Exploring the Glory of God - Part 1
Isaiah 43:1-7
Sermon by Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - Jan. 3, 2010
Series: Exploring the Glory of God in 2010
*We will begin the New Year by exploring and exalting the glory of God. And we will start with a key passage in the Old Testament Book of Isaiah. It’s Isaiah 43:1-7, but before we read it, you should know that this was a time of great fear for the Children of Israel.
*Scott Carmer explains: “The ancient Israelites knew fear. In fact, the first 39 chapters of Isaiah are filled with peril, distress, sin, judgment, and fear. They speak of the judgment to come on the land of Judah for their prideful rebellion against God. The nation would be conquered and taken away in captivity by the great power to the east, Babylon.
*The children of Israel, the sons and daughters of Abraham’s promise, the one’s chosen by God for a special mission in the world would be captured and force-marched into captivity far away from home. Many would lose loved-ones in the savage conquest. Most did not know if they would ever see their homeland again. All would feel abandoned and cut off from God, adrift, prisoners in a foreign land. (1)
*Chapters 1-39 were filled with coming judgment and trouble, but God began to send comfort in Isaiah 40:
1. “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” says your God.
2. Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.”
*And in Isaiah 43, God speaks to those who were carried away in bondage. Let’s read Isaiah 43:1-7:
1. But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.
2. 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 flame scorch you.
3. 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.
4. Since you were precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you; therefore I will give men for you, and people for your life.
5. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from the west;
6. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth
7. everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
*The key verses in this passage for us today are vs. 6&7, where we hear God call His children home, and He says:
6. “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth
7. everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
*God says: “I have created everyone who is called by My name for My glory.” “I have created them FOR MY GLORY.” God’s Word speaks of His glory about 300 times -- about half of those are in the Old Testament, and half in the New.
*The first time we see God’s glory is in Exodus, the second book if the Bible. And the last time we see His glory is in Rev 21:23, where the new city of Jerusalem was described. There the Bible tells us that “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is its light.” Almost from cover to cover God speaks of His glory. God’s glory is tremendously important to Him. And since God’s glory is important to Him, it should also be important to us. But what is God’s glory?
1. We should explore the definition of God’s glory.
*This is the first thing we will do this morning: explore the definition of God’s glory. What is the glory of God? The Old Testament word picture for “glory” is a weight, something heavy. And God’s glory is heavy indeed, something we should never take lightly.
*What is the glory of God? John Piper tells us that “Glory is a very hard thing to define. It is like the word ‘Beauty.’ We all can use it and communicate with it but to try to reduce it to words is very frustrating. It is easier to point to examples.”
*Piper used the example of the 57-story I.D.S Center, which is the tallest building in Minneapolis, and he said, “A sunset seen from the top of the I.D.S. -- that's glory. A perfect performance on the balance beam by Nadia Comaneci -- that's glory. A perfectly executed 30-foot jump shot with one second to go -- that's glory, too.”
*The glory of God Piper says “is the beauty and excellence of His manifold perfections. It is an attempt to put into words what God is like in His magnificence and purity. It refers to His infinite and overflowing fullness of all that is good. . . God's glory is the perfect harmony of all His attributes into one infinitely beautiful and personal being.” (2)
*That is the definition of God’s glory.
2. But we should also explore the domination of God’s glory.
*We have to get a sense of the mind-boggling, overpowering awesomeness of the glory of God. In Exodus 24, Moses went up on Mount Sinai to meet with God for 40 days and 40 nights. And God’s Word says:
16. Now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
17. The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a raging, consuming, devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.
*In Exodus 33, Moses made one of the bravest requests that have ever been made to God.
18. (Moses) said, "Please, show me Your glory.''
20. But (God) said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.''
21. And the Lord said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.
22. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.
23. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.''
