My Redeemer My Song

Introduction

Good Morning Church! WOW it’s awesome to be here this morning! And! It’s great to be in the middle of the Christmas season. It’s always great to see the things happening around town. It’s great to see the decorations and lights up. Some of us are beginning to enjoy the tastes of the season! We’re getting to taste and enjoy things we sometimes don’t have during the year. I’ve always wondered by tamales taste different at Christmas than during the middle of the season. How about those biscochitos with a hot cup of coffee or a hot cup of apple cider? Ok — enough about that cause if we keep going with that thought — we might just have to make a trip to the kitchen. This is one of the best times of the year!

Next week will be one of the joyous times of whole the year. We’ll be celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ! Jesus will be celebrated in many areas across this globe. He’ll be celebrated by many right here. Some of you will be celebrating with a special birthday party dedicated to Jesus; you may have already done that. I remember going to a birthday part for Jesus. It was AWESOME. The food was great. The company was great with a lot of laughter. The celebration was something to see. It came complete with birthday cake and singing to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Although there were many gathered, knowing that Jesus was the guest of honor; we all knew that He was there with us. It was wonderful seeing so many reflecting on Jesus as “My Redeemer My Song” bringing celebration and thanksgiving to our Lord. In fact, that’s the title of our sermon today — My Redeemer My Song.

I’d like to invite you to open your Bibles, or smart device with me to the book Isaiah. We’re going to be in the 12th Chapter, beginning in verse 1. Let’s start by reading through verse 6.

Isaiah 12:1 ESV

1 You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.

Isaiah 12:2 ESV

2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Isaiah 12:3 ESV

3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Isaiah 12:4 ESV

4 And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.

Isaiah 12:5 ESV

5 “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.

Isaiah 12:6 ESV

6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

Pastoral Prayer

During the study for this sermon, I couldn’t help but think back on an old hymn, a popular gospel song. Please allow me to read the first stanza:

Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!

Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;

Redeemed through His infinite mercy,

His child and forever I am.

Redeemed, redeemed,

Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;

Redeemed, redeemed,

His child and forever I am.

These are some powerful words, and a reflection of the joy of the heart for Jesus Christ. It’s thought these words were penned back in c. 1882, by Fanny Crosby. If you’d like to look it up, it’s hymn #521 in our hymnals. It’s a great thing to reflect on our Savior Jesus Christ during this season, that we celebrate His birth, His ministry and His work.

[Display Verse 1]

Our verse starts off this morning with a pointing to a future where the faithful remnant sill stand openly declaring the glory of God through words of praise. Isaiah is giving an impression, a foretaste of what it can mean to live in a spirit of praise. During the Christmas season, this is one of the times of year where we can bring praise to Jesus. It’s also been thought that during this time of year, many others are more open to talking about Jesus Christ, hearing more about Jesus, and hearing of the gospel of grace. When we turn our focus to the Person many of us have come to know, appreciate and love, we recognize that our redemption results in praise from the grace we know we’ve received. We can begin to see the over tones of grace. In verse 1, grace is personalized on an individual basis. This is the fuel of gratitude for praise. It’s interesting to see Isaiah writes “I will give thanks you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.” In a few chapters back, when Isaiah had visions of the Lord, in a similar sense when Paul reflected on his past lift, Isaiah said:

Isaiah 6:5 ESV

5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, perhaps you can relate to the words, “I will give thanks you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.” I can recall a time in my life when I was outside the grace of God. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. But reflecting back, I can now realize I was in grave danger, and understanding now; His judgement is justified for me rebellion. Perhaps you have a similar reflection. But, today! His grace and mercy is realized. Through belief in His Son Jesus Christ, the free gift of salvation is received. Perfect peace and rest came through Jesus Christ. The sin and guilt of a past life is cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. That is one of the great characteristics of grace in how it has been made personalized. This helps us to have confidence not only in Jesus Christ but God. Think about when you have a full confident testimony in something. What is some of the fruit that springs forward? To name a couple, first we have trust. Trust is built on the foundation of consistency. When we begin to see consistent results in something our trust goes up, which in turn our confidence goes up. Because, we begin to see the same thing over and over again. When our confidence is shored by the stilts of trust, we begin to relax. Think about when you’re relaxed. You have peace, and fear is put aside. You’re content. That is where Isaiah is at in verse 2.

