His Perfect Love

Guest (Male): Lord, get me out of this. How often have we prayed that when in the middle of a trial or a storm? Well, here's something to consider.

Matt VanderVen: How often have you been in a trial and said, Jesus, I'm praying the trial away. You've heard me talk about this before. One of the greatest lessons and I think the New Testament scriptures that God gives us is John 6. When you look at the fact that Jesus Christ sent His apostles into a boat, into the middle of the Sea of Galilee, into a storm.

It's not till you read John 6 that you begin to understand why? Because it said the people, the multitudes were getting ready to do what? They were going to crown Him king. Why did God put them into a trial? To actually protect them from being out of His will. Wait a minute, you mean God can do that? Jesus does that? He does that.

Guest (Male): This is His perfect love.

Matt VanderVen: Let the word go out.

Guest (Male): This is what real love looks like.

Matt VanderVen: In truth and power.

Guest (Male): This is His perfect love.

Matt VanderVen: It is good to be with you today. Welcome to His Perfect Love. We'll join Pastor Matt VanderVen in Isaiah 42 in a second. We're about to uncover a whole new series of prophecies concerning God's heart of restoration.

Chapter 42 ends with God's sorrow over the spiritual decline of His people, but in Chapter 43, He promises an outpour of love, not wrath. And it's good to note that's the same heart He wants to show us as well. Here is Pastor Matt with today's message.

Guest (Male): This is His perfect love.

Matt VanderVen: Well, look at this, what he says here. He describes this woman. He says like a woman crying, like a woman in labor. I will pant. I will gasp at once. I will lay waste the mountains and the hills, and dry up all their vegetation. I will make the rivers in coastal lands and I will dry up their pools.

He's making it relatable for both men and women, right? Both give every ounce of their strength. Both give every ounce of their strength. A woman in labor. I don't know what that's like. I've watched my wife have four children. And each time I was like, "What? Whatever you want." Like when she's delivering the babies, I'm like, "What can I get you?"

You know, I mean, I'm just, it's amazing. And I, you know, to watch the baby move in her stomach and the different things, I I just sat in awe and in fear to be honest when this whole thing was happening. I'm not going to lie to you. I realized I was like, "Wow, this is, you know, you are my hero." I mean, my wife was my, is my hero when I see. I mean, how do you explain that? That's just, yeah.

So, anyway, and and when I think of our soldiers on the front lines standing there, knowing full well that they're putting their lives on the line that any moment, a bullet could come whizzing by, you know, and they could be struck and they're standing there or sitting there or in position to do what? To make sure you and I have freedom so that we can do this right now. So that we can gather and read the word of God.

Yeah, it's amazing. Thank you, Jesus. And I do. I pray for protection like that. But God is being relatable. He's relating to both sexes and and and men and women and trying to relate in between like that so that everybody can understand what He's saying, that that God gives it His all. He doesn't take a break.

He says, "I will lay waste the mountains and the hills. I will dry up their vegetation. I will make the rivers coastlands and I will dry up the pools. I will bring the blind by the way that they did not know," right? "And I will lead them in paths that they have not known." Do you know who he's all really ultimately talking about? That one day He's going to deliver them from Babylon. A Babylon that they don't even know exists yet.

Do you understand? That's the passage we're in. That He's talking about a Babylon. He'll make that clear here in a little bit. He's talking about a Babylon that they don't even understand what He's, He the prophet's saying or speaking about and how He's going to deliver them from what they don't even know they're going to be talking into captivity. Just try to wrap your mind around that.

"I will lead them in paths that they have not known. I will make darkness light before them. Crooked places straight. The things I will do for them and not forsake them. They shall be turned back. They shall be greatly ashamed who trust in carved images, who say to them molded images, you are gods."

Now, Isaiah kind of goes back to the present here in verse 18. "Hear you deaf, and look you blind that you may see. Who is blind but my servant," talking of Judah and Israel, "or deaf is my messenger, whom I send? Who is blind as he is perfect, and blind as the Lord's servant? Seeing many things, but you do not observe, opening the ears, but he does not hear," right? What's he talking about? Losing the senses.

