Series: Isaiah
Title: Is My God The God?
Text: Isaiah 41: 21-29
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Date:
An idol—properly speaking—is an image made to represent God. But idolatry is man worshipping himself. Just as an image is the work of man’s hand, every man whose salvation is in some aspect dependent upon what he has done is worshipping himself—whether he worships an actual image or not. The god of man’s imagination truly has no hands but man’s hands and no feet but man’s feet because the god of man’s imagination is no greater than himself.
No child born of Adam has power to save himself. The very term “salvation” declares that the one being saved has no power to save. If one has power to save himself then he does not need to be saved. But one who needs to be saved is entirely dependent upon another to save him.
“Salvation-is-of-the-Lord”
Title: Is My God The God?
Divisions: 1: God is the Sovereign of Heaven and Earth; 2: God saves all his people by his Son Jesus Christ
Isaiah 41:21: Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.
Everyone who claims to believe and trust God ought to be able to make their case, bring forth strong reasons, why their God is the true and living God. That does not mean salvation is in how much you know. It does not mean that you have to articulate in great depth who God is. But everyone whose God is THE GOD is able to answer this question:
Isaiah 41: 4: Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? [The true and living God declares] “I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.”
If anyone asks me to state my case, as to how I know that my God is the true God of salvation, this is my one argument—because “My God hath wrought and done all. My salvation—from its conception to its consummation—is of the Lord all.”
I. GOD IS THE SOVEREIGN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH (v22-23)
God declares what shall be before it comes to pass.
· Isa 42: 9
· Isa 46:9-10
1. Man’s god looked through time and chose those he foresaw would believe on him—(THE GOD says, there was no man--v28). God says concerning those he saves (V8-9)
2. Man’s god was surprised by Adam’s fall. The fall was no surprise to God, God told Adam what would happen (Gen. 2:17).
Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
3. Man’s god tried all he could to save Israel then went to plan b. God fulfilled every earthly promise to Israel and told Israel they would not keep his covenant.
Deuteronomy 31: 19: Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. 20 For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant. 21 And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.
4. Our text speaks of Cyrus being raised up and after this word was given he was just as God said. Likewise throughout the scriptures God declared before Christ came very specific details—not only where Christ would be born and what he would accomplish but what would be wrought against him.
· Betrayal by a Friend — (Psalm 41:9; Mark 14:10).
· Sold for Thirty Pieces of Silver and the money returned and the potters field bought— (Zechariah 11:12-13; Matthew 26:15).
· The behavior of those around the cross, even lots cast for his coat — (Psalm 22:18; Mark 15:24).
The true and living God is sovereign to declare what shall be before it comes to pass.
Not only does God declare the end from the beginning, but God brings to pass what he determined before to be done. (v23—do good or evil that we may be dismayed)
1. The god of man’s imagination can do good as long man stamps it as “good.” But if man judges a thing to be evil, man says, “god wouldn’t let this happen.” The God of heaven is in control of all things.
· Isaiah 45:7
· Amoz 3:6:…shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
· Nahum 1: 3…the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
2. The man of god’s imagination is a dumb idol--exactly opposite to the true God.
Isaiah 46:7: They bear him upon the shoulder,--Christ bears his people upon his shoulder--they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth;--God carries his people, sets them in his holy habitation, and they stand--from his place shall he not remove--God does as he will in heaven and earth, he sets the bounds of men, not the other way around :--yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.
Look back to our text: Man is the strength of his god, man is the righteousness of his god, man makes his god rejoice in man, man plants himself for his god—man has gone away backwards in sins—God says:
· V10: I will strengthen, I will help thee, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness
· V15: I will make thee rejoice IN THE LORD, and glory IN THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL.
· V18: I will open, I will make
· V19: I will plant, I will set
· Isa 41:20: That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.
The God of heaven has told us plainly what has been, what is now, and what shall be, because he is the sovereign, omniscient God, who purposed and controls all that comes to pass.
Application: Someone says, “that’s not my God.” Then here is the verdict of God.
Isaiah 41: 24: Behold, ye are of nothing, [worse than nothing] and your work of nought: [worse than a viper] an abomination is he that chooseth you
Illustration: The rattlesnake. The courts would take us to jail for letting our child play with a rattlesnake. What kind of father would do that? Not God!
II. GOD HAS SAVED HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS IN CHRIST JESUS. IS JESUS CHRIST, GOD YOUR SAVIOR? (V25)
Israel was in captivity to Babylon. The Lord was about to raise up King Cyrus to deliver them. He did that. But God declares in all these types—CHRIST.
From the north--v25—We associate the “north” with “up”. Christ is the Son of God come down from glory. Raised up by the Father in the body he prepared for him.
The faithful Representative--V25: Calling on the name of the Father from the beginning of his life throughout, from the beginning of each day throughout.
Christ defeated all our enemies--V25: He came upon the princes of this world and tread them down in victory: in the Wilderness (Matt. 4), in the Garden. (Matt. 18) on the Cross. (John 12; Rev. 20) and CHRIST IS THE WAY OF ESCAPE IN ALL OUR TRIBULATION (I Cor. 10:13).
Christ has declared the NAME OF GOD IN RIGHTESOUSNESS (V26-27)
John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Christ is the First—the one that bringeth good tidings and Christ is the Head of his church—who continues to give his messengers with good tidings.
Christ has saved his people from their sins without our help. (v28-29)
When the Spirit of God forms Christ in you, Christ speaks in power saying, “Behold!”. Notice, what God says of Christ
Isa 40: 9: O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! 10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him…26: Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. ….41:11: Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish…15: Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff… Isa 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles
Then the Voice says, “Behold them”. Now look what God says to behold about all those whose god is the idol of their imagination:
Isaiah 40: 15: Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing…41: 24 Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you…29: Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.
APPLICATION: IS MY GOD THE GOD? Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.
If you can honestly say that the God you trust is not the God you heard from this book this day, then I pray God will interrupt your mad dash to hell, so that you may know your need of salvation.
For you who believe on the true and living God, trusting him to save you by himself, then this is his word to you.
2 Cor 6: 14: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty,
AMEN!