Keeping It Real (Part 9)

Text

Isaiah 40:6–8 KJV 1900

6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, And all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: 7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: Because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: Surely the people is grass. 8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: But the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Introduction

There are several things that are considered wonders of the world. The following are the original Seven Wonders of the World:

The Colossus of Rhodes: A statue of the Greek sun god Helios. Built in the city of Rhodes in 280 BC, the nearly 100-foot-high statue was destroyed in an earthquake in 226 B.C.

The Great Pyramid of Giza: With construction that ended around 2560 B.C., the pyramid is the oldest of the original seven wonders. The massive structure still stands in Egypt.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: With little historical documentation, not much is known of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. They may be mythical, they may have been built by king Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 B.C., or they may have been located in the Assyrian city of Nineveh by king Sennacherib around 700 B.C.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria: Built around 280 B.C., the Lighthouse of Alexandria stood around 400 feet tall and was the tallest building in the world for centuries. It was damaged by several earthquakes, and in 1480, its ruins were used to construct the Citadel of Qaitbay, a fortress that still stands on Pharos Island.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus: Located in today's Bodrum, Turkey, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was built as the tomb of Mausolus around 350 B.C. The structure was destroyed by a series of earthquakes between the 12th and 15th centuries.

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia: Built sometime around 435 B.C. by the Greek sculptor Phidias, the statue stood over 40 feet tall and represented Zeus on a cedar throne. The work was ornamented with gold and ivory. The statue was lost or destroyed sometime in the 5th century, although the exact nature of the work's loss remain unknown. The

Temple of Artemis at Ephesus: Located in eastern Turkey, the Temple of Artemis's age is unknown, for it was rebuilt several times. The third temple, and the one referenced by the Greeks as a wonder of the world, was constructed beginning in 323 B.C. The structure was destroyed by the Goths in 268 A.D.

All were man-made and of which only one remains—the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. However, even this man-made wonder is not what it used to be. Such is the plight of all earthly things, including man—they wither and fade. There is only one thing that will last—The Enduring Word of God.

V.6, 7 – “The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: (7) The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.”

The voice said, “Cry.” Cry means to call out, or shout, or proclaim, or announce. Isaiah asked, “What shall I cry?”

All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: (7) The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.” Meaning man’s pilgrimage here on earth is at best temporary. Man is tenuous. Amen somebody. Just keeping it real.

The Tenuousness of Man (Withering grass and Fading flower)

Ø Psalm 90:5-6, “Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. (6) In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.”

Psalm 103:15-16, “As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. (16) For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.”

“All flesh is grass...” Meaning at best, man’s lifespan is temporal and seasonal. As the Apostle James says, in James 4:14, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” Amen somebody. Just keeping it real.

While on this subject, as a minister, I like many other ministers are called to serve or attend the homegoing, funeral or memorial service for someone who has run out of time and gone somewhere. If permitted, I have adopted a practice of picking one or two flowers.

I admire their beauty, smell their fragrance, and touch their gentle pedals to my cheek. Then I place them in my Star Book for Ministers. When I get home, I place the flowers on my dresser. After a few weeks, I observe that the same beautiful, fragrant, and delicate flowers have faded and become corrupt. They are then tossed in the trash.

The flowers are like the works of men’s hands (like the 7 Wonders of the World) and other accomplishments man may claim. None of them will last for they will all fade away or be destroyed. Amen somebody. Just keeping it real.

What is it that causes the grass to whither and the flowers to fade? Some might answer, it is the elements in the environment (the sun, wind or lack of water), but the text says the cause is God. He so ordained it to be, and God has fixed a time that they may not go beyond. And that same fact applies to you and me. Amen somebody. Just keeping it real.

The Enduring Word of God

V.8 – “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.”

Here man in his best estate is contrasted with the word of God. Man is temporal, but God’s word is eternal. His Word endures forever.

Ø Proverbs 19:21 – “There are many devices in a man’s heart; Nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.”

Ø Psalm 119:89 – “Forever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.”

Ø Matthew 5:18 – “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

1 Peter 1:22-25, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: (23) Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (24) For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: (25) But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”

Conclusion

To all who are outside of Christ, meaning you have not received Him as your personal Savior, God’s Word issues you a warning: your life and the things in life that you are trusting in will not last. It is going to wither like grass and fade as a flower. To all who are in Christ, although your grass will wither and your flower fades, God’s Word issues hope.

For in the beginning was the Word…and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. This same Jesus said He came to give His life a ransom for many. Jesus said, in John 10:17-18 “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. (18) No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand, Jennie B. Wilson

Time is filled with swift transition, Naught of earth unmoved can stand, Build your hopes on things eternal, Hold to God’s unchanging hand.

Trust in Him who will not leave you, Whatsoever years may bring, If by earthly friends forsaken Still more closely to Him cling.

Covet not this world’s vain riches That so rapidly decay, Seek to gain the heav’nly treasures, They will never pass away.

When your journey is completed, If to God you have been true, Fair and bright the home in glory Your enraptured soul will view.

Refrain: Hold to God’s unchanging hand, Hold to God’s unchanging hand; Build your hopes on things eternal, Hold to God’s unchanging hand.

Amen somebody. Just keeping it real.