Glynlea Grace United Methodist Church l Southside l Arlington l Jacksonville Florida

But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. ² When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. ³ For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. ⁴ Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. ⁵ Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; ⁶ I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, ⁷ every one who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."

Summary and Purpose

Summary: When the Ancient Israelites were conquered by the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires, they were in a desperate situation. The majority of the Israelite population was exiled and scattered throughout the known world. This separated them from their center of worship and complicated their ability to maintain their religious and ethnic identity. They didn’t know if their already bad situation would become better or worse. God, however, gave them a word of hope in Isaiah 43:1-7. In this passage, God promised that he would deliver them and bring them out of captivity.

We’ve all experienced bad situations where we don’t know what’s going to happen. However, like the ancient Israelites, we can look to God with hope. Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God has already delivered us from the deadly effects of sin. We can also expect God to get us through any bad situation we may have to face. If you are starting 2010 in a bad situation, look to God for your salvation. God will deliver you just as he delivered the ancient Israelites.

Purpose: To give the congregation hope as they begin the New Year.

The Sermon

I. Introduction: Have you ever been in a really bad situation and didn’t know if it was

going to get better or worse?

1. We’ve all been there: In a financial crisis, hurtful relationships, dire medical

prognosis etc… Bad things happen to us and we don’t know what’s going to

happen next.

2. A few weeks after the c-section, my first wife developed a pulmonary embolism.

My infant daughter was still in the intensive care unit fighting for her life. When I

entered the hospital, I didn’t know if my wife would live or die. I also didn’t know if

my daughter would make it. We were in a bad situation and didn’t know if it was

about to get worse or better.

3. I’m reminded of a movie called “Places in the Heart”

• Takes place in a small Texan town during the Great Depression.
• Edna Spalding’s husband is the county Sheriff. He’s killed by a drunkard.
• Edna becomes a widow with two kids to care for and no income. She’s also facing the possibility of losing her house and farm because she owes money on the mortgage.
• Edna Spalding was in a bad situation and she didn’t know what was going to happen.

4. The Ancient Israelites were in a bad situation and didn’t know what was going to

happen.

• The Israelites kept breaking their covenant with God by sinning. They continued to commit idolatry and oppress the poor, orphans, widows and alien. As a consequence, God allowed foreign powers to conquer the Ancient Israelites.
• The Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and then the Babylonians conquered the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
• In accordance with the customs of that time, the Assyrians and then the Babylonians exiled the majority of the Israelite population. They were scattered through out the known world to be servants of the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires.
• The Ancient Israelites were separated them from their center of worship and they had a hard time maintaining their religious and ethnic identity. Their identity as a people was at stake.
• They didn’t know if their already bad situation would become better or worse.

II. God, however, is faithful and walks beside us when we go through bad situations.

God has a way of sending us hope.

1. As I walked into that hospital, not knowing what was going to happen to my

wife and daughter, I prayed. God answered that prayer by giving me an

inexplicable calm. I knew God was with me and my family. God sent me a gift of

peace.

2. In the movie, “Places in the Heart”, Edna received a message of hope in the form

of a black wanderer named Mose.

• Mose happened to be very experienced at growing cotton. He looked at Edna’s forty acres of farm and decided they could grow cotton to pay the mortgage.
• This gave Edna hope.

3. God gave the Israelites hope. God did this through Isaiah 43:1-7.

III. Isaiah 43:1-7

1.  Verse1: But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who

formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by

name, you are mine.

• God acknowledges that He created and loves Israel. Out of His love, God will redeem Israel
• Likewise, God created us, loves us and will redeem us. Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God has already done everything necessary to redeem us. God is calling us by name. All we have to do is repent and trust in Jesus.

2. Verse 2: When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the

rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be

burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

• During times of suffering and troubles, God promises to be with Israel and to take care of Israel.
• God makes the same promise to us.
• This is not a promise that we will not suffer. It’s a promise that God will be with us in the midst of suffering.

3. Verses 3-4: For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I

give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. ⁴ Because

you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for

you, peoples in exchange for your life.

• The ungodly nations will not thwart God’s work to redeem Israel
• Likewise, the ungodly influences of this world and Satan’s trickery will not keep God from delivering us.

4. Verses 5-7: Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east,

and from the west I will gather you; ⁶ I will say to the north, Give up, and to the

south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of

the earth, ⁷ every one who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory,

whom I formed and made."

• God promises to gather back all the exiled Israelites
• Likewise, God promises to gather back all people who repent and trust in Jesus.

5. This message of hope, this promise of salvation that was given to the Ancient

Israelites is being given to us today. All we have to do is repent and trust in Jesus.

IV. God’s deliverance

1. God’s gift of peace enabled me to be a source of strength for my wife, Jackie. I

entered her hospital room making jokes. This eased her tension and made her

feel more at ease. She was able to relax and know that everything was going to

be ok.

2. With the help of Mose and a blind man, Edna Spalding was able to endure

tornadoes, face down the Klu Klux Klan and bring in her cotton in time to save the

farm. This movie illustrates how God can use the most unlikely people (A black

man and a blind man. Remember, the story takes place in the Jim Crow south.) to

do extraordinary things.

V. Conclusion: Going into 2010

1. As we begin 2010, you may be carrying over some burden or struggle that is

overwhelming you. You may be in a bad situation with no idea of what will happen.

If so, begin the New Year by looking to God for your deliverance.

2. It begins with repentance and faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Repentance is

deciding you want to live a Godly lifestyle rather than a sinful one. Faith is trusting

that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is sufficient to take care of all your

sins. In light of this, you surrender your life to Jesus. If you have not done this, do

so now and look to God as your deliverer.