Questions.
Questions matter.
If I were to guess when God started his invasion of my family it would be when a Christian neighbor asked my mom one question.
She came home, sat down at the kitchen table, scratched her head, and asked out loud, “Why did he ask that? What did he mean? What an odd thing to say!”
That question shook her up and made HER ask a question that had never occurred to her before –
Could it be possible,
was there even a slight chance,
that our family might not be on the right spiritual path?
Just one question, a simple question, that started my family down the path to salvation by faith alone in Christ alone.
Speaking of Christ, the greatest teacher in the history of the world asked questions, lots of them. I found 135 of them. Maybe you can find more.
Get this: if the greatest teacher in the history of the world asked questions be sure there is a lesson for us: Great teachers don’t talk all the time. Great teachers actually care what others think. Great teachers have learned the value of listening. Great teachers use questions as a powerful teaching tool to shake people up, reveal what is in our hearts, force us to think, probe deeply, expose sin, and hopefully lead people to saving faith, godly living, and effective service.
Right now it’s Isaiah’s turn. He has 3 questions for us, powerful questions,
painful questions that might make you squirm a bit. And he wants answers.
Give Isaiah your undivided attention and he might just do some needed surgery on your spiritual life.
To understand the context some background information is needed to put Isaiah into perspective.
The Jews arrived in the land of Israel approx. the year 1400 BC from Egypt. The book of Joshua was a time of victory as they step by step won battle after battle and slowly took over much of the land.
When you think of the book of Judges you think of defeat as the country turned away from God, did their own thing, and suffered the consequences.
But then the monarchy arose with Saul, David and Solomon. When a Jew looks back on the OT, those years – the reigns of David and Solomon – are what puts a twinkle in their eyes. Israel is a world super power. There is prosperity and national unity and inspiring leaders and world respect.
Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon are written during that time and have blessed all succeeding generations.
But glory years don’t last forever. And those glory years were followed by a long, slow slide. National unity was destroyed when the country split into 2 countries. And those 2 countries proceed to slide militarily, culturally, economically, all because they slid spiritually.
It seems the country couldn’t handle all those blessings of the glory years. In appreciation to God for His incredible blessing on them they turned their back on Him and indulgence and self-interest and sin took over.
God’s people wanted sin, and God let them indulge with the result that spiritual rot spread in both countries.
But God also sent prophet after prophet to warn them of coming judgment. One of those prophets is Isaiah
Isaiah 1:2-4
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth;
for the Lord has spoken:
“Children have I reared and brought up,
but they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox knows its owner,
and the donkey its master’s crib,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand.”
4 Ah, sinful nation,
a people laden with iniquity,
offspring of evildoers,
children who deal corruptly!
They have forsaken the Lord,
they have despised the Holy One of Israel,
they are utterly estranged.
Attention God’s people: your trust is in the wrong things. God has showed them great love, great favor, great blessing. But their hearts drifted away from God and “they trusted in foreign kings for their protection, not God. They trusted in other Gods – idol worship and empty worship became dominant. They trusted in themselves – their own efforts, their own plans. They trusted in their own unfaithful leaders.”
So – what do you and I have in common with Isaiah’s audience? Everything. Isaiah’s audience strongly resembles the 21st century. Our world is also in decline. Our glory years are also in the past. Our trust has also drifted away from God to just about anything else. We also have idolatry of every type imaginable. We also trust in ourselves, especially our military machines. We also trust in faithless leaders.
No wonder so many more believers are turning to Isaiah now and other OT books to figure out how we should live as we also go through declining world syndrome. So to his audience and to us today Isaiah has 3 questions.
Please make sure you have your seat belt and crash helmet on because Isaiah is taking direct aim at your heart.
Three questions. Brace yourselves.
Question #1 Isaiah 40:25
To whom then will you compare me,
that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
Hey, believers, do you get the greatness of God? Do not insult Him by comparing Him to anything else. Indescribable, unique, unmatchable, above us, beyond our total understanding.
Whenever I have been invited to have a Q and A time with kids it is certain that someone would ask “Who made God?” And I would try to explain the concept that God is eternal. And when I was done with my answer there would be glazed looks on many faces, and I know with certainty the next time I would have my Q and A with kids I’d be asked exactly the same question because being eternal can be a hard concept to grasp.
But we need to be guarded that we don’t bring God down to our level.
It was Martin Luther who warned that our thoughts about God are too human. They aren’t great enough. Who wants a small God? What good is a small God?
During your week you are probably wiping finger prints off of everything: off walls, windows, pictures, the refrigerator, the computer screen. They are annoying.
God wants us to put His fingerprints on everything. That beautiful sunset – put His fingerprints on it. Those gorgeous trees and vegetation – put His fingerprints on them.That body you see in the mirror – put His fingerprints on it.
