Cornerstone Church August 6/7, 2011
“God of Glory – Our Comfort and Assurance”
Isaiah 40:1-26
In his book, titled “The Pressure’s Off”, psychologist Larry Crabb tells a story from his childhood to illustrate how God works in our adversity.
One Saturday afternoon, Larry said, when he was three years old he decided that he was a big boy and could use the bathroom without anyone’s help. So he climbed the stairs, closed the bathroom door and locked it behind him. And for the next few minutes he felt very self-sufficient.
Then, it was time to leave. But, to his horror he discovered that he could not unlock the door. He tried with every ounce of his three-year-old strength, but he could not unlock the door.
He panicked. He felt like a very little boy again as the thought went through his mind, “I might spend the rest of my life in this bathroom.”
His parents—and likely the neighbors—heard his desperate scream for help.
“Are you okay?” his Mom shouted through the locked door. “Did you fall? Have you hit your head?”
“I can’t unlock the door!” shouted Larry. “Get me out of here!”
Now Larry was not aware of it right then, but his Dad raced down the stairs, ran to the garage, found the ladder, hauled it off the hooks, and leaned it against the side of the house just beneath the bathroom window.
With adult strength, his Dad pried open the window, then climbed into Larry’s prison, walked past him and with that same strength, turned the lock and opened the bathroom door.
“Thanks, Dad!” Larry said. And then he ran outside to play.”
Quoted by Freddy Fritz in his sermon, The Glory of God is our Comfort, SermonCentral.com
“Get me out of here, I want to play!”
We might not admit it to others, or maybe even admit it to ourselves, but when we find ourselves in difficult situations and hardships don’t we want out immediately?
The Christian life doesn’t always work like that!
We want God to open the door or fix the problem immediately (even if it is a door God Himself has locked or closed)!
We experience problems that are of our own making because of bad decisions or choices that we have made or are the result of sin.
We also experience the same hardships and trials of life that everyone experiences at one time or another in this world.
Adversity and Difficulties
A rebellious child making harmful and dangerous choices
A loved one dies
The loss of a job
Income is fixed or declining yet expenses keep growing
Conflict in your marriage is growing and on the verge of unraveling
Fighting a life threatening terminal disease
Then you are suddenly hit with an even more difficult question or result. You are praying and seeking God for His help and guidance and the problem seems to get worse not better!
“Lord, Get me out of here, I want to play!”
These are the moments that test our faith and trust in God! During times like this hope is almost extinguished!
My hope is in You LORD!
My faith is in You LORD!
Yet, My heart is a tangled web of knots, questions and doubts!
Does God still love me?
Will He keep His promise?
Will He forgive me?
How long will His discipline or correction last?
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Heb. 13:5 b NIV
God loves us with a covenant keeping and commitment type of love!
Last week we looked at Isaiah 6 and observed Isaiah coming face to face with God Who is not just Holy but is: Holy, Holy, Holy!
The “I AM, that I AM!”
Understanding the Holiness of God helped Isaiah to proclaim God’s judgment was looming on the horizon. That ,however, is not the end of the story.
Our Great God because of His love for HIS people seeks to comfort and assure HIS people. His mercies are new every morning – Great is His Faithfulness!
Isaiah Chapter 40 marks a pivotal place in the Book of Isaiah. LORD we ask you to help us glean some precious truths from this magnificent chapter in Isaiah.
Outline:
1) GOD CARES TO COMFORT HIS PEOPLE – Isaiah 40:1-9
2) GOD ASSURES HIS PEOPLE HE IS ABLE TO CARE FOR THEM – Isaiah 40:10-26
3) GOD PROMISES STRENGTH FOR THE JOURNEY – Isaiah 40:27-31
GOD CARES TO COMFORT HIS PEOPLE
Isaiah 40:1-9
God had promised Abraham his descendants would become a Great Nation
God delivered the Jews out of Egypt and gave them their own Promised Land
God promised David his: Household, Kingdom and throne would have no end (2 Sam 7:16)
It all started to disintegrate!
The Glorious Kingdom has been divided
The Prophets preached to God’s people the need to repent and turn back to Him
The 10 Northern Kingdom Tribes were carried away to Assyria
The 2 South Kingdom Tribes (Judah) will be carried away to Babylon
If there was ever a time hope was needed, it was now!
