40th chapter of the book of Isaiah.
Just read a few verses here this evening and call your attention
to a few things. Keep in mind that which we have
set before you this morning. I trust that you remembered some
of that. That the gospel can only be preached
and received in the doctrinal concept and context of letting
God be God, the immutability of the law of God, and the lordship
of Jesus Christ, and the things that we mentioned to you there
this morning. The gospel can't be preached if those things are
not involved. The gospel can't be understood.
It has no meaning apart from those doctrinal truths. here in the 40th chapter of the
book of Isaiah in that 6th verse it says the voice said cry and
he said what shall I cry? and this is what he's to cry
now all flesh is grass and all the goodliness thereof is as
the flower of the field the grass withereth The flower fadeth,
because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it, and surely the
people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower
fadeth, but the Word of our God shall stand forever." The Word
of our God shall stand forever. Then the twelfth verse, "...who
hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted
out heaven with a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth, in a measure,
and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance. Who hath directed the Spirit
of the Lord, or, being his counselor, hath taught him? With whom took
he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path
of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of
understanding? Behold, the nations are as a
drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance. Behold, he taketh up the isles
as a very little thing, and Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor
the beast thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations
before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him less
than nothing in vanity. To whom then will ye liken God,
or what likeness will ye compare unto him?" That's the God of
the Bible, the God of glory. Now, how is this God known? Two things, I believe, are necessary
to man's knowledge of the true God. Two things. How is God known? First off, There must be a revelation
of God. And secondly, man must have a
capacity to know God. Those two things are necessary
now to know God. There must be a revelation of
God, and the individual person must have a capacity to know
Him. Now, the Bible gives a revelation
of God, and I've read at least part of a reflection or description,
a revelation of the glory and might and power of God here in
the 40th chapter of the book of Isaiah. Of course, throughout
the length and the breadth of the Holy Writ is the revelation
of the God of glory. Now, the Bible gives a revelation
of God and a regenerated man. Remember, we talked about that
last Wednesday night, about a man being quickened by the Spirit
of God. Man in his deadness and nothingness
before God, and God the Spirit comes along and breathes upon
him and infuses life in that man, and we call that man a regenerated
person. So, the Bible first then gives
us a revelation of God, And a regenerated man is the only person who has
the capacity to know God. So you see, both things, our
questions are answered here. I said first off that two things
are necessary to man's knowledge in regard to knowing the true
God. First off, he must have revelation of God and man must
have a capacity to know God. The Bible gives us the revelation
of God. Bible right here, and a regenerated
man, a man who's been quickened by the Spirit of God, is the
only man that has capacity to know the God of the Bible. And
both of these are the results of the work of the Spirit. Now,
you know, I believe, that the Bible was written by men who
were moved by the Spirit. Now, the regenerate man has been
born of the Spirit. So he has the capacity then to
know that which is spiritual. The Bible says in the book of
1 Corinthians, I believe it is, that the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them. A natural man. He can see everything,
I believe, that you and I can see. apart from the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ. He can't see that. He can't see
the glory of God in the face of Christ. He can't understand
how God can be just and justify of him that believeth in Jesus.
