COMFORT FOR YOUR CRISIS
Preached by:
Rev. Kelvin L. Parks
at Maine Street Baptist Church
Brunswick, Maine on
24 April 2005
- Prayer
- Text: Isaiah 40:27-31
[v.27] Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
[v.28] Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
[v.29] He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
[v.30] Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
[v.31] But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
You may be seated ...
This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. In fact, the book of Isaiah is one of my favorite books in the Old Testament, the other one being the book of the weeping prophet Jeremiah, and most notably Joshua, hence why the name of Sunday school class that I lead is not called Kelvin Parks Class, but Joshua Men. Joshua told the children of Israel in 24:15 “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (KJV)” We are a group of men striving to do what right in our families, for our church and our community.
If you do a character study on the men of the Old Testament, you will discover that the name Isaiah means “Salvation of Jehovah”. In fact, Isaiah’s name is an excellent summary of the contents of his book. The word Salvation appears twenty-six times in Isaiah ... now that may seen insignificant but the contrast is that it only appears seven times in all the other prophets combined. So, I think it safe to say that the theme and purpose of the Book of Isaiah is found in Isaiah name “salvation is of the Lord.”
I don’t know if you ever noticed it ... but the book of Isaiah is like a miniature Bible. The first 39 chapters are like the 39 books of the Old Testament, which stress the righteousness, holiness, and justice of God. Each one of those chapters is filled with God’s judgments upon immoral and idolatrous men.
The first 39 chapters also portray man’s great need for salvation. As Isaiah’s name portrays ... Salvation is of the Lord, not man and we will discover in our text that God is seen as the supreme Ruler, the sovereign Lord of history and the only Savior.
In the first 39 chapters of this book, Isaiah solemnly warned Judah of approaching judgment because of their moral depravity, political corruption, social injustice, and especially their spiritual idolatry.
But my question to you this morning: doesn’t this sound like the America we live in today.
I think that this message preached in 740 B.C. is still relevant today in 2005 A.D. I think that America had better wake up, and learn from the lessons of old, and turn away from its sinful practices ... because God cannot and will not allow such blatant sin to go unpunished forever.
Now, I did not come this morning to preach a message of doom but a message of hope and there is hope this morning found in our text, for someone who might be feeling a little discouraged.
This week read the book of Isaiah and you will discover that ... the final 27 chapters are like the 27 books of the New Testament, which declare a message of God’s glory, compassion, and undeserved favor.
So, let of look again at our text. Isaiah 40:27-31. We see here ... Isaiah prophesying about events that will occur after Judah’s 70-year captivity in Babylon.
[v.27] Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
You see ... the children of Israel are pretty down in the mouth right about now. So much so ... that they had lost their hope.
Now ... keep in mind that the first 39 chapters dealt with Judah’s approaching judgment. Can you imagine, every time a preacher stands up ... he has something negative to say. I can imagine the children of Israel saying every time they saw Isaiah coming ... Oh Lord, here he come. What does he have to say now ... can somebody please shut this man up!
Every week he is preaching the same old sermon ... “destruction this, and destruction that, stop doing this and start doing that.” Forget the tomatoes, somebody please give a rock, I’ll kill him myself. This song is old ... and played out. If he come over here ... I going to hit him in the head. Watch me ...
However, Isaiah doesn’t have to fear for his life this time because he has a different message for the people this time. It is a message of comfort.
Flip back if you will [v.1-2] of Chapter 40. Notice that its says:
“Comfort ye, comfort ye may people, saith your God.”
“Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”
Note that this prophecy of comfort is 100 years prior to their actual captivity. So, lets do the math. Let see, we have 100-year prophecy of future comfort, plus a 70-years of captivity in Babylon ...
... lets see, we have 100-year prophecy of future comfort, plus a 70-year captivity ... (repeat)
Wait a minute ... you mean to tell me that I wait 170 years before this prophecy will come to pass ... somebody give rock. You had better hold me; I’m going kill him.
Its no wonder they are down in the mouth, they will not see the fruits of their comfort until 170 years later. That’s enough to make anybody depressed.
Well ... Isaiah, goes on and reminds them of who God is and encourages them that He and He alone is able to see them through.
