Sermon #106 Series: Isaiah</P>

Title: ”Hope Thou In God!” </P>

Text: Isaiah 40:27-31</P>

Subject: Comfort for Downcast Saints

Date: Sunday Evening-March 1, l992

Introduction:

Is your heart heavy? Are you downcast, despondent, and depressed? Do you feel that God has both forsaken you and forgotten you? That he has forgotten to be gracious? That his mercy is clear gone forever?

Most of us would never use such language. We are too hypocritical to speak honestly and too proud to admit weakness. But, I dare say, there is not a man or woman in this building who has not felt in their heart the things I have described. Either for fear of dishonoring God, or for fear of being misunderstood, or for fear of leading others into gloom, we do not often speak of our bouts with despondency; but all believers do experience these tedious and tasteless hours of darkness and gloom (Ps. 40:5, 11; 43:5).

Tonight, my message is a word of comfort for down cast saints. The title of my message is “Hope Thou In God!”

Proposition:

The only cure for despondency, the only comfort for downcast hearts is faith and hope in the Lord our God.

Divisions:

My text tonight is Isaiah 40:27-31. As we look at this passage of Holy Scripture, I will call your attention to three things in it:

The Judgment of Unbelief (v. 27).
The Encouragements of Hope (vv. 28-29).
The Blessedness of Faith (vv. 30-31).

I. The Judgment of Unbelief (v. 27).

Unbelief always draws the wrong conclusions. Unbelief judges God’s goodness by circumstances. This was Israel’s great fault throughout its history. They had the Word of God’s promise, but they believed not. Therefore they perished. How sad! Yet, how common this sin is!

“Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace;

Behind the frowning providence

He hides a smiling face.

Blind unbelief is sure to err

And scan His work in vain;

God is His own Interpreter,

And He will make it plain.”

A. Notice how Isaiah reproves his people (v. 27).

While in Babylon, in captivity, in time of affliction, they became dejected and despondent. Their unbelief and distrust of God was inexcuxable. Why do you draw such harsh conclusions, imagining that God is unfaithful and has ceased to be gracious? Because they were in trouble, they thought that the Lord God…

Would not Hear Them.
Would not Help Them.

1. The very titles by which Isaiah addressed them should have put them to shame for their unbelief. “O Jacob! O Israel!

Jacob was a man who found God faithful to him and kind to him in all his straits. Israel was God’s professing people, a people who stood before God in a covenant relationship, to whom God had promised both his presence and his grace.

2. Their experiences should have forbidden their distrust of God.

· Did God forget them in Egypt?

· Did the Lord forsake them in the wilderness?

· Did God ever fail, or cease to be gracious to them?

3. Now apply this word of expostulation to your own soul.

· O sons of Jacob, has God ever failed to be faithful to you.

· O Israel, has “God ever once broken his covenant?

· Believer, read your own history and repent of your unbelief.

B. Yet, I know that it is a very common thing for God’s people to think God has forsaken them, because it often appears that he has.

There are times when our dear Savior hides his face from us, withdraws from us the comforting knowledge of his presence and withholds from us the sweet peace of his Spirit’s manifest influence.

1. The guilt of sin to an awakened soul, is such a heavy burden that it causes the believer to fear he is altogether forsaken of God, until he finds the peace of pardon through faith in the blood of Christ. (Ps. 38:1-4; I John 1:9).

Sometimes, even godly men and women, in unbelief, use the language of Cain, and say, “Mine iniquity is greater than can be forgiven” (Gen. 4:13 margin).

2. The assaults of indwelling corruption have caused many of God’s saints, at time, to imagine that God had cast them off (Lam. 3:18; Jer. 2:25).

3. The neglect of worship, communion, and fellowship with Christ causes truly regenerate men and women to sense the loss of his favor and fellowship (Song. 5:2-7).

4. Long-continued afflictions overwhelm the strangest of men, unless the Lord is pleased to uphold and strengthen them.

Faithful David feared death under the wrath of God (Ps. 88:14).
Patient Job cursed the day of his birth (Job 3:1).
Devout Jeremiah once did the same (Jer. 20:14-18).
Even the mighty Elijah once fainted in trouble and wished to die (I Kings 19:4).

Often, true believers misjudge God through unbelief. But such unbelief is both dishonoring to God and an inexcusable evil in us. We must never judge God’s goodness, faithfulness, wisdom, and grace by our circumstances. Like Jeremiah and David, when we foolishly imagine that God has forsaken us we must reason with our souls and find hope in God (Ps. 40:5,11; 43:5; Lam. 3:24-26).

