar for us, but he will not do it for us here. He's going to do it for us in glorification. Right. So again, this is if you want to draw a parallel.

49:30 Israel was an exile. They and it since they came back from Babylonian captivity, just to in as sense, go back into exile. Really, they're still scattered, right they now in nineteen forty eight. They now have a nation, But the Jews are still scattered, and they still do not even need to have closed the land that was promis unto them. There will come a time that God will bring them, call them all back to the land. God will completely save them, give them a new heart, a new spirit, and then they will get the land and they will get all the blessings. What God promised to do for Israel in a similar way, God will do for you and I because we are in exile. And they'll come a time that He will call us out of our exile in a sense, to His home, and then we will be glorified. There will be no more pain, there will be no more sin, and we all sin will be removed, and then we will be made right.

50:25 He will be our people, We will be his people, and he will be our God. It will be similar in that sense. There's the parallel. All right. Now, let's see he immediately started talking about us. Let's see what Let's just see what happens. Jesus says to his disciples that the Holy Spirit dwells with you. So yes, he does dwell with us. But then he goes on to say, and will be in you. The Holy Spirit will be in his people. Tewod Corinthians one, verse twenty two Pulse says something similar. He says that God has sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. And Galatians four six and seven, same apostle declares that because you are you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father. This is an astounding truth.

51:33 The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity, who is God, co equal Kobe, eternal coe sentel with God, the Father God. The Holy Spirit dwells in the believer. Did you know? Do you see what has happened here? All of those hermeneutical issues. About Isaiah forty three and forty four, all of those issues have just magically, it's us, It's you with me, the Holy Spirit in you, the Holy Spirit in you, the Holy Spirit, you, the Holy Spirit, you, the Holy Spirit. You wait, what. What about these people? You know, the people who are in exile? What about their comfort? What about them? What about their descendants? Which descendants?

52:20 How does this fit with Ezekiel thirty six? Like those like if you're gonna read Isaiah forty three and forty four, these are the questions that you just profoundly have to face. But once again, they just get kicked out. They just get kicked out. Sorry, guys, gotta go. We're we're here now. We've taken over. So it's like, you know, hey, Israel, you get out of the cockpit. We're taking over the text. We're hijacking it and we're gonna make it about us, and we're gonna land this plane where we want that. I know that sounds so negative, but that's that's what I feel is happening. Now. Maybe now, maybe he's gonna get right back. Maybe we're not gonna get very far in this, but we're getting a basic idea of what's happening. Let's see, let's just see if he mentions Israel again.

53:10 Know that so I live God. Just think about that. Let that sink in for a moment. The Holy Spirit dwells in me. It's for this reason that Pole calls the believer the temple of the Holy Spirit, because who lives in a temple? Well? God does well. God dwells in us through his Holy Spirit. What an astounding truth that is, and how that should impact. Our lives When we think about the fact that the Holy Spirit dwells within us? How can we sin? How do we dare to sit? I say it to myself, how can we dare sin against God?

53:55 The Holy Spirit dwells within us? Well? When does the Holy Spirit dwell within us? When does he? That's a good question. How can we sin if the Holy Spirit dwells in us? Doing all of these things? Well, yeah, I know that's a great question. Nobody's got a good answer on that. Right, Well, well we can stop the Holy Spirit. I mean we we'll get back into that never ending discussion. It's a good question. It's a good question. But all right, Well, well, I'm just will waiting for him to get back to Israel. We're waiting for him to get back to Israel. Start to dwell within us, because he doesn't dwell within us from the time that we're born. We hope to see next week when when we have the baptism, that we'll read that form right. The first part of the forum says that we and our children are conceived and born and seem and therefore cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven except what except we're born again, So we don't have the Holy Spirit because our parents are believers and they have the Holy Spirit. This holdly Spirit is not passed on from generation to generation in order to partake of.

55:04 The Holy Spirit. In order for the Holy Spirit to be given to us, we must be converted. We must repent of sin. We must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It's only after we have become converted to God that the Holy Spirit takes up. His abode in our hearts. Ephesians one, verse thirteen. Paul writes that it was after they had believed that the Ephesians were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. But you notice that the Holy Spirit does not come. In the believer on his own initiative, at least not exclusively. He is he is sent. Our catechism, you notice the wording here. Our catechism says that the Holy Spirit is given.

