The Promise of God's Power

But we'll begin our worship this evening by singing to God's praise.

We're going to sing in Psalm 57, in the Sing Psalms version.

Psalm 57, page 74 of the psalm books.

We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 5, the tune is Selma.

Have mercy on me, Lord, to you my soul holds fast.

Your covering wings will shelter me until the dangers pass.

I cry to God, most high, to God who answers me.

For he fulfills his purposes for me most perfectly.

We'll sing from verse 1 to 5 to God's praise.

My wings will shelter me until the dangers pass.

I cry to God, most high, to God who answers me.

For he fulfills his purposes for me most perfectly.

He sends his help from heaven and sends me from above.

He will be close to see my light, no senses to above.

I live with savage peace.

I dwell in my own strong.

With men who speak with piercing words,

A sharp sword is their tongue.

above the highest heaven, O God, exalted thee,

And over all the earth below,

His greater majesty.

Let's unite our hearts in a word of prayer.

Let us pray.

Our Father in heaven, as we come before you again this evening hour,

we do thank you that we can come with boldness,

that we can come with confidence to you,

to that throne of grace.

But we come humbly before you as well,

recognizing who you are,

recognizing that you are a sovereign God over all,

all of creation and all of your people,

that you are the one who is all-powerful and almighty.

And yet we thank you for the confidence of the psalmist

in these words that we have sung,

that he cries to God, most high,

to God who answers me.

And we pray, Lord,

that we would have that assurance and confidence,

even as we offer up our prayers together here,

but also in our own personal devotions to you,

in our times of prayer,

in our own quietness,

in our homes,

or whatever we might offer up prayer to you,

in the quietness of our hearts,

that we would come in that way,

recognizing that we are in that relationship with you,

that we speak to you as the Lord and God of heaven,

but also to the one who is our Father.

And in that, there is such a bond,

a wonderful, loving relationship with your children as we are.

And we thank you that you do listen,

that you do hear our prayers,

and that in our prayers, Lord,

you are able to fulfill your purposes

and fulfill them, as the psalmist says,

for me most perfectly.

And in that, Lord,

we seek your will to be done.

For your will is that perfection.

And teach us, Lord,

not to seek our own will,

not to have our own desires fulfilled,

but that all that we do

and all that we seek to do

for ourselves or for others,

that it would be according

to your great and mighty purposes.

And we do thank you for the fact

that you are the one who sends help,

as the psalmist says,

help from heaven above,

that you send your truth and love,

and that we have your word

to remind us of that.

And as we hear from it again this evening,

may we see it as your truth,

and may it speak to us

that full truth,

not just our own thoughts, Lord,

but that they would be your words

that we hear,

the words that remind us

of your steadfast love

towards your people,

the strength that you are able

to give in our weariness,

that hope that you give

in the midst of all that dismay

that surrounds us at times.

And we do pray, Lord,

that you will hear us all

as we offer up our prayers

and hear us as your people

far and wide.

For we thank you that today,

and especially as it's your day,

the Lord's day,

a day where,

from the rising of the sun

to its setting,

from north, south, east, and west,

your people have been

and are and will call on your name,

that worship will be offered up to you

as the true and living God,

that in the midst of all the other idols

and false gods that are worshipped,

we thank you for the multitude of people

who gather in your name

in small numbers and places

and in large numbers and other places,

but all together we seek

to lift up our praise

and our prayers to you

and to join in that wonderful chorus of heaven

where praise is made before you,

where we know, Lord,

we have a Saviour

who is seated at your right hand.

We have our Lord and our God,

the Lord Jesus Christ,

the one who,

as we offer up our prayers,

we do so in and through

his mighty and powerful name.

And Lord,

we do commit ourselves

into your care

and into your keeping

as a people,

as a congregation,

as homes and families,

as a community.

Lord,

surround us with your presence,

the very thing that we so often

take for granted,

that you are with us,

that you will be near in all things.

And yet,

as we even read your word this evening,

we see how quickly,

as a people,

we can turn away,

as we can forget you,

Lord.

