And if you'd like to follow along,
I'm gonna be in Isaiah chapter 40. Isaiah chapter 40, I'm gonna
begin reading in verse 27. Isaiah chapter 40, verse 27. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and
speakest, O Israel? My way is hid from the Lord,
and my judgment is passed over from my God. Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard? That the
everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth,
fainteth not, neither is weary. There is no searching of his
understanding. He giveth power to the faint,
and to them that have no might, he increases strength. Even the
youth shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly
fall. But they that wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings
as eagles. They shall run and not be weary,
and they shall walk and not faint. I want to say something here
before I get started. Please, please don't misunderstand
me. I do fully believe in the necessity
of preaching and hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. The scripture
has told us that. Christ told us this, go forth
and preach the gospel. The Father has purposed it, the
Son has declared it, and the Holy Spirit provides it. We believe and we preach the
gospel of God's dear Son. However, I have to say this.
It's not enough just to hear sound gospel preaching. Think
about it, I read this in a bulletin. This is what made me think of
this, especially after what I preached last time. Judas heard every
one of Christ's sermons, and it didn't do him a lick of good.
Judas heard all of Christ's explanations of the parables. And Judas never was a sheep. We believers needed and need
the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit
of grace, to drive the gospel into our hearts, to bring it
into our minds. So my title today is What God
Says to Jacob and Israel. That's my title, Paul. what God
says to Jacob and Israel. And here we have it. He starts
off saying, why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel,
my way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over
from my God. I'm gonna give you the deeper
meaning of this verse now. Are you ready? Here it is. What in the world do you think
you're doing? What in the world are you thinking?
You say my way is hid from the Lord, my judgment is passed over
from my God. Who do you think you foolin'? Now, man has always had it in
the back of his mind, if not in the forefront of his mind,
that he can hide from God. But he can't. And Jacob and Israel
oughta known that. Here's the question. How depraved
is man? Well, we're so depraved we think
we can hide from God. We think we can hide from him
who has perfect vision. And this is what we are. By nature,
in our flesh, we think we can hide from him who knows our hearts. And sometimes it may not be that
we think we can hide. We think we're hidden from him.
You know why? Because of circumstance. Why
am I in this mess? Generally you're in that mess
that you don't want to be somebody else's problem. Generally you're
in that mess because of your own self. And God's letting you stew there
for a little bit until he brings you out of it. And he may take
a chunk of hide off of you. He may take a little piece of
you to leave behind to hopefully keep you from getting in that
mess again. I thought about this. Who do you think you're fooling? Because there is always this.
There is no delusion like self delusion. and we are self-deluding. Now that's a world of difference
from him sending you strong delusion that you should believe a lie.
But we still are human, we still are flesh, we still are us. And we will self-delude ourselves.
Believers do this. We try to stop, but Christ sees
and Christ knows. And this is where we are and
what we are. Why do you say this? Because
this is the way we think. That's why we say it. Why do
we say this? Then he says this. This is what
God says to Jacob and Israel. Hast thou not known? Hast thou
not heard? Don't you know? Jacob and Israel should know.
Don't you know? Haven't you heard? I've told
you all this before. But we forget. We regress instead
of progress. But here's the thing, what he
does tell me, he says, don't you know, haven't you heard?
First of all, who God is. And I love this description.
that the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends
of the earth, I am God. And what's the next
statement after that one? There is none else. There is
none else. Yahweh Elohim Almighty God everlasting
father the one who has made Everything I love that creator of the ends
of the earth There is no other well back up in verse 25 of Isaiah
40 says to whom then will ye like in me or Shall I be equal
saith the Holy One Lift up your eyes on high and behold who hath
created these things that bringeth out their host by number. He
calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, his
might. For that he is strong in power,
not one faileth. There is no other God. Haven't
you heard this? Don't you know this? Well, act
like you know it. Act like you know it. Verse 15, though, tells us what
we are. 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 aisles
as a very little thing. We're a drop in a big bucket.
More or less, less. We're not even the small dust
of the balance. It doesn't matter, won't change the weight, won't
tip the scales one way or another. It'll just sit there with that
small dust. We're less than that. In other places, he calls us
maggots. And I like to say that because it upsets people. Some
people don't like to be called maggots. Go figure. Well, this is the day of self-esteem.