Being put in harm's way for those that are trusting in their idols. The Lord is well pleased for His righteous sake. He will exalt the law and make it honorable. What's the law he's speaking here? The word, the word of God.

But this is a people robbed and plundered, and all of them snared in holes, and they have hidden in prison houses, there for prey and no one delivers, for plunder and no one says restore. "Who among you will give will give ear to this? Who will listen and hear for the time to come? Who gave Jacob for plunder and Israel to the robbers? Was it not the Lord?"

And remember why He did this. He against whom we have sinned. Please notice that what Isaiah the prophet does here, he doesn't say who they or you. What does Isaiah do? We. If we would humble ourselves before our God and pray to Him, would he not heal our lands, our nation? Israel was to pray that way. We, the prophets.

For they would not walk in His ways, nor were they obedient to His laws. Therefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger and the strength of the battle. It has set him on fire all around yet he did not know, and it burned him and yet he did not take it near. You know, the Jews were spiritually blind while in captivity. But he's going to deliver them and bring them out.

And just like one day He's going to give them new hearts. God is not done with Israel. Please know that. I don't know if you saw today the nonsense and ridiculous things that are going on in New York City. They just elected a a new gentleman to be their mayor if you will. And I don't know what to exactly call him. And he he is of a socialist nature. And he turns around and he says, if Netanyahu comes to New York City, I'm going to have him arrested.

Like, what are you doing? I mean, even if you knew nothing else about world affairs or international law, like, you're speaking of things you do not understand. You're telegraphing something that you shouldn't even be telegraphing. The enemy, the devil, always overplays his hand. He always overplays his hand.

There used to be a time where it was at least wrapped and maybe hidden, but in these last of the last days, it's no longer. It's directly right in your face and you can't miss it. You just got to be aware of the times, see these things. So it's just, it's just interesting when we think about what the Lord is saying here about this, right? And in God's heart on these things.

He says, "He did not take it to heart." What's that like? God telling His people, "Look, turn from your idolatry, turn from your wicked ways. You're not obedient. And because of this, real love is I'm going to bring, if you will, a spanking. I don't know how else to say it."

"Why am I doing that? Because I love you." For whom the Lord loves, He corrects. You might be sitting there going, "Well, love me less, God." No. No, do you understand? I mean, the whole point of the great tribulation, and the reason it's called great, is because that's the exact perfect amount of judgment that need to be brought so that the humility of the Jewish people would be broken to the point of where they would willing be willing to cry out to blessed is the name of the Lord. Remember, we read that this Sunday. That's exactly what they're going to utter right before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It says it right in the word, we read it together. That is exactly what's going to happen.

And you might be saying, "But but why did it have to be a great tribulation? Why did 4.5 billion people have to die? Why did?" They didn't. They don't. That's, that's the whole point. It's a rejection. Those who reject Jesus Christ, there has to be judgment. He's a righteous judge. He doesn't change His righteousness to be a respecter of persons.

It doesn't matter your affluency. It doesn't matter the social dynamics. None of that matters. The only thing that matters are, are you born again? Have you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? That, that's it. That's the qualification. That's the qualification. And, and it's really important that we get that because it's not that God wants to bring the judgment. He needs to do that if that's what it takes to humble His creation.

That we would do what? That we would cry out and say, "Lord Jesus," right? Hallelujah. "Save now." Or hallelujah, right? Let's go into Chapter 43 here. "But now thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, fear not." And He gives a reason. For, whenever you see F-O-R, right, it's a reason. The word tells us a reason. "For I have what? Redeemed you. I ransomed you." He's, He's actually going to say this twice in this passage.

He redeemed us. Again, I was telling you, we were talking about this last week, if you think about it. God has done this twice. What do you mean He's done this twice? When you were His creation, did not God not create each and every human being? Did you not, do we not both? Does not all of humanity belong to God, the creator of all life? Of course we do.

But we rebel. We're born into a sinful nature. And so what is, what does God do? God turned around and sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to go to the cross of Calvary to pay for the sins of the world, past, present, and future. That's what that Greek word teleo conjugated means. It's finished. Means past, present, future. It's in the perfect tense of the Greek.

