ISAIAH, PART 2 (COMFORT FOR HIS PEOPLE) PROGRAM 4 (#911119) WEEK 1 (#911324) 2011 PRECEPT MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL

PRECEPTS FOR LIFE

Precept Ministries International

SERIES: Isaiah, Part 2 (Comfort For His People) TITLE: Program 4 The Supremacy Of His Power THURSDAY (6/16/11) OPEN If I were to ask you how the world came into existence, what would you tell me? Would you agree with Genesis chapter 1, that In the beginning [that] God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1) Or would you say, No, no, no, no, no, science has disproved that. Well first of all, I want you to know science has never disproved it. You say, But I believe in evolution. Well listen to me very carefully, I believe that the way you look at creation determines the way that you live. Well talk about it today. PART ONE As we move in Isaiah from chapter 40 to chapter 41, His message continues. And His message basically is this, [Do not fear, O Jacob. Dont fear, Jacob. Even though you are like a little worm, dont fear because I have plans for you. I am God.] (PARAPHRASE, Isaiah 41:13-14) Now as we look at all of this, what youre going to see from Isaiah 40 to Isaiah chapter 66 is, God is going to keep reminding them that He is the Creator. This is what He says in
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ISAIAH, PART 2 (COMFORT FOR HIS PEOPLE) PROGRAM 4 (#911119) WEEK 1 (#911324) 2011 PRECEPT MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL

Isaiah chapter 40 in verse 28. And I want to go back to those verses. I want you to see something, but I want to start in verse 27. He says, Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel. (Isaiah 40:27) Its kind of like a Hebrew poetry. He calls him Jacob, and then He calls him Israel because they are Jacob and they are Israel, and theyre one in the same. He says, Why do you sayMy way is hidden from the LORD, He says, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God? (Isaiah 40:27) Hes saying, [Dont] you know? Have you, now listen carefully, not heard? [Have you not heard that] the Everlasting God, (Isaiah 40:28) the One that has always been, the One that will always be, El Olam, the Everlasting God, the Lord. The Lord, the SelfExistent One. Yehovahthe most sacred name for Godthe name that God speaks when, Moses says, Who shall I say sent me? What did God say? I AM. This is My memorial name to every generation. (See Exodus 3:13-15) What does I AM mean? What does Yehovah mean? It means, Im the Self-Existent One. Im the Self-Contained One. Everything that you need is found in Me. So Hes saying to Jacob, Hes saying to Israel, [Dont say to Me that your way is hidden from Me. Dont say that I dont know whats going on and Im not giving you the justice that is due you. Dont you know Who I am? I am the Everlasting God. I am the Lord.] (PARAPHRASE, Isaiah 40:27-28) Now listen to what He says, ...[I am] the Creator of the ends of the earth [I am the Creator].... (Isaiah 40:28) At the beginning of this program, I asked you what you thought about Genesis chapter 1. What you thought about how we got here. Im asking you not just to tell me what you think. What do you believe? What do you believe? You know theres a great battle over creationism today. I mean the schools do not want to hear what the Word of God has to say. The schools want evolution taught. I mean, the powers that be in the United States of America do not want creationism taught, and they dont want intelligent design taught because they think that basically, it is simply teaching

ISAIAH, PART 2 (COMFORT FOR HIS PEOPLE) PROGRAM 4 (#911119) WEEK 1 (#911324) 2011 PRECEPT MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL

creationism. They want to believe that we came from nothing, that we evolved and that we got bigger and better, etc. And they say that this is science. That is not science. Science is something that you can prove and that you can test. So theres a real battle. Have you ever thought, why the battle? Who rules this world? 1 John chapter 5 says, the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (1 John 5:19) John 8:44 says that, [You are of your father the devil who is a liar, who is a murderer from the beginning, who abides not in truth.] (PARAPHRASE, John 8:44) What is God showing us here in Isaiah 40 and 41 about Him, and why is it so important? He wants us to understand that He is the Creator. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth. He is the One who knows the stars by name, who calls them by name and men cant even do that. (See Psalms 147:4) Hes the One that has made the nations like a drop in the bucket. (See Isaiah 40:15) He is Almighty God. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Now why the battle? The battle, Beloved, is because the strength of your faith, listen to me carefully, the strength of your faith depends on what you believe about God. Every time Israel gets into trouble, one of the things that you will find God doing is reminding them that He is the Creator. So lets look at this, lets look at that. Verse 28, Do you not know? Then He says, Have you not heard? (Isaiah 40:28) Now He tells that from the beginning, He has made this clear. Go back to chapter 40, verse 21. Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? (Isaiah 40:21) From the beginning of what? From the beginning of the book, from the beginning of time, In the beginning God created the heaven[s] and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void and darkness [covered] the face of [this earth.] And the Spirit of God moved [over] the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2, KJV) Etc. And God said, Let there be.... (Genesis 1:3) ...And it was so.... (Genesis 1:7) And it was evening and it was morning, and it was the first day and the second day, it was the sixth day. (See Genesis 1) [And

ISAIAH, PART 2 (COMFORT FOR HIS PEOPLE) PROGRAM 4 (#911119) WEEK 1 (#911324) 2011 PRECEPT MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL

on the seventh day, Genesis 2, God rested from all that He had created.] (PARAPHRASE, Genesis 2:2) He is the Creator. And He says, Do you not know? Have you not heard? [That] the Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. (Isaiah 40:28) Hes the One because Hes the Creator. He can give strength to the weary because Hes the creator. If you lack might He can increase power. (See Isaiah 40:29) Why? Because He spoke and brought the world into existence. Look at Hebrews chapter 11; Hebrews chapter 11. Its the faith chapter. Its a very important chapter. And it says that, faith is the substance of things hoped for, [it is] the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1, KJV) It says, For by it [by faith] men of old gained approval. By faith we understand, by faith taking God at His word. What He said from the beginning, by faith we understand, that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. (Hebrews 11:2-3) In other words, God spoke and it came into existence. This is the God that He is calling you to wait for. This is the God that He is calling you to hope for. I have a letter a testimony and Im just going to tell you her first name. And her first name is Jennifer. And as Jennifer wrote her testimony, this is what she said. She was brought up in this Christian home. She went to this Christian college, and her faith was unwavering until her junior year. In her junior year she took a course called Contemporary Christian Issues. In this course, the professor had her discuss whether homosexuality was actually a sin. She says, It was the first time, listen carefully, that I had heard anyone from the church question the validity of the stories I had been taught from my youth. I began to look at creation, the flood, the story of Jonah, from a critical point of view. At that time I didnt spend too much time mulling these issues over in my mind, but the ideas were planted. And then she goes on to say what happened during her senior year in college, The doubts that were planted in that course began to

ISAIAH, PART 2 (COMFORT FOR HIS PEOPLE) PROGRAM 4 (#911119) WEEK 1 (#911324) 2011 PRECEPT MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL

surface. I began to wonder about the validity of the Genesis account of creation. Did it really happen in seven days? Was Jonah really swallowed by fish? Was the Flood a world-wide event as it suggested in Genesis, or was it a local tragedy? When these questions arose, I kept pushing them to the back of my mind. She says, I couldnt imagine where they were coming from. Well I dont have time to read you all of her testimony, but listen to what she says. As I looked back over this period of my Christian faith, I realized that the doubts that I had about the stories in Genesis, listen carefully, limited my belief in a God who was powerful enough to do the things that seemed so unbelievable. My lack of faith actually limited my Christian walk. And your lack of faith in God as the Creator of the ends of the earth will limit your Christian walk. This is why God is going to drill it over and over and over again. This is why this program exists to take you through a book of the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter so that you discover truth for yourself. This is why we have a free downloadable study guide that will teach you how to observe the text, how to discover what it says. All you need to go is to <preceptsforlife.com>. Now lets go on to Isaiah 41. He says, Coastlands, listen to Me in silencelet the peoples gain new strength; let them come forwardlet them speak; let us come together for judgment. Who has aroused one from the east Whom He calls in righteousness to His feet? Who is this God that says to a person living in the east, Come here, be at My feet? He delivers up nations before him. (Isaiah 41:1-2) This is the One that calls a man and then takes nations and makes them submit to Him to lose the battle. He delivers up nations before Him. He, subdues kings. He makes them like the dust with [the] sword, as the wind-driven chaff with His bow. He pursues them, passing on in safety, by a way that he had not been traversing with his feet. Who has [accomplished] performed and accomplished [this], calling forth, listen carefully, the generations from the

ISAIAH, PART 2 (COMFORT FOR HIS PEOPLE) PROGRAM 4 (#911119) WEEK 1 (#911324) 2011 PRECEPT MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL

beginning? (Isaiah 41:2-4) Telling you from the creation of the earth, These are the generations. Who is it? Well talk about it in just a minute. PART TWO Remember our question before we went to the break? And by the way, let me just tell you this, it is such a privilege for me to be able to have this opportunity to teach you the Word of God. And I thank you so very, very much. I thank you for writing me, for emailing me, for letting me know that you are there and that you are growing, and families are learning. One mother wrote and said, Ive had the worst time with my homeschoolers. Theyre 17 and 13 but they found the program and they dont complain any more. Thank you so very, very much. And I want to thank you for supporting us because I want to tell you, the media is very, very expensive; just producing the program. So I thank you for your partnership. Were looking for more of you. We need far more of you. You know the Bible says that you help those that teach you. (See 1 Timothy 5:17-18) And Im not out to fleece you. Im only out to teach you. So you pray about supporting us OK? Now what is the answer to this question, Who has performed and accomplished [these things], calling forth the generations from the beginning? (Isaiah 41:4) And heres the answer, verse 4. You probably already knew it. You probably had it already marked in your Bible. I, the LORD, God is saying, Im answering this Myself. I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am He. (Isaiah 41:4) In other words, I have always been. And I will always be. Im the bookends on all of history, from creation all the way to the new heaven and the new earth. Im the bookends. Ive got it all encompassed. I am God. I started it from the beginning, as we read, [From the foundations of the earth, Im the first and I am the last. I am the LORD]. (PARAPHRASE, Isaiah 41:4) Now Hes talking to the coastlands. Well if you go through and youd mark coastlands youd see coastlands encompasses the nations. And He says now Hes calling the

ISAIAH, PART 2 (COMFORT FOR HIS PEOPLE) PROGRAM 4 (#911119) WEEK 1 (#911324) 2011 PRECEPT MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL

coastlands into court. And He says, Keep silent. (See Isaiah 41:1) Now Hes saying to them that: The coastlands have seen, verse 5, and [they] are afraid; the ends of the earth tremble. (Isaiah 41:5) These nations have seen Gods power and now they are afraid. It says, they have drawn near[they] have come. Each one, And its talking about the nations, Each one helps his neighbor and says to his brother, Be strong! So the craftsman encourages the smelter. (Isaiah 41:5-7) The craftsman of what? Well now watch. [He] encourages the smelter, the one thats going to take the metal and melt it and mold it. He who smooths metal with the hammer encourages him who beats the anvil. Who takes that anvil and makes it work. It says, saying of the soldering..., of it, its good. ...It is good; and he fastens it with nails, so that it will not totter. (Isaiah 41:7) What is he talking about? Hes saying the nations are trembling. The nations dont know what to do. So the nations come together to create gods to help them. And so one helps the other, the craftsmen get together and they finally get this idol. They make it so it will not totter. Its got to have a smooth bottom. Why? Because if it falls over it cant get up again, why? [Because it has eyes, but it cannot see, it has ears but it cannot hear, has a head but it cant think, has a mouth but it cant talk, has arms but they cannot move, has legs and they cannot walk. Its the product of their hands.] (PARAPHRASE, Psalms 115:4-7) And so, He says, so that it will not totter, so these are the coastlands. These are the nations without God. And then He makes this beautiful, beautiful contrast. But you [you], Israel, My servant. (Isaiah 41:8) Did you get the but? Did you see that it is a contrast? Here are the coastlands fashioning their idols. Here I am. Im the Creator of the ends of the earth. I am the Everlasting God. I am the LORD. I am the first and I am the last. But you [you], [O] Israel, [you are] My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen. (Isaiah 41:8) Do you realize who you are? And I want to say the same thing to you as a believer. Do you realize who you are? He says,

ISAIAH, PART 2 (COMFORT FOR HIS PEOPLE) PROGRAM 4 (#911119) WEEK 1 (#911324) 2011 PRECEPT MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL

Jacob, whom I have chosen. (Isaiah 41:8) Do you know that John 15:16, Jesus turns to His disciples and He passes it on to this. And He says, [You know what? You didnt choose Me. I chose you. I chose you. I ordained you that you would go, that you would bear fruit, that your fruit would remain and that whatever you ask in My name I would do it.] (PARAPHRASE, John 15:16) Where did He choose you from? He chose you out from the mass of mankind. You say, Well I dont like that. Listen, youre not God. [He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy.] (PARAPHRASE, Romans 9:15) And you know when He chose you? Well Ephesians 1; I remember the day that I stopped and I shook my fist in the face of God and I said, To hell with You, God! Ill see You around town. Im going to find someone to love me! I didnt know that before the foundation of the world that God had said, To heaven with you, Kay. I didnt know that Ephesians 1 says that God has chosen us in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world. (See Ephesians 1:4) Hes the One that created it. Before He ever spoke and brought it into existence, before the Creator of the ends of the earth ever moved, He had me on His mind. And if youre a child of God, He had you too. So who are you trusting in? Where are you finding your strength? Where are you finding your comfort? Are you looking at the nations? Are you looking at the idols? You say, We dont have idols. We live in the United States of America. Do you know that Colossians says that greed is idolatry? (See Colossians 3:5) Oh, America has a horrible idol. Its materialism. We trust and we go after the almighty dollarmammoninstead of trusting God. Were in a terrible, terrible state. Well He says, and Hes speaking to His chosen people, Israel. You and I can take that and see the New Testament parallels. He says, youJacob whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham, My friend. (Isaiah 41:8) God called Abraham His friend. Friend is a covenant term. God made a covenant with Abraham to give him a seed. That seed was Jesus Christ. God made a covenant with Abraham to give them a

ISAIAH, PART 2 (COMFORT FOR HIS PEOPLE) PROGRAM 4 (#911119) WEEK 1 (#911324) 2011 PRECEPT MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL

land, and that land was the land of Israel. (See Genesis 15:5, 7) He says, Abraham My friend, you [you], Hes speaking to Israel, whom I have taken from the ends of the earth. He says, and called from its remotest parts and said to you, You are My servant [you Israel are My servant], I have chosen you and not rejected you. (Isaiah 41:8-9) And then listen to what He says. This is your precept for life today. Do not fearI am with you; Do not anxiously look about youI am your God. (Isaiah 41:10) Who is our God? He is El Olam, the Everlasting God. He is Lord. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Hes the One that was in the beginning. Hes the One that is at the end. He is the Everlasting God, the first and the last. He is God. You can rest. You can trust, Precious One if you just believe it. This is why its so important for you to believe creation because Hes the One that spoke and it was done. And it was good. How big is your God? Or how small?