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[177.80 --> 185.76] small snippets of our human existence and desires. Because deep down, all of us, every single one of us, |
[186.14 --> 191.60] crave joy, happiness, and pleasure. Good things for our lives, not bad things. |
[191.60 --> 199.02] And the same desire for joy and happiness is found as a key theme throughout the whole entire Bible. |
[200.00 --> 208.56] It's as if our Holy Scripture speaks about real humans with real lives, seeking what it means to love, |
[208.78 --> 216.10] what it means to be peaceful, what it means to be joyful, rejoicing, and what that really means. |
[216.10 --> 224.24] Because from the beginning, as we read from Genesis 1, God created the whole world, the whole entire universe, |
[224.86 --> 232.40] and then He rested, yes, but He said after each day that the creation that He made was good. |
[233.06 --> 237.86] It was good. It was good. And then at the very end, He said, it was very good. |
[237.86 --> 246.84] In other words, He, our Creator, took joy and pleasure in His beautiful, creative, diverse creation. |
[248.22 --> 254.16] And then part of that beautiful creation is us, human beings, made in His own image. |
[254.42 --> 260.82] This is a very important doctrine, very important teaching, imago Dei, that we are all made in the image of God. |
[260.82 --> 272.18] Why this is important is because just like God takes joy in all of creation, we, made in His image, also find real joy in creation as well. |
[272.52 --> 275.34] That's where I want to start before we get into our Isaiah text. |
[276.56 --> 279.78] A lot of the songs express different feelings. |
[280.48 --> 287.30] But particularly, Psalm 104 is a longer psalm that details all the beauty of creation. |
[287.30 --> 289.60] And then at the end, the psalmist says, |
[289.90 --> 291.78] I will sing to the Lord all my life. |
[292.30 --> 295.30] I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. |
[295.72 --> 303.44] May my meditation be pleasing to God as I rejoice in the Lord, as I find joy in the Lord. |
[304.72 --> 307.56] And thinking about what real joy looks like then, |
[307.92 --> 313.62] we find that source of joy in God as we read from the prophet Isaiah again. |
[313.62 --> 320.88] Isaiah speaks about God's people finding joy and praising Him for His sovereignty and goodness. |
[321.70 --> 323.48] Sovereignty, which is something we'll get into. |
[324.02 --> 329.22] And so if you have your Bibles with you, my Bible is just kind of filled with glitter from the table for some reason. |
[329.60 --> 336.42] If you have a non-shiny Bible with you, and even if it's not the God-ordained NIV version, that's okay. |
[337.16 --> 342.38] Whatever version you have, I encourage you to bring your Bibles and turn with me to Isaiah 55. |
[342.38 --> 345.86] If not, it'll be available on the screen for you. |
[347.78 --> 350.82] We read from verse 6 from Isaiah 55. |
[372.38 --> 381.82] And the Lord goes on to say, |
[381.82 --> 388.60] As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. |
[389.24 --> 396.42] As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, |
[396.56 --> 399.46] so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, |
[400.56 --> 403.48] so is my word that goes out from my mouth. |
[403.48 --> 411.34] It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. |
[412.26 --> 418.10] So then you, all my people, will go out in joy and be led forth in shalom. |
[418.76 --> 424.64] The mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. |
[424.64 --> 430.52] Instead of the thorn bush will grow the juniper, and instead of briars the myrtle will grow. |
[430.96 --> 436.18] This will be for the Lord's renown, for an everlasting sign that will endure forever. |
[436.74 --> 438.28] This is the word of the Lord. |
[439.72 --> 440.48] Thank you. |
[440.48 --> 452.44] From our passage this morning, I would suggest that there are two main things, two main takeaways for God's people, which is us. |
[453.16 --> 457.00] One, just as we heard from the video at the beginning of the service, |
