part of this series, we've been studying the Old Testament book of Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet 700 years before Christ came, and a prophet is used by God to foretell what God is going to do for the people of God in the future. And so that's the wonderful thing about studying the Old Testament. I'm not unlike many who say, you know, we kind of want to focus on the New Testament. The New Testament speaks of the new covenant and the coming of a savior. And I share those sentiments, but there is such great value in studying the books of the Old Testament because many of them speak of the promises that God makes that will be coming forward in the New Testament and in the future. So there's great value in studying the things that we're studying right now. The value is spoken of where you look at the number of times that Isaiah is quoted even in the New Testament. I think it's something like 21 times. In fact, the book of Isaiah is quoted more than any other prophecy, any other book of prophecy of the 17 different books of prophecy in the Old Testament, Isaiah is quoted the most. It's the second most quoted book of the Bible. Psalms is the only book that's quoted more in the New Testament than the book of Isaiah. And what that means is that the people of God who are used to write the New Testament for us, they placed great value and importance on the things that were taught by Isaiah and written and now shared through the study of God's word. Jesus himself actually reads from the scroll of Isaiah in the temple and when he's in the temple he's reading from Isaiah chapter 61. and he reads about the coming messiah and the bible tells us in luke chapter 4 that he folds the scroll up and he says and now the scripture has been fulfilled upon your hearing this reading what he's essentially saying is I am the one that's spoken of by Isaiah so obviously the value that Jesus places in the book of Isaiah is the fact that he is to fulfill prophecy of the Messiah that he is the one that's been promised to come so again there's great value in studying this book great value in in not only knowing, but anticipating the promises that God makes in the lives of those whom he loves. In our text this morning, we're going to see one of the wonderful ways that God always provides for anyone who wants to find a way to him. Find a way, in some cases, back to him. And in this particular time of scripture, the people of God, as Isaiah is prophesying to them, are not following the will and the way of God. In fact, they're struggling with sin. And what they were doing back then is very much like what a lot of Christians do today, if we're honest with one another. They're kind of going through the motions. They know the things that God expects and wants them to do, so they're doing them, but they're kind of doing it obligatorily. They're kind of doing it begrudgingly, and they're following through with the practices, but what they're also doing is they're kind of delving in other ways. They're worshipping other gods. They're still worshipping this god because they know that they're supposed to, but what's so wrong about worshipping a few other idols? What's so wrong with living a little more promiscuous life. After all, aren't we the chosen people of God? God's promised that he will never leave us or forsake us. What could go wrong with that? Well, much could go wrong with that. God is telling them that there will be consequences for their waywardness, even though they are his people. And God's revealed this to them by showing them, hey, listen, I've always provided a way, but when you're not following the way, then there will be consequences. for doing that. Now it's interesting in light of the fact that God always provides a way. Imagine this. Imagine that you are a person who's in Egypt and you are a child of God. You're a Jewish person and you believe in Yahweh and you trust in him and yet you are in slavery. You're in bondage in Egypt, and you're held to work as a slave to the Egyptian people. You would probably have been wondering, how long is this going to last? Why is it even happening? I mean, after all, I am a child of God. And why am I serving another nation who does not, by the way, believe in this God at all, does not honor him? Why is God doing this? And what God has told them then, and now is telling them again in the book of Isaiah, he's telling them back in the time of Exodus, is that I'm gonna provide a way for the fulfillment of the promise that I have given to your forefathers. The promise that I've given to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob of a promised land. Listen, that's coming in my timing and in my way. You just remain faithful to me and I will show you the way to go. And God does that. I mean, through the 10 plagues, through the Passover, remember where the firstborn of families was being killed, except for those that covered their doorway with the blood, right, of the lamb. That's the way God protected his people's firstborn. The parting of the Red Sea, the majesty of God seen on Mount Sinai, the giving of the Ten Commandments, the building of his tabernacle, all of those things are steps toward the leading of God's people going to God's promised land. And they may not have fully recognized those as steps that God had prepared for them to reach the pinnacle of the promise that he'd