11-01-20, Isaiah 46;3-13, God Acts

Isaiah 46:3-13
God Acts
November 1, 2020
His Followers Sunday School Class
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA
What’s the number one thing?
The glory of God!
1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of
God.
Psalm 119
Father,
Teach us Thy statutes (v12),
Open our eyes (v18),
Stir our hearts (v2,32,36)
And enlighten our minds (v 27,34,73,125).
References
• Jon Courson's Application Commentary Old Testament Vol 2
• Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) - Old Testament –
• Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee
“The Robin and the Sparrow” ‒ Elizabeth Cheney
Said the robin to the sparrow, “I should really like to know, Why these anxious
human beings Rush about and worry so.”
Said the sparrow to the robin, “Friend I think that it must be, That they have
no Heavenly Father, Such as cares for you and me.”

“His Eye is on the Sparrow” ‒ Ethel Waters
Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
I sing because I'm happy,
I sing because I'm free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.
"Let not your heart be troubled," His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
The theme of the song is inspired by the words of David in the Psalms and Jesus
in the Gospel of Matthew in the Bible.
Psalm 32:8 NIV
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

Matthew 6:26 NKJV
26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns;
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Matthew 10:29–31 NKJV
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the
ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Civilla Durfee Martin (August 21, 1866 – March 9, 1948) was a Canadian-
American writer of many religious hymns and gospel songs in the late 19th
century and early 20th century. Her husband, Walter Stillman Martin (1862–1935),
studied ministry at Harvard University, where he became a Baptist minister but
later switched to the Disciples of Christ. Together they created hymns and songs
which have become widely known. Some of her most popular pieces include
"God Will Take Care of You", "One of God's Days", "Going Home", "The Old
Fashioned Way", and "His Eye Is on the Sparrow".
Civilla Martin, who wrote the lyrics, said of her inspiration to write the song based
on the Scriptures: Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning
in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name
of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle—true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden
for nigh twenty years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel
himself to and from his business in a wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they
lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew
them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband
commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs.
Doolittle's reply was simple: "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches
me." The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts
and fired the imagination of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn "His Eye Is on the
Sparrow" was the outcome of that experience.
Theme of Isaiah 46: Pronouncement of judgment against idols.
This chapter contains one of the finest satires against idolatry that is found in the
Word of God. It opens with the announcement of defeat against the idols of
Babylon in particular. This seems strange since Babylon had not yet come to the
front as a world power and was not the enemy of Israel. Nevertheless, Babylon
was the source of all idolatry, and it is fitting that after announcing the defeat of
the idols of Babylon the prophet proceeds to denounce all idolatry with an
injunction to Israel not to forsake the true God. Chapter 46 contains a prophecy
of the taking of Babylon by Cyrus, and of the deliverance of the Jews; who are
encouraged to expect the divine protection, and a continuance of it; are
advised against idolatry and directed to look to the Lord alone for righteousness
and salvation.

Isaiah 46:1-11 NLT
1 Bel and Nebo, the gods of Babylon,
bow as they are lowered to the ground.
They are being hauled away on ox carts.
The poor beasts stagger under the weight.
2 Both the idols and their owners are bowed down.
The gods cannot protect the people,
and the people cannot protect the gods.
They go off into captivity together.
3 “Listen to Me, descendants of Jacob,
all you who remain in Israel.
I have cared for you since you were born.
Yes, I carried you before you were born.
4 I will be your God throughout your lifetime—
until your hair is white with age.
I made you, and I will care for you.
I will carry you along and save you.
5 “To whom will you compare Me?
Who is My equal?
6 Some people pour out their silver and gold
and hire a craftsman to make a god from it.
Then they bow down and worship it!
7 They carry it around on their shoulders,
and when they set it down, it stays there.
It can’t even move!
And when someone prays to it, there is no answer.
It can’t rescue anyone from trouble.
8 “Do not forget this! Keep it in mind!
Remember this you guilty ones.
9 Remember the things I have done in the past.
For I alone am God!
I am God, and there is none like Me.
10 Only I can tell you the future
before it even happens.
Everything I plan will come to pass,
for I do whatever I wish.
11 I will call a swift bird of prey from the east—
a leader (Cyrus) from a distant land to come and do My bidding.
I have said what I would do,
and I will do it.

