Bible Study - Language of Faith (1) - Holy - Isaiah 40:25-31 - March 1, 2020
Bible
Study – Language of Faith (1) – Holy – March 1, 2020
This
is lesson one (1) in our series entitled “Holy Vocabulary: Unpacking the
Language of Faith.”
Our
focus scripture is Isaiah 40:25-31.
GOD
is distinct from and above absolutely everything else.
Since GOD is beyond the
comprehension of the human mind ---- GOD must be experienced through right
relationship. Before JESUS the right relationship was keeping the Spirit of the
Law and making acceptable, to GOD, physical sacrifices for sin. To make experiencing
GOD more intimate, loving and personal, GOD sent HIS only SON to live upon
earth in the flesh. JESUS had to live a sinless life and fulfill the Spirit of
the Law for HIM to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind. HE did and
as such, JESUS is THE intermediary between GOD and mankind to connect each
person to GOD through faith in JESUS. Do you desire to know GOD? Then look to
JESUS through the eyes of the Bible and faith in JESUS as revealed by the
indwelling Holy Spirit.
Let’s read Isaiah 40:18-26:
18 With whom will you compare God?
What likeness will you set up for comparison with him?
19 An idol?—something that a smelter casts
and a metalworker plates with gold
and makes silver chains for?
20 A poor person contributes wood for a pedestal
that will not rot.[g]
He looks for a skilled craftsman
to set up an idol that will not fall over.
What likeness will you set up for comparison with him?
19 An idol?—something that a smelter casts
and a metalworker plates with gold
and makes silver chains for?
20 A poor person contributes wood for a pedestal
that will not rot.[g]
He looks for a skilled craftsman
to set up an idol that will not fall over.
21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you
from the beginning?
Have you not considered
the foundations of the earth?
22 God is enthroned above the circle of the earth; (Long before earthlings discovered that the earth was round.)
its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like thin cloth
and spreads them out like a tent to live in. (The atmosphere that is vital to support life upon earth)
23 He reduces princes to nothing
and makes judges of the earth like a wasteland.
24 They are barely planted, barely sown,
their stem hardly takes root in the ground
when he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind carries them away like stubble.
Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you
from the beginning?
Have you not considered
the foundations of the earth?
22 God is enthroned above the circle of the earth; (Long before earthlings discovered that the earth was round.)
its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like thin cloth
and spreads them out like a tent to live in. (The atmosphere that is vital to support life upon earth)
23 He reduces princes to nothing
and makes judges of the earth like a wasteland.
24 They are barely planted, barely sown,
their stem hardly takes root in the ground
when he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind carries them away like stubble.
In this scripture, GOD is
revealing truth through HIS prophet Isaiah. GOD’S chosen people had been in
captivity in Babylon for a very long time. Why were they in captivity in a
foreign land? Disobedience. Since GOD had not intervened and led them back to
the land GOD had given to them, they had concluded that GOD had turned a deaf ear
to them. They did not see that their plight was the result of their sin.
Sometimes we may feel that way
toward GOD. The question is, “What is GOD teaching us?” What was GOD teaching HIS
chosen as we read this scripture? In essence, GOD was telling them, “you
descendants of Jacob/Israel have gone astray and abandoned ME. I have NOT
abandoned you. You need to examine why you are in the situation you are in. Is
it because of your sin and unbelief in ME? Have you abandoned ME and replaced
ME with idols? You know better but you have done it anyway. I love you and
placed you in the situation you are in to get your attention and bring you back
into right relationship with ME! So, let’s get started on the restoration of
our relationship -----"
GOD led the Prophet Isaiah to
postulate the question, 18 With whom will you compare God?
As we read on----
What likeness will you set up for comparison with him?
What likeness will you set up for comparison with him?
The answer is?
Let’s read Isaiah 40:25-26:
“To whom will you compare me,
or who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.
26 Look up[h] and see!
Who created these?