Shouldn’t it blow your mind that there once was a mother who changed God’s diapers? Shouldn’t it jolt you that that kid in the temple having a give and take with some of the country’s top teachers was God in the flesh? Ever tried to wrap your mind around the idea that there were people who could honestly say they had God over for dinner? God in a body? Fully man. Fully God.
He had free reign of heaven, and then he’s confined to a human body? You can get lost thinking about that.
Even more explosive is the fact if you have put your faith and trust in Christ, God is now your owner. God wants to own me? Me? Why would He want anything to do with me? Knocks the wind out of me.
Nothing keeps my mind from wondering into bad stuff more than constantly reminding myself God owns me. Is my owner happy with my thoughts, words, and deeds? That has brought much confession lately. And much joy.
And what did it cost God to become my owner and yours if you have trusted Christ?
What was the price tag? Jesus as our substitute dying on the cross. Maybe I should take God’s ownership of me more seriously if it cost Him that much to get it.
And what should drive Sunday morning worship and daily worship more than this God who is so incredible. But does it? Do we often lose sight of the majesty of our God?
My dad and I came to Christ at the same time. We LOVED to hear the Bible preached but all the singing annoyed us so we would deliberately come to church just before the sermon would start. Life is short. Why waste your time listening to unimportant stuff?
It took us a while to learn that what we looked down on as singing should have been labeled worship of a God incomprehensible, magnificent , glorious. And when we got it, (and it took a while) we made sure we got to church before the services started.
To help us grasp the glory of our God I want you to turn to
1 Chronicles 29:11-13
Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.
Hope it is marked in your Bible. I memorized these verses because I wanted to upgrade God in my head and heart. You might want to do the same. What a glorious picture of God! Is this whom you worship?
You want the ultimate worship verse in the Bible?
Psalm 115:8
Those who make them are like them So is everyone who trusts in them.
The context is talking about those people who invent their own gods. What is that saying? It is saying , brace yourself, you become like what you worship.
You worship athletes, and all that matters to you is sports and winning.
You worship rock stars and you will pick up their values.
You worship money and see how attractive greed makes you.
Here we go:
You worship the one true God and you become like Him.
“What we are and what we do are both determined by our worship”
“What we are and what we do are both determined by our worship”
which means your worship is a great measure of your Christlikeness-
which means throwing yourself into church worship, not kitchen duty nor church business nor or anything else will benefit you immensely. We need to be careful what we worship.
Take a good look at God. One word comes to mind. “Overwhelmed”. Overwhelmed at His attributes. Overwhelmed He wants a relationship with us.
He can forgive all the wreckage we’ve caused on planet earth? He is my owner and career manager and lover? BEHOLD YOUR GOD! See His greatness. Be overwhelmed.
Worship with your church family should be priority one followed up with worship all through the week.
And if God is this awesome, let’s not pray puny prayers. Start praying adventurous, bold prayers. Ask God to move mountains. Let the awesome God you are following shake up your entire life.
Now we’re talking!
You and I have the same choice that Isaiah’s audience had. We can let the depressing and tragic nightly news eat us up or we can walk arm in arm with our incomparable God during the challenging days to come and see Him work through us.
Question one: Isaiah 40:25
Question #2 Isaiah 40:27
Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
Any easy question for us to relate to. And you can be sure Isaiah’s audience related to it, also.
God, the world is going in the wrong direction. You did so many things during the glory years but don’t seem to be doing much today. Have you fallen asleep? Lost interest? Given up on us? What exactly are you doing?
In your own life ever have that feeling that your prayers are really an attempt to wake God up? God. “HELLO! Have you forgotten about me? Did my prayers wind up in your spam file on your computer? Did you walk away from me?”
Psalm 86:6 tells us unconfessed sin can be the cause of prayers that aren’t answered. But that isn’t the only reason.
Acts 24 – to look at the most amazing verse in Acts. It shocks me every time I think of it. Acts 24:24
Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus.
Paul is a prisoner. The governor is a man named Felix. Felix would have Paul brought before him from time to time and you can guess what Paul would talk about.
:25
As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”
As Paul talked about truth and our accountability before God Governor Felix became uncomfortable. Unfortunately, there is no record of Felix repenting. Think of that: Gov Felix gets to be taught one on one by the 2nd best Christian teacher of all time. But tragically Felix doesn’t come to Christ but Paul’s teaching does upset him.
:26
At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.
in truth Gov Felix wanted a bribe to release Paul but that didn’t happen. And now we come to :27 the key verse for us now.
When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus,but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison.