The people’s need and failure did not go unnoticed by God! His commitment love was about to do something for His people! He sent a message of encouragement through His prophet Isaiah.
Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
Isaiah 40:1 NIV
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the LORD’S hand
double for all her sins.
Isaiah 40:2 NIV
Pop Quiz – Five Questions (True or False)
Do we fail? YES
Do we disobey? YES
Do we sin? YES
Do we suffer consequences for it? YES
But is that where God leaves us? NO!
Seed thought for questions – Dr. Ray Ortland, Jr. - Commentary on Isaiah
“If God’s focus was on our sin, our future would be obliterated. But God’s focus is not on our sin, but rather God’s focus is HIS Grace!”
Freddy Fritz in his sermon, The Glory of God is our Comfort, SermonCentral.com
Telescoping vision of Isaiah – revealed by God
* Isaiah saw the LORD – Holy, Holy, Holy
* Isaiah proclaimed impending judgment (saw Northern Kingdom fall to Assyria)
* Isaiah saw Judah captive by Babylon a century in the future (released after 70 years)
* Isaiah’s prophecies foresaw the Messiah (over 700 years in the future)
* Isaiah’s prophecies foresee God’s ultimate Kingdom prepared for all who love Him
God wants to replace His people’s sense of:
Defeat
Bitterness
Disillusionment
With HIS HOPE!
A voice of one calling:
“In the desert prepare
the way for the LORD;
make straight in the wilderness
a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all mankind together will see it.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Isaiah 40:3-5 NIV
Prepare yourselves for His arrival!
God is coming!
He came to His people then
He comes to His people now
As we are!
Where we are!
God had chosen His people and called them to serve Him.
Even though they abandoned Him God because of His love will not abandon His people!
His period of chastisement and discipline are over!
GOD Keeps HIS Promises!
GOD ASSURES HIS PEOPLE HE IS ABLE TO CARE FOR THEM
Isaiah 40:10-26
Grace doesn’t mean that life will be easy.
The cost of discipleship means becoming a living sacrifice for God!
It means with His grace persevering and trusting Him until the end!
“A Long Obedience in the Same Direction”
Eugene Peterson
Those who plod along day by day for Jesus, seeking to faithfully live and honor Him each day by trusting Him to lead and guide, find great joy and peace!
“I can Plod” said, William Carey. Ploding is how William Carey, Missionary to India and “Father of Modern Missions” lived his life!
The good news is that God is with us throughout the journey!
He supplies our strength for the journey!
Look at the God of Glory
Not though our eyes!
See God through His eyes as He revealed Himself to Isaiah!
See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and his arm rules for him.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
Is. 40:10 NIV
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
Is. 40:11 NIV
God’s arm is powerful! HE is Sovereign and in complete control
God’s arm is also tender and gentle! Caring for His people as a shepherd tends sheep!
J. Hampton Keathley, III; in his study on Isaiah gives us these sub points:
His Power is Limitless (God is All-Powerful)
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?
Is. 40:12 NIV
All the water on earth (Seas, Rivers, Lakes, Oceans, Polar Caps, reservoirs)
All fit in the Hollow of His hand!
He can carry all the dust and has weighed all the Mountains (hundreds of ranges!)
Himalaya Alps
Rocky Mountains Ural
The Sierra Andes
Appalachian Pyrenees
Michael Jordan can palm a basketball! Perhaps you can too!
God can palm the Earth!
He can palm and slam-dunk the Universe!
His Wisdom is unsearchable (God is All-Knowing)
Who has understood the mind of the LORD,
or instructed him as his counselor?
Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge
or showed him the path of understanding?
Is. 40:13-14 NIV
The genius behind all of creation is God’s Alone!
Every intricate aspect of creation whether visible or invisible (the physical and metaphysical laws of the universe) are HIS Handiwork and Design!
God’s Creative Genius continued…
Every creature, insect, bird or bug on earth: land, sky or sea- He designed!
Every plant, tree, flower, mushroom or lichen – He Designed!
The microscopic to the subatomic – He Designed!
