March 16, 2025

Isaiah 41:14-20

Isaiah 41:14-20

We continue our study of Isaiah 40-55

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We continue our study of Isaiah 40-55

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All right, Isaiah chapter forty one. The goal hopefully is

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to finish chapter forty one. I think we can come close.

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If we don't come close, it's Sarah Danzler's fault because

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she pointed out that this section that we're getting ready

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to look at is very similar to a previous section

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and the previous chapter. So I decided to then take

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an entire put together an entire comparison of those sections

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to see what we can learn from that. So that

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may stop us from getting all the way through, but

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we will see. The positive thing is this week I

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didn't listen to any sermons on Isaiah forty through Isaiah

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fifty five. Because I can't listen to any more sermons

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on Isaiah. I probably will probably when we get to

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forty two, I'll listen to at least one or two.

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I'm trying to do it for each chapter. I'm hoping

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to stumble upon some situation where they actually handle the

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text in a way that you know, somewhat reflects what's there.

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Did not. Now this week I did start listening to

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sermons on Acts twenty seven, which makes uh, yeah, makes

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Isaiah sermons seem great. Twenty seven is the you know,

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Paul getting caught in a storm, and of course you know,

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you know what that turns into. The storm now is

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not an actual storm. It's the storms that come into

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our lives. And then we can supposedly learn principles from

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a historical narrative about a physical storm to apply somehow

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to our metaphorical storms. The whole thing is just hermoneutically

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a mess. But pastors do that constantly, and I think

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what we continue to see, whether it's an Isaiah Acts

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twenty seven, over and over and over. I continue to

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try to tell you guys this, sermons are the enemy

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to biblical interpretation. Sermons are the enemy to biblical interpretation.

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When you start writing sermons, you then nobody everyone involved

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in that process, the person writing the sermon, the person

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preaching the sermon, and the people listening to the sermon.

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If everyone wants sermons, they don't want the text because

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sermons are the enemy to understanding the text because you

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have to start looking at it from a completely different

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perspective and you end up doing great damage to it.

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So that's that's one of the reasons I've tried to

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abandon it as much as possible, because you can't preach

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a sermon without leaving the text. You just can't because

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everybody wants nice little points and the text is not

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designed for that in many cases. So today Isaiah forty one,

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we've looked at the other sections the section we are

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on this morning. Does anybody know based off our observational outline,

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first section was Isaiah forty one one through seven, right,

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second was Isaiah forty one eight through thirteen. So that

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means we at least are starting in verse fourteen, and

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I goes to verse twenty, and then the last section

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is twenty one to twenty nine. So well, we just

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have two sections to go. I think we're gonna do.

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So I'm utilizing artificial intelligence a lot to try to

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keep it where I don't. I can keep it very structured,

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is what I'm attempting to do. But you know, at

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any point I can veer off and go in any direction.

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So Isaiah forty one, fourteen through twenty All right, it's

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going to build on the previous section. All the sections

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tend to do this right where and in the previous section,

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God was reassuring whom of his faithfulness and protection? Who

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was God reassuring of his faithfulness? And protection in the

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previous section. Okay, look, if you look at the previous section,

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you should be able to find some scriptures to support

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your answer. Yeah. Verse eight, But thou Israel arn't my servant, Jacob,

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whom I've chosen the seat of Abraham, my friend? Everybody

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see that now. The reason I have to stress that

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over and over and over and over and over is

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because after a hundred sermons on the section yet everyone,

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they may mention Israel, but it becomes about you, becomes

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about me, becomes you. It's not about us, all right.

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So Isaiah fourteen forty one, fourteen through twenty is going

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to build on the previous section where God was reassuring

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Israel of his faithfulness and protection. In this section, the

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focus is going to shift. Now everyone, look at fourteen

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through twenty. I'm not just going to read it to you.

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Look at it. Tell me what's how the focus shifts

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in fourteen through twenty and what does it shift to?

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Definitely is Israel? That's true, all right, the previous section

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he's reassuring them. Correct here, does he not kind of

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the shift kind of focus to Israel's transformation? Has that

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a good word for it? Where everyone okay with that,

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because we read fear not thou worm, Jacob, and you

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men of Israel. Now please note this section begins by

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calling basically Israel what a worm, which would indicate what weak, small, insignificant? Right,

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and then what is it going to say? I will

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help thee saith the Lord and thy redeemer, the Holy

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One of Israel. Behold, I will make thee a new sharp,

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threshing instrument having teeth. God is going to transform Israel.

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So this is it goes from reassurance to transformation. There's

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still reassurance a part of it, but it builds on

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the reassurance to now something specific. Does is everyone okay

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with that? All right? God takes them from weakness to strength.

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I think that's fair, right, from barrenness to abundance. Can

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we agree on that if you're looking at fourteen through twenty,

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because he calls them a worm, but he's going to

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make them a something, a threshing object. Right, So that's

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from weakness to strength. Do you see anything about barreness

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to abundance? What does it say in eighteen? There we go,

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that's from barrenness to abundance. So everybody see that this

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passage is going to highlight God's power to restore, sustain,

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and provide for his people. Does everyone agree with that

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to restore If you don't like the word restore, God's

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power to transform, to sustain, and provide. I think that

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we could justify all of that. Do you feel like

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that's a decent overview and introduction to the section? I

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think so. So if I'm gonna now read fourteen through twenty,

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I'm gonna read it from the ESV, because that's what

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I have here on my iPad. You can look at

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it the King James and will reference to the King James

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most of the time, but I'm just gonna read it

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from the iPad. Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men

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of Israel, I am the one who helps you, declares

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the Lord, your redeemer, is the Holy One of Israel. Behold,

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I make of you a threshing sledge, new sharp and

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having teeth. You shall thresh the mountains and crush them.

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You shall make the heels like chef. You shall winnow them,

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and the wind shall carry them away, and the tempest

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shall scatter them, and you shall rejoice in the Lord.

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In the Holy One of Israel. You show glory. When

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the poor needy seek water and there is none, and

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their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will

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answer them. I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

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I will open up rivers on the bare heights, fountains

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in the midst of the valleys. I will make the

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wilderness a pool of water, and dry land springs of water.

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I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the achaia,

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the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the

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desert the cypress, the plain, and the pine together that

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they may see and know, may consider and understand together

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that the hand of the Lord has done this, The

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Holy One of Israel has created it. And to really

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double down that this is about Israel in this section

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God's reference of himself. Does he not reference himself in

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connection with Israel numerous times in this section just to

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ensure that no one is confused. Did y'all see that? Notice? Yeah,

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the Holy One visual he says that a few times here,

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so just to ensure that no one can be confused. Again,

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And it's kind of again, it's so frustrating that this

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section of scripture goes so far out of its way

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to ensure everyone knows what it's talking about. But for

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some weird reason, and again I'm gonna go back to

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what I said at the beginning. Why you should your

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thoughts should be well, why is it so complicated? It's not.

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It becomes complicated because pastors are tasked with doing what

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preaching sermons, not teaching the text. And to teach a

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sermon or to preach a sermon, you have to immediately

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make it about whom, about us. That's what people want.

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What people should want is I don't want you to

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make it about me. I want you to make it

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about what the text. That's what it should be. But

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you know, all right, so here we go. Let's break

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it down, context and structure. We're going to break it

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down into two parts, the immediate context and then the

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structural breakdown. All right, context and structure, the immediate context,

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and then the structural breakdown the immediate context. Everyone should

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know this Isaiah forty one one through seven. That's the

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first section. God's sovereignty over history. He raises up a deliverer.

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We believe that to be Cyrus. Correct. I believe history

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teaches that to be Cyrus. Isaiah forty one eight through thirteen,

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God assures assurance to Israel he has chosen and will

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protect them all. Everybody got, I mean, we've covered these

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like multiple times, so y'all should know all of this.

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Isaiah forty one, fourteen through twenty God's transformation of Israel.

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He will turn their weakness into strength and provide for

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their needs. And then the last section twenty one through

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twenty nine, God challenges idols to prove their power, showing

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that only he can control history and provide for his people. Right,

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that's the media context, the before the present text, and

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what comes after. Any questions there, I don't think I

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need to review that. I mean, we've covered all this

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in our observational outline structural breakdown. Verse fourteen, God's help

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for weak Israel or worm Jacob? Right, as every look

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at verse fourteen? Does that feel like an accurate description

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God's help for weak Israel or worm Jacob? However you

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would like to describe it? How about verse fifteen through sixteen,

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Israel's transformed into a powerful instrument? Does that look accurate?

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Verse seventeen through eighteen, God's provision for the poor and needy?

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Does that look accurate? Verses nineteen through twenty, the miraculous

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transformation of the barren land? Does that look accurate? Now? Immediately?

