February 21st, 2016
Transcription:
these stories of reconciliation people coming together and saying look everything’s gonna be okay and there’s many stories of let’s say husband or wife when the other part let’s say it goes and end and does something terrible is being unfaithful okay and and and it’s and it’s uh and it’s you know let’s say the wife walked off with another guy we’re all adults here right walked off with another guy and and it’s something that breaks the brakes the heart of the husband breaks the heart of the of the kids if the kids are involved it’s a terrible thing but you know what’s even more what’s amazing and and and more powerful it’s this that when the husband comes and takes his wife back and says I forgive you okay that is incredible the reconciliation that happens he is saying come everything is gonna be all right everything is going to be good when maybe even a a doctor stands in front of the patient and says everything’s going to be okay but you know that he has his his mask on and the anesthetic is nearby and uh and the great surgical light is right above you and he’s saying everything is going to be all right well what he means is that after the operation is done and the healing is done everything is going to be all right everything is going to be good and I think you and I we need to hear that more and more and more and more because God is saying look everything is going to be okay everything is going to be alright and in the in Isaiah the fortieth chapter okay this is what this is sort of the tone of the whole chapter okay this is the this is this is the feel of the whole chapter and it’s and and it says comfort comfort my people comfort my people and so translate it into our daily conversation today it would be look everything is going to be all right everything is going to be all right whatever it is and so having God delivered delivery or having delivered God’s prophecy Isaiah okay he looks at this and he know that there is this chastisement of chastisement of God God deals with his people how many of you know that that if there is a sin in your life there’s consequences yes or no if you sin if you do something wrong there is a consequence yes now we live in the times when you know a lot of preachers a lot of churches don’t talk about that stuff they they don’t because it’s not comfortable but but it listen anything in our lives if there’s an action there is a reaction there is a consequence now God is quick to forgive God is quick look he says comfort comfort my people okay and so God wants to forgive but there is also that there’s also a consequence that comes with it that goes with it and even in that consequence God is gonna be with you I’m not saying go and sin but God is gonna be in that consequence with you he’s gonna help you okay he loves you you love him he loves you even people that look the guy God says that he loved the world so much that he what gave His only Son here’s I’m gonna say something that that you may not agree with but hey this is what the Bible says okay he loved the world so much that He gave His only Son so he loved the world he loved the people even before they loved him right even before they loved him today I mean this world is just a lost place this morning I took my boys I caused Nancy to freak out in the morning because they were gone when she woke up she walked in through their room and they were gone she probably thought a rapture happened there’s something I don’t know but but but but but here’s the thing and so we were driving to church and on Browns line okay there was a person a lady that I could tell right away it was probably heavily on drugs and just lost no jacket just running around across the street back and forth to get in front of vehicles and things and and my boys looked at it’s like oh wow why is she doing this and so as we drove by her mascara was just running her lipstick was all over the place and and so I had a conversation with with my boys about you know things like that it’s better if they hear it from me then they hear it from school and someone says oh no it’s good you know drugs are good or something so anyway so we are at Tim Hortons we picked up or I picked up coffee I picked up bagels for the boys and guess what right in front of Tim Hortons the lady is right there and she’s running around it and it’s it’s a scary sight the this this world is it’s it’s it’s a lost place we have been called to look go and comfort go and tell those people that God loves them even when they are in the condition that they are too many times we expect people to come to our church and then be perfect they give their lives to Jesus and in one moment salvation happens in their lives yes they’re saved but there’s still full of their old habits and things that they need to deal with right and so this is when we have to step in and help them walk with them love them and so Isaiah is encouraged to go in and and and tell the people everything is going to be alright and so when when he when he said the prophecy and the chastisements through a wicked Babylon that that was coming this is this is actually this is coming ok the chastisement is is coming but he’s already called to encourage those people so they know that there is going to be a chastisement or or a punishment or a consequence coming but he’s already called to encourage them walk them through this okay and so and so Isaiah is is is called to now speak words of comfort and looking beyond the Babylonian captivity to God’s restoration because when a person comes no matter how deep they are in their own troubles and sins when the person comes to Jesus he will restore them and I here an agreement amen okay when the person comes to Jesus he restores them he restores them and for some people in this world like this lady this morning even words like that that she can be restored