The Incomparably Great God at Work • 01.19.25

Nick Lees   -   January 19, 2025

The Incomparably Great God at Work
Isaiah 41:1-29

Delighting in the revelation of God’s glory in comparison to idols

1. Consider: Who rules the world?
2. Remember: God is Creator and Provider
3. Behold: Idols are worthless and false

Good morning, church family! (Introduce self + welcome guests)

Sanctity of Life Sunday + Agape Pregnancy Resource Center supply drive

• Pray for our nation to value the lives of the unborn and elderly. To repent of the horrors of abortion. For a movement to sweep the land of recognizing that every life is made in the image of God and has inherent dignity and worth.

Dismiss 4^th + 5^th graders

Ushers + Bibles (Isaiah 41; page 714?)

What is your view of God? What comes into your mind when you think about Him? Is he harsh and unloving? A fierce judge who is always disapproving of you? Is he gentle and docile? A parental figure who is overly permissive and loves you the way you are without demanding change? There are a lot of competing views of God out there. There are likely competing views of God inside the walls of this building today too. And whatever your view is will have a profound influence on the way you think and live. Not to mention, if you’ve got the wrong view of God, it could have incredibly detrimental effect on your life.

If this is true, then it seems important to seek the truth about God. So how do we know what God is like? How can we make sure we are arriving at the right view of Him? *pause* … If only he had given us a book where he told us about himself… Oh wait, he has! God has written extensively about himself through the authors of the Scriptures, and that has been especially prevalent in the material we’re studying at the start of our year!

Last week we dove back into our study of Isaiah: The Lord Saves. It was an incredible reminder that God is not only a just judge but also a mighty God and merciful savior. He defies inaccurate, lop-sided views of being solely fierce and just or overly permissive and loving. Yes, he held the people of Israel and Judah accountable for their constant rebellion against him, but he would not leave them languishing in exile forever! His promise is that he will come for his people. He would not forsake his covenant promises. He is not done with his people or plan. He will tend his flock like a shepherd, gathering his lambs in his arms and carrying them in his bosom.

This picture of a gentle, good shepherd was especially beautiful considering the incomparable greatness of God that was on display in 40:12-26! Though he is greater than anything we can comprehend, and though we are like little grasshoppers in comparison, he still takes notice of those who seek him. Though our lives are temporary and the greatest among us can be removed by God’s mere breath, yet he pays attention to those who wait for the LORD, and he renews their strength.

This God is far greater than we can fathom – in every respect! He is greater than everyone and everything! And yet he is also personal and imminent, trustworthy and willing to deliver. These are truths about God that we witnessed last week, and, as we continue our study today, we will see them develop further before us.

In Isaiah 41, God is going to reveal his plan to summon the nations before him so they can come to a decision together. He wants the people of earth to consider who is really in charge. Of course, there is only one conclusion when you consider the divine work of the Lord vs the futility of idols, and he intends to lead them to that conclusion. However, as we’ll see, just because you may intellectually know the truth about God does not mean that you will respond to him in the appropriate way! Faith and trust in God require more than mere head knowledge. It is possible to know lots of true things about God but persist in rebellion by pursuing selfish idolatry.

With that in mind, let’s turn our attention to the study of God’s Word. Our aim today is…

Delighting in the revelation of God’s glory in comparison to idols

Isaiah 41:1–16 (ESV)

Listen to me in silence, O coastlands;

let the peoples renew their strength;

       let them approach, then let them speak;

let us together draw near for judgment.

²    Who stirred up one from the east

whom victory meets at every step?

       He gives up nations before him,

so that he tramples kings underfoot;

       he makes them like dust with his sword,

like driven stubble with his bow.

³    He pursues them and passes on safely,

by paths his feet have not trod.

⁴    Who has performed and done this,

calling the generations from the beginning?

       I, the Lord, the first,

and with the last; I am he.

⁵    The coastlands have seen and are afraid;

the ends of the earth tremble;

they have drawn near and come.

⁶    Everyone helps his neighbor

and says to his brother, “Be strong!”

⁷    The craftsman strengthens the goldsmith,

and he who smooths with the hammer him who strikes the anvil,

       saying of the soldering, “It is good”;

and they strengthen it with nails so that it cannot be moved.

⁸    But you, Israel, my servant,

Jacob, whom I have chosen,

the offspring of Abraham, my friend;

⁹    you whom I took from the ends of the earth,

and called from its farthest corners,

       saying to you, “You are my servant,

I have chosen you and not cast you off”;

¹⁰    fear not, for I am with you;

be not dismayed, for I am your God;

       I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

¹¹    Behold, all who are incensed against you

shall be put to shame and confounded;

       those who strive against you

shall be as nothing and shall perish.

¹²    You shall seek those who contend with you,

but you shall not find them;

       those who war against you

shall be as nothing at all.