And self-esteem, when comparing yourself with other maggots,
is not too bad. There's a place for it. But I'm
gonna tell you something, your self-esteem ain't worth nothing
when you're talking about God. And it never has been. And it's
not now, even though you believe him, that you know his son. You're still less than the small
dust of the balance in the whole great scheme of things. We're
nothing. except in Christ. In Christ is the only place we
are something. And that something that we are
is in Christ. And he's everything. I was listening
to Henry coming up the road here, and he was preaching, and he
was preaching from that verse in Corinthians or Colossians,
I forget which one it was. Those three words, if I could
lay hold of these three words, I wouldn't have to worry about
any other piece of scripture, Walter. If I could just lay hold of these
three little words, Christ is all. And if I could lay hold
on that, then I would know what it meant and in all. By him all things consist. But then, I'm still less than
the small dust of the balance. That's where we are. He is God
and there is none else. But the God, the everlasting
God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, he faints
not. Nor is weary, or neither is weary. You understand? And I looked
up the words in the Hebrew. The Lord doesn't get tired and
he's never exhausted. He has all power. He is all might. Don't worry. Try not to worry,
folks. I try not to worry. Some days
I'm better at it than others. But he never faints and he's
never weary. You know? It's tough to understand
because I get both. I get tired and exhausted. Matter of fact, some days it
feels like I live tired. But God never tires and God is
never weary. And here's the thing that kind
of laid hold on me a little bit. There is no searching of his
understanding. Now isn't that a statement? And think about it. We, he's talking Jacob and Israel. We, believers, right? We can't
even examine his understanding. Not his understanding. We as
believers cannot grasp the totality of the understanding of this
book. His revealed word, which he gave
to us. That's beyond man's capabilities. Any man's capabilities except
one, Jesus Christ. And the thing is, we know there's
more than this book to God. He's told us. What'd he tell
us? The secret things belong to the
Lord. Now those things revealed belong
to us forever, forever, forever. This is the thing. He has given
us his son who is the truth. And the truth, and I'll put it
in with a capital T, T-H-E, and a capital T, truth. Never changes. He's given that to us forever.
Forever. Now he didn't say he's gonna
understand them all, but he says they belong to us, the things
that he's revealed. He declares things that are right. I love that. Why? because the Lord speaks righteousness. And his understanding is just
as infinite as he is. And we can't even look to it.
There's no way to search it. We poor, pitiful, still-in-the-flesh
believers cannot even search his understanding. You understand
what I say? The nations are as a drop in
the bucket, drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small
dust of a balance. Don't you know, haven't you heard
just a little of how big a sinner you are? Not that you were, because
you were, but that you are. that you are right now. Now, you might say this has not
really been the most cheerful message to start with. And it's
true, but I'm not done yet. But I gotta tell you a biblical
gospel truth that the world doesn't know and the world cannot know
and most religious places will not tell you. It's not a secret,
they just won't tell you, okay? God is never gonna build you
up until he's torn you down. Never. It never happens. What'd he tell Saul on his way
to Damascus? Is it hard for thee to kick against
the pricks? Well, yes it is, because they're pricks. You're
getting poked with something, and he wasn't talking about actually
poking him with a stick, is up here, and then here. God will never build you up until
he's torn you down. Here's the thing, and this is
the way it says it in the scripture. God kills and he makes alive. He's not gonna make you alive
until he's killed you. You can take that any way you
want, but that's what the scripture says, and I'm a full, confident
in telling you that we have not received again that spirit of
bondage unto fear, but at one time we did. Because Paul said
again, and he meant again. And God kills and he makes alive. He's gonna make you see just
a touch, and it's just a little bit, of how big a sinner you
are. He's gonna show you things you've
done, but then, lots of people see what they've done and they
feel sorry, they feel guilty. They may repent, but no, no,
God doesn't stop there. He shows you what you are. What
you are. And what you are is a person
who sins. Constantly. Constantly. And he's gotta bring you to that
place before he'll lift you. you're gonna know you're in the
deep pit that he's gonna dig you out of. You're gonna know
your feet have been in miry clay before he cleans it off of you
and sets your feet on a rock. Because he tells you, you know,
remember the pit from which you were digged. He's not gonna build
you up until he tears you down. You will have to learn that you
can't hide from God and you are not hidden from God. before he
will tell you that you don't have to hide from God. Sometimes
you wish you could, but you can't. But he will show to you in his
son, you don't need to hide from God. In Christ, I don't have
to hide from God. He has taken my sins and put
them behind his back and cast them in the sea of remember them
no more. Cast them as far as the east
is from the west. You don't need to hide from him, but you're
never gonna know that until you thought you should have to hide
from him. So after all that, then he tells it, the Lord gives
power to the faint. He gives vigor. Vigor to the
exhausted. Paul write, when I am weak, then
am I strong. When I know that I can do absolutely
nothing, I will depend upon God to do absolutely everything.
