God in the Christian Life
Today people speak very freely and easily about belief in God. In fact it actually rare now to come across someone who does not believe in God. Unfortunately when people speak about God they are not all speaking about the same thing. Hence Prince Charles wants to be known as ‘defender of faith’ instead of ‘defender of the faith.’ G K Chesterton has been proved correct when he wrote that when people stop believing in God it is not that they will cease to believe in anything but that they will in fact believe in everything and anything. You see even within the Christian church there is no agreement about God. Hence a few months back we witnessed within the Church of Ireland a dean who did not believe Jesus was the Son of God, nor that we could know God personally. We also here a lot about how we are ‘seekers’ and not ‘sinners.’ We witness people talking about God as if he was there ‘buddy,’ and we sometimes encounter songs and writings which are little short of blasphemous in that they centre totally on how we feel, how we love God and not on the central message of Christianity – namely Jesus atoning death on the cross for us sinners. But why are such distinctions important? They are important because the Ten Commandments tell us clearly that we are to worship God and that we must approach him only in his appointed manner. to
So this morning I thought for a few moments we would look at the subject of God in the Christian life. Can I say right at the beginning we could spend from now until we die studying this and still have only scratched the surface. I want to make a few general points and then to look at the Isaiah passage in detail.
General Points.
As Christians we believe in God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Trinitarian belief is central to our confession of God. We believe that God is three and that he is one – co-equal and co-eternal Godhead. We also believe that God revealed himself uniquely in his Son Jesus Christ who was fully God and fully man – God incarnate. As we confess in the creed each Sunday we believe that Jesus was begotten not made, born of the virgin Mary, was crucified, died, was buried, rose again, ascended into heaven and will one day personally return to this world for his people. Today there is a grave danger that some believe in a ‘A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.’ (Richard Niebuhr.) God has been reduced to a commodity, to someone who is user-friendly, more like us, but less worshipping or entrusting with our eternal destinies. So this morning I want to put some corrective balance back into all our lives and understanding about God, so that we think more biblically about him.
Turn with me to Isaiah chapter 40. This is one of the great passages of the book of Isaiah and this passage stems from Isaiah’s personal encounter with the living God in chapter 6. An encounter which left Isaiah confessing his sinfulness and pleading for God’s forgiveness. There is something we need to reclaim in our relationship with God – a proper and realistic understanding that we are sinners in the presence of a holy God and just how awful that prospect actually is, as Hebrews 10 v 31 says ‘It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.’
In these verses Isaiah paints for us a breathtaking picture of God. Go back to verse 12 and we find that God created the universe. Verses 13 and 14 speak of his infinite wisdom, verses 15 and 17 of his toal sovereignty over the world, verses 18 to 20 speak of the fact that there is nothing and no one comparable to him and verse 16, just in case you thought I had left it out, tells us that he alone is worthy of all the worship that we could bring him. Isaiah says the tress of Lebanon and all the animals are not sufficient to offer sacrifice to the living God. These verses assert the awesomeness of God. In fact they assert what we call the Transcendence of God. That is the very things about him which point to the fact that he is totally other than us, that he is above and beyond us and our understanding. In chapter 55 and verses 8 and 9 God reminds us that he is higher than us and his thoughts are higher than ours. So we learn from verees 12-20 that God is transcendent – totally other than us and this world which he created, sustains and has sovereign power over.
Verse 21 Isaiah begins with a series of questions to the people. What he is doing is saying to them remember what you were taught. Recall what you know about God. Bring back to mind again what you have learnt and understood. He then in verses 22-24 points out the greatness of God compared to the minuteness of man – whom he describes as being like grasshoppers. The immensity of God is stated in that whereas man dwells in a tent the whole universe is spread before God as his dwelling place. Then in verse 24 the sovereignty of God over kingdoms, rulers and powers is stated. To the eyes of men these kingdoms seemed established and solid but the very breath of God blows them away – but is it not interesting that a few chapters later that same breath will not snuff out a smouldering wick? In these verses God is like a father who is gently but firmly chiding his children for forgetting who he is and what he has done. He gently but firmly brings them back to a right understanding of the fact that he is the Creator, the sustainer and the one who is sovereign over all creation.
Verses 25-26 the people are then asked directly to whom would they compare God? Would they compare him to the gods of the nations about them? That is why he asks them to compare God to the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon and stars. They were worshipped y the Babylonians and other nations and yet God himself put them in their place and determines their movements. We read in the OT of an occasion when God made the shadow go backwards three steps and when he stopped the sun and the moon for a day. The heavenly bodies that others worship he actually put in place and determines their movements. So he cannot be compared to them, great and all as they appear to human eyes.
Verse 27 but here comes the key question in all of this passage and the truth is it is the key question, often unspoken, in all our lives. Read verse 27. What is God’s complaint against his people here? Here is the cry of a despondent heart. Here is the cry of a believer’s heart, not an unbeliever, but a believer who thinks that because God is so great, so transcendent he does not, he cannot possibly care about him. Ever feel like that? Ever feel that God has forgotten you? Ever feel that God is absent despite your obedience and your faithfulness? Of course you do, we all do. We would be lying if we said we never felt such things or thought such things. So what is the answer to this despondent hearts cry?
