PCPC Women's Ministries

Description

Testimonies, Week 2: Isaiah 43:1-13

For notes on this study please see www.ashleyevansboone.com

Notes

The following notes and audio are by Keeley Chorn, co-teacher for Young Women's Bible Study

To listen to the audio of this lesson press play below or click HERE to download

[audio http://womensministry.s3.amazonaws.com/20101027_ywIsaiah43_KChorn.mp3]

Have you ever been afraid of what might happen to you in a certain situation?  Maybe with dating, you wonder will this guy like me?  Or maybe you’ve dated so long, you wonder if this is your last shot at a relationship, at marriage.  Or maybe you’ve been in a relationship that you’re not sure will lead to marriage, because you’re afraid of what it might be like to be all alone and on your own.  Or maybe you’re just in a really difficult marriage.

When you go through struggles, do you doubt God’s goodness or that he cares about you? Do you ever feel unworthy of God’s love?  Maybe because you lack self-confidence, or you think you’ve done something so big and bad that God could never totally accept you or love you for who you are. Or do you forget God?  Do you forget him as you go throughout your day, working.  Or when you’re out at lunch with coworkers or out to drinks or dinner with friends. Do you forget to live out your faith in all of life and witness to what God has done for you?

The passage tonight in Isaiah 43:1-13 speaks to these fears and to these struggles. I’ve chosen this passage, because it speaks of why we don’t need to be afraid in life, but also why we need to witness to God and who he is.

READ Isaiah 43:1-13.

This passage can be seen in two parts: verses 1-7 where God speaks to Israel of how he has redeemed them, and verses 8-13 where God then tells Israel to be witnesses to what he has done.  So God acts and redeems so that they don’t need to be afraid, then he tells the people to witness to what he has done so that they will know he is God.

The main point of the first seven verses is what God has done for Israel.  Remember that because we are now in Christ, these promises and words are true for us today as well.  Verse 1 emphasizes the Lord, YHWH.  It is he who speaks, he who created and formed you.  These are the words he has for his sons and daughters.

Two main clauses stand out in this passage.  Verse 1b and verse 5, both where God says “fear not” or “do not be afraid,” then he lists out what he has done for them already that should give them this confidence and trust in him to not be afraid.

In verses 1-4, the first reason you are to fear not, because God has redeemed and called you, and even when you suffer (going through waters or fire), He is with you and has saved you, because he loves you.  God has done all these things for us through his son, Jesus Christ, who went through the ultimate suffering and trial for you on the cross, so he knows what you’re going through, and he is with you.  He does all these things because you “are precious and honored in [his] sight and because [he] loves you.” Verse 4 is one of my favorite verses in all of Scripture, because God flat out says, “I love you.”  I love you.

Then the second reason to not fear, in verses 5-7, is because God is with you, and he will bring you back to him, even from the ends of the earth.  You cannot get too far out of God’s reach.  You cannot fall too far, you cannot stray too far or be tempted away from him, but he will bring you back to him, because you are called by his name, Christian (follower of Christ), and you were created for his glory; you were created in his image.  God cares for his people.  He rescues you, redeems you, and brings you back to himself, because he loves you and is with you (v. 2 and 5), so we should not be afraid.

Verses 8-13, the second section, move from what God has done for Israel and his church, to why they now need to witness to him.  God calls Israel, and you, to be his witnesses.  Like we saw above with him repeating the phrase, “fear not,” here in this section, the calling of his people as witnesses is repeated.

In verses 10-12a, God’s calling of his people as witnesses has purpose for their own lives.  He declares that you and his servant (looking forward to the Messiah, Jesus), as witnesses.  Both you, and Jesus, and what he has done for you, are witnesses, for your own benefit. In verse 10, he says it is, “so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.” God is He who has done all the things described in the previous section, saving, redeeming, and calling you back to him. He wants you to witness, so that you will know these things for yourself.

And the second witnessing statement is in verses 12b-13, YHWH again declares you as witnesses, this time to his eternity and steadfastness.  You are witnesses when you share your story that God is the God from ancient days, from old—this is the same God who spoke to Abraham and Isaac, to Moses, and who brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.  Your story is connected to their story, because God rescues and saves you through Jesus, just like he did those people long ago.

And so, God wants you and me to be witnesses to him.  We witness so that we can think about what he has done; it forces us to think of how to say it, how to express what he has done in our lives to others, and most of all it keeps us forgetting God, by remembering how you have seen his love. Then you share it with others so that they know just who this amazing, Redeemer-Savior God is.

Conclusion

So think about this message as you go to your groups.  Think about how God is Savior and Redeemer in this woman’s life.  Think about how we know he cares for her and loves her and even brings her back to him.  Learn how to listen and hear from God’s perspective, not out of gossip—look what she did, or thank God I’m not that bad, but look from the perspective of how this woman’s life has been redeemed and saved by the blood of Jesus on the cross and how amazing it is that you can now hear her story.