Gods You Carry or a God Who Will Carry You

Isaiah 46 (KJV 1900)

1 Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth,

Their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle:

Your carriages were heavy loaden;

They are a burden to the weary beast.

2 They stoop, they bow down together;

They could not deliver the burden,

But themselves are gone into captivity.

3 Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob,

And all the remnant of the house of Israel,

Which are borne by me from the belly,

Which are carried from the womb:

4 And even to your old age I am he;

And even to hoar hairs will I carry you:

I have made, and I will bear;

Even I will carry, and will deliver you.

5 To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal,

And compare me, that we may be like?

6 They lavish gold out of the bag,

And weigh silver in the balance,

And hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god:

They fall down, yea, they worship.

7 They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him,

And set him in his place, and he standeth;

From his place shall he not remove:

Yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer,

Nor save him out of his trouble.

8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men:

Bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.

9 Remember the former things of old:

For I am God, and there is none else;

I am God, and there is none like me,

10 Declaring the end from the beginning,

And from ancient times the things that are not yet done,

Saying, My counsel shall stand,

And I will do all my pleasure:

11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east,

The man that executeth my counsel from a far country:

Yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass;

I have purposed it, I will also do it.

12 Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted,

That are far from righteousness:

13 I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off,

And my salvation shall not tarry:

And I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.

Note: Life is filled with burdens.

Note: Job said, in Job 5:7

Job 5:7 (KJV 1900)

7 Yet man is born unto trouble,

As the sparks fly upward.

Note: Job said that life is full of troubles. Note: We cannot escape the burdens of life

Note: Yet, we’re reminded as believers that the True God will carry those burdens, if we cast them upon Him.

Note: The false gods and securities of this world cannot carry burdens, they create more burdens in our life.

Note: Yet, God desires to be the burden bearer in your life.

Note: In the book of Matthew, there is a wonderful passage of Scripture that speaks about burdens.

The religious leaders of the day were casting heavy religious burdens upon the people, the people were struggling under the weight of their demands.

Jesus stands before the people and says something that must have been so refreshing to hear.

Note: He said “Come unto me all ye that 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.”

Note: What a wonderful truth - rest for your souls.

A doctor walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience.

As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question.

Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed.

In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

She continued:

“The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses.

As early … as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night.

Remember to put the glass down!

Note: Lay down your burden, said Jesus.

Note: Some of us have been carrying around burdens that we should not be holding.

Note: Others are lifting up things up in our life as the solution, but they have become the actual problem.

Note: Jesus said Rest in me.

2 Thessalonians 1:6–7 KJV 1900

6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

Note: Peter the Apostle, writing to believers during a time of intense persecution, said casting all your care upon HIm for He careth for you.

Note: The Word Care speaks of worry or anxiety and burdens that you have in your life. Let Jesus be your burden bearer.

Note: Let’s learn from this text this morning.

I. The Burden of Judah

Note: Now Judah had a BIG burden.

Note: They were facing Capacity - exile. Their rebellion had invited reproach. This reproach had brought upon them God’s reproof.

Note: You could imagine the burden that this placed on this people - fathers and mothers.

Isaiah 42:22 KJV 1900

22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; They are all of them snared in holes, And they are hid in prison houses: They are for a prey, and none delivereth; For a spoil, and none saith, Restore.

Note: Everything that they worked for, everything that they owned - Everything that they had trusted in their life - was all taken away.

A. Their Travels (Vss. 1-2)

Note: Can you picture it in your mind? Being Carried away into Babylon. A long convoy of mothers, fathers, children, grandmothers and fathers. All of them taken from their homes.

Note: 1,448 kms - Probably took them 3-4 months to make the Journey.

Note: All of their carriages are loaded. Full to the top. No room for anything else. (Vs. 1) It’s traveling through the dessert land.

Note: When my wife and I went to Senegal on a missions trip several years ago. We were heading to St. Louis from the Capital, and on the road there was a van and it had to be packed 6 feet with luggage on top of the van. And it was swaying back and forth.

Note: But Wait! What else are they bringing with them? It’s their idols. These false gods made from wood and precious stones.

Note: Bel and Nebo. (Vs. 1)

Note: The Bible says that these idols were a burden, heavy burdens upon the people and their tired beasts.

B. Their Truth (Vs. 2)

Note: What was ironic with this picture, was they were carrying these idols into Captivity.

Note: These gods which were suppose to be watching over them, protecting them and helping them.

Note: They were useless and powerless

Note: Verse 2 - Themselves are gone into captivity!

Note: They could not take away the burden that they were facing in their life.

Note: Verse 2 - They stoop, they bow down together. In simple humiliation - these idols were useless.

Note: These idols were just adding to the burden that they were already experiencing.

Note: There are people in our world today that fall under the heavy burden of life. What is their response? They turn to drugs or alcohol to try to numb the pain or step away from reality.

But what does this do? It adds to the burden and creates new burdens. It can never solve the problem that people are experiencing in their life.

Note: They were just carrying the burden and not turning to a God that could carry them.

II. The Blessings of God

Note: Verse 3, The Lord is saying listen to what I have to say.

Note: I have something very important to say.

Note: If the Lord walked in the building today, and stepped to the front of the Auditorium, if He said, I have something to say - we’d listen intently.

Note: Don’t carry the Burdens of these false gods any longer, don’t fall beneath the heavy burdens of life - Let me carry you through.

A. God’s Faithfulness (Vs. 4)

Note: Even as a young person to your grey head.

Note: Even I will carry you. I will bear your burdens (Verse 4)

Note: I will deliver you.

