Behold your God!

The Call to Hear, Retain, and Worship the Word

As you all are aware of and know, it's important that you not only sit and that you listen.

As a.

I guess listen to the the messages each week. It's not just to listen to them to say you've listened to them and not understand or not retained anything that you've heard or or that's been preached and talked to you, but that we on a regular basis when we hear the word we look and we listen.

And part of my responsibility as as a preacher is to make sure that it's Clear as best can be and and we've got some semblance of order in it. I want you to to know today that the the theme of the message today is is This it is we're going to be looking at.

At the.

How did I put that the the preeminent character and nature of God. But as we look at the preeminent character and nature of God during Sunday school I want to encourage you to be here for Sunday school.

I'd like to encourage you to be here.

Because.

As we learned in the Sunday school lesson we're learning about how important it is that we worship God and how we worship God matters and And the way that the way that we worship God is important and it's also important to know that we do it according to the knowledge that we have of God and what has I Guess what has gone on for a long time not just here.

But in every church that is because people are people. People have issues people Have problems. People come in with heavy hearts. People come in with their minds split between here and the world and What I want to encourage you to do today is to do what we ought to do every Lord's Day when we gather together.

To fix your heart and to fix your mind on the Lord God Almighty so that When we come because this day that God has set up for us to be here is the day set up so that we can Be made aware so that we can learn so that we can know more Of who God is.

Not necessarily that you shouldn't study your Bible through the week for you should. But this day out of seven has been set up so that we might worship and exalt and lift up the name of the Lord Our God.

Meaning that we lift him up Above every other name that is named that we lift him up above the cares of this world that we lift him up Above the things that we've got going on in our mind that we focus our hearts and our minds on him.

Because he is able to give Encouragement to you. He is able to give you rest. He is able to give you hope. He is able and he alone is able to give you the strength that you need to persevere and to continue on.

The Psalms, the Treasure of God's Word, and the Title of the Message

But in Psalm 34 before we read Isaiah 70. Just want to read the first two verses our first three verses actually if Psalm 34 by way of prayer many times We just have prayer we say what's on our mind to the Lord but the Psalms are very good and very instructive for us as God's people if we would just take time on those and look at those and And recite these to the Lord and this is our hope today that as we look at the preeminent Character and the nature of Almighty God today that together as a body that not just Me the preacher, but that you the the people of the congregation Might lift up and exalt the name of God.

The psalmist said this I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear of it and be glad and then he says this Oh magnify the Lord with me.

Oh Magnify the Lord with me and let us Let us exalt his name Together. Oh Friends if when we as the church come In one mind and in one accord gathered in the designated spot. Which is right here and right now in this place and we magnified the Lord together.

How pleasing do you think that would be to God Almighty? Meaning that we all are here for one purpose and for one reason to seek the Lord. That either one of the prophets said seek the Lord while he may be found and friends any time that the Word of God is read is Proclaimed is taught is sung is preached and it is the Word of God.

Be aware of this one thing if you want to take a note today on this first thing. Be aware that you are hearing the very words of Almighty God. That this that we have to preach unto you. It's not something of ourselves, but it is the inspired Word of God.

Read the story last night actually Vance Havner the old preacher Kenny locks in some of you know Who he is an old preacher. Vance Havner used to tell the story of some boys that came upon a man in Africa.

During a time when diamonds were plentiful there. He discovered that there were children that they were playing marbles. But when he got closer to him, he realized that they weren't playing with marbles that they were playing marbles using diamonds.

And.

His thought was this could it be that we trifle so much so with the treasures of God? That we play marbles using diamonds. We trifle with the Word of God. We trifle with the holy things of God and we trifle with his treasures.

When you come to God's house, it ought not to be a trifling time. It ought not to be an Inconsequential time. It ought not to be something to get your ticket punch so that you can feel good about yourself through the week.

But it ought to be so that together the body of Christ may magnify and exalt the name of our Holy God. Now the theme I told you is the preeminent character in nature of Almighty God. The title of the message which the title will be driven as always by the text of the scripture.

The title of the message is this today?

Behold your God Behold your God.

Ho friends listen I wrote some things and I'm just gonna kind of go through what I wrote to touch to stay on track best that I can. But as we get into the scripture by way of introduction I want to tell you today that the aim and the goal of this message today is simply this it is to convince you According to the scriptures that there is no one and no thing in which you can compare God to.

I Am my intention by reading you and going through verse by verse this chapter 40 of Isaiah today so that you can hear from the very mouth of God himself who God is and in some small way that we may be able to comprehend our God who is incomprehensible to the human mind.