given them, but that's exactly the way that God had used those things. So God always makes a way for his people to the promises that he makes to his people. And that's something that we're going to look at very closely today. If you have your Bible, turn with me to Isaiah chapter 43. And I wanna show you a few different points that I believe can be somewhat comparable to some of the ways that we may be living today as his church as well. Now let me give you some background information for those of you that haven't been part of the series in the past. What has already happened among God's people as this is being written by Isaiah is that there has been a separation of God's people. There is a northern kingdom and there's a southern kingdom. And the northern kingdom is made up of 10 of the 12 tribes of Jacob. Those are the people of God. And so 10 of them have lived in the north, and they've been conquered by Assyria. And so they're already struggling. Now, the two remaining tribes who are in the southern kingdom, that's the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, they are not learning from the mistakes of the northern kingdom. See, the northern kingdom had been conquered because the people of God were not following the will and the ways of God. But God had spared the southern kingdom from this, and they were not learning the necessary lessons. They were, again, delving into some of these other things, still honoring God with some of what they were doing, but not with their whole lives and everything that God was leading them to do. And so they will eventually be taken over by a country named Babylonia. Now, in this particular time of this writing, it's interesting to note that the Babylonian people are not a formidable army at this time. They're not a world power. In fact, when they were hearing about this, they're like, Babylonia? Babylonia is nothing because they weren't back then a Syria. was the real enemy, the real power of that time. But God is going to raise up a nation, the Babylonians, to come in and destroy the southern kingdom and to disperse the people of God. And many of them are going to be taken back into Babylonia to live. Some of them are going to go north. Some of them are going to go south. And they're going to be separated from the promises that God had granted to his people. Again, why? Because they are not seeking his will and his way for their lives. They're not honoring their God with worship of their lives. That's the struggle that they're going through. So this is important for us to understand because God not only allows them to go through the consequences of their waywardness. But God also provides a promise that he will provide a way back to him. Listen to what he tells them in verses 6 and 7 of Isaiah chapter 43. He tells them, bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." So the interesting thing about that is, before God actually separates them and conquers them as a nation, he says, there will be a time that I'm gonna call you back. Why? Because you are my people. And I am your God. And so it's going to take about 70 years for you guys to be separated and scattered before I call you back. Hopefully then you will regard me as your God and you will follow my will and my way because you are my people. So that's the promise that God makes with them. And again, the real struggle here is that they're wandering, slowly but surely, they're drifting from the way and the will of God into their own ways and the world's ways and even the enemy's ways. They're struggling with things like that. I want to say this to anyone this morning who may not have believed and trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior and their Lord. It's interesting that you are here today. I think maybe out of curiosity. and maybe you're watching online this morning, and you're thinking in your head, well, because I'm here, people think that I'm a believer in Jesus Christ, I'm a follower of him. And yet, you know deep down inside that you're not. And you're wondering what that means. You're wondering what is necessary for you to be a child of God. And I want you to understand that if you believe that God sent his son to die on the cross for your sins, and you admit that you've sinned, and you're in need of a Savior, All you have to do is tell him, I believe that. I believe that God sent his son, you, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for my sins. And I'm going to trust that what you did for me is the atonement that I need for the forgiveness of my sins. And I'm asking you now, Lord, to lead me and to guide me. And God's promise to you is that he will. He will come in and fill you and guide you and lead you. He will be your God and Jesus will be your Savior. Many of us here have done that. And so I want to address that crowd as well. Maybe some of you have been a Christian for a short time, or maybe a very long time. And maybe your faith has waned a little bit. Maybe you're wandering from God. Maybe you're exploring other things. Maybe you're doing some things right now that you know God isn't pleased with, but you know what? You are his child, you are saved. When you die, you're gonna go to heaven. So why does it really matter? This text, tells us that sin still matters to God. That God does not want His people to openly engage in sinful actions. Why? Because it's dishonoring