55:48 He's given. Now, the word given implies that there's a giver, and who is the one who gives the Holy Spirit? Well, it is God, of course, through Christ, God, the Father gives the Holy Spirit through. The Son to the believer. Now this is also the language of scripture. John fourteen, verse sixteen, Jesus says, and I will pray the Father. Just note every scripture. After he ripped or whipped the steering wheel to the right and we flipped the car fifteen times, he left Isaiah. He read Isaiah forty three, forty four, and then next thing, you know, every scripture that's being spoken about us us US, none of them are referencing Isaiah forty three or forty four.

56:38 I mean, he just completely abandoned that the entire text of the message. Right because. Now maybe he's gonna get back to this and we're gonna run out of time here, We're gonna run out of time. But once again, I oh, I just don't get it. There's so many other issues to deal with. Forty four to three, Right, again, were these promises did were they fulfilled when they came a loud out of bump Babylonian exile, exile where they fulfilled? Especially if you connect us with these Eql thirty six, and I will make it emphatic. No, these promises were not fulfilled completely when they came out of Babylonian exile. So that leaves the question, well, then when where who? Well, I know it's not you and I because this is about Israel.

57:25 Now is our parallels? I've already been able to establish certain parallels. What God is going to ultimately do for Israel, he will do for us. He's gonna bring them out of exile, ultimate exile, because they're gonna really be gathered finally get the land. And then God's going to do all these things. We will be brought out of our exile and brought into His presence, and then we will be transformed and we will be changed. So I'm just gonna let I'm gonna let it play a little bit more and seafield if he's gonna say anything about Israel. And he will give you another helper that he may abide with you forever, the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him.

58:17 The Father will give his Holy Spirit is a gift for Corinthians. Two verse twelve, Paul says, now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God. So God gives the Holy Spirit to each and every believer. Now, what is the task of the Holy Spirit. Once the Holy Spirit takes up his residency in our hearts? What does he do there? Well, here a catechism is so helpful. Spells it all out for us? It says here he makes us. He makes me, by a true faith, partaker of Christ and all his benefits.

59:00 Gop there again, and just think about that. He makes me a partaker of Christ. He unites me to Christ. Now again, by nature, we are not partakers of Christ. We are not united to Christ. We are partakers of the devil. We are children of the Devil. That's who we are, that's how we're born. But when the Lord works in our heart by his Holy Spirit and by his word, and we come to see our sin and our need for His Savior, and he comes to to work faith in our hearts such that we cast.

59:42 Our hope for salvation upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Then we become partakers of Christ. And of all of his benefits. The Holy Spirit is like the best illustration I could come up with is like a coupler on a train. You know trains. Trains are very you know, long, and there are many cars on a train. You can sometimes like a hundred cars. And remember when we were kids and we lived in Alberta and there was a train track that used to cross the highway. We'd sit there and sometimes after church and we get stuck behind, we would count the number of cars. One hundred cars on a train. And each of these cars is connected to the other by a coupler. And there's one car that's attached to another car all the way up to the engine.

1:00:27 And the Holy Spirit is kind of like the coupler. He connects us to Christ, just as a train is. Connected to the engine. So the Holy Spirit couples us to Christ. And this is why the apostle Paul calls the church the body of Christ, where He is the head and we are the members. Were his fingers, were his arms, and his legs and his feet. We're organically connected to Christ. We're part of his body. We are partakers of Christ. Okay, so I don't know what happened. I don't. I really don't know what happened.

1:01:15 I don't. I don't know why the Isaiah passage. I'm just baffled here, like I don't, I don't know what to say. Like you could have preached all of this without the Isaiah Passage and then it would have been perfectly like yeah, that would be very I mean, we may have some discussions there, but you know what I'm saying, Like we'd be like, okay, I just don't get where. How did we go from Isaiah? And then all of a sudden it's like Israel, He's putting it in its historical textual context and then all. Of a sudden, boom, you me, Holy Spirit, forget them. And I'm like, what just happened? So let me at least establish this. So I asked Ai because I was like, you know, I want to again, my my estimation, my theory, my hypotheses is, hey, this promises and Isaiah forty four to three and Ezekiel thirty six did not happen when they came out of Babylon exile.

