Today’s title is taken from verse 2. I would like to talk about the greatness of God’s grace and how we have been established as witnesses to that grace from this passage.

I. Even in fire, even in water (Vs. 1-4)
Please look at verses 1 to 4.
Verses 1-4
If you look at verse 1, it says “But now“. This chapter has a plain connection with the close of the foregoing chapter. If you look at the previous chapter you will see what has been said up until now. He said how spiritually blind Israel is. In 42:19 it says, “Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send?” The Lord didn’t hide his shock from Israel’s spiritual blindness. They didn’t listen to what God said at all and continued to rebel so God handed them over to be plundered and looted. That was by Babylon. No matter how much God talked to them, they didn’t hear it so he poured his burning anger upon them. As I said last week too this was not to judge them, but so that they would stand up. Israel’s God is full of mercy, deeply gracious, and is full of goodness. Therefore, God pours out his anger upon them so that they will return and be saved. This is what God has said up until now, “But now, this is what the LORD says, he who created you Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. ‘” (1)
To Israel, Jacob, who has become so hard hearted God says, “Do not fear.” (1) For God has redeemed them. God has summoned them by name. They are the Lord’s. The word “redeemed” (1) means to pay the price and buy. The Lord paid the price and bought Israel so they are the Lord’s. Therefore, no matter what, God will never abandon or forsake them. Even if they turn their back on God, no matter how deep they fall in sin, the Lord will definitely not forsake them.
Please look at verse 3. Here it is written what the payment is. “For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.”
The ransom is Egypt and Cush. Also it is Seba. Cush is Ethiopia. Seba is the area South from Ethiopia. The Lord paid their ransom by such countries、and saved them from Babylon. In other words, to save Israel, God gave these countries to the Persian Empire and let Persia control them.
This ultimately refers to Jesus Christ who redeemed our sins on the cross. Just as God in order to save Israel gave Egypt and Cush for Israel’s ransom, in order to save all mankind God sent his son, Jesus Christ into the world. By giving his Son as a ransom, he offered salvation to all mankind. That was by putting him on the cross. If you accept this fact and accept and believe in God’s salvation, you will be saved. Your sins will also be forgiven. You will be set free from the control of sin. God to save you from your sins gave his precious only son’s life. He loved you that much. Please open your Bibles to John 3:16
John 3:16
We are in God’s eyes terrible sinners. We quickly tell lies, get angry, hurt others, and have bad thoughts in our hearts. Not only that but we are taught many things by the Lord, but we don’t pay attention and don’t listen. In other words, we are spiritual blind and spiritually deaf. Therefore, we are such a being that to be destroyed is unavoidable. Even so God sent his only Son, Jesus Christ for you, and was put on the cross and died as a ransom for your sins. That is so that none would perish, but have eternal life. You are included in “should not perish”. (John 3:16) This is what God is saying to us by the words, “but now, this is what the LORD says-he who created you, O Jacob.” (1) Please read this putting your own name in place of “Jacob”. “But now, this is what the LORD says-he who created you, O (your name) …’Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.’” (1) Those who believe in the Lord Jesus as their Savior and belong to the Lord will no matter what never be forsaken.
Please look at verse 4. Here it says, “Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.” Here is clearly declaring, “you are precious and honored in my sight, and…I love you.” (4)
Around us are various kinds of eyes, but the most important eyes are these eyes. These are the eyes of God who says, “in my sight”. God looks at you through His eyes and “you are precious and honored in” (4) in his sight and he loves you. God’s eyes are really a definite standard. No matter what others say, no matter what you think about yourself, no matter how other people think of you, it is of no concern. What is important is how God looks at you. “You are precious and honored in” (4) in his sight. God loves you so much that he put his only child on the cross. Essentially, we don’t deserve to be loved. We are of no value. We deserve to be judged. However, God loves us even though we don’t deserve it. He loves us so much that he died on the cross. He goes to all extremes to love us. Even if you were the only person in this world, Jesus would come for you, the only person, and give his life on the cross. Therefore, here the “you” (4) is singular, not plural. God’s love is not sprinkled out on everyone, but is given to each individual person. What you need to do is gratefully accept the love that is presented to you.
