God Is God Alone

Q: What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

The Bible teaches that God is sovereign and has absolute control over all events, as seen in Isaiah 45. In Isaiah 45, the consistent declaration is that God is sovereign and there is no other God. This theme is reiterated throughout the chapter, emphasizing that God's actions are for the benefit of His elect and for His glory. For example, in verses 5 and 6, God proclaims, 'I am the Lord, and there is none else.' This demonstrates His exclusive sovereignty over creation as He shapes history and directs events according to His purpose. Furthermore, Romans 9 highlights God's right to exercise His sovereignty in choosing whom to have mercy on, underscoring that it's not based on human merit but solely on God's will.

Q: How do we know God is God alone?

Isaiah 45 repeatedly asserts that God is uniquely sovereign and there is no other deity beside Him. The phrase 'I am the Lord, and there is none else' is a central theme in Isaiah 45, serving as a declaration of God's sole divinity and sovereignty. The entire chapter underscores that all historical events and personal salvations are orchestrated by God alone. This concept is foundational in Reformed theology, which holds that God's sovereignty is absolute, thus dismissing any notion of competing gods or powers. The scripture reinforces that God does great things for the sake of His elect and for His glory, arguing against idolatry and highlighting God's incomparable nature. God's unique identity is not only a theological claim; it influences how believers understand their relationship with Him.

Q: Why is God's sovereignty important for Christians?

God's sovereignty assures Christians that He is in control and that His plans for salvation are secure. Understanding God's sovereignty is crucial for Christians because it provides a foundation of trust in His character and actions. In Isaiah 45, God demonstrates through historical acts, such as the rise of Cyrus, that He governs the world and directs history according to His divine will. This assurance allows Christians to rest in the knowledge that their salvation and the unfolding of God's plans are secure, irrespective of external circumstances. Romans 9 reiterates that God's sovereignty includes election and mercy, highlighting His authority over life and salvation. The believer’s confidence springs from the reality that God acts for the sake of His elect and His glory, and thus believers are encouraged to depend on Him completely.

Q: What does Isaiah 45 teach about idolatry?

Isaiah 45 warns against idols, emphasizing that only the Lord is worthy of worship. In Isaiah 45, particularly verses 16 and 20, the text explicitly warns against the folly of idolatry and the shame that comes upon idol makers. The chapter contrasts the living God with powerless idols, urging God's people to recognize that only the Lord deserves worship. This concept is foundational for Christians as it affirms that true salvation and righteousness come only through Christ, the fulfillment of God's promises. The chapter illustrates how societal and personal idols ultimately lead to confusion and shame, reinforcing the idea that every true believer must turn away from false gods and recognize the sovereignty of the one true God, who revealed Himself through Jesus Christ.

