God’s Persevering Patience (Isaiah 48:1-22)
The sermon outline can be found in the ministry guide.
A good Christian friend once told me he had considered himself to be a patient person. I thought so too. I knew him to be warm, kind, and gracious. But he mentioned how marriage had led him to re-evaluate his view of himself. Married life was especially sanctifying, he explained. It exposed how quickly he would get frustrated when things did not go his way. He realised he wasn’t as patient as he had originally thought.
I am sure many of us can relate to this. It’s easy to be patient when things are going well and we are all getting along. After all, no one is really testing our patience! But it is hard to be patient when we have been offended. Even more so when someone has repeatedly upset us. What is worse is that this person might be unaware of how he or she has hurt us. How difficult to persevere in patience then!
How much more does God have to bear with us! We are prone to wander. Yet, as we have just sung, God is patient with the wayward:
What patience would wait as we constantly roam
What Father, so tender, is calling us home
He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more
Indeed, God’s persevering patience is most clearly perceived in the face of persistent provocation. Despite our constant roaming and rebellion, God is still patient. Why does He put up with us? Like a compassionate father seeking the return of his prodigal son, so God calls us to forsake our idols and turn back to Him. This is the point of Isaiah 48.
God confronts persistently problematic people with His persevering patience.
From chapters 40 to 47, God has exposed the uselessness of idols. Stop trusting in them, for they have no power to save. Trust instead in the sovereign and good God. The incomparable God declares His greatness and uniqueness. Only He can save us. God’s call for His people to return to Him reaches a climax in Isaiah 48. God confronts the problem of sin. He also demonstrates His persevering patience to undeserving sinners. Here’s the big idea of our passage: God confronts persistently problematic people with His persevering patience. We’ll unpack this in two points:
The persistent problem of God’s people
The persevering patience of God.
The persistent problem of God’s people (Isa 48:1-8)
As we heard last week, God addressed the doom of Babylon and her idols in Isaiah 46-47. Here, the focus moves back to God’s people. Look at Isaiah 48:1. God is speaking to the house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and who came from the waters of Judah. Israel had a privileged pedigree — the nation was descended from the patriarch Jacob, who was the grandson of founding father Abraham. The people came from Judah, the tribe from which kings would come. But privilege often produces pride. Israel may have felt self-entitled and self-righteous. Surely, we are OK. But lest Israel thinks its biggest problem is Babylon, God confronts them with their own sin. Like Israel, we may be tempted to think the problem is “out there”—with the world, the culture, or “those bad people”. But as 1 Peter 4 reminds us, “It is time for judgment to begin at the household of God”. God patiently exposes our sin, that we might see our need for Him. Our biggest problem isn’t “out there”; it’s in here—in our own lives, in our own hearts. Isaiah highlights three characteristics of the problem with Israel. Israel was: (1) nominal; (2) stubborn; (3) rebellious. May we be prompted to examine ourselves to see how we too may have drifted away from God.
Nominal (Isa 48:1-2)
Look at Isaiah 48:1-2. By taking on the name “Israel”, God’s people were meant to be distinct from the other nations. Israel belonged to God as His redeemed people. They were to worship the LORD, who had rescued them from Egypt and made a covenant with them at Mount Sinai. Israel, by its obedient example, was supposed to glorify God and be a light for the world. Indeed, Israel professed to know God. They confessed His holy name and identified themselves as His people. Their capital, Jerusalem, was supposed to be the place where God would show His presence with His people.
But there was a gap between identity and reality. Israel’s profession of faith was not in truth or right. They said one thing but did another. In Isaiah 29, the Lord describes Israel as drawing near with their mouth and honouring Him with their lips, while their hearts are far from Him. Israel’s “faith” was nominal, which means they were God’s people in name only. Their so-called faith was shallow and superficial. It did not actually transform their lives. Israel was guilty of hypocrisy—their religion was merely a mask that disguised who they really were underneath. Israel’s worship was all form but no substance. It was an outward show without inward reality.
