IS GOD LOST?
TEXT: Joel 2:17 "Let the priests, the LORD’S ministers, Weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, "Spare Thy people, O LORD, And do not make Thine inheritance a reproach, A byword among the nations. Why should they among the peoples say, ’Where is their God?"
INTRO: Have you ever been lost? Now when I ask that question I am not speaking from a spiritual perspective. I realize on the spiritual plane, we have all been lost. Scripture tells us we have "all sinned and come short of the glory of God". No, I am referring to the natural, physical plane. Have you ever been physically lost?
My wife would tell you we get lost every time I attempt on of my patented "short cuts". I remember one such short cut I took while assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It is reported that Fort Bragg is the largest US Military Installation in the world. I can attest to that fact! I believe I drove every mile of it one day while trying a "new route" home. What would normally have been a 20 minute journey was "shortened" to about a 2 hour adventure! When I got home Marcia said "Got lost, didn’t you!" Now men, you will understand my answer ---- because you would have said the same thing! --- "Nope, I knew exactly where I was. I was on Fort Bragg. I just wanted to go that way!"
Have you ever noticed that if map makers had to rely on men to buy their product, they would go out of business? The male ego says "just point me in the right direction, and I can get there!" We are adventurous by nature. "Blowing Rock, North Carolina --- let’s see now, that northeast of here --- I can find it! Chimney Rock, Virginia --- I think that’s north of here --- I can find it!" Now, Ladies are a little more pragmatic. "Exactly where is it? How long will it take to get there? What will we pass through on our way? Where will we stop for lunch? What if we run low on gas and get stuck somewhere that has no service stations? We better put food, blankets, batteries, radios, flashlights, first aid kits, maps, and flares in the car. Maybe be can contact the Automobile Association of America and have them map out our route for us". The man says "Why? It’s out west somewhere. It’s the Grand Canyon for goodness sakes. Don’t you think we’ll be able to find a hole that big in the ground? Get in the car, kids!
Ask those men who go to Friday night football games. Men, have you ever asked where the high schools are? Of course not --- you just drive to the town and start looking in the sky for the lights of the stadium. "Hey, I can get there!"
And so, I realize when I ask the question "Have you ever been lost?" that only the ladies will give me an honest answer. It just goes against our grain to admit such a thing. To admit to being lost would be tantamount to revealing a deep, dark secret! What would these guys think about me if I were to admit to every getting lost?
This kind of reminds me of the little boy who had been asked by his mother to clean his room. As he was cleaning the room his mind was on a discussion he had recently with his mother regarding life. "Mother, where did man come from?", the little boy had asked. "God made man from the dust of the ground". The little boy thought on that for a few moments and then asked "And mother, where does man go when he dies?" "Our body returns back to dust". Once again the boy was in deep thought and said "Let me get this straight --- man comes from dust and returns to dust?" "That’s right, honey".
You can understand why he cried out in fear as he was cleaning his room. His cry of anguish brought his mother running! Breathless, she said "What’s the matter? What is it!?" "O, mother, I have found someone under my bed and I don’t know if he is coming or going!"
Fellas, let’s admit it --- sometimes we don’t know if we are coming or going. All we know is we are on our way!
[TRANSITION]
Those who read the Bible [the Old Testament in particular] will readily recognize the fact that both God’s enemies and His people from time to time wondered if He was lost! They must have felt this way, because they were always asking where He was:
2 Ki 2:14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and struck the waters and said, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?"
Job 35:10 "...Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night,"
Jer 2:6 "...Where is the LORD Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness..."
Jer 2:8 "... Where is the LORD? ...
Micah 7:10 "Then my enemy will see, And shame will cover her who said to me, ’Where is the LORD your God?"...
Psa 79:10 "Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?...."
Joel 2:17 "... Why should they among the peoples say, ’Where is their God?’"
Jer 17:15 Look, they keep saying to me, "Where is the word of the LORD?.."