But the Lord is so loving and the Lord is so kind that he has put for us within the pages of his word Some descriptions of who he is and when we get these at this knowledge into our mind It is able to affect our heart and able to affect our love and able to affect our worship.

And it's able to affect how you live. Charles Spurgeon said one time a quote I posted here while back, but it was a very powerful quote I believe sir on Facebook responded with a sad face because it truly is a sad statement he said some of you have so much dust on your Bibles that you could write damnation on the front of them and It's sad that so many who profess to be Christians today have such little knowledge of who God is.

And because their knowledge of God is so small our lives are not Lived as they ought to be lived out in this world. What you believe about God will change how you live. And I apologize I've been Very sick this week.

I may. But I am NOT not going to preach this today. I have wrestled and fought and studying and praying the Entire week, but particularly like yesterday just while I was working at the house praying and and seeking the seeking God's face and wanting to be able to Communicate and to preach this message to you in a way that was both humble and yet Powerful in a way in which that you might be able to know who God is and by knowing who God is.

You would go away being different being changed being more in love with this Holy God who loved us so much that he gave his only begotten Son to die on the cross for our sins. And that we believe that he not only died on the cross for our sins But that he was buried and that he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures behold your God.

And I'll go further to say this but as we're leading into the text This is still introductory statements that are we need to get in our minds. To try to comprehend or to know who the Lord is Outside of the Scripture is Idolatry to try to know or comprehend or worship God outside of what the Scriptures teach you is Idolatry and the Scriptures teach us clearly one of the first commandments that were given was this you should have no other gods before me.

The great commandment is this here Oh Israel the Lord our God is one you should love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind and with all of your strength. That is the standard.

Are you doing that? I can't answer that for you, but I am asking you that question today. Are you loving God with everything that you have? Kenny gave us the the definition from Webster's Dictionary. I believe it is the old one though to worship means to honor with extravagant love and extreme Submission are you extravagantly loving God today?

Not yesterday not tomorrow right now. Are you extravagantly loving God? Are you extreme living extremes in extreme submission to our? Holy God. So if you cannot understand or know God outside of the Scriptures and if you attempt to do such a thing Which is what goes on with many people and he happens like this.

Well, I just think God is like this. And I think God does this and and I think God does that friends that will not get you anywhere but get you in a delusion and get you finding yourself lost and Separated from the true and the living God God is nothing like you and I in terms of imperfection.

He is.

Perfect in every way. Otherwise we would be making a God in our image and according to our temperament. Does everyone know what temperament is. Temperament is your mindset. Temperament is how you are geared.

Some people you can set them off by looking at him the wrong way, right? Some people like bill. He just always sits there. He's very calm very quiet.

Generally smiling like he's smiling right now.

Everybody is different. But here's what you need to know about God. Our God is not different. He is the same yesterday today and forevermore. In Malachi the description given concerning himself is this.

I am The Lord and I change not he is Steadfast. So we cannot make a God in our image. We cannot make God according to our temperament. We cannot do these things. Our temperament and our decisions as human beings are generally generally generally as a rule not according to the standard of anything other than.

If you agree with that I hope that you can say amen. Because truly that's generally the way that people are. We make decisions based upon the moment. We based by our decisions. We make our choices. We make we carry out plans based upon how we feel at a given time.

We either feel like continuing on or we feel like we want to just give up. We feel like we need to do this or we feel like we need to do that. Our temperaments our emotions are Constantly changing. They're constantly up and they're constantly down.

But I want you to know today that God is absolutely perfect in all his ways. Never let it be said that you did not hear this from the pulpit at Reformata Baptist Church. God is perfect in all of his ways.

His temperament is perfectly balanced. His emotions are perfectly in line with his character and nature. Also, never let it be said that you hear from this pulpit that God is an impersonal force. That God is not Concerned about the the needs of his people for truly God is Concerned about the needs of his people and God is more than an impersonal force.

It is not the force like you think about Star Wars. Where they use the force to do this and they use the force to do that God is not to be used. God is not to be trifled with. God is to be approached holily and reverently and Respectfully and understanding that he and he alone is God and his glory.

He will not give to another. God is absolutely perfect. His emotions are perfect. His character and his nature. The outworking of his love and his wrath. Just as the outworking of his mercy and his grace are perfect.

God has never responded. God has never Responded or reacted to anything in history as it is with a response. That is not according to his perfect temperament. Meaning this God has never reacted as you and I understand.

Reactions when you go to the doctor and the doctor sits you on his table. And he takes that little hammer and he whacks your knee. What does your knee do. Your knee responds right? Based upon the stimulus that has been applied to your knee if you're working on something and you hammer something and you hit your thumb.

