If you'd like to follow along,
I'm gonna be reading from Isaiah chapter 43. Isaiah chapter 43, like the first
seven verses. But now, thus saith the Lord,
that created thee, O 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. When thou passest through the
waters, I will be with thee. And through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee. And when thou walkest through
the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the
Holy One of Israel, thy Savior. I gave Egypt for thy ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious 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
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. Even every
one that is called by my name For I have created him for my
glory. I have formed him yea I have
made him And I'm gonna stop right there Let's be clear Without the Lord There is no
Jacob and there is no Israel. Without the work of Christ, there's
only the usurper, the rebel, the liar, the schemer. Guess
what? Just like us. Just like us. But fear not. Fear not. Why? Because you're gonna do
the right thing. That's not it. Fear not. You go to church every Sunday.
No. Fear not. Where does the removal
of fear begin? I, that's where it starts. Thus saith the Lord that created
the O Jacob and he that formed the over Israel fear not for
I have redeemed thee The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom, but then God tells you fear not Fear not our Lord
Jesus Christ told us fear not what man can do unto you Fear
him who's able to cast both body and soul into hell But here he
tells us fear not why Because I have redeemed thee I have bought
thee with a price But I have bought thee and these words here
I have called thee by thy name and guess what thou art mine If you know Christ, if you believe
Christ, you belong to God. You're his. You're his. Whoa. The one who created Jacob
and the one who formed Israel says this, I've redeemed thee. I've called thee by thy name
and you are mine. That's a comfort for the people
of God. Now in this verse, what I'm gonna
talk about today is verse seven, if I can. But in this verse, verse seven,
you'll see the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in every single
one of his brethren. It's shown here. The work of
the Lord Jesus Christ in his people, for his people, And the
love of the Lord Jesus Christ for his chosen is shown here. The truth of the salvation of
the people of God by God's power is shown here. And he does it
in three words. And that's what the title is,
Paul, these three words. Created, formed, and made. That's the three words. Created,
formed, and made. He uses two exactly the same
words in verse one, where it says, sayeth the Lord that created
thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel. You realize,
I want you to realize, I think you do realize, there's a difference
between Jacob and Israel, even though they're the same guy.
It's the same man. But Jacob is the name of the
usurper and Israel is the name of what? A prince with God. They're the same exact person. But Jacob I've created and Israel
I form. But in verse seven he adds another
word, made. 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. Now I looked at these three words
because they interested me. And just to look at them on the
surface in the English, they're kind of similar. And that's because
even in the Hebrew, they're kind of similar. But they're not all
the same thing. First of all, he says in verse
seven in the beginning, he says, everyone that is called by my
name. This is the word of the Lord
for those who are called by his name. This is not the word of
the Lord for everyone. This is the word of the Lord
for those who do fear God, for those who do know Jesus Christ
For those who have, it's been revealed to them. Who he has
brought in, this is for found sheep, not for lost sheep. This
isn't going to be a comfort for the people of God, I think. And
notice, real quick, this word is in the present tense.
In verse seven, everyone that is called by my name. I'll make a challenge to you
right now. I've never found it. Now maybe you might, but I don't
think so. You are never gonna find a place in here where the
Lord says somebody was called by my name and they're not anymore. You understand? Because if you
is called by his name, you shall be called by his name until he
comes back. God never forsakes his people. Now, the word of the Lord is for his
children. For everyone. And in this case,
it means every single one that is called by his name. Every one of them. Every one
of the believers. The word of the Lord is for his
children. But what does it mean to be one
who is called by his name? Well, the first word is this.
