Brother Eddie picked all these songs out, so I didn't know we were singing that. And as we were just singing that, I couldn't help but pray that in my heart. Lord, revive me. Revive me. And I really entered into the scripture that says, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you. Revive us. revive us.

You know, we could just so easily die off because in our flesh we're dead. That's what we're naturally prone to. We're not naturally prone to spiritual revival. That has to be something that God does for us. Only God can do it for us. We're so helpless. and we have to cry out to him. And that's my prayer.

I can't help but have a bit of a nostalgic end of the year moment, you know. Last word of 2025 kind of thing. But oh, I pray the Lord won't let us veer off. I pray the Lord won't let us grow dull to hearing these things and hearing about Christ. And I really do pray that you will pray for me. Keep Gabe revived. And I pray the Lord will allow me to pray for you. Keep us revived.

We don't need emotional movements. We don't need sappy illustration stories. We need God's word. We need Christ. And he can make our hearts burn within us. over his word, over his word. So I appreciate that song and that's our prayer and I pray the Lord will hear our prayer and answer it.

Turn with me to Isaiah 25. Isaiah 25, I want to do a second verse, same as the first message this morning. We just had a Bible study on being thankful and worshiping and praising our Lord for the wonderful things that He's done for us. And I just want to carry on with that same thought and that same declaration for this morning.

The first few verses of this chapter spiritually said, as we looked at the spiritual picture of Christ in these words, it spiritually said, Lord, you have broken us from ourselves and turned us to you. And you sheltered us and you defended us on the cross of Calvary. And in the process, you forever saved us and cleansed us from all of our sin and delivered us to a glorious eternity with you. We just ended the Bible study on verse 8.

Look at verse 8. It says, he will swallow up death in victory. Boy, you talk about some wonderful things. He will swallow up death in victory and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces. This is a good God. This is a kind and loving God. And the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth. All of his people from every tribe, nation, kindred, and tongue throughout this entire world. And every soul he saves to this new earth This new heaven and new earth where every soul there belongs to him. And he's going to do this. The end of verse eight says, for the Lord has spoken. And if he said it, it's done. It's a done deal.

Now we're going to pick up with verse nine and buddy, I love this verse. And it shall be said in that day. with the cross being finished and his people being turned, eternally saved and secured. Verse nine, it shall be said in that day, lo, this is our God. We have waited for him and he will save us. This is the Lord. We have waited for him. We will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

What a glorious moment that will be. The moment that eternity becomes reality. When the end here becomes the beginning there. What a moment. For us here in Kingsport, for us here in this climate, my horizons have now been broadened a little bit and I've learned that every person on this earth doesn't have the same climate. We all don't have summer at the same time. But for us here in this climate, the end of a year, this is December the 28th, this is the last service we're gonna have in 2025. The end of a year is a picture or it's an illustration of the end of a life on this earth.

The year begins. It began January 1, 2025. The year begins in the dead of winter. It begins in the cold darkness of death. Everything's dead. But in God's good time, life springs forth. Springtime is that time of youth. It's the time of growing. It's the time when the flower and the leaves are young and beautiful. Youth. And then summer represents the hot, hard, laboring time of middle-aged life. Time to go to work. And then in the fall, our leaves here on the top of our head start to change color. And in the end, men naturally return to the dark deadness that man started in.

But for a believer, but for a believer, For a child of God, for one who Christ did wonderful things for, something's different. There's something different. The Lord has made a difference. For one who Christ did wonderful things for by saving and redeeming in the victory of himself, dark deadness is not the end for that soul. It's not the end for that soul. The end of that soul is the light of life. The end of that soul is a promised inheritance. All of a sudden, light, inheritance, a fulfilled hope.

For that soul, verse nine says, it shall be said in that day, lo, behold, this is our God. We have waited for him and he will save us. This is the Lord, we have waited for him. We will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. I just want to break that verse down line by line. Let's really consider what's being said here.

Verse nine says, it shall be said in that day, lo, this is our God. This is our God. All right. It's going to be said in that day. This is our God, not just our example. Not just our martyr. Not even just our sacrifice. Not even just our friend. This is our God. This is our God. That's what all of God's people will know him to be. Our God. Our God, look with me at Isaiah 40.

Isaiah 40 verse three, it says, the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted. That means everything that you think is hidden down there in the darkness, it's all gonna be brought up to light. And every mountain and hill shall be made low. Everything that we're so proud of, everything we want men to see, and everything we want God to see, it's all gonna be cut down. And the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places planed off. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

The voice said, cry, and he said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it. Surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever.

