CHAPEL ROCK
Lead Pastor Casey Scott returns to the stage this morning to bring the next sermon in the series, ‘A Rhapsody of Redemption.’ There is an inevitability to God’s ultimate plan, and it will come as, how, and when He decides. God is like the Writer, Producer, and Director of the Future. Our scripture text this morning is in Isaiah 44:24 – 45:25.
Communion
Chapel Rock practices an 'open communion' meaning that if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are welcome to participate in the communion service. The elder/staff member giving the devotion will provide instructions.
Isaiah 53:7-9 NIV
Chapel Rock’s Vision:
To See the Whole Community
Whole in Christ
Casey Scott
Lead Pastor
Series: A Rhapsody of Redemption
Sermon: A Song for an Inevitable Future
> Isaiah 44:24 - 45:25
Today’s Big Idea
When God wants to do something, it gets done!
Introduction
We’re in a series called ‘A Rhapsody of Redemption’, looking at the Servant Songs in Isaiah. Today we’re going to talk about God’s command of history, and that means we’re going to be discussing the will of God. The will of God has five distinct facets, just like a beautiful gem.
1. God’s Redemptive Will: This is God’s desire to redeem the universe and restore it to what it was before the Fall
2. God’s Sovereign Will: This is God’s ability to run the universe.
3. God’s Permissive Will: This is what God allows.
4. God’s Moral Will: This is the ethical part of God’s will.
5. God’s Specific Will: This is when God’s Sovereign will and His Redemptive will come together.
In this series, we’ve been using musical and artistic images because that’s how the text functions. The picture this passage is giving us is that God is the Writer, Director, and Producer of the Future. From God’s perspective, the future as He intends it to be, is inevitable and here are three reasons:
HE WRITES THE SCRIPT
In Hollywood, if the producer has hired a writer to write the script, the producer can ask for rewrites. But it doesn’t happen with God – there are no other writers, but He allows the actors quite a lot of freedom to improvise their lines. God is very clear about what IS going to happen. In fact, in this chapter there are over 45 future tense verbs!
HE PRODUCES THE SET
The Producer is the one who makes all the “stuff” come together to make the movie. This text very clearly paints God as Creator and only God. He is the ONE solely responsible for producing this grand narrative of redemption.
“This is God’s universe, and God does things his way. You may have a better way, but you don’t have a universe.”
~ J. Vernon McGee
HE DIRECTS THE CAST
In a movie, The Director is responsible for making the script a reality, he/she is basically in charge of the creative decisions on the project. God is the one who directs the cast of History.
Part of the message of this text is that God is asserting His right to rule those who reject his authority! This is one of the deepest teachings of Scripture: that – without limiting free will – God can use messed up, broken and rebellious creatures for His own glory and to advance His redemptive work.
“God is so sovereign he can hit a straight lick with a crooked stick.”
~ Dr. Mark Scott
CONCLUSION
His death and resurrection were inevitable, because God wanted it to happen. God wanted YOU to be part of His story forever, and so He gave his only begotten Son so that you might have eternal life in Heaven.
Read Ahead for Next Week
A Song of Judgment | Isaiah 46:1-47:15
Isaiah 44:24-28 NIV
Isaiah 45:1-25 NIV