Now, he can understand a lot of things. He can understand
some things about blood atonement. He can understand some things
about justification. He can understand some things
about election. He can understand some things,
in fact, he can understand all the facts of the Bible. But one
thing he can't understand, and he can't see, he can't see the
glory of God in the face of Christ. He can't see that. So the Bible
was written by men who were moved by the Spirit of God. And the
unregenerate man is the man that has been moved upon by the Spirit
of God and quickened by the Spirit of God, and only that man has
the capacity to know spiritual things. Now, wherever the Bible
has not gone, man has searched in vain for the true God. I run across a verse here in
the book of Job. Let me read it to you. In Job
chapter 11, and verse number 7, it says this,
it says, Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find
out the Almighty unto perfection? Can you find out God by searching? No, sir. No, sir. You can't do
it apart from the Bible and apart from the capacity to know God,
which is a regenerate individual. Now, notice what our preacher
says here in the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 21. Notice what Paul says here. This
will give you some idea, too, that man cannot know God by searching,
man cannot know God by education, man cannot know God by knowledge,
man cannot know God by wisdom. Man can only know God by revelation,
and man can only know the God of revelation when he has the
capacity to know God, and that is to be born of the Spirit of
God. Now, notice in this 21st verse, it says, For after that
in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God. No man has ever come to an understanding
or a revelation of God Almighty by wisdom. You would think logically,
you know, I mean, this is the way we look at things here because
we're earthy. And his thoughts are higher than
our thoughts. We think that if a man had a
whole lot of education, that is, if he went to school 10 or
12 years and studied and know the languages and would be able
to maybe even speak in various languages, knew the Hebrew and
knew the Greek and things of that nature. Someone asked me,
I believe it was Jim Wilson asked me the other day, said, Do you
know the Greek language?" I said, I don't even know the English
language. Do you know the Greek? No, I don't know it. I don't
know it. Even if I did know it, as far as wisdom is concerned,
it wouldn't help me to know God any better. It doesn't make any
difference how much wisdom that a man has. He cannot find out,
he cannot know God by wisdom. For after that, in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." All right,
let's consider this then, the value of the study of the Scriptures. What profit is there for me to
spend some time reading the Bible, studying the Scriptures, studying
the personal attributes of God Almighty. What benefit is that
to me? How will I profit by this study
of these personal attributes of God Almighty? Well, let me
say first off, then, that the God of the masses is not the
God of the Bible. That is, the God of this world,
the God that's being worshipped today, by the majority, the masses
of people, is not the God of the Bible. Now, the God of our
imaginations either is not the God of the Bible. I read one
time from A. W. Pink, and he said this, and
I'll pass it along to you. He said, the God of the twentieth
century no more resembles the supreme sovereign of Holy Writ
than does the dim, flickering of a candle, the glory of the
noonday sun. And I believe that a hundred
percent. The God of this generation certainly
is not the God of the Holy Writ. Now, in reality, the majority
of people in our day, at any given time, they're, in reality,
they are but what we would refer to as atheists. Actually, in
reality, they're atheists, though they have a hidden knowledge
of Jesus. They, in a sense, acknowledge
that He is and He was. They have some far-off or far-fetched
imaginative understanding or story that he is alive or he
does exist or something, yet in reality they are atheists
because, for this reason, there is no other possible alternative
between an absolute supreme God and no God at all. There's no
alternative. Either God is absolutely supreme,
who rules and reigns over everything, or there's no God at all. You
can't have no middle ground. There's no alternative. So I
say in reality, then, the majority, the majority of the poor souls
of our day are practically atheists, because they do not believe in
the absolute supreme sovereign of holy writ. Now, you see, a
God whose will is resisted, whose designs are frustrated, who presents
this God, whose will is checkmated and whose designs are frustrated,
he possesses no title to deity. He merits no praise. He's not
the object of worship. I'll tell you another thing about
this, how God is known through the
study of his personal attributes, what value there is in the study
of the Bible. I think a contemplation of God,
a meditation, of God and upon God in His personal attributes
will promote in you and I a reverence and humility, a reverence for
God, a deep-seated feeling of awe when we come into His presence. You remember old Job? He got
a vision of what I'm trying to talk about here, what I trust
that I might experience in my own heart. Job, seen for himself
there in Job chapter 42, I believe it is, and I'll read it to you
if I can find it here. Job chapter 42 and verse number 6. Listen to this. Job said, ìI have heard of thee
by the hearing of the ear.î Thatís verse 5. But now he says, ìMine
eye seeth thee.î Now, he had heard of him by the hearing of
the ear and it had no lasting effect. It did not produce a
broken and contrite spirit in Jobís life. It did not break
Jobís heart to have a hearing of God. But once his eyes were
opened to the glory of the person of God Almighty, and he seen
God as he really was, he said, I have heard of thee by the hearing
of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee, and the result of
me seeing thee, therefore I abhor myself, or I hate myself, and
I repent in dust and ashes." Now you see what I'm talking
about when I say a contemplation of God in His personal attributes
will produce in us a reverence for God, a humility. before Him, if we ever see Him. Now, how can God be known? Only
through the Bible. Who has the capacity to know
Him? Only those who are regenerated. How are you going to find Him?