Drop down to [v.21]
[v.21] Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
We see here 4 rhetorical questions. The first one being “Have ye not known?
The tense of each of these questions are an affirmative YES.
The Greek word for known here is Yada, which means: to perceive, understand, acquire knowledge, know, discern, cause to know, to be familiar, to be aware of
In other words, it can be the translated as “what is it going to take to get through to you?”
- He saying why are you sad
- Don’t you know who God is?
- God is bigger that your circumstance.
- You see ... the first 39 chapters I had to preach about judgment. I know that message wasn’t popular, it was tight but it was right ... and you brought that judgment on your self ... but God loves you enough to bring you out of your situation ... loves you enough to bring you up out of your captivity.
So don’t tell me that you didn’t know ... because He has brought you through many dangers seen and unseen ... and in the midst of your rebellion and sin and shame. He was right there with you.
Didn’t you know?
Maybe some of them still don’t know. Maybe some of them still did not understand that the same God that “sitteth upon the circle of the earth” ... in other words, maybe they did not understand that the same God that said “let there be light” is the same God that can comfort their crying heart during adversity.
Don’t you know?
Maybe they didn’t know, so he asked them again. This time two rhetorical questions. Again, both of which should be answered by the affirmative YES! Walk with me ...
[v.28]
Hast thou not known? Okay maybe you didn’t know. I understand that some of you are young ... you know things have changed, say in the last 200, 300, 400 years. We’ve had some good kings and a whole lot of bad kings. Hey, since you’ve been born people in Judah have been living in rebellion.... so you just did what you saw everyone else doing and what was right in your own eyes ... even though Proverbs 3:5 says “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” But, hey ... who goes to Bible study these days anyway?
Okay, I will give you the benefit of the doubt. But let me ask you another question?
[v.28] Cont’d
Hast thou not heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?
I mean ... I understand the many years of rebellion, apathy, apostasy and anarchy and the present state of the nation ... its quite possible [even through it is far fetched] I mean hey, lets face it even Ray Charles could see that that there is a God.
... but haven’t you at least heard something about the God.
I know you are young and you don’t know everything ... hey, you are only, what 100 years old ... but whose counting. Besides age ain’t nothing but a number.
... but have heard anything about the creator of the ends of the earth.
- Did anyone tell you about how God used Moses to lead your ancestors out of Egypt?
- Or how He guided them through the wilderness for 40 years by a pillow of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night?
- Or how he gave them water to drink from a rock and bread to eat that fell down from heaven.
- How about this ... did they tell you about how when they walked in the wilderness for 40 years that the soles on the shoes didn’t even wear out ... now that was a lot of walking, I know you heard that story ... No, they did tell you.
I know, I know ... did your parents our your grandparent ever read Deuteronomy 6:4-9 to you when you where a child?
They didn’t ... Oh okay. Do you mind if I read it to you ... it says
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
[.4] Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord:
[.5] And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
[.6] And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
[.7] And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
[.8] And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
[.9] And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Brothers and sisters ... I ask you those same two rhetorical questions this morning.
[v.28] Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
I’m a firm believer -- that the reason why may of us today don’t have joy. The reason why a many of us cannot enjoy God’s comfort while we are going through life’s complexities ... is because many of us don’t really know who God is.
You see ... you can’t have joy unless you know He who gives joy. Now you may have a life full of luxuries, and may not want for anything ... you may even be happy.
But unless you know who God really is ... that is all that you will be – happy with your stuff, with your thingdoms.
You see ... for many of us our lives are based on stuff, and in a moment in a twinkling of an eye that stuff could go up in smoke ... your stuff could be blown away by a strong wind ... your stuff could be washed away by a strong wave ... your stuff and can eaten by a moth.
You see ... many of us we have comfort in the things that we surround ourselves with. We seek comfort in our happenings ... but when something happens that changes our surrounding ... we find ourselves just like the Children of Israel and doubt God’s ability to see us through.
We need to know that God is
- Self-existent – I AM THAT I AM. He is God all by Himself.