Visible light and colors to the invisible spectrums ultra-violet and beyond – He Designed!
The Periodic Table of Elements – He Designed!
Water, Earth, Wind and Fire – He Designed!
The variety of stars, planets, asteroids, black holes, and galaxies – He Designed!
The intricacies of the Human Body: eyes, ears, lungs, heart, blood, brain, bones, cells, flesh, muscles, tendons and all the systems (immune, digestive, muscular, skeletal, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, lymphatic and reproductive) – He Designed!
Everything else that people have designed, thought up and created still comes from God’s genius! It is because we are created in the image and likeness of God possessing Intellect, Will and Emotion!
His Authority is Absolute (God is Sovereign)
Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.
Is. 40:15-17
His concern for the Nations
Just the sound of a single drop in a bucket!
Like fine talc or dust on a scale!
Please do not misunderstand! This doesn’t imply a lack or love or care for people!
John 3:16 NIV “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The glorious Cedars of Lebanon and all the Animals are not enough for an offering!
Is. 66:1-2 NIV This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?
Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the LORD. “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.
If you want to present to God a worthy offering – Give Him your whole Heart!
His Being is incomparable (God is Infinite and without limits)
Look at Isaiah 40:18-26
To whom, then, will you compare God?
What image will you compare him to?
As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it
with gold and fashions silver chains for it. A man too poor to present
such an offering selects wood that will not rot. He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
He brings princes to naught and reduces
the rulers of this world to nothing.
No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them
and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
“To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
“Dust in the wind, all we are is Dust in the Wind”
Was the band Kansas right?
Next to God we are finite! But we are never forgotten!
Did you catch what was being said?
He brings out the starry host each night and calls each star by name!
Rise - Arcturus, Vega, Rigel, Polaris, Sirius, and Regulus
Our God who is beyond measure is also intimate, close and involved!
If we tried to count the billion stars in just our galaxy alone one by one it would take 3,000 years to count them all. There are a billion galaxies with a billion stars each in them.
Deists hold that God Created the Universe and wound it up like a clock and then went trucking around the galaxies. The One True God of the Bible is involved with His Creation!
Jer. 23:23-24 NIV “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD.
1 Pet. 5:7 NIV Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
The Babylonians were astrologers!
Like astrologers of today they believed the “stars” controlled their destinies!
It is God who controls the stars and it is God Who orchestrates history!
History is HIS Story!
GOD PROMISES STRENGTH FOR THE JOURNEY
Isaiah 40:27-31
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run
and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
This tells me that God has the resources we need for strength along the journey!
God can renew our Hope as well!
HOW DO WE APPLY THIS?
Coming to understand the Living God is like looking at a multifaceted diamond.
As the diamond is rotated and turned another facet flashes out with radiance and beauty!
God through His prophet Isaiah has revealed several more of His glorious attributes!
We have seen the Glory of God!
“His Glory is the fiery radiance of His very Nature.”
Gerhard von Rad
We need to reserve words like Awesome just for God!
Awesome = “inspiring awe!”
In his book and series “Gripped by the Greatness of God” James MacDonald says God is:
“Altogether Beyond my Comprehension!”
You can use A, B, C to remember this! So when you think about God say:
God you are AWESOME!
“Altogether Beyond my Comprehension!”
Whether we have experienced the corrective hand of God, where we have been disciplined and corrected, or have gone through a test or trial, we need to remember He always loves us!
If you are His child who is born again by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone He still loves you!
We need to remember it is the kindness of the LORD
that leads us to repentance!
God took His people in Isaiah’s day were they were in held in captivity in Babylon and restored His relationship with them and put them back in their land through miraculous means!
God shared this with Isaiah – over 100 years before Judah’s captivity happened!
God shared the coming of the Messiah over 700 years before His Coming!
God was sharing with us the Coming of His Ultimate Kingdom!
Making a promise is one thing. Keeping it is another!
When God makes a promise His Word is His bond! He can be trusted!
God has all power, all-wisdom, all-authority and all resources to bring it to pass.
2 Cor. 4:16-18 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
God of Glory is the God of All Comfort, Assurance and Hope!
“Altogether Beyond my Comprehension!”