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What's probably and I'll just throw this in there, from

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fourteen to twenty, what would be possibly the most dangerous

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text that a pastor could miss use and do. I'll

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call it spiritual malpractice actually hurt people with why fifteen? Okay, okay,

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that's one possible danger. Right. How about verse seventeen and eighteen,

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because that's talking about what God's provision for the poor knee? Right,

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God's provision. That's talked all the time that God's gonna

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provide everything. God's gonna provide, God's gonna provide, God's gonna provide,

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God's gonna provide. Well, people say these things all the time. Right,

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God's gonna do this, God's gonna do this, God's gonna

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do this, God's gonna do this. I was listening yesterday

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to a sermon Acts twenty seven. Right. It was being

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preached at Pacific Gardens Missions in Chicago. Right, So a

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lot of homeless people there, and it's like, well, if

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you will trust God and the storms of your life,

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you will survive, because in Acts twenty seven, everyone survives

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the storm you can't take Acts twenty seven and promise

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anything to anybody as the most ridiculous thing I've ever

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heard in my life. You can't take this promise of

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God's provision here and apply it to providing for anyone else.

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That's not about us. It's not about your problems, it's

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not about your difficulty, it's not about what you lack.

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But sermons do that nonsense over and over and over

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and over, because that's what people want. I don't know

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why people want that. I guess they just go to

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church to hear something that make them feel good. That

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don't really want the truth. But this is not about us,

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all right? Everybody got that? All right? And then I

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think it's true. Though. You could take this those verses

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on fifteen through sixteen and even nineteen through twenty, I

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see see God transforms, and then what would they what

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would be a good cruss reference they would use with this? Yeah,

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if anyone's in Christ, here's a new creature. Old things

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passed away, all things have become new. And again that

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is true positionally, it's not true practically. So you can

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see how damaging this can be. Basically, you can leave

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church hearing a sermon on this section being told God

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can will transform you, and God will provide everything you need.

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And then you're gonna go, We'll go, well, I need this,

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or I need this, or I know what's well you

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And then the answer always is and because Christians always

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have an ace up their sleeve, right, well, if God

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doesn't provide it, what are they gonna say, you don't

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need it. It's always to get out of free you know,

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get out of jail free card. All right, So there's

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a structural breakdown, all right, media context, structural breakdown. All right,

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Now let's go through this. All right, we already know

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what verse fourteen is about. We did the structural breakdown,

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so now we're gonna do the exegetical analysis. This is

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really Sai. This text is not difficult. Verse fourteen God's

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help for weak Israel. Right, we've already identified it. Fear

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not you, worm Jacob, you men of Israel, I am

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the one who helps you, declares the Lord, your redeemer

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is the Holy One of Israel. The phrase worm Jacob,

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it's a humbling description. It is a metaphor for weakness

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and insignificance. This highlights Israel's vulnerability and exile. They were

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powerless without God. So he's reminding them. It's describing them, Hey,

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you're a worm, You're helpless. You're helpless. There's nothing you

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can do that everyone can. You don't even need my help.

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Right next, what does he say after he calls him

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a worm? Yeah, ye me, you were fear not thou worm, Jacob,

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and you men of Israel. Again, that's just identifying who's

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referring to too, so nobody can get confused. And then

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what's the next phrase? I will help you or I

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will help thee Saith, the Lord and thy Redeemer, the

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Holy One of Israel. Basically he's saying, here, I am

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the one who's going to help you. He identifies their weakness,

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points it out, confronts them with their weakness, and says,

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I'm the one who's going to help you. God assures.

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God does not. God doesn't. God does not mock Israel's weakness,

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but assures them of his help. The phrase I am

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the one who helps you is repeated from Isaiah forty

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one to ten and verse thirteen, reinforcing God's active role.

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Made He wants them to know what, I am the

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one helping you. Why is he emphasizing that I'm the

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one helping you. Okay, very good, because because remember we

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talked about that, there's a strong temptation that they're facing.

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They've been in Babylonian captivity, they've been surrounded by Babylonian religion.

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There's idols everywhere. They are prone, we know, going all

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the way back to Exodus, Israel is prone over and

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over and over to turn to what idolatry, over and

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over and over do they do. So, so he's coming

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in and saying, hey, I know you're weak. I know

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you're weak, I know you're insignificant. But I'm going to

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be the one to help you. The idols aren't going

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to help you. And fact, what he also wants them

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to realize is even though he's raising up a deliverer

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to deliver them, it's still whom God like. He wants

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them to understand he's the one doing this. And I'll

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look at the next phrase here in a minute. So,

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worm Jacob, if we're breaking verse fourteen apart, worm Jacob,

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I'm the one who helps you. And then your redeemer

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is the Holy One of Israel. He identifies again his

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connection to them. Right redeemer refers to a kinsman redeemer

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who rescues a relative from distress. We know that from

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the Book of Ruth. We know that from Leviticus twenty five. Right,

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we don't have to go into a lot of detail there.

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But what's the point of saying your redeemer is the

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Holy One of Israel? What do you think his point

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is that your redemption, that I'm the one redeeming you

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is based off his covenantal relationship with Israel. Right, he

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is their rescuer, he is their deliverer, he is their

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redeemer because of a covenant relationship. I cannot stress that enough.

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Why do I emphasize that so many times? Because if

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you look at the Old Testament, sometimes we get very

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confused just the subject of prayer, Right, I talk about

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it all the time. Prayer is one of the most

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convoluted and confusing things from a theological perspective. Right, So

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I'm gonna pray. First, I'm praying to a God who

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either allowed what happened to me to happen or decree

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it to happen. So if I'm praying for God to

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remove what he brought into my life, am I praying

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in accordance to God's will, So then how do we pray?

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It bring raises all kinds of questions. But when we

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go to the Old Testament, we see them praying specifically

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for things. And a lot of times preachers go to

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the Old Testament take those things about prayer and apply

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them to us. You can't they prayed specifically for things

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for what reason? Because they could pray in accordance to

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the covenant promises given specifically to them. So they could

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pray in that direction, right, And so so much of

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what takes place in the Old Testament is taking place

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because it's working out in line with the covenant made

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with a specific group of people. Right. Therefore, it makes sense,

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right if this is happening to us, they can pray

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for something opposite. They don't even have to get caught

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up and well, wait a minute, God allowed it, God

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decreed it. They know they can pray this because they

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have a covenant saying God will do these things for them.

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Therefore their praying and accordance to his will? Does that

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make sense? Where we really how we are supposed to

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pray becomes very much more theologically complicated, But for them,

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it's very simple, very straightforward. So he points out the

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fact that he is their redeemer because he's the Holy

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One of Israel. And this goes right back to their

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covenantal relationship. All right. God acknowledges Israel's weakness, but he

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does not leave them in it. He promises redemption and strength.

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All right. So that's verse fourteen, worm, Jacob, I'm the

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one who will help you. Your redeemer is the Holy

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One of Israel. That's three ways we broke that down.

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Everybody got that verse fourteen. It's pretty simple. Now, what

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would be the tempted in a sermon right here to

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make this all about us? If we're going to make

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it about us, what would be the only way to

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apply this to us in any way that would be

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accurate while we are weak in our sin and God

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will redeem us or save us. If you want to

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apply it in a soteriological way, then you're somewhat okay.

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If you start applying this to your difficulties in life,

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you're going to lead people with false hope because God

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may not do what. He may not help you in

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any way, shape or form for your practical problems. So

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don't go taking Now. If I apply this soteriologically, I

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am a worm. I'm weak, I'm helpless, I'm hopeless. God

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is the one who will redeem me. But that's a

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redemption from a soteriological perspective, saving me from my sin.

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That makes perfect sense. That's about the only way we

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can apply it. But remember this text is not designed

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to even be about that. Okay, right, next, verses fifteen

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through sixteen. We already broke this down in our structural breakdown.

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What did we call verses fifteen through sixteen Israel's transformation

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into a powerful instrument. Let's read it. Behold, I make

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of you, depending on your translation, I will make thee

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a new sharp, threshing instrument. Or I will make you

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a new sharp. I will make a threshing sledge, new

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sharp having teeth, again, depending on your translation. Thou shall

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thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shall make

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the heels as chief. Thou shallt fan them, and the

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wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them.

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And thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, and shall glory

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in the Holy One of Israel. There's that Holy One

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of Israel phrase again, that's repeated another time. See it

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all right? So what we how do we break this

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one down. Well, let's break this down into mainly two parts,

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from weakness to strength, and then we'll call the next

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part crushing the mountains. All right, So the first from

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weakness to strength. A threshing sledge is an agricultural tool

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used to crush grain new sharp and having teeth symbolizes

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power and effectiveness. So God is going to take the worm.