Even everyone that is called by my name, for I have created
him for my glory. Never forget. God's glory is
primary We get to see it We're gonna
get to see his glory in person one day in the face of our Lord
Jesus Christ But God's glory is the main thing but here it
says Everyone that is called present tense is Have created past tense Now I
looked at this word created if you know Christ You are created The secondary meaning of this Is also this which I find very
Significant because looked up the word created means created
But not only that, it means selected. You understand? God's children
are not a haphazard happening. It's not a random thing. Because
not only are his people created by him, they're selected. They're selected. because the
Lord has made his selection from before the foundation of the
world. This includes physical and spiritual
life. Told Jeremiah, before I formed
thee in your mother's belly, I knew thee. God chose his people from before
the foundation of the world. He created them in his son, in
his mind. The selection was made before
we ever came on the scene. And we were chosen in the beloved,
in Jesus Christ. Selected, created, Because those
that are called by his name are created. They're selected. The
second word is formed. This one's pretty easy. This
one, by definition, means molded into shape. We are created, we
are selected, And then we are molded in the shape. And actually,
the definition in Strong's Concordance gives this. It says this, like
a potter. So Romans 9 and verse 18 says
this. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth. Thou wilt
say unto me, why doth he yet find fault? For who has resisted
his will? Nay, but, O man, who art thou
that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the
potter power over the clay? Of the same lump to make one
vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor. What if God willing
to show his wrath and to make his power known endured with
much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction? And that he might make known,
what? The riches of his glory on the
vessels of mercy which he hath afore prepared unto glory. Even us, whom he hath called,
not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles." The potter,
God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit forms his vessels unto
honor. And never forget this, out of
the same lump, Understand in and of ourselves. We are no better
than anyone else There's a lot of people that have this thing
that they want to say oh you Calvinists are awful proud you
think mighty out of yourself you think God chose you and didn't
choose me I Got no idea whether John God chose you or not All
I know is that I've come out of the same lump that you did
You come out of the same lump that I did You understand, there's
nothing special about the clay. We are earthen vessels, clay
pots. Oh, but if God perchance puts
that treasure in an earthen vessel, guess what? Earthen vessel or
not, Jesus Christ is the treasure. He's the pearl of great price.
and God has formed his people out of the same lump, but he's
making vessels unto honor. Why? That he might make known
the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he hath
aforeprepared unto glory. Understand God makes us meet
He fits us for heaven We're not fit in and of ourselves at all
matter of fact. We're decidedly unfit Unqualified
and downright rebels in our natural state See we're created and we're formed
And who is it? Everyone that is called by his
name is formed, is molded into shape like a potter. And the Lord will make known.
He'll make it known to you. He'll make it known unto you.
He's promised. Paul the Apostle says it. Brethren,
I would not have you to be ignorant. John the Apostle says, beloved,
there's some things you know. You understand? You will hear, those that are
of God will hear the message of God from God's man. He is molding us into shape.
Formed. Those who are called by his name
are created, and those who are called by his name are formed.
Now the last word is the different word he left out of verse one. You understand, he talks about
Israel there. The Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and that formed
thee, O Israel. And those are the same two exact
words that are used here in verse seven. But then this third word
comes up, made. And the reason I started looking
at this is you look, and it says created,
formed, and made. In English, that's pretty much
all the same thing. But it's not here. Because this
is one thing. This is one that really caught
me. Because the word made means to make and more. Because it
means this. It means to be made. is to be appointed, to be bestowed,
to bring forth, and to maintain. And when I read that, I thought,
oh my, that's pretty good. That's just the definition of
that Hebrew word that Isaiah wrote here. Because as glorious as it is,
the Lord that creates and forms everyone called by his name See,
that ain't all, that ain't all. Those that God has created and
formed are not left to themselves ever, ever. Because those that
God creates and forms are made, first part of that definition,
appointed. God chose them from the beginning
of the world, that's what I said. Those called by his name are
those that he chose from the beginning in the beloved, in