to Him. He's given us the power and the way to observe, the discernment to observe that that's not His will, that's not His way. We're free from the bondage of sinful ways now that we've trusted in Christ as Savior and Lord. So maybe this morning God is speaking to you. And he's saying to you, listen, just give that stuff up and begin now to really focus on my will for your life. Because I have amazing plans to use you for my great glory and for my honor. And I believe God will do that for you as well today. Today, I want us all to see that the Lord has made a way for us back to him. Now, as I stated earlier, in the time that these things are happening, as Isaiah writes them, the people of God are living sinful lives. But they're still engaging in religious practices. So one of the things that they were told that they were supposed to do is that as atonement for their sin, they had to make a sacrifice. And the sacrifice had to come with the best animal that they had. It had to be an unblemished It couldn't be something that was scarred or something of lesser value where you'd go, you know what, I'm not gonna get much for this at the market, or you know what, it's tainted, we can't eat it. I'm gonna use that as a sacrifice. After all, all we're doing is shedding its blood for the atonement of our sin. Well, God doesn't accept that. He doesn't receive that. And what that really tells us is that God doesn't want a half-hearted way of admitting to God that we are sinful people in that particular context. Here's what he requires. He requires the best of the best. You gotta have the best animal that you have. You have to offer that. But then, after doing that, you were not to walk right back into the sinful practices that you had been participating in before that sacrifice. There needed to be some repentance. There needed to be some acknowledgement. This is not God's way. I do not have to live this way. I do not want to live this way. God, I'm turning from that, turning back to you to follow your way. But they weren't doing that. They were just showing up and doing what was necessary. It's interesting how the writer of Hebrews explains that that shedding of blood of those sacrifices of that particular time was really simply a precursor to the ultimate sacrifice of the perfect blood of the perfect lamb of Jesus Christ that he would shed on the cross at Calvary for our sins. In fact, that's what he says in Hebrews 10, 3, and 4. The writer says, but those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. So he's saying, God's not having you do this simply to get out of your sinful activity or to be forgiven for it only. It is to remind you that you are sinful. and that you are in need of a savior. And ultimately, God sends the perfect lamb, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. We no longer have to practice the killing and the bloodshed of innocent animals, even though they were necessary back then. They're no longer necessary now. That's what he says in Hebrews 10, 10. He says, and by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. So the first way back to reconnection and reconciliation with our creator, God, is this. Jesus fulfilled the law and provided that perfect and permanent way back to God. He's the way that we get back to God and he provides that way through the sacrifice of his very life in the shedding of his very blood just as we were separated from God by our sin before we believed in Jesus and trusted in him and then later maybe you know, did things that we probably knew that we shouldn't. If there isn't real repentance, God's not pleased. And God desires for his people not only to be forgiven of our sins, which are forgiven simply and solely because of the sacrifice that Christ made, but to not want to continue in those practices because we're new creations in Christ. We're given a new understanding of how God desires to be honored and glorified through our lives. So the people of God back then are kind of doing the same thing that we see some people of God still doing today. They're really kind of forgetting the wonderful way that God intends to use them, even still today. And one of the problems that existed was they were thinking, yeah, remember the way God used to move? Remember the powerful miracles that God used to perform? You know, we haven't seen one of those in a long time. And watch how the prophet Isaiah speaks directly to his people, the Lord's people, about that particular thing. Listen to what he says in verses 18 through 19. He says, forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past. See, I'm doing a new thing. Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Now, the former things that Isaiah is referring to there goes right back to the thing that we talked about earlier, the Exodus. These were all things that God did in miraculous ways to get God's people to the promised land from the bondage that they were freed from in Egypt. And they were reflecting back on that and saying, man, those were the times, those were the days where God moved powerfully. And the Lord is saying to his people then, and I believe to us today, I'm the same God. I still extol the same power that I've always had. I'm still making a way for me to be made known to you and through you in the time that you live in today. And I desire for you to look ahead at how God will use each one of you in ways that go beyond even our understanding today, anticipate that he will use his power to do those things. They're going back to the heydays, you know, the glory days. And the thing that he specifically wants us to know through this particular passage is this, God is always at work doing new things. He's always working. He doesn't take a sabbatical. God didn't take a break for a few generations to be made known through his people. God continues to work. You say, well, what about all the periods of time that we see in Scripture where we don't hear from him? It doesn't mean God wasn't working. It just means that wasn't recorded in Scripture. God's always at work among his people. He's always desiring for them to know Him and to grow closer to Him and to honor Him and glorify Him by the relationship that we've been given to Him. We have an opportunity to reflect His glory through our lives, and that has always been true. So constantly looking back and lamenting about, well, those were the good old days. Remember when God moved in a powerful way back then? I bet we all have those periods of time, don't we? In our journeys with Christ and even in our church. Remember when you were on fire for the Lord? There's like no stopping you. It's like, I'm telling every person I encounter today about Jesus Christ. And you did! You told several people, some of you. did that, right? Some of you are like, you remember when church was just blowing and going, man, we had all these baptisms, we had all these, we were doing so many things, and what the Lord is saying specifically here is that you're saying those things as if I don't want to do them today. You're acting like I'm not wanting to use you in ways that will glorify my name, that I've used you for in the past and I don't feel like doing that today? No! I desire these things in your life today. So why do we look back and say, hey, you know, Why did God do that then and why is God doing that now? I don't think it's because the Lord isn't wanting to do them. I think it's because we're not asking him to be used in that way for his honor and glory. And one of the great ways to make sure that our individual lives will not be wasted and not go unnoticed for the Lord is to remember the incredible cost that Christ paid so that we could be saved. Christ didn't only die for God's people in the book of Isaiah or the early church or, you know, the people across the street 50 years ago that did amazing things. Christ died for you. For me and for us as a church and he deserves to be made known Through our lives as such and if the key to us recognizing this is that We've been bought with a costly price. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6 verses 19 through 20. Paul says, Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. You were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies. Bullet number three on your outline is this. Believers in Christ belong to God. I hear people say this all the time, this is my life and I can do what I want with it. Do you understand as a believer and passionate follower of Christ you cannot say those words? This is not your life. You have been redeemed, which means you have been purchased. with a ransom of blood so that you can return and find your way back and belong to God Almighty, your creator. And so when we think about that, when we go, yeah, that's right, this isn't my life, I'm not my own, I belong to him, then we open the door of possibility of how God may want to use each and every one of us for his honor and for his glory. And we don't have to be fearful of that. I know some of us are like, I don't know how I'm gonna share the gospel with anyone. It's so hard. What if they reject me? What if they ignore me? What if they ask me a question that I can't answer? I can't do that. I want you to hear me say this to you today, and then I want you to hear what Isaiah tells the people of God back then as well. You do not have to fear those things. The Lord will give you strength. The Lord will give you words. The Lord will put you in the perfect place with the perfect people whom he wants you to share the gospel with, and then God will do the rest. There is no mistake made when you are obedient to the Lord, and you do not have to fear those things. Now, listen to what Isaiah tells God's people at the very beginning of this chapter, verses 1 to 3. He says, Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name. You are mine. When you pass through waters, I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. The Lord says, just trust me for these things, right? I will use you. You do not have to fear. You are mine. This isn't your life. You are mine now, and I will guide you, and I will lead you. And I know you're living in difficult times. I know there are fearful things out there. I know people are doing ridiculously evil, sinful things to other people. I know there's a pandemic, but that doesn't mean I'm on sabbatical. I'm ready to move in and through you to reach the people who do not yet know me so that they can be exposed to the Savior who saved you. That's his desire for each and every one of our lives. And the great news about all of this is that Lord does not go, all right, now you go out, let's see how it goes. He does not send us alone. Bullet point number four in your outline, God goes with those who belong to him. God does