GOD IS UNEQUALED
INTRODUCTION: 'Un' is a prefix meaning “not,” freely used as an English formative, giving negative or opposite force in adjectives and their derivative adverbs and nouns (unfair; unfelt; unseen; unrest; unemployment). Last week my sermon was about our unchanging God. During the week I watched a little clip highlighting other 'un's that pertained to our God and I thought it would be good to expound on some of those. This week we'll look at how God is unequaled.
Isa 40:25, “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One."
The first chapter of Isaiah starts out with a declaration of the people's rebellion against God, consequences for such, a call to repentance, finishing with prophetic statements of restoration. Chapter 39 ends with Isaiah revealing to King Hezekiah that the nation would be taken captive by the Babylonians. But chapter forty begins with God commissioning Isaiah to proclaim that when the consequences for their rebellion is over there will be comfort for the people. Within this chapter we will see the ways in which God communicates his preeminence to his people.
Unequaled in dominance.
Isa. 40:6-8, "A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”
God wanted his people to know that no matter how powerful some people are, no matter how long they stay in power, they are like withering grass. No matter how rich someone is, no matter how glorious they seem, that too, will come to an end like a flower of the field. Why? Because it's the Lord who determines when their end will come. No amount of power, no amount of money, no amount of prestige is able to overcome the power and glory of the Lord.
The Jewish nation would be taken over by the Babylonians. King Nebuchadnezzar was a powerful man who gained control over a vast region for many years. During their long captivity I can see the Jews wondering if anything could stop this Babylonian king. But they were shown God's dominance in two ways: first, when Nebuchadnezzar became proud, declaring how great he thought he was, God removed him from his throne; showing this king who was really the King! And then God fulfilled his promise to his people by delivering them and reestablishing them as a nation.
This is important for us to understand because when the powers that be-whether it's the government or our boss or a bully-seem unstoppable they are not. The only thing that is unstoppable is God. The only thing that is unceasing is God. Kingdoms crumble and empires erode but the reign of God never ends. That's important for us to understand because no matter what happens in our world, no matter what decisions are made, no matter what laws get put in place, nothing is completely set in stone; God is the one who has the final say.
So when we're oppressed we can have hope that deliverance is possible; that change can happen. When tragedy strikes and we wonder how we will ever be able to pick up the pieces; when we get devastating news and we want to give up; when the circumstances in life seem hopeless; when things look bleak, when it seems as if there is no way out-no light at the end of the tunnel we need to remember who is in control and who has the final word. Circumstances may be outside of our control but they're not out of his. God has dominance.
Unequaled in care.
Isa. 40:10-11, "See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 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."
It's interesting that we find the words 'power' and 'gentle' in the same passage. What a picture of God. We need this picture because we could get overwhelmed by God's great and awesome power. We could forget that the God who created the universe cares about me personally. We need to see both sides of God for the purpose of revering him but loving him at the same time. We need to understand that God wants to hold us near in love and gentleness but that doesn't mean he's just an ol' softy. We shouldn't take God's gentleness for weakness. God is tender but he's also tough. That awareness will keep us close to him while at the same time keep us in check.
Later in Isaiah, in talking about the restoration of his people, God said this in 49:10, "They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water." See how he cares for us. He feeds us, he protects us, he has compassion for us, he guides us and he satisfies us. This is our shepherd. This is God as our father-loving, caring, protective and patient.
And he is unequaled in such things. Jeremiah wrote in Lam. 3:22-23, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." He is unequaled in his ability to continually and faithfully provide all these things for us. His love is greater, his faithfulness and devotion to us is greater and his compassion towards us will never fail. How has God cared for you? How has he been gentle with you? How has he directed you?
Unequaled in wisdom. Isa. 40:12-14, "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? 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?" Here we see a series of rhetorical questions that puts God's preeminence in perspective for us. I can see God saying,
"Who else has the ability I do? Go and find someone who can hold the pacific ocean in the palm of their hand. Go and find someone who can make a mountain. Find someone who can create stars and planets. Find someone who has a better plan for creating the universe or the world or the human body. Who else has done what I have done?