mean absolutely everything their friends their people around you that those words would mean absolutely everything that God can restore them restore their lives restore their their their thinking that their their bodies their brain their emotions God can restore those people Isaiah 39 verse 6 the Prophet this is what he said the time will surely come when everything in your palace and all of your predecessors have stored up until this day will be carried off to Babylon ok nothing will be left saying it says the Lord so here’s what he says he’s encouraging them but he’s also telling them look you will be going through a difficult time in fact is right ahead of you right in front of you but God is here he’s gonna walk through this with you so the the coming judgement at the hands of Babylon of of God’s Way or his is God’s Way of judging his own people for their sins sometimes we go through different difficulties in our lives and it is our it is our doing but in that God can teach you something he teaches his people through those things through difficulties through sickness through your relationships with other people he can teach you some incredible things that you would not learn otherwise when you are Augen do you guys agree with that this is what the Bible says and so following the judgment of in Babylon God’s people are to be restored to their land and forgiven for their sins they are to be restored so they are about to go through a difficult time but God says I will restore them so now everything is going to be alright I’m gonna give you a quick viewpoint I don’t know how quick they will be but it there would be few points okay so so so so this is it look everything is going to be alright when when sin is forgiven everything is gonna be alright when sin is forgiven speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed that her sin has been paid for that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for her since now there’s this incredible thing you know when you are sure of something isn’t that just kind of like good that you know you sure of something there’s this thing assurance of forgiveness when you come to God and you ask him for forgiveness guess what you are assured that this will happen that he will forgive you and it’s a very very freeing thing freeing thing to walk and unforgiveness it’s so difficult but when you know that you’ve been forgiven it’s a freeing there’s freedom in your life and so when when Isaiah speaks of this he looks beyond this this difficult time that that that his people are going to be going through and he looks beyond to the restoration and this phrase speak tenderly speak tenderly has this little meaning of speaking to the heart in order to give comfort speak tenderly meaning speak speak to a person to give comfort to many times to a person and we give no comfort and we don’t even worry that we don’t even realize it sometimes that’s that’s what happens the this is what the Lord says speak tenderly to Jerusalem speak tenderly to Jerusalem in order to give comfort spiritual comfort can come only after sin has been forgiven so when the person comes says God I have sinned against you God can give him comfort it is impossible for God to comfort a person when they are holding on to their sin because sin will always give you what fear destruction so how can we come to God and say God please give me comfort when we hold on to our sin let’s say of our unforgiveness or let’s say of of something else that we’ve done wrong we are greedy we want more money but God I I want to be greedy but give me comfort you know tell me that everything is gonna be okay with my finances but but I want more it doesn’t make sense we need to completely surrender to God spiritual comfort can only be a a it can can come only after the sin has been forgiven and the chain chastening has renewed the the person that walks with God chastening is good we don’t like it because you know it feels uncomfortable God tells us don’t do this or you should do this or you should not have done that chastening is is not you know it doesn’t feel good but it brings restoration everyone says it brings restoration hey when God does it it it’s for a purpose and he has a good purpose and for us you may not understand the purpose not just yet but but but as long as you trust God and and in the second I’m gonna be talking about that as long as you trust God it’s all gonna be okay see there’s a price of forgiveness the Bible never presents forgiveness as a very very simple process forgiveness the process sometimes it’s it’s a difficult process it’s never simple the cost of sin is always high the cost of sin is always high you see it was about thousand kilometers from Jerusalem to Babylon a trip of at least four months for prisoners walking in Chains just imagine this I think our prisons today are like you know resorts might be comparing to what they were going through I mean there was no there was no consideration for human life back then Oh dehydration what’s that just walk keep walking you’re hungry yeah you’ll eat in three weeks okay like there’s no consideration and so this is what this is I mean this was this was difficult not only where the Babylonians to rob them the Israelites of all the riches but they were to make them slaves as well so not only that they took everything away now you need to serve and you have absolutely nothing and one can scarcely imagine like today we can just just just not even imagine what was going on through their minds and in there and then there and in their lives I can’t even imagine the mistreatment of women and children back then just just absolutely and and the torture that the men felt knowing that their families were were you know taken away from them and and dealt with and in the very cruel cruel manner it was absolutely horrifying and so having declared the freedom from