If we bear the name “Christian”, then how do our lives show that we have taken up our cross to follow Jesus?
What about us? If we bear the name “Christian”, then how do our lives show that we have taken up our cross to follow Jesus? When following Jesus isn’t costly, it’s easy to be a nominal Christian. Some identify as “Christian” to gain the approval of Christian family and friends. Some want the social benefits of belonging to a community, such as a youth group or care group. Some claim to be Christian because of culture or tradition, perhaps because they grew up in a Christian environment and have a sentimental attachment to the church. Others claim to be Christian out of religious duty, maybe because it is the morally right thing to do. Why do we call ourselves a Christian?
Nominal Christianity is dangerous. It can blind us to our true spiritual condition and need. Not everyone who says to Jesus, “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who trust and obey him. God forbid that we coast through life imagining ourselves to be spiritually fine, only to be confronted with these words from Jesus at the final judgment, “I never knew you; depart from me” (Matt. 7:23). It will be too late then. So, examine ourselves now to see whether we are in the faith. Who or what are we really worshiping and trusting in? Are we trusting in Christ alone for our righteousness and salvation? Is He our only hope in life and death? Do we delight in His word? Do we desire to obey Christ and to become more like Him? How are we loving and serving other followers of Jesus in the local church? If I am physically able to, then am I regularly gathering with the rest of church for mutual encouragement and worship?
Of course, I can be self-deceived and still answer “yes” to all these questions. This is one reason why meaningful church membership matters. It protects us from nominal Christianity. I may be blind to my own spiritual condition. So, I need a community of believers around me to observe and affirm that I’m faithfully following Jesus. Being a member of a local church is good for our assurance in the faith. Church membership is meant to encourage faith and challenge hypocrisy.
Beloved, as fellow members of this local church, we have covenanted with one another to do spiritual good to one another. Therefore, we encourage one another and hold one another accountable to live lives worthy of the gospel. Being a member in name only is meaningless if my life does not actually show evidence of genuine faith and obedience to Jesus. In fact, it can be harmful if it perpetuates my self-deception. Speaking of the false prophets, God says in Jeremiah 6: “They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” Many are the kisses of an enemy, but faithful are the wounds of a friend. Beloved, let’s cultivate a culture of Christ-like honesty that allows the gospel to take deeper root among us. May God help us to speak the truth in love for one another, even if it means having a difficult conversation with someone about their spiritual wellbeing. Membership matters because the glory of Jesus Christ is at stake. As a member of His church, we bear His name. May we not take His name in vain.
Stubborn (Isa 48:3-5)
Second, Israel is also stubborn. In Isaiah 48:3-5, God reveals His pattern of working throughout history: He announces His plan, then He accomplishes His plan. God speaks, then God acts. God makes and keeps His promises. Why has God done so? It is because He knows the stubbornness of His people. Therefore, God speaks and keeps His word that He might show His faithfulness and sovereignty. It is to convince idolatrous Israel that God alone, not the idols, is their true King and Redeemer. What He has spoken, He will surely do.
We can be so quick to forget God. For instance, soon after God redeemed Israel in the Exodus, Israel worshiped the golden calf, claiming this was the god that had brought them out of Egypt. How might we also be guilty of giving glory to our idols instead of God? If life is going well, we attribute it to our hard work and performance, our health, our clever financial planning, our successful career, our academic achievements, or even luck or chance. In our pride and self-righteousness, we take credit for what we rightly owe to God. We rob Him of glory. How might we have failed to give thanks and praise to God? I know I struggle with this. I often pray and ask God for things, but less frequently do I thank Him for how He has answered prayer.
Israel’s problem is not that it was ignorant of the true God. Throughout their history, they had seen God make and keep His promises. The problem is spiritual: Israel is obstinate.
