In my sermon last Sunday on Isaiah 12:1-6, I said that the prophet puts words in our mouths as he describes the praise of the redeemed people of God. As Christians, we are those who live “in that day” (v.1) of the reign of Jesus Christ. And we are those who have been saved by his grace. So Isaiah gives us a song of praise to sing to our Savior in these verses of his prophecy.
Accordingly, we should be filled with thanksgiving to God. Because Jesus bore our sin and guilt at the cross, we can say of God, “… though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me” (v.1). We should also trust in the Lord with all our heart. That’s because, by his sovereign work of grace for us through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, “… God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid” (v.2). Our hearts should overflow with joy in Christ since he is our inexhaustible well of life-giving water (v.3). And, we should give praise to God from the heart, since he has “done gloriously” (v.5) in his redeeming work on our behalf through his Son.
May these words of praise from the ancient prophet be ours today!
I recently finished reading the first volume of Arnold Dallimore’s outstanding biography of the 18th-century British evangelist George Whitefield. Learning about the life of Whitefield is both humbling and encouraging.
Humbling, because Whitefield poured out his life for the sake of the gospel with such indefatigable zeal and devotion. He was a supremely gifted preacher, but what strikes me is the way he consecrated the entirety of his energy and time to making Christ known to others. I pray for just a tenth of his zeal for Christ!
And encouraging, because God used his ministry to bring multitudes to Christ and new life to the churches in his day. We may take issue with some aspects of his ministry, and of the Great Awakening in general, but I’d much rather see in our day a genuine revival of belief in Christ than the sort of spiritual lifelessness that is so characteristic of our post-Christian, secular age.
Finally, I’m excited to start reading Sinclair Ferguson’s Devoted to God’s Church. Like everything Ferguson writes, I’m sure it will be excellent. Later this month, the men of Mt. Rose will begin an regular meeting to discuss the book.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Pastor Johnson