¹³    For I, the Lord your God,

hold your right hand;

       it is I who say to you, “Fear not,

I am the one who helps you.”

¹⁴    Fear not, you worm Jacob,

you men of Israel!

       I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord;

your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁵    Behold, I make of you a threshing sledge,

new, sharp, and having teeth;

       you shall thresh the mountains and crush them,

and you shall make the hills like chaff;

¹⁶    you shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away,

and the tempest shall scatter them.

       And you shall rejoice in the Lord;

in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.

This chapter begins with the Lord summoning the nations to listen to him and surprisingly, to renew their strength. You may recall that same language in chapter 40:31 where God said, “But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength…” God is inviting the nations to wait for him! This is their opportunity to trust in Him. He also invites them to draw near to him to speak with him so that they may render judgment (or make a decision).

Well, what does God want them to consider or render judgment on? It is found in the two questions posed in verses 2 and 4.

• Who stirred up one from the east whom victory meets at every step? (v2)
• Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? (v4)

God is inviting the nations (and us today) to consider…

1. Consider: Who rules the world?

Who is it that summoned Cyrus, King of Persia, to come and conquer the land? Who would give him a clear path to victory and make sure that his campaign is successful?

God tells us in verse 4, “I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.” Look no further! God has taken ownership for what will occur. Now you might be tempted to think, “Wait a minute, are we just supposed to take God’s word for it?!” Yes… and no. Yes, the One, True God is the source of truth and therefore always speaks what is true – so trust what he says. But also no, because it is not reliant only on God’s character, but also the miraculous foretelling that this would happen!

Remember, this was written ~100-150 years ahead of time. Isaiah wrote these prophecies before his death and it was passed on to the nation of Judah in exile in Babylon. Cyrus of Persia was not a world power when this was written, yet God speaks openly about his calling of Cyrus to come and conquer in the coming days. This writing is a reminder from God of his sovereignty in all things, such as calling and appointing world powers.

Who rules the world? Yahweh does. This theme of God’s sovereignty is not new in the writings of Isaiah, nor is it the last time it will show up. It is woven throughout the prophecies! God rules and reigns and, as we saw in verses 5-16, there are two different responses to this reality.

First, in verses 5-7, we see the response of the nations. They gather in a show of solidarity. They are encouraging one another, “Be strong!” Surely that’s a good thing, right? They’ve got each other’s backs! Not in this case. It’s not good when you gather to reaffirm one another in rebellion against the One, True God!

When confronted with the reality of God, these people are afraid and trembling, but it is not a fear that produces faith. Their fear leads them to double-down on their idolatrous desires! They refuse to bow the knee to the One, True God and continue to prefer the so-called gods of their own making.

Now that may seem ludicrous to you as you hear it today – why would anyone trust in something they have made and must nail down to keep secure? … Please be cautious in your hastiness to judge them. After all, how often do we repeat their same behavior in our own lives?

We have tremendous access to revelation about God in our day and age, yet on a weekly, if not daily, basis we are tempted to turn aside to worship idols. When life gets hard, we open the pantry and worship… or turn on the TV and worship… or grab a bottle of wine/whiskey and worship… or dive back into work and worship… Hopefully you get the idea. Where do you turn when life gets hard? If it is to anything other than God, then perhaps you are more like the nations in this passage than you realize. The One, True God has made himself known and calls everyone, everywhere to worship him. He is far better and far greater than any man-made idol that we can make or turn to for rescue. If your practice is turning to something other than God for help, will you confess that and ask him for help today? *pause*

Look at the alternative response that God provides in verses 8-16! In these verses God speaks directly to his chosen people, Israel. Let’s hear the first few verses again…

Isaiah 41:8–10 (ESV)

⁸    But you, Israel, my servant,

Jacob, whom I have chosen,

the offspring of Abraham, my friend;

⁹    you whom I took from the ends of the earth,

and called from its farthest corners,

       saying to you, “You are my servant,

I have chosen you and not cast you off”;

¹⁰    fear not, for I am with you;

be not dismayed, for I am your God;

       I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

God makes it clear that they are his chosen people, his servants. God is their master, and he is the one who made them into a great nation. Because of this identity, they need not fear – they are his people, and he is with them! He promises to strengthen, help, and uphold them!

God is calling them to replace their fear with trust in him. Even though they are mere servants or even worms (see v14) they have an awesome master! Their response is not to be based on their strength or might but his! When God calls people to trust in him, he is inherently calling them to stop trusting in anything else, whether themselves or idols! Nothing good comes from selfish idolatry. But all kinds of good come from trusting in the God who reigns over all!

Verses 11-16 reveal God’s plan to protect his people. No one who stands against them shall remain. Though they are small and weak in and of themselves, God will transform them into a force to be reckoned with. Notice how God chooses to identify himself multiple times in this passage – “the Holy One of Israel” – he has a people whom he will protect and provide for! His plan is for them to rejoice and glory in Him.