And so as we go on,

even in this week ahead,

may we go knowing you with us

and asking you to be with us,

asking that you would guide us

and help us

and lead us

along life's journey,

that we would make our ways

according to your paths,

that we would follow your ways.

Teach us in them,

Lord, we pray.

And we just ask your help

and your strength

in all of these things.

May you bless us

as a congregation here.

We thank you

for the fellowship

of your people.

We thank you for visitors

as we have been seeing

over these last weeks,

coming from all different places.

People home on holiday

and people just passing by

and coming to worship with us.

We thank you for that fellowship

and the bonds

that there is in Christ.

Christ.

We just pray to see

that unity and fellowship blossom.

We pray, Lord,

your protection over us

as a people,

that you would unite us together

in your word

and according to your truth

and lead us in your ways

as a people,

even in this time

and these months ahead, Lord.

May we know your will

and your purpose for us.

We pray, Lord,

for every home and family here.

We thank you

that we can remember each other

at the throne of grace

and to do so not just publicly

but in our prayers as well, Lord,

that you would keep us

prayerful for one another.

Even as we think of those

who are unwell,

those who are going through times

of distress in different ways.

We think of people

who are in different needs

at this time, Lord,

and thankful that

even when we don't know

their names,

that you do

and that we can come

prayerfully for them.

We do have particular prayers

for people as well

as we have mentioned this morning

and seen with Scott

and Fiona and the girls

and they're moving to Harris.

We pray for them, Lord,

for you to go with them,

to be their shepherd,

to be their help,

to guide them

and to help them

in this next phase

of Scott's training.

May you bless them

in the congregation

of North Harris,

help them to settle there

and to make new friends,

to be a blessing

to those there

and help Scott

in his studies

over this coming year

as well

and in his preaching,

lead them and guide them

and be his help

and strengthen it all

and may they know

your blessing with them.

And we do pray, Lord,

for others

who are training

for the ministry.

We thank you

as we have heard

in these last weeks

of the congregation

of North Uist

and David Fergson

accepting the call.

We thank you for that

and we pray for him

and Catherine and Duncan

as they move

and as they settle

into a new home,

a new community

and especially

into a new congregation there.

We ask that you

will lead them together

and bless them

as a people there.

May your church flourish

in the North

and Uist

and also in the South

as well

as we pray

for the congregation

there as well.

We do pray

for our seminary

as well

with all the students

who have finished.

Some may be waiting

on a call as well.

We pray

for your leading

and guiding to them

and for other inductions

that will be taking place

in these coming weeks

as well.

We thank you for that

and pray that you will

provide more and more

gospel ministers,

those who will

go out with the good news

and proclaim it

throughout our land.

We thank you

for our seminary

and for the professors there

and for all the students

who will be starting back

in these next few weeks.

We pray your blessing

and help towards them

and that you will

be with them, Lord,

in this coming year.

We thank you too, Lord,

that we can commit

the disarray

that we see around us,

our nation,

in so much turmoil

and the world

in so much disarray.

When we think of

leaderships and contests

going on in America,

we think of turmoil

in the Middle East

and the Ukraine

and the tensions

in North Korea

and the Far East

as well, Lord.

There are so many things

going on around us

and so many things

that we do not even know about.

How your people

are persecuted,

how your church suffers

in so many different ways.

And yet we thank you

that you are the light

to this world,

that you are the one

who is able

to powerfully bless

and to bring peace,

to bring stability,

to bring your goodness

upon us.

We do pray that,

to know it

throughout our land,

near and far.

And so we commit ourselves

into your hands now,

Lord.

We ask that you will bless us

as we turn to your word,

that you will lead us into it

and the singing of your praise

help us to lift up our voices

in thanksgiving to you,

that you will give us voices

that will rejoice in you

and hearts that will

proclaim you

and that the joy of the Lord

would be our strength.

We ask, Lord,

that you would forgive us

for all our sin too,

that you would have mercy upon us,

that you would cleanse us anew

by the precious blood of Christ

as we come in his name,

offering up all of these things,

thankful for a glorious

and a wonderful Savior,

a precious Savior.

May he be more and more precious

to us each and every day

and may you love us

through him

and do us good

as we ask all these things

in the precious name of Jesus

and for his glory.