- Self –sufficient – He owns every thing even a the cattle on a thousand hills
- Eternal – Does not have a beginning or end
- Infinite – without boundaries or limits
- Omnipresent – He is present everywhere
- Omniscience – He is all knowing
- Omnipotent – He is all powerful
- Wise – In fact He is the only wise God
- Immutable – Perfect and cannot become better – because cannot change he is the same yesterday, and to day, and forever.
Didn’t you know that ... if you want comfort in your life that you could ask God because He is
- Sovereign – He has the power and the authority to rule the lives of man and creation
- Incomprehensible no searching of His understanding
- Holy
- Righteous and just
- True
- Faithful
- Good
- Merciful;
- Gracious
- Love
- Spirit
- One – as read in Deut 6:4-5
- Trinity
[v.28] Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
Oh ... it never ceases to amazes me how many people I hear saying what the can’t do.
- I can’t stop smoking
- I can’t stop cursing
- I can’t stop drinking
- I can’t stop lying
- I can’t stop cheating
I’m a firm believer that they say this because they do not know or have not been taught about who God is.
You say you can’t stop that bad habit ... maybe it because you know God as Elohim. He is so powerful and mighty that He spoke this world into existence.
Some of us are walking around aimlessly without direction ... and don’t know which way to turn. One day we are up the next day we are down ... don’t know whether we are coming are going. That probably because we don’t know him as Jehovah-Rohi. Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want
We need to understand who God is
- Jehovah–Shammah. The Lord who is present – I’m here to tell you that having God there make the difference.
- Somebody has an appointment the doctor and I would encourage you call on Jehovah-Rapha. The Lord our healer
- Jeremiah 23:6 calls Him Jehovah-Tsidkenu which means The Lord our Righteousness.
- Abraham call Him Jehovah-Jireh in Genesis 22:13-14 which means the Lord will provide.
- Isaiah calls him El-Olam in [v.28] of our text which means The Everlasting God.
We ought to stop right here and thank God for [v.28]. Not only is He everlasting [without Beginning or ending], but Isaiah also tells us that He fainteth not, neither is He weary.
We need to understand who God is
Now we discovered in our text that He is Everlasting; that He is always present; and that He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. However, we must also understand that God is incapable of fatigue and exhaustion.
We also need to understand that He never flees from anybody or anything. Fainting is not part of God’s nature. Neither is He weary. God is incapable of gasping for breath because of exhaustion of labor. He does not get tired of loving, caring, delivering, saving, healing, restoring, preserving and sustaining the world He created.
So no matter that you are going through, remember the Lord is present with you! He is the Creator of the ends of the earth. He created the limits the boundaries of the earth and therefore everything in between. The extremes and all that’s in between, God is Maker and Controller of. So whatever your situation, whether it be extreme or mild, God is in control.
We need to understand that God does not run away from us. Our problems do not scare Him. He is never weary of helping us.
I don’t know about you ... but I’m glad I don’t serve a God that gets tired. God does not get tired ... we get tired. Just listen to yourself in the morning when you say
- I don’t want to go to work – I’m tired
- I don’t want to do to school - I’m tired.
- Tuesday night – I don’t want to join Faith Outreach, or Dare to Care – I’m tired.
- Wednesday night – I don’t want to come to prayer meeting, I’ll just drop the kids off – I’m tired.
Well thanks be to God that He does treat us like we treat him.
You see ... when you are tried He wants to be your source of strength. It is because of His strength that we live, move and have our being.
When I feel like a can’t make it He steps in and somehow makes a way for me even when there appeared to be no way.
There may have been a time when somebody my have I felt like throwing in the towel ... felt like this life wasn’t worth the living, felt like the pressure of the this life was to heavy to bear. Well, I came to tell you that God will take care of you.
I’m glad today ... because I serve God who is my Jehovah-Jireh - the Lord my provider.
- He loves me even when I didn’t want to be loved.
- He brought me mighty long way even when I kicked against the pricks and did not want to be brought
- Kept me when I didn’t want to be kept
We must also understand how God operates
[v.28] “... there is no searching of His understanding.”
This simply means that there is no possible way of penetrating God’s intelligence to examine it. There is no way to measure His IQ. Therefore, it is impossible to figure out why He does what he does.