not leave you stranded, or doesn't leave you alone, or send you out and say, hey, let's find out how this is gonna go. No, God goes with us. Joshua 1.9 says this really well. He says, have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. You and I may be wondering why things are so hard today. Why are things so difficult? How long will this last? How long will it be so difficult to do the things that we're doing every day? Why are we continuing to face so many challenging circumstances? And most of us desire to be delivered from these things. So we'll pray that way. We'll say, God, deliver us from these things. And when you look very closely at the way the Lord uses God's people throughout scripture, Old and New Testament alike, he doesn't always deliver them from things. He delivers them through things because he goes with them through them. And the result is their faith is strengthened and God prepares them for even greater things that he plans to use them for ahead. So It's important for us to understand the things that God does promise to his people. It's equally important to understand the things that God doesn't promise for his people. And one of the things that God does not promise is this, God doesn't promise our life in Christ will be easy. He never says that. In fact, he says the exact opposite. In this world, you will face trouble. There will be hardship. There will be struggle, right? He says that he will be with us in those times of hardship and trial, that we will face challenges, but they will not overcome us because God will be there with us, and he will guide us through those times. So the times that you say, God, deliver me from this, He may, and it's okay to pray that, but if he doesn't, just recognize he doesn't because he wants to not take you from them, he wants to take you through them. He wants to use you in a way that far exceeds anything that you would know to ask for or hope for. You're like, I didn't really think about this avenue, didn't really think about inviting this challenge into my life, but God, if this is what you want, then I'm willing to go through this because your ways are not my ways. Your ways are higher than my ways. So as the Lord does that, keep in mind that the foundation of our faith is built upon Christ. And Christ is a rock. And so whatever you face, whatever you go through in this life as a believer, God will maintain that foundation if it is built upon him. I love that Jesus tells us this in Matthew chapter seven. So he's teaching us all these great things in the Sermon on the Mount, and it's exciting stuff, and it's challenging stuff. And he's even saying, the world says that this is the way, but I'm telling you, this is the way. So it's new stuff, right? It's stuff that's contrary to what we would normally think or what was commonly being told. to people just as it is today. And then the Lord says this, Jesus says this in, where am I? I'm totally out of kilter on my notes here, right? Ah, here's what he says. The Lord says this in Isaiah 43, 10 through 13. He says, you are my witnesses and the servant whom I am. Did I read that already? Thank you. Vote, vote with me now. Is that a no or a yes? Did I read it? Is that a no? Okay. I'm hearing like, ah, ah, ah. Am I in Matthew, though? Oh, yeah! Thank you. New Testament, Old Testament. This is pretty simple stuff. Matthew 7, 24 and 25. Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like the wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house. Yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock." Look carefully at what Jesus says. He says there's going to be heavy rain. There's gonna be flooding involved. There are gonna be fierce winds that come against your house. He's talking about you here. And yet remember this, you will not be overcome. You will not be destroyed. Why? Because you belong to me and I'm using you in amazing and challenging ways for my glory. So Jesus doesn't say that those things aren't gonna happen. He tells us that they will, but the foundation that our faith is built upon is him. I'm convinced that within us, there is this desire to believe in a God. I really do think that. I think every human being, even if they don't admit it, in fact, many will say, oh, there is no God. And I understand that. But I think that deep down inside, we do believe that there is a God. Here's the problem. Some of us believe in one God, and then others say, well, you can believe in that God, but I believe in another God. And this is so important for us to understand. God does not like when we suggest that there are a lot of other gods. He's a jealous God and he's the only God So anytime you promote the possibility of there being other gods you are going against the truth of him being the one and only true and Living God and that's what he says in in Isaiah 43 8 9 where he says lead out those who have eyes but are blind who have ears and but are deaf. All the nations gather together, and the peoples assemble. Which of their gods foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove that they were right, so that others may hear and say, it is true." What Isaiah is saying, or what the Lord is saying through Isaiah is this, hey, go ahead, if you've got another god, you go ahead and tell me what lies ahead. Tell me what's in the future. You can't. You know why? Because you're not a god. And your God