The problem is some people think they have. We find a way to create a test-tube baby and all of a sudden we're on God's level. We clone a sheep and now we're as capable as God. We discover new formulas and invent new technologies; we develop vaccines and cure diseases and somehow that makes us the superior ones. And therein lies the dangers-we don't need God, we can do it ourselves. God? what god; I'm god. Oh, how sorry a people we become when we get to the place where we think we are as smart, as wise or as qualified as God.
But this doesn't just happen on a grand scale. We can be guilty of this type of thinking on a lower scale. How? Whenever we don't listen to God. Whenever we don't trust him. Whenever we go our own way we are putting ourselves in place of God. Whenever we go against what God has commanded we are saying that we know the better way; we know what we really need. Whenever the Holy Spirit reveals what we need to do but we ignore it we are telling God that he doesn't know what he's talking about. Whenever we don't agree with how God is handling things we conclude that he doesn't know what he's doing. "That's not how I would've done it." That's pride.
However, if we are humble, we will conclude that no matter how much we gain over the course of our lives, we won't have anywhere near the understanding, knowledge or wisdom God has. As the psalmist declared in Psalm 147:5, "Great is the Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit." Who's the one who is unlimited in their understanding-us? Who's the one who sees everything everywhere-us? Who's the one who sees tomorrow-us? We understand so little; our perspective is so limited. God is unequaled in wisdom.
Unequaled in what he can do for us.
Isa. 40:25-31, “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. Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”? 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."
Not only is there no equal or comparison to God in what he can do that also goes for what he can do for us! Since he will never grow tired or weary, he is a never-ending source of strength for us when we become weak and weary. That goes for all kinds of weaknesses; not just physical. Yes, he will give us energy and vitality to physically be able to do great things but the main way he gives us strength and stamina is spiritually. Think about it-when was the last time you climbed on top of an eagle and went for a ride? When was the last time you went for a long run and felt just as strong at the end as you did in the beginning? Obviously these are metaphors for what he will enable us to do spiritually.
We will be able to do amazing things when God's power is at work within us. Nothing else comes anywhere close to what God can do for us. Some people are good at motivating us and encouraging us and making us feel good but no matter how gifted someone is at doing these things it pales in comparison to God's level of ability to do these things. And in the past we may have turned to things like drugs, alcohol, food or something else to give us a high but nothing manmade can ever come close to duplicating a spiritual high.
If your hope is in the Lord then he will be the one who will renew your strength when you're physically, spiritually, psychologically or emotionally depleted. Without God's power you will always be weak and weary. Without God you will always stumble and fall. Do you want to soar like an eagle? Then put your hope in the unequaled and unending ability and power of God.
CONCLUSION: In a children's book titled, "Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is?" Robert Wells takes us from a size we can grasp to one we can't. The largest animal on earth is the blue whale. Just the flippers on its tail are bigger than most animals on earth. But a blue whale isn't anywhere near as big as a mountain. If you put one hundred blue whales in a huge jar you could put millions of whale jars inside a hollowed-out Mount Everest.
But Mount Everest isn't anywhere near as big as the earth. If you stacked one hundred Mount Everests on top of one another it would just be a whisker on the face of the earth. And the earth isn't anywhere near as big as the sun. You could fit one million earths inside of the sun. But the sun, which is a medium-sized star, isn't nearly as big as a red supergiant star called Antares.
But Antares isn't anywhere near as big as the Milky Way galaxy. Billions of stars, including supergiants like Antares, as well as countless comets and asteroids, make up the Milky Way galaxy. But the Milky Way galaxy isn't anywhere near as big as the universe. There are billions of other galaxies in the universe. And yet, filled with billions of galaxies, the universe is almost totally empty. The distances from one galaxy to another are beyond our imagination.
And the Creator of this universe is God, who with a word spoke it all into being, who is present everywhere in this universe and beyond, who upholds it all with his mighty power. Great is our God and greatly to be praised. Our God is unequaled in power, size, wisdom, ability and greatness. And he cares about you and wants to do great and wondrous things in you and through you. How great is that? It's unequaled.