[457.52 --> 462.84] joy is an attitude that God's people adopt, not because of happy circumstances, |
[463.26 --> 466.34] but because of their hope in God's love and promises. |
[466.34 --> 470.94] In other words, God is the foundation of real joy. |
[471.94 --> 473.36] That's one key takeaway. |
[473.92 --> 481.98] Second, we find real joy in God, our foundation, because God's word and his promises are trustworthy. |
[483.44 --> 486.80] When all else fail, his word doesn't. |
[487.44 --> 488.28] That's good news. |
[489.18 --> 495.98] God's word, his will, his mission, and his loving mercy is trustworthy and true. |
[496.82 --> 497.30] Always. |
[498.20 --> 499.94] So follow with me the logic here. |
[500.02 --> 506.02] If, therefore, God is the unshakable, reliable foundation for us, |
[506.34 --> 513.48] the more we are aligned to him, the more we are aligned to his will and his purposes for the world, |
[514.04 --> 519.32] then the more we will be able to glimpse and live in real joy, |
[519.94 --> 523.38] because our foundation is in him and his will. |
[523.38 --> 528.22] It's a full blessed cycle, if you can picture it that way. |
[529.08 --> 531.94] Our joy is an adopted attitude because we trust in God. |
[532.26 --> 536.18] And the more we trust in God and are aligned with his will, |
[536.42 --> 538.76] the more joy we will be able to live out. |
[538.96 --> 540.16] It's an ongoing thing. |
[540.58 --> 546.16] And so even in the hardships of life, within this blessed cycle, with God being our foundation, |
[546.16 --> 551.60] we can find joy and choose joy because God is with us. |
[552.48 --> 555.78] So with that in mind, let's walk through our passage from Isaiah |
[555.78 --> 559.60] and how it reflects this joyful good news for God's people. |
[560.40 --> 563.84] The structure of the passage that we read is actually pretty simple. |
[564.12 --> 565.44] It's split into three parts. |
[565.86 --> 571.42] First, from verses 6 to 9, it's about seeking God for forgiveness. |
[571.42 --> 573.24] It's about repentance. |
[573.90 --> 575.02] And this is very significant. |
[575.16 --> 576.04] This is where we start. |
[576.66 --> 580.54] Finding real joy starts with asking for forgiveness and repenting. |
[581.18 --> 585.98] Second, in verses 10 to 11, we are told, proclaimed, |
[586.64 --> 589.26] that God's words are reliable and effective. |
[590.12 --> 591.72] He is sovereign, we say. |
[591.82 --> 594.84] He's all-powerful and his words will never fail. |
[595.68 --> 597.84] And then because of these foundational things, |
[597.84 --> 603.90] we have this last section in our passage where we burst out with all of creation in a song of joy. |
[605.14 --> 606.76] So let's start from the beginning. |
[607.40 --> 612.74] As I mentioned, it is so significant that the beginning of finding real joy in our passage |
[612.74 --> 617.18] starts with repentance and seeking God for forgiveness. |
[618.36 --> 621.34] Against the message of looking within ourselves, |
[621.76 --> 623.98] maybe suppressing all sadness and gloom, |
[623.98 --> 627.92] and then forcing ourselves to be happy out of our own strength and logic. |
[628.80 --> 631.86] Isaiah, this passage, says, don't start there. |
[632.28 --> 634.78] You don't start with your own strength and your own wisdom, |
[635.20 --> 637.92] your own joyfulness, whatever you have. |
[638.82 --> 643.10] It starts with seeking God and seeking for forgiveness. |
[645.40 --> 651.04] The prophet calls the people who are thirsty and who are desperate in sadness to repent. |
[651.52 --> 652.26] That's verse 1. |
[652.26 --> 654.50] We didn't read it, but we'll read it now. |
[654.58 --> 656.22] At the beginning of this chapter that we read, |
[656.78 --> 659.72] from chapter 55, verse 1 says, |
[659.84 --> 661.80] Come all you who are thirsty, |
[662.22 --> 663.14] come to the waters, |
[663.62 --> 665.82] and you who have no money, come buy and eat. |
[666.42 --> 667.98] Come buy wine and milk, |
[668.58 --> 670.38] without money and without cost. |
[671.10 --> 672.16] This is the invitation. |
[672.68 --> 673.82] And then it goes on |
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