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You can't forget the verse fourteen, okay, because it sets

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it up. They go from being a worm to a

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threshing sledge, a worm to a threshing sledge. Now, immediately

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we do have to ask ourselves a hermoneutical question. When

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it describes what the threshing sledge is going to do?

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What does it say and verses fifteen and sixteen? All right, now,

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immediately when you see this, what does this tell you

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just from basically read reading comprehension, not even hermeneutically, would

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we take this in a very literal way or is

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this a metaphorical There was a hesitation there, okay, all right,

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why why would give you that indication? Like yeah, okay, right,

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that a literal way would this would start kind of

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making any sense? Right? Okay? So it's usual. So what's

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the idea? Now, Now, this is the thing. This is

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always so just from a hermaeutical lesson. Once you determine

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something as being poetic, hyperbolic, metaphorical, you have to not

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then just say, well I can Ooh, Israel's gonna get

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a mighty weapon in twenty thirty and it's gonna destroy

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their enemy. Like stop doing crazy stuff. Right, This is

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you have to understand what the metaphor is pointing to.

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It is only pointing to what is what is the

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entire point of this poetic, hyperbolic type language. I think

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the point is that this worm is now going to

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be able to do what have the power and the

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ability to do what leave their captivity and go back

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to the land that they've been promised, and anything in

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their way is going to be what conquered. Everybody remember that,

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because that's what Sarah Dansler pointed out, that this is

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connected to a previous section. Right right now, you should

387
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already be going, wait, I know which section she's talking about. Right,

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there's a very important section that this is referencing. Okay,

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we think, all right, we're gonna test it here in

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a minute, all right, So it's just the metaphor simply

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is saying, Hey, you're gonna now have the power, and

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a mountain or anything that's in your way is gonna

393
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be basically done. What just gonna be destroyed blown away? Right,

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So and so this is this is just demonstrating that

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they're gonna go from this week they're basically slaves and

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captivity to now having this power, and this power is

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designed to get them back new sharp and having teeth

398
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symbolizes power and effectiveness. There's from weakness to strength. How

399
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about crushing the mountain. We kind of already talked about it.

400
00:26:39.880 --> 00:26:43.359
Thresh the mountain is a symbolic way of describing obstacles

401
00:26:43.559 --> 00:26:49.680
or powerful nations. So the mountains would represent what obstacles

402
00:26:49.759 --> 00:26:55.480
are nations. Mountains represents obstacle or nations. So they're gonna

403
00:26:55.480 --> 00:27:00.440
thresh it meaning they're gonna do what no obst goal

404
00:27:00.920 --> 00:27:05.799
or no nation is going to do. What keepe them

405
00:27:06.200 --> 00:27:08.920
from going back to the land that they were promised?

406
00:27:09.240 --> 00:27:12.240
And why is this all happening because of a covenant

407
00:27:12.279 --> 00:27:16.160
promise God made with Israel. Right, God is empowering Israel

408
00:27:16.200 --> 00:27:19.359
to overcome great challenges, much like he empowered them in

409
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the Exodus and conquest of Canaan. Right, So God is

410
00:27:24.960 --> 00:27:30.119
going to transform his weak people into an unstoppable force.

411
00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:36.880
Weak Israel is now going to be unstoppable. Unstoppable though

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00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:39.200
now we got to be careful not to apply it

413
00:27:39.720 --> 00:27:44.119
to just anything. It clearly is limited historically, is it not.

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00:27:46.240 --> 00:27:49.319
Because they go back to Babylonia, they go back to Judah,

415
00:27:49.319 --> 00:27:51.759
they go back to Israel, they go back to their land,

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and they go back rebuild Jerusalem. But what happens do

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00:27:55.119 --> 00:27:59.079
they remain unstoppable? No, because by the time you open

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the New Testament under the boot of Rome and then

419
00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:04.759
by seventy eight they're wrapped off the face of the earth.

420
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So when it starts giving this language that this is

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going to happen, and this is going to happen once again,

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00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:15.759
what does it sound like? Well, maybe not identical, but

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does it not sound like again Deuteronomy twenty eight, twenty

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nine thirty right. If you do this, God will do this.

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If you don't do this, this is that thing is

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playing out over and over and over and over and

427
00:28:27.079 --> 00:28:29.680
over again. That's why ultimately they're going to need what

428
00:28:31.400 --> 00:28:34.359
a new covenant, because if they continue to live under

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00:28:34.359 --> 00:28:37.640
that covenant, they're never going to be successful because they

430
00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:41.960
will never do what God tells them to do. Correct, right,

431
00:28:42.039 --> 00:28:46.559
That's that's the whole point. Okay, So there's there's verse

432
00:28:46.640 --> 00:28:49.839
fifteen through sixteen. Now we have verse seventeen through eighteen.

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What did we call this? I gave you what it's

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called in the structural breakdown, God's provision right for the needy,

435
00:28:59.599 --> 00:29:02.319
for the All right, we can read verse seventeen and eighteen.

436
00:29:02.359 --> 00:29:05.039
I'll read it from the ESV. When the poor and

437
00:29:05.119 --> 00:29:07.680
needy seek water and there is none, and their tongue

438
00:29:07.720 --> 00:29:10.240
has parts with thirst, I the Lord will answer them,

439
00:29:10.640 --> 00:29:16.680
I the God of how many times is that being emphasized? Well,

440
00:29:16.759 --> 00:29:19.039
not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare

441
00:29:19.079 --> 00:29:20.839
heights and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I

442
00:29:20.880 --> 00:29:22.759
will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the

443
00:29:22.839 --> 00:29:26.039
dry land springs of water. Let's break this down into

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00:29:26.039 --> 00:29:30.279
two parts. The poor and needy, all right, this is

445
00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:34.559
a picture of desperation. This describes Israel. Now, this is

446
00:29:34.559 --> 00:29:39.519
where we could argue. Is this describing israel spiritual exhaustion

447
00:29:39.759 --> 00:29:43.960
during exile or is it describing their physical exhaustion during exile?

448
00:29:44.279 --> 00:29:50.440
Or is it describing both. When it talks about being

449
00:29:50.480 --> 00:29:53.400
poor and needy, do you think this is describing both

450
00:29:53.400 --> 00:29:59.240
their spiritual condition and their physical condition or do you

451
00:29:59.279 --> 00:30:02.240
believe it's one of versus the other. What do you

452
00:30:02.240 --> 00:30:29.079
think they're literally? They're literally? Yeah, here's what I'm gonna say,

453
00:30:29.200 --> 00:30:34.119
considering the previous section was very poetic and metaphorical. That is,

454
00:30:34.160 --> 00:30:36.880
I don't think we have to get too specific on

455
00:30:36.960 --> 00:30:41.400
what it is. It's just saying, hey, guys, the poor

456
00:30:41.400 --> 00:30:44.720
and needy, right, I'm going to be there to do

457
00:30:44.759 --> 00:30:47.599
what you You may be poor, you may be needy.

458
00:30:47.880 --> 00:30:52.599
That's desperation, and I'm here to do what. And there

459
00:30:52.680 --> 00:30:55.039
is none that their tongue is parts with thirst. Either

460
00:30:55.079 --> 00:30:57.440
Lord will answer them, either God of Israel or not forsake.

461
00:30:57.480 --> 00:31:00.400
Then the point is, no matter what your needed, no

462
00:31:00.440 --> 00:31:04.359
matter the desperation, God is ultimately the solution to their

463
00:31:04.400 --> 00:31:08.000
particular problems, whether it's spiritual or whether it's physical. I

464
00:31:08.039 --> 00:31:11.599
think that's really the basic idea. Does that make better sense?

465
00:31:12.319 --> 00:31:14.559
So the poor and needy is a picture of some

466
00:31:14.759 --> 00:31:18.240
form of desperation, some form of weakness, which goes back

467
00:31:18.279 --> 00:31:20.960
to them being basically what it starts in verse fourteen,

468
00:31:21.680 --> 00:31:25.759
A worm all right, they are a poor, needy, desperate worm. Okay,

469
00:31:26.039 --> 00:31:28.359
all right, then, so that's the first part we're going

470
00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:30.519
to break Verse seventeen eighteen down is the poor and

471
00:31:30.680 --> 00:31:35.240
eighty second, God's miraculous provision rivers on the bare heights.

472
00:31:36.000 --> 00:31:39.759
That means water and unexpected places, fountains in the valleys,

473
00:31:40.160 --> 00:31:44.240
a provision and low places wilderness into a pool, a

474
00:31:44.279 --> 00:31:49.160
complete reversal of barrenness. So God's provision is going to

475
00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:53.359
be seen wherever, maybe in the most unexpected places, unexpected ways,

476
00:31:53.680 --> 00:32:00.440
God will provide. Okay, It's kind of like an madery

477
00:32:00.480 --> 00:32:03.119
of Exodus seventeen six where they get water from a rock.