Israel’s problem is not that it was ignorant of the true God. Throughout their history, they had seen God make and keep His promises. The problem is spiritual: Israel is obstinate. Although they have been hearing God’s word, they have not listened or taken it to heart. We may be hearing and reading the Bible regularly, but has God’s truth penetrated our hearts and changed our lives? Israel is also stiff-necked: They refuse to submit to God. How have we resisted God’s authority, whether in is word or in the leaders He has placed over us in the home and the church? Israel’s forehead is brass, which means they are opinionated and unteachable. They do what is right in their own eyes. Are we open to God’s word and godly counsel from others? An important mark of spiritual maturity is that our hearts are more humble towards God and His truth. We are more humble to receive godly correction from other faithful Christians.
Rebellious (Isa 48:6-8)
Look at Isaiah 48:6-8. Israel has persistently rebelled against God. Despite having heard God’s word and seen its fulfilment, Israel has refused to declare it. Cynical and unbelieving Israel is guilty of spiritual treachery. They pretend to be His people, while showing no evidence that they trust and obey God. Their ear has been closed to His word. Prolonged hearing without believing can desensitise us to the truth. This danger is especially real for those of us who spend a lot of time in a Christian environment, whether at home or church. So, today if we hear God’s voice, do not harden our hearts. Respond to Him right away.
But what is remarkable here is not only Israel’s persistent rebellion, but also God’s grace to His wayward people. It was certainly not due to Israel’s merit. In fact, the sovereign God knew all along that they would be nominal, stubborn and rebellious. Yet, He still chose them to be His people. How amazing that God knew all our sins, our faults, our flaws and our failures, yet He still chose to save us!
And, just when we think God cannot be any more gracious and generous, He says He will do far more abundantly than we think. Rebellious Israel has become indifferent towards God, thinking He neither knows nor cares. Israel has failed to remember God goodness. But God, in His unfathomable grace and mercy, will confound His people’s faithless expectations. God is about to do new things more wonderful and glorious than what He has done before. The Exodus was spectacular, but God tells Israel, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!” What are the new things? This brings us to our next point.
The persevering patience of God (Isa 48:9-22)
Despite the persistent problem of Israel’s sinfulness, God is not done with His people. The rest of the chapter emphasises God’s persevering patience. We will think about this in three points: God is patient for His glory. God is patient to send His Servant. God is patient for our peace.
God is patient for His glory (Isa 48:9-11)
Look at Isaiah 48:9-11. Naturally, we are selfish and self-centred. Our default is to think the world revolves around us. Thinking themselves special, the people of Israel might have imagined some good in themselves that would commend them to God.
For this reason, God makes clear that He will save His people not ultimately because of them but because of His own glory. In judgement, God will remember mercy. He will not destroy Israel but will preserve a remnant through the purifying fires of the exile. God’s people bear His name. Therefore, His reputation and glory are at stake. Rebellious Israel has been dragging God’s name through the mud. So, God will take action to defend His own honour. He will redeem and refine His people, so that they display His glory. Does this make God self-centred? No, because He alone in all of creation is worthy of worship and adoration. God is not self-centred to seek His own glory, because only He is truly deserving of such praise and gratitude. It is idolatrous to take the glory that is rightfully God’s and to give it to someone or something else.
If God has saved us for His glory then, for the sake of His own name, He will surely ensure that we are kept until the end. God’s zeal for His own glory guarantees His persevering patience towards us.
What is more, God glorifies Himself by seeking our good. Isaiah presents us with a God-centred, not man-centred, understanding of salvation. God saves us for His own glory. As Paul says in Ephesians 1, God has “predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace” (Eph 1:5). This truth humbles us. It undercuts our pride, self-centredness, and self-righteousness. How can we boast? This truth is also immensely comforting. If God has saved us for His glory then, for the sake of His own name, He will surely ensure that we are kept until the end. God’s zeal for His own glory guarantees His persevering patience towards us. If this were not so — if God saved us because of something He saw in us, then what assurance do we have that He will remain favourable towards us when we change or stumble? But praise God that we are saved by God’s grace alone, not our works. Because God’s patience doesn’t depend on our performance, we can rest in the certainty that God will save His people for His glory. God is committed to His people’s good, because He is committed to the fame of His own name.