His provision and protection are elaborated upon in verses 17-20. Let’s read that now.

Isaiah 41:17–20 (ESV)

¹⁷    When the poor and needy seek water,

and there is none,

and their tongue is parched with thirst,

       I the Lord will answer them;

I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

¹⁸    I will open rivers on the bare heights,

and fountains in the midst of the valleys.

       I will make the wilderness a pool of water,

and the dry land springs of water.

¹⁹    I will put in the wilderness the cedar,

the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive.

       I will set in the desert the cypress,

the plane and the pine together,

²⁰    that they may see and know,

may consider and understand together,

       that the hand of the Lord has done this,

the Holy One of Israel has created it.

What beautiful promises! The Lord, the God of Israel, will provide for the poor and needy. As the Creator, he transforms creation to accomplish his holy will. Every river, every fountain, every oasis, every tree is evidence of his provision for his people! These things did not occur outside of his sovereign plan. Reflecting on this reality gives us another reason to delight in the revelation of God’s glory in comparison to idols…

2. Remember: God is Creator and Provider

Idols can create nothing nor provide anything! But God is the one who has the power to transform the land from barren to fertile. He had done this in Israel’s past when they journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land. You may recall God providing water from the rock when they were thirsty. God does miraculous things to provide for his people! And everything that has been made comes from his creative power.

These words were a reminder to the people to look to the LORD and trust in him! God says in verse 20 that he will do these things, “that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.” He wants the nations of Israel and Judah to understand that it is God alone who creates and provides for them! He alone is worthy of their worship. Baal or Nebo or Molech or any of the other false gods of the nations around them could not create or provide a thing!

Remember that God is speaking to a people in exile. A people who had a long history of rejecting him and pursuing idols. He is challenging them to evaluate, “Whom will you trust? Where will you find your hope?” Those are relevant questions for modern-day readers too! Again, I ask you – where do you turn when life gets hard? What is your source of hope?

Let’s consider some popular alternatives to trusting or hoping in the LORD:

• Self-improvement
  • It’s the start of the year, many of us likely have set goals for the new year. We want to grow and change, improve, etc., But that cannot be the source of your hope. You are not a reliable, unchanging, steadfast source of trust. Self-reliance will inevitably let you down, because you are finite and fallible. You will encounter difficulties that you do not have the strength or wisdom to overcome. You have faults and flaws that require help outside of you. Trusting in self will not do… We need something greater.
• Relationships
  • Ok, I’m not going to trust in myself, but I’m going to trust/hope in others. I have a good group of friends. I have a good church family. Surely, they won’t let me down! They’ll support me and help me along the way.
  • On the one hand, we want to celebrate good friends and church family. I have and love both in my own life. However, I also know that they cannot be the source of my hope/trust. Even the best of friends or the healthiest of church families is not meant to bear that kind of burden. They are fallible people too. They have faults and flaws, and they were never meant to be my god… If I put the burden of my hopes/trust in them, they will crumble beneath that pressure. I will unreasonably expect them to provide me with what only God can provide! The same is true for other relationships – like your spouse or kids. God has not designed another human(s) to be your functional god.
• Economic stability
  • Even though life is hard, at least I have a comfortable home, a car to get around in, food on the table, money in the bank… creaturely comforts to enjoy! Again, this is not a stable place for your hopes/trust. These things can be taken away in a heartbeat – they can be stolen, wrecked, the economy could go sideways due to factors outside your control… If your hope/trust is in something that can perish or be taken away, it is a frail and insufficient source. We must not put creation in the place of the Creator!
  • Think about it this way, the Israelites and Judeans learned first-hand that putting their hope in economic stability was folly. They were conquered by an enemy nation and taken into exile! Sure, that seems like a very unlikely possibility in our nation, but, in the grand scope of history, it is not outside of the realm of possibility.

The point being made is that God alone is THE worthy source of your trust and hopes. He alone is unchanging and infallible. He alone is stable and secure. As the One, True God, he alone creates and provides. He keeps his promises and fulfills his plans. And God has revealed himself in passages like Isaiah 41 so that we might see him more clearly and respond to him appropriately! Let’s now consider the alternative to trusting in God as revealed in the rest of Isaiah 41:

Isaiah 41:21–29 (ESV)

²¹    Set forth your case, says the Lord;

bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob.

²²    Let them bring them, and tell us

what is to happen.

       Tell us the former things, what they are,

that we may consider them,

       that we may know their outcome;

or declare to us the things to come.

²³    Tell us what is to come hereafter,

that we may know that you are gods;

       do good, or do harm,

that we may be dismayed and terrified.

²⁴    Behold, you are nothing,

and your work is less than nothing;

an abomination is he who chooses you.

