Isaiah 54-Enlarge Your Tent Series

ENLARGE THE PLACE OF YOUR TENT

ISAIAH 54

JANUARY 20th, 2008

HERE IS A STATEMENT TO THINK ABOUT.

PROPER PREPARATION OCCURS WHEN THERE IS PROPER EVALUATION OF AN EVENT OR SITUATION

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE I’M SURE APPLIES TO SOMEONE.

IN LATE SUMMER EARLY FALL YOUR AIR CONDITIONING DIDN’T WORK PROPERLY, BUT IT WAS THE END OF THE SEASON, THINGS STARTED TO COOL DOWN, SO YOU DIDN’T BOTHER GETTING IT REPAIRED.

WELL, YOU CAN WISHFULLY THINK YOUR AIR CONDITIONER INTO REPAIR ALL YOU WANT, BUT IF YOU DON’T PROPERLY PREPARE BY EVALUATING THE CHANGE OF SEASONS, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE A COOL NIGHT’S SLEEP WHEN ITS 90 DEGREES WITH 90 PERCENT HUMIDITY IN A FEW MONTHS.

YOU DON’T NEED IT TODAY, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU WON’T WISH YOU HAD PROPERLY PREPARED FOR WHAT WILL COME LATER.

THIS IS AN INSIGNIFICANT EXAMPLE, BUT IT MAKES THE POINT.

SUMMER IS COMING. I HAVE EVALUATED, LOOKED AT CERTAIN TELL TALE SIGNS AND I BELIEVE WITH CONFIDENCE SUMMER IS COMING.

THERE ARE 3 VERY, GOOD EXAMPLES OF THIS IN SCRIPTURE.

THE FIRST IS NOAH. (GENESIS 6:8)

STORY- EVIL, GOD’S WRATH, NEVER HAD RAIN, BUILD A BOAT.

NOAH EVALUATED THE WORD OF GOD, CONCLUDED THAT GOD HAD IN FACT SPOKEN; THEREFORE, HE PROPERLY PREPARED AND THE RESULT WAS THE SAVING OF HIS AND HIS FAMILY’S LIFE.

WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF HE HAD IGNORED GOD? BYE, BYE NOAH.

THE SECOND EXAMPLE IS JOSEPH (GENESIS 41)

STORY – PHARAOH’S DREAM’S, JOSEPH’S INTERPRETATION. PHARAOH BELIEVED JOSEPH AND ORDERED PREPARATIONS. THE RESULT WAS THE SALVATION OF A NATION FROM THE HORROS OF FAMINE.

PROPER EVALUATION, PRODUCED PROPER PREPARATION, WHICH LEAD TO A SATISFACTORY CONCLUSION.

THE THIRD EXAMPLE IS FOUND IN ISAIH 54. PLEASE TURN THERE.

YOU WILL REMEMBER WE HAVE STARTED A SERIES IN THIS CHAPTER AND LAST WEEK WE ROCKED THE HOUSE.

V1. TELLS US TO SING EVEN THOUGH WE ARE BARREN BECAUSE GOD HAS PROMISED THAT THE CHILDREN ARE COMING.

IF YOU WEREN’T HERE GET THE CD OR DVD.

WE SAID WE WILL SING AND PRAISE IN SPITE OF ANY BARRENESS BECAUSE PRAISE DOES 2 THINGS.

1. IT TAKES THE ATTENETION OFF OURSELVES AND PUTS IN ON GOD.

2. IT CONFUSES THE ENEMY

TODAY WE CONTINUE WITH V.3-4.

IN ALL 3 EXAMPLES GOD SPOKE TO PEOPLE ABOUT THINGS THAT HAD NOT YET HAPPENED. IN NOAH’S AND JOSEPH’S CASE THEY EVALUATED, BELIEVED THE WORD OF THE LORD AND ACTED.

THEY FUNCTIONED ACCORDING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT PRINCIPAL WE TALKED ABOUT LAST WEEK.

FAITH IS THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR THE CONVICTION OF THINGS NOT SEEN – HEBREW 11:1

IT’S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE WORD HOPE DOES NOT CARRY WITH IT THE DEFINITION WE IN OUR MODERN VOACABULARY ATTRIBUTE TO IT.

WE THINK HOPE – MAYBE, MAYBE NOT.

HOWEVER THE DEFINITION OF HOPE IS, “TO ANTICIPATE, USUALLY WITH PLEASURE”.

IT’S MORE THAN A WISH, IT’S AN EXPECTATION.

FAITH IS THE ASSURANCE OF THINGS I EXPECT TO HAPPEN AND THE CONVICTION THAT THEY WILL HAPPEN EVEN THOUGH I CAN’T SEE THEM AT THE MOMENT.

FAITH IS THE ASSURANCE OF ANTICIPITATION WITH PLEASURE OF WHAT I CAN’T YET SEE, BUT KNOW IS COMING.

THE UNBELIEVER THINKS WE’RE NUTS BELIEVING IN SOMETHING BECAUSE “GOD SAID…”

EVEN SOME CHRISTIANS WOULD SAY, WELL, LET’S US NOT GO OVERBOARD. WE DON’T WANT TO BE DISAPPOINTED. WE WAITED AND WAITED AND WE HAVEN’T SEEN WHAT WE’VE WAITED FOR, SO LET’S JUST RELAX AND IF IT HAPPENS OK, BUT YOU KNOW LET’S NOT OVER DO IT.”

WELL PEOPLE OF GOD, I DON’T TAKE THAT APPROACH.

GOD SPOKE TO NOAH AND HE PREPARED. GOD SPOKE TO JOSEPH AND HE PREPARED.

LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I BELIEVE.

I BELIEVE THE BEST DAYS FOR CHURCH OF THE REVELATION ARE AHEAD OF US.

I DO NOT BELIEVE WE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE GREATEST DAYS GOD HAS FOR US.

I DO NOT BELIEVE THE INFLUENCE OF THIS CHURCH ON THE COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD HAS REACHED ITS PEAK.

I BELIEVE IN A GOD WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE IN DEFEAT, OR EVEN REDUCED POWER.

I BELIEVE IN A GOD WHO TRANSFORMS HIS PEOPLE FROM GLORY TO GLORY (2ND CORINTHIANS 3:18)

I BELIEVE IN A GOD WHO SAYS TO PRESSON FOR THE PRIZE OF THE UPWARD CALL OF GOD.

NO DOWNWARD OR STAGNANT CALL OF GOD, BUT AN UPWARD, PROGRESSIVE, INCREASING CALL OF GOD.

OK HOLD ON A MINUTE… I CAN HEAR AMENS AND SHOUTS OF AFFIRMATIONS, BUT BE VERY CAREFUL WHAT YOU’RE AMENING.

BE VERY CAREFUL WHAT YOU AGREED TO.

REMEMBER, PROPER PREPARATION OCCURS WHEN THERE IS PROPER EVALUATION.

YOU SEE FOLKS, IF YOU BELIEVE WITH ME THAT GOD IS MOVING US FORWARD, IF YOU HAVE EVALUTED AND DETERMINED GOD HAS BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS FOR US…

THEN WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO ENLARGE & STRETCH & LENGTHEN & STRENGTHEN & SPREAD OUT.