And not before. Not before. But he will give
vigor to the exhausted. Once you're out of options, he's the only option. He'll bring
it to you. And the Lord gives strength to
those who have no might. No might. What's it say? when we were without strength. And I remember Earl preaching
this. No, it's not you got a little,
no, you got none. When we were without strength,
no strength, absolutely none, Christ died for the ungodly.
Oh my. He gives strength to those who
have no might. What does it say? Not many wise
men, not many mighty, not many noble or powerful or strong are
called. But the Lord calls the foolish
things. I can fit in there. The weak
things, oh, I'm definitely there. The base things, yeah. The things that are not to confound
What? The wise and the mighty. And he is our power and our strength. We are naturally, as a natural
man, a natural woman, we are exhausted. We have no might,
but he has all power and all might. And I looked at this next
verse when I was thinking about it. Even the youth shall faint
and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. And I was
trying to figure out why he put this in the middle of this. And
I think I got a little bit on it. This is just another reminder
for us. And here it is. Youth is nothing. Understand? I had it once. Mason,
do you remember what it's like to be young? Yeah, I'm not that
way anymore. I'm not that way anymore. And
now that I look back on it, I can see it a little clearer. Because
I'm gonna tell you something, this is gonna be something I think you might be
able to identify with, unless you're young like Samantha back
there. You don't know yet. My youth. got in my way. It got in my way. I used to be
a lot stronger, I used to have more stamina, and according to
my doctor, I used to stand taller, because now I'm shrinking a little
bit. At those days, it took me longer
to get tired, it took me longer to get exhausted. When I was in the Army, I could
stay up for three days and three nights and soldier. Of course,
after that, I crashed and was gone for a day. But I could do
it. But my power, even in my youth,
was non-existent. My strength that I thought And
I mean, they used to make you do 50 to 100 push-ups at a time. And I could do that by the time
we got done. I could run two miles under 12 minutes after
doing a bunch of exercises before. Now I can't run two feet. My strength was an illusion.
My power was nonexistent. And here's the thing. Back in
my younger days, and I hate to admit this, I used to think I
could do things for God. I was wrong. I was wrong. Boy, was I wrong. And sometimes
I have worn myself out and actually accomplished not one thing. Youth will utterly fall. You're either going to die or
you're going to get old. And I remember when Earl used
to say that and I was sitting down there pretty young and I thought,
I hope not. But it's happened. You understand,
I wasn't here last Sunday because my back went out. And understand
this, I didn't do anything. I took a ride up here and I got
out, Walter, my back was hurting then. And I hadn't picked up
anything. I mean, I've hurt myself before
when you pick up something, at least you know where it come
from, or I mowed the grass. I hadn't done anything. We have no strength. We have
no strength. We have no power. And now, some
of us have no more youth. But guess what? The Lord never
faints. The Lord never gets weary. Oh, I do all the time now. I
have to take naps in the middle of the day for no reason other
than it's the middle of the day. But here it is. This is also
what the Lord says, what God says to Jacob and Israel. They that wait upon the Lord
And that's us, brothers and sisters in Christ. That's us. They that
wait upon the Lord, the strength of believers is renewed. How
often, how much? You wanna know. Well, as often
and as much as God says you need. Now, I would venture a guess is not
as much as you want. It's not as much as you think
you need. But understand this, God knows what you need. And
he gives strength as our day. God knows you need. And it says, they shall mount up. And in that word, I looked at
that word up, they shall ascend with wings. As eagles, I'd be happy if I could ascend
with the wings of a sparrow. I like watching the sparrows
out in my backyard, the finches, cardinals. But as the wings of
an eagle, you understand, God's gonna give you more and has given
you more than you actually know. You're going up whether you know
it or not. Whether you feel it or not, no matter what your circumstances
are, he's gonna make you ascend. He's gonna make you ascend. And
if he makes you ascend, you're gonna ascend like an eagle. You're
gonna soar. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. How? Well, by his power, By his
strength, by his Son, by the Holy Spirit, we, believers, shall
ascend, run, and walk. Now isn't that something to think? We use the scripture a lot around
here, and I'm gonna use it again. I think actually I used it on
the TV this morning. God's gonna put in you both to
will and to do, and to do his good pleasure. And when he does,
when God puts in you to will and to do of his good pleasure,
you are going to ascend with wings like an eagle. You're
gonna run and you're not gonna be weary in well doing. and you're
gonna walk in the light of Jesus Christ. And that's the only way
we can. Now I wanna point this out in
conclusion. I wanna remind you what I said, what the title is.