the Living God that is realized like oh now we’re free now we’re free and they find themselves locked up in Chains and going a thousand kilometers about to their captivity and often in our lives it’s like that too we oh oh pastor then I want to be free from that religion stuff faster than I I don’t I don’t want it I don’t want to be bound by this all I need to go to church I need to do certain things and do’s and don’ts it’s not about do’s and don’ts it’s about your relationship with Christ because when you develop a relationship with Christ you won’t be like and need you you won’t want to do certain things well now maybe you’re looking like oh I can’t do them no you won’t even want to do that and so they’ve declared their freedom from God only to find themselves in a really tough tough situation with chains on their feet and their and their hands you see just like the moon is eclipsed when the earth right comes between the moon and the and the and the Sun and there’s the moon is darkened I think that our lives are just like that when some of the material things some of the worldly things come between us and and God if you allow some of the things to come between you and God you will be living in darkness you will be sheltered from God’s righteousness you will be sheltered from you know you will be living in darkness it’s not a pretty place to live and so God gave the Israelites a promised land and they in turn devoted themselves to the land and not to the God who gave them the land you see there are things in your life that God is giving you he’s entrusting you no matter how young you are no matter how old you are some of the you young people will be going to the retreat and and I can tell you God will be speaking to you God will be giving you things that you can keep in store for the rest of your lives and if you wise you will keep them you will write them down you will you will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit when he speaks to you and he will be giving you things but never never think of this thing that he gives you is more valuable than the one that gives you that thing never look at the blessing is it’s the top it’s the most important thing and the one that gives you that blessing okay although that chastening has not yet come it didn’t come on the Israelites yet Isaiah is so sure that it that it is to be followed by this pardon the forgiveness okay and that he speaks in the past tense this is what he says it didn’t come yet but this is what he says her sin has been paid for already and has been paid for so this is this assurance that enables him to speak of comfort of those things and if you have that assurance in your heart it’s it’s an awesome thing number two I need to fly through this everything is going to be okay when life is adjusted to God wait a second pastor then don’t tell me that I need to adjust my life to God I just you know III need to be in control of some things no listen when your life is adjusted to God everything is going to be alright say that with me everything is going to be alright okay some of you have done okay but but but here’s that everything is going to be okay when your life is adjusted to God spiritually justement you see when Middle Eastern monarchs prepared for a long journey it was quite a process they would often send a servants or officials that would go ahead of them and they would prepare the route they would they would scout out the the way they would choose the best way often they would go this way I don’t like this or they would go back they would go this way whichever is the most convenient and and good for the monarch to go through that it would be safe for him and often if it was too rocky they would flatten it that would they would make it comfortable if there were two there were valleys too deep they would fill them up so he would be comfortable there was a preparation there was a preparation involved in there and the Prophet uses this this figure to speak of the spiritual adjustment that has to happen so that is necessary for the message of comfort to become a reality if you want this message of comfort to become a reality in your life on it or in the life of the people that you know that everything is going to be okay you have to you have to make some preparations you can’t be so naive as to walk out of this place and say yeah everything is going to be okay but I’m not gonna do anything about it it doesn’t make sense and so just like this those kings and rulers were going on the journey there was a preparation a preparation and listen often I speak to the let’s say contractors we were doing some renovations in our offices and stuff do you know that the preparation takes more time than the work itself do you know that you need to prepare the room for the painters need to prepare the floor Robby is going mm-hmm because he is he’s renovating his place so so look the preparation has to be good because if you’re not well-prepared you going to be going and doing renovation and if you are an unwise what do you call them renovators an unwise renovator and you you you will do a lot of damage you do a lot of damage trying to do good you will damage the floor you will damage the wall you with that you know what I mean preparation has to happen and so there’s some things in our lives that we need to get rid of some things that we need to say no to if some there’s some things that that don’t and that don’t glorify God and so often we live in this wilderness of human human sin and God will not force his way into that spot where you are in he’s a gentleman he will say yeah if you need my help I would love to help you but but please you need to change some things in your life a lot of things in our lives that we must that we must get rid of there are self indulgences that we must be willing to leave just not about how I feel in the moment