A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Good morning. I'm going to have you turn to Isaiah 40. You wonder why I put my glasses up. I should have got bifocals. Ages upon me. We're going to read the whole chapter of Isaiah and then we'll pray.

Follow along. Comfort, comfort, my people. says your God, speak tenderly of Jerusalem and cry to her that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. A voice cries in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill be made low.

The uneven ground shall become level and the rough places a plain and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. And all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. A voice cry, and I say, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all its beauty like the flower of the field. The grass withers and the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it.

Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Go up on 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, says the cities of Judah.

Behold your God. Behold the Lord God comes with might. 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 who are with young? Who has measured the waters in 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 the scales and in the hills in a balance? Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord and what man shows him 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 counted as dust on the scales Behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor its beast enough for burnt offering.

All the nations are nothing before him. They are counted by him as less than nothing, an emptiness. To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness compare with him? An idol, a craftsman casts it. The goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts it for silver chains.

He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot and seeks out a skillful craftsman and sets up an idol that will not move. Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Do you not understand from the foundation 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 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 and calls them all by name by the greatest of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.

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. Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is an everlasting God the creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint nor grow weary. His understanding is unsearchable and he gives power to the faint and to him has no might.

He increases strength. 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 on wings like eagles They shall run and not be weary They shall walk and not faint Father, You are so good. these truths resound in our heart because we need to be reminded of them we're fragile people we're fragile but you know us and in this text father you remind your people of old and you remind us of what we should think about, what we should meditate, what we should ponder in our hearts to help us be as steadfast as you are steadfast, to be held by your grace, which is immeasurable.

We thank you, Father, and I thank you for this opportunity to talk about you and give praise to you and give honor to our King, your Son. In Jesus' name, amen. to meditate, to ponder, to help us in our time of need, to build us up. That song comes to mind when I was contemplating this sermon. a mighty fortress is our God time to time each and every day we need a reminder of this oh when things are easy we're alright yeah we're alright but things come in our life we need to meditate on his greatness in his glory Isaiah Isaiah knew the holiness of God as we know in Isaiah 6 he says I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips This foreshadowing we are a people of unclean lips Without Christ's blood upon us, we can't stand before a holy God.

So this chapter always reminds me of these parallels of what we live in. The people of God are in persecution. and God is preparing him for further persecution under Babylon. He is preparing a people for his glory. He says in Isaiah 42, I will share my glory with no other. And these same truths are transcendent through all time. This early part here is say comfort, comfort for my people. speak to your God speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her he says there's an end to it but they're not seeing the end they were promised the land of milk and honey and they doubted and God brought persecution and suffering because they didn't believe but there's still he's reminded of this covenant through Abraham in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

He's prophesying of a time of this Redeemer to come, which would come in another 700 years. He's preparing. And this is how God prepares. It's a long term. It's an eternal plan. He's preparing His people to look ahead.

Look ahead in glory where the Lord is your salvation. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. Verse 5, in the mouth of the Lord has spoken. He's given us this reminder. The voice says, cry, and says, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all its beauty like the flower of the field.

The grass withers and the flower fades and the breath of the Lord blows on it. Surely the people are grass. He reminds of their frailty. as I looked in the mirror this morning I realized I had much fewer hairs on my head than ten years ago it's frailty you know we lose loved ones we're reminded that we're that much closer I don't want to go back to 20.

I want to get closer to the Lord at 60. And this is what we have to be reminded of. We're frailty. We're frail without this word of God. This word of God which reveals who God is. I like what John Calvin read.

I read in his commentaries that my brother John gave me. In order to know God, therefore, we must not frame a likeness of him to our own fancy, but we must betake ourselves to the word in which his lively image is exhibited to us. He's bringing them back to this place they need to be to look into the word of God. and it reminds us also that that this word this very word this invisible God we know Christ but yet there's a faith that must be lived out all things aren't seen as we walk as sojourners I was reminded also as I read and I studied the people of God were always sojourners they were always traveling and we ourselves in the church and building this kingdom that will not be moved.