These are the words of God to Jacob and Israel. That's who he's talking to, that's
who he addresses. These are the words of the Lord to his chosen,
his elect. What am I saying? Well, I'm saying
these are the words of the Lord to you if you believe Christ. These are the words of the Lord
to those that believe. But look at it this way. These are the words of the Lord
to the usurper and the prince. Jacob and Israel. He's addressing
them both. But they're not both, they're
one. See, people get this funny idea
like Jacob and Israel are two different people. No, it's the
same guy. It's the same guy. Well, those are the nations.
No, it's the guy. And nations are made of guys. for lack of a better word. They're
made of people. These are the words of the Lord,
and they are the same to the usurper as the prince. And that's
something. I mean, that hit me. I was thinking,
whoa. Because it is strange. Jacob
and Israel are, in truth, in reality, the same person. Matter of fact, You don't have
to turn there, I got three scriptures here spread out. Genesis 32 and
28, these are the words of the Lord. He said, and he said, thy
name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel. For as a prince thou hast power
with God and with men and hast prevailed. That's when he wrestled
with God and God let him win. Well, God let him lose gracefully. Knocked his hip out of joint. Jacob is now called Israel. And yet, from here, in Genesis
32 to Genesis 47, when Jacob is dying, he is still called
Jacob about 50 times. And still called Israel also.
And here's one I found and it just kind of blew my mind. One
time in particular, this is Genesis 46 and verse two. And here it
is, and God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night.
So what did God say to Israel in the visions of the night?
And said, Jacob, Jacob. God said, your name's gonna be
Israel. And God spake to Israel in the middle of the night, and
what'd he call them? Jacob, Jacob. They're the same man. And he
said, Jacob said, here am I. And that's the truth. Here am
Jacob and here am Israel, right here. When the scriptures come
to speak of him dying, it says, and the time drew nigh that Israel
must die. God never faints and is never
weary. Never faints and never weary.
What's my point here? For the believer, it doesn't
matter your circumstances. It doesn't matter what state
you're in. Inside of you is the usurper
and the prince, if you're a believer. It's one. It's one. You are one. Inside, you are the usurper and
the prince. What? The sinner and the saint. Unbelieving and believing. Do
you believe that? Righteous and unrighteous. Ungodly and godly. And these are the words to you.
These are the words to you. God's words to his elect, to
the sinner and to the saint are exactly the same. What's it say? You can't hide from God and you're
not hidden from God. What's it say? What's God say? God never stops, never halts,
never hesitates, and never gets tired. And God's understanding is beyond
your knowing. Just believe him, believe him.
Believe his word. He gives power to the faint,
he gives strength to those who have no might, and they that
wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, which he gives. They shall ascend up with wings
as eagles, which he does, and they shall run and not be weary,
and shall walk and not be faint, which he will cause you to do.
What's he say? He says, I will be your God,
and you shall be my people. We sang that song. And here it
is, what does God say to Jacob in Israel? I shall give you strength
as your day. Rest when you labor and light
on the way. Grace for your trials, help from
above, unfading kindness and undying love. I like those words, I like those
words. He said it. And whether or not
I believe it, that settles it. I will never leave you nor forsake
you. And he will give us what we need. He knows better than we do. He
always has. Heavenly Father, we're thankful
again for this place, this time. And thank you, Lord, for this
message. that Christ is all, all our life, all our love, all
our salvation, all our reward, though we don't deserve any of
it. In Christ, you have given it to us. Be with Paul and Walter
as they come to preach your gospel and help us to praise you as
we ought. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.