Isaiah chapter 45. Now, I know that many of you here are
familiar with this chapter in God's Word, but perhaps you've never seen
this particular theme. or key to Isaiah 45. It doesn't require a professor
of theology or even a Bible scholar to discover the theme of this
chapter if it's read very carefully. The theme of this chapter is
one phrase that occurs over and over and over again, and let
me show it to you before I begin. speaking from verse 1. Look at
verse 5. I am the Lord, there's none else. God is God alone. I am the Lord,
there's none else. Verse 6, the last line of verse
6. You have it? I am the Lord, there's
none else. God is God alone. Verse 14. The very last line of verse 14. Surely God is in thee, and there's
none else. There is no God. Other than the
God of heaven, there is no God. There's none else. I'm God, there's
none else. Verse 18. The last line in verse
18, I'm the Lord, there's none else. God is God alone. God is God. alone. There's none else. Verse 21,
the last line of verse 21, And there is no God else beside me,
a just God and a Savior, and there's none beside me. There's
none else. God is God alone. Verse 22, Look unto me, and be
ye saved. All the ends are there, for I
am God. And there's none else. There's the thing. That's what
Isaiah 45 is all about. God is God alone, and there's
none else. Now, starting with verse 1, the
Lord in the first three verses declares what great things that
he will do for and by Cyrus. Maybe you've never run into that
name before, but Cyrus. is the deliverer of the Jews
from captivity. You look up the word Cyrus in
your concordance, then you can find several scriptures referring
to him. But the first three verses here,
the Lord tells what he will do for Cyrus and by the hand of
Cyrus for his people. And Cyrus is a picture of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now watch as I read verse 1 through
3 about Cyrus. Thus saith the Lord to his anointed."
Now, we're talking here about a human being, about an earthly
king that God used to deliver the Jews. He blessed the Jews.
He glorified his name by the hand of this man. But everything
that's said about him here could be said about the Savior, the
Lord Jesus. He's God's anointed. "...to Cyrus,
whose right hand I've holden to subdue nations before him."
And I will loose the loins of kings to open before him the
two levied gates, and the gates shall not be shut. When I open
them, I'll open and no man will shut. And I'll shut and no man
will open, God said. I'll go before thee, isn't this
what John the Baptist said, and make the crooked places straight,
the high places low, the low places even. I'll break in pieces
the great gates of brass, cut in sunder the bars of iron. And
I'll give thee the treasures of darkness, and the hidden riches
of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which
call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel." You see, the
Lord gives two reasons why he'll do these great things, two reasons. why he'll do all that he does,
all these great things. He talks about the great things
he's going to do for and by Cyrus, King Cyrus, for Israel, showing us the great things he'll
do in and through and by Christ. And there are two reasons, two
reasons. Verse 4 tells us those two reasons.
For Jacob, my servant's sake, and Israel, And Israel, mine
elect, I'm going to do it for them. I'm going to do it for
them. That's the first reason why God
will do these great things for the sake of his elect, for the
sake of his people. And also that it might be known
that he's the Lord God. Now watch the next verses. I'll
do it for Israel, mine elect. I have even called thee by thy
name. I have surnamed thee. thou hast not known me. He knew
us, we didn't know him. He loved us, we didn't love him.
I am the Lord, and there's none else. There's no God beside me. I girded thee, though thou hast
not known me, that they may know from the rising of the sun and
from the west that there's none beside me. I'm the Lord, and
there's none else. Everything God does. is for the sake of his people
and for the glory of his name. You just, whatever, whatever
you want to talk about, whatever you want to talk about, that's
why I'm going to do these great things. He says, For Jacob, my
servant's sake, and I elect Israel, and that all may know that I
am God. Look at verse 7, I form the light, I create darkness,
I make peace, I create evil, I the Lord do these things. That's
why he does it. For the sake of his people, his
church, his elect. Israel. I'll show you something
about Israel in a few moments. And for the glory of his name.
If you'll hold Isaiah 45 and turn to 1 Kings chapter 18, there's some men through the
ages that have recognized these two things for which God does
all that he does. And one of them was Elijah. He
recognized why God does what he does. And when Elijah was
on Mount Carmel in that contest with the prophets of Baal, and
all day long the prophets of Baal abused their bodies and
cut themselves and went through all manner of pleadings and prayers and trying
to get their false God to answer, and he couldn't and didn't. And
then Elijah stood and prayed a very brief prayer of sixty-three
words, that's all, after he had put the wood on the altar and
put the sacrifice on the altar and immersed it in water several
times to show it was the power of God that consumed the altar
with fire. I want you to listen to how he
prays. Now listen to this. In verse 36 of 1 Kings 18. And
it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice
that Elijah the prophet came near and said, Lord God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Israel, he's the Lord of a people. He's the Lord God
of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Let it be known. this day that thou art God in
Israel, and that I am thy servant, and have done all these things
at your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that
these people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou
hast turned their heart back again. That your God You've done
for them a work of grace, and you've turned their hearts. It's
a relationship between God and a people. And then the fire of
the Lord fell. When those two things were cleared
up, when those two things were established, when those two things
were recognized and honored, when those two things became
the condition, let it be known that you're God, and God alone,
and that we're thy people. And the fire fell. And that's
what he said, that's where he begins chapter 45 of Isaiah. This chapter has got one key.
I'm the Lord and there's none else. And he says, I'm going
to do great things through Silas. Great things. Great things. Through Christ. And I'm going
to do these things for the sake of my people. For the sake of
my people. And that all may know that I'm
the Lord God and there's none else. All right, verse 8. And here is the true Cyrus. Here's the Messiah. Drop down
ye heavens from above. Let the skies pour down righteousness. When did the heavens drop down?
When did the skies pour down righteousness? That's when Christ
came from heaven. No man hath ascended into heaven
but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man. That's when
the skies, that's when the heavens and the skies poured down righteousness. That's when the earth opened
and let them bring forth salvation from the midst of the brethren.
Salvation on this earth, salvation from this earth, salvation from
man, from a seed of woman, yes sir. and let righteousness spring
up together, I, the Lord, have created it. Here is the true
size, here is the Messiah, here is the author of righteousness
and salvation who came down from heaven and yet was the Son of
Man. No man hath ascended into heaven,
but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is
in heaven, he said. That's Christ, our righteousness.
That's the true size. Now verse 9, woe, woe, woe, and
I'll tell you when God pronounces a woe, it's a woe. And this woe here is oh great
woe to any man who contends with God over these matters. I am God. I am sovereign, omnipotent,
independent of the creature. The potter hath power over the
clay. I am God. And what I do, I do
for the sake of my people. I have a people. And I do it
through Christ, the Cyrus, the Messiah. Now verse 9. And woe
unto him that striveth with his maker. Woe, O great woe, to any
man who contends with, or murmurs over, or questions, or debates,
or finds fault with God's sovereignty, His glory, and His way in Christ. Woe unto the man that strives
over these matters. Look at what he said. Let the
pot sherds strive with the pot sherds of the earth. Let these
clay vessels, these clay pots, strive with one another. Let
them conflict and debate and argue all they want to with one
another. But shall the clay say to him
that fashioned it, What makest thou? or thy work he hath no hands?
Are we going to question God? Woe unto him that saith unto
his father, What begettest thou? And to the woman, what hast thou
brought forth? Turn to Romans 9. Hold that scripture
there and listen to what Paul says in Romans 9. This is not
a matter for debate. If we can debate with one another
all we want to over issues in the Mideast and the Far East
and the Near East and the all the other things. And we can
debate over who's right and who's wrong in all these matters, but
God is God alone. And Christ is Christ, Redeemer,
Messiah alone. And what God does, he does for
his glory alone and for the good of his people. And don't argue
with it. Don't question it. And it's all through Christ.
Look at Romans 9, verse 20. Who art thou that replies against
God? Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, Why have you made me thus? Hath not the
positive power over the clay of the same lump of the same
mother's womb? To make one vessel under honor
and another under dishonor before the children were born neither
having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according
to election might stand. It was said unto her, The elder
shall serve the younger, Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated.
And Esau was the firstborn. By all natural rights, by all
legal rights, he is to be the head. But not by God's elective
grace. He'll save whom he will now.
of the same lump. They were born at the same time.
They were twins. They were conceived at the same
time. But God chose one and bypassed the other. Verse 22, what if
God, God is God alone now. What if God, willing to show
his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering
the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, and that he might
make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy,
which he had aforeprepared unto glory, even us whom he had called,
not of the Jews only, but also to the Gentiles." What if God
is pleased to do that? Are we going to argue? I'll go
back to the text. Isaiah 45, he says, Woe to him
that striveth with his maker. Now, you let the potsherds strive
with the potsherds of the earth. That's all right. But let us
not strive with God. God's God alone. Now, verse 11. Thus saith the Lord God. All