He brings out the stars by number;
he calls all of them by name.
Because of his great power and strength,
not one of them is missing.
or who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.
26 Look up[h] and see!
Who created these?
He brings out the stars by number;
he calls all of them by name.
Because of his great power and strength,
not one of them is missing.
Through GODS’ Prophet Isaiah, GOD
asks a profound question; “To whom will you compare ME or who is MY equal?”
When Moses first encountered GOD,
what did GOD tell Moses as recorded in Exodus 3:1-6:
3 Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of
his father-in-law Jethro,[a] the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side
of the wilderness and came to Horeb,[b] the mountain of God. 2 Then the
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked,
he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed. 3 So
Moses thought, “I must go over and look at this remarkable sight. Why isn’t the
bush burning up?”
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to
look, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!” (GOD knew Moses
by name and HE knows you by name.)
“Here
I am,” he answered.
5 “Do not come closer,” he said.
“Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is
holy ground.” 6 Then he continued, “I am the
God of your father,[c] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.
GOD
first got Moses attention using s burning bush and then calling his name. GOD
established the fact that HE is the GOD of those who had lived upon earth but
were now alive with HIM in eternity. When GOD saw that HE had gotten Moses’
attention, then GOD told Moses to “remove the sandals from your feet.” Why? It
was because GOD wanted Moses to understand that HE was Holy and that HE had
created the earth. It was the presence of GOD that made the place where Moses
was standing Holy. Why? Because HE is HOLY.
GOD
established that fact because Moses, through whom GOD would reveal HIS Law, had
to approach HIM recognizing GOD’S Holiness.
“Moses,
remove your sandals” established the manner in which mankind was to approach
GOD under the Law. GOD did not want
anything material/physical to come between HIM and Moses. GOD was calling Moses
to carry out HIS plan, will and purpose. Obedience to that calling was vital.
Is
GOD’S call any different today? YES and NO! What is different is that as
sinners, all people must come by the way of the cross. As the gospel song
lyrics express, “Just as I am.” We are all sinners saved by the shed blood of
the sinless sacrifice of JESUS, WHO gave HIS physical life upon the cross.
Acknowledging that JESUS gave HIS sinless life for each person who will place
his or her faith in HIM is what makes a person a Christian. It is CHRIST in the
person that results in him or her being a Christian, not what Christian organization
he or she has become a member to grow Spiritually.
JESUS
fulfilled the Law and established GOD’S Grace. People of earth come to JESUS
just as they are to the foot of the cross and receive Salvation by placing their
faith in JESUS.
When
you place your faith in JESUS you will experience the miracle of Spiritual
rebirth. Instantly, you are Spiritually born into the Family of GOD to become
HIS Son or Daughter and you receive eternal life and so much more.
GOD
desires for all who desire the right relationship with HIM to take off that
which is a barrier between HIM and the person. Are you eternally connected to
GOD through faith in JESUS? If not, what do you have to remove to
allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart and for you to become a Spiritually
born-again believer in JESUS or to come back into GOD’S fold?
GOD
is very clear. HE is HOLY! There is no comparison. There is no other like HIM.
But as GOD’S Child, you can come into HIS throne room 24/7. “FATHER, we need to
talk.”
John 4:24
God is spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and in truth.”
He is the Spirit of truth. The world is
unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know
him, because he remains with you and will be in you.
In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit
when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and
when you believed.
[ Stand Firm ] But we ought to thank God always
for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because from the
beginning God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit
and through belief in the truth.
What
is unique about GOD? HE LOVES EVERY PERSON WHO WAS, IS AND WILL EVER BE. THE
QUESTION IS, WILL EVERY PERSON ACKNOWLEDGE THAT LOVE BY PLACING HIS OR HER
FAITH IN JESUS?
Through
the Prophet Isaiah, GOD was challenging HIS chosen people to look around and
see HIM through HIS handiwork. “Who created the stars and all that you see and
behold?” Isaiah used the word “created” only when GOD was the subject.