God is patient to send His Servant (Isa 48:12-16)
In Isaiah 48:12-15, God summons Israel to assemble and listen to the truth about who He is. God declares His sovereignty over all things. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He is the beginning and the end. God controls history and rules over the kingdoms of the world. He will raise up the Persian king Cyrus (Isa 48:14b-15) to do His will. God will grant Cyrus success, to execute judgement on Babylon. But Cyrus is not the ultimate saviour of God’s people. Although He was used by God to bring Israel back from exile, Israel’s biggest problem is spiritual, not political. Like Israel, our sins have separated us from the holy God. We need a saviour who will atone for our sins and bring us back to God. Who is this saviour?
The answer is found in Isaiah 48:16. The speaker invites us to draw near to (him) and hear. Who is the speaker? It is someone who has been speaking right from the beginning This echoes what God had said concerning Himself in Isaiah 48:3. The speaker sounds like God, and yet He is also a distinct person. He says, “The Lord GOD has sent me, and his Spirit.” We do not have more details here but as we shall see in the coming chapters, the speaker is the Servant of the Lord. He has been sent by God to save God’s people. God has already spoken about the servant in chapter 42: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations” (Isa 42:1). Later in Isaiah, we will hear about how God will make the Servant “a light for the nations, that (God’s) salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isa 49:6). This Servant will suffer and die for sinners, so that they can be forgiven and made right with God. “He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isa 53:5).
These are the new things (Isa 48:6) that God will do: He will send Hs Servant and His Spirit to save His people. Here, we have a hint of the doctrine of the Trinity, which will be further revealed in the New Testament: God the Father will send His Son, Jesus, who is anointed by the Spirit, to save sinners. In the fullness of time, Jesus came to fulfil God’s promises and plan. Jesus suffered and died as a substitute for sinners like us. He bore God’s judgement against sin, so that we can have peace with God if we trust in Jesus to save us. In Christ, God is making all things new. Jesus’ resurrection is the beginning of the new creation. In Christ, we are a new creation. The Father and the Son have sent the Spirit to dwell in us. The Spirit will transform us from one degree of glory to another. And we await Jesus’ return to complete our salvation. Only Jesus can solve the persistent problem of our sin. He is the promised Servant who invites us to draw near. Will we come to Him and find rest for our souls?
God is patient for our peace (Isa 48:17-22)
Finally, God is patient for our peace. The Lord is patient towards us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). Hear in Isaiah 48:17-19 how he patiently persuades His people to return to Him: “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me.”
The Lord promises good to all who turn to Him. He seeks our good and leads us on the path of life. If we return to Him, we shall have never-ending peace and righteousness. Israel foolishly rejected and forfeited God’s offer. So, be warned: If we stubbornly rebel, “There is no peace for the wicked, says the LORD” (Isa 48:22). Choose life. Why wouldn’t we trust in the Lord? Therefore, we ought to repent. Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea (Isa 48:20). May God help us to turn our backs on worldliness and our idols. They are useless and burdensome. They only lead us to judgement and death. But the Lord is the true God. So, worship Him alone.
The Lord has redeemed His people in the past. He faithfully led Israel through the wilderness and sustained them with water to drink (Isa 48:21). Now, God has accomplished an even greater redemption through His Son. Jesus says, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn. 4:14). So, believe this gospel. Repent and believe in Jesus. Then, tell of His good news. Declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it, send it out to the end of the earth (Isa 48:20b).
Despite the persistent problem of our sinfulness, God has shown persevering patience to us.
Despite the persistent problem of our sinfulness, God has shown persevering patience to us. May we not take God’s patience for granted. Romans 2:4-5: “Do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” May it not be so with us.