right. Are we submissive to this? God is God alone. He'll do what
He will, when He will, with whom He will. And all for his glory,
the exaltation of his name. Come, let us magnify the Lord
together. Let us exalt his name together.
And for the sake of his elect, Israel. Now, we've got that established. All right, look at this next
verse. Now, thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
his Maker, ask of me. Ask me of things to come concerning
my sons. You want to know? Do you really
want to know? Ask me. Ask me. You want to know things concerning
my sons? You want to know things concerning
my son, the Lord Jesus, and my sons? Do you really want to know?
Well, ask me. But don't ask some human being.
He doesn't know. Don't inquire of the denominations
and traditions of religion. They don't know. Don't inquire
of the wise men of the world. Ask me if you want to know. Ask me by prayer. Ask me by searching
the scriptures. Do you want to know the things
concerning my sons? Listen. Do you want to know the
things concerning the work of my hands? Command ye me. Pretty
good invitation, isn't it? Ask me. Ask me. Now, we're ignoring Him. God
is God alone. He said, I form the light, I
create darkness. I make peace, I create evil.
I kill, I make alive. I, the Lord, do all these things.
Everything's in my control. And then we sit around here and
debate. Well, I think God ought to do this. I think God ought
to do that. What do you think God ought to do? Why don't you
ask Him? See what I'm saying? Ask me. You want to know about things
to come? Ask me. You want to know about things
concerning my sons? Ask me. You want to know about
things concerning the work of my hands? Command me, I'll tell
you. Verse 12, I made the earth. I created man upon the earth.
I, even my hands, stretched out the heavens and all their host
that I commanded. I have raised up Jesus Christ
in righteousness. I sent Him into the world. God
so loved the world, He sent His only begotten Son. He, in the
fullness of time, God sent His Son into the world. I did that.
He said, I will direct all my ways. He will build my city. Christ will build my Jerusalem.
He'll let my captives go free. He'll set the captive free. He'll
give sight to the blind. He'll raise the dead. He'll preach
the gospel of the poor. He'll build my city. He shall
not fail. Ask me. I'll tell you. It won't be for price or reward. It won't be to get anything out
of you or me. Oh, everyone that thirsts to
come to the water, come and buy milk and wine without price,
without money. Don't bring any price. Don't
bring any reward. Ask me. Oh, I'll tell you. You
know, I get such a comfort, such a
blessing, such information, such joy, such logic, such reason
and wisdom. I'm just reading the Word of
God, don't you? There it is. I'm the Lord. You say, you want to know things
to come? You want to know things concerning my sons? My sons? The work of my hand? Command
me, I'll tell you. If any man wants to know the
will of God, he'll know it. But don't go to somebody else
now. God's got no private secretary.
You ask me, sir. I'll tell you. And then verse
14, he talks here about the conversion of the Gentiles. Thus saith the
Lord, this is not confined to the Jew. The labor of Egypt,
merchandise of Ethiopia, The Sabeans, men of stature, shall
come over unto thee, unto the church, unto the Lord Jesus,
unto his family. They'll be thine, and they'll
come after you in chains, they'll come after you. No, they're not
going to bring their kingdoms. They're going to be conquered.
What they used to do, Bob, when they went into these kingdoms
and conquered, they put their put them in chains and led them
behind their chariots as they came home. That's how they're
coming to Christ, in chains. They're not going to come with
their learning and wisdom and gold and prestige and influence
and power. They're going to come in chains. And they'll fall down before
Christ. And they'll make supplication
to Christ. And they'll say, surely God is
in thee. And we've learned something else.
There's none else. There is no God but the God of
Jacob. That's why they're coming. It really doesn't matter what a
man believes, preacher. Oh, yes, it does. Oh, yes, it does. Just saw a fellow sin-sitting. Oh, I beg your pardon. They're
coming. These Gentiles are coming. But
they're going to come in chains, they're going to come subdued,
in subjection, conquered, broken, surrendered, and they're going
to fall down before the living Lord, Christ Jesus. Every knee's
going to bow and every tongue's going to profess that he's Lord.
And they're going to cry, surely God is indeed, God was in Christ
reconciling the world to himself. And there's none else. None else. All of our great kingdoms
at our hands have labored to build, all of our great denominations,
all of our great works. There's nothing to it. There's
none but God. And I'll tell you this, verse
15, Thou art a God that hideth thyself. Now, you just let a
man think God owes him something. You let a man think God's obligated
to him. Thou art a God that hideth thyself,
O God of Israel, the Savior. Oh yes, I tell you, I tell you,
turn to Romans 9 verse 15 again. Listen to this, Romans 9 verse
15. It's not nearly as simple as
you think it is. Romans 9 verse 15, But he said
to Moses, I'll have mercy on whom I will have mercy. I'll
have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then, it's
not of him that willeth, it's not of him that runneth, it's
of God that showeth mercy. For the Scripture saith to Pharaoh,
even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might