Verse 28 – the answer lies in relearning what you already know. Relearn that God is personal – I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac and Jacob. Relearn of God’s divine deliverance of your forefather from slavery in Egypt, of the crossing of the Red Sea, of the manna and the quail and of the water from the rock. Relearn what you already know but have forgotten or chosen no longer to believe. You see Isaiah does not call them to a new thing – there is nothing new under the heavens as Solomon said. We are called to discover what God has revealed through his actions and through his word.
Isaiah reminds them that God is eternal – he had no beginning and he will have no end. That is why when Moses asked God whom shall I tell the people has sent me – God replies ‘I am that I am.’ Who are you God? ‘I AM.’ No, who are you God? ‘I AM.’ God is eternal and because of that he is the same yesterday, today and forever – that is what the people were called to relearn. Because he is eternal he does not grow weak and tired. Even young men grow weak and tired, though you may think some children do not know the meaning of tired. His power never wanes. It never diminishes and that brings them great comfort and hope. Furthermore his understanding is beyond our comprehension. As God has said my thoughts are higher than your thoughts and my ways than your ways. We cannot begin to understand the ways of God. Look in the mirror when you get home and marvel. Marvel at the wonder of your creation. Dr Paul Brand and Philip Yancey have written a book fearfully and wonderfully made – read it some time it will blow your mind about the human body. Friends with all our knowledge, with the internet and satellite communication – with all the power of all the minds of the great men of all time – it is but a droplet in an ocean compared to the mind of God and we should be humbled before him when we think that thought.
Isaiah says his ways belong to eternity, ours in comparison to time. His vision is for the whole world, ours is local. His ceaselessness keeps him always one step ahead of where we have reached. This is our God.
But Isaiah has something more to say to this despondent soul. Read verses 29-31 – I think these are some of the most comforting verses in all of Scripture. We have just read from verse 12 till now of the power of the God of creation. He put the heavens in their place. He created this universe – this awesome, all powerful eternal God now turns to the individual – he turns to the despondent and weary soul and he does what? He renews their strength. He renews their strength. Those of you who are tired and weary this morning this is for you – he renews their strength. Those of you this morning who have been left wondering does God really care about me – he renews your strength. You see the words used here of being ‘weary’ and ‘tired’ are words associated with being worn down by circumstances and situations. They depict someone whose inner strength is all gone. Their power, their strength, their hope, their passion, their heart and very soul has been spent and sapped by life and all that it has thrown at them. But because their hope is in the Lord God – he will renew their strength. Is that not good news to you this morning? Are you not encouraged to know this morning that the God who created all this comes to renew your strength when your hope is in him. That is the key – your hope must be in him.
Just to make sure that the people get the message of how God will renew their strength the prophet uses the imagery of soaring like an eagle. Eagles are majestic birds. They can soar for hours and for vast distances on the thermals. They are truly majestic. They soar in the sky almost appearing to be effortless in their flight. That is the strength of God in our lives when we hope in him. He sustains us when we think we can go no further. He lifts us up when we fall. Do you note our strength is renewed like that of an eagles – we are not chickens. Chickens spend their days scratching the earth for food, squabbling and fighting with one another, they fly no more than a few feet and are exhausted. They walk with their heads down. Eagles soar. Eagles see the world from a different angle. Eagles are focused on their prey and they have a clear vision. Eagles are dangerous and majestic. Why would you be content to be a chicken when you can be an eagle.
Isaiah finishes this passage by speaking of being able to run and not grow weary and walk and not grow faint. There are times when we need to run in the Christian life and God promises when we do he will give us the strength so that we do not grow weary until it is time or safe to walk again. But even as we walk with him he promises us that we will not grow faint – so long as our hope is in him. Constant walking strength requires a constant flowing of God’s grace into our hearts and lives. Literally God tells us ‘keep putting on fresh strength.’ A strength that is not natural, strength that almost should make us grow wings and soar.
At the start of this sermon I mentioned the fact that today in our world it is permissible, even encouraged, to believe everything and anything. People speak about ‘God’ and yet they can and often do mean everything from a tree to themselves. When we speak of God we speak of the One who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We speak of God who is transcendent and yet immanent. That is one who is totally other than us and the universe and yet near to us. We speak of God the Father who created and sustains this universe. We speak of God the Son who came to earth as a man to reveal God to us and who died on the cross for our salvation. We speak of God the Holy Spirit who today convicts us of our sin, brings God’s forgiveness into our lives and daily makes us more holy. We Speak of God who is personally interested in each and everyone of us. We speak of God who loves us with unconditional love. But we speak of a holy God. One who cannot and will not tolerate sin and yet because he so loved this world he sent his only begotten Son that whosoever should believe in him should not perish, but have ever lasting life. This is the true and living God and when your hope is in him he will renew your strength.
Amen.
