Isaiah 12:1-6

Last Sunday morning (3/30) Liam Goligher preached "Songs of Salvation," the next sermon in his series "The Gospel According to Isaiah."

Liam explains that in this passage (Isaiah 12:1-6) Isaiah answers a question that we must always be asking ourselves. What are we for? What is the primary purpose of humanity? The Bible's uniform answer is in the words of The Westminster Shorter Catechism, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever." We were created for God; to admire his creative handiwork and craftsmanship; to delight in his righteousness and faithfulness; to rest in his love and believe in his promises and confess his Son. We were made for God.

But we don't naturally do that. Liam reminds us that the people of ancient Israel and Judah had regularly and consistently fallen short of giving God the praise that was his due. They could not bring themselves to put their confidence in God's strength. Neither do we. We don't naturally place God at the center as the subject and object of our lives. What we naturally do is this: we take his gifts without thanking him; we admire his creation without giving him the credit for making it; we draw our breath every morning without being aware that he has lent it to us for that day; we're indifferent to his love and we're hostile to his Son. The Apostle Paul states: we do not honor him as God nor do we give thanks to him.

Isaiah reminds us in this song of praise to place our primary focus on God for God's sake. We are to:

• Praise the Lord's goodness.
• Prove the Lord's goodness.
• Proclaim the Lord's goodness.

You can view the entire service, including mezzo soprano Sondra Payne's beautiful Prelude and Offertory, on our YouTube and Vimeo channels.