The pessimist mainly complains about the wind. The optimist simply expects it to change. The realist wisely adjusts the sails.
This is a talk for the optimist who just expects things to get better, but rarely is willing to take action. So, the future never really gets brighter. And it’s a talk for the pessimist – for the people who tend to look at the dark side – to tend to expect the worst – who tend to live life in a way that insures a pretty bleak future. It’s a talk to help us become realists – people who are willing to adjust our thinking about life and, especially, about God.
When we are thinking that our future looks bleak, those thoughts can exhaust our energy for living. We spend our lives fearing future misery and thirsting for future happiness.
Knowing God better will help us more than we think. Knowing God takes away the fear of future and gives us hope. When we know God, we have hope… and faith!
Faith when your future looks bleak
Text: Isaiah 44:3-8, p. 518
Series: Knowing God
There seems to be lots of confusion about what God is really like - about who He really is. Some “fire and brimstone” types focus mainly on His justice. Others focus mainly on His love. Still others say that the God or gods of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam are basically the same as the God of the Bible.
But we ought to let God speak for Himself! In the pages of Isaiah, a prophet in the Bible, God introduces Himself to us with words like these: “I am the Lord and there is no other.”
This series will help us come to know God better, build our relationship with Him, and draw us closer to Him in love. As we come to know Him, we will learn how to trust Him in a greater way. Thinking biblically about God will help us develop more peace and personal security, more contentment and self-control, and more love and joy.
Our book of the month (available at the book store in the foyer) was written by J. I. Packer. He wrote, “Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfold as it were with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.” We don’t want that! So, for the next thee weeks, we’re going to come together and learn directly from God about who He says He really is.
6 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me.
7 Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; yes, let him recount it to Me in order, from the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place.
8 … And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none.
Isaiah 44:6-7, 8b
In this passage, we saw a phrase: “You are My witnesses.” The promises of this passage are for witnesses, for people who will talk it up about God and His nature and His character and His attributes. Biblically speaking, the difference between a person who sees and has a bright future and the person who sees and has a bleak future is what we believe about God. The person filled with hope knows God. That’s why it helps to do self-talk. It helps us cope when we “talk it up” about the nature and character of God.
So, the promises of this passage are for witnesses, for people who will talk about God to themselves and others. The word “witness” comes from a root word that means “return,” “repeat,” “do again.” So, a witness is someone who emphatically repeats a testimony. A witness is someone who talks about what they have experienced to be true.
What is it that we are to be witnesses about? What is it about God that we are to talk about – to remind ourselves of? I see five truths about God in this passage.
When my future looks bleak, I will talk about…
1. … the supremacy of God. v. 6a
Martin Luther once said, “Your thoughts about God are too human.” In Psalm 50:21, God says, “You thought I was just like you…” We tend to look at God through the wrong end of a telescope. We reduce Him to pigmy proportions. He’s the sun, yet we think of Him as though He were a little candle. But look at who’s talking…
Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts…
Two big ideas: first…
He is King.
He’s King of kings. Whether we know it or not, whether we like it or not, whether we know Him or not, all the peoples are under God’s sovereign rule. Americans. Afgans. Israelis. Russians. North Koreans. All are ruled by the King of kings. God is on the throne! That’s good to know with a world in turmoil… with world leaders seeking to pursue their own agendas, taking their stand against the Lord. Psalm 2:4 tells us that God as King is enthroned in the heavens and He simply laughs at the plans of earthly kings. Compared to God the King, presidents and kings and prime ministers are just grasshoppers.
Our Lord’s prayer ends this way: “For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever…” He is king. Second…
He is Lord…
This means that God has universal authority. Can you imagine the Lord of hosts having to request permission from anyone? Who would God go to for permission? At whose throne would God kneel?
Yes, people do rebel against God’s authority. But even that is a part of His plan. He temporarily permits evil to exist in restricted areas of His kingdom for His own inscrutable good and wise purposes.
Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth…
Psalm 135:6
We may think that we are free agents – that we have a will of our own and are free to do what we please. But to say that God is supreme means that only He is free to do whatever He wills to do anywhere. Only He is free at any time to carry out His eternal purpose in every single detail without interference. He is king and He is Lord.
That God is supreme is a truth where we can rest. Our lives are not the product of blind fate. We can know that every detail of our lives has been planned by God from all eternity. And every event – even what seems to be bad – is being worked out for good by a redeeming Ruler who is supreme over all!
When my future looks bleak, I will talk about the supremacy of God.