Isaiah 46:12-13 NLT
12 “Listen to Me, you stubborn people
who are so far from doing right.
13 For I am ready to set things right,
not in the distant future, but right now!
I am ready to save Jerusalem
and show My glory to Israel.
God of Space and Time
February 2, 1986
Author: Ray C. Stedman
Tragedies confirmed much of what we have been learning in Isaiah's prophecy,
"All flesh is but grass, and its beauty as the flower of the grass. The grass withers,
the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever," Isaiah 40:6-8).
James says, "Our life is but a vapor which appears for a little while and then
vanishes away," (James 4:14).
Tragedies have a sobering impact on us. They often hit right where we feel most
confident and successful. Hopefully, tragedies have a humbling effect upon us.
Pride is the great enemy of mankind, yet it is one of our most common feelings.
The Word of God warns against pride because it cuts us off from the grace and
goodness that God wants to give. Isaiah warns that prideful man can never
obtain anything from God. God gives only to those who recognize their need.
This is exemplified in our Lord's opening words in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:3 NKJV
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven,"
Isaiah 44:1-3 NLT
1 “But now, listen to Me, Jacob My servant,
Israel My chosen one.
2 The Lord Who made you and helps you says:
Do not be afraid, O Jacob, My servant,
O dear Israel, my chosen one.
3 For I will pour out water to quench your thirst
and to irrigate your parched fields.
And I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants,
and My blessing on your children.

Isaiah 44:6-8 NLT
6 This is what the Lord says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord of Heaven’s
Armies:
“I am the First and the Last;
there is no other God.
7 Who is like Me?
Let him step forward and prove to you his power.
Let him do as I have done since ancient times
when I established a people and explained its future.
8 Do not tremble; do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim My purposes for you long ago?
You are My witnesses—is there any other God?
No! There is no other Rock—not one!”
This is an attempt on God's part to save His creatures from the folly and danger
of following false gods. The passage goes on to describe the stupidity of the idol
worship that the Israelites were falling into. The prophet describes a metal smith
who melts metal, pours it into a mold to make an idol of it, and in the process he
becomes tired. Isaiah points out what a ridiculous thing it is that a man makes a
god who has no power to help him even while he is making it. Then he describes
a carpenter who carves the figure of a man out of a block of wood, then uses
the chips that he has carved off the block to build a fire to warm himself. He then
bows down and worships the idol, seeking deliverance from something his own
hands have made. What a ridiculous concept!
When we read a passage like this we are tempted to say, "Surely this does not
apply to us. We are not idol worshippers." But we are really not that far removed
from this kind of practice. If you drove around on Sunday mornings you might
notice people out in their yards worshipping a shiny, bright, metal idol. They pour
expensive fluids into it, polish and shine it, and bow down before it. Have you
ever noticed the change that comes over them when they get into it and take
off down the street? Mild, inoffensive people, who never utter a word in anger,
blast out of their driveways, leaving a trail of rubber as they depart, transformed
with an illusion of power. Many Americans worship the automobile, which has
become the symbol of luxury, beauty and power.
Isaiah 44:19 NLT
19 The person who made the idol never stops to reflect,
“Why, it’s just a block of wood!
I burned half of it for heat
and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat.
How can the rest of it be a god?
Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?”

Isaiah 44:20 NLT
20 The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes.
He trusts something that can’t help him at all.
Yet he cannot bring himself to ask,
“Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?”
The folly of worshipping any god other than the true God is that people deceive
themselves. They are left dissatisfied, feeling they have been feeding on ashes.
The soul, as well as the body, needs food. It looks for that which satisfies. But
those who look for satisfaction in drugs or sex discover that they have been
feeding on ashes. They have been deceived, failing to recognize that there is "a
lie in their right hand." The right hand is the symbol of what you grasp, who you
look for help from. But those who follow idols are unable to see that they will not
satisfy but will leave a taste of ashes in the mouth. Many businessmen worship
the god of power. They are climbing the corporate ladder to the top, seeking
honor and recognition, dreaming of the prerequisites of the presidency of the
company. When they have all they want, however, they will find it has turned to
ashes.
Isaiah 44:21-24 NLT
21 “Pay attention, O Jacob,
for you are My servant, O Israel.
I, the Lord, made you,
and I will not forget you.
22 I have swept away your sins like a cloud.
I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist.
Oh, return to Me,
for I have paid the price to set you free.”
23 Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done this wondrous thing.
Shout for joy, O depths of the earth!
Break into song,
O mountains and forests and every tree!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob
and is glorified in Israel.
24 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer and Creator:
“I am the Lord, who made all things.
I alone stretched out the heavens.
Who was with me
when I made the Earth?

