Trusting in God's Protection.
Isaiah • Sermon • Submitted
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· 44 viewsWe must depend on God's protection at all times and praise Him for it.
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Transcript
Prayer
Seeing the iniquity of the the people, the faithful remnant was heart-broken! I guess they were saying, “Until when, Lord?”//
I also guess that’s the cry of many believers in this country as they face the pandemic and see the moral and spiritual decline of our nation. “Until when, Lord?”//
Isaiah brought them hope when he told them about a day when...
“the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth;” Isa 25:8
In that day, His people will say,
“Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us, This is the Lord for who we have waited; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.” Isa 25:9
Isa 26 is song of praise and trust in God’s protection.
Read Isa 26
Such song teaches us four lessons:
To trust in God regardless of circumstances.
To trust in God regardless of circumstances.
“Trust in the Lord forever, For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.
The high rocks were the places where the people and the armies felt safe. For that reason, the medieval castles were built in high places. It was hardest for the enemies to conquer them.
We must trust in Him because He is eternal.
Our Rock is eternal.
Our Rock is eternal.
Our rock, Jesus, is eternal (everlasting), He will always be there for us.
He is the rock that protected them when they wandered in the desert, after leaving Egypt. The Scriptures well state:
and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.
In Him we are secure and well protected!
We must trust in Him because He is immutable:
Our Rock is immutable.
Our Rock is immutable.
Immutable means “not subject to change”.
Circumstances change, but God doesn’t change. He is immutable!
Such rock is not affected by weather, rain, mudslides.
Our rock, has a name: Jesus. He is eternal and immutable: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Heb 13:8)
He is our trust; to Him, we can bring all our burdens, knowing that we’ll get help:
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Since God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble, He brings down those who feel secure in themselves:
“For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the unassailable city; He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust.
but He make things easier for believers.
The way of the righteous is smooth; O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.
The song also teaches us that:
Trust is shown by obedience.
Trust is shown by obedience.
Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.
Obedience is the best way to glorify Him.
Obedience is the best way to glorify Him.
Any disobedience is nothing less than a lack of trust in God. Disobedience is not believing God will do what He has promised.
Any act of obedience is a way of saying “You are God! We trust your Word!”
Works of obedience are the light that others can see so they may give glory to God.
Obedience is what Jesus meant when He told the disciples:
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
If you truly want to glorify God, if that’s the desire of your heart, the longing of your soul, simply obey Him.
Obedience shows that we love Him.
Obedience shows that we love Him.
Love to God and obedience to Him go hand on hand. Saying we love Him and disobeying Him are a contradiction.
The people of Israel were about to face judgement because they insisted on disobeying God.
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
God had made them a great nation:
You have increased the nation, O Lord, You have increased the nation, You are glorified; You have extended all the borders of the land.
From a humble beginning, out of 70 people that descended to Egypt, God had made them a nation, gave them kings, gave more land that they needed.
God’s love for Israel had been greatly evident, but despite His care, they had forgotten Him and went after what is not God (Baals and Asheras).
It make think of the beginning of this nation: from a small group of pilgrims and the original 13 colonies, and adding them land after land, God has transformed them into the most powerful nation on earth.
But, just like Israel, the people has abandoned the one who made them. They did not seek Him!
When something or someone is valuable to you, you eagerly seek it.
In the night I search for you; in the morning I earnestly seek you. For only when you come to judge the earth will people learn what is right.
God was not valuable to them! Is He valuable to you? Do you seek Him every day?
In His patience, God warned them, but their love for wickedness was stronger than the warning. They did not listen the warning!
Your kindness to the wicked does not make them do good. Although others do right, the wicked keep doing wrong and take no notice of the Lord’s majesty. O Lord, they pay no attention to your upraised fist. Show them your eagerness to defend your people. Then they will be ashamed. Let your fire consume your enemies.
Our peace comes from trusting in him.
Our peace comes from trusting in him.
Lord, you will grant us peace; all we have accomplished is really from you.
Peace is what men need the most when facing difficult and dangerous circumstances. Such peace can be found only in God!
This world cannot offer you peace, and when it does, it is short term peace. That’s why Jesus said to the disciples:
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
His promise of justice gives us peace.
His promise of justice gives us peace.
To wicked, the promise of God’s justice makes them tremble, but to those who believe in Him, brings them peace.
In his foolishness, wicked man waits until the moment of suffering to come to God.
O Lord, they sought You in distress; They could only whisper a prayer, Your chastening was upon them. As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth, She writhes and cries out in her labor pains, Thus were we before You, O Lord. We were pregnant, we writhed in labor, We gave birth, as it seems, only to wind. We could not accomplish deliverance for the earth, Nor were inhabitants of the world born.
Why do we have to wait for the strike, for the punishment, to start obeying God? Let’s be smart, let’s learn by words!
Look! The Lord is coming from heaven to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide those who have been killed. They will be brought out for all to see.
For some, it will be too late! But if you are obedient, you do not have to fear His justice; on the contrary, it gives you peace!
The promise of resurrection gives us peace.
The promise of resurrection gives us peace.
Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, For your dew is as the dew of the dawn, And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.
The peace of knowing that this life is not all! The peace of knowing that will rise with shouts of joy and will be in His presence forever.
Yes, the Lord protect His own, but...
His protection should not make us imprudent.
His protection should not make us imprudent.
We must be prudent and not play with His protection.
Go home, my people, and lock your doors! Hide yourselves for a little while until the Lord’s anger has passed.
The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But the naive go on, and are punished for it.
Do not be like those fools that claim the virus does not exist or like those who, trying to appear biblical, say, “If God wants me to get the virus, I’ll get, and if not, He will protect me!”
This is a moment to be in quarantine, to avoid visiting, to wear masks, to keep the distance, to constantly wash your hands, to avoid being exposed or exposing others. Common sense and prudence!