*Thinking about these verses and the overwhelming power of God’s glory, Robert Crilley said: “Speaking with the Almighty is one thing. Actually seeing His face is quite another. -- Like trying to drink from a waterfall, the unveiled glory of God would simply overwhelm us. (3)
*In 2 Chron 7, when Solomon was dedicating the Temple, the Bible says:
1. Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
2. And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house.
3. When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying: "For He is good, for His mercy endures forever.''
*Isaiah 2 speaks of fearsome judgment coming on the house of Jacob, and all those who refuse to walk in the light of the Lord. Listen again for the overwhelming power of the glory of God:
7. Their land is also full of silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is also full of horses, and there is no end to their chariots.
8. Their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.
10. Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, from the terror of the Lord and the glory of His majesty.
11. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
19. They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the Lord and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily.
*There are other good examples we could explore today. When God called the prophet Isaiah, he saw the glory of God, and he said, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:5)
*Or think of Peter, James and John trembling on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured before them and His face shined like the sun. Speaking of Jesus, John would later write: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
*Think of the Apostle Paul, struck to the ground and blinded by the glory of the Risen Savior. Paul would later testify: “Since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.” (Acts 22:11)
*That is the domination of God’s glory.
3. But we should also explore the drive of God’s glory.
*God has a great drive and passion for His glory. God’s glory is His primary motivation as He acts in the universe. God opened Isaiah 42 with a prophecy of the coming of Jesus Christ. Then the Father speaks to the Son and says:
6. “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles,
7. To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
8. I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to graven images.”
*God is driven to protect and proclaim His glory. In Isaiah 48:9-12, He spoke to His people and said:
9. “For My name's sake I will defer My anger, and for My praise I will restrain it from you, so that I do not cut you off.
10. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
11. For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; for how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.
12. Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last.”
*God’s own glory is His primary motive as He acts in His world. Someone could ask, “Well, isn’t it selfish for God to demand all of this glory?” -- Not in this case, because God deserves all the glory! He deserves all the glory, so it wrong for Him not to demand all the glory. This is the drive of God’s glory.
4. But we should also explore the dependability of God’s glory.
*Because God is driven to uphold His glory, and because God has created us for His glory, we can fully depend on God to be at work in our lives for His glory. Let me say that again: Because God is driven to uphold His glory, and because God has created us for His glory, we can fully depend on God to be at work in our lives for His glory. We can fully depend on God to be at work in our lives, even when the bottom has dropped out and everything seems to be going wrong.
*This takes us back to Isaiah 43. Remember that these words were first directed to people who were under the terrible yoke of bondage in Babylon. Paul Barackman explained:
“Rarely has history seen more concentrated misery than was to be found among these captives. Mothers had been separated from their children, and husbands from their wives. When they sat down to think of the past, they must often have shuddered at the memory of the terrible siege, of the loved ones dead on the field of battle, of the children who perished miserably on the march to Babylon, and of the homes forever destroyed.
*This was not an abstract exercise for the Israelites. These were people who were chosen by God, led through the wilderness, and established as a great nation. Now they were conquered, beaten, and exiled. Did that mean that the Babylonian gods were stronger than the Israelite God? -- They had to know. (4)
*And the biggest question in all that trouble was this: “God, can we depend on you?” The heart of God’s answer came in vs. 7, where He said, “I have created you for my glory.” This statement tells us that yes we can surely depend on Him! Because God has created us for His glory, and because He is driven to defend His glory, we can fully depend on God to be at work in our lives, even when the bottom has dropped out and everything seems to be going wrong. And in these verses, God builds the case with at least six other reasons why we can depend on Him.
1-In vs. 1, The Lord is our Redeemer: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you.” The price for our forgiveness, eternal freedom and salvation has been paid in full! Jesus paid it all when He died on the cross for our sins. Speaking to everyone who has trusted in the Lord, 1 Peter 1:18-21 says:
18. You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
19. but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
20. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
21. who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
*We can depend on God, because He is our Redeemer
2-But we can also depend on Him in vs. 1, because He knows us. God says, “I have called you by your name.” The Lord knows you by name. He knows all about you. In Luke 12:7, “even the hairs of your head are numbered.” God knows you inside out. He knows you better than you know yourself. God knows the good, the bad and the ugly. He knows your past, your present and your future. And since God knows you, He also knows what is best for you. We can depend on God, because He knows us.