Means it keeps doing it. He keeps forgiving. And and so why am I bringing that up? Because he's saying He ransom, think about the redemption aspect. That means that not only once did He do it when He created us, but He did it a second time when Jesus Christ stood on the cross and His blood was shed.

Is there any coincidence that we have to be born twice? Did you ever think about that? You're born once of flesh, and then you're born once of spirit. You were created once in flesh, and you were redeemed once in spirit. It's an equation. It's always been there.

It's always been there. That's why there was no other way but Jesus Christ. But God's blood Himself. Because He's the only one that can do the redeeming, because He's the only one that did the creating. He's the last Adam. He ties it back for us in so many different ways so we just can't miss it.

"I have called you by name. You are mine." Thank you, Jesus. "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flames scorch you, for I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place."

So what is He saying here? He says, "He takes us through the trials. He doesn't say He removes the trials."

Guest (Male): How often have you been in a trial and said, Jesus, I'm praying the trial away?

Matt VanderVen: You've heard me talk about this before. One of the greatest lessons in and I think the New Testament scriptures that God gives us is John 6. When used in harmony with Matthew, Mark and Luke's account, and we read about it, go back and study it. John 6 again.

When you look at the fact that Jesus Christ sent His apostles into a boat, into the middle of the Sea of Galilee, into a storm. It's not till you read John 6 that you begin to understand why? Because it said, the people, the multitudes were getting ready to do what? They were going to crown Him king. In Matthew, Mark and Luke, you don't see that. It's not till you, you take the harmony of John that you get the whole account of what's really happening.

Why did God put them into a trial? To actually protect them from being out of His will. Wait a minute, you mean God can do that? Jesus does that? He does that. Because it would be worse for them to create that, to, well, Peter almost did it when Peter said, "I'm never going to let you go to the cross, Jesus." Do you remember that?

And Jesus, you know, right before that He says, "Oh my, you're, you're God. You're the living God." You know, well, "Flesh and blood didn't reveal that. My Father in heaven revealed this to you, Peter," right? And then, you know, a moment later, he's saying, "Well, no, I'm," well, whose will was that? That was Peter's will.

I mean, certainly well-motivated, but motives don't matter. You can be as zealous and motivated with the right, but if you have the, you can even have a heart, but if it's against God's plan and will, you are out of the will of God. We need to reconcile those two things. Because in a in a society where everything is so about us and I and what I feel, don't forget your emotions betray you.

Peter's emotions betrayed him. "Jesus, that'll never happen to you." "Get behind me, Satan." He wasn't saying that Peter was literally Satan. He was saying, "What spirit are you listening to?" Because you're not listening to my Father who just told you moments ago what flesh and blood couldn't reveal.

And that's amazing because as born again believers, we too can hear the spirits. We can hear the voices. What voice are we listening to? And the only way to test the spirits as we read in 1st John, is to what? Scripture. Test everything in the light of scripture. Right? God doesn't contradict himself. It's not an enigma, a puzzle. God is not in puzzles.

He's revealed these things so we can test them against the scripture, so we have almost before us a a litmus because God doesn't contradict a single point of His word. And you think about how many problems and things rise up because, "Well, the Lord," with the special emphasis, "The Lord is telling me to do this." Meanwhile, it's in direct contradiction to the scriptures.

No, He's not telling you to do that. God doesn't contradict His word. I don't know what spirit that's of, but God does not contradict His word. Jesus Christ when He was being tempted in Matthew chapter 4, He goes back when Satan comes to him and tries to tempt, he says, "I will, you're hungry. You've been fasting 40 days and 40 nights. Why don't you just take these rocks and turn them into bread?" Right? Like, that's a good thing, Jesus. Like, "Your Father wouldn't want you to eat." Of course He wants you to eat.

And did Jesus say, "No, no, that's not really my thing." No. How did Jesus respond directly to that spiritual attack? He says, "That's right." He went and quoted Deuteronomy. Chapter 6 and 8, right? "Man does not live by bread alone, by every word that proceeds forth from the mouth of God," right? He came back and battled with scripture. Every time Jesus showed us that when things like that occurred, He went back to the scripture quoted and said, "This is your spiritual weapon, prayer. The word of God, it's your sword."

