It is New Year and if you just
turn to our passage in Isaiah 43, we've had the last few years
have been full of trials and tribulations. We've had weather issues. We've
had everything from drought to floods and we've had fires, diseases. We've had war and we've got threats
of war. We have sickness. We've got conspiracies
and we've got an economic crisis on our hands. I heard someone
say just recently that it was the perfect storm that led to
it. So we've got struggles, but we've
also got our own personal struggles on top of all that. And for the
Lord's people, we're promised suffering. So let's not kid ourselves. Our lives are full of suffering.
They have been for some more than others, but at other times
for others more than some. And in the midst of our trials,
we often forget the gospel, don't we? We become so overwhelmed. We forget that we're secure in
our Lord Jesus Christ, secure in our savior. And I'm not just
talking spiritually secure of eternity. I'm talking physically
too. We're secure in him. There's
nothing that happens in this world that he hasn't ordered
and he's done it for our good and he gets glory out of every
single thing. So I just want to encourage you
this year. This is just about me encouraging
you as we move into this new year, because every year should
be, to the Saints of God, absolutely jam-packed, filled with Ebenezers. Every circumstance of our life.
is actually a testimony, no matter how much it doesn't seem it to
our flesh, it's a testimony to the faithfulness of our great
God and Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ. So we should move into
this year expecting nothing different. Angus has read our passage, so I think we should probably pray
before we start and then move straight into it. Heavenly Father,
you've promised, you've promised that where your people are gathered
by you, you would walk amongst them and you would bless them
with the preaching of the gospel, that you would take your words
and apply them to their hearts. And we pray for nothing different
today. Heavenly Father, please be in our midst. Please apply
the balm of your gospel to our hearts. Please encourage us and
refresh our souls, energize us. and cause us to look to you in
all situations of our life. We pray, Father, for the church
around the world, and we trust that you would just continue
to sustain them. We pray for those that can't
be here, Heavenly Father, and we just commit our families to
you, and those we love, those we witness to, that you would
just do a mighty work in them. Father, we thank you for your
everlasting love. We thank you for church and we
thank you for the way you deal with your people so graciously.
I'm praying in Lord Jesus' name for your glory sake. Amen. So
I'd like to look at this passage and just see what the Lord has
to say to us for this year ahead. So we'll start with the first
verse. It says, but now Thus saith the Lord that created thee,
O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not for or because
I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by name, thou
art. So this chapter starts with But
Now, and as you know, there were no chapter divisions, so just
turn back and we'll have a look at the last couple of verses
of Isaiah 42. Put it in some context. Verse 24 of Isaiah 42. Who gave
Jacob for a spoil? And Israel to the robbers. We
know that The Jews had entered into captivity. They'd had a
rise and fall. If you look at the history, it's
really obvious in Judges, but if you look at the history, they
rose and fell so often. And it was, they rose because
God saved them and they fell because they sinned against him.
But who is it gave Jacob as a spoil in Israel to the robbers? did
not the Lord, he against whom we have sinned. For they would not walk in his
ways, neither were they obedient unto his law. Therefore, verse
25, he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger and the strength
of battle, and it hath set him on fire round about. Yet he knew
not, and it burned him. Yet he laid it not to heart. See, we don't realize in the
midst of our trials and our difficulties, we don't realize that even these
have come from the hand of the Lord. Our trials are actually
our sovereign God's work in our lives. And he promises that they're
for our good and for his glory. The only question is, do you
believe that? We sinned in Adam, we continue to sin in our own
flesh. But that sin's not just physical,
it's spiritual. Jacob there in our text is a
reference to our flesh, that flesh created by God in our father
Adam. But Israel, is speaking about
those chosen of God, the Lord's children, those that have wrestled
with him in conversion and been named by God, princes. See, God's talking about the
new creation here. The new man formed in us that
cannot sin. Christ in us, our hope of glory. And what's it say in the midst
of our trials and our difficulties, in the midst of the punishment
of God? And you only have to read some of that history to
see just how fearful things would have been. Fear not. In spite of our sin and what
we experience in this world, fear not. And why? Look at God's answer. Why? Because
we're redeemed. Our sin's been washed away in
the blood of the Lamb. We're called. That blood's been
applied to us and by the Holy Spirit's powerful call, we've
been raised up to newness of life and brought to our God. We're His own possession. Thou art mine, he says. What an honour! What a miracle! And I just want you lastly in
that verse to notice that's all in the past tense. Redeemed,
called and owned is in the past tense. This happened before the
world was formed. The Lord Jesus Christ is a lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. So because of that, God can say,
verse two, when thou passest through the waters, I will be
with thee. And through the rivers, they
shall not overtake, overflow thee. When thou walkest through
the fire, thou shalt not be burnt, neither shall the flame kindle. See, we're safe. As chaotic as
life, we experience life to be. It's not a joke. I know that
our lives are difficult. So often they're more difficult
than what they are at the moment. It's not a joke. We are truly
safe in our Lord Jesus Christ. In spite of our carnal reasoning,
we're safe. And why? Why are we safe from
the waters and fire of God's fury against our sin? Why are
we safe as we pass through these consequences of sin in this world? Why are we safe? when so much
seems to surround us that is opposed to us and will do away
with us. We're safe because of our union
with our God in his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at what
he says back there. I will be with you. He's with
us. We're safe, verse three, because
that one that's with us, is the Lord thy God, the Holy One of
Israel, thy Saviour. I gave Egypt for thy ransom,
and Sheba for thee." They're in union with the only true and
living God. Now He's holy, and He can't have
fellowship with sin. So for him to be in union with
us, he's made us whole. And he's done it by his salvation
in the Lord Jesus Christ. And what's the evidence of this
salvation? Look there, I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia
and Saba for thee. The evidence is that our persecutors,
Even if they are superpowers, great governments, the evidence
is that our God has made all things at His disposal to bring
us good. These trials, even their source
and the instruments of such, are for thee, the believer. So how can this be? We're sinners. We deserve to be punished. We
brought these things upon ourselves. Verse 4 Since thou wast precious in my
sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee. Therefore will I give men for
thee, and people for thy life." Again, look at sin past tense.