Amen.

We again sing to God's praise

this time in Psalm 121

in the Scottish Psalter version.

Psalm 121.

Find this on page 416.

Psalm 121 on page 416.

I to the hills will lift mine eyes

from whence doth come my need.

My safety cometh from the Lord

who heaven and earth hath made.

We'll sing the whole of this psalm

and the tune is Denfield.

We sing to God's praise.

Amen.

Amen.

I to the hills will lift mine eyes

from whence doth come my name.

I sit ye calm and from the Lord

who then on earth hath made.

Thy foot in no place

like nor will

he sombered at the gate.

Behold thee that keeps Israel

He sombered at the gate.

The Lord be keeps the Lord thy shape

on thy right hand the same.

Thou good by night

thee shall not smite

nor yet the sun by day.

God the Lord shall keep thy soul

He shall

grace where thee come all hell

and forth thy going

and hand in

God be forever well.

We'll turn and read together

in God's word now

in the book of Isaiah

in the Old Testament.

Isaiah chapter 40.

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

We're going to take up

our reading at verse 9.

Isaiah chapter 40

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

and at verse 9

you'll find it around page 724

of the Bibles.

Isaiah 40 is almost like a turning point

in the book of Isaiah

where it begins

a new kind of section

where the people of God

have been

we've been seeing them

becoming more and more unfaithful

up to this point

up to chapter 39

and God has been warning them

and then in chapter 40 onwards

it's more about how God

is going to restore his people

and we see that in this chapter

when it begins with these words

comfort, comfort

my people

says

your God.

We're going to take up

our reading at verse 9

and we read there

of the greatness

of God.