can't do that. And even though there have been gods who have suggested that they have proactive prophecy or predictive prophecy in the future, you know that they have been woefully wrong when they predicted what was going to happen in the future. Because no other God can do that but our God. Only our God knows what is held in the future. And that's why only our God can lead us, because he knows what's in store for us ahead. So the Lord clears up any possibility of there being any other God in Isaiah 43, 10-13. He says, you are my witnesses. declares the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he before me no God was formed nor will there be one after me I even I am the Lord and apart from me there is no Savior He adds that, I have revealed and saved and proclaimed, I, not some foreign God among you, you are my witnesses, declares the Lord, that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days, I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it? God's boasting about who he truly is in comparison to the false gods that so many follow. So people who say, well you have your God, but I have mine, there is only one true and living God. And you insult that God when you suggest that there may be any other. And he adds that there's no other Savior apart from him. Now I know some of you may be thinking this, now wait a minute, if there's only one God, don't we say that Jesus is God? And the answer is yes we do. And some of you may be thinking, well, wait a minute, didn't Jesus have a start on earth when he was born in the womb of a virgin by the seed of God? Didn't he grow to be a boy before he started his ministry? And the answer is yes, that's exactly what happened. Okay, so if you put those two things together, then isn't Jesus a second God? And the answer is no. Because Jesus himself tells us in John 10 30, I and the Father are one. This is one of the great mysteries of Christianity. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit are three persons, but one God. There's not three gods. There's not 10 gods. There aren't multiple gods. You can't conjure up a god and make him a real god. There is one, only one true and living God. And he has a unique way of making a way to him. to be known. And that's how Isaiah leads us in Isaiah 43, 20, and 21. He points out that he will be made known to all of his creation. Here's what he says, the wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. I give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I form for myself, that they may proclaim my praise. He says, even the animals know that God himself provides water for them and nourishment for them. But he adds this, he says, my people know that too. But I don't think he's talking about just drink for nourishment. You know what I think he's talking about? Something that we see happen in the New Testament. I think he's not talking about regular water. I think he's talking about living water, which is life-changing water. This is your next bullet point. God offers us living water, not just for sustenance. but for eternal life. This is what Jesus tells the woman at the well who's fishing for regular water, for sustenance water. He says in John 4, 14, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. Now some look at that and say, well, Jesus is the living water that he's talking about. I don't think so. When I look at that particular passage, it looks to me like Jesus is saying that I'm going to give you living water, but he doesn't say it's himself. He's the giver of that. So what's he talking about? He's talking about the Holy Spirit. He's saying, when you believe in me and you trust in me and you begin this journey with me, you're not going alone. I'm going to fill you with my spirit and I'm gonna work on the inside of you to transform you into my image so that what's happening on the inside eventually rises up and overflows to what's happening on the outside. I'm going to be your God, you're gonna be my people, and I'm gonna do amazing things in your life. And I'm just going to say this to you this morning, because I don't know whether you feel this way or not. And maybe you don't. And if you don't, praise God that God's given you this revelation. But listen to me very, very carefully right here, right now. Everyone listening? God is saying to all of us this morning that there should be an expectation for God to be honored and glorified in a way that exceeds anything that we would ever ask or imagine of ourselves. There's something that God wants to do in and through you that will make him known to others. And if we ignore that, or we keep doing our own thing, or we keep looking back to a time where we were on fire for the Lord, or we were in an environment that was on fire for the Lord, we're gonna miss the opportunity right here, right now, to be used for God, and for His honor, and for His glory, and for lives to be changed. So let's invite that. Let's ask him to do that. Let's expect it. Let's anticipate it. Let's say, God, you said it. You've promised it. Make it so in my life. Make yourself known in my life so that when people see me, they see you. They don't see me anymore. They see you in my life. And how does he do that? How does God actually do that where he has our attention so much that all of a sudden we're not doing what we used to do, we're doing the things that he leads us to do? He