²⁵    I stirred up one from the north, and he has come,

from the rising of the sun, and he shall call upon my name;

      he shall trample on rulers as on mortar,

as the potter treads clay.

²⁶    Who declared it from the beginning, that we might know,

and beforehand, that we might say, “He is right”?

       There was none who declared it, none who proclaimed,

none who heard your words.

²⁷    I was the first to say to Zion, “Behold, here they are!”

and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good news.

²⁸    But when I look, there is no one;

among these there is no counselor

who, when I ask, gives an answer.

²⁹    Behold, they are all a delusion;

their works are nothing;

their metal images are empty wind.

The alternative to trusting in God is trusting in false idols who cannot speak, have no understanding, and provide nothing to you. The whole point of this passage is God calling the idols and their makers to provide some kind of evidence that they are real. If only they could foretell the things to come or do good, or even do harm, then there would be tangible evidence showing that they are real. But they cannot, because they are nothing. “Nothing” communicates that it is like they are not even there. This is further driven home by the reality that their works/deeds are LESS THAN nothing – literally worthless. They provide no value at all to anyone because idols are worthless and false. And that brings us to our final opportunity to delight in the revelation of God’s glory in comparison to idols for today…

3. Behold: Idols are worthless and false

Idols cannot do anything nor foretell the future… but God can and has! In comparison to idols, he is the One, True God who determines the end from the beginning. He declares what will be and it happens. This has occurred many times throughout history, and it has been written down for us to verify. God is REAL but idols are a DELUSION. *pause*

What will you do with this teaching from Isaiah 41? How will it impact your life and faith?

The ideal response would be one of conviction leading to deeper faith in God. We have had the opportunity to see the glory of God put on display. And his glory is marvelous in comparison to the falsehood of idols! There is so much evidence of God’s power and might and provision for his people throughout history. We’ve heard of a few this morning, but if you are a scholar of the Bible, you know that his power and might and provision continue to be demonstrated throughout the Scriptures.

These find their clearest expression in the sending of God’s own Son, Jesus Christ. Listen to what we are told in the Gospel of John:

John 3:16–21 (ESV)

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

¹⁹ And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. ²¹ But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Despite the world (humanity) having rejected God and chosen to live in sin, the One, True God acted out of love. He gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. He sent his Son into the world to save sinners. No false idol can do that! But God can and did!

God knows our world’s plight and provides a great solution! Outside of faith in Christ, we all stand condemned in our sin/rebellion against our Creator/King. But it is possible through faith in Jesus Christ to have the forgiveness of our sins and salvation of our souls! As it said, “that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Or as Jesus himself preached:

Mark 1:14–15 (ESV)

¹⁴ Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, ¹⁵ and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Repent and believe in the gospel. Allow the revelation of the glory of the One, True God in Isaiah 41 and the rest of the Scriptures to lead you to a place of conviction of your sin that drives you to repent (turn from it) and believe in Jesus Christ. The gospel message is the good news that he has come to save sinners like us from our sins, if we believe in and follow him.

The idolatry of the Old Testament era did not stop in the New Testament era, nor has it slowed down in our lifetime. The way it shows up in our lives may look different, but the same heart issues are still at work within us. We are trusting in/hoping in something other than God. Today is an opportunity to confess that before God and turn back to him. To forsake those idols, whatever they may be, and ask him to help you live for him! HE IS WORTHY of your allegiance and worship!

If you’re thinking, “That’s all well and good, but I am already a Christian, so this doesn’t really pertain to me…” Can I lovingly challenge you on that? There are always idols to dethrone from our hearts and lives. The temptation of sin is ever present and enticing.

Pastor John Calvin famously said, “the human heart is a perpetual idol factory.”

Pastor John Owen warned Christians, “be killing sin lest it be killing you.”

These men understood that as long as we draw breath there is a war to be engaged in. A war for spiritual growth and maturity. A war for holiness.

The Apostle Paul gave words to this struggle:

Romans 7:21–25 (ESV)

²¹ So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²² For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, ²³ but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Christians have ultimate victory in Christ – we are no longer enslaved to sin! However, there is still an ongoing battle to serve God rather than our idols. This is a battle that every genuine believer must be engaged in. *pause*

So, allow Isaiah 41 to fill your heart with a BIG view of God. Learn to delight in the revelation of God’s glory in comparison to idols. He is INCOMPARABLY great and worthy of your worship! EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. And it is our delight to continue to learn who he is and how to worship him well in our daily life. Each day brings new opportunities for maturing in our faith. New opportunities to be courageous in our evangelism, passionate in our worship, fervent in our prayer, bold in our preaching, purposeful in our discipleship, and actively creating the compelling community that God’s people are to be known for!

Church, let’s cultivate this BIG view of God and choose Him every day over our idols.

Let’s pray.

Pray