Isaiah 44:25-28 NLT
25 I expose the false prophets as liars
and make fools of fortune-tellers.
I cause the wise to give bad advice,
thus proving them to be fools.
26 But I carry out the predictions of my prophets!
By them I say to Jerusalem, ‘People will live here again,’
and to the towns of Judah, ‘You will be rebuilt;
I will restore all your ruins!’
27 When I speak to the rivers and say, ‘Dry up!’
they will be dry.
28 When I say of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,’
he will certainly do as I say.
He will command, ‘Rebuild Jerusalem’;
he will say, ‘Restore the Temple.’”
Isaiah 45:1-6 NLT
1 This is what the Lord says to Cyrus, His anointed one,
whose right hand He will empower.
Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear.
Their fortress gates will be opened,
never to shut again.
2 This is what the Lord says:
“I will go before you, Cyrus,
and level the mountains.
I will smash down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.
3 And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—
secret riches.
I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, the One Who calls you by name.
4 “And why have I called you for this work?
Why did I call you by name when you did not know Me?
It is for the sake of Jacob My servant,
Israel My chosen one.
5 I am the Lord;
there is no other God.
I have equipped you for battle,
though you don’t even know Me,
6 so all the world from east to west
will know there is no other God.
I am the Lord, and there is no other.

Isaiah 45:7-12 NLT
7 I create the light and make the darkness.
I send good times and bad times.
I, the Lord, am the One Who does these things.
8 “Open up, O heavens,
and pour out your righteousness.
Let the earth open wide
so salvation and righteousness can sprout up together.
I, the Lord, created them.
9 “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its Maker?
Does the clay dispute with the One Who shapes it, saying,
‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
‘How clumsy can You be?’
10 How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father,
‘Why was I born?’
or if it said to its mother,
‘Why did you make me this way?’”
the Holy One of Israel and your Creator:
“Do you question what I do for my children?
Do you give Me orders about the work of My hands?
12 I am the One Who made the Earth
and created people to live on it.
With My hands I stretched out the heavens.
All the stars are at My command.
If a man does not believe in God, his own ego becomes the ruler of his life.
Since there are no standards of right and wrong existing apart from himself, right
becomes that which pleases him, and wrong that which does not minister to his
ego. Since he himself is the supreme consideration, he is restrained by nothing
but his own wishes, and easily reaches the conclusion that the best possible
world is one in which his will is supreme. He therefore enforces it upon others to
the limit of his ability. The denial of God thus becomes the seed from which
totalitarianism develops. Freedom is possible only if men believe in God and
seek to do His will. William Penn was right when he said that if men will not be
governed by God, they must be governed by tyrants.
That is a remarkable statement of what the Scriptures declare -- that throughout
history, behind the rise of slavery and bondage, is this inevitable substituting of
the supreme will of an egoist for the mind of God. God's answer is found in
Verses 22-23 of this same chapter.

Isaiah 45:22-23 NLT
22 Let all the world look to Me for salvation!
For I am God; there is no other.
23 I have sworn by My own name;
I have spoken the truth,
and I will never go back on My Word:
Every knee will bend to Me,
and every tongue will declare allegiance to Me.”
How hopeless it is for man to find his own way out of the morass which he has
made for himself! The Spirit of God used this verse to speak to the heart of a
fifteen-year-old boy in England in the last century. That boy, Charles Hadden
Spurgeon, took shelter in a little Methodist chapel on a cold and snowy day in
1850. As there was no preacher, the deacon read the text, "Look unto Me and
be ye saved, all the ends of the Earth," and seeing a lonely boy sitting in the
back, the deacon (who could not speak very well) addressed him directly and
said, "Young man, look unto God and He will save you." Spurgeon said, "I
looked, and I was saved." He went on to become one of the great preachers of
the English church.
But this is the out which God offers to mankind: "Look to Me." Do not look to
science, or to technology. These are fine in themselves, they give certain
creature comforts, but they cannot deliver you. They cannot satisfy you or meet
your need. If you pursue them they will turn to ashes. God is the only Deliverer
from human hurt and failure.
Isaiah 46:3-6 NLT
3 “Listen to Me, descendants of Jacob,
all you who remain in Israel.
I have cared for you since you were born.
Yes, I carried you before you were born.
4 I will be your God throughout your lifetime—
until your hair is white with age.
I made you, and I will care for you.
I will carry you along and save you.
5 “To whom will you compare me?
Who is my equal?
6 Some people pour out their silver and gold
and hire a craftsman to make a god from it.
Then they bow down and worship it!