tells us how he does that in Isaiah 43, verse 25. The Lord says, I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake and remembers your sins no more. Don't you wish you could not remember your sins? Is that what's holding you back? Do you think of yourself as who you used to be? And you're like, there's just no way God can use me for his honor and glory. Listen, I'm among you. I've not led a God-honoring life all my life, but God is doing something new in me. And God is stirring in such a way that he's saying, listen, I took care of that. That's all been paid for. You don't have to go back to thinking about that or thinking that you're that person. You're not that person anymore. I'm moving and stirring and molding and shaping. I'm making you to be more like me. And if we anticipate that and we expect that, all the easier it will be for God to say, all right, now we're rolling and going again. And God will do amazing things. He does provide a way. When Jesus was with his disciples and it was getting time for him to leave, he tells them that he has to go and they're not getting it. And he's like, listen guys, you understand we'll always be together and I've made a way. for you to be with me. And they don't understand it. I'm so thankful that one of these guys spoke up because he really represents what I believe I would have said when Jesus said that. This is what Thomas says to him. He says in John 14, five and six, Lord, we don't know where you're going, so how can we know the way? And you know what Jesus said. Jesus said, Thomas, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. No one comes to the Father, that's where I'm going, but by me. And I love the fact that Jesus knew whatever struggle that you're going through, whatever hardship that you're experiencing, whatever doubt that you have right now that God wants to use you in an even greater way than the way he's using you right now. I love the fact that just before Jesus dies on the cross at Calvary, he prays for us. He prays that we will be one with Him, just as He is one with the Father. He wouldn't pray that if it weren't possible. I want you to listen to these words and take this in. Jesus says in John 17, 20 through 23, I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message. He's talking about the message of scripture. That all of them may be one Father, just as you are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one. I in them, you in me, so that they may be brought to complete unity. then the world will know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. That's our mission, to make Christ known, to make his love known, that God sent his son to die on that cross so that we could be reconciled back to him. Jesus is the one way for you and I to be one with God. And that is God's desire for our lives. I'm gonna invite Pastor Steve and members of the praise team to join us and we're gonna close in one great song, a reflective song that I want you to consider as they lead us in that song. But before we sing that song, can I tell you something that I find very, very interesting? Did you know that the early church never referred to themselves as Christians? They weren't called Christians back then like they are today. Do you know what they were called? People of the way. They were followers of the way. Do you know why they were called that? Because they were always seeking God's way in their life. They knew that God had called them to a new life. and to experience not just new life in and of themselves, but to share that new life with others. And they were so sold out on that. They brought everything in and they said, listen, we're no longer our own. We are yours. However you wanna use us, you use us. And you know how God used them? He evangelized the world with those people. Do you think God's changed his mind about that? Does God no longer want to use his people for his glory in that way? I think he does. I don't think God wants a church to be people who attend church only. I think God wants a church to be the church when they leave the church on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. I think we are called to a greater purpose and a greater plan than the world will ever know or understand. And God's given us his son to empower us to live that life, to be a reflection of his glory. And I'm gonna lead us in a prayer this morning. And if you feel this way, I pray that you'll share this prayer with me. Father, make yourself known through my life, through the power of Jesus Christ that's been offered to me by the shedding of his blood so that I could be forgiven and saved. Will you join me in that prayer this morning? Father, I'm just asking you to move in our hearts in such a way that what you speak in the word will become very, very real to us. That even though by faith we can't see it, we can still trust in it and believe in it. And God, I'm asking you to do that. For those who are here that are among us, that are listening to this, that feel this way, God, would you make yourself known in and through my life? Will you do a work in my life so pronounced that people will see you and be led to you and you'll draw them to you and their lives will be changed for eternity's sake? Because we are your people and you are our God. And we ask for your will to be done in your people's life today. And we add our amen. God bless you.