Get you up

onto a high mountain

O Zion

herald of good news

lift up your voice

with strength

O Jerusalem

herald of good news

lift it up

fear not

say to the cities of Judah

behold

your God

behold

the Lord God

comes with might

and his arm

rules for him

behold

his reward

is with him

and his recompense

before him

he will tend

his flock

like a shepherd

he will gather

the lambs

in his arms

he will carry them

in his bosom

and gently lead

those that are

with young

who has measured

the water

from the hollow

of his hand

and marked off

the heavens

with a span

enclosed

the dust

of the earth

in a measure

and weighed

the mountains

in scales

and the hills

in a balance

who has measured

the spirit

of the Lord

or what man

shows him

his counsel

whom did he consult

and who made him

understand

who taught him

the path

of justice

and taught him

knowledge

and showed him

the way

of understanding

behold

the nations

are like a drop

from a bucket

and are accounted

as the dust

on the scales

behold

he takes up

the coastlands

like fine dust

Lebanon

would not suffice

for fuel

nor are its beasts

enough

for a burnt offering

all the nations

are as nothing

before him

they are accounted

by him

as less than nothing

and emptiness

to whom then

will you liken

God

or what likeness

compares with him

an idol

a craftsman

casts it

and a goldsmith

overlays it

with gold

and casts

for it

silver chains

he who is

too impoverished

for an offering

chooses wood

that will not rot

he seeks out

a skillful

craftsman

to set up

an idol

that will not

move

do you not know

do you not hear

has it not been told

you from the beginning

have you not understood

from the foundations

of the earth

it is he

who sits above

the circle

of the earth

and its inhabitants

are like grasshoppers

who stretches out

the heavens

like a curtain

and spreads them

like a tent

to dwell in

who brings

princes to nothing

and makes the rulers

of the earth

as emptiness

scarcely are they

planted

scarcely sown

scarcely has their

stem

taken root

in the earth

when he blows

on them

and they wither

and the tempest

carries them off

like stubble

to whom then

will you compare me

that I should be like him

says the holy one

lift up your eyes

on high

and see

who created these

he who brings out

their host

by number

calling them all

by name

by the greatness

of his might

and because

he is strong

in power

not one

is missing

why do you say

oh Jacob

and speak

oh Israel

my way is hidden

from the Lord

and my right

is disregarded

by my God

have you not known

have you not heard

the Lord

is the everlasting God

the creator

of the ends

of the earth

he does not faint

or grow weary

his understanding

is unsearchable

he gives power

to the faint

and to him

who has no might

he increases strength

even youths

shall faint

and be weary

and young men

shall fall exhausted

but they

who wait

for the Lord

shall renew

their strength

they shall mount up

with wings

like eagles

they shall run

and not be weary

they shall walk

and not faint

amen

and may God bless

that reading

of his word

but before we come

to look at this passage

we're going to sing again

to God's praise

in Psalm 89

Psalm 89

page 345

the Scottish Psalter version

we sing from verse 13

down to verse 18

Psalm 89

at verse 13

thou hast an arm

that's full of power

thy hand

is great in might

and thy right hand

exceedingly exalted

is in height

we'll sing from verse 13

to 18

the tune is Evan

and we sing

to God's praise

thou hast an arm

thou hast an arm

that's full of power

thy hand is great in might

and thy light

and thy name is great in might

and thy name is great in might

justice and judgment

of thy throne

are made the dwelling place

mercy

and Prob tranquility

and

In brightness of thy face, O Lord,

they ever art shall go.

They in my name shall all the day

rejoice exceedingly.

And in thy righteousness shall be

exalted thee on high.

Because the glory of Israel

doth only stand with thee.

And in thy favor shall our heart

and thou praise all did thee.

For God is our defense and team

to us of safety bring.

The holy one of Israel

is our almighty king.

Amen.

We turn back to our reading in Isaiah chapter 40.

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

And as I said this morning,

today we're thinking about two different ways

we could maybe sum up what the Bible is about.

If we were asked by someone,

as I was saying this morning,

maybe you've been reading a book

or watching a movie

and you've been speaking to someone about it

and they've asked,

well, how would you sum it up?

What would make me want to watch that

or read that?

How would we approach that

when we think about the Bible,

the scriptures that we have before us?

When we think of inviting people along to church

to come and hear the word of God,

how do we explain to them

what we're inviting them to

and why they should take it seriously,

why they should listen to the invitation

and come and hear what this word has to say?

This morning we were looking at

the theme of sinners in need of salvation.

That is what the Bible tells us

from beginning to end.

We were looking at 1 Thessalonians chapter 2

1 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

where Paul is writing,

concerned for the church at Thessalonica,

they are concerned for their faith

and how they are going.

A church that has seen sinners come to salvation.

And that wonderful good news of the gospel

is that there is a saviour for sinners.

So we thought of that this morning,

sinners in need of salvation.

But coming to faith is just the start.

Going on in faith is what it's about as well.

And how are we encouraged to go on?

Well, again, the Bible speaks to us of this.

It reminds us of how we go on.

We go on not in our own strength,

but in the strength of the Lord.

And another way of we can summarise the Bible,

especially in a world that is so weary

and heavy laden with so many different things

in these days,

is to say, well, in this word,

you find a God who says to the weary,

come, come to me and find refreshing in me.

Find renewal in me.

Find strength in me.

And that's what we see in this wonderful passage.

Isaiah chapter 40.

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

As you come to the end of this chapter,

where our focus will be really from verse 27

to the end of the chapter.

We can read there at verse 30.

Even youth shall faint and be weary,

and young men shall fall exhausted.

But they who wait for the Lord

shall renew their strength.

They shall mount up with wings like eagles.

They shall run and not be weary.

They shall walk and not faint.

The word of God is full of so many promises.

Promises of God.

And you read through the word of God,

and you find so often in the midst of God's people,

so often turning away,

as we'll see here in Isaiah,

so often the people turning away from God,

going in their own direction,

and yet God is still faithful with his promises.

God is still faithful with his invitation to people

to come to him,

to return to him,

to find rest with him.

Despite unfaithful people,

God so often showers blessing upon them.

And it's important to remind ourselves, too,

of these promises.

Promises that God will be with us.

Promises that God is there to help.

And promise, like we see here,

as those who wait on the Lord,

those who are maybe feeling faint and weary,

if you wait on the Lord,

he shall renew your strength.

He keeps us going.

He keeps us going on.

You could look at this passage and say,

the people themselves have brought it upon themselves,

just this array that they find themselves in.

And they are being taken captive by a nation called Babylon.