That's why He even tells us when we're going to go out, Ephesians 6:11-18, "Put on the full armor of God," right? You got a shield of faith, you got a belt of truth, you got shoes that are shot with peace, right? Breastplate of righteousness, helmet of salvation, oh my, writing the mind, thinking of the things eternal, not temporal, so it doesn't tank you.

So, as he's talking to us here, he's trying to teach us that sometimes he doesn't remove the trial. He said, "The flames shan't won't scorch you." He didn't say, "I'm going to take the flames away." He says, "I'm going to bring you through it." And sometimes bringing you through it means bringing you home. And that's not a bad thing, friends.

I know longevity is a beautiful topic right now and people are spending millions and millions of dollars and that's, that's wonderful, right? There's nothing wrong with wanting to live and and be all in for Jesus Christ and be healthy so you can minister and bring the gospel. Beautiful, beautiful. But it's not a failure when something doesn't go according to what you have perceived as a plan. If He says, "No, Matt, I'm bringing you home," that's good. That's not a bad thing.

We've gotten so twisted in the American gospel. We really have. "Since you were precious in my sight, you have been honored and I, I have loved you." He loves you so much. You are the apple of His eye. He's madly in love with each and every one of you. "Therefore, I will give men for you and people for your life. Fear not, for I am with you, and I will bring your descendants from the East." He's talking about to Israel specifically here.

"The children from the East and gather you from the West. I will say, go to the North and give them up. Let them go." In other words, he's saying, "I will go to Babylon and I will tell them to deliver you." And when they don't listen, I will send who? Cyrus. Have you ever seen anybody? Never mind. I I we don't have time. I was going to say, I'll keep that for next week.

A government turn around and say, "We don't want anything from you. We don't want anything from you. Here, we're just going to let you all, you all could be absolutely laborers and you could, you know, Cyrus taking over, the Persian government, you know, coming in. I'm using our terms. I'm going to let you all go. You're you're all work these and you could rebuild uh, you know, Babylon for the Persian government." But, no, no, no. "I'm going to send you and, oh, by the way, I'm going to give you all the the temple and all the stuff that was in the temple. And I'm even going to finance the rebuilding of the temple."

Can you imagine that today? Somebody calling him and saying, "Calvary, we're going to pay your mortgage." The government. "I'm just going to pay your mortgage because we love what you're doing in the community and." Wouldn't that be wonderful? I don't, I don't I'm not waiting for that call, right? But my point is is like, that's exactly what happened. And God is saying it. He's declaring it here. He says, "I'm going to tell them. I will say to the North, give them up. And to the South, don't keep them back. Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the Earth. Everyone who's called by my name, who've I created for my glory."

We're all created for His glory. But the Jews are God's chosen people. "And I have formed them. Yes, I have made them." Talks about how He's going to draw them from the four corners of the Earth. "Bring out the blind people who have eyes and the deaf who have ears. Let all the nations," so He's talking about the Jews to be witnesses to the world, to the Gentiles, "Gather them together and let the people be assembled. Who among them can declare this and show us the former things? Let them bring out their witnesses that they may be justified or let them hear and say, it is truth. You are my witness," again, speaking to Israel, right? "You know what I've prophesied. You know what I've done. Now tell people what I'm capable of and who I am."

And, oh, by the way, we're His ambassadors today too because we've been grafted in. Jew and Gentile that way, not replacing Israel. "That you may know and believe in Me," right? Or "that you may know and believe Me." He says, "And my servant whom I have chosen, you're my witness. And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed. He's eternal. We're mortal. Angels are immortal. Nor shall there ever be after Me. I, even I, am the Lord." Amen. "And besides Me, there is no savior. I have declared and saved. I have proclaimed and there was no foreign God among you. Therefore, you are my witnesses," says the Lord, "that I am God. Indeed, before this day was I am He."

"And there's no one who can deliver you out of My hand. I work and who will reverse it?" Boy, that is beautifully put, isn't it? That's pretty black and white there, right? There's no gray in that. Right? God is saying, "I have said it. I have ordained it. I'm going to make it so, and there's not another being on this Earth that can change it."