Isaiah 46:7-13 NLT
7 They carry it around on their shoulders,
and when they set it down, it stays there.
It can’t even move!
And when someone prays to it, there is no answer.
It can’t rescue anyone from trouble.
8 “Do not forget this! Keep it in mind!
Remember this, you guilty ones.
9 Remember the things I have done in the past.
For I alone am God!
I am God, and there is none like me.
10 Only I can tell you the future
before it even happens.
Everything I plan will come to pass,
for I do whatever I wish.
11 I will call a swift bird of prey from the east—
a leader from a distant land to come and do my bidding.
I have said what I would do,
and I will do it.
12 “Listen to me, you stubborn people
who are so far from doing right.
13 For I am ready to set things right,
not in the distant future, but right now!
I am ready to save Jerusalem
and show my glory to Israel.
Isaiah 47:8-11 NLT
8 “Listen to this, you pleasure-loving kingdom,
living at ease and feeling secure.
You say, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.
I will never be a widow or lose my children.’
9 Well, both these things will come upon you in a moment:
widowhood and the loss of your children.
Yes, these calamities will come upon you,
despite all your witchcraft and magic.
10 “You felt secure in your wickedness.
‘No one sees me,’ you said.
But your ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ have led you astray,
and you said, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.’
11 So disaster will overtake you,
and you won’t be able to charm it away.
Calamity will fall upon you,
and you won’t be able to buy your way out.
A catastrophe will strike you suddenly,
one for which you are not prepared.

Isaiah 47:12-15 NLT
12 “Now use your magical charms!
Use the spells you have worked at all these years!
Maybe they will do you some good.
Maybe they can make someone afraid of you.
13 All the advice you receive has made you tired.
Where are all your astrologers,
those stargazers who make predictions each month?
Let them stand up and save you from what the future holds.
14 But they are like straw burning in a fire;
they cannot save themselves from the flame.
You will get no help from them at all;
their hearth is no place to sit for warmth.
15 And all your friends,
those with whom you’ve done business since childhood,
will go their own ways,
turning a deaf ear to your cries.
Isaiah 48:17-19 NLT
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
Who teaches you what is good for You
and leads you along the paths you should follow.
18 Oh, that you had listened to My commands!
Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river
and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.
19 Your descendants would have been like the sands along the seashore—
too many to count!
There would have been no need for your destruction,
or for cutting off your family name.”
Isaiah 48:22 NLT
22 “But there is no peace for the wicked,”
says the Lord.
Isaiah 45:22-23 NLT
22 Let all the world look to Me for salvation!
For I am God; there is no other.
23 I have sworn by My own name;
I have spoken the truth,
and I will never go back on My word:
Every knee will bend to Me,
and every tongue will declare allegiance to Me.”

Philippians 2:9-11 NLT
9 Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor
and gave Him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
John 3:16-17 NKJV
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not
send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him
might be saved.”
John 14:6 NKJV
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me.”
Romans 3:23 NKJV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a NKJV
23a For the wages of sin is death,
• Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.
• Even Jesus, the only one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this life to
pay the penalty for our sin.
• The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the “second death” explained in
Revelation 21:8.
Revelation 21:8 NKJV
8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with
fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
• Anyone who’s lifestyle is one or more of the sins listed in Revelation 21:8,
will experience the “second death,” if they do not repent.
• To Repent means to turn around, to go in the opposite direction, to turn
away from sin and believe in Jesus.
Romans 5:8 NKJV
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.

Romans 6:23b NKJV
23b but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Revelation 21:7 NKJV
7 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be
My son.”
• Romans 10:9-10 explain to us how to be overcomers.
Romans 10:9-10 NKJV
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one
believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.
Romans 10:13 NKJV
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Do you have questions?
Would you like to know more?
Please, contact First Baptist Church Jackson at 601-949-1900 or
https://www.firstbaptistjackson.org/contact-us/

11-01-20, Isaiah 46;3-13, God Acts

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