478
00:32:03.839 --> 00:32:07.359
All right, same kind of idea, Right, that God, God

479
00:32:07.480 --> 00:32:11.440
is Israel's ultimate provider and that he can bring provision

480
00:32:11.480 --> 00:32:16.759
where anywhere, because Israel constantly needs to be reminded of that. Right,

481
00:32:16.880 --> 00:32:19.240
Remember during the Exodus, what did they do when they

482
00:32:19.839 --> 00:32:22.480
had left Egypt and they hadn't been that long out

483
00:32:22.519 --> 00:32:27.799
in the wilderness. We're gonna die, We're going to die,

484
00:32:27.920 --> 00:32:30.079
and God had to provide for them. Well, they're getting

485
00:32:30.079 --> 00:32:33.759
ready to do what taken Exodus from Babylon to go

486
00:32:33.839 --> 00:32:36.839
back to Juda. Did we ever? I don't know. Did

487
00:32:36.839 --> 00:32:39.359
we determine how far it was from Babylon back to

488
00:32:39.440 --> 00:32:44.400
jude I don't think we ever did. It's pretty good.

489
00:32:44.839 --> 00:32:50.440
I don't have Yeah, I can't remember ask chat GPT,

490
00:32:51.480 --> 00:32:54.559
I don't have internet access, so I can't how far

491
00:32:54.759 --> 00:32:57.880
was it or how or how long a journey? How

492
00:32:58.440 --> 00:33:02.400
how long going it takes the lock from Babylon back

493
00:33:02.440 --> 00:33:06.119
to Judah back to Jerusalem, because they're going to Jerusalem

494
00:33:06.160 --> 00:33:08.000
to rebuild the temple, right, so we need to be

495
00:33:08.039 --> 00:33:13.880
specific how long this journey would have been because that

496
00:33:14.039 --> 00:33:15.920
because sometimes in our minds, how do we kind of

497
00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:17.480
view it in our minds almost like I think we

498
00:33:17.599 --> 00:33:20.759
kind of view it like happening over Like they left

499
00:33:20.759 --> 00:33:25.119
Babylon and the next day they were in Jerusalem. It's well, yeah,

500
00:33:25.119 --> 00:33:28.480
a couple of minutes they got on a train, the

501
00:33:28.640 --> 00:33:42.240
Jerusalem Express. Okay, all right, I think three months I

502
00:33:42.319 --> 00:33:49.920
would be far more accurate, right, Okay, so probably even

503
00:33:49.960 --> 00:33:53.279
longer than three months. So all right, so that's so

504
00:33:53.400 --> 00:33:58.519
guess what during that time? Okay, eight hundred and fifteen

505
00:33:58.559 --> 00:34:01.200
to nine hundred miles? All right, Okay, there we go.

506
00:34:01.480 --> 00:34:04.400
All right, so that gives us a picture. So now

507
00:34:04.440 --> 00:34:06.920
you can see why they're being given all this information, right,

508
00:34:07.119 --> 00:34:11.280
They're being given because it feels just like I'm not identical.

509
00:34:11.639 --> 00:34:13.840
But coming out of Egypt to go to Canaan, they

510
00:34:13.880 --> 00:34:16.239
we're gonna have to go through a wilderness type area.

511
00:34:16.400 --> 00:34:20.639
And immediately what did they start doing? Questioning, doubting God,

512
00:34:20.880 --> 00:34:26.000
wanting to go back, wanting a golden calf. So it's

513
00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:28.280
playing out the exact same way, all right, I think

514
00:34:28.280 --> 00:34:32.039
that makes sense. All right, So there is the seventeen

515
00:34:32.079 --> 00:34:34.000
through eighteen. We broke that down to the poor needy,

516
00:34:34.039 --> 00:34:37.760
God's miraculous provision. How about verses nineteen through twenty. What

517
00:34:37.760 --> 00:34:44.400
do we call this? We broke it down in the

518
00:34:44.400 --> 00:34:57.840
structural breakdown. We are structural breakdown. We had fourteen God's

519
00:34:57.880 --> 00:35:01.079
help for weak Israel. We had number two verses fifteen

520
00:35:01.119 --> 00:35:06.159
through sixteen, Israel's transformed into a powerful instrument. Seventeen through eighteen,

521
00:35:06.320 --> 00:35:09.519
God's provision for the poor and needy. Verses nineteen through twenty,

522
00:35:09.639 --> 00:35:14.320
the miraculous transformation of the bear and land. Hey everybody

523
00:35:14.320 --> 00:35:22.599
remember that? Okay, yeah, but now it's focusing on the

524
00:35:22.599 --> 00:35:25.239
transformation of the land. I will put in the wilderness,

525
00:35:25.320 --> 00:35:28.239
the cedar, the akeaa the myrtle. Everybody see this in

526
00:35:28.320 --> 00:35:32.199
verse nineteen and twenty. What's the focus on here? The land?

527
00:35:32.239 --> 00:35:34.960
Everybody see the transformation of the land. All right, okay,

528
00:35:35.039 --> 00:35:38.159
So let's break this down into two parts. A supernatural

529
00:35:38.280 --> 00:35:40.880
change in the environment, and then we'll look at the

530
00:35:40.920 --> 00:35:44.679
purpose recognizing Yahweh's power. All right, So a supernatural change

531
00:35:44.679 --> 00:35:50.199
in the environment. How many trees are mentioned? How many

532
00:35:50.280 --> 00:36:01.559
trees are mentioned? Counts it differently? We'll see how many

533
00:36:01.639 --> 00:36:05.000
yacht come up with? Y'all got six? Hey, I says seven?

534
00:36:06.159 --> 00:36:10.239
All right, Sarah's got seven. What let's see if we

535
00:36:10.280 --> 00:36:14.119
can all get on the same page. Okay, we have cedar?

536
00:36:14.280 --> 00:36:17.079
Does that? Okay? Sarah will count him out. Does everyone

537
00:36:17.119 --> 00:36:26.480
have cedar? Okay? Do you see seven? Now? Okay? We

538
00:36:26.519 --> 00:36:29.079
have seven? All right? Okay? Good, all right, So seven

539
00:36:29.119 --> 00:36:33.280
trees are mentioned. Now this is where we can get

540
00:36:33.639 --> 00:36:37.199
iffy here. Right. I'm not necessarily a fan of this,

541
00:36:37.400 --> 00:36:40.320
but you know what someone is going to say, seven

542
00:36:41.159 --> 00:36:46.280
symbolizes completeness or divine restoration. I don't know about that.

543
00:36:47.159 --> 00:37:06.280
I'm not a fan. So this transporation, well we had

544
00:37:06.599 --> 00:37:09.760
is this is this a metaphorical restoration here of the land.

545
00:37:11.320 --> 00:37:13.440
Yeah do we got Yeah? Back to meta, because I

546
00:37:13.480 --> 00:37:17.159
mean the whole section here has been very metaphorical and allegorical, right,

547
00:37:17.519 --> 00:37:19.480
So I think I think he's just showing, uh, well,

548
00:37:19.519 --> 00:37:23.760
we'll see. But I'm not gonna say seven here symbolizes anything.

549
00:37:23.760 --> 00:37:26.360
I'm not a fan of that, but it is interesting.

550
00:37:26.400 --> 00:37:31.440
He named seven trees, so I can't completely disregard the

551
00:37:31.559 --> 00:37:33.719
use of seven. But I'm not a big fan of

552
00:37:33.719 --> 00:37:36.760
trying to say, well, this symbolizes this or this symbolizes that.

553
00:37:36.880 --> 00:37:40.119
I'm not necessarily a fan of that, all right, but

554
00:37:40.360 --> 00:37:43.599
this seems to be interesting and I needed AI for this.

555
00:37:44.599 --> 00:37:51.039
These trees do not naturally grow in deserts. That's what

556
00:37:51.079 --> 00:37:57.360
AI says, all right, indicating a supernatural renewal of the land.

557
00:37:57.679 --> 00:37:59.719
So I get. I guess what it's trying to indicate.

558
00:38:00.199 --> 00:38:04.239
Just as it's indicating God will provide, God can do again,

559
00:38:04.480 --> 00:38:09.800
it's all demonstrating God's supernatural power at work. I don't

560
00:38:09.800 --> 00:38:12.800
think it's supposed to symbolize that these trees are actually

561
00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:16.199
going to appear. I think it's more symbolizing that God

562
00:38:16.320 --> 00:38:19.480
can transform change. They're going to go from a worm

563
00:38:20.559 --> 00:38:25.400
back to their land and rebuild their temple in their city.