Our sojourners. We're aliens. We become more alien more and more as we conformed in Christ's likeness. As Tim preached last week, I told him, I said, how can I follow that sermon? I said, how do we become salt and light? it's not becoming not becoming we're right and you're wrong it's living that out before them that they see the beauty of christ in us and this is what was lost in in the time of isaiah as they fell into idolatry he explains this beautiful expression of here's here's expression of our redeemer he said behold the lord god in verse 10 his might his arm rolls for him behold his reward is with him in his recompense before him he will tend his flock like a shepherd he will gather the lambs in His arm He will carry them in His bosom and gently lead those who are with young Before He expresses His might and His power over creation, He shows this tender Creator who is concerned with each and every one.

And especially those with young, There's an intimacy that was lost with the people of God in their day. Because they had moved on to their doubts had consumed them. Their fears had overtaken them. Why didn't they not go into the land of milk and honey? Because they doubted and didn't live by faith. so these parallels come through all this chapter and things that we can be reminded of he gives this expression of how great he is who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span enclosed the dust in the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in the scales the hills in a balance who has measured who has measured the spirit of Lord and what man shows him his counsel whom did he counsel who made him understand who taught him the path of justice and taught him knowledge and showed him the way of understanding I'm sure they contemplated what are you doing God we're supposed to be the people of God and at times that comes into our thinking does it trials come in our life and we don't see God's purpose we don't understand who God is that by these trials he's showing his loving kindness there is no darkness in him if you think there's darkness in him you're not reading the scriptures John brings that out as he testifies it in 1 John there's many fears in our lives and we we need to have this foundation of of our god and our as we meditate on we talking about that on wednesday night how do we meditate on god well we take His Holy Word in and get the thoughts that just express how great He is He measured off the heavens with a span.

He enclosed the dust of the earth with a measure. There's still finding galaxies out in the universe. but God has it He's got the whole world in His hand you know that children's hymn we have many fears and doubts because it's our frailty we're frail Lebanon would not suffice for fuel nor its beast enough for burnt offering and all the nations are nothing before him. They are counted by him as less than nothing in emptiness.

Now that sounds like a contradiction, doesn't it? He counts the nations as nothing. His love is always connected to the covenant. God is your enemy when you aren't under the covenant of love. by Christ Jesus. If you're outside that covenant, don't expect blessings. And first of all, don't expect things to go well.

The purposes that God has for His people is refining us and bringing us to a greater love of Him. And He can only do that. He can only do that because He's God. He's created us. He knows us. He knows us in a more intimate way than we even know ourselves.

We don't understand ourselves and how we operate at times. You know, I always bring this up because it's, I don't know if it's true in your life, but some days you can jump up and out of the bed, get your devotions, pray, and everything's, yeah. Then other days it's just like the flesh is wearing on you. And those are the days when we have to realize how fragile we are.

What kind of fears do we have? Fear of death disease prosperity I want to provide for my family All these fears that can consume us And don't laugh when you see the idols they're making in there. What he's saying here. Because it is comical. An idol craftsman casts it in verse 19. Goldsmith overlays it with gold.

He's working teiously on making this for... I don't want to offend anyone. Joe Smith. Oh no, we have Smiths in this. We don't have a Joe Smith. But just think about this.

Make sure you get it right. And the poor person, I've got to do it out of wood that doesn't rot. And set up an idol that won't move. What kind of idols do we have in our life? If we're honest, we have idols in our heart. Because we're moved.

We're moved. The whole issue of the ruler and kingdom of the air is to defame the glory of Christ. And God laughs. He laughs from above because He knows the end product. He knows the end product and that's what He's doing. He's showing His glory through us. these idols that won't move.

And he's just expressed earlier how we were driving through the mountains. And it seems like I was talking to Dan earlier that when you're working on a sermon, everything in the sermon is coming to light. We're driving through these mountains and my wife's going, hey, look at the waterfalls. I'm like, I can't look. Everybody's driving 80 miles an hour.