it’s not about how like if you think it you know the grand scheme of things and and why are we on this earth often people think it’s well to just get the most out of this life life is short live it up how mistaken this theory or this this this thinking is because this life the short life we say life is short live it up well if it’s so short why don’t we spend a short time preparing for something that is gonna be really long really eternal and so Isaiah is talking about the spiritual adjustment we need to adjust ourselves spiritually there’s also practical adjustment if spiritual adjustment is real practical adjustment will follow listen if there’s a change in your life there will be some things that you will be doing differently you know genuine repentance always finds its way to a person doing things a different way if a person says I’ve repented I have I I want to turn away from my old way of life guess what they can’t just go and live in this old way they need to be like you would see the results practical results so all of life must be adjusted to God’s schedule your life must be adjusted to God’s schedule our work days and as well as our worship days those that we just take a sigh like today they all need to be adjusted to God’s to God’s to God’s schedule and so God’s holy demands know no limit they they just they are incredible but but there’s no limit to how much God just wants to do for us and once from us they’re not restricted by just all on Sunday we come to this beautiful building and then that’s it you know and so you know a man who schedules you know full days of work or you know seven days a week 52 weeks a year he can’t say Oh everything is gonna be alright because it’s not going to be alright like it’s just as a human no one is Superman you need your rest you need to take time with your loved ones with your husbands and your wives and and and and your family you need to if you’re running away from that it is you can’t say everything is gonna be alright you need to do something about it see when the when the when the person you know goes and spends their money on everything everything everything and and and and does nothing with the kingdom of God that person can’t say everything is gonna be alright is there some things we just talked about spiritual adjustments practical adjustments things that really matter in the kingdom of God and it matters to God when a person has filthy mouth profane mouth that person can’t say everything’s gonna be alright no that mouth needs to change right like we need to change those things I have the ability to change that well I don’t have the ability to change your mouth I have the ability to change my mouth what I say right so so it’s just those things matter again everything is going to be alright when we have the right perspective on life and that’s Isaiah 40 verses 6 to 2:8 and you know 2020 vision is never more necessary when it comes to spiritual things you you need if you don’t have 20/20 vision you need to have those spiritual glasses you need to you need to you need you need something to help you see those spiritual things properly and so unless we learn to see things in the proper order of importance d do you know how many of you would agree with this there are more important things in life and there are less important things in life yes or no yeah and so if we know that it be super wise to pay attention to the more important things in life than to just surface things things that are not that crucial there’s a perspective about men in this in this whole thing when we when we look at the perspective of our of our life and the profit is as is towed to pronounce a message of comfort for the hearts of the people and yet beyond that he seems unsure what the message would be you know after that let me quickly read a couple of verses a voice says cry out and I said what shall I cry all people are like grass and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field the grass withers and the flowers fall because the because the the breath of the Lord blows on them surely the people are grass the grass withers he says that again the grass withers and the flowers fall but the word of the Lord God endures forever the word of the Lord God endures forever you see people you may not want to see hear that but people are weak and temporary do you agree with that we are weak and temporary and the moment you think you start thinking that you are strong and you will live forever here it’s a dangerous place unless they realize this the situation that they are in the frame of mind they would not listen to the comfort of God the people would not listen to the comfort of God we need to know who we are in God no one turns down offers that God would help unless those who says I don’t need any help if you turn down the offer of God’s help that is sort of the perspective of men or people perspective about God when people see themselves properly they are in a position to see God in a proper perspective when you see yourself who you are in God then you will begin to see God and his perspective see God is omnipotent he’s eternal okay he’s all-powerful he’s eternal he is he is omnipotent and people are weak and temporary right but we serve God this God that is omnipotent and is eternal and well as long as we serve Him this is what he says the the the word of the word of our God endures forever the word of your God endures forever I think this is the last thing I want to share with you and everything is going to be ok when God is trusted when you trust God everything’s gonna be ok everyone say everything’s gonna be ok when I trust God and when you trust God everything’s gonna be ok ok now you don’t need therapy there’s this natural cry people cry out to sea people because of their state of who they are their nature they are anxious creatures that’s why the Bible teaches