I. IS GOD LOST?
The question before us for consideration this morning is "IS GOD LOST?" Is it possible that He has lost His way in the vast expanse He has created? Is God somewhere roaming the celestial highway trying to find His way back to us. Is God on one of those "infamous short cuts"? Will He arrive too late to help us in our hour of need? Is God lost?
Undoubtedly this is what Mary and Martha were thinking about Jesus when they called for Him to come pray for their brother, Lazarus. You find the story in John 11:
John 11:1-7 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 And it was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 The sisters therefore sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." 4 But when Jesus heard it, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it." 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6 When therefore He heard that he was sick, He stayed then two days longer in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said^ to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."
John 11:11-13 This He said, and after that He said^ to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, that I may awaken him out of sleep." 12 The disciples therefore said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.
John 11:17-21 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. 20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary still sat in the house. 21 Martha therefore said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."
Can you hear it? It’s as though Martha was saying "Lord, where have you been? Did you get lost?" Had he? Is it possible that Christ had lost His way to Bethany?
I realize to many of you this morning these questions seem "foolish". But indulge me. There is a purpose for the asking.
Of course the answer is: No, Jesus did not get lost. He knew the way to Bethany. Was He, then, unaware of the critical state of Lazarus? No, John 11:11-13 tells us: "... after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, that I may awaken him out of sleep." 12 The disciples therefore said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep."
Well, if He had not gotten lost, and if He knew Lazarus’ condition, we might ask if He delayed going to Bethany because He really didn’t care for the family of Lazarus? John 11:5 gives us that answer: "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus."
If He wasn’t lost; If He was aware of Lazarus’ condition; if He loved Lazarus and his family ----- WHERE WAS HE?
II. WHERE IS GOD?
This is a question that is often asked of God? I doubt if anyone here this morning would seriously entertain the idea of God being lost! This is impossibility. If God were ever lost, He would not be God. For He is omniscient: "All knowing"; and He is omnipresent: "everywhere". Inasmuch as He is everywhere --- it is impossibility for Him to ever be lost! And so it seems to me that the real issue is: "WHERE IS GOD?!" Where was Jesus when He was needed the most and where is God when we need Him the most?
I read a book recently which reflected very clearly the agony of one who was in desperate need, but felt as though God was a million miles away. The book is entitled "A Grief Observed" by C. S. Lewis. Allow me to read you a short paragraph:
"Meanwhile, where is God? This is one of the most disquieting symptoms. When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, if you turn to Him then with praise, you will be welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away".
Now, many this morning will take exception to this paragraph. Lewis is not saying this is how things actually are, but how we perceive them to be. And if the truth be known, there are many in our midst who have asked the question: GOD, WHERE ARE YOU!!!
We live in a world of injustice, tragedy, heartache and pain. These are not the days of "Leave It To Beaver" or "Ozzie and Harriet". These are not the days where the main problem a teenager faces is dealing with acne. Sadly, the days of the corner store; the handshake agreement; the unlocked doors; and the family altar have all but gone. They have been replaced with the Super Stores; the contracts in triplicate; the security systems and the video centers. These are days where we are often tempted to ask WHERE IS GOD IN THE MIDST OF CALAMITY?! Listen to the cry of the Psalmist:
"I will say to God my rock, "Why hast Thou forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" 10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, While they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" (Psalms 42:9-11)
I want to answer that question this morning: "Where is God", we ask. The scripture gives us the answer:
Gen 28:15 "And behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go,..."
Exo 33:14 "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest."
Deu 20:1 "When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you."
Josh 1:5 "No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you."
Isa 54:10 "For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken," Says the LORD who has compassion on you."
Mat 28:20 "...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
John 14:18 "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."
Heb 13:5 Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"
We ask "WHERE IS GOD" and the Scripture resounds with the answer: HE IS WITH US!!
WHERE IS GOD?, we ask, and the Scripture tells us emphatically that HE IS AT THE PLACE OF OUR NEED! In:
Exodus 33:22 HE IS THERE TO PLACE US IN THE CLEFT OF THE ROCK!