You see the beauty and the majesty of God and the glory of God. And we understand it's only spirit that we see creation for what it is. That the beauty, even in its sin-cursed state, is beautiful. It's beautiful. The unbeliever doesn't see that. He has no room for God. is you not here has not been told you from the beginning have you not understand from the foundations of the earth it is he who sits above the circle of the earth and the inhabitants are like grass He stretch out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them like a tent to dwell in.

Again, he brings this majestic picture of who God is. I don't know about you, but it makes me feel real small. And it makes me wonder, why my God loves us so much? Why? Why? What is man that you're mindful of him?

The scriptures should shout that out. What? Why are you mindful of us, Lord, with such grace and power? We ask the right questions when we see the glory of God in the scriptures. He shows their frailty against his princes to nothing. it makes rulers of the earth emptiness scarcely are they planted and scarcely sown scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth when it blows on them and they wither and the tempest carries them off like stubble we think we think regimes and movements can outdo the glory of God we're fooling ourselves.

It's saying here they take root. We think weakness is going to take root. We must be reminded that God is in control always. 100%. He is completely sovereign in our lives. The things He's done in creation and through His church.

To whom will you compare me? 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 talking about the starry host every star every star is numbered and called them all by name by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power no one is missing why do you say Jacob 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 and the creator of the ends of the earth. These simple truths that we live amongst, we live in a created world, and God as our creator.

Those simple facts are always, we can use those for His glory and connect. Connect our unbelieving friends who have no thought of loving God. And we're reminded that we were unable. We were unable. And God opened our eyes. We were dead.

We know much more than Isaiah's time. Yeah, God did a lot of miracles and glorious things with the people of God. But we have a clearer view. A clearer view. This connect with our unbelieving world and being salt and light. See, that's what Romans 1.

The wrath is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness. Turn to there. Romans 1. because it's a connect we need. We need to connect the dots, if it will. How are we going to live salt and light? First of all, the wrath of God is still being revealed from heaven.

He hates wickedness, as we read earlier in our text in the psalm. Ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. Not knowing about God, he says later in here, there's an action in there, in this whole text. I'll read, I'll go on. For what has been known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them.

For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world and the things that have been made. So they are without excuse Boy we don have to show them God Or we have to live it out Because I think, I don't think, I know, actions are very powerful. Actions connect with the Word of God.

The Word of God must be proclaimed. But if you're living like the world, and you want to share the Gospel, Well, they're like, why do I want to live that way? I'd rather stay in my sin. So actions, as you become salt and light, we can't miss what Isaiah has told us. He says that this meditation, the old saints were known for it. And the early church was known for it because they didn't have scriptures.

I mean, they had scriptures, letters, the epistles read to them, but they memorized it. Again, we miss that at times. I know I have to keep proud of myself. I need to memorize that. I have to memorize that and meditate on it. If you can't memorize it, just carry a Bible with you all the time.

If you've got a real old one, you just tear a sheet out for that day and just read it. Read it, read it, read it. The elementary things are always the constant things. I need God to be revealed to me. Well, he says, look at my word. And then as you read his word and it shows you the providence of God, you don't figure everything out.

But you understand his purpose through it. My glory I will not share with another. I don't want your personal glory. I don't want you to just, yeah, it's good to be good at your profession, but I want them to see grace. As we think of idols of a heart, we can make our profession an idol. Well, I'm going to be the best farmer.

Well, no, I need to be the best Christian who farms. I need to be the best teacher or nurse who living for the glory of Christ they see it in our lives I remember as a young Christian Jerry Bridges came He was a hero because he was a Christian. You're all my heroes. That sounds sappy, doesn't it? Kind of sappy. Probably a Christian song about that.

But really, who are our heroes of the faith? We see it in the church. We see it as people are faithfully marching on and being faithful. And showing us that we're all sojourners. How can we apply these things to meditate? I looked up a few of these.

Look in the Psalms. Psalm 5, 11, 12. I just went through some Psalms. Psalm 5, 11, 12. Again, you might write these down and look at them later. But let all who take refuge in you rejoice.

