Who is your Super Hero!!
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Last week
Last week
Last week we took the time to build up the body. To help you understand that
You are chosen
You are loved
You are destined to Heaven
You are Holy and Blameless
You are accepted and redeemed
You are Forgiven
You have obtained an inheritance of immense value.
You are sealed with the Holy Spirit
IF you are sitting here today a believer in Jesus Christ. You are all of these things and more.
If you’d like a list of those gifts that we get at salvation there are still copies on the table in the lobby.
Today we continue to build our Foundation.
Today we continue to build our Foundation.
Our quest this year is to build a “Firm Foundation.” I want to, with God’s help to bring you back to those early in your Christian experience ideas.
We all need to be on the same page in regard to a number of ideas. There are those ideas in our world that scripture does not address. Those we can have opinion and conjecture about… And we will until the Lords return
By the title of the sermon today, “God our only Savior, you see that we are exploring the God of the Old Testament.
Is that right to say?
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
There is no doubt in my mind that Jesus and God see backward to the beginning and forward, long into the future and the eventual complete redemption including a NEW HEAVEN and NEW EARTH.
As the scripture says, Jesus will be present and active in the future world as he was in the world past, even present at creation.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
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HERE IS OUR BIG QUESTION FOR THE DAY--
AMONG ALL OF THE SUPERHERO’S TODAY… IS GOD #1
Books and movies are filled with powerful people, powerful creatures and of course super hero’s.
Who is your favorite super-hero?
Is it possible to squeeze God on that list?
I do want to get to the message for today. It is from the Book of Isaiah.
Listen carefully… I counted 16 “I” or “I AM” is this short passage.
God is speaking through the profit Isaiah. But I think His message is 3500 years old but… is as current as yesterday, tomorrow and forever.
Listen how much he wants to do with these people who have been to captivity once and still have captivity again to go through… Why?
Disobedience.
1 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.
5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you.
6 I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth,
7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
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It is God’s explicit mission to become our individual and our nation and worlds’ “super hero.” It is also God’s mission to continually draw people towards Him.
IF they would listen to not just Isaiah but to the other profits who were all speaking about this time. They were all trying to Jews to listen.
This time in this passage… God was willing to invest personally, 16 times spoke to them directly...
Among all of the SuperHero’s in the world today… Are any of them able to STOP and address you personally?
V.1
1 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
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Here is verse 1 God is making quite a statement
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you,” I’ve called you by name… you are mine.”
How freeing to know that you are living in the will and ways of the King-of-Kings and Lord-of-Lords. And you don’t belong to ANYONE except the creator of the universe.
V.2-3
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
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These verses truly, truly represent God’s care for us. His promise to always be there even in the absolutely mess we are in.
The “waters” reflects back to the care that God showed by pushing back the water and allowed the Jews to flee from Pharoah.
God continues to build his SUPER HERO Qualifications.
V.4
4 Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.
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What made Israel so special, what makes us precious in His eyes?
What makes us honored and why do we deserve to be loved?
The clearest answer is WE DON’T
It was altogether an act grace when “God chose them, and set his love on them, and made them his peculiar people:”
By our faith in Christ WE collectively are grafted into God’s chosen people.
Would a SUPER HERO pay ransom for our freedom?
V.5 and 6.
5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you.
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This verse has its foundation deep in the Old Testament.
5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;
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The Apostle Paul uses the Old Testament extensively in his writing to show the Jews of his time that the Old and New Testaments work in perfect synch to show the world Jesus Christ.
Here is the New Testament reflection of the verse from Isaiah
9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent,
10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”
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This is the SUPER HERO connection that we have with God through Christ that allows Paul to say what he has said
AND for us to BOLDLY live our lives without fear, sharing with others about the wonder of Jesus Christ in your life.
I don’t promise that even with your SUPER HERO status that you aren’t going to be “called out as churchy” “made to feel uncomfortable” “laughed at” “called weird”
But God, will be with you...
Back to Isaiah 43.7
7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
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The passage takes a turn here… from the historical, generational to the personal.
ARE YOU CALLED BY HIS NAME..? OR HAVE YOU NOT ANSWERED OR IGNORED GOD COMPLETELY?
Your God even gave the people of the Old Testament the opportunity to accept or reject Yahweh.
I’m not sure there is any real choice in that matter?
V.9
11 I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.
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Nations and peoples, witnesses look carefully and listen. God is making another great big statement here. “I am the LORD.”
THAT’S RIGHT… THERE IS NO SUPERHERO THAT IS AS GREAT AS OUR GOD [period].
We have all seen the mighty works of our God. In a new born babe and at the same time in some pretty spectacular sunrises and sunsets across the sky.
We say in our hearts… God you are amazing, often times out of our mouths nothing comes.
WE ARE NOT BEING GOOD WITNESSES TO THE GOD THAT WE HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY...
Our God is the ONLY true God. There will never but one that even comes close to him. Even in the end-times with the Anti-Christ, satan and his minions. There will NEVER BE one that is even close.
Still many, many billions of people [with B] have rejected Jesus and God.
What do we need to do differently? To get more people on the train that is bound for Glory. Entrance is free, there are no dues for staying, all expenses are paid,
What could possibly keep people out?
P—R—I—D—E
26 But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.
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VS. 12-13
12 I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.
13 Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?”
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GOD is a servant, Jesus was the ultimate servant. demonstrated by his willingness to die before we were even born
...and had a chance to choose Jesus made a way for every single person on earth to become chosen.
Some accept, some reject, still others ignore and hopefully some more will come to Christ.
V.18-19
18 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
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So… 1400 years before Christ, before Grace as a way of life, where judgement and rules played huge part of the Jew and Gentiles life...
you see that the past can and should teach us, enlighten us, serve us
But… the past must not bind us.
There is a great deal of encouragement in these two verses. In context for the people of Israel but by extension… Us to!
This verse screams at us to do all of the same things
What in our past is holding us back?
How can we seal those events and cover them with the blood of Christ? — Just do it.
Isaiah points directly to a new way...
For Isaiah that new way was...
Plainly the future restoration of Israel is the event ultimately meant.
for us the things of old that are holding us back from being obedient.
Obedient in our Christian life to be apart of a fellowship, to give of your time, talent and treasure to the Church.
What is holding us back to take our next steps in the “new way”
Are you on the edge of committing your life to Christ — What ‘s holding you back?
Are you ready to make a public confession of your faith and be baptized — What’s holding you back?
Are you ready to step up your investment in scripture and things of the God. Are you ready to be apart of a Biblestudy? — What’s holding you back?
Are you ready to tithe to your church… maybe starting at 3% or 5% or the full 10% — What is holding you back?
Are you really ready to grow in your faith, your knowledge and are you ready to set-up your investment in your spiritual life — What’s holding you back.
If you are considering any of these things or many others, tell me. I’d like to pray with and for you.
Let’s return to the BIG QUESTION —
HERE IS OUR BIG QUESTION FOR THE DAY--
AMONG ALL OF THE SUPERHERO’S TODAY… IS GOD #1
As we search the universe and identify 100 million galaxies with 100 million planets in each galaxy. We are using all of our knowledge and power that God has given us.
For as many planets and galaxy that there are they is one truth that be present. This is God’s
This idea of SUPER HERO’s in peoples lives is not new. It’s been going on for centuries and centuries. The fact is that the original SUPER HERO is God and nothing that we can make is bigger, better, faster than ________
Let me leave you with this one final thought
6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.
Jesus said in the book of Revelation...
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,
Jesus is the first and last, he is also all that we need for life, he is our #1, all-time SUPERHERO!