564
00:38:26.599 --> 00:38:31.320
I think that's the emphasis here, all right. You can

565
00:38:31.360 --> 00:38:35.119
get no pun intended. You can get lost within the trees.

566
00:38:35.159 --> 00:38:38.119
If you go and start chasing some of this stuff down,

567
00:38:38.920 --> 00:38:41.360
I think you'll end up missing the whole point, all right.

568
00:38:41.599 --> 00:38:44.639
So there's the supernatural change in the environment. And then

569
00:38:44.679 --> 00:38:48.880
the second part breaking this down the purpose recognizing Yahweh's power,

570
00:38:49.960 --> 00:38:52.840
all right, because you'll see after it names some of

571
00:38:52.880 --> 00:38:56.760
those trees, it says that they may see and know.

572
00:38:57.039 --> 00:39:00.199
In the ESV. How does the King James reed that

573
00:39:00.239 --> 00:39:06.199
they may see and know and consider and understand together,

574
00:39:06.559 --> 00:39:09.639
So all of this transformation, all of this is happening

575
00:39:09.800 --> 00:39:16.679
that they can do want see, no, consider and understand?

576
00:39:18.159 --> 00:39:20.920
And what do they need to know? What do they

577
00:39:21.000 --> 00:39:25.199
need to see? No, consider and understand? According to the verse,

578
00:39:26.880 --> 00:39:29.480
what do they need to see? No, consider and understand?

579
00:39:30.679 --> 00:39:33.320
That the hand of the Lord has done this, the

580
00:39:33.559 --> 00:39:37.400
Holy One of Israel. There's that phrase again. ESV says

581
00:39:37.599 --> 00:39:40.519
has created it. Is how the ESV puts it, Has

582
00:39:40.559 --> 00:39:43.920
the King James put it or hath h? Yeah, the

583
00:39:43.920 --> 00:39:47.280
Holy One of Israel has created it. That phrase is

584
00:39:47.400 --> 00:39:50.960
used again. So what is the purpose for them to

585
00:39:51.079 --> 00:39:54.599
see the power of God, to know God is the

586
00:39:54.639 --> 00:39:58.639
one going to do this. When they finally get back

587
00:39:58.679 --> 00:40:02.199
to Jerusalem, right, and they're going to rebuild the temple,

588
00:40:02.800 --> 00:40:04.639
they can't sit there and pat each other on their back,

589
00:40:04.679 --> 00:40:07.360
going we did it, guys, we did it. What else

590
00:40:07.960 --> 00:40:12.480
should they be very careful of not doing? Somehow saying

591
00:40:13.280 --> 00:40:18.199
putting all the praise on Cyrus, right, that could be

592
00:40:18.199 --> 00:40:22.360
a very a dangerous thing. Right, It's not the Babylonian

593
00:40:22.440 --> 00:40:25.519
idols who's doing it for them. It's not Cyrus. It's

594
00:40:25.599 --> 00:40:30.199
not them, it's God. It's trying to emphasize that. Does

595
00:40:30.239 --> 00:40:36.360
that make sense? All right? Some will argue that this

596
00:40:36.639 --> 00:40:43.719
passage for shadows. Look at Isaiah fifty five twelve through thirteen.

597
00:40:44.800 --> 00:40:51.679
Isaiah fifty five twelve through thirteen. I'm not going to

598
00:40:51.760 --> 00:40:58.280
be dogmatic about this either, Isaiah fifty five twelve through thirteen.

599
00:40:58.320 --> 00:41:02.320
Tell me what you find there. This may may not work.

600
00:41:02.519 --> 00:41:06.519
I'm just I don't know if there's any significance here

601
00:41:06.559 --> 00:41:14.760
or not, So don't quote me on it. What do

602
00:41:14.840 --> 00:41:26.719
we find we have that transformation? All right? Some what

603
00:41:26.920 --> 00:41:31.480
some say? What some say is that Isaiah fifty five

604
00:41:31.760 --> 00:41:35.920
twelve through thirteen. What Some kind of emphasize that this

605
00:41:36.000 --> 00:41:39.360
could be foreshadowing the millennial Kingdom. If you believe in

606
00:41:39.360 --> 00:41:44.119
a millennial kingdom, all right, but there's going to be

607
00:41:44.199 --> 00:41:47.519
kind of a transformation millennial kingdom. Others will point to

608
00:41:48.360 --> 00:41:53.199
Revelation twenty two one through two. Look at Revelation twenty

609
00:41:53.199 --> 00:42:02.480
two one through two. Yes, I'm drinking water. For those

610
00:42:02.719 --> 00:42:07.039
listening online, they'll be like, what's that sound twenty two

611
00:42:07.679 --> 00:42:14.039
Hang on Revelation twenty two one through two, Revelation twenty

612
00:42:14.079 --> 00:42:24.760
two one through two, What do we have here? Okay?

613
00:42:25.159 --> 00:42:28.480
Is that new Heaven New Earth? Okay? Right? So some

614
00:42:28.599 --> 00:42:32.239
will say is this foreshadowing the millennial Kingdom? Some may

615
00:42:32.280 --> 00:42:34.760
say is this foreshadowing all ultimately the new heavens and

616
00:42:34.840 --> 00:42:37.639
New Earth. I don't think it's really in here in

617
00:42:38.000 --> 00:42:41.760
Isaiah forty one, I don't want to say it's foreshadowing that.

618
00:42:41.920 --> 00:42:44.440
I don't think it's reaching that far at this point, right,

619
00:42:44.920 --> 00:42:49.840
it's just trying, in a metaphorical way, telling Israel your worm.

620
00:42:50.239 --> 00:42:52.760
But I am the Holy One of Israel, and I'm

621
00:42:52.840 --> 00:42:58.920
going to sew, transform, restore, and bring you back into

622
00:42:59.079 --> 00:43:02.719
the land promised you in the Covenant. And then you're

623
00:43:02.719 --> 00:43:07.400
going to rebuild the temple, rebuild Jerusalem. I think that's

624
00:43:07.440 --> 00:43:10.519
the point. And it's doing it in a poetic way,

625
00:43:11.239 --> 00:43:16.199
an exaggerated way, hyperbolic way, that type metaphorical kind of language.

626
00:43:16.280 --> 00:43:19.199
I don't think it's that complicated to see that. Am

627
00:43:19.239 --> 00:43:23.079
my estimation. Right, So if we look at some of

628
00:43:23.079 --> 00:43:26.840
the thiological themes here, I think we can see God's

629
00:43:26.840 --> 00:43:30.960
power to transform. I think that's clearly being indicated, God's

630
00:43:30.960 --> 00:43:35.920
divine provision, and God's glory and restoration. I think all

631
00:43:35.960 --> 00:43:41.280
of that is seen God's power to transform, divine provision,

632
00:43:42.360 --> 00:43:45.559
God's glory and restoration. Now, if we talk about God's

633
00:43:45.599 --> 00:43:49.360
power to transform, if we talk about God's power to transform,

634
00:43:49.840 --> 00:43:53.119
this is where we get into well, we have a

635
00:43:53.119 --> 00:43:59.400
thiological dilemma here, right, we have a thiological dilemma. Right.

636
00:44:00.159 --> 00:44:04.760
The passage seemed to indicate God's power to transform. Yes,

637
00:44:05.360 --> 00:44:08.760
all right, what's the theological dilemma? Then you walk like

638
00:44:09.960 --> 00:44:12.800
as soon as you say God has the power to transform,

639
00:44:13.280 --> 00:44:21.599
you run right into a brick wall. Well, I mean

640
00:44:21.719 --> 00:44:23.800
there's a lot of questions we could ask. Okay, so

641
00:44:24.199 --> 00:44:29.360
Adam and Eve send right, Okay, so let's go all

642
00:44:29.400 --> 00:44:36.000
the way back they have Cain and Abel. Correct. Well,

643
00:44:36.159 --> 00:44:40.280
obviously Cain wasn't transformed because he kills his brother, right, Okay,

644
00:44:40.480 --> 00:44:43.280
that starts the story, right, And then what do we

645
00:44:43.360 --> 00:44:46.559
have over and over and over all the way up

646
00:44:46.559 --> 00:44:52.360
to Isaiah forty one? Sin, destruction, rape, murder, incest. You

647
00:44:52.400 --> 00:44:56.400
just just sin, sin, sin, sin, sin sin. Well, if

648
00:44:56.400 --> 00:45:07.840
God has the power to transform, why why are they

649
00:45:07.840 --> 00:45:14.760
in Babylonian captivity? All right? If God has the power

650
00:45:14.800 --> 00:45:17.960
to transform, they don't need to be in Babylonian captivity,

651
00:45:18.000 --> 00:45:24.719
do they? They should be what they should be perfect right, Okay?

