1. Introduction
As a culture, we are inundated with bad news. As we drive down the road, we see gasoline in excess of 3.00 a gallon. As we read the papers, we see taxes going up and government bureaucracy increasing with everyone from the city to the federal government regulating us to death. Flip on the news and we see soldiers getting killed, fires burning out of control and the stock market plummeting. We see scandal abounding as sports figures and politicians and even some religious people getting caught up in unsightly behavior.
In the midst of cultural turmoil, we need to know that we have a sustaining God.
Our God is constant in His love for us and his ability to give us peace in a world and in a life that may lack peace.
2. Describing the Biblical Text
In this text, we see pending judgment coming but we also see God issuing some comfort for His people through the prophet.
As we look here we see what I consider to be one of the Bible’s significant verses.
This part of Isaiah, that is anything that is past the 40th chapter, is a pr
3. Narrate the Contextual application
This is an encouraging passage that assures Israel and Judah that God is in control of their situation and even though judgment may be about to fall, that is simply a sign that God’s love for His people is still in place.
We find in the book of Hebrews in the New Testament that God does chasten those he loves.
It goes on to say that if God’s chastening hand is not on us then we are not His.
That should be a scary thought to all of us.
We need God’s discipline for assurance that we are His.
So if we do not see the hand of God bringing discipline into our lives, then we need to seriously look at our relationship with Him.
In His discipline, we can see that his presence is a vital part of our lives.
4. Life Application (thesis)
Let’s take a look at this truth this morning.
God is our keeper and our strength and by Him, we will be upheld.
5. SO WHAT!! (Outline)
In this truth, we will see two certainties this morning as we seek to live our lives in the comfort that God keeps and sustains us.
God has a plan and that plan includes my life.
At the Associational meeting this past Thursday night, Sid Barnett’s son in law told the story of Adoniram Judson the great missionary to Burma.
As the account went, Judson was quite the scholar and fell into a group of deists in college. Deists believe more like God is a clockmaker who built the world, wound it up and just let it go.
There is no personal involvement from God in the affairs of men which as we have seen recently, to believe that is to deny the very essence of God in His sovereign, electing love for us.
In God’s foreknowing us, there is personal involvement from him in our lives from the very foundation of the world.
Look at verse 2
You see a question here. Who has aroused one from the east?
This one from the east is possibly a description of King Cyrus of Persia who would eventually overthrow the Babylonians.
Who lifted him up?
Who put him in his place of authority?
Verses 3 and 4 continue to describe the one who put Cyrus in authority and then answers the question.
Look at the end of verse
BYW if you are following along in our revelation study on Wed night, you will see this term used to describe God there as well.
This is a declaration that God knows it all from the beginning to the end.
Not only is he the one who knows it all, He is the one who causes it all to be.
Remember the name that He gave to Moses in Exodus.
I am that I am.
In that Name, he was stating that He was the one who has always existed.
He was stating that He was the one who brought everything into existence
He was stating that he was the one that caused all things to be as they are.
The God of the Bible is eternal, holy and sovereign.
And, for us to have a relationship with him, we must be brought to a place where there is noting in our lives that would offend a holy, sovereign God.
Yet, we all know that is not the case.
We all have sin in our lives.
It separates us from God and keeps us from having a relationship with Him.
Yet God desires to have a relationship with His people and that is why He sent Jesus to die on the cross.
Jesus when he died on the cross paid the penalty for our sins that we would come to know God through Christ.
The Bible says that there is no one who is righteous.
This unrighteousness separates us from God so God closed that separation by sending His wrath on His son for our sins.
This act of Great love is described in the verse that says, “God demonstrated His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
When Jesus died on the cross for us, he provided to us the forgiveness of God.
If any man will confess with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in his heart that Jesus rose from the dead, he will be saved for his sin and the eternal penalty of that sin, separation from God in Hell.
You might be looking right now for that forgiveness and that relationship with God.
Won’t you pray with me?
I’ll lead and you can simply repeat the words but you need to mean them from your heart.
Dear Lord,
I know that I have sinned and lived badly. I am sorry and desire to live for you now. I am receiving Jesus into my heart to be the Lord and savior of my life. Help me to give you control of my life Lord and to live for you. Thank you for dying on the cross for me and for coming back from the dead. Thank you for saving me today.
If you prayed that this morning, I am going to have an opportunity for you to respond in just a few minutes.
Isn’t great to know that God’s way is the best way?
Really, it’s the only way.
God cares for us and our lives are hidden with Him when we are relying on Him and His wisdom and strength to keep us.
Our second certainty is this.
Serving God means that our lives are hidden in Him.
There are a couple of things that we can take the bank.
Our paycheck every Friday and the fact that God’s plans for us and His wisdom are always better than our own
When we look at verses 5-7 we something that should make us take notice.
We see man attempting to control his own circumstances in his own way without consulting God or what is worse, by creating His own God.
We see the feel good mentality of today’s self esteem, culture don’t we. [Read v 5-6]
Then we see the useless pursuit of Idol worship as craftsmen and smelters and solders seek to put some kind of idol together that won’t totter in order to appease some fertility god and to save themselves from the Persians.
But in verse 8 God says that is unnecessary.
God chose them just like He chose us.
The hand of His favor is upon us and we need to serve Him.
But then we come to verse 10.
What a great verse of scripture this is.
I love the rendering in the KJV
Fear thou not for I am with thee
Be not dismayed for I am Thy God.
I will strengthen thee
Yea I will help thee
Yea I will uphold thee by the right hand of my righteousness.
I am going to ask you a question and I wish you would ask me.
Why do we worry and fret when God is in control?
Why do we anxiously look around us when our circumstances are in his hands?
He controls world leaders and governments rise and fall at His hand.
Remember verse 2 He subdues kings and delivers nations.
If God is able to manage the circumstances of the nations, why can’t he handle our little stuff?
He can and He will if we trust Him and stop taking matters into our own hands.
As we leave here this morning, let’s take verse 10 with us.
God is in control and He loves us.
But better than that, He upholds in the righteousness of his right hand.
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