Note: I will always be with you, and help you, and guide you.

Note: The story of Joseph is a wonderful testament of God’s purpose in our life. Joseph faced a lot of burdens in His life. Time and time again he was put to the test. Do you know the greatest verse in the Bible when it comes to Joesph’s life?

Genesis 39:21 KJV 1900

21 But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

Note: From the very beginning God was watching over this young man, right until the end.

Note: God is a faithful God, and He is always with us no matter what comes our way.

1 Corinthians 1:9 KJV 1900

9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Note: He will never leave us nor forsake us.

B. God’s Faculty (Vss. 5-7)

Note: Who can you compare to God in your life? Verse 5

Note: I know when burdens come into our life, we run to everything else looking for relief without looking to God.

Illustration: There was a couple that was facing some tough circumstances in their life, and the wife looks to the husband and says, honey, I think we should pray. To which he replied - Oh, No. Has it come to that!

Note: Judah had built these idols in verse 6

Note: They bring together all their precious stones and hire a blacksmith to make a god.

Note: Then they fall down and worship that idol.

Note: They carry that idol around and bear it upon their shoulder (Verse 7)

Note: He’s placed in the forefront location in their home and life (Verse 7)

Note: Yet, Verse 7, He cannot save him from His trouble.

Note: The idol is powerless, useless and vain.

C. God’s Fame (Vss. 8-10)

Note: I love what God says in verse 8.

Note: He says be a man

Note: Bring to your mind all the good works of God

How much defeat we suffer in the Christian life through simply forgetting.

Exodus 13:3 (KJV 1900)

3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten.

Note: Remember the former things of old. How God worked in their life.

Delivering them from Egypt

Providing for their needs

Giving them victories over impossible odds

Crossing the Red Sea through a miracle

Defeating Jerico and crumbling the walls

God was in control of the circumstances of their life.

Note: For I am God and there is none else.

Note: I am God, and there is none like me

Note: God knows the end from the beginning.

Note: God knows the end from the beginning because He is much more than a passive observer of events. His counsel shall stand (Verse 10).

Note: God’s works and plans never fail, because He will do all His pleasure. God isn’t just watching the entire parade of history, He is directing that very parade (Verse 11)

11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east,

The man that executeth my counsel from a far country:

Yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass;

I have purposed it, I will also do it.

Note: God would rise up Cyrus. A pagan, and He would deliver His people. This was God’s doing. His Purpose, and it would come to pass.

Note: He is in control. Remember that God is in control. Is God’s message for our life.

Note: All of the blessings that you enjoy in your life today, it’s all because of God.

Note: Don’t let the blessings become your gods, don’t let those things replace the TRUE God who has blessed us.

Note: Don’t carry around the burdens of life let God carry us through it all.

III. The Bidding of God (Vss. 12-13)

Isaiah 46:11–13 (KJV 1900)

12 Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted,

That are far from righteousness:

13 I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off,

And my salvation shall not tarry:

And I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.

A. A Request (VS. 12)

Note: God says listen to me.

Note: I have something important for you to hear.

Note: Why are you living your life this way.

Note: Let me carry your burdens

Note: Jesus said to the Jews in Matthew 11:28

Matthew 11:28 KJV 1900

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Note: I believe this is also a invitation for salvation. I will save you, the Bible says. My salvation is not afar off, righteousness speaks of Salvation, to be righteous is to be right with God, and that only happens by HIs Grace.

It’s Offered

It’s Near

It’s For A Season

B. A Rejection (Vs. 12)

Note: Ye stout-hearted.

Note: The Hebrew word means mighty and strong.

Note: But it’s the wrong type of mighty and strong, it’s the idea of a stallion being broken in, bucking and fighting back.

Isaiah 45:9 KJV 1900

9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? Or thy work, He hath no hands?

Note: God has worked in this people’s life to bring them to a place of trust and faith, so that He could carry those burdens, but they refused.

Note: They stubbornly would not let God carry them through, but instead insisted in carrying the burden of Idolatry with them even into captivity.

C. A Reason (Vs. 13)

God’s salvation was near.

God’s timing was perfect.

All they had to do was TRUST in Him.

Note: They could REST knowing that God was in control.

Joseph Scriven was born in Ireland in 1820 and lived there for the first 25 years of his life. Sometime in 1845 he emigrated to Canada.

He was engagged to be married. His fiancée accidentally drowned a few hours before they were to be joined in holy matrimony.

His heart was filled with grief and pain.

Yet, Joesph Scriven turned to the Lord to help him with the burden of loss.

He could have easily turned the other direction to bitterness and angry. But he relied on the grace of God to help him.

Years later, His mother was facing great burdens in her life.

One evening, Joesph Scriven took out some paper, and decided to write a letter to his mother, to encourage her to allow God to be her burden bearer.

He penned.

What a friend we have in Jesus All our sins and griefs to bear And what a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer

Oh, what peace we often forfeit Oh, what needless pain we bear All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged Take it to the Lord in prayer

Can we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness Take it to the Lord in prayer

Conclusion

Who or what are we trusting today?

Are we carrying these burdens around?

They may be small, but they become heavy as we bear them on our shoulder every day.

What about my kids

What will happen tomorrow

What if this happens

What if I get sick

Note: Why not trust the ONE who can carry us.

Note: You know the poem of the footprints in the sand. The one set of prints is where He carried us.

Note: Why not give your burdens to Jesus today?

The Burden of Judah.

The Blessings of God.

The Bidding of God.

Note: Come, I will give you rest.