Guidance from God: A Prophetic Future
Guidance from God • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 6 viewsNotes
Transcript
Intro:
19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Today, I want to preach on the topic of [Guide us God], the subject of my message is, [A Prophetic Future].
I want everyone to repeat something after me— Satan will always offer a counterfeit.
Counterfeit is defined, made in exact imitation of something valuable or important with the intention to deceive or defraud.
I remember as a child, there were certain parts of Oklahoma City that had businesses we were never allowed to visit. Mom and Dad were very stern about never going into those places.
The places that were strictly forbidden?
Psychics, palm readers, tarot card readers, and fortune tellers.
When I asked why, mom always explained that they were evil and not true. Then she went on too explain that God knows the future and we just need to trust Him.
As a child, that made sense. Why would I need to consult someone other than God to tell me my future?
Evidently many people in our nation did not have Becki Tidmore for a mother.
Survey’s show that 41% of Americans believe in psychics. During the pandemic, the