This is what is in store for them because of their disobedience.

So they've brought it on themselves,

and yet they are shown the love of God in the midst of it all.

And isn't it wonderful that God still shows that love,

still shows that patience towards us as a people,

still longs for us to come to him,

and gives us this promise even today

that when we wait on the Lord,

he renews our strength.

Renews our strength.

He gives us hope.

A man named Viktor Frankl,

an Austrian man,

he was a famous and a leading psychiatrist

before the Second World War began.

But during the Second World War,

he was captured and taken prisoner,

and he was imprisoned in concentration camps,

one of which was Auschwitz,

as well as another three concentration camps.

He lived through that.

He lived until he was 92,

died in 1997.

But in looking back in his experience

in the concentration camps,

having been a psychiatrist,

he was obviously observing people.

And he said as he observed those who were imprisoned there,

he made out that what separated the survivors

from those who died in the concentration camps

wasn't so much physical health and strength,

he said,

but hope.

Those who had hope,

something to look forward to on the outside,

something to keep them going,

he said they were more likely to survive.

Even a physically well person could go into a camp,

and within a short space of time,

because of having no hope,

they could perish.

But those who were weak and fragile,

but still had hope,

they often survived.

And as we look at Isaiah writing

to the people of Judah and Jerusalem here,

we see that he is writing to give them this hope.

And it's in the midst of kind of dismay for them.

They're in a time of despair

because of what they're being told is in store for them,

being taken captive,

being taken prisoner.

But they are told to focus on the Lord,

to keep their focus on him,

and that he gives this promise

that when they wait on the Lord,

he shall renew their strength.

He shall renew their strength.

And it's a message for our world today.

If you want to think about

why you should invite someone to come to church,

if you want to think of it in this way,

you think of sinners in need of salvation,

we need Christ.

But we also have this too,

that when we feel weary,

when we feel tired in this world,

when we feel such a sense of dismay,

when all the chaos that we see around us,

that the Lord gives hope.

The Lord gives hope of something better.

The Lord gives hope of a renewal within us,

a rejoicing within us,

that he renew every strength,

that we might mount up on wings like eagles,

and run and not be weary,

and walk and not faint.

That is his promise as we look to him.

And so we want to ask people to come

and find that for themselves.

We want to have it ourselves as well.

We want to have that hope and assurance

and comfort ourselves.

So when we are offering it to others,

we're talking through experience,

that this is the Lord who has helped me.

This is the Lord who has renewed my strength.

And I want us to look at three things in this passage.

First of all, we see a weary people.

Then we see a great God.

And then thirdly, we see a glorious promise.

So we begin with a weary people.

And you ask yourself,

well, what has left them in this state?

So you come into chapter 40.

What has left them in this state

where their future looks so bleak,

when they're going to be taken captive by Babylon?

Well, you see it by just going back

a couple of chapters.

Chapter 40 is, like I said,

like a turning point in the book of Isaiah.

Some people describe it as the Old Testament

and the New Testament,

and there's a split, a moment of divide,

and that this is where the divide is

in the book of Isaiah.

So in the previous chapters,

there's been hope that everything's going to be well,

but they're looking for that in the wrong place.

And you see it in chapter 38,

how quickly, in chapter 38 and 39,

how quickly people can change.

There's this man called Hezekiah

that you read of in chapter 38.

Hezekiah was ill,

and he pleads with the Lord.

He pleads with the Lord for help

and healing both for him and his city.

And in chapter 4,

in verse 4 of chapter 38,

it says,

Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah,

Go and say to Hezekiah,

Thus says the Lord,

the God of David your father,

I have heard your prayer,

I have seen your tears.

Behold,

I will add 15 years to your life.

I will deliver you and this city

out of the hand of the king of Assyria,

and will defend this city.

And you think to yourself,

What a wonderful blessing.

Hezekiah,

his prayer has been heard,

his tears have been seen,

and the Lord has answered.

And it's a wonderful time, you think.

And then you go into chapter 39.

And what's Hezekiah doing now?

Hezekiah has these Babylonian envoys

who have come.

They've come to see Hezekiah.

They've come to see his abundance of wealth.