Oh, Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain. Oh, Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength. Lift it up, be not afraid. Say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God. Behold, the Lord God will come. with strong hand and his arm shall rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him and his work before him. This is God.

Look at verse 18. To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare unto him? Man thinks he has God figured out. You know, you see a, you know, sweet older person and you say, oh, he's a godly man. She's a godly woman. Really, that's what we're going to compare God to?

Look at verse 28, Isaiah 40 verse 28, it says, Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary, there is no searching of his understanding. This is our God. This is our God.

Look at Isaiah 43. Verse 11, Isaiah 43 verse 11. I even I am the Lord and beside me there is no Savior. I have declared and have saved and I have showed when there was no strange God among you. Therefore you are my witnesses saith the Lord that I am God. Yea, before the day was, I am he, and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. I will work, and who shall let it? He said, I get permission from no one to do anything. I am God.

You know, if we ever learn what the meaning of the name God is, You know, people let it roll off the tongue. You know, they'll open their prayer with it. God. Oh, if we ever learn what the meaning of the name God is.

Look at Isaiah 45. Verse five, it says, I am the Lord, and there is none else. There is no God beside me. I girded thee, though thou hast not known me, that they may know from the rising of the sun and from the west. That's where it goes down. That there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else.

I form the light and create darkness. How does he create? He said, I am the light. How does he create darkness? He removes his presence. I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. Now, wait a minute. He's the prince of peace. He is our peace. When he came here, peace was on earth. How could he create evil? He removes his presence.

I, the Lord, do all these things. In Deuteronomy 32, he said, I am he, and there is no God with me. I kill. I make alive. I wound. I'm wounded. Sometimes that's the greatest mercy and grace that could ever come to us. Whatever happens, do you know God did it? Whatever happens, oh, we've had a lot going on. God did it. God did it.

I kill, I make alive, I wound, I heal. Neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. I'm God. I'm God Almighty. I'm God Almighty.

Turn over to Daniel 4. after Ezekiel, Daniel chapter four. Nebuchadnezzar here got a little full of himself and the Lord took his mind from him. And when the Lord saw fit to give it back, he gave it back to Nebuchadnezzar.

In Daniel 4, verse 34, it says, at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High. You know, every time God deals with one of his own, that's the end result of it, every time. Doesn't matter what it is, every time.

He said, I blessed the most high and I praised and honored him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation, and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing.

Let me tell you what I am. Nothing. And let me tell you what you are. Nothing. And let me tell you what he is. Everything. Everything.

Verse 35, all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? At the same time, my reason returned unto me. That's what happens when reason comes to a man or a woman. Wait a minute. Oh, you talk about the fear of the Lord as a beginning of wisdom. Verse 36, at the same time, my reason returned unto me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and brightness returned unto me. He's saying the Lord reinstated me. My counselors and my Lord sought unto me, and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth. and his way's judgment. And he said, buddy, I'm telling you, those who walk in pride, he's able to abase. He's able to abase. Nebuchadnezzar said, this is God, this is God, this is my God. I bow to him because he's the only God there is, only one.

Go back to Isaiah 25. Verse nine says, and it shall be said in that day, lo, this is our God. We have waited for him. We've waited for him. Not waited for us. We're not waiting on us to do anything. We're not looking to us. We're not waiting for us to shape up and finally do something right and do something that would make us worthy to stand in God's presence. We're not waiting on us. Lord, we're waiting on thee. We're waiting on him.

Turn with me over to Psalm 33. Psalm 33 verse 20, it says, our soul waiteth for the Lord. He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us according as we hope in thee. Lord, it's you. It's you. Our souls are looking to you. Our souls are hoping in you. Our souls are waiting on you.

Look at Psalm 62 with me. Psalm 62 verse one, it says, truly my soul waited upon God from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not be greatly moved. Look down at verse five. He said, my soul, this is David talking to himself. Okay. Let's listen to David giving himself some advice here. And I'll just remind you, this was Roy Baldwin's favorite song. Listen to Roy give himself some advice here and let's you and I give ourselves a little advice here. Verse five, my soul wait thou only upon God. I don't know what other souls are going to do, but soul, my soul, Wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory. The rock of my strength and my refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times. You people pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. Oh, he's a refuge for us.