You can find Him here in the Bible, the revelation of God.
You can find the description of God. You can find the attributes
of God. These personal characteristics
of God Almighty can only be found in this Bible, can't be found
out there. You can't find him out by looking at the trees,
looking at the sea. That displays his power, but
that'll never display his glory. All right? There's another, old
Isaiah. Let me read something about old
Isaiah here in chapter 1, I believe it is. Isaiah, he'd seen some
things too. In Isaiah chapter 6, I guess
it is, and verse number 5, Notice now, Isaiah said, Then
said I, this is what he said. This is my personal testimony.
Isaiah said, Then said I, woe is me, for I am undone, because
I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people
of unclean lips. Why? Why and how come Isaiah
came to such a understanding of who he was and what type of
people these were that he dwelt among. All right, he gives the
answer here. For mine eyes have seen the King,
the Lord of hosts. That's the reason. That's the
reason I'm a, woe is me, I'm a man undone. I'm a man of unclean
lips because I've seen the King. I've seen the Lord of hosts.
I've seen him. All right then. The better view that we have
of God, the better we will know ourselves. The more you know
of God, the more you're going to know of yourself. If you don't
know anything of God, you're not going to know anything of
yourself. You're going to have an estimated
view of yourself, and you're going to make the estimation.
And it's not going to be a true view of who you are. You're not
going to know your potential. You're not going to know where
you came from, and you're not going to know where you're going.
You're not going to know anything about yourself. If you know Him,
the better view that we have of God, the closer we see Him,
the clearer we see Him, the better we will know ourselves. Now, in light of His perfection,
we can better see ourselves. That's what Job has seen, that's
what Isaiah has seen. He's seen his vileness when he's
seen the perfection, the loveliness, the holiness of God. When he
got a glimpse of the King of Kings. Now we can get a glimpse
of the King of Kings from the Bible. If we have the capacity
to know him, if we've been regenerated, we can see him right here in
the Bible. Well, I read some of them. Who hath erected the
Spirit of the Lord, or, being his counselor, hath taught him? That'll give you some idea of
who God is. God doesn't need us to teach him. Who's been his
counselor? Who taught God? Why, he said,
Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted
as the small dust of a balance. He said all nations before Him
are nothing, and they are counted to Him less than nothing and
vanity. God doesn't need us in order
for Him to prosper and be happy. It's a privilege, the privilege
that certainly cannot be expressed in words, that you and I have,
that we can We can bow our heads and call the God of glory and
the God of this Bible, our Father. Our Father which art in heaven,
sacred, sacred, hallowed be thy name. What a privilege, what
a blessing. God doesn't need me, he doesn't
need you. Oh, if he's visited you, see, what a privilege it
is. It's the grace of God, isn't it, see? All right. To be occupied
with thoughts about God as the God is revealed here in the scriptures
will increase your faith. It will increase your confidence.
Listen, faith, true faith, that is, must be based on a true revelation
of God. And that true revelation of God
we have here in the Bible. See? True faith, true faith. Now, no wonder it's as scarce
as a grain of mustard seed in our day, true faith in the God
of the Bible, when we hear such drivel as we hear from people
who talk about being dead and seeing God face to face and then
come back and bragging about their sins. You've heard preachers and people
brag about their sins and brag about themselves and all that.
You never see that in the Bible. No man that's had true faith
in the God of the Bible, as God has revealed in the Holy Scripture,
had anything good to say about himself. I hate myself. That's what they say. They say,
I hate myself. I hate myself. I have unclean lips. I repent
in dust and ashes." Now, I believe, brethren, faith must be based
on a true revelation of God. And this God is revealed here
in the Scriptures. Nobody's faith can be stronger
than he believes his God to be. Now, think about that for a bit.