And he's almost led in by them.

And he thinks,

Here is someone I can be friends with.

Here is someone who will help me.

And yet all he is doing

is throwing God's promises back in his face

and saying,

You're now going to rely on this nation.

And you don't realize

what danger you're putting yourself

and your people into.

And the irony is,

if you read in verse 8 of chapter 39,

it says,

Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah,

The word of the Lord,

yet you have spoken, is good.

And this is it.

For he thought,

There will be peace and security

in my days.

Through his own wisdom,

through his own understanding

of the situation

of what he was going to do

with the Babylonians

and make this relationship

that he felt would bring peace.

He couldn't have been further

from the truth.

He thought,

There will be peace and security

in my days.

And that's so often

when we look to our own devices

in this world.

When we look at our nation,

so many have said,

We will have peace

through this or that

or the next thing.

And yet there's no peace.

There's more turmoil,

more trouble,

because we're not listening

to God.

And then you come into chapter 40

and you realize that this peace

that Hezekiah had hoped for,

it's not going to be.

Not at this moment.

Isaiah begins with chapter 40

with comfort.

Comfort, my people,

says the Lord.

With that assurance

that the word of the Lord

stands forever

in verse 6 to 8.

And that's what leads us then

into the rest of chapter 40

where we see

the goodness of God.

But this weedy people,

they don't see it.

And when you look at verse 27,

you see God

speaking so directly

to the people there

and challenging them.

Saying,

Why do you say,

O Jacob,

and speak, O Israel?

My way is hidden

from the Lord

and my right

is disregarded

by my God.

So this is the situation.

The people are groaning

and they're groaning

towards God.

That their ways

are hidden.

That His understanding

is just not there.

They're disregarded

by God.

That is the way

they see it.

And today people cry,

There is no God.

We don't want God

over us

and yet there is dismay.

There is so much

that is wrong

in this world.

But we push God

and then if they do

say anything about God,

well,

where is God?

He's disregarding us.

He's not interested.

He's cruel.

He's not kind

to His people.

He allows so much suffering

in so many different ways.

It's a very cry

that we have here

in verse 27.

My way is hidden

from the Lord

and my right

is disregarded

by my God.

But you notice

something here.

The way the people

are speaking of God,

they still hold Him.

The Lord is Yahweh.

That is the word

that they're using here,

Yahweh.

And it's my God.

We could almost say

that we've gone

further away from that.

People speak of God

as, well,

He's your God.

He's got nothing

to do with us.

He's not our God.

He's your God.

And so,

we are in disarray.

We have a people

around us

who are weary.

And it's all because

God is pushed away.

And when you look

at it here,

the people's faith

is challenged

in the way that

they say,

God does not love us.

God is not interested.

God is,

our ways are hidden.

Our ways are disregarded

by God.

And behind it

is that fear

that God

is unloving.

He's not interested

in them.

That's their take.

And yet,

what's happened

is that they are blind

to God.

We can all say,

I'm sure,

at some point,

we've asked questions

of God.

We've asked God,

I'm sure,

where are you?

What's going on, Lord?

Are you not interested

in what's happening?

We all have these moments.

But God so often speaks

to remind us

that he is there.

But as we mentioned

this morning,

there is an opponent

against the gospel.

There is an enemy,

and that is Satan.

And again,

we have to see him

in the midst of this,

that there is Satan

here as well,

planting seeds of doubt,

making people ask

questions of God.

Does he really love me?

My way is hidden

from the Lord.

My right is disregarded

by my God.

That's not God speaking.

That's Satan

putting doubts

in their mind.

John Knox,

the famous

Scottish reformer,

he once spoke about it

in this way,

reminding us that

the way of Satan

is not a new way.

He said,

By what means

Satan first threw mankind

from obedience to God?

The scripture bears witness

to this,

by pouring into their hearts

that poison

that God

did not love them.

Now that's the way

that Satan came

to draw mankind

away from obedience to God.

To put that doubt,

that seed,

that poison,

that God

does not love them.

Despair and doubt

is one of Satan's

greatest weapons

against the Lord's people,

against all people,

against all mankind.