2. … the eternity of God v. 6b
The fact that we live in time – in a succession of moments and events – means that we tend to worry about the future. Sometimes, we’d like to stand on our tiptoes looking into the future to see what will happen next. The fact that we exist in time means that the future is uncertain. But that’s not true about God. Look at what God says about Himself in the middle of verse 6…
I am the first and I am the last…
He’s saying that He is eternal. He is before everything else and He is after everything else. God is the One who always is. Everything is present tense to God. For God, everything that will happen has already happened. He was, He is, and He will be. Psalm 90:2 says, “From everlasting to everlasting You are God.” What happened when you were five; what happens to you today, and what will happen when you are 85 is all in the present to God.
Time doesn’t apply to God. He existed before time began. The question, “How old is God?” is inappropriate. He is no older now than He was a year ago. Infinity plus one is still infinity. Over and over, the scriptures repeat this truth about God.
In Revelation 22:13, Jesus makes an audacious claim. He identifies Himself as the God of Isaiah 44 when He says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” God is eternal. It’s true of God the Father, God the Son – Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit.
This fact about God ought to bring us great comfort. Someone once said, “I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow.” God is eternal and has already lived our tomorrows just as He has lived all our yesterdays. And since God is eternal, He is forever the one safe home for His people who tend to worry about the future – for you and for me.
When your future looks bleak, talk about the eternity of God.
3. … the uniqueness of God. v. 6c-7a
There are lots of “gods” being talked about in the world today. Some religions present a god who is a kind of celestial policeman who looks for opportunities to pounce on anyone who strays. (God’s going to get you for that!) Other religions paint a picture of a god who is grandfatherly – an indulgent, kindly old gentleman who would never want to detract from our enjoyment of life. But the God of the Bible is both a Judge who calls us to live holy lives and a Savior who provides us with forgiveness when we sin. Look at what God says about Himself at the last of verse 6 and on into verse 7.
… and there is no God besides Me. Who is like Me?
There’s no god like the God of the Bible. I majored in religious studies at Vanderbilt University. We studied all the major religions of the world. There is no god like the God of the Bible.
Some religions present a god who is primarily transcendent – separate and removed from creation – uninterested in the details of our lives. Other religions paint a picture of a god who is everywhere and in everything – virtually indistinguishable from creation – and, therefore virtually unable to do anything to care for the details of our lives. But the God of the Bible is both transcendent – above all – and immanent – “with” us. That means that He takes an intimate interest in the details of our lives and He is powerful enough to do something about it.
There is no other God beside Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me.
Isaiah 45:21b
All the other so-called gods in this world are gods in name only. They are pseudo-deities, not real ones. The God of the Bible cares about our future and is powerful enough to intervene for His glory and our good.
When your future looks bleak, talk about the uniqueness of God.
4. …the foreknowledge of God. v. 7
Can anyone declare the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place? Yes! God can! And that can bring great comfort to our souls when things look bleak. Look at verse 7.
Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; yes, let him recount it to Me in order, from the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place.
The foreknowledge of God. He is always fully aware of everything. He never has to learn. He never forgets anything.
He knows the tiny details of our lives. Jesus tells us, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). He knows the words that we will say even before they are spoken: “Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it all” (Psalm 139:4). And He knows the days of our lives even before we are born: “In Your book were all the days that were ordained for me when as yet there was not one of them” (Psalm 139:16).
Because of the foreknowledge of God, He can never make a mistake when it comes to your life. He can never fail to plan ahead for you. He can never fail to take into account all the possible things that might occur – all the eventualities that will play a part in your future. He even has foreknowledge of when people will treat you badly. He knew that you would be sitting right here, right now, today, worshipping in this service.
God in His goodness wants the best for our future. God in His wisdom plans the best for our future. God is His foreknowledge sees the best in our future. God is His power gets the best for our future.
When your future looks bleak, think about the foreknowledge of God.
5. … the unchangeableness of God. v. 8
What would our future be like if God were unpredictable? How could we trust ourn future to a God who could change? But God doesn’t change. Look at verse 8.
And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none.
“The doctrine of God’s unchangeableness is of the highest significance… The contrast between being and becoming marks the difference between the Creator and the creature. Every creature is continually becoming. …only He is pure being and no becoming. Hence, in scripture God is often called the Rock…”
Herman Bavinck, The Doctrine of God
What would it be like if God could change? If He could change for the better, then He was not the best possible God when we first came to know Him. And how could we know that He is best possible God now? And if God could change for the worse, then what Kind of God would He become? What if He became just a little bit evil? Or very evil? How could we trust a God who could change?
What if His purposes changed – that Jesus isn’t going to come back and set up His kingdom? What if His promises changed – that we couldn’t count on Him to walk through the valley of the shadow of death with us, that our sins aren’t forgiven, that…
No! He’s a rock. This is why we can say with David in Psalm 18…
I love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge…
Psalm 18:1, 2
God is a Rock who is infinitely worthy of our trust. Our future ultimately depends on Someone who is worthy of trust. God is absolutely and eternally unchanging in His being, His purposes, and His promises.
