Isaiah 42:8 – God’s Plan – Bible study

Isaiah 42:8 Gods Plan The short title of this message is very presumptuous. It assumes that we can know what God thinks and wants. It is even more presumptuous in than that because if I am going to preach on it, it means that I think I know something of Gods plan. Lets understand. There is much about God neither I nor anyone else knows. God is an infinite God, too big for puny, finite man to grasp, let alone to comprehend, and that is even more so for a person with a brain as small as mine. However, you and I and everyone else can know some of the things God thinks, wants, and even plans because He has revealed them to us. God has revealed Himself to us in several ways: 1. God gave to us the world around us. From nothing more than His creation we can see that: a. God is. b. God is powerful. c. God loves beauty and order. d. And from creation alone we can see that Gods intellect is far above ours. 2. He gave us His Son. a. Jesus is the living Message of God, and He has audibly revealed Gods plan to those who would listen to Him. b. That is why Jesus is called the Living Word. Among other things, Jesus audibly revealed God to us. 3. He gave us the Bible, a large book with 66 smaller books within it, written over a time period of 1500 years by over 40 different human stenographers. a. This book gives details and commands as to what God wants and does not want. b. In addition, it gives a storehouse of stories and teaching from which we can draw principals. c. With such a Book, one would have to be blind and dumb not to pick up some of Gods plan. d. In fact, that is exactly why God gave us the Bible. From these three, we can learn enough about God that I can tell you some portion about Gods plan, including for His plan for you and me. Listen then decide for yourselves. I. Gods plan is to glorify Himself. A. There are many truths that are taught more clearly in the Old Testament than in the New. 1. That makes sense since the Old Testament is the foundation for the New Testament. a. You can tell the Old is the foundation for the New when you read it. b. But you can also tell the Old is the foundation for the New Testament because God gave the Old Testament before He gave the New Testament. 2. In Isaiah 42, God was attempting to get across to Israel a portion of His great plan. Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. a. God said He would not give HIS glory with anyone else. b. That means all glory belongs to God. 3. What is Gods glory? a. I will be honest, I dont know. b. I think there may be two different kinds of glory. (1) God has a physical glory that seems to radiate off of Him. (a) The best explanation that I ever heard of that glory is it is the outward manifestation of Gods inward purity and holiness. (b) I dont think that glory is anything a human could even think to take. (1) But there also seems to be the glory that God was speaking of Isaiah, a glory that comes with recognition, honor, praise, or esteem. (a) I think that is the kind of glory that God was speaking of in Isaiah. (b) He even mentioned the praise that was due to Him in the same verse. (c) If this is so, God is the One and the Only who should be praised, exalted, and honored. c. Yet, the Bible speaks of the glory of men, the glory of nations, the glory of kingdoms, and so forth. (1) That makes me think that while God does not "give" His glory to others, He may "lend" it to others to see if they will give it back to Him or attempt to keep it. (2) But even when a person attempts to keep Gods glory, it still belongs to God. (a) Mankind attempts to steal Gods glory all the time, both the saved and the lost, taking credit and receiving praise like we have made our fortunes, created our beauty, or craved out a name for ourselves. (b) Of all the things one can steal from God, stealing His glory may be the most dangerous. 4. One things is for certain, the only One we are ever told to give glory to in the Bible is God. Isaiah 42:12 Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands. 1 Timothy 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. B. Let me conjecture that when all of our sins are boiled down, the one charge may be that we stole God’s glory! 1. Some people have the notion that the only thing that will send them to hell is their works. a. I understand that thought since Revelation says: Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. b. So the impression is clearly given that we will have to face God for the works we have done in this life. c. However, even there we find that it is not actually our individual works that damn us. Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. d. That indicates that even though we will have to face our works, it is not our works that damn souls but our name not being written in the Book of Life. 2. But what I want to suggest to you is that when it comes right down to the charge that will be beside the names of those who are cast into hell, I think it might be as simple as one single charge. a. I believe the charge that sends every person to hell may simply read: He stole Gods glory. b. Much like Jesus on the cross. (1) His charge was boiled down to a single charge and written above His head. (2) "King of the Jews" c. Is it possible that our single charge might be, "He tried to steal Gods glory"? 3. It does seem that in the end, that is where every sin takes. a. The sins most often associated with the lost: (1) When you commit adultery, you disobeyed Gods Word and stole Gods glory. (2) When you lied, you disobeyed Gods Word and stole Gods glory. b. And the sins most often associated with the saved: (1) When you kept your tithe, you disobeyed Gods Word and stole Gods glory. (2) When you laid out of church, you disobeyed Gods Word and you stole Gods glory. c. At the end, they all seem to lead to the same place. We stole Gods glory. 