To say,

God is not interested.

To leave us in that place

where we think,

my way is hidden

from the Lord.

My right

is disregarded

by God.

That he's not interested

in us.

We lose hope

in that.

But that is not

how God

leaves his people.

That is not

what we see

as we read on

in this passage.

That there is

so much more

that if Satan

attacks,

we are to turn

to God.

And that's what

the role of Isaiah

is as the prophet

in the midst

of this.

to bring the people

back to God.

To bring him

back to see that

no,

he's not forgotten.

He's not disregarded.

It's not that he

doesn't love you.

That he can bring good.

As the hymn writer

says in the hymn

before the throne

of God above,

when Satan

tempts me

to despair

and tells me

of the guilt

within,

upward

I look

and see him

there

who made an end

of all my sin.

Upward

I look.

We look

to God.

And that's exactly

what Isaiah

is doing here

as the Lord

speaks through him.

For the second thing

we see here

is a great God.

A great God.

And you see that

in verse 28.

Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The Lord

is the everlasting God,

the creator

of the ends

of the earth.

He does not faint

or grow weary.

His understanding

is unsearchable.

We look up

to God.

We look up

to him

who is

the everlasting God,

the creator

of the ends

of the earth.

So often

in despair

in these times,

these moments,

we can take

our eyes off God

and we lose sight

of him.

We can't see

a way forward.

We forget

that God's been

faithful in the past.

We forget

the hope

that God gives

for the future.

We just look

at the here

and now

and we don't

see God.

But here

is Isaiah

saying,

look up.

Just like

Psalm 121

spoke of

when we think

of

I to the hills

will lift

mine eyes.

There was this

danger

in the Psalms

saying,

where will my

help come from?

My help,

my safety

comes from

the Lord

who has made

heaven and earth.

And Isaiah

is focusing

the people here.

You have known,

you have heard,

he is saying

in verse 28.

You know all

about God

but you've lost

sight of him

and God

is there

for us today.

He's saying,

have you not heard,

have you not known

the Lord

is the everlasting

everlasting God.

Something our

nation knew

so well in the

past and has

forgotten.

Something even

the churches

today have maybe

forgotten to a

certain extent.

We've forgotten

what we know

and what we heard

of God.

But God

is the everlasting

God,

the creator

of the ends

of the earth.

He is our

only help,

our only hope

in the midst

of everything.

He is all

powerful.

He is all

knowing.

There is no

situation that

lies out

with his

control,

out with his

knowledge.

It's not that

he's sleeping.

It's not that

he's not there.

He does not

faint or

grow weary.

His understanding

is unsearchable.

We think we

have wisdom.

We think we

have understanding.

It is nothing

compared to

his.

And that is

what we

remember.

That is

what we

are to

hold on

to ourselves.

If we

think of

inviting

others to

come and

hear this

message,

this gospel,

this good

news,

how do we

know God

ourselves?

Sometimes it's

easy to tell

others that

God is good,

that you need

God in your

life.

But do you

tell yourself?

Do you

remind yourself

of the

greatness of

God?

Do you

remind yourself

as you look

at God's

word?

Here is

the Lord

who is the

everlasting God,

the creator

of the ends

of the earth.

And he is

the one who

had mercy

on me,

a sinner.

Isn't that

amazing?

That God

loved me,

that he would

give his son

for me.

The creator

of heaven

and earth

is interested

in us.

So the

doubts that

Satan puts

in,

my way is

hidden,

my right is

disregarded,

that God

doesn't love,

it's dismissed,

it's dispelled

as we see

God in all

his greatness.

The writer

and minister

John Flavel

from many

years ago,

he once

said this

and it

shows the

importance

of listening

to the

word of

God.

He said,

one word

of God

can do

more than

10,000

words of

men

to relieve

a distressed

soul.

One

word of

God

can do

more than

10,000

words of

men

to relieve

a distressed

soul.

And isn't

it amazing

that God

speaks to

us.

That even

as we look

at these

words tonight,

here is God

speaking to

us.

Have you

not known?

Have you

not heard?

The Lord

is the

everlasting

God.

As he

speaks to

us,

but those

who wait

for the

Lord

shall

renew

their

strength.