When your future looks bleak, think about the unchangeableness of God.
We have just touched on only five attributes of God. In the weeks ahead, we’ll be looking at His power and wisdom and love, His sovereignty and creativity and righteousness. The list of His attributes go on and on.
But don’t think of God as a collection of attributes added together.
And we shouldn’t think of the attributes of God as something added on to who God really is. No. His whole being includes all of His attributes. He is entirely supreme, entirely eternal, entirely unique, entirely unchangeable, and has entire foreknowledge. Every attribute is true of all of God’s being. Every attribute also qualifies every other attribute.
Here’s a better way to look at how these various attributes intersect. In the diagram, let’s let the vertical lines represent the attribute of supremacy…
… and let’s let the horizontal lines represent he aspect of God’s eternity.
One set of diagonal lines could represent God’s uniqueness…
… while the other could represent God’s foreknowledge.
Of course, we could go on and on with different attributes. Each attribute describes one aspect of His total character. God is a completely integrated Person who is infinitely perfect in all His attributes. He’s like a diamond, shining brilliantly with many perfect facets to His personality.
“OK. OK,” you say, “God is supreme, eternal, unique, unchangeable and has foreknowledge…
So what?
Let’s look at the implications in these verses.
Because of who He is (even when my future looks bleak), God gives me…
… springs in my desert. v. 3a
Sometimes, life is so hard and difficulties come so often that our souls just feel dry. We don’t have any “juice” left to help ourselves, much less others.
3 For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground;
Dry land is a thirsty land; it thirsts for water. It cracks and opens for water. It needs lots of rain to moisten it, and make it fruitful.
When we come to know God and experience Him as supreme over the events in our lives, eternal in His plan for our lives, unique in His ability to bless our lives, and unchangeable in His desire to do good in our lives, then we find our thirst quenched. Or at least we taste enough satisfaction in him to know where to spend the rest of our life drinking.
Because of who He is (even when my future looks bleak), God gives me springs in my desert.
… hope for my children. v. 3b-5
Some of us have gone through the heartbreak of divorce. That means that our children are growing up in broken homes. And we wonder about the impact of a broken home on the lives of our children. Others of us raised our children in the church, but now they are gone. And we are wondering if and when they will come back to the faith. With the world in such a state of uncertainty, some of us with young children are thinking that the future looks bleak for our kids. Some of us are putting off marriage or even having children because we have so little hope that the world will be a good or safe place.
But, look at what God promises…
… I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants;
God promised that a day was coming when He would fill His people with His Spirit. He says that he’ll pour His Spirit out. I like that. When we say, “It’s pouring outside” we don’t mean “It’s drizzling or misting.” We mean, “If you go out, you’ll get drenched.” So God’s pouring out His Spirit means that our descendents will be drenched or soaked. God has promised a day when His people, his servants, will be drenched with the Spirit.
I see the fulfillment of this promise coming closer when Jesus said,
Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit…
John 7:37-39
I see the first fulfillment of this in the words of Acts 2 at Pentecost. And in Ephesians 5:18, God’s people have been commanded to be filled with the Spirit.
Verse 4 tells us more about what happens in the lives of our offspring when the Spirit is poured out.
…and they will spring up among the grass like poplars by streams of water.
The impact of the outpouring of the Spirit is not supposed to be a one-time thing, but continual. We can drink up the Spirit the way a tree by a stream continually drinks up water. Our lives can be surrounded by desert, but if our roots go down by the stream of the Spirit we can always flourish. This is available to our children. No matter what the state of the world or the economy, they can draw on His life and never thirst.
There’s more! Look at what our kids can say in verse 5.
This one will say, ‘I am the LORD’S’; and that one will call on the name of Jacob; and another will write on his hand, ‘Belonging to the LORD,’ and will name Israel’s name with honor.
That’s what I want my kids to say. “I am the Lord’s. I belong to the Lord.” When we belong to the Lord, we can count on Him to care for us. He takes care of his own. When our children belong to the Lord, we can count on Him to take care of them.
Because of who He is (even when my future looks bleak), God gives me hope for my children.
… faith for my future. v. 8a
When the Holy Spirit is poured out our fears about the future are defeated. Look at the first part of verse 8.
Do not tremble and do not be afraid; have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?
We can give our fears about the future to the Lord. He will see to it that our needs will be met. We can see Him as a Rock to build on.
Because of who He is (even when my future looks bleak), God gives me faith for my future.
When my future looks bleak, I will talk about…
1.… the supremacy of God.
2.… the eternity of God.
3.… the uniqueness of God.
4.… the foreknowledge of God.
5.… the unchangeableness of God.