[Display Verse 2]

Isaiah has reached the level of full trust in the Lord. All fear has been put aside, and his heart has begun to sing. Verse 2 is rich with theology! When we see the word “behold,” this means — hey it’s time to sit up and take notice because this is important! The salvation of your soul is important! Your eternal security is important to God. Let me challenge this with you if you are not yet a believer in Jesus Christ. Think about the one thing you have confidence in, something you believe in. What is that one thing? Will that one thing you’re thinking about get you into heaven. Will it provide you will the full assurance of eternal security? Don’t put your “beholds” on the things in this life that mean nothing in eternity. “Behold” points to the priority of salvation. But! Take a look at these next 4-words, “God is my salvation.” I’d like for you to see one important characteristic within these 4-words. It’s how we can reflect on salvation within the covenant of grace. The Bible does not say “God provided salvation.” Or to personalize it “God provided my salvation.” The Bible says, “God IS my salvation!” As it’s been said, salvation is “not a program, a system, some ritual,” or some kind of abstract concept. I want you to know that if you’re pitched some other concept of salvation, other than Jesus Christ, it’s a lie — straight from the pit of hell! Seeing the words, “God is my salvation,” this points to the person we have come to know as Jesus Christ. JESUS CHRIST IS OUR SALVATION! To make is personal, we can say — Jesus Christ is my salvation! Folks - we would have no salvation had Jesus not offered Himself the sacrificial atonement for sin, delivering us from condemnation. Salvation is obtained by faith. Salvation is not obtained by being in the church membership roll call or baptism. It’s about believing in faith!

[These Next Slides Are Not Part Of The Slide Show]

To give you a couple examples, the Bible says in:

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

John 5:24 ESV

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

[Display Verse 2]

Isaiah has belief! He says, “I will trust and will not be afraid.” AMEN! We can rejoice in praise with the same words! This means the worries and fears we might have can roll off of us just like water on a duck’s back. This also means that our security and joy come from Jesus! We have the full assurance and confidence in the finished word of the cross! Because of the confidence Isaiah has in the Lord, he can stand on the bedrock of faith, proclaiming the words, “will not be afraid.” As believers in Jesus Christ, we have access to that same bedrock. The work at Calvary removes all fear, and installs a level of assurance, where we can share in a similar thought that “the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” Are you singing that in your heart today? The LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation! This praise is coming from the heart, a heart overflowing with joy!

[Display Verse 3]

Isaiah speaks of that future joy in verse 3. After years of drinking from empty cisterns, there will be an abundance. I don’t know about you. But I can remember back to a time drinking for the wells of the world, seeking peace and satisfaction in anything. Trying to seek out things to fill that hole. The thing is the world never really filled the tank. In Jesus Christ, we can draw from His well of living water. It gives to us all we need. AND! The best part! It’s never in short supply. There are never water restrictions or a call to conserve. You are invited to the well! This is the rich enjoyment that is available to us, and allows us to put emphasis on our Lord.

That’s what verses 4 and 5 are all about. The emphasis here is not to apply that the Lord is associated with some kind of magical power. But! Rather it’s referring to His reputation and character. Calling on the Lord and sing praise is to worship Him on the basis of His faithful delivering character and all who He is. When the prophets of Baal were defeated, I love what Elijah said in:

1 Kings 18:24 ESV

24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.”

And how about when Abraham was brought to the promised land, he “called upon the name of the LORD” (Genesis 12:8).

[Display Verse 3]

Coming back around to verse 3. Isaiah is prophesying that a restored will have a new conviction of God’s characters, that they will not just commit themselves, but will what everyone around to know what He is REALLY like. God is not like this grandfather in heaven that pats us on the head, or the Big Man in the Sky. The world needs to know that against the background of the tallest mountain peaks and deepest parts of the ocean, our Lord is the ONLY ONE who goes higher than the mountains and deeper than the oceans.

Application

We have a position worthy of praise to the Lord! We praise with song and worship because many of us were brought out of the bondage of sin, we are cleansed and forgiven — the slate marked clean, the hard drive wiped clean, the archive lost, the cell phone lost; whatever you want to call it. The position of a believer in Jesus Christ will most certainly stir a SHOUT OF PRAISE! Our Lord is worthy of our worship. We’ve been made part of His family.

Isn’t it amazing that God would dwell among us!?

Isn’t it amazing that a gift of His Son was given!?

We could be living our lives never knowing about His presence. But! Through His word, He has revealed Himself to us, showing us the desire to have fellowship with us. We celebrate the birth of our Savior. We celebrate the cross of Jesus Christ. We are blessed beyond measure!

Because of our Lord Immanuel, there is a message of hope! And!! That message of hope is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So the next time someone asks you, where does your joy come from — tell them about Jesus! When someone asks you, where does your hope come from — tell them about Jesus! When someone asks — what’s that pep in your step tell them about JESUS! When you have that song in your heart about your Redeemer let that be known to a world that is seeking a type of hope that does not fade, a hope that is true.

Perhaps today, you might be seeking to be part of a family of Christ. I challenge you to respond and seek him.

Closing Prayer