There is no searching of His understanding
Isaiah 55:8-9 says “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.’ ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (KJV)”
[v.29] He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Again, God is sovereign, which means that He can do what He wants to do whenever He wants to do it. The Apostle Paul gives us a clue in I Corinthians 1:27-29 as to why God may operate this way.
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;’ ‘And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:’ ‘That no flesh should glory in his presence.’ (KJV)”
I wish I could say that I understand why God allows things to happen. I wish I could but I can’t. His ways are far above my understanding ability. I can only put trust in Him with faith and know that somehow God will take care of everything.
God knows how to give you the power to overcome. He will take your weakness, your failures, your doubts and fears, and He will turn them into miracles of deliverance. In fact, God often does not move until we have given it over to Him completely because He will not share the glory of your deliverance with you. It is all Him of none of Him. God is our source of strength. God is our source of provision. God is our source of power. God is our source for everything we need! We can’t do anything within ourselves.
[v.30] Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
We may pride ourselves in our ability to take care of ourselves. We in America, have such a pride in our freedom and independence that we hate having to admit that we need help from anyone, including God.
But this scripture tells us that no matter how independent we may be, we cannot do it alone. God often has to bring us to the place where we have to stop trying, turn to Him and say, God, I can’t but I know that you can ... I’m turning the control of my life over to you. Here take the keys of my life.
I keep getting pulling over for DUI’s
- Driving under the influence of Pride
- Driving under the influence of self gratification
- Driving under the influence of trying to do thing me way
God is waiting for those words, but unfortunately, they often do not come until we have ourselves in a pickle or only after we have exhausted our own ideas with no results.
The longer I live, the more I realize that everything is in God’s hands. When I was younger, I was more inclined to try to solve everything with my own ability. Now, after many years of trials, tests and troubles, I am just beginning to get a real glimpse of what living by faith really means.
- Faith says that everything will work out when it seems that everything is crumbling around me.
- Faith says that my bills will be paid when I can’t see how they will in the natural sense
- Faith says that God will take care of me and that I must for be myself to stop being worried about the future – because tomorrow will take care of itself
- Faith says that I know, that I know, that I know ... that somehow, God will work it all out and that when He does, I will be so greatly blessed for having faced all that is happening right now
[v.31] But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Now if I were to take a poll ... I’m sure that most of you would agree that you do not like to wait. Truth be told we spend a lot of time every day waiting. For example:
- We wait for traffic light to turn Green
- We wait for trains to pass by
- We wait for bank line and grocery lines to move
- We wait for our pop-tarts to pop up in the toaster
- We even wait for our water to boil
- We wait for the movie or the ball game to start
- We will even sit at home all day and wait on a phone call
- Or for people to show up
- We wait a doctor’s offices, dentists offices, barber shops, beauty parlors
- And I sure that most of you are anxiously awaiting your next day off or your vacation
Now we Christians ... we will wait on just about anything, but will it comes to waiting on the Lord ... Now that a different story.
You see ... waiting upon the Lord requires faith
- Waiting on the Lord requires going through the fire sometimes and still trusting God to bring you out
- Waiting upon the Lord requires that we believe in the impossible,
- Look for the unseen answers,
- Hope in the times of hopelessness
- And know, without knowing why or how, that God will take care of you
So, my question to you is ... Are you waiting on God to see you through? Where is your faith?
- What are you putting your trust in
- What do you turn to when the going get tough
- Do you turn to the bottle ... turn to Jesus
- Do you turn to drugs – left over pain medication
- Do you turn to a man to ease your pain
- Do you turn to a women
- Are you truly trusting, waiting and depending on the Lord to see you through
Don’t allow your pride ... to be your downfall. Proverbs 16:18 says “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
[v.31] But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Now ... “ sure that many of you have seen pictures of a huge eagles nest high in the braches of a tree on in crag of a cliff. When the mother eagle builds her nest she starts with thorns, broken branches, sharp rocks, and a number of other items that seen entirely unsuitable for the project. Then she lines the nest with a thick padding of wool, feathers, and fur from animals she has killed, making it soft, and comfortable for the eggs. By the time the growing birds reach flying age, the comfort of the nest and the luxury of free meals make them quite reluctant to leave. That’s when the mother eagle begins stirring up the nest. With her strong talons, she begins pulling up the thick carpet of fur and feathers, bringing the sharp rocks and branches to the surface. As more and more of the bedding gets plucked up, the nest becomes more uncomfortable for the young eagle, so he climbs on his mothers back. And the mother takes off and flies high into the sky until she reaches about 5,000 feet above ground. Suddenly the mother tips the eaglet off and it goes hurtling down. It flaps it wings but nothing happens and the earth looks closer and closer. Just when the eaglet is about to be splattered all over the ground, the mother eagle swoops down and catches the eaglet and the process is repeated until the eaglet can fly. The fearful plunging sensation and feeling of abandonment is part of learning to fly!