They

shall

mount

up

with

wings

like

eagles.

God

speaking

to

us.

But are

we

anchoring

ourselves

in that

word and

in his

promises?

Someone

once

described

it as

looking to

the

icebergs

that you

see around

the cold

waters of

places like

Greenland.

When you

see icebergs

in these

areas,

you see

that there

are different

kinds of

icebergs,

different sizes

of icebergs.

Some are

small and

some are

very large.

And as

you observe

them,

you can

see that

they may

be very

often going

in different

directions.

The small

ones might

be going

one way

and the

larger ones

going another

way.

And how

is this?

Why is

that?

The person

said the

explanation is

simple.

The winds,

the surface

winds,

move the

little ones,

whereas the

large ones,

what moves

them is the

currents of

the ocean

underneath.

And they

used it as

a way of

illustrating

how our

lives are.

They said

the wind

represents

everything

changeable,

unpredictable,

and distressing.

That can

just blow us

in different

directions.

But they

said operating

at the same

time with

these gusts

and winds

is another

force,

another

more powerful

force.

And it's a

sure movement

of God's

wise and

sovereign

purposes,

the deep

flow of

his unchanging

love.

And we

can be

tossed around

by the

winds as

James in

the New

Testament

describes.

And that's

when Satan

puts these

doubts in

that blows

us off

course.

But Isaiah

is bringing

them back to

be grounded

in the

word of

God.

With that

deep flow,

that

undercurrent

of his

unchanging

love.

Because there

is the

greatness

of God.

So we

see here

the goodness

of God.

The final

thing we

want to

see here

is the

promised

renewal.

A precious

promise.

God's

greatness is

something that

at times we

just cannot

describe.

How do

we describe

the greatness

of God,

the love

of God

towards us,

especially when

you think of

it in the

midst of

times of

dismay?

I'm sure

you've heard

it before

described,

maybe I've

used it

myself,

of how

someone

describes a

jewellery

shop and

how they

display

diamonds.

And very

often you

find that in

a jewellery

the most

precious

diamonds are

displayed with

a black

background.

And the

reason for

that is that

the darkness

shows the

beauty of

the diamond

in an even

greater way.

And how

often we

think of the

word of God

in that way,

how there is

a darkness

behind things,

and yet you

see the

beauty and

the greatness

of God

shining in

the midst

of darkness.

And here

is Isaiah

speaking to

a people,

people who

are questioning

God,

people who

are anxious

and worried

and afraid,

and yet

Isaiah is

shining that

light into

the darkness

and showing

the beauty

of God

and the

hope that

God gives.

And he

says it in

verse 18

earlier on

here,

he's reminding

them of

where else

are you going

to look,

to whom

then will

you liken

God,

or with

what likeness

compare

him?

Is he

like the

idols,

he goes

on to

speak,

idols that

can do

nothing.

But then

he goes

on in

verse 21,

do you

not know,

do you

not hear,

has it

not been

told from

the beginning,

have you

not understood

from the

foundations

of the

earth,

how God

is the

one who

inhabits

above the

earth,

the one

who is in

control.

He is

the one

who has

power over

all things.

And so

it is this

God that

we have

who gives

us strength.

He is the

one who

doesn't faint

or grow

weary,

whose

understanding

is unsearchable,

he is the

one who

gives power,

who gives

strength.

He gives

power to the

faint and to

him who has

no might,

he increases

strength.

So when we

are weary,

when we are

dismayed,

when we are

tired,

when we

are all

of these

things,

he gives

us his

power.

And when

you take

these verses

forward,

when you

look at

them in

the context

of the

New Testament,

it so

much points

to Christ.

They are

pointing us

towards

Christ.

And we

see there

his glory

shine on the

cross in

the midst

of that

darkness.

And although

as we've

looked at

recently,

as you're

looking at

what happened

at the

cross,

the people

who were

questioning

and the

people who

were downcast,

the two

on the

road to

Emmaus

we were

looking at

last week,

they felt

that hope

was gone.

And yet

God was

doing an

amazing thing.

God was

doing something

beyond our

understanding.

His

understanding

is