If that's not empowerment, I don't know what it is. I've said it before and I'll say it again and I'll close with this. And we'll come back to this passage here in verse 14 and pick up the next section. When you are in the will of God, and I mean this with all my heart, and the scriptures bear witness to this. Test, be Bereans. When you are in the will of God, you are invincible.

Do you understand that? When you are in the will of God, you are invincible until such a time in which God says, "You're done." Or, "You're going to go over here." Or, "I have plans for you over there." You know, it was interesting, Dr. uh, David Jeremiah, you know, he used to travel off for business. Many of you know, I used to work for Microsoft 14 years. I traveled a lot, planes, trains, automobiles.

And I can remember um, so often, you know, flying all over the country. Red eyes getting back, where, you know, not remembering what city I was in next city to the next city. And, um, David Jeremiah tells a testimony, and he's not ashamed of it. He was a businessman as well, and he was traveling all around. He said, he remembered the first time that he got, uh, he was called into ministry, and he got on, uh, he was getting going to a conference to speak, and he was invited. And he got on the plane, and he sat down, and he was sitting in the seats on the plane, and he said, for the first time in his life, he he started to feel his hand do this.

He said, "It was the most strange thing. I I felt my hand and my breathing got a little bit rapid and." He said, "Am I nervous? I've been flying for 20 years. What am I nervous about? I fly all the time. I'm I flew for corporations. I flew for this." He says, "I'm now, Lord, I'm doing your work. I'm I'm I'm going to speak at a conference as a pastor. And now I'm nervous? What's going on here?"

And he starts, you know, literally having the sweats and he said, he's having a moment here and he's, you know, he's looking around. He's like, "What's going on?" And he just closes his eyes and he begins to pray. And he says, "Lord, why is this happening? I don't understand, you know, I've given my life to you. I'm I'm going to serve you, your people. I'm living for you." And he says, it was like the clearest thing he he said, "Amen. Okay, Lord, whatever your will be done." He gave up, surrendered. And he said his eyes open and what he heard is, "You are invincible in my will. You are invincible in my will."

He says, "From that moment forward, I never feared flying on a plane again." If God has called me. Because all the scriptures are very clear, and we just read it here. And there is no one who can deliver you out of My hand. I work, and who can reverse it? Amen.

Guest (Male): This is His perfect love. You're listening to a study in Isaiah from Pastor Matt VanderVen on His Perfect Love. Catch a replay when you visit hisperfectlove.org. That's hisperfectlove.org. We're also at onepalce.com, and look for us wherever you get your podcasts. We also have a mobile app. Now this is a great way to take Pastor Matt's teachings with you wherever you may go. You can learn more about the mobile app and start your download when you visit our website, hisperfectlove.org.

Thank you for your prayers and financial support. You can make a contribution to the ministry and send us your prayer requests through the website. Again, at hisperfectlove.org. Are you looking for a Christian school that offers a quality education and a nurturing environment for your children? If so, you might be interested in Calvary Chapel Christian Academy, a ministry of Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore.

Calvary Chapel Christian Academy is a non-denominational Christian school that serves students from kindergarten to 12th grade. The Academy's mission is to provide a Christ-centered education that equips students to love God, love others, and serve the world. The Academy offers a rigorous academic curriculum, a variety of extracurricular activities, and a caring and supportive staff. The Academy is located at 28 North Locust Point Road in Mechanicsburg, PA. For more information, please visit our website at ccharrisburg.org/academy.

Set aside another half hour to join us tomorrow at the same time on the same fine station where Pastor Matt will pick up where we left off in Isaiah. Here on His Perfect Love.

Matt VanderVen: This is His perfect love.

Guest (Male): His perfect love is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore. Let the word go out, the perfect love of Christ to shine. Our lives will shine. I am my beloved and He is mine. Every heart is in His hands. We'll never stop reaching out. This is His perfect love. The word goes out. This is what real love looks like.

Matt VanderVen: In truth and power.

Guest (Male): This is His perfect love.