Chris. There is a reaction that you have. Generally, it is not praise the Lord. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. We don't do that, right?

But God.

Never responds Inappropriately or indiscriminately. According to his temperament to his nature and to his character meaning this that God is never surprised. God is sovereign. You hear this regularly.

God is sovereign and by his sovereignty he providentially oversees the the care of his children and the workings of this life and. So know this that Deuteronomy 32 4 says this he is the rock. His work is perfect.

For all his ways are justice. He's a God of truth without injustice righteous and Upright is he. And we are moving to the text. But this is all so important that we get this as we move into the text. There are some terms used in the Bible concerning God.

In the Hebrew in the Old Testament. In the Greek in the New Testament. But these words are terms that you hear somewhat regularly. Omniscient that God knows all things. That he is unassailable. That he is unable to be attacked questioned or defeated.

That he is omnipresent he is present everywhere at the same time that he is sovereign that he has the right and authority to govern all things. That he is Providential that by providence through means of nature by natural and supernatural.

Means a lot. He works all things together for the good of those who are the call of God. He is omnipotent meaning he has unlimited power. That he's able to do anything. He is in Exhaustible meaning he is unable to be used up because of limitless abundance.

He is majestic meaning he has dignity. There's there is inherent. There is unique dignity. There is unique beauty. There's Renee unique power from in the name in the person of God. He is preeminent. That's the word I used chose to use for the thing in in our theme today.

He is preeminent. He is superior. He is surpassing all. He's not able to be compared with another. He is Unchanging. He net means he never changes. That he remains the same. He is matchless. He is unable to be.

Equal he is in.

Comparable. There is nobody who will ever be able to measure up to God. So the theme of this message is the preeminent nature and character of Almighty God and. As far as your notes, I'm gonna go ahead and give you some of these ahead of time.

So you can just kind of build your skeleton and put the body in as we go through the text of Scripture but there's going to be some things that pop out and and they're going to be throughout the text of Scripture.

And if we would Just take time more to to read through the text of Scripture and to hear what God is saying in the text and not Reading into the text my friends. We would be much better off as a people of God.

So know this that we're going to see many things. Particularly in verse 10, we're going to see that the Lord is strong in verse 11. We're going to see that the Lord is supplier and sustainer in verse 12.

We're going to see that the Lord is wise beyond our comprehension in verse 13 and 14. We're going to see that the Lord operates sovereignly. Independently from the Council of Man. And these are just a few of the nature and characteristics of God.

Comfort, Forgiveness, and the Voice in the Wilderness

So as we pick up here in chapter 40 verse 1. And and let me say this today, I know that the introduction took a little bit of time. But I'm going to tell you something. I'm not in a hurry.

I can't help it if you are.

I ain't.

Because I want you to know.

Who God is?

Because I firmly believe That if God's people hear from God they will be changed. And if you are not that you must be born again. So that you can hear from God so that you can respond to God so that you can love God appropriately as he desires us to.

The context of Isaiah chapter 40 is this much of what Isaiah is. The context is that God some 150 years is giving through the mouth through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah his word concerning The deliverance of israel from babylonian captivity that ought to sound familiar to you in israel.

We're learning about that 150 years before they've ever been delivered from captivity. So which is probably about 80 years before they ever went into captivity itself. The holy God is speaking to his people giving them words of warning and giving them words of comfort.

This is wonderful. This is the omniscience of God at work. God is omniscient. He knows all things at the same time every time all the time. So verse one, let's see the first character. Let's see the first piece of the nature of God.

So God because he is not an impersonal force because he has mind intellect and will though. Know this. I do not want to. I do not want you to be confused nor deviate. From the the truth of the scripture.

God is a spirit. I cannot explain to you how God is a spirit. He has mind intellect will emotion. I can't explain that to you. I'm not here to explain that to you. I'm here to explain to you what the word of God says and what the word of God teaches what we can know.

That can't be explained.

There's no way that I could explain how God does what God does or who he is in a detailed sort of sense.

And any man that says he would.

Is committing idolatry? Because the scriptures teach us that his ways are unsearchable. His ways are past us finding out. But we are able to know what we do know from the word. Thank the lord first off.

God know this. That God is a comforter of his people. God is a comforter of his people. Verse one. The the word says this comfort. Yes comfort my people says.

Your god.

What a word is this. That he comforts his people. Speak comfort to jerusalem. And cry out. To her old friend. Listen if there ever is a time where we need to be urgent where preachers need to be. Have a sense of urgency about proclaiming the holiness and the righteousness of god.

