Our God is in Control - Isaiah 46:10

Title: Our God is in Control
Date: January 14, 2007
Text: Isaiah 46:10

Introduction

- We have many things that hit us from time to time
- we are delivered a piece of paper in the mail, suddenly a storm seems to be raging around us
- we start the program and doubts seem to mount up in our heads
- how will I pay my bills, how will I get a job when I leave here?
- maybe someone is ill, maybe someone has just heard about some legal issues
- we may be surprised by these things, but God is not!
- Isaiah 46:10 "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, "My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,'
- my God is not surprised!
- so how can we react when these discouraging things appear on our horizon?

1. God knows all things, way ahead of time

- Isaiah 44:24-28 - "Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb . . . who says of Cyrus, "He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, "You shall be built," And to the temple, "Your foundation shall be laid."'
- God told Isaiah to write this around 150 years before Cyrus was born!
- God knew, way up front!
- John 8:58 - "Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."
- Exodus 3:14 - "And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM."
- Jesus says he was the God who brought the Israelites out of their slavery
- Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever"
- it says he heard the cry of the Israelites
- how much more will he hear our cry to him when we are going through stuff!

2. God makes all things work for our ultimate benefit

- Romans 8:28 - "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose"
- sometimes we don't understand why things are going the way they are
- we may sometimes wonder at the things God allows to happen
- Isaiah 29:16 - "shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding?"
- because God knew all things up front, he made a plan
- Revelation 13:8 - "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world"
- that is why we can know God has a plan for those who died between Adam and Jesus, most of whom never heard about Jesus
- that is why we can trust God that he has a plan for those who have not had opportunity to come to Jesus

3. God provides a way for us to go

- Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you"
- when you walk through the rivers, when you go through the firestorm, God will be there with us
- Psalm 23:4 - "yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me"
- he does not desert us when times get rough
- God is faithful and sticks with us, even when man leaves us to our own devices
- Jesus experienced man's desertion when all forsook him when he was arrested, he knows what it is like
- but he shows us the way to go, when we face our crossroads
- Isaiah 48:17 - "I am the Lord . . . who leads you by the way you should go"
- he says to us, follow me and I will give you rest

4. God will get us to our destination

- Philippians 1:6 - "he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ"
- Jesus will complete what he has started in us - we are his workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)
- when we need help we can turn to God for help
- Hebrews 4:16 - "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need"
- our journey during this time, is compared to a race
- Hebrews 12:1-2 - "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us . . . looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith"
- there is pain and hardship in this race, there are both uphill and downhill stretches
- but we are not running this race on our own
- Jesus is the author of our faith, the One whom we asked into our life.
- and he is the finisher of the race as well!
- at the finishing line the winner of a race received a laurel wreath
- 2 Timothy 4:8 - "there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness"

Conclusion

1. God knows all things, way ahead of time
2. God makes all things work for our ultimate benefit
3. God provides a way for us to go
4. God will get us to our destination

- Our God is control!
- He knows what is going on, he knows where he is taking us
- he provides all we need as we go along this path
- and he will help us make it to a victorious finish
- each of us will receive the winner's laurel wreath, because we are all winners!