652
00:45:24.920 --> 00:45:27.280
And then then and then let's forget Israel that comes

653
00:45:27.320 --> 00:45:31.840
all the way down to us. Correct Now, Christianity is

654
00:45:31.880 --> 00:45:36.519
the we we we have sold. Christianity is an infocommercial

655
00:45:36.760 --> 00:45:41.280
that sells what what is? Christianity is an infocommercial that

656
00:45:41.360 --> 00:45:49.239
sells the promise of what transformation? That's all Christianity sells, right,

657
00:45:50.239 --> 00:45:53.480
I mean, listen to Unshackled, listen to any any of

658
00:45:53.480 --> 00:45:58.000
the great testimonies. I mean, and many churches they have testimonies, right.

659
00:45:58.440 --> 00:46:01.119
I know that was what I was trained to do

660
00:46:01.320 --> 00:46:03.519
from the word go when I became a Christian. What

661
00:46:03.639 --> 00:46:05.920
was I supposed to do, and stand behind the pulpit

662
00:46:05.960 --> 00:46:09.679
and tell everyone, here was my life before I was saved.

663
00:46:09.920 --> 00:46:13.760
I sold drugs. I did drugs. This happened. I had

664
00:46:13.840 --> 00:46:17.840
no friends. I was lonely. I was abused, I was suicidal.

665
00:46:18.039 --> 00:46:22.079
I was miserable. My life had no purpose. I had nothing.

666
00:46:22.400 --> 00:46:25.320
I had nothing. But I became a Christian and done

667
00:46:25.400 --> 00:46:34.440
dun du dum transformation. I become changed, I become different.

668
00:46:34.800 --> 00:46:38.519
I have now purpose, I have a friend, I have happiness,

669
00:46:38.679 --> 00:46:42.320
I have joy, I have everything. I don't need anything.

670
00:46:43.800 --> 00:46:46.079
And if you will become a Christian, you can be

671
00:46:46.239 --> 00:46:51.880
like me. In that Christianity story. We've been selling it

672
00:46:51.920 --> 00:46:56.159
for two thousand years and then so and then for

673
00:46:56.320 --> 00:47:00.519
some right they get so mad if they look out

674
00:47:00.519 --> 00:47:03.199
there and they don't see transformation. They came up with

675
00:47:03.239 --> 00:47:09.840
an entire theology to question that. What is that theology called? Yeah,

676
00:47:09.960 --> 00:47:17.039
right here, Lordship's Salvation. There's MacArthur's book and this says,

677
00:47:17.159 --> 00:47:20.119
if I don't see the transformation, you're going to hell

678
00:47:20.280 --> 00:47:25.920
because you're not saved, and even doubles down on it.

679
00:47:28.199 --> 00:47:30.440
So and why would MacArthur have to come up with

680
00:47:30.480 --> 00:47:33.480
a book like this, because you got to explain the

681
00:47:33.559 --> 00:47:38.360
lack of transformation. Even MacArthur knows there's a lack of transformation.

682
00:47:40.079 --> 00:47:42.280
Preachers have been screaming and yelling about the lack of

683
00:47:42.280 --> 00:47:46.079
transformation forever. How do most preachers handle the lack of transformation?

684
00:47:46.280 --> 00:47:50.559
We need it, We need revival because what happens if

685
00:47:50.599 --> 00:47:55.000
we're revived transformation? But isn't that weird? Why do we

686
00:47:55.039 --> 00:47:58.360
need a revival for transformation? If supposedly when we became saved,

687
00:47:58.480 --> 00:48:00.800
we become new creatures and old things away and all

688
00:48:00.840 --> 00:48:03.559
things have become new, then I don't need a revival

689
00:48:03.719 --> 00:48:08.800
because I've already been transformed. So what's being revived? Is

690
00:48:09.400 --> 00:48:12.559
it just bringing life to someone who's already a new creature.

691
00:48:12.760 --> 00:48:16.079
That doesn't even make any sense. So there's that we

692
00:48:16.119 --> 00:48:20.920
need revival, right, If you can read Finney's book, it

693
00:48:21.000 --> 00:48:23.639
was to say, oh, there's a deadness, there's a coldness.

694
00:48:23.639 --> 00:48:26.800
People don't read, people don't study their Bible, they don't

695
00:48:26.800 --> 00:48:30.079
do this. We need revival. That's always the constant revival

696
00:48:30.400 --> 00:48:34.400
technique the lordship. How did they say, forget revival? We

697
00:48:34.440 --> 00:48:41.480
need what we need salvation because people aren't saved Christianity.

698
00:48:41.639 --> 00:48:44.360
And then others are like, well, oh, got we need

699
00:48:44.400 --> 00:48:46.159
to do so? Oh and so then what did they

700
00:48:46.159 --> 00:48:49.079
throw out? So we have revival as an answer. We

701
00:48:49.119 --> 00:48:53.639
need salvation as an answer. We need small groups. If

702
00:48:53.679 --> 00:48:56.760
we all go to someone's household hands, see kumbaya, have

703
00:48:56.840 --> 00:49:00.480
a couple of snacks, and talk about our feelings, boom,

704
00:49:00.480 --> 00:49:03.599
we'll get that transformation. Well, why do we need small groups?

705
00:49:03.760 --> 00:49:06.199
If the minute I became saved, I was a new creature,

706
00:49:06.199 --> 00:49:08.280
old things that passed away. All things have become new.

707
00:49:08.360 --> 00:49:12.840
I don't need your stinking small group. Oh well, we

708
00:49:12.880 --> 00:49:16.679
need church. Wait, we need to read our Bible. Wait,

709
00:49:16.719 --> 00:49:20.559
we need to pray, we need devotionals. We guess what

710
00:49:20.840 --> 00:49:24.639
Christianity is so weird? It promises transformation, but then it

711
00:49:24.719 --> 00:49:28.880
constantly has created an entire industry to supposedly teach you

712
00:49:29.119 --> 00:49:31.440
how to be transformed. I don't need to be taught

713
00:49:31.480 --> 00:49:34.519
to be transformed. If I was transformed, so can someone

714
00:49:34.559 --> 00:49:39.320
tell me what went wrong? And if God has the

715
00:49:39.360 --> 00:49:42.119
power to transform, just stink and do it. Don't tell

716
00:49:42.159 --> 00:49:45.880
me about it, just do it. Then guess what where

717
00:49:45.840 --> 00:49:50.039
there would be no problems in church. If you want

718
00:49:50.079 --> 00:49:51.639
to see the problems in church, just go to the

719
00:49:51.679 --> 00:49:55.360
Roy's report. Just go look at it. Oh again. I mean,

720
00:49:55.400 --> 00:49:57.320
I don't even know how many just in the last week,

721
00:49:57.559 --> 00:50:00.199
this pastor arrested for sexually assaulting a child. Well, this

722
00:50:00.800 --> 00:50:04.039
one for child pornography, this one for this over and

723
00:50:04.079 --> 00:50:06.039
over and over and over and over and over and

724
00:50:06.079 --> 00:50:13.400
over and it never ends. Why Because this whole talk

725
00:50:13.480 --> 00:50:21.679
of transformation is completely bogus. If there's practical transformation, then

726
00:50:21.719 --> 00:50:24.599
there would not be a history two thousand years of

727
00:50:24.679 --> 00:50:34.760
horrible sin with there. So where's the transformation? Positionally? We agree? Practically,

728
00:50:35.119 --> 00:50:38.519
so when we take this, what can we understand here?

729
00:50:40.119 --> 00:50:43.679
The transformation being promised in this section in Isaiah forty one,

730
00:50:43.960 --> 00:50:49.239
first of all, cannot be applied to us. Second, this

731
00:50:49.280 --> 00:50:56.800
transformation is only guaranteeing what in its historical context? What

732
00:50:56.920 --> 00:51:03.639
is this transformation promising in its historical context? That this

733
00:51:03.800 --> 00:51:07.000
is just promising God is going to transform their situation

734
00:51:07.280 --> 00:51:09.320
so they get back into the land. That's it. It's

735
00:51:09.360 --> 00:51:11.639
not transforming that Israel's going to be perfect, because we

736
00:51:11.679 --> 00:51:13.760
know they're not gonna be perfect, right, I mean, they're

737
00:51:13.800 --> 00:51:18.920
gonna kill their Messiah, Okay, right, okay, when when Jesus

738
00:51:19.000 --> 00:51:21.840
shows up, they don't accept him, do they. I mean,

739
00:51:22.000 --> 00:51:24.239
there's a short amount of time some accept him, but

740
00:51:24.280 --> 00:51:26.599
then they all walk away. So all right, so they're

741
00:51:26.639 --> 00:51:29.599
not transformed. That didn't that. That's not gonna fix anything.