Turn over to Psalm 130. Verse 1 says, Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice. Let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared. I wait for the Lord. My soul doth wait. Can we enter into this? Can we not see and say, that's what we're doing. We're just waiting on him. We're waiting on him. At some point, he's either going to come get me or come get us. And whatever happens between now and that moment is irrelevant.

Verse 5, Psalm 130, verse 5, I wait for the Lord. My soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. I say more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there's mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. I'm going to tell you that is the difference in true faith and no faith at all. True faith looks to Christ. Christ is the centerpiece, not man. In man-made religion, all roads somehow lead to man. Notice that. If anyone hears this on the internet and you're listening to other people and listening to me, if the road leads to man, something's wrong. All roads lead to Jesus Christ. Christ is the centerpiece. Christ is the cause. Christ is the performer. Christ is the ending object, not man. Not man.

Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us. Our souls wait for thee. We're waiting for thee. Go back to Isaiah 25. Verse nine says, it shall be said in that day, lo, this is our God. We've waited for him and he will save us. Not we ourselves. We're not going to save ourselves. Salvation is of the Lord. I cannot save anybody. Let me have a candid moment with you. I cannot save anybody. I can't even save myself. I cannot lead anybody to salvation. I can't even lead myself to salvation. People talk about, they're so proud, that's one of their mountains that they want men to see and God to see, and it's gonna get cut down. But they'll talk about, you know, this one over here, yeah, right then and there, I just led him to Christ, you know, and they came to Christ, led him to salvation. I can't lead anybody to salvation. I can't lead myself to salvation.

Salvation is not in a decision. People make the statement. Now, listen, the most important decision you'll ever make is your decision for Christ. What does that even mean? You know, people have it in their mind that somebody talks to them and they're, they're sitting there and, and they finally just say, okay. I choose heaven, not hell. That's not salvation. It does nothing for anyone. Salvation is not in anybody accepting anything into their heart. I don't even know exactly how you would do that. Okay, come on in. There's no salvation in that. Salvation's of the Lord. It's of the Lord. What does that mean? That means it's the Lord's work. That's what it means, it's the Lord's work. We're just guilty bystanders, that's all that we are. It's the Lord's work. Start to finish. It's His will. It's His purpose. It's His work. It's His choosing and electing who to do that work for. It's His redemption. It's His calling. It's His glory. Start to finish. He must save. That's why we're waiting on Him. That's the whole reason why we're waiting on Him. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage. Wait on the Lord.

Verse nine, I'll speed up. It shall be said in that day, lo, this is our God, we've waited for him, and he will save us. This is the Lord. Our God is the Lord. The Lord is our God, the sovereign, the king, the man. The self-existent eternal Jehovah, the sovereign ruler of all is a man, Jesus Christ the Lord. And we're waiting for him. We're waiting for him. In that day, it shall be said, he's the one we waited for. He's the one, he's the one that our souls fell in love with. He's the one who purposed to do and did wonderful things for us. Our souls desire him. Our souls need him. He's the one thing needful. Verse nine, it shall be said in that day, lo, this is our God. We've waited for him. He will save us. This is the Lord. We've waited for him. We will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

HIS SALVATION, HIS BROKEN BODY, HIS SHED BLOOD, HIS ACCOMPLISHMENT, HIS VICTORY, HIS GLORIOUS WORK THAT FINISHED THE WORK FOR ALL OF HIS PEOPLE. VERSE 10 SAYS, FOR IN THIS MOUNTAIN SHALL THE HAND OF THE LORD REST. WHY WILL THE HAND OF THE LORD REST? THE WORK IS FINISHED. The work of his salvation is finished. He conquered the enemy. He secured the eternal safety of his people forever.

Verse 10, in this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill. And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim. And he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands. He's just going to wipe every enemy of his people away, like somebody who's swimming. Just wipe it all away.

Verse 12, and the fortress of the high fort of thy wall shall he bring down, lay low and bring to the ground, even to the dust. Nothing but his work, his city, and his salvation will be standing in the end. Nothing but what he has done. That's the only thing that'll be standing in the end.

And when this was originally written, there were no chapter divisions. Chapter 26 verse one was just the next sentence. So let's go ahead and read it, okay?

Chapter 26 verse one, it says, and in that day, This song shall be sung in the land of Judah. We have a strong city. Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusted in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever. For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. Everlasting strength.

That makes me want to just go back and start at the beginning where we started this morning. You're our God. You've done wonderful things for us. We will praise and exalt and give you thanks. This is our God. We've waited for Him. He'll save us. He's the Lord. We've waited for Him. We will be glad and rejoice. Amen.