Deut 33:27 HE IS THERE AS A DWELLING PLACE
Psa 18:2 HE IS THERE AS OUR ROCK AND FORTRESS
Psa 27:5 HE IS THERE TO CONCEAL ME IN HIS TABERNACLE
Prov 18:10 HE IS THERE AS MY STRONG TOWER
Isa 25:4 HE IS THERE TO BE A DEFENSE FOR THE NEEDY; A REFUGE FROM THE STORM; A SHADE FROM THE HEAT
Nah 1:7 HE IS THERE AS A STRONGHOLD IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE
Zech 9:12 HE IS THERE AS A STRONGHOLD FOR THE PRISONERS WHO HAVE NO HOPE.
Perhaps it would be better to ask the question, WHERE ISN’T GOD? For the Psalmist confidently declared:
Psa 139:5-12 Thou hast enclosed me behind and before, And laid Thy hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it. 7 Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Thy hand will lead me, And Thy right hand will lay hold of me. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night," 12 Even the darkness is not dark to Thee, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to Thee.
Where is God? He is here!!! It reminds me of the young boy who went into the office where an agnostic had hung a sign brashly pronouncing that "GOD IS NOWHERE". As he stopped to consider the placard, the old man tersely said "What do you think about that, boy?!" The young Christian lad said "Mister, I couldn’t agree more with you. I’m glad you came to your senses --- you see, I too believe that GOD IS NOW HERE!" To the agnostic, God is "nowhere", but to the Christian God is NOW HERE!!
Christian friend, I’ll tell you where God is. In:
Genesis 3 Found walking with mankind in the Garden of Eden.
Daniel 3 With Shadrac; Meshac & Abednego .....
Daniel 6 With Daniel in the den, shutting the mouths of lions
Judges 16 Found in a Gaza prison restoring the fallen Samson as a champ- ion of God
1 Sam 17 Empowering a young shepherd boy as he dared to fight for God’s cause against the Philistine Goliath
Acts 7 Strengthening Stephen as he lays down his life for the cause of Christ.
Acts 16 Delivering Paul & Silas from a Philippian prison, as they sang songs of praise at the midnight hour.
Acts 28 Helping Paul as he is bitten by a venomous snake.
Philemon There to defend the rights of a slave
Revelation 1 Walking in the midst of His church
Revelation 19 Returning to earth, in the company of His saints to establish righteousness forever.
IS GOD LOST? MY SOUL TRUMPETS FORTH: NO HE IS NOT!!!
WHERE IS GOD? He is in the midst of His people!
The prophet Isaiah recorded: "Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Neither is His ear so dull That it cannot hear." (Isa 59:1)
III. WHERE IS YOUR GOD?
Now, in closing, let me ask a question to those with us today who have not accepted the God of Heaven as their God. That question is: WHERE IS YOUR GOD?
1 Kings 18:28:29 [See how “their god” responds]:
"So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. 29 And it came about when midday was past, that they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.”
And then in 1 Samuel 5 we read of another challenge to the God of heaven.
1 Sam 5:1-5 "Now the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. 3 When the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set him in his place again. 4 But when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor all who enter Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day."
Friends, our God is not lost! We know where our God is! Can you say the same? To whom do you turn in your hour of need? where do you go for safety? Who is your refuge --- your strong tower. Deuteronomy 32:37 asks the question: "Where are their gods, The rock in which they sought refuge?"
CONCLUSION: Isaiah 43:1,2
"But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! 2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you."
Richard Deem, Founder and President of Higher Ground Ministries has traveled extensively preaching in camp meetings, seminars, revivals and other special meetings. Having served as a pastor for over 20 years, he brings a rich perspective to ministry.
Richard is available to minister in special meetings. Please contact him at:
Higher Ground Ministries
PO Box 640605
Pike Road, Alabama 36064
(334) 649-0011
E-Mail: higherground@netscape.com
Website: www.truth4today.com