A Korean pastor, Lee Minsopu, wrote the song “You were born to be loved when he was a seminary student.
You were born to be loved
You were born to be loved.
Your life is filled with love.
You were born to be loved.
Your life is filled with love.

God’s eternal love is shown through our relationships
Because you are with us we experience tremendous joy.

You were born to be loved.
You now experience this never-ceasing love.
You were born to be loved.
You now experience this never-ceasing love.

A girl who went to church sang this song at a prefectural elementary school when an incident involving a child occurred. Her teacher heard the song and thought that he wanted the students to know the meaning of the song and asked the girl if there was a CD with the song on it. That is why the song was made into a CD in Japan. The song was sung by the class, sung by the school, and now is being sung throughout the entire country. That is how much people don’t have a feeling of being “loved”.
However, this song isn’t a song to give us a sense of being loved. This isn’t a song that was made to emphasize that you are loved the way you are. It is not a song to give you an image or self-image that you are so precious. It is a song about God who loves you very much and that he sent his only son Jesus Christ and died in your place on the cross for you. This song is singing about how those who believe and accept God’s love are in God’s sight so precious. In other words, no matter how far you fall, if you believe in God’s salvation in Jesus Christ and are the Lord’s, God will not forsake you, will help you and watch over you. That’s how much God loves you.
This is expressed in verse 2 I think. Let’s read verse 2 together. “When you pass through the 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.”
This isn’t just about being in water or fire. Even if “you pass through the waters,” (2) the Lord will be with you. Even if “you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.” (2) Even if “you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” (2) That is because “the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel” (3) is your Savior.”
“When you pass through the waters” (2) is thought to probably refer to Israel’s exodus from Egypt. When they left Egypt, they passed through the Red Sea and were saved. Also “When you pass through the rivers,” (2) is probably when they entered the Promised Land, they passed through the Jordan River. “When you walk through fire” (2) is thought to be when the 3 young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, turned their backs on King Nebuchadnezzar and refused to worship the golden statue so they were thrown into a burning furnace. They were in the burning furnace. Moreover, it was heated seven times hotter than usual” (Daniel 3:19), but they weren’t hurt at all. That was because God was with them. When the king looked into the furnace, he saw “four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” (Daniel 3:25) That was Jesus Christ before his incarnation. The Lord was with them so that didn’t even have one place that was hurt. If God is for us, it is not necessary to fear anything.
God redeemed you. You have been redeemed by God’s ransom. You are God’s. Therefore “you are precious and honored” (4) in God’s sight. God loves you. No matter how far you have fallen in sin, the Lord who loves you very much will go to all extremes to save you. He loves you unlimitedly. That is your God. God redeemed you so you are an object of God’s special attention and care. God no matter what will take care of you. That is because you are a person of God that God redeemed. For God “you are precious and honored.” (4)

II. For God’s glory (Vs. 5-7)
Next please look at verses 5 to 7. I will read verses 5 and 6. “Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth-“
The Lord says again to Israel, “Do not be afraid”. (5) That’s how fearful Israel was. They were captured by Babylon and they were in the midst of the agony of oppression. They were afraid of what was going to happen to them. God said to them who were in that condition, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” (5) God was with them and is going to bring their children from the east and gather them from the west. Also he “will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’” (6) Like this God will bring back his people from afar and gather them “from the ends of the earth.” (6) Not only were they captured and deported, but they were also captured by Assyria and deported so they were scattered about in all areas. God is going to gather them “from afar” (6) and bring them back to their father’s land, Jerusalem.
This was fulfilled by the Persian King Cyrus destroying Babylon. The Jews who had been captured and deported by Babylon 70 years later were able to return to their father land Jerusalem. However, this is at the same time a prophecy of the end of the world. At the end of the world the Jews who are scattered throughout the world will be gathered “from the ends of the earth.“ (6) Please look at Matt. 24:31.