Two years in jail? Paul? And all that we know that he did for 2 years was to come witness to Felix and then go back to his cell. Two years? TWO YEARS? God, what are you thinking? You let Paul – the model Christian of the church age, the greatest Christian thinker, the great Bible writer, the great evangelist, the great church planter – rot in jail for 2 years?
Let’s be honest – if you were given control of Paul’s schedule you would have had him traveling to every large city you could find to preach morning, noon, and night until he dropped. But God has him in jail for 2 years doing nothing significant that we are aware of.
Welcome to a biblical truth you never wanted to learn: God’s waiting room.
During those 2 years did Paul never once wonder if God had fallen asleep? What about Joseph of Genesis in jail or Moses in the wilderness for 40 years or just about any Bible biggie you could find?
NO, God never forgets about us or loses us or neglects us. But – your spiritual journey will probably include your own unwanted appointment in God’s waiting room.
And I can tell you some of the worst blunders of my Christian life have been caused by me busting out of God’s waiting room before He had told me I could leave.
I had become convinced God had forgotten about me so I took things into my own hands and caused a mess.
And you can be sure that some believers in Isaiah’s audience living in a country slip sliding away from God had started to wonder if God had forgotten about them just as we might wonder exactly the same thing.
DO NOT SIN BY THINKING BAD THOUGHTS ABOUT GOD. His timetable for your life is not our timetable. But – be assured – if you have trusted Jesus as your Savior – God is your perfect father, perfect in guidance.
Do not confuse God’s waiting room with God’s lack of interest or God dumping you.
Question #2 Isaiah 40:27
Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
Your way is never hidden from God. God is responsible for His kids, and one day you’ll see He actually knew what He was doing.
Question #3. Isaiah 40:28
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
Has God grown tired? Is He starting to lose it? Is his effectiveness starting to wear off? Is He rusting? Can God suffer from dementia? Memory loss?
Think about it. Your clothes wear out. Medicine has an expiration date. The paint on your wall fades. Your car has so many miles on it you need a new one. Everything we know ages, deteriorates, declines in effectiveness, rusts, rots, etc etc
Look at the picture of any leader when he takes office and look at when he leaves office. My, how he has aged.
And God?
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Another hard idea to get your hands around. Look in the mirror. No matter how old you are, you have aged. During your lifetime God has not aged at all. Since Genesis God has not aged at all. Think of your energy level. Sometimes you are stronger or weaker. God is never stronger or weaker. His power never changes. You have good days and bad days. All His days are good.
Remember Isaiah’s audience. Were they tempted to think that God was really strong during the glory years but weaker now that the country had deteriorated? God had not changed one bit anytime during Israel’s history. Nor any time since.
DO NOT SIN BY THINKING BAD THOUGHTS ABOUT GOD. Get a load of God!
Three questions:
- Is God to be compared to anyone/anything else?
- Is God forgetful/asleep?
- Is God aging/deteriorating?
Questions aimed at believers in a declining country. Questions aimed at us today. So what? What do we do with them? Hold on. Now we get to the point – the good stuff.
You answer those questions correctly, and now Isaiah 40:31 makes much more sense.
but those who wait upon the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint
If you have memorized any verse in Isaiah, this is probably the one. It is a promise. A great promise made to a country in sharp decline – like our world today.
Look at it again: “Wait upon the Lord”.
What Lord?
The Lord of question one who is majestic and not to be compared to anything
and deserving of your worship and adoration and awe and wonder and obedience and your life.
The Lord of question two who has not lost you in His computer, doesn’t have bad days. But who is willing to let you sit in His waiting room for years for His own purposes.
The Lord of question three who is unchangeable and therefore always reliable, dependable, trustworthy.
Now that is a Lord we can wait on in our declining world. And if we do wait on that Lord what will happen?
(Those wait on God) will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint
A weak God can’t do that. A God who has lost you in His computer can’t do that. A God who loses His strength can’t do that.
Only the real God of the Bible can do that. And here is your takeaway from Isaiah 40. What is the point Isaiah has for you in this chapter?
Here it is:
Listen up:
This is big:
In a world in decline
we believers can renew our strength.
We can mount up like eagles even though the world is crumbling
We can walk and not faint even when people around us are in depression.
We can rise above our discouraging situation to minister effectively and powerfully to those in need as we rely on our GREAT GOD.
A puny God can’t help us do that. An apathetic God can’t help us do that. A deteriorating God can’t help us do that. A God of majesty can.
If you answer Isaiah’s three questions correctly your reward is the promise of :31.Run with it! The coming years could be your most productive, most blessed, most incredible years of your life as you rely on the real God of the Bible and serve a world that needs you so much.
Is it time for you to give God the respect and worship and adoration and understanding He deserves?
Is it time to put aside twisted, human descriptions of God
and see the glory of the God of the Bible?