Title: God's Power and Providence
Contents
Sermon day-080330 Sunday day
Title: God's Power and Providence
Bible - Isaiah 42:6
As we live in the world, we may experience frustration or pain ourselves when we encounter unexpected difficult problems or inflict pain on others through minor carelessness or our own personal flaws.
It's life to go through these trivial things, but if you react too sensitively to situations, you can feel deeply skeptical about your life.
If you look at the faith of the people of Israel, there is one remarkable feature.
It is the fact that they confess the God they serve as the Creator and Ruler of the universe and all things, as well as being meticulously involved in each and every problem of life.
That is why they never lost the faith of their chosen people even in the midst of frequent national hardships, such as being taken prisoner by strangers.
Illustration - The Power of the Word
1. The call of God's people
In this passage, the prophet Isaiah mentions a very important fact that we must pay attention to.
That is, God the Creator called the people of Israel who were taken captive to Babylon to righteousness because of their sins.
What meaning could there have been for the people of Israel, who worship idols and break the law and are suffering from Babylon's captivity?
It means that God the Creator took pity on them, put an end to their imprisonment, and restored the place of God's chosen people again.
This is the grace and gospel of God.
The heart of God who created this vast sky is wider than the sky, and the grace of God who created the deep sea with one word is much deeper than the sea.
God the Creator had compassion on the people of Israel, and He Himself called them in righteousness and saved them.
In other words, God is not only the Creator and Judge, but also the Savior who saves by grace.
Illustration - The Secret to Becoming a Mighty Servant of God
2. Established as a light for the Gentiles
Next, the prophet Isaiah introduces the wonderful plan of God the Creator to restore the place of the chosen people to the sinful people of Israel.
That is, he would make the people of Israel a “light of the Gentiles.”
This means the restoration of the mission along with the restoration of the chosen blessing.
The saints must realize one important fact that must not be forgotten here.
It is that God does not take away our mission, restore it, and still does not disappoint our expectations of our mission, no matter what situation and circumstances we are in.
Jonah, who had rejected God's command and wanted to go back on his own again, was taken up again, and Peter, who vehemently denied Jesus in front of people because of fear, was called again and entrusted with the mission.
Therefore, no matter what great mistake we ourselves have made, or whether we have given up our office as a church because life is difficult, we must repent and return to our mission.
We are the “lights of the Gentiles” and the “lights of the world” that God Himself established even though we know our shortcomings.
As the great Creator who created heaven and earth with a single word, God takes care of us even now with his great power.
God, who has a heart of love and mercy wider than heaven, forgives all our sins in Christ Jesus and calls us to a place of blessing and mission.
Not only does He save us, He also wants to save the world through us who are saved, and He plans and accomplishes a wonderful new work for the saved saints.