Some of you may be hurting right now ... but I came to tell you that there is comfort for your crisis.
So don’t try to drown you worries, your anxieties or your fears into a bottle ... just cast all of your care on Jesus. He will see you through.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28-30
‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ ‘Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.’ ‘For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
I want to let somebody in here this morning know that
- God is bigger than your doubts
- He is bigger than your fears
- He is bigger than you circumstances
Watch this ... notice that God did not excuse Israel from the punishment. Oh, they still had to go into captivity ... but watch this, but even in the midst of trouble, God still protected them ... and blessed them, and brought them out just as He had promised.
Somebody here this morning needs to know that. No, matter what you are going through ... as long as God is on your side (repeat) then you got more that enough.
- As long as God is on your side, you are the Majority and not the minority. I John 4:4 “...greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
- Got problems on your job ... I got a word of comfort ... give it to Jesus
- Somebody may even be in between jobs ... Psalms 37:25. “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” Just know that will take care of you
- If you feel like your enemies are encamped all around you ... Psalms 112:1-2 “I Will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
- Isaiah 54:17. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper...”
- Somebody may be afraid. Psalms 23:4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Some here may be down this morning ... but I came to tell you that there is
- Hope for your hurting
- Help for your hopelessness
- If you are down God want to lift you up
- If you are struggling, He will give you strength
- He wants replace your faint heart with faith of His assurance and power
If you are facing trials and tests right now, then lift up your head. Look to Jesus because your answer is already on the way. Don’t allow Satan to destroy your victory.
And yes you have victory because of Christ vicarious death on the Cross.
So don’t listen to his deceiving voice. Listen to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God and lift up your head for your redemption is closer than you think.
There is comfort this morning ... comfort in knowing that one of this old day ... I will not have to put up with any heart ache and pain. As a little boy, I remember singing a song that said ... Soon I will be done a with the troubles of the world, troubles of the world, the troubles of the World, Soon a will be done a with the troubles of the world, Going home to live with God.
But I like the chorus best ... because it said No more weeping in a wailing, No more weeping and wailing ... going home to see my God. Then the chorus ... I want to meet my mother ... going home to live with God. Then if that wasn’t enough the last stanza says I want to meet my Jesus ... going home to live with God.
There is comfort this morning because ... one of these days “God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes.” (Rev 7:17)
Invitation
Bow your head...
This Comfort that that speak of this morning can only come from God. Jesus said in Revelations 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
- There may be someone here this morning who has not accepted Christ as their personal Savior ... in a moment I’m going to lead a prayer and you can do right there where you are sitting.
- There may be someone here who is saved, but right know you are out of fellowship with God and you want to might things right with God. I ask that you get up from sitting and come bow down at the alter and I want to pray with you.
- There may be someone who is hurting. Someone who feels like this sermon has spoken directly to the heart of your pain and hopelessness. If this is you ... I ask you get up from where you are seated and come kneel at the alter ... I want to pray with you.
Now I’m going to lead a prayer ... if there is anyone in this sanctuary who does not know for sure where they would go if they were to die to night ... and you want to be saved, I’m going to ask that you repeat this prayer after me.
Dear Lord Jesus,
I believe that you died
on the cross for my sins
And that you arose from the grave
I now ask you to forgive me of my sins
And save my soul
Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33
‘Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.’ ‘But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.’
Now if you prayed that prayer with me ... would you please act out in faith and raise your right hand.
Jesus also said in Mark 8:38
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Benediction
Hebrews 13:20-21
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen
