Sermon Snippet – The Absolute Claim of God
INTRODUCTION – Imagine – and today you don’t have to stretch your imagination too far – that a man walks up to you and proclaims, “I am a woman.” We would immediately reject that ridiculous assertion, for all of the evidence is to the contrary. For example, we know that this man could not possibly become pregnant, no matter what a small number of powerful elites are trying to foist on other irrational adults and impressionable children. Moment by moment, we base our lives on facts: we need oxygen, food, and water; we require sleep and shelter; we know that the force of gravity will ensure death if we fall from a tall building. Each day, we accumulate information, keeping the facts and discarding the falsehoods. In Isaiah 43:1-15, we find this absolute claim: “I am God” (verse 12). Is He? Do we have compelling evidence?
1. GOD INVITES US TO CONSIDER THE PAST
In Israel’s history, the seminal moment was the Exodus. This miraculous deliverance from slavery in Egypt is referenced in “the waters” (the Red Sea) and “the rivers” (the Jordan) of verse 2. The statement of verse 3 (“I am the LORD thy God”) would remind any Jewish person of Exodus 20:2, which follows that descriptive designation with “which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage”; the Ten Commandments are then immediately instituted. When Isaiah was writing, all of this was more than 700 years in the past. However, the yearly observance of the Passover Feast ensured that the Israelites would recall God’s merciful and mighty intervention in their history. Cynics speculate that such dramatic events are impossible, but factual history is undeniable: the Jewish people were not in the land of Israel until they suddenly were! Furthermore, we are told in God’s Word that “with God nothing shall be impossible (Luke 1:37). The Bible is more than a history book, of course, but wherever it speaks of history, it has been found to be accurate and consistent with other reliable historical documents and with archaeology. Each one of us also has a personal history with God – and for some of us that is quite lengthy! God invites us to carefully examine the past, for the facts of history point us to Him, the One Who says, “I am God.”
2. GOD INTRIGUES US REGARDING THE FUTURE
In verse 9, “declare” means “foretell.” Who can predict the future? Certainly man cannot; we have enough trouble discerning clear truth – and postmodern historical revisionists are trying to replace it with blatant falsehood. In this passage, God states that He will bring His people back to Israel from exile in Babylon (see especially verse 14); this foretelling occurred a century before the nation even went into captivity there! Note the precise detail of verse 3: the Babylonians would later control portions of Egypt and Ethiopia, but only after the release of Israel. Historically, this specific prediction was not fulfilled until after the Medo-Persians gained ascendancy within the Babylonian Empire in the early 500’s B.C. the book of Isaiah was completed by 680 B.C. Much of Biblical prophecy – and about a quarter of the Bible is prophetic – has been fulfilled, assuring us that the rest of it will likewise come to fruition. God knows that we are intrigued by the future, and He challenges us to reach the obvious and logical conclusion: fulfilled prophecy is a compelling reason to trust in the One Who states, “I am God.”
3. GOD ENFOLDS US IN THE PRESENT
Twice in this passage, God kindly commands us, “Fear not” (verses 1, 5). He knows our frailty and our tendency to fret ourselves into fear. In addition to His sovereignty over the past and the future, He provides three powerful and personal reasons to rest in Him. First, He has “created,” “formed,” and “redeemed” us (verses 1-2). What He did for Israel, He has done for us. God the Son, Jesus Christ, is our Kinsman-Redeemer (verse 14) right now, and nothing can separate us from Him, not “waters” nor “fire” (compare Romans 8:35-39). Second, He loves us based on Who He is (verses 3-4). Even if we are cranky and unlikable – yes, even humanly unlovable – He continues to embrace us. Third, He is with us (verse 5). His constant presence is unalterable: He is not going to abandon us even if we persist in being afraid. We are enfolded by the One Who lovingly assures us, “I am God.”
CONCLUSION – Isaiah is a Messianic book, and its lovely language directs us to Jesus Christ, the Savior (verse 3). He died on the cross for our sins, rose the third day from the tomb, and ascended to heaven to prepare a place for each believer – just as He repeatedly predicted. May each one of us be certain that we have asked Him for the eternal salvation that He so willingly gives. May our faith in Jesus be daily strengthened by the evidence that we have of His enduring love.