Witnesses Of The Gospel Series

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ISAIAH

Introduction: “Witnesses Of The Gospel”

(Antioch Baptist Church - Wednesday, March 12th, 2025)

Serving in vocational ministry is a tremendous privilege and it brings me great joy. However, one of the disadvantages of my position is the constant barrage of bad news. Almost daily I am confronted with the burden of seeing people that I love endure times of trouble, heartache, and tragedy. Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are dealing with extreme financial struggles, fractured relationships, strained marriages, rebellious children, health issues, and even terminal illnesses.

With all of the bad news that I encounter, it is refreshing and exciting to hear some good news. Recently a close friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer. I spoke with her husband earlier this week and learned that her pathology reports came back and the spot that was believed to be malignant is actually benign. Obviously I was thrilled to hear this news and I couldn’t wait to share it with several of our mutual friends. In fact, I was so excited that I found myself telling people that do not even know her that she is cancer free!

Sadly, there are times when we treat evangelism as if it is a burden. There is no question that we have a responsibility to be witnesses of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. But this responsibility is not a burden, it is a great privilege. We possess the greatest news in the history of the world and it is not that we “have” to share it, we “get” to share it.

In the prologue of this study we focused on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We learned that in the original Greek the word “Gospel” is “euaggelion”. It is from this word that we get the English words evangelist, evangelize, and evangelical.

If the simple definition of Gospel is “good news”, then the simple definition of evangelism is “sharing the good news”. The good news that we get to share is the glorious reality that Jesus came to make a way for us to receive forgiveness of sins and to possess eternal life.

You may be surprised to learn that evangelism is not just a New Testament concept. In fact, God’s plan to use His people to reach the nations is seen as far back as Genesis and all throughout the Old Testament. The LORD intended for Israel to serve as His witnesses to the world. I would like to unpack this truth and consider the subject “Witnesses Of The Gospel”.

WITNESSES OF THE GOSPEL

As we examine the Old Testament scriptures concerning Israel, it is apparent that they were tasked with being God’s witnesses. It is also abundantly clear that they failed to carry out their responsibility. Let’s consider:

ISRAEL’S RESPONSIBILITY AND FAILURE AS WITNESSES

The Nation of Israel had been chosen by God to be His servant. There are several references in Isaiah’s prophecy where Israel is described as God’s servant. One such reference is found in Isaiah 41:8-9; there the LORD says, “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its farthest regions, And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away.” Another reference to Israel as being God’s servant is found in Isaiah 44:1-2; there the LORD says, “Yet hear me now, O Jacob My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. Thus says the Lord who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you: ‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant; and you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.”

The Bible leaves no doubt that Israel is God’s chosen people. The LORD said in Deuteronomy 7:6, “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.” Some people may be confused, astonished, or even offended that God would choose one nation (Israel) out of all the others to be His “treasured possession”. However, God’s ultimate plan was not to exclude the other nations from His divine & eternal plan for mankind. Rather, God intended for Israel to serve as “a light for the Gentiles”; they were to be His witnesses to all the nations of the world.

The LORD said in Isaiah 43:10-12, “You are My witnesses…, and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, 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...”.The LORD reiterates this truth in Isaiah 44:8, there He says to Israel, “Do not fear, nor be afraid; have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.”