That time is here. And it is now because I can't change what happened in the past. And I don't know what's going to happen in the future. All that we had is right now. And the the writer isaiah said the lord told isaiah to cry out to to make an appeal to my people to be Comforted.

To let them know that god is still on the throne. Comfort my people. And then he says this tell her that her warfare is ended. God is in his character and in his nature. And by the way, these are not Attributes of god.

The attributes of god that i'm trying to communicate to you. They are not things that another person can have. They're not a thing. They're not attributes that another that god shares with anyone. God and god alone is the ultimate reconciler.

He said let her know that i'm going to bring an end to her warfare. Before they've even been punished before they've gone to the captive through that captivity. God has said i'm going to make a way that i'm going to bring an end to the war that is taking place.

He is the reconciler. He is the forgiver of iniquity. He is the forgiver of sins. He said this that her let her know that her iniquity is pardoned. Who has power on earth to forgive sins. None, but the lord.

But you need to know this he is able to forgive you.

Of your sins.

How do I know he is able. Because he sent his son to be the propitiation. For our sins that we might be made through him. The righteousness of god. He is the forgiver of sins. Oh listen behold your god.

This is your god i'm telling you about. This is my god. He said this he said for she has received from the lord's hand double for all sins. You need to know this that god and god alone is able only to mete out righteous judgment unto men.

He and he alone is able to do that. Verse three. The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our god. Does that sound familiar to anybody?

If you know the new testament, you know that john the baptist was the forerunner of jesus christ. And it was prophesied as as was prophesied. He came Shouting this out in his preaching in his messages in his sermons.

Prepare you the way of the lord. And as the new testament tells us it was a fulfillment of what isaiah wrote here. Probably some 500 odd years before john the baptist ever came on the scene. This is our this is our god.

Amen.

The voice of one crying in the wilderness. And then he said this verse. Four every valley shall be exalted Every mountain shall and hill brought low the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places shall be made.

Smooth.

Concerning the character and the nature of almighty god. Concerning the preeminent character and nature of almighty god. God and god alone Is the great equalizer? God and god alone is the great equalizer.

For the word here says this every valley shall be exalted. Every deep place is going to be brought up every mountain shall be brought low. Every high place is going to be brought down. Every crooked place is going to be made straight and every rough place is going to be made smooth.

Only god can accomplish these things. And in the context of what's going on here He is speaking comfort to the children of israel so that they will understand and so that they will know. So that when they get in the deep valley of despair that god is able to lift them up.

When they get up on the mountaintop that we ought to understand this people of god and know that we ought not to exalt Ourselves above what we think but that we ought to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of god.

For it is the work of god. That we are up high on the mountain if we are on the mountain. And it is the work of god that we are in the valley if we are in the valley. And if we are in a crooked place, my friend, it is only the work of god that is able to make it straight.

This is our god. Oh, thank the lord. Verse 5. The verse 5 says the glory of the lord shall be revealed. Oh in the in the hebrew that word glory. I don't I can't pronounce the hebrew word for you there.

But I I looked up so many words going through this this passage of scripture. The that word that hebrew word that's used there for glory is talking about the dignity the worth and the majesty the reverence Of the lord.

And when you see the word lord there your bible has that in all capital letters. That is the hebrew word for jehovah meaning this that god is the eternal Self-existent one. God does not exist because we had a need for him.

And so he's something that we can cook up and concocted. God was god is and god shall be Before time ever began he is the eternal self-existent one. And so the glory the dignity the worth the majesty of the eternal Self-existent one the writer says here shall be Revealed means he shall be made known and then he says this and all flesh shall see it together.

Again, remembering the context he's speaking to a group of people who have been disobedient. Who are going to be sold into babylonian captivity who are going to suffer? Seemingly unmerciful unmercifully yet.

They still are under the merciful hand of god. Even though it may not seem like it to them. He is speaking to a group of people who are in bondage by people that seem to be mightier than they. But the word of god says that not only will the jews who are in captivity See the arm of the lord revealed but the babylonians who seem to think that they are in power.

Because they are doing it of themselves. We'll see the arm of the lord revealed.

Wow.

Behold your god for the mouth of the lord has spoken. The voice said cry out and he said what shall I cry? What do I say? And the lord said this all flesh is grass And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

The grass withers the flower fades. Because the breath of the lord blows upon it. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers the flower fades but the word of our god stands forever. We tend to we'll go into a verse like that all flesh is grass and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

And folks will stop right there and. And they'll they'll say how how can I?

How can I?

What is this trying to say to me what deep meaning is there in this well the beautiful thing about the word of god. Is this that the scripture always interprets the scripture god makes it clear what is being spoken of?