3-But believers, we can also depend on God in vs. 1, because we belong to Him. Christian, God says, “You are Mine.” On the night before He died on the cross, Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17 and said:
9. “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.
10. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.”
*We can depend on God, because we belong to Him.
4-And in vs. 2 we can depend on Him, because He is with us. God says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” Yes, we will have to go through some deep water too. We may even have to walk through the fire. But we have the promise that Jesus will be right with us to bring us safely through.
*So in the 23rd Psalm, David could say, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me.” And in Matt 28:20, Jesus promised: “Lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.”
*We can depend on God, because He is with us.
5-And in vs. 4 we can depend on Him, because He loves us. God says: “I have loved you.” We should see His love a hundred different ways, but the best way is on the cross of Jesus Christ. As we see in Rom 5:8: “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
*We can depend on God, because He loves us.
6-And in vs. 5&6 we can depend on Him, because He will gather us together with His people. God says:
5. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from the west;
6. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth
*In 1 Thess 4:13-17, Paul spoke similar words of comfort to everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ:
13. I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
16. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (5)
*For all of these reasons and many more, we can fully depend on God, especially because all of these reasons rest on God’s determination to uphold His glory. As God said in vs. 7: “I have created everyone who is called by My name for My glory.” So be called by His name. Become a Christian. Take on the name of Christ. Open your heart to receive Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of your life. Put your full trust in the God of glory. And then put all of your hopes, dreams and problems in His hands.
*Rodney Buchanan talked about the rewards of this kind of faith, and said:
-“The reward is that we get to live life without fear. The reward is peace. The reward is understanding that this is God’s world and he is in control. It results in joy. . . Someone in the universe loves us, -- in fact, the most important Person in the universe. The world has a purpose. We have a purpose. We have a destiny. We are valued by our Creator and cared for by him.”
*Rodney compared this to a father taking a hike with his one-year-old son who is in a carrier on his back. And that fits here because this same Book of Isaiah tells us that the Lord, “will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.” (Isa 40:11)
*In Rodney’s story the hike leads around the edge of a lake. But half way around the lake, it begins to rain. The father reaches back and pulls his son’s hood over his head, but unknown to the father, the child pushes it off.
*The rain comes down harder and the boy begins to cry. The wind is howling, the rain is pounding, the thunder explodes and lightning flashes around them. By now the child is terrified and howling at the top of his lungs. So the father stops, takes his son out of the carrier and holds him close to his chest. He protects his head from the rain as best he can, but still the child screams in terror.
*The child only lives in the present moment. He has no idea that eventually the storm will end. As his fear continues to rise, the father whispers in his ears, “I love you, buddy. We’re gonna make it. I know the way home.” Over and over again he speaks words of assurance into his son’s ears: “I love you. We’re gonna make it. I know the way home.” (6)
*The storm may be raging, but the Father is speaking words of assurance to us as he holds us close to his heart. And we can fully surrender our lives to Him. Glory to God!
1. SermonCentral sermon “Lost and Afraid” by Scott Carmer - Isaiah 43:1-7 - June 18, 2006
2. Adapted from SermonCentral sermon “GOD CREATED US FOR HIS GLORY” by John Piper - Isaiah 43:1-7 - July 27, 1980
3. ChistianGlobe.com sermon “Veiled Glimpses of God's Glory” by Robert S. Crilley - Exo 33:12-23
4. Paul F. Barackman. Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology. January, 1947 - (Found in SermonCentral sermon “Lost and Afraid” by Scott Carmer - Isaiah 43:1-7 - June 18, 2006)
5. The original idea for this section came from SermonCentral sermon “Fear Not!” by Arlen Payne - Isaiah 43:1-11
6. Adapted from sermon “What Is Faith?” by Rodney Buchanan - Hebrews 10:35-11:1 - 04/22/2007