us don’t do not be anxious do not worry the warrior doesn’t do anything it just causes you to be you know to be sick to worry to be to be you know a nervous wreck do not be anxious but we are in our nature we’re anxious creatures and so often the people of God do not actually trust God if we are anxious about something we are showing and saying God I don’t really trust you with everything we can say but if we say things doesn’t you know it doesn’t mean that they are true we can want them to be true but if we worry about something if we’re anxious about something then we don’t really really trust Truscott so there’s this cry my way is hidden from the Lord my cause is disregarded by my god the word translated a way is commonly used as to speak of fortune or fate so my faith you know my life and then the word cause refers to a lawsuit or petition and so the people really are saying this our destiny has been forgotten forgotten by God and our petition for help has been neglected that’s what they are saying and so there is this this cry that they have the crying to God that they that he has forgotten about them that that they are in this situation because often people blame God for and God had nothing to do with that and so they are crying and and sort of blaming God and there’s the supernatural help and with this I want to finish you see to the discouraged defeated people Isaiah speaks of the divine help promised by God but those who trust and this is verse 31 of verse 31 of the of the fortieth chapter and this is this is what what he says just a second I just want to get it yeah the 14th chapter this is what what it says but those who who hope or who trust in the Lord will renew their strength they will soar on wings like eagles and they will run and not grow weary they will walk and not be faint and so when you when you trust completely to God it may seem that God is not involved in your life it may seem that things are so difficult that you can’t get out of them but there is listen there is help there is help and so he says but those who trust in the Lord those who trust who hope in the Lord will renew their strength and they will soar on wings like eagles and they were running not great and no grow not grow weary weary and they will walk and not be faint guys this is amazing this is amazing so God says look there is new strength available for you there’s new strength and the new strength is gonna come right in the place of your weakness that’s where the strength is gonna come those who hope in the Lord or trust in the Lord some translations say and so they will renew their strength you will be renewed if you want to be renewed you trust in Allah and in God you trust in the Lord and he will renew your strength yeah those who hope and me will not be disappointed God says in Isaiah 49 verse 23 if you hope in the Lord you will never be disappointed you hoping that there’s too many people not hoping not trusting God and just blaming him and saying they are disappointed with God but when you really hope and trust in him you will God says you will never be disappointed I believed him I believe that this is true so I want to trust in him I want to encourage you to trust in him in everything you see when there when the Word of God speaks a message and if I can ask could we do one song may be of your choosing and when the Word of God speaks a message of hope to all those that are coming back and they need forgiveness they need forgiveness of sins you know it might be in your lust you need to get rid of your lust ye you know there were people in in the Bible like that and we read about this this woman that adulterous woman if there are people who have this self righteous pride as Nicodemus head self righteous pride there are those who have this this dishonest manipulate Zacchaeus had that manipulating with people dishonestly see here’s what here’s all of them says this behold your God behold your God he comes to take you home now the good news of the gospel is that everything is going to be alright and if you believe that say nice loud amen if you believe that there’s help and that that everything is going to be alright in your life just live it just tell yourself every single day everything is gonna be okay everything is gonna be alright because I trust God because my perspective is right because I know that he is my god I don’t trust anything else I don’t trust anyone else I trust God I trust God alone this is what Paul said and this is what it says we know that and everything got works for good with those who what who love Him who love him who are called according to his purpose and then even this amazing passage of scripture from Romans chapter 8 and verse 30 38 this is what it says for I am convinced that neither death nor life neither Angels nor demons neither the present nor the future neither the powers neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord nothing will be able to separate you from him if you trust in him if you fulfilled the conditions if you walk with Him if you love him if you if you give the if he if you turn everything over to him nothing will be able to tear you away from God the only person that can do it actually is you if you choose to turn away and walk away from God God will wait for you but don’t wreck your life don’t don’t do things that he can tell you listen don’t do it gonna be painful trust in him what song are we gonna do holy holy let’s stand if I can encourage you today to and challenge you really to adjust your priorities what is important in your life and walk in it don’t be deceived by life is short let’s live it up don’t be deceived by that because the world will want to tell you that and feed you that lie but that’s nothing more than a lie so if life is that short let’s spend this short time living right in preparation for eternity that will take forever you