Jesus Christ, and they are appointed in time to come to a knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ. They will believe him. They will hear his gospel message,
and they will believe him. Being chosen in Christ Jesus
means that they have an appointment. to be called by his name. And guess what? We've also got
an appointment unto glory in Jesus Christ. I just read it
in Romans nine. He's gonna make known his glory
upon the vessels of mercy that he's created and formed. And those vessels are appointed,
appointed unto glory. Secondly those that God creates
and forms it says are bestowed bestowed Those that are called by his
name Have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies
in Christ Jesus Guess what they've been bestowed upon you You may
not feel like you have all spiritual blessings, but guess what? You
do. Because those spiritual blessings
aren't in you, they're in Christ. But you have been blessed with
them. All spiritual blessings. We are given to know the revelation
and knowledge of God in Jesus Christ. That has been bestowed
upon his people. That's part of being made. Again,
God's not gonna leave you ignorant. God will send his gospel. God
has given us his word. We've got it right here in black
and white. Because those who are called
by his name are to grow in the grace and the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ. We have been bestowed, blessed
to be heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. I said it earlier, he's made
us meet. He's made us meet. Paul wrote this, now we are the
sons of God. When? Now. while you're on this
earth. Now are we the sons of God. And
there's more to come. He has bestowed upon us the spirit
of adoption. No longer the spirit of bondage
unto fear. We've been given the spirit of
adoption whereby we can cry Abba. We can call God Father. People just, people think nothing
of calling upon God. And there's one reason for that.
They have no idea who God is. You understand, I've heard him
called the old man upstairs, maybe somebody who likes me,
maybe somebody who doesn't like you. They talk flippantly about
God. And I can tell you this for a
fact, because I used to do it. The only people who talk flippantly
about God are people who don't know God. I was guilty of it. God help me, I don't want to
be guilty of it now, but I have probably been. I try not to,
but this is the thing. You have been given the knowledge
of God in Jesus Christ. He has made himself known to
you. And that is a blessing. That
has been bestowed. He's given us that spirit of
adoption. We have, believers have, right
now, an inheritance. An inheritance. It's incorruptible,
it's undefiled, and it fadeth not away, and it's reserved in
heaven for you." We're heirs of God and joint
heirs with Jesus Christ. Those that God creates and forms
are bestowed. The third word I wanna bring
up, part of this word made, is to bring forth. Bring forth. Those God creates and forms are
brought forth and they bring forth. We were talking a little
bit about this before church last week. because those that are called,
every one of those that are called by his name bring forth fruit. All of them, every one. Every
single one. Everyone that is created and
formed and made brings forth fruit. Now, Some bring forth fruit 30
fold Some bring forth fruit 60 fold some bring forth fruit a
hundredfold They are brought forth Those
that are called by his name are brought forth by Jesus Christ,
and they will bring forth fruit The vine The one true vine has
no unprofitable branches. Christ said, I am the vine and
you are the branches. But he also said this, he said,
my father is the husbandman. And the husbandman keeps that
vine. He trims the branches as he sees
fit. And you understand, God's not
gonna have any unprofitable branches. They're going to bring forth
fruit. I guess I ought to clarify right
now, by talking about fruit, I'm not talking about bringing
forth converts. Because that's what a lot of
people have a tendency to think about this, especially out there
on that television. The fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, and peace. Long-suffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness, and temperance. Faith. Believing God is a fruit of the
Spirit. Loving the brethren loving Jesus
Christ loving God is a fruit of the Spirit Goodness faith meekness and temperance Those that he calls by his name
have been bestowed all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in
Christ Jesus. Lastly this, those God creates
and forms, and I love this part, are maintained. We are maintained. That's part of what that word
made means. We are maintained. Guess what? I don't have to keep
myself. You don't have to keep yourself. Those God creates and forms are
kept by the power of God through faith. You understand, the only reason
that we persevere is because we are preserved. And yes, we
do persevere. But yes, it's because we are
preserved in Christ Jesus. His faith. We are kept by the
power of God through faith. But it's his faith. He's the
author and the finisher of faith. His faith is given to us and
his faith keeps us. You understand, the question
is never, and you won't find this in the book either, is never,
did you believe God yesterday? Did you believe Christ yesterday?