“And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
Jesus said that at the end of the world, when he returns, that this will occur. The Lord will “send his angels…and they will gather his elect from the four” (Matt. 24:31) directions “from one end of the heavens to the other.” (Matt. 24:31) At the end of the world, Israel will be restored again. This was fulfilled on May 14, 1948.The Republic of Israel was established as a country. The Jews that were scattered throughout the world by persecution from the Roman empire in 70 A.D. were gathered and their country was restored. That is unthinkable. It is unthinkable, but in reality it happened. This is called the miracle of the present age. This happened because the Bible declared beforehand that it would. Just as the prophecy said, the Jews that were scattered throughout the world were gathered and they were able to return to the homeland.
Here this says “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’! (5) Some people say that the “north” is Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. After World War II such countries were behind the iron curtain. In Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union and such communist countries the Jews held demonstrations demanding “Let us go”, but for a long time it didn’t happen. It was the Jews that were the brains in those countries so it was felt that such countries would be unable to keep up if the Jews all left. However, in 1986 the accident at Chernobyl occurred which had a definite influence on fall of communism in Russia in 1991 and a little at a time the iron curtain began to open. In 1990 a wave of changing to democracy hit and the Berlin wall fell in 1989. After the Berlin Wall came down, East and West Germany reunified into a single German state on October 3, 1990. Then many Jews from the North were able to return to their homeland.
Also some people think that “the south” refers to Ethiopia. Ethiopia too was before a Marxist, communistic country. This communistic nation was overthrown and from 1948 to 1991 22,000 Jews were able to move to Israel to live. In 1948 when Israel was founded as a nation the population was 600,000 people, but in 2011 it had increased to 7,170,000. From all over the world overcoming every obstacle the Jews are returning to their homeland, Israel. This is a sign of the end of the world, but a little at a time it is being fulfilled. Just as God promises here, God is gathering again the Jews that are scattered abroad the entire world. Therefore, it is not necessary to fear.
We too while saying that we believe in God, we have fears about the future. However, there is nothing to fear. The Lord God is with us. Worrying about getting old, whether we have enough social security, what will happen if we get sick and such uncertainties flitter through our minds. However, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” (5) God is with us so we mustn’t fear. Just as God said he would gather Israel from the east, from the west, from the north and from the south and he did it just as he said, God will perform a certain work in our future.
The purpose for which God is going to gather all the Jews is written in verse 7. “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” That is “for my glory”. (7) It is not to show how superior the people of Israel are, but for God’s glory. They are the people called by God’s name so they are for God’s glory. It is for that reason that God has performed the mighty acts that are called the miracle of the present age.
The same is true of us Christians. Christian means someone who belongs to Christ. We were formed and made” (7) and exist in this world to show Christ’s glory. If we can show God’s glory, we will fulfill our purpose for existence so we will have a sense of satisfaction. .
The other day I went to where Sayuri Kume was singing. Before she became a big hit with the song “Gentiles” and was very popular She gave a testimony as to why she stopped being a professional singer and became a Christian musician. The world of entertainment is a world where words about millions and billions of yen are flying around, but she felt that in that world she didn’t belong. She was receiving attention from the world, but she wasn’t finding any joy from it so she thought she would go back to the basics. When she thought about where her starting point was she thought that it was in the song that she sang when she was little at Sunday school, “Jesus loves me”. When she thought that that song was her starting point, she went to church. There she met Jesus Christ. Then she left the entertainment world, praised God, and became a singer to witness for Christ. I wondered why she didn’t sing “Gentiles” (which I love), but that is because she is living for the Lord’s glory. It is something that if a song doesn’t bring even a little glory to God then she doesn’t sing it. She said that even though she doesn’t get a lot of money, but even so she has a sense of satisfaction that she had never experienced before.
We are not singers, but no matter who we are the purpose is the same. That is that through us the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ will be praised. We exist for God’s glory. You may not be a singer. You may think that you can’t do such a big thing. However, it doesn’t matter what kind of a person you are. You exist to testify, to show, that God’s great power works through you.
What are you living for? You may have never thought about that before. In any case you may be living to live. There are quite a few people like that. You may have lived with no purpose, only for your own content, your own honor, your own glory, success, riches, pleasures, fulfillment of dreams. However, that has missed the mark. You don’t exist for those purposes. You exist for God’s glory. He “formed and made” (7) you and redeemed you from sin for that purpose.