1:02:05 There's just no way to say that these were fulfilled. So AI told me this correct. The promises in Isaiah forty four to three and Ezekiel thirty six, while partially fulfilled when Israel returned from Babylonian exile, were not fully realized during that time, Thank you. The restoration that occurred after the exile was primarily physical. The people returned to the land, the Temple was rebuilt, some sense of national identity was restored. However, the spiritual renewal and outpouring of the Holy Spirit promised in the passages did not fully come to pass at that time. I know they did not reasons partial physical restoration versus full spiritual renewal. The return from Babylon under leaders like zerubrabl Ezra and Theamiah marked a physical restoration of Israel to the land, but the deep spiritual renewal prophesied, particularly in Ezekiel and Isaiah, were only partially fulfilled. The Temple was rebuilt and the walls of Jerusalem were restored, but Israel continued to struggle with internal sin, external threats, and political instability.

1:03:05 Their spiritual condition remained imperfect, and there was no widespread, transformative outpouring of the Holy Spirit described in the prophetic passages. I know I know it didn't happen, and guess what, it never has happened. Therefore we believe it must happen. And therefore the only place we can put it is in some setting of eschatology, in some future that has yet been arrived. And we can't come bring it into the. Church because this does not describe the church either, because guess what, the church still struggles with internal sin and strife and division and fighting and arguing and failure. And Isaiah forty four to three and Ezequiel thirty six, God promises to pour out his spirit on Israel, leading to a deep transformation. While there were some signs of spiritual revival after the exile, such as the rebuilding of the Temple and the rededication of the people to the law under Ezra Niamayah, the promises was not fully realized.

1:04:03 Now they. Here's where me and Ai would disagree. It says that this was fulfilled in the New Testament basically on the day of Pentecost. And I'm going to be like, no, no, no, no, no no, that was still not what was promised here the new Heart and the new Spirit. In Hiszequel thirty six, God promises to give his people a new heart and a new spirit, which would result in complete obedience. However, after the return from Babylon, Israel continued to experience spiritual struggle and did not exhibit this kind of spiritual transformation. The spiritual renewal promised. In these passages involved a deep work of the Holy Spirit, and it says, which is something that was only realized in the New Testament era, which I completely disagree with.

1:04:50 All right, I completely disagree with. In fact, I'm gonna argue with Ai right here on the air. The spiritual transformation promised in Ezekiel thirty six cannot be referring to what happens to believers in the New Testament. We are still sinners who continue to sin. Wouldn't it make wouldn't it make if I can spell right? Wouldn't it make more sense for this to be applied to a future fulfillment the original recipients for okay, for Israel, who was given the promise to begin with. All right,

1:06:20 let's see what Ai does with this question. Mark here we go. Here's what Ai says. Yeah, trying to say that this was fulfilled in the New Testament. It's just ridiculous. All right, it says you bring up an important philological point. All right, so it does not necessarily agree with me. But here's what AI says. You bring up an important theological question that has been debated among scholars, particularly regarding the interpretation of promises of spiritual transformation and passages like Ezekiel thirty six. Let's explore and let's explore both perspectives and address whether this promise of transformation applies to believers today. All right. The passage in Ezequel promises cleansing from sin, a new heart and spirit, and in dwelling of God's dwelling of God's spirit. This is a picture of spiritual transformation applying a deep fundamental change in the hearts of God's people resulting in obedience to his statutes.

1:07:12 All right. Perspective one fulfillment and the New Covenant. For believers today, many theologians and biblical scholars see the passages being fulfilled in part by the work of the Holy Spirit and the lives of believers under the New Covenant. When the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost and Acts chapter two, it marked the beginning of spiritual renewal. Then it quotes two Corinthians five p. Seventeen. Therefore, if anyone is in crist he is a new creature, the oldest passed away. Behold, he has become new. This verse indicates that believers experience of spiritual transformation upon salvation, which echoes the language of Ezekiel thirty six. Of course, you know I'm going to disagree with that. No, we do. We're not. We are true.

1:07:54 We are transformed positionally, not practically. So unless you ad Ezekiel thirty six is not speaking of a practical transformation, only a positional transformation. And even if it's only a positional transformation, the text is still about Israel and not about us. While believers receive the Holy Spirit under regenerated, they still struggle with sin. Of course I know that. But number three, believers continue to sin, but with a new nature. I know we continue to sin, which is completely different than what's being talked about. Perspective number two, future fulfillment, the promise given specifically to Israel. Ezekiel thirty six, twenty five through twenty seven says this promise is given to Israel. Many theologists, particularly within dispensationalists and futurist eschatologies, believe this prophecy refers to a future Israel for ethnic Israel.