show my power in thee, that my name might be declared throughout
all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, whom he will he hardeneth. Verse 15 of our
text says, Thou art a God that hidest thyself. If our gospel
be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, whom the God of this
world hath blinded, lest the light of the gospel of the glory
of God should shine unto them. First Thessalonians said God
will send them strong delusions and they will believe a lie. That's right, I tell you. Oh,
to be conquered by the King. Oh, to be subdued. Oh, to be
broken. God is known to them of a broken
heart, a broken and a contrite spirit. Oh, God, thou wilt not
despise. God resisteth the proud. He gives
grace to the humble. Pride goeth before destruction
and a haughty spirit before a fall. They'll come, but they'll come
in chains. They'll come subdued. Verse 16,
they shall be ashamed, they shall be ashamed and also confounded,
all of them. They shall go to confusion together
that are makers of idols, false gods. The makers and worshipers
of false gods shall be ashamed. They'll be confused. And I'll
tell you this, I'll tell you this, When we think of an idol,
we think of a, I do, I don't know about you, maybe you don't,
but you think of immediately of, like when I was in Japan,
I went up in that big Buddha, that's an idol. Or down in Mexico
they have these little shrines along the road, those are idols.
And in their cathedrals they have Mary, a statue of Mary,
that's an idol. Or they have the old old fathers
along the wall on paintings and statues, those are idols. But
you know, a man can even have an idol if he has a wrong conception
of the living God. He may call him Jesus and have
an idol if it's not the Jesus of the Bible. That's right. Paul
says he'll come preaching another Jesus. Well, if it's another
Jesus, it's an idol. That's right. We've got to find out who God
is. That's what he says here, I am
God. There's none else. Find out who He is. Find out
who the Son is. Now watch this. But, verse 17, Israel shall be
saved. Israel shall be saved in the
Lord with an everlasting salvation, and ye shall not be ashamed or
confounded forever, a world without end. Israel is going to be saved.
Now then, I'll tell you what most people think of when you
mention Israel. They think of the carnal natural descendants
of Abraham. They think of that nation over
there called Israel. Now, the word Israel is used
in the Bible about 2,500 times. And many of the times, many of
those 2,500 times, it does refer to that nation, Israel. That
nation, Israel. But here, when it says, Israel
shall be saved, and over in Romans where it says, all Israel shall
be saved, it's not talking about the natural descendants of Abraham
at all. It's not talking about that nation
at all. It's talking about every believer. It's called Israel. Now let me
show you that. Turn to Romans 2. Hold Isaiah
45 and turn to Romans 2. Now this is what God declares.
He said, those who make false gods and images of the living
God even, makers of gods and idols, shall be confounded and
shamed, but Israel is going to be saved. All Israel will be
saved. All the sons of Abraham will be saved, all of them, without
exception. Romans 2, 28. For he's not a Jew which is one
outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh,
but he's a Jew which is one inwardly. Circumcision is of the heart,
of the spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not of men but
of God. Who is a Jew? Who is a Jew? Strictly speaking, spiritually
speaking, factually speaking, who is a Jew? I am. You are. Everyone who believes
on Christ is a Jew. What is circumcision? Of the
flesh? That's a picture, that's a type.
Real circumcision is when the heart's been cut. That's right. That's real circumcision. So
who is a Jew with a token of circumcision of the covenant
of grace? Every believer. I'll show you
that in Galatians. Turn to Romans 9, first of all. Romans 9. Why are you in Romans?
Romans 9, 7 and 8. Listen to this. Romans 9, verse
7 and 8. Now listen. Let's read verse 6, Romans 9,
6. Not as though the word of God
had taken none effect, for they are not all Israel which are
of Israel. That's a strange statement, isn't
it? They're not all Israel which are of Israel. Neither because
they are the seed of Abraham are they all children. But in
Isaac shall thy seed be called, that is, they which are the children
of the flesh. These are not the children of
God. But the children of the promise
are counted for the seed. Oh, there it is. Sons of Abraham are those who
believe like Abraham. Sons of Abraham are those who
are born of Isaac. Christ is the seed of Abraham. We should read that in Galatians.
Turn to Galatians chapter 3. Galatians 3. Listen to this.
Galatians chapter 3. Galatians 3, 7. Now look at it.
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the
children of Abraham. Everybody who believes is a child
of Abraham. Look at verse 16. Now to Abraham
and his seed were the promises made. You say God's promised
that nation Israel over all these things. No, He didn't. No, he
didn't. God's promises were never made
to natural means. God's promises were made to the
seed. Listen. He saith not unto seeds,
as of many, but as of one, as to thy seed, which is Christ.
All the promises of God are in Christ. Yea, and amen. Not to a natural nation. Those promises to Israel, God
blessed them physically and materially when they obeyed him. When they
didn't obey him, he whipped the socks off of them. And that's
nothing but typical. God's promises, spiritual promises
