Rsbc 3/21/99
Sunday Night
The Book of Isaiah
Sermon # 10
Subject- " What to Do When God Takes the Stay and Staff Away?"
Text- Isaiah 3:10-11 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. 11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
Intro - Last Sunday night we seen without a doubt the fact that Judah as a nation and the city of Jerusalem deserved the judgement that God brought upon them. He declared that he would take their staff and their stay away.
We seen that it was the very thing that they need to live, that is bread and water. We also discussed the possibility of judgement on this country for the same reasons that God punished Judah he may punish America. It does appear that we have lived to see our nation sink to its lowest level in our life time.
In our message tonight we can see how the grace of God in the midst of sin will be bestowed upon the children of God that are righteous. The word righteous is used two ways in the bible....One is the righteous standing we have with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, the other is the result of that righteous standing demonstrated in our daily lives..
I.... " A MESSAGE FOR THE RIGHTEOUS...." " SAY YE TO THE RIGHTEOUS" VS 10
Often in this society men play on the fears of people, such as the Y2K bug that is supposed to put us out of communication with the electronic world. It may very well happen as they predict, but I have a message for the those who live godly in Christ Jesus.
1st. That God is still God...Believe In Him...
Daniel 4:34-35 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: 35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
2nd. That God is still able .. John The Baptist said..
Matthew 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: More about this later in the message...
II.... "THE PROMISE OF THE TEXT.... IT SHALL BE WELL WITH THEE"
Never think that just because you are the chosen of God and that is all that matters, that you can live the way you want too, serve when you want too, give when you want too, pray when you want too that it is talking about you...No it is talking about those who do righteous...acts living for the Lord..
David said these words.. Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
Note with me some important things in these verses...Why the righteous want be forsaken..
1.. Because God forsakes not his saints...vs 28
2.. Because they are possessed with wisdom therefore they speak it..vs 30
3.. Because Gods law is in their hearts..vs 31
4.. Because God protects us...vs 33
5.. Because the righteous is mature in the things of the Lord..vs 37
6.. Because the Lord is our salvation and strength..vs 39-40
III... "THE FRUIT OF THEIR DOINGS" VS 10
We want to talk about now what we are to do when God takes away the stay that is what the lean on, and the staff, their food and water...I think that most would say we would still believe in God and we would still have faith in his ability but to continue to serve him that may be a test...
1st. We need to continue to wait upon the Lord...
Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
The waiting upon the Lord has to do with expecting something from him, hoping in him, looking to him and if you give not up he will come through. Three reason why should wait in our time of need...
a. None can compare to the God we love and serve...
Isaiah 40:18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
No one can compare to God in any sense...he is the ever Living eternal God that inhabited eternity and none can compare to him...
Page # 3
b. None to measure up to him...
Isaiah 40:21-23 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: 23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
c. Because God never tires...
Isaiah 40:26-28 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. 27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? 28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
2nd. In our waiting we need to continue to work and serve him...
The Hymn writer had it right....O land of rest for thee we sigh when will the moment come, when I shall lay my burden down and rest for ever more...course we’ll work till Jesus comes, we’ll work till Jesus comes, we’ll work till Jesus comes and then we will be gather home..
a. Our working and serving the Lord does not go on hold when we have problems...
2 Corinthians 4:8-11 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
b. Our working and serving the Lord does not go on hold when we are in trouble because it meets the eternal purpose and demonstrates we are the Lords...
Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.