1:08:48 They argue that the full realization of the New Heart and New Spirit will occur during the Millennial Kingdom or Messianic Age, when Israel is fully restored under the reign of Christ future restoration and spiritual new of Israel. According to this view, Israel has not. Yet experienced the full spiritual renewal prophesied in Ezekiel. While some restoration occurred after the Babylonian Exile, and while many individual Jews have come to faith in Christ, the nation as a whole remains an unbelief Romans eleven, twenty five through twenty seven. Some theologians argue that during the Millennial Kingdom, Israel will be fully restored both politically and spiritually. At that time, the new Heart New Spirit will be given to the nation as a whole, leading to perfect obedience to God's statutes in line with Ezekiel thirty six twenty seven.

1:09:32 Ezekiel's prophecy is seen as a part of the New Covenant Promise to Israel Jeremiah thirty one, which includes internal transformation and a new relationship. While Christian's experience benefits of the New Covenant. This view holds that national promises to Israel remain fully fulfilled in the future when all Israel is saved. All right, So there is a valid is a valid theological argument for seeing the spiritual transformation in Ezekuel thirty six as applying to New Testament believers. Through the Holy Spirit. While Christians still believe so, they believe it's still a possible argument to make it about the Church and make it about us. But even they have to admit so.

1:10:15 Even Ai says, well. It's very valid to apply this to Christians and the Church. Even they have to admit, well, it's not. It's kind of yet but not yet. That's the way they describe it. Ai loves that phrase yet and not yet. Well, I mean we have been transformed, but we're not yet transformed. Well, what does that even mean? No, Ezequel thirty six is about Israel, and it's about a total transformation where there is complete obedience that does not happen in the Church, that does not happen in you, that does not happen in me, and not only that is a complete utter or just destruction of the actual meaning of the text. Isaiah forty four is about Israel.

1:10:57 Ezequel thirty six is about Israel. If you want to find some parallel, that I can help you with the parallel. But this is about what God is going to do for Israel in the same way the New Testament. God says he will do something similar for us we are in exile. They'll come a time he will gather us all together to himself, and then we will be transformed and He will be our God and we will be his people. But that's in glorification, not now. Just like Israel, even though they have these promises, are not yet there until the ultimate fulfillment, and the fulfillment of their spiritual transformation is completely tied to them having the land.

1:11:40 It is absolutely linked together. So I have no idea why in this sermon where the text is Isaiah forty three and forty four. I don't know. I don't know what happened. So once again, what do we have? We have this weird? I don't know what else do we say? We hijacked to text. We just we used to come into the text and we just hijack it. We've got to stop being textual hijackers. Now, everything He's saying philologically, because he's preaching the Heidelberg Catechism, I would be in agreement with most of this, right, I would be in agreement with a good portion of this to some level. I just don't know how in the world Isaiah forty three and forty four got us to where he's going.

1:12:36 Now. I would like to go back and listen to more of the sermon, and maybe at some point in time I will, but you know, for now, I'm just going to stop there because we're already at seventy two minutes, so we've done a lot. We did a little bit of work on the text. I had to go through a lot of that quickly. AI gave me like about fifteen pages of notes, and so maybe at some point we'll work through that in a greater detail. I had to read it really really fast. But you get the idea. There's basically two views and that that's the that's the hermoneutical issue in Isaiah forty four to three. How does this relate to them coming out of Babylonia exile? How does this relate to some future issue with Israel? And do we understand it being fulfilled in Israel or do we understand that we somehow insert ourselves and it be fulfilled in us. And if it's fulfilled in us, then how come? And then how does it connect to Ezekiel thirty six? Those are the hermoneutical issues.

1:13:31 So all right, I'll stop right there. That was a lot of work. That's a lot of work. All right, thank you for listening. Ah, I wanted to be positive. I don't know what to say. We tried, We tried to be positive. We tried, we tried, we put forth a good effort. I think we did. I think I don't think we I don't think we were too negative. I don't think we were too negative. Right, Because again, when it comes down to it, every enter, let's just make this very clear. Every interpretation of scripture at best. Is subjective. At best, it's just an educated guest. At best, it's just a theory. It's just a hypothesis at best. And why can't you say that because no one agrees on anything, so not all these interpretations can be right, but everyone thinks they're right. And when you get to Isaiah forty four to three and Eequl thirty six, you have complete you have a division within Christianity like once what these people are on this side of the Grand Canyon, and these people are on the other side of the Grand Canyon, and there's this big chasm in between. They're nowhere close together, completely saying opposite things.

1:14:55 How quickly does it take for a pastor. To go to Isaiah forty three, not Isaiah forty four, and insert us into the text. It takes about zero seconds. God bless