Let them ever sing for joy and spread your protection over them. And those who love your name and may extol you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord, and cover him with favor as a shield. Psalm 9, 9 and 10. The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. For those who know your name, put your trust in you. for you oh Lord have not forsaken those who seek you there's something you see in all these it's a human responsibility God has showed himself to be glorious in Christ Psalm 13 5 and 6 but I have trusted in your steadfast love my heart shall rejoice in your salvation I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully within me.

Psalm 19. Let the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord my God and my Redeemer. I want that. I know you want that. In the midst of our lives that can be pretty crazy at times, I read this last time I love it because 2 Corinthians 6 because we are akin to our our brethren of the past Isaiah, David, Isaac all those who live by faith they were sojourners chapter 6 working together with him then we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain he says in a favorable time I listen to you in the day of salvation I have helped you behold now is a favorable time behold this is the day of salvation we put no obstacle in anyone's way so that no fault may be found in our ministry mark that one down I want no obstacle just as the obstacles were broken for the entry of inauguration of our Redeemer to come in I don't want no obstacles I want all the misdeeds I've made against others I want peace I want peace that only comes from the Prince of Peace I want to clear all those obstacles so the gospel can be as we present like a gift which it is this free grace free grace isaiah said that and later on in his 55 or 53 i always get them mixed up so we put no obstacle but as servants of god we commend ourselves in every way by great endurance in afflictions hardships calamities beatings in prisons riots labors sleepless nights hunger by purity knowledge patience kindness the Holy Spirit's genuine love by truthful speech and the power of God with weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left through honor and dishonor through slander and praise we are treated as imposters and yet are true as unknown and yet are well known as dying and behold we live as punished and yet not killed as sorrowful Yet always rejoicing as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

That is our walk. We possess everything. And yet we can act like we're impoverished. God is our strength. He is the one that we find refuge in Him. if you're sitting here today and you refuse refuse the grace of God in Christ Jesus if you sit in our midst and you keep refusing it I pray mercy on that you would just awaken if you're not understanding the gospel how clear it is Christ Jesus came for sinners I would test upon that I feel like I'm the worst I can't stand before you and look at the word of God and say I'm a man of clean lips no sin is so ingrained in us to stand before a holy God holy holy holy I sat at a church in Georgia at a wedding they had a lot of idols and icons Oh they were religious That didn make God doesn need that He holy He is perfect And He sees fit to call people that are imperfect.

He calls the people that... there's no way to God without Him. Contemplate your life. You who are not... You have tasted the goodness of God in Christ Jesus. I would ask you to come see me in private come see anyone in this body in private and I will show you the grace of God and I will show you the love of God as we sit into his word I will take the time because the goal of preaching this pulpit is to build the saints and to call people to himself.

Now back to Isaiah. Isaiah 40, the last part. Even you 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 I just think of you young guys who wrestle you're exhausted why did Isaiah write this? because you don't know our youth are energetic no, even youth shall faint and be weary and how much more of us old folks.

We're frail. We're responsible. If we can call mind to anything, we responsible for one another as we walk along this journey See the people in their day were not responsible And God's calling them back to this glorious covenant of Abraham, which they broke in their unfaithfulness. But yet, some were faithful. every action you live out affects you and others and your relationship with God let us be a people that walk as salt and light in a form of contemplation as you start your day on Monday read this passage he is the image of the invisible God the firstborn over all creation for by him all things were created in heaven and on earth visible and invisible whether thrones, dominions, or rulers or authorities all things were created through him and for him may we live that out to an unbelieving world, let's pray Father we're we're indebted to you for your love we're indebted to you for your word that you give us you pull us in and you care us you tenderly care for us as a shepherd tenderly care you are so faithful thank you for your faithfulness may we be faithful back to you may we live lives that are holy and pleasing before you and we can only do that through your son and by his spirit awaken those who are dark in their thinking father bring them to a place of grace we thank you in Christ's name Amen