The
Babylonians worshipped the stars. They were astrologers. But they failed to see
and understand that GOD created the Heavens and the earth. They were not to
worship the physical things they saw but the ONE WHO created all that they saw.
How
long has the north star been the north star? Was it visible in the earliest
times? Is it visible today? The answer is yes!
Let’s read Isaiah 40:27-28:
27 Jacob, why do you say,
and, Israel, why do you assert:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my claim is ignored by my God”?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never becomes faint or weary;
there is no limit to his understanding.
and, Israel, why do you assert:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my claim is ignored by my God”?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never becomes faint or weary;
there is no limit to his understanding.
In this scripture, GOD is
acknowledging that HE knows their thoughts. In essence, you descendants of
Jacob. You know that Jacob wrestled with ME and I changed his name to Israel.
You think that I do not know what you do or think. You think you are hidden
from ME but you are mistaken. You think that I have forgotten the covenant I
made with you as MY chosen people long ago on the mountain. That shows your
ignorance of ME. I AM and always will be. I AM eternal and I never make a
covenant to break it. Guess, who has broken covenant! It is not ME.
I AM everlasting, Creator of the
whole earth. I never become faint or weary and there is no limit to MY understanding.
I never change. Keep in mind that I will never leave you or forsake you! I AM
the same yesterday, today and tomorrow!
GOD gives strength to those who
place their faith and trust in HIM regardless of the circumstances surrounding
them as we read on ----.
Here are a few reminders of WHO I
AM:
The Lord is the everlasting
God,
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never becomes faint or weary (Always at work 24/7);
there is no limit to his understanding (Wise and all knowing – NO LIMITS.)
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never becomes faint or weary (Always at work 24/7);
there is no limit to his understanding (Wise and all knowing – NO LIMITS.)
WHY WOULD ANYONE NOT DESIRE TO BE
IN RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?
How intimately does GOD know us? HE
knows the number of hairs on our heads as recorded in Luke 12:4-7: (JESUS was
teaching)
4 “I say to you, my friends, don’t fear those who kill the body, and
after that can do nothing more. 5 But I will show you the one to fear: Fear him who has authority to throw
people into hell after death. Yes, I say to you, this is the
one to fear! 6 Aren’t five sparrows sold for two
pennies?[b] Yet not one of them is forgotten
in God’s sight. 7 Indeed, the hairs of your head are all
counted. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Who do you want to be leading and
directing your life?
Let’s read 40:29-31:
29 He gives strength to the faint
and strengthens the powerless.
30 Youths may become faint and weary,
and young men stumble and fall,
31 but those who trust in the Lord
will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not become weary,
they will walk and not faint.
and strengthens the powerless.
30 Youths may become faint and weary,
and young men stumble and fall,
31 but those who trust in the Lord
will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not become weary,
they will walk and not faint.
This is a magnificent picture of
GOD’S care for us as HIS Children, young or old, when we place our faith and
trust in HIM. Some of us are wearing out physically but Spiritually, in CHRIST,
we are growing stronger.
What does trust mean? The
transfer of GOD’S power to HIS Children is based upon trust. Trust carries the
idea of living confidently with eager suspense that GOD’S power will be
manifested at just the right instant. Trust carries the idea of a lifeline or
rope. Faith in GOD through faith in JESUS is our lifeline when we face the
issues in life that are beyond our control. As I write this, we are facing the
spread/containment of the coronavirus. Who is in charge? Yes, governments but
who else?
In whom have we placed our trust for
life? Who gives us the strength?
31 but those who trust
in the Lord
will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not become weary,
they will walk and not faint.
will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not become weary,
they will walk and not faint.
It is not a matter of age but “those
who trust in the LORD.”
In whom do you place your trust?
Blessings!!!
posted by Bible Study | 7:45 PM
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