Nobody's faith can be stronger than what he thinks his God to
be. If your God is trying to do something
and He can't do it, you haven't got much faith. Your faith can't
be strong. It's an impossibility for you
to have a strong faith. And what I'm saying is, a meditation
or a contemplation of the personal attributes of the God of the
Bible will increase your faith in God. It'll make you smile
in the face of adversity. It'll make you smile in the face
of trouble and trial. Oh, you'll be able to praise
God like Paul and Silas did when they were cast into the dungeon
in jail. And at the midnight hour, you'll
be able to sing praises unto God, you see. I cannot have strong
faith in a God who I think is weaker than I am. Is that right? Can you have any faith? What
kind of strong faith can you have? in a God who's as weak
as you are. Now, you see, I'm talking tonight
and I've talked this morning about the God of our generation,
the God that's being preached in our generation, the God that
people believe on in our generation. They believe that the God of
the Bible is like they are. He's old. He's trying to do something,
but He can't do it. Oh, would to God that he'd do
so-and-so and so-and-so. Well, you see, you cannot have
a strong faith in a God who you think is weaker than you are,
or weaker than man. If my God is weak, my faith of
necessity then will be weak. I cannot have much faith in God
if I believe that He's being defeated on every battlefield.
I can't have much faith in God if I believe that He's trying
and failing, that He's trying to do something, but He's unsuccessful
in His efforts. What kind of faith can I have? You see, if we have the Bible, which we
do, and have the capacity to know Him, there's no reason why
we shouldn't be. men and women of strong faith. No reason why. Our God is real. Our God is powerful. Nobody or no thing thwarts the
eternal purpose of God Almighty. He's doing exactly what He wants
to do. A lot of folks believe that he's
doing the best he can to accomplish as much good as he can. And that's
their idea of the God of the Bible. He's doing the best he
can to accomplish the most good that he can do here among men. He's doing the best he can. God's
doing the best he can. Won't you give your heart to
Jesus? Help Jesus. He has no lips but your lips.
He has no feet but your feet. He has no hands but your hands.
He's in a wheelchair. He's paralyzed. The poor God
of the masses of this generation, not able to do anything. I'm
not worried about the Far East. I'm worried about the Shah of
Iran, whether they're going to kick him out or not, or whether
the United States is going to Line up with the with the Successor
of the Shaw or what's going to happen over there? I'm not worried
about it. Are you God still on the throne? I'm not worried about
whether gasoline is going to be a dollar a gallon. Are you
God still on the throne? I'm not worried about whether
there's a shortage of kerosene in South Africa or not God still
on the throne I'm not worried about a famine that's coming
here in the next year. So God still on the throne. I My faith cannot be any stronger
than my God. If I have a weak God that's trying
to do something and can't do it, then I'll not have much faith. Oh, listen. Let me read a verse
here and I'll quit. Over here in the book of Job,
this expresses what I believe. In Job chapter 23 and verse 13,
you can open your Bible and take your pen and pencil and underscore
this verse right here. Listen to this, Job 23 and 13,
"...but he is of one mind," that's talking about God, "...and who
can turn him?" Who can turn God? Who can change God's mind? "...but
he is of one mind, and who can turn him? And what his soul desireth,
even that he doeth." Now, that's my God right there. Whatever
his soul desires, that he does. And then, let me tell you, read
something else here from an old preacher in Ephesians, chapter
3, verses 20 and 21, I believe. Let me read this to you. Listen
to this now. It says, Now unto him, now unto
him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we
ask or think, how many The people that I hear quoting that, every
once in a while I hear them on the television, the radio, they
quote this, they quote this. And yet the God that they believe
in is a God that can't get anything done unless they cooperate their
efforts with His efforts. Now unto Him that's able to do
exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according
to the power that worketh in us. That's the kind of God that
I believe in. able to do, able to perform all
that he's promised, God will. All right. You come and we'll
celebrate.