It's not a metaphorical blade of grass. He's talking about people. He says all people are as grass. The jewish people are as grass. The babylonian people are as grass. Tennessee people are as grass. People in africa are as grass.

People in china are as grass wherever you want to go. You've got to know that all people all flesh is as grass and they can be blown away by the breath.

Of the lord.

This is how powerful god is. And god demonstrates this 150 years later. He brings them through babylonian captivity causes the babylonians to suffer. This is our god. And he goes on verse 9. Oh zion. You who bring good tidings?

Get up into the high mountain. Oh, jerusalem. You who bring good tidings lift up your voice with strength. Lift it up. Be not afraid save to the cities of judah. Behold your god to his people in this time.

And the truth is that the god that proclaimed this then is the same god and proclaims it now.

Behold.

Your god. Behold. And he uses the term again behold the lord god shall come. Verse 10. The lord is strong. The lord god shall come. The jehovah god. Jehovah that l-o-r-d in capital is jehovah eternal self-existent one Jehovah god adonai master ruler.

Judge your jehovah the eternal Self-existent god who is lord and who is master? It says he will come with a strong hand. Hannah. How many times have we made fun of you when we go to hug you or shake your hand and you just sit there lamb?

Right has a strong hand. He's one of them. He ought to be. He ought to be approached as one of those people who when you come to them. Them bigger men like rob back there. Who handle. Wrap around your hand, you know.

Squeezing. You almost want to go down on your knee when you take their hand. Behold the lord shall come with a strong hand and his arm. Notice. Notice the pronouns that are used here describing god his arm.

Shall rule for.

Him.

He does not need us. Does not need you. Well, i'm not going to reprimand him. You can go. You can go. But if they're proclaiming the truth of the god you're going to hear the same thing that god does not need you.

But he loves you.

And he allows you.

To be a part of what he is. Oh friends today, how good is our god? He is strong. He is mighty had. The bible says behold again. He uses he keeps using the term Behold, I want you to look here. I think about in the new testament when jesus when john was down by the river baptizing.

Calling for repentance but for the remission of baptism for the remission of sins Unto all who would come and do his preaching. And then jesus came up and john said this Behold, it's a statement of great importance.

It's a statement of exclamation.

Behold.

His reward is with him. And he goes on to say. And his work is before him. Nothing gets behind god. God never has to look back and wonder what if I'd have done it this way or what if they hadn't responded that way.

Friend god is not limited nor bound by what you and I do. God is sovereign over all. He goes on to say this verse 11. Verse 11. Know that he is the supplier and sustainer. He says this he will feed his flock like a shepherd.

Oh.

He will feed his flock like a shepherd He will gather his lambs with his arms and carry them in his bosom and gently lead those who.

Are with young.

Oh friends today you need to know that god is preeminent in that he is the eternal Self-existent one and he is the one who supplies all our every need. The greatest need of which that all men have today is the need of salvation.

And the only way that a man can be saved is by and through the precious blood of jesus christ. That was shed for our sins. But we see the character the preeminent character and the preeminent nature of god.

This god who is all these things. Who is a comforter. Who is reconciler. Who's a forgiver. Who's a judge of all things. Who. Who alone is the great equalizer. Who alone is what has dignity worth and majesty.

Who alone? Carries all of these things. Who alone has the power in the word of his mouth to destroy. And both to give life, but if you go back to verse. If you go back to verse. Uh in verse seven. Because the breath of the lord blows upon me.

In the hebrew that word breath.

Of god.

Is the hebrew word meaning ruach? And you want to know where the first time that word ruach was used in the old testament. If you go back to genesis chapter one in verse two. Let me just quote from verse one.

In the beginning god created the heavens and the earth. And the spirit of god the breath of god was hovering over the face of the deep. That's the first time that was used and it's used in the same exact sense.

God has power to give life and to take life. He goes on to say this. He feeds him like a shepherd. He gathers his lambs with his arms. Oh, we see a tender compassionate a merciful and a gracious loving god.

Oh our father which art in heaven hallowed. Be your name your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. For that is the power that is the glory and that is the honor forever and ever. Amen. He is a good Father and he. In this message of comfort. Before it was even needful or necessary to see because god sees the beginning to the end today.

Another reason that you ought rightly to not trifle with the word of god. But you you ought to. You ought to enjoy and savor every moment that you have with the word of god is this.

Because you don't know what you're heading into tomorrow.

You don't know the trouble that you're gonna face, but you can know today and rest assured that you are in a hand.

Incapable of carrying you.

Through it all.

There's a song. It's kind of a newer song, but I love it so much it's called he will hold me fast. When I fear my faithful will fail christ will hold me fast. When the tempter would prevail. He will hold me fast.