and blessings are always been and are now and always will be
in Christ, through Christ and because of Christ. And if anybody
over yonder in that nation that flies the blue and white flag
with the star of David on it, if any of them are ever converted,
they'll be converted the same way you were, by hearing the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and believing on Him. That's
right. There's no special gospel for
the Jew. That's a bunch of hogwash. It's
Christ. It always has been Christ. Look
at verse 29 of Galatians 3. And if you be Christ, if you
belong to him, then are you a Jew, an Israelite, Abraham's seed,
and you're an heir according to the promise made to Christ. Okay? That's all there are to
it. That's where it is, in Christ. And all Israel is going to be
saved, every Israelite. from able to now, until the coming
of Christ. Verse 17, look at it again, Isaiah
45, But Israel shall be saved, the makers of idols, I don't
care what your idol is, you may name him Jesus, that would be
all right, but still an idol, unless he has the power and the
name and the credentials of the Lord Jesus Christ. But Israel
is going to be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation,
not be ashamed or confounded, never will be. world without
end. Now look at verse 18. For thus saith the Lord. Here's
who said that. You say, what's your doctrine?
Oh, I beg your pardon. It's my gospel and my doctrine,
but only because he said it, not for any other reason. For
thus saith the Lord that created the heavens, God himself that
formed the earth and made it. He has established it. He didn't
create it in vain. God's not disappointed, never
has been, is not now. His program is on schedule. That's
right. He formed it to be inhabited.
That's the new heaven and the new earth. Because I am the Lord
and there's none else. This is what cements this. Bob,
you and Tom and Chuck, this is what cements it. This is what
adds credit to what we preach. I'm preaching what's going to
happen because he's able to make it happen. He said the makers of idols are
going to be destroyed, ashamed, because I said it, God said it.
Israel is going to be saved because I, the Lord, have spoken it.
I created the heavens, and I didn't do it in vain. I didn't form
it. I formed it to be inhabited because
I'm the Lord. There's nothing else. Read verse
19. I'm not spoken in secret. You want to know my will? Ask
me. Like old Paul said to that ruler, these things weren't done
in the corner. Where are you? Where you been? You know about
these things. I didn't speak in secret. God
hung a star over that birthplace. God sent angels down here to
tell men about it. God crucified Him on a cross
in full view of men from every nation that were there to celebrate
the Passover. God raised Him from the dead
and shook the earth. I didn't speak in secret. It's
not because men can't know, it's because they won't know. That's
the problem. It's not because men can't understand,
they won't understand. You can understand what I'm saying.
I'm saying God is God alone. That's what he's saying here.
He's saying, I chose a people, I call them Israel, I gave them
to my son, I brought my son to redeem them, he's their righteousness,
I'll do everything through him, and they'll be saved. You let
a man take another road, and it's the road to ruin. I said
it, God said it. That's pretty plain, isn't it?
The problem is men say, I don't like it. It's not I don't understand
it, I don't want it, I won't accept it. I've been spoken in
secret, in a dark place. I said not to the seed of Jacob,
seek me in vain. Oh, no. If God says seek me,
he means seek me. And he means he'll be found if
you seek the living God. You want to know the will of
God? You can know it if you want to know it. I, the Lord, speak
righteousness. I declare things that are right,
God said. These are right. This is just. This is holy. Now verse 20. We'll bring her to a close. Assemble
yourselves and come. Draw near together, you that
are escaped of the nations. And that's us. They have no knowledge
that set up the wood of their graven image and pray to a God
that can't save. I ask you these questions. Where
are the false gods of this world that have been worshipped down
through the years? Where are they? These false gods that have
been adored and adorned with poetry and praise. Where are
the false gods? Baal, Saturn, Jupiter, Diana,
Mohammed, Buddha. Where are these false gods? They're
gone. Nobody talks much about them anymore. Where are the mighty
empires of the past? Babylon, Egypt, Greece, Rome. Where are the mighty empires?
They're gone. Where are the proud monarchs, the pharaohs, the Nebuchadnezzars,
the Herods, the Caesars, the Alexanders, the modern rulers?
Where are all these proud, arrogant dictators and little kings that
have marched across the stage of this world temporarily? They're
all gone. Where are the so-called wise
men, the Socrates and Plato's and Aristotle's and all the fellows
with all the philosophical notions that are going to do away with
God? They're all gone. Most people in here don't even
recognize their names. Or there was something in their
day. But God is God alone. God is God alone. God still reigns. His Word is still true. We are
reading the Bible this morning that they determined to destroy.
He said they have no knowledge. Verse 21, watch this. And I'll tell you, he'll teach
this to the church too, that he's God and God alone. Old Peter, I think of Peter standing
there boasting, I'll go to the death with you. But he found