We're precious. Precious in the sight of a holy
God. In the all-seeing eye of a holy God, we must be sinless. We're honourable sinners, called
by God honourable. It's because of the redeeming
work of our Lord Jesus Christ, from the foundation of the world. And we've been loved, and this
is the root of it all, we've been loved with an everlasting
love. When were we loved? The question
is when weren't we loved? Everlasting. And therefore, because of who
we are in our Lord Jesus Christ, our God has ordered all things,
every circumstance, every event and every creature for the benefit
of our lives, not just physically, but spiritually. And that's in
spite of what we think carnally, especially when we're overwhelmed
by this world. So he says again in verse 5,
Fear not, for I am with thee. I will bring thy seed from the
east, and gather thee from the west. I will say to the north,
Give up, and to the south, Keep not back. Bring my sons from
afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth. Again, fear not. And again, why? Because we're in union with our
God. Because He will never leave us
or forsake us. Because He is with us, not just
in the greatest of trials, but even in the least of trials.
And no matter how far our trials drive us from His presence, whether
it be shame of sin, Whether it'll be preoccupation with sin, whether
it's unbelief as we struggle in the agonies of life, he promises
not just to be with us, but to draw us in a loving kindness
back to himself. And nothing in this world can
prevent that. Why? Remember, thy God reigns. And the grand purpose of our
existence? The only possible explanation for our sin and its
consequences in our lives? The only true comfort in this
seemingly chaotic world? Even everyone that is called
by my name, for I have created him for my glory. I have formed
him. Yea, I have made him. Brothers and sisters, we need
to remember that we are the children of the one true God. We carry his name because we
are one with him in the Lord Jesus Christ and because of this
union No matter what we or the whole world might think, we are the righteousness of God in our
Lord and Saviour. See, this is the great glory
of the everlasting gospel. We fell from a relationship with
our God in the garden. We continued in that rebellion
throughout our life, and in some ways, even after conversion,
we will continue until we leave this world. Yet through our union
with our Great Substitute and Saviour, wretched sinners like
ourselves have been washed of all our sin. not in part, all
of our sin. And our sinful lives have been
sovereignly ordered to drive us back to our God as the mercy
beggars we are. And because of the full and the
finished and the sufficient work of our Lord Jesus Christ, because
of his advocacy before our Father in heaven, We sinners are continually
restored to union with our great God. Again, do you believe that? May God give us faith to believe
it. So how can we strengthen each
other this next New Year? How can we strengthen each other
in all that this year will contain? And it's promised to contain
things that are going to be difficult. How can we equip each other to
face all these trials that are promised? How can we comfort
each other regarding such great uncertainty? The very same way that this church
does every single week. By reminding each other that
our God reigns. By preaching the gospel, not
just in this pulpit, in our conversations with one another. By encouraging
each other to look away from the things of this world. No
matter how overwhelming they are, encouraging each other to
look to the One that sits far, far above all other things, our
Lord Jesus Christ. The Saints of God live by every
word of God. Luke 4.4 We live not by the things
of this world, but on the precious promises of God. We live on eternal
precious promises. So let's just encourage each
other to put our God in remembrance of those promises. Now, as much as it's awkward,
I think it's very fitting that we're here on the farm for this
short period, especially this New Year service. Because this
is where God first raised up a witness for himself in this
town. And our objective was, and still is, to declare the
gospel as faithfully as our God would allow. You see, the gospel
is God's provision for all the circumstances of life. It's his
remedy for all the trials, all the tribulations, all the sufferings. So may our God shine a new light
on his glorious gospel this New Year. May he drive us into his
word and make his precious promises living and active to our souls. And may he throughout the many
trials and tribulations of this New Year that are promised to
us, may he continually draw us to himself. Amen. Heavenly Father, it's obvious
that you must give us faith to believe, and we thank you that
you do, Heavenly Father. We thank you that all things
are designed, in a sense, to grow that faith, to apply it
and grow it, and as much as we deserve, so much worse than what
we have. We thank you, Heavenly Father,
that you've ordered and designed all the circumstances of our
lives perfectly, whether we see it or not, perfectly, to bring
us to yourself, to bring us to an eternal union with you, Heavenly
Father, and we thank you for that. This life, this world is
just fleeting, Heavenly Father. It's only a moment in eternity.
And we thank you that we have bigger and greater things to
look forward to. We thank you for our Lord Jesus
Christ and all that he has done and that we can have fellowship
with you in him and by him. We thank you so much Heavenly
Father for church and for this witness and we pray that you
would just make it real living and active in our hearts as we
go through the trials of life. We thank you for your mercy upon
us. We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for your good
work, Father. Amen.