742
00:51:30.000 --> 00:51:35.320
This transformation talk, it's almost the it's the poison within.

743
00:51:35.599 --> 00:51:37.320
I know that nobody's gonna like me to say that

744
00:51:37.480 --> 00:51:41.599
it's the poison within Christianity. Why is it the poison

745
00:51:41.760 --> 00:51:44.480
because you only got a couple of options. What are

746
00:51:44.519 --> 00:51:48.000
your options when you hear transformation transformation trustorming from the

747
00:51:48.039 --> 00:51:51.199
moment you became a Christian, You've heard the transformation talk, right,

748
00:51:51.840 --> 00:51:54.599
and you didn't even catch on to the contradiction. Because

749
00:51:54.639 --> 00:51:56.679
if I, if I was transformed at the moment of

750
00:51:56.679 --> 00:51:58.920
my salvation, why are you telling me I gotta do

751
00:51:58.960 --> 00:52:00.400
this and do this, and do this and do this.

752
00:52:00.440 --> 00:52:04.400
I've already been transformed. I don't need to do anything, right,

753
00:52:05.119 --> 00:52:06.840
you gotta read your Bible, you gotta study, you gotta

754
00:52:06.880 --> 00:52:09.079
go to church. No, I don't. I'm a new creature.

755
00:52:09.800 --> 00:52:13.320
I was transformed instantaneously. Well, it doesn't quite work out

756
00:52:13.360 --> 00:52:15.360
that way. I know it doesn't work that way because

757
00:52:15.400 --> 00:52:19.199
this entire system is broken. So it leaves you with

758
00:52:19.280 --> 00:52:23.840
what one a lifetime of just trying to be something

759
00:52:23.880 --> 00:52:26.119
you know never going to be, and you have to

760
00:52:26.119 --> 00:52:28.719
can either convince yourself you're doing it, or you find

761
00:52:28.760 --> 00:52:32.119
yourself in a total pit of despair and despondency and

762
00:52:32.159 --> 00:52:36.639
thinking what is wrong with me? That's that's the story

763
00:52:36.679 --> 00:52:44.639
of Christianity. You either lie, pretend, or you one day

764
00:52:44.639 --> 00:52:48.320
you're gonna wake up and go this stuff doesn't work.

765
00:52:49.760 --> 00:52:55.639
That's what you're left with, why or complete despair. And

766
00:52:55.960 --> 00:53:01.320
people love to pretend. Oh I'm so, I'm so good

767
00:53:01.760 --> 00:53:03.679
you can do you do that? Sooner or later the

768
00:53:03.719 --> 00:53:07.519
facade cracks, the curtain gets pulled back and we see

769
00:53:07.519 --> 00:53:10.519
who the Wizard of Oz really is, which is a

770
00:53:10.559 --> 00:53:20.760
worm okay, who's weak and can't do anything. Nobody likes

771
00:53:20.760 --> 00:53:23.159
to hear that. Everybody gets mad at me, But I'm sorry.

772
00:53:23.280 --> 00:53:25.079
I got two thousand years at church. I got my

773
00:53:25.119 --> 00:53:28.360
own life to look at. Yeah, I got your life

774
00:53:28.360 --> 00:53:31.079
to look at. We all know now that doesn't mean

775
00:53:31.119 --> 00:53:33.280
everyone's going to commit the same sin in the same way,

776
00:53:33.480 --> 00:53:36.480
but we all know if we compare ourselves to the standard,

777
00:53:36.679 --> 00:53:40.880
where do we find ourselves again? And you know what

778
00:53:41.119 --> 00:53:43.400
scriptures I'm gonna quote I do it all the time.

779
00:53:43.760 --> 00:53:45.880
Be holy as He is holy? All right. That means

780
00:53:45.920 --> 00:53:49.480
you have to be absolutely perfect and internally externally in thought, word, deed,

781
00:53:49.719 --> 00:53:52.480
and desire. Nobody in this room pulled that off this week.

782
00:53:53.760 --> 00:53:56.079
Love God with all your heart, mind, body, and soul.

783
00:53:56.280 --> 00:53:59.800
Nobody pulled that off this week. Desire the Word of

784
00:53:59.800 --> 00:54:02.920
God more than food and money. Nobody pulled that off

785
00:54:02.920 --> 00:54:07.800
this week. Love your enemy, love your neighbor as yourself,

786
00:54:08.079 --> 00:54:11.239
turn the other cheek, do all things without complaining and grumbling.

787
00:54:11.760 --> 00:54:14.960
Be content whatever state you find yourself. Do I need

788
00:54:15.000 --> 00:54:21.119
to go on? Anybody feel convicted? Yet? So what does

789
00:54:21.119 --> 00:54:24.400
that demonstrate that this week? Even this week, after all

790
00:54:24.440 --> 00:54:26.360
of these years of being saved, you still did not

791
00:54:26.440 --> 00:54:29.920
demonstrate true transformation, did you? So you go to church

792
00:54:29.960 --> 00:54:33.880
to be told what you need to do more. You

793
00:54:33.880 --> 00:54:36.000
need to read your Bible more. You need to pray more.

794
00:54:36.039 --> 00:54:37.440
You need to go to church more. You need to

795
00:54:37.519 --> 00:54:39.880
join a small grip. You need an accountability partner. You

796
00:54:39.920 --> 00:54:41.400
need to do this. You need to do this. You

797
00:54:41.400 --> 00:54:42.800
need to do this, You need to do this, You

798
00:54:42.840 --> 00:54:44.559
need to do that. Every week you come to get

799
00:54:44.559 --> 00:54:47.400
a to do list. Then you're gonna go home. And

800
00:54:47.440 --> 00:54:53.639
do what not do so that you can come back

801
00:54:53.639 --> 00:54:55.920
to church next week to be given another to do list,

802
00:54:56.039 --> 00:55:02.599
because every sermon is a to do list. This does

803
00:55:02.679 --> 00:55:06.519
show God's transforming power. Now what what now? Philologically? What

804
00:55:06.639 --> 00:55:08.440
is one thing we have to acknowledge? Now, this is

805
00:55:08.440 --> 00:55:11.800
where it's going to get really complicated. God has the

806
00:55:11.840 --> 00:55:27.639
power to transform. So if he doesn't, hmmm, where does

807
00:55:27.679 --> 00:55:32.159
that leave us? That gets really iffy, right, because if

808
00:55:32.159 --> 00:55:34.880
he doesn't transform me, and we all know that even

809
00:55:34.920 --> 00:55:37.079
if you, even if you say you try to remove

810
00:55:37.159 --> 00:55:38.960
the sovereignty of God and you put it on us,

811
00:55:39.239 --> 00:55:42.239
we know that even with our best efforts, we can't

812
00:55:42.320 --> 00:55:45.840
get to perfection. So that means God has not given

813
00:55:45.920 --> 00:55:49.000
us the ability to get to perfection. That means somehow

814
00:55:49.400 --> 00:55:52.039
sin and failure is a part of the plan. And

815
00:55:52.119 --> 00:55:56.000
nobody wants to acknowledge that because that would mean what, well,

816
00:55:56.000 --> 00:55:58.719
that's how do you process that? How does the church

817
00:55:58.760 --> 00:56:02.880
operate with that reality? I don't know. I don't have

818
00:56:02.920 --> 00:56:06.840
a good answer. I don't nobody because nobody wants to

819
00:56:06.880 --> 00:56:10.760
deal with that. Basically, the church is you get saved,

820
00:56:11.079 --> 00:56:13.960
be perfect, and if you're not perfect, you're gonna get

821
00:56:14.039 --> 00:56:18.559
yelled at right. I mean, that's basically the way I

822
00:56:18.599 --> 00:56:21.559
was taught to do things. What do you do? What's

823
00:56:21.599 --> 00:56:24.000
the goal of a sermon? You're gonna get people where

824
00:56:24.519 --> 00:56:27.039
from the pew to the altar because it's the number

825
00:56:27.039 --> 00:56:29.400
of people who respond to the altar that you know

826
00:56:29.519 --> 00:56:31.519
you preached. Well, well, how do you get people from

827
00:56:31.559 --> 00:56:34.639
the pew to the altar? Put out all the things

828
00:56:34.679 --> 00:56:38.559
that they are not doing? Well, why is it that

829
00:56:38.599 --> 00:56:40.320
week after week you can get people from the pew

830
00:56:40.360 --> 00:56:42.239
to the altar because week after week, no one is

831
00:56:42.320 --> 00:56:45.119
doing the things are supposed to do, including the one

832
00:56:45.159 --> 00:56:47.719
preaching the message. Why is it that week after week

833
00:56:47.760 --> 00:56:50.360
that continues to happen. Because someone should raise their hand

834
00:56:50.400 --> 00:56:52.159
and go, wait a minute, guys, why don't we keep

835
00:56:52.239 --> 00:56:55.719
going to the altar? Aren't we all new creatures in Christ?