out he wasn't anything but flesh, that God's God alone. Even the
Apostle Paul, God said, I'll send you a thorn in the flesh.
Because I don't ever want you to forget you're nothing but
a man. And he constantly reminds me
of it. Does he remind you of it? Often we shake ourselves
like Samson and go to do battle for God and we've lost all of
our power. Or we get up in the pulpit and
we've got a message that's going to turn the world upside down.
All we do is turn ourselves upside down. and muddy the water and
grind the mill like an old blind horse. God is God. If He wants to save
this congregation, He's able to do it. He can do it. He will
do it if He wills to do it. That's exactly right. But I tell
you what we'd better do. We'd better fall down before
Him in chains and submission and say, let God be God and ever
man a liar. And let Christ be Lord. That's
right. And go from there. That's a good
starting point. That's where it all starts. You
go from there. For he says, Tell ye, verse 21, bring them near,
let them take counsel together. Who hath declared this from ancient
times? It's the same message. Who hath
told it from that time? I've declared the end from the
beginning, God said. Have not I the Lord? There's
no God beside me. I'm a just God, but I'm a Savior. How can it be both in Christ?
He's a just God and He's a Savior, and there's none else. To whom
shall we go? So he said, now look, look to me. Look to me
in my true character. Call on me in my true name and
be you saved. To whom are we to look? One God. What are we to do? Just look.
Who's to look? All of the ends of the earth.
Well, why are we to do it this way? Because He's God. And there's
no one else to whom we can look. That's just it. So you look to
me. You see, the preachers aren't
thinking today. They've just lost their minds
somewhere down the road. They're not thinking. Now take
this verse Isaiah 45, 22 out and preach on it. You can't preach
on Isaiah 45, 22 until you read the first part of that chapter.
You just can't preach on it because people don't know who me is. Look unto me. Look unto me that
I'm the Lord and nothing else who's been talking all this way.
Isn't that right? This being established, God is
God alone. I am God. I do what I will, when
I will, with whom I will. So if you want any consolation
or help or comfort, you look to me. And don't you struggle
and strive and try to bring anything. You just look. That's all. And that look acknowledges
who to whom I'm looking. And there's no one else to whom
I can look. And here I am. I look. They say, it doesn't matter who
you are. It doesn't matter what you used
to think or where you used to be or where you used to church
or the confusion or the fact that you used to worship idols.
Abraham did too. Abraham was still worshiping
idols when he was 75 years old, wasn't he John? 75 years old. But he looked. I'll tell you when he looked,
when he found out to whom he's supposed to look. That's when
he looked. And now watch this. I've sworn
by myself now, verse 23, and the word's gone out of my mouth,
and it won't return. This gospel won't return. It's
not going to change. It's not going to bend. It's
not going to be... And let me tell all of you something. Worship's the same. I know men are trying to change
it. We're trying to go modern. We're trying to fit our worship
and our music and our everything else into the modern vein. Give
up, fella. We worship God the same way they
worshiped God 6,000 years ago, in heart and spirit. The message
not changed. God's not changed. Sinners hadn't
changed. The gospel hadn't changed. Christ
hadn't changed. It's the same. The Word of God's
our foundation. And we come in submission and
subjection and surrender, in solemnity, before our holy God,
broken. We're not in the entertainment
business. We're here to worship God. I've sworn it's not going
to change. My word's gone out of my mouth,
and unto me every knee's going to bow, and every tongue's going
to swear. Every tongue's going to confess
that he's Lord, to the glory of God the Father. That's gone
out of my mouth. It's not coming back. Surely, shall one say,
and you can say this either way, like in the margin, surely he
shall say of me, in the Lord is all righteousness. That's
true. But also, surely shall one say, in the Lord I have righteousness,
because he is the Lord our righteousness, and his church is called the
Lord our righteousness. And all that are incensed against
him are going to be ashamed. We who've been conquered, we're
ashamed of our years of rebellion. And those that are not conquered
are going to be ashamed when he's coming. Now, verse 25. In
the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified. All of them. And they're going to glory. Have
you learned something this morning? I learned something studying
this. I learned God is God alone. And I learned everything God
does is for Israel. Can't find out who Israel is.
Every true believer. And he does it that he might
make known his glory. He's God alone.

God Is God Alone

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

How do we know God is God alone?

Why is God's sovereignty important for Christians?

What does Isaiah 45 teach about idolatry?

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God Is God Alone

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

How do we know God is God alone?

Why is God's sovereignty important for Christians?

What does Isaiah 45 teach about idolatry?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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