II. In verses 28 and 29, Isaiah gives us The Encouragements of Hope.

When your soul is despairing, stop looking at your circumstances, and “Behold your God!” Call to mind what you have known and heard. Believe God. In the teeth of adversity, and hope in him. Here are four things that ought to revive the hope of downcast saints.

A. Our God is Immutable.

He is “the everlasting God!” “He is without beginning of days or end of life, and therefore with him there is no change” (Matthew Henry). (Mal. 3:6; James 1:17).

B. Our God is Almighty- “The Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not, neither is weary!”

1. He who is the Creator of All is—

· The rightful owner and ruler of all.

· The One who possesses absolute power over all.

· Able to help, to depend, and to save his people out of all their troubles.

2. Is God Almighty?—Then…

Do not fear the fulfilment of his promises.
Do not fear the stability of his purpose.
Do not fear the safety of his people.
Do not question the universality of his providence.

C. Not only is he immutable and almighty, Our God is All-Wise-- “There is no searching of his understanding.”

Our way is not hidden from him! He has not forgotten us! Troubled believer, remember, Your heavenly Father has gracious designs to accomplish. He accomplishes them secretly in ways totally unknown to you. And often his means of blessing you appear to work against you. But he is doing you good. (Rom. 8:28).

Illus: Joseph

Is God all-wise? Then…

His purpose is sure!
His providence is good!
He knows what we need and how to secure it!

Charles Simeon wrote, “ Where there is unerring wisdom to direct, and almighty power to execute, no difficulty can exist, which shall not be overruled for good.”

D. Our great God, immutable, almighty, and all wise is a God who is always gracious to his people- (v. 29).

God helps the helpless. He gives power to the faint and strength to those who have no might. Those who know themselves to be weak will find Christ to be their Strength- (John 15:5 and Phil. 4:13 – II Cor 12:9).

Here is the difference between faith and unbelief- Unbelief forgets God. “Faith brings God into the scene. Therefore, it knows absolutely nothing of difficulty; it laughs at impossibilities. In the judgment of faith, God is the answer to every question; He is the salvation to every difficulty…Unbelief says, how can such things be? Unbelief is full of flaws; but faith has one great answer to ten thousand hows, and that answer is God Almighty”- (Scott Richardson).

Here are our encouragements for hope:

God is Immutable!
God is Almighty!
God is All-Wise!
God is Gracious!

“Hope Thou in God!” We have every reason to do so. Now, thirdly, let me show you…

III. The Blessedness of Faith (vv. 30-31).

When I talk about faith, I am not talking about “Peter Pan faith,” faith in faith. I am talking about real faith, faith in God as he reveals himself in his word in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

A. Proud, self-confident sinners will never trust Christ; and they shall utterly fall- (v. 30).

Those who trust their own sufficiency shall soon be made to see their folley.

Your righteousness will fail you.
Your resolutions will wither.
Your religious deeds will be a spear in your soul to destroy you.

Someone said, “A self made man worship’s his own image.” And you who worship yourselves will utterly fall. You may take up the name and banner of Christ. But in time you will put it down.

B. “But they that wait upon the Lord” shall not fail- (v. 31).

To Wait upon the Lord is- to know your need of him!

To believe him!
To commit yourself to him!
To walk by his direction in his will!

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” The word “renew” means “change”- We find our strength only in Christ! We have none in ourselves! But the word also means “renew.” They shall constantly have renewed strength, as they trust Christ-

To Do His Will!
To Labor in His Vineyard!
To Resist the Devil!
To Overcome Temptation!
To Bear their Trials!
To Endure Hardship!
To Help their Brethren!

1. “They shall mount up with wings as eagles”- Like eagles on wings of faith, their hearts soar up to heaven (Col. 3:1-3).

2. “They shall run, and not be weary.”

· Run with Zeal.

· Run with Purpose.

· Run with Cheer in the Way of God’s Commandments.

Illus: Caleb- (Josh. 14:6-12).

3. “They shall walk, and not faint.”

Walk with Determination.
Walk in the faith of Obedience.
Walk with Confidence.
Walk with Persevering Faith unto the End.

Application: “Hope Thou In God!”

1. Sinners, hopeless, helpless sinners, Trust Christ.

2. Children of God, Trust Christ and Hope in Him. He alone is the Anchor of Our Souls- (Heb. 6:16-20).

· This Anchor will hold in the storms of life.

· This Anchor will never fail you.