836
00:56:55.719 --> 00:56:57.639
The old passed away and all things are new? There

837
00:56:57.679 --> 00:56:59.920
should be no no matter what I preach, everybody should

838
00:56:59.920 --> 00:57:01.760
be like, well I don't that's not my problem. That's

839
00:57:01.760 --> 00:57:03.960
not my problem. That's not I love I do this,

840
00:57:04.039 --> 00:57:07.400
I do that. But does that ever know, everyone gets convicted.

841
00:57:07.440 --> 00:57:10.079
You know why you get convicted because you never do it? Well,

842
00:57:10.480 --> 00:57:12.519
didn't that ever raise a question in your mind. Will

843
00:57:12.559 --> 00:57:16.320
wait a minute. If nobody's doing it and everyone's constantly convicted,

844
00:57:16.639 --> 00:57:18.400
then how are we new creatures in christs and old

845
00:57:18.440 --> 00:57:20.719
things that passed away? All things have become new? Clearly,

846
00:57:20.840 --> 00:57:23.119
you should have just logically begin to realize that that

847
00:57:23.199 --> 00:57:28.320
doesn't work. Right, I'd stupid me couldn't figure it out.

848
00:57:29.719 --> 00:57:35.719
I couldn't figure it out. So I've told the story.

849
00:57:35.920 --> 00:57:39.039
What did I do? I had to overcompensate. I will

850
00:57:39.039 --> 00:57:42.039
read more, listen to more sermons, more study, more get

851
00:57:42.280 --> 00:57:43.719
I will go to this school, in this school and

852
00:57:43.760 --> 00:57:46.239
this school, and then guess what, At least I can

853
00:57:46.280 --> 00:57:49.440
tell everyone? Come on, you don't know as much as

854
00:57:49.480 --> 00:57:51.320
I do. You don't read as much as I do.

855
00:57:51.440 --> 00:57:53.719
You don't listen to many sermons as I do. I'm

856
00:57:53.719 --> 00:57:55.719
better than all of you in all of these areas,

857
00:57:56.079 --> 00:58:02.800
So then I could overcompensate. Right, Well, that's stupid, that's

858
00:58:02.840 --> 00:58:05.000
a stupid game. And then someone else could be it. Well,

859
00:58:05.039 --> 00:58:07.320
I pray more than you. I go to I love,

860
00:58:07.519 --> 00:58:10.599
I go to fellowships, and I enjoy them. So I'm

861
00:58:10.800 --> 00:58:13.239
I'm more spirited. And that's how the game is played,

862
00:58:13.320 --> 00:58:16.360
is it not? Everyone finds their little thing that they

863
00:58:16.440 --> 00:58:19.840
do to convince themselves that they're doing the good thing. Well,

864
00:58:19.840 --> 00:58:22.320
why is your thing better than my thing? Because my

865
00:58:22.400 --> 00:58:24.559
Christian life I was constantly told well, you don't go

866
00:58:24.599 --> 00:58:26.719
to fellowships and you don't do this, and you don't

867
00:58:26.800 --> 00:58:29.320
like being around people, you're not very spiritual, and I'm like,

868
00:58:29.360 --> 00:58:31.559
well I read more than you, and that's all all.

869
00:58:31.639 --> 00:58:37.599
It turns into, how about we just all admit what, Yeah,

870
00:58:37.719 --> 00:58:41.159
we're all flawed. So clearly we have not been transformed.

871
00:58:41.440 --> 00:58:44.679
But God has the power to transform. That becomes problematic.

872
00:58:44.719 --> 00:58:51.800
Why does he not then just transform us? That somehow

873
00:58:52.239 --> 00:58:55.039
the lack of transformation is a part of the plan,

874
00:58:56.519 --> 00:59:02.320
because what is it? Constantly then demonstrate our need for

875
00:59:02.400 --> 00:59:08.639
Him and our need for what imputed righteousness? Because it's

876
00:59:08.840 --> 00:59:11.159
if we're saved by imputed righteousness, we shouldn't have been.

877
00:59:11.440 --> 00:59:15.559
How does Protestants who believe in imputed righteousness ever even

878
00:59:15.639 --> 00:59:20.800
believe teach transformation? Because imputed righteousness what is the one

879
00:59:20.800 --> 00:59:25.559
thing imputed righteousness will not do? Does not change you,

880
00:59:26.519 --> 00:59:30.719
does not transform you. So for those of us who

881
00:59:30.760 --> 00:59:35.559
reject Catholicism, then turn around and demand change. You don't

882
00:59:35.559 --> 00:59:39.039
believe in imputed righteousness. You believe in infuse righteousness, So

883
00:59:39.119 --> 00:59:46.400
get out of my face, because I've got two options

884
00:59:46.440 --> 00:59:48.320
if I'm going to agree with you that there needs

885
00:59:48.320 --> 00:59:52.239
to be changed. I'm going to a Sacred Heart Catholic

886
00:59:52.360 --> 00:59:54.440
church and I'm going to go to Mass, and I'm

887
00:59:54.480 --> 00:59:58.639
just going to become join the catechism program and I'm

888
00:59:58.639 --> 01:00:03.199
going to become a Catholic at least that can be consistent. Right,

889
01:00:03.800 --> 01:00:05.559
because I go to some Protestant church is going to

890
01:00:05.599 --> 01:00:09.960
teach this trash that they're so they're denying the very

891
01:00:10.239 --> 01:00:15.679
reason they're Protestant. We're Protestants, but we teach infused righteousness. No,

892
01:00:15.800 --> 01:00:20.000
you're not. So. The transformation thing leads to lots. God

893
01:00:20.079 --> 01:00:23.480
can transform, but clearly he doesn't transform us. But in

894
01:00:23.519 --> 01:00:26.840
this section legislated again and we're out of time. The

895
01:00:26.880 --> 01:00:33.199
transformation is about what bringing Israel from a worm back

896
01:00:33.239 --> 01:00:37.880
to being restored as God's people and the land and

897
01:00:37.960 --> 01:00:42.639
rebuilt Jerusalem and the rebuilt Temple. And we know that

898
01:00:42.679 --> 01:00:48.159
transformation lasts not very long because in the Inner Testament

899
01:00:48.199 --> 01:00:51.000
period they have the Macabean revolt, right, they have problems

900
01:00:51.000 --> 01:00:56.239
even before Rome takes over. Do they not Maccabees at

901
01:00:56.239 --> 01:00:58.159
first and is at first the second Macabees. You can

902
01:00:58.199 --> 01:01:01.400
read about the Macabean revolt. Right, everything happens, that's right.

903
01:01:01.559 --> 01:01:07.000
So they have problems before they even get Rome takes over.

904
01:01:07.320 --> 01:01:10.960
So the transformation is not likee when when Jesus gets there,

905
01:01:11.239 --> 01:01:16.000
does he gets to does he get to a transformed Israel? No?

906
01:01:16.559 --> 01:01:20.280
He gets to what an Israel that rejects their own

907
01:01:20.320 --> 01:01:24.199
Messiah and kills him? All right, that's okay. So the

908
01:01:24.239 --> 01:01:28.199
transformation we know historically is limited. All right, Now, just

909
01:01:28.280 --> 01:01:31.679
ticked off the entire Christian world. But that's okay because

910
01:01:31.679 --> 01:01:33.519
when you get ticked off and you say mean things

911
01:01:33.559 --> 01:01:36.119
about me, you just show your lack of transformation. So

912
01:01:36.559 --> 01:01:39.320
you'll just prove my point. So thank you very much.

913
01:01:39.480 --> 01:01:42.159
Right because, and guess what, and I'll respond to your

914
01:01:42.559 --> 01:01:46.559
attack upon me in a way that shows my lack

915
01:01:46.599 --> 01:01:49.960
of transformation. So them, can we just shake hands and realize, hmmm,

916
01:01:50.280 --> 01:01:53.440
neither one of us are transformed? What does that mean? Oh?

917
01:01:53.639 --> 01:01:56.199
Maybe because we're saved by an imputed righteousness which doesn't

918
01:01:56.639 --> 01:02:02.360
transform us. That's deep. Huh what does that mean? And

919
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how the church should operate? You go figure that out?

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Let me know, because I don't think anyone has a clue.

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All right, let's pray it. Lord God, we come before

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you this morning. Thank you for this place to be

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able to challenge and question things, and we just try

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to understand this text to the best of our ability.

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Forgive us for how we've mishandled it, and we pray

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that we will continue to work hard to handle the

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text as accurately as possible. And we asked this in

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Jesus name, and God's people said