I used to believe God, I used to follow Christ. No, if it's
used to, you never have. Because if you're not doing it
right now, you never have. And if you're not doing it right
now, you might want to start if you can. Believe him because
his spirit is within everyone that is called by his name. He said, I'm going to send a
comforter, the comforter unto you and he's going to be in you. And guess what? If the Holy Spirit
is in you, you're being maintained. He's keeping you. And his spirit
is within everyone called by his name. We are sealed by him
and for him. Because everyone that is called
by his name comes to him because the Father has drawn him. And
they look to him and he will raise them up at the last day. We have a better resurrection
to come. Believers shall inherit the kingdom
of God. How? In the king. You understand? He's our king. He's our king. What's that mean? We're in his
kingdom. I can tell you this, we're in his kingdom right now. He's king right now. He's not
coming to be crowned king, he is king. Because those called by his name
have an everlasting king. And the everlasting king has
an everlasting kingdom. Those that God creates and forms
are maintained. That's part of the word. Here's the conclusion. Jesus Christ will never forsake
his people. If they're called by his name,
they are called by his name. and they shall be called by his
name. Ever. What is it? Believers are never on their
own. I will never leave thee. I will
never forsake thee. He is with us always. What? Even unto the end of the
world. Verse 15 of Isaiah chapter 43,
I am the Lord, your holy one, the creator of Israel, your king,
your king. That's not calling Israel our
king, he's saying I'm your king. Verse 14, right before that says,
Thus saith the Lord your Redeemer the Holy One of Israel Most religious people don't know
this one here You know I am the Lord, I am your Redeemer, I am
the Holy One of Israel. I am the Lord, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, and I am your King. You know what the world says,
right? Christ told us, we will not have this man to reign over
us. Well, guess what? He's going
to, whether you want it or not. Because whether you want him
or not, whether you believe him or not, he is the king. But everyone that is called by
his name is created and formed and made. And he is their king
and they know it. Understand, everything around
you can fall to ruin. All your friends and family can
forsake you. The world will attack you. And
the world may seem to triumph over you. Yet, this is still
true. I am the Lord. I am your holy
one. I am the creator. And guess what? I am your king. I am, I am, and
I am. In this world you shall have
tribulation. I say you will pass through the
waters, but I'll be with thee. Oh, and through the rivers, but
they shall not overflow thee. When thou, not if thou walkest
through the fire, when thou walkest through the fire, it's gonna
happen. Guess what? Thou shalt not be
burned. Neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee. There's fire, but it's not gonna
kindle on you. You understand? You're not firewood. You're created and formed and
made. Why? By the Lord. By the Lord. Then he says it there. For I
am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior. And
this phrase just, you know, people talk about, oh, callous, cruel
God. Well, listen, you got to know
who you're dealing with. I gave Egypt for your ransom. I killed people for you. That's what he says. You read
the account. Guess what? That's what he did. Verse 12 says this. Have declared and have saved and Not only did he declare not
only did he save and I have shown I've shown When there was no
strange God upon you among you Therefore ye are my witnesses
saith the Lord that I am God Don't ever say different Everyone that is called by my
name, every one of those is created for his glory. Every one of those
is formed for his glory, and every one of those that is called
by his name is made for his glory. He has redeemed thee. And I love
these three words. Thou art mine. That's what God says about everyone
that is called by his name. You are mine. Oh, then that'll
question. If God be for you, who can be
against you? Well, it doesn't matter. You're
gonna have tribulation, but never forget, you're his. You're his creation, you're his
formed, and you're his maid, and praise his holy name. Father, thankful again for this
time and this place. Lord, help us to try and glimpse
your glory in our Lord Jesus Christ. The works you've done,
you are doing, and you're maintaining Us Be with Walter as he comes
to preach your word Bless him with what we need to hear the
gospel of your glorious grace In Christ's name we pray amen