4. By the way, that might also explain why some actions that God calls sin seem arbitrary, especially in the Old Testament. a. You could eat this meat, but you could not eat that meat. b. You could walk this far but not that far. c. You can plant this and that but not in the same field. d. Maybe the act was not as offensive to God as the fact that some of His people would disobey it and thus steal His glory. C. Lets summarize: 1. I believe God has a plan. a. I believe this plan is the greatest of all Gods plans. b. I believe it may actually be His ONLY real plan. 2. I believe the plan is that He should receive ALL glory, and honor, and praise. a. God should receive all of the glory. b. I believe it is possible that EVERY OTHER plan God has, including salvation, is to accomplish THIS one plan. 3. It is possible that, in the end, attempting to steal Gods glory is the greatest sin any person can commit. D. If this is so, and I believe it might be, if we could comprehend it, it would change our lives. II. Gods plan is to give man the choice to give Gods glorify back to Him. A. Again, I am speculating, but the Bible does command: 1Co 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1. "Whatever" suggests that we have some choice in what we do. 2. "do to the glory of God" suggest what God desires we do. B. It would appear that Gods plan is that we give Him glory in everything we do. 1. In every choice we make. 2. The sovereign God has given to the finite man some important choices. 3. Each of these choices allows man to return to God His glory or to try to keep it. a. I say "try to keep it" because you cant keep it. b. Even if God lets you keep it your entire earthly life, you will give it all up at your death and damnation. C. What kind of choices does God give man by which man can glorify God? 1. Man can choose salvation over damnation. a. This is the most important decision of all. b. For a human being, there isnt any other choice that is as important to how his life will go or his eternity will be spend than what he does with Jesus. c. However, this choice is not only important to man, rejecting Jesus is the single, largest, glory stealing act a person can commit. (1) Jesus is Gods greatest Gift. (2) He is also Gods greatest Sacrifice. (3) With Jesus comes Gods greatest treasures or curses. (4) Making you aware of Jesus has become Gods greatest investment. (5) There is no greater defiance on mans part than to reject Gods Son so it stands to reason that to do so is the greatest theft of Gods glory that any human being can commit. 2. Man can choose God over Satan. a. This is the second most important choice we will make. (1) It may seem as though we settled this issue when we choice salvation over damnation, but the decision to be saved is made once and settled, the decision of who we will follow is made over and over again,, every moment of every day. (2) Whose kingdom will we live for? (3) Which Master will we serve? (4) Choosing to serve God, repeatedly and continually, gives to God His due glory. b. This is also what I would call an absolute decision. (1) By that I mean that the answer is the same every time. There will never be a time when we should NOT choose God over Satan. (2) There are other absolute choices: (a) We should always choose right over wrong. (b) faith over sight. (c) love over hate. (d) forgiveness over vengeance. (e) pleasing God over pleasing self. (f) others over self. 3. Man can choose eternity over earth. a. Although this may sound like a redundant question, almost the same choice as already mentioned, it is not for this choice requires balance on our part. (1) We are earthly beings so we must make the choiceat least some of the timeto place the earthly over the eternal. (2) Yet once saved, we are also eternal so we ought to also place the eternal over the earthly at other times. b. In this, we do NOT give God the greater glory if we put the eternal over the earthly in all things! (1) This then becomes a "balanced" choice. (2) You have heard the phrase, "Hes so spiritually minded that hes no earthly good"? (3) While I have never met this person, I suppose it is possible that a person might want to seek eternal things so much that he neglects his earthly responsibilities. (4) Again, I have never met this person, but if one prays and reads his Bible so much that he has no time to work and provide for his family, he has NOT given God the greater glory. c. So in this choice, God has given us a choice that has no single answer. (1) There will be times when we must choose the earthly over the eternal, and there will be times when we should choose the eternal over the earthly. (2) God will receive the glory when we make the correct choice at the correct times. D. Only by making these choices do we give God His glory. Anytime we choose otherwise, we steal it for ourselves. III. Gods plan is the more of His glory we return to Him, the more of His glory He lends to us. A. That happens on earth. 1. When you trust Jesus and choose to live for Him, your life get so much better. a. Less drama, less stress, more peace. b. Less misery, more personal prosperity. (1) Personal prosperity is good relationship with your husband or wife, well-behaved children, good job that you enjoy, having good friends, good health. c. Less trouble, more joy. 2. And the longer you walk with God the better your life will be. B. But when we get to heaven, we will really see and understand the glory that God lets us borrow. 1. We will have a glorified body. That means it is being lent to us by God. 2. We will get to live in the glorified New Jerusalem. 3. I think one of the reasons the Bible mentions praise so often in heaven is because that is the people there returning God the glory that was lent to them. 4. Praise is not demanded in heaven. It is desired! 5. All I can say is, "What God has in store for us is out of this world!" So what about it this morning? Do you want to return to God some of the glory He has lent to you? A good start would be to accept His Son. A next step would be to follow Him, full-time, then learn to live a properly balanced life between the earthly and the eternal.