III. My witness (Vs. 8-13)
Lastly, let’s look at verses 8 to 13. Verses 8 and 9 say, “Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of them foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right so that others may hear and say, ‘It is true.’”
“Those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf” (8) are the Jews. Here it says to lead them out. The reason they are to be out is so they can witness to “all the nations” (9) that God is really God. Therefore, verse 10 says, “You are my witnesses…whom I have chosen.” These are the Jews and us Christians.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses, a Christian cult, takes their name from this passage. They apply this passage to themselves. The group emerged from the Bible Student movement founded in the late 1870s by Charles Taze Russell with the formation of Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society. Upon his death Joseph Rutherford became the leader making significant organizational and doctrinal changes. Also he changed the name of the group to Jehovah’s witnesses, based on Isaiah 43:10–12, in 1931 to distinguish themselves from other Bible Student groups and symbolize a break with the legacy of Russell’s traditions. They think that passage only refers to themselves. However, this passage isn’t about the Jehovah’s witnesses. It is about God’s people, Israel and also us Christians whom God has chosen.
Next, let’s look at what the witness is like.
1. The witness is chosen by God. Here it says, “my servant whom I have chosen”. (10) “Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen.” (41:8) God has chosen this servant. That is the witness. The witness is not someone who wants to be a witness and becomes one. Only those who are chosen can become a witness. Jesus said to his disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” (John 15:16)
Jesus chose us. Witnesses don’t volunteer. You can volunteer to be on the national defense force, but you can’t volunteer to be God’s witness. God chooses the person. He must be chosen by Christ. How can someone who rejects Christ become a witness to Christ? No one except Christians that have been saved can become God’s witness.
2. God’s witness is a servant. God’s witness, Christ’s witness, as “my servant” (10) must not be the master, but the servant. A servant faithfully does what the master says. That is a servant. A person that is self-center always saying “Me…me…me” and makes a fuss when he doesn’t get his way can’t be a servant. That is because a servant serves.
Jesus went to extremes to serve. Jesus “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:28)　Jesus really became a genuine servant so he was able to say, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) If we don’t deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus then we can’t be a witness. If we only talk about ourselves ”I…I…I..” then we can’t be a witness of God’s grace.
3. The Lord’s witness must know what God is like. Verse 10 says, “that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.” We must “know” God. The word for “know”(10) is the same word used for sexual union in marriage. In other words, we need to know God to the point of becoming one with Him. To do that we have to believe God’s Word and give our whole life to Him. Then we will know what God is like “and understand that I am he.” (10) To “know and believe” (10) God, to become one with God through fellowshipping with Him, to walk depending on Him is to “understand” that he is God. A witness is such a person.
Lastly, let’s look at the message of the witness. That is in verse 11. “I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.” This is the contents of what the witness of God says. “I was sick, but I got better. I am thankful.” That is a testimony, but more than that we must share about the Lord who healed you. The Lord is really God. Apart from Jesus “there is no savior.” (11) God is the one and only Lord, and God is the real savior are the two points. These two points are the message of the witness.
This Lord is the Lord Jesus Christ. The end of verse 12 and verse 13 say, “I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am he.” Before when the Lord appeared to Moses, he said, “I am who I am.” (Exodus 3:14) It is the same expression. Jesus applied the phrase to himself. “I tell you the truth…before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58)
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
This is the contents of what we must say. Just as before the disciples put their lives on the line and proclaimed that God is the Lord, we too who by the grace of God have been saved so let’s testify that the Lord is really God, the Savior, and what great things he has done in our lives. We mustn’t be silent. That is why you were chosen.
March 11,2011 was a great event that is said to have changed history. Then since then, in the midst of restoration not making much progress, also in the midst of the effects of radiation spreading, people have no hope, and are living a life full of troubles and darkness. Everyone is living with fear and uncertainties. In the midst of this we are saved. We have been given a certain hope. How great a calling we have been given! “Let’s go out to where the people are and stand and witness, “Come and see. Believe in Jesus. Jesus loves you. Jesus died on the cross in your place. Jesus loves you that much. Jesus will change your life like he has changed mine.”That is a life of showing God’s glory. It is for that purpose you were “formed and made”. (7) May you complete your calling of being a witness by witnessing to God’s love and God’s salvation.