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Sermons PREACHED BY JOHN GAINES |
Isaiah:
Isaiah 55:8-11 (NKJV) "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
1. This well-known passage from Isaiah stresses the place of God's word as the tool He uses to accomplish His purpose in the world.
2. Isaiah reminds us of the distinctiveness of God from man. Although we are created in His image [Genesis 1:27], we will always be different from God.
a. Man might desire to be wise like God but that ambition will not be satisfied.. The serpent tempted Eve by telling her the forbidden fruit would make her wise. She would be like God [Genesis 3:5-6]. However, Satan was lying. While eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil did bring moral accountability to humans, it did not give us the mind of God.
b. Man might desire to have the power of God but we will never have the power of the Almighty. Satan tried to tempt Jesus by offering Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory [Matthew 4:8-9]. However, an omnipotent God does not need the earthly authority any human can offer Him. The Lord God omnipotent already reigns [Revelation 19:6].
c. God's ways and God's thoughts are higher than those of man. There are secrets which God has not chosen to reveal to us [Deuteronomy 29:29 (NKJV) "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.] We can know only the mysteries which God has revealed to us in His word.
3. Let us look more carefully at Isaiah 55:11 and note three great truths taught there.
I. "MY WORD"
A. Isaiah was God's spokesman. The message spoken by Isaiah and other inspired prophets was God's Word. Paul was also a prophet of God. He wrote in 1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NKJV) For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.
B. God's Word is an enduring word [Matthew 24:35 (NKJV) "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.] A poet whose name is unknown to me wrote these words about the Word of God:
Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith's door
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
When looking in, I saw upon the floor
Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.
"How many anvils have you had," said I,
"To wear and batter all these hammers so?"
"Just one," said he; then said with twinkling eye,
"The anvil wears the hammers out, you know."
And so, though I, the anvil of God's Word
For ages skeptic's blows have beat upon;
Yet through the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unharmed -- the hammers gone.
C. God's Word is a nourishing word.
1. When Jesus was fasting in the wilderness, Satan tempted Him to turn stones into bread. The Lord replied in Matthew 4:4 (NKJV), "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."
2. 1 Timothy 4:6 (NKJV) If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.
3. 1 Peter 2:2 (NKJV) as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
D. God's word is a saving word. [1 Corinthians 15:1-2 (NKJV) Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you; unless you believed in vain.]
E. These characteristics are not true of any human message.
1. Philosophies of men go in and out of fashion. Ideas wax and wane in popularity.
2. Human doctrines are spiritual "junk food" -- satisfying for a time, but ultimately harmful to one's spiritual health.
3. The thoughts and ideas of men have no power to save us from our sins or get us to heaven.
II. "MY WORD . . . SHALL NOT RETURN TO ME VOID"
A. God's word is always accurate.
1. Prophets were put to a test in Old Testament times to see whether or not their message was from God [Deuteronomy 18:20-22 (NKJV) 'But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' 21 "And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?'; 22 "when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.] True prophets were correct 100% of the time.
2. Likewise, there are no errors in the written Word of God. It is the perfect law of liberty which is able to save souls [James 1:21-25]. Every word of Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit of God.
B. Some things promised in the Bible were hard to believe. Yet invariably they came to pass just as the Word of God said they would.
1. Abraham and Sarah would have a son [Genesis 17:16-17 (NKJV) "And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her." 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"] Ninety year old women don't have children! Just doesn't happen. But it did this time -- because God's word said it would.
2. A virgin would have a son. Consider the situation of Joseph when he learned that Mary would have a baby. He naturally thought that she had been unfaithful to him and had conceived a child by another man. Then the angel appeared to him in a dream and told him "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit" [Matthew 1:20 (NKJV)]. God's word was not void. . . things came to pass just as God had said they would. Bible students recognize that the birth of Christ was a fulfillment of another prophecy found in the book of Isaiah -- Isaiah 7:14. We will look at the prophecy more fully in a future lesson.
III. "MY WORD . . . SHALL ACCOMPLISH WHAT I PLEASE"
A. God's will shall be done on the earth.
1. Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane -- Luke 22:42 (NKJV) Jesus prayed, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."
2. There are numerous examples in the Bible which illustrate that God does what pleases Him.
a. God made Israel as a nation according to His will [1 Samuel 12:22 (NKJV) "For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people.]
b. Paul was chosen to be an apostle according to the will of God [Galatians 1:15 (NKJV) But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace,]
B. God wills that something be accomplished whenever His word is sent out. Isaiah 55:11 goes on to say "it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." Other versions say that God's word will not return "without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it" [NASB] or that it "will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." [NIV].
1. We don't always see quick results from our efforts in spreading the gospel. Consider the story of the missionary who worked on a small island for three long years and baptized only one convert. No church was established on the island and the missionary returned home thinking his work had been a failure. However, that convert went to another place to live, continued to study and grow in his faith, and eventually his work resulted in thousands becoming Christians. The teaching of the gospel did not come back empty - - - it just took time for the results to become evident.
2. God does not over rule human will to MAKE anyone accept and obey the gospel.
a. The rich young ruler did not choose to accept Christ's conditions for discipleship so "he went away." [Matthew 19:22].
b. Many would-be disciples could not accept Christ's hard teachings so they "went back and walked with Him no more" [John 6:66].
c. In these cases, God's will was accomplished. People heard the Word. They had the opportunity to be disciples. God desires that everyone be saved [1 Timothy 2:4 (NKJV) who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.] However, He WILLS only that people have the choice of hearing and obeying His word. So if there should be a circumstance where the gospel is preached in a place and no one ever responds to obey the gospel, that would not be a failure of the Word of God. People had the opportunity and they chose foolishly. They will be accountable for their choice in the judgment and they cannot say, "No one ever told me."
CONCLUSION
1. Our aim in this study has been to cause us to have a greater appreciation for the Word of God. We should never take the Bible for granted. Familiarity can lessen our appreciation for the great treasure we have in free access to the Word of God. The Bible should be treasured for many reasons -- for its history, for its beautiful literature, for its moral guidance.
2. The great benefits of the Bible, however, are obtained only when we are willing to submit ourselves to its teachings. God wants you to obey the gospel and live as a faithful Christian.
Credit -- Some of the ideas in this sermon are derived from a lecture by Noah Hackworth. However, the arrangement and wording are mine.
Copyright ©2002 by John Gaines. May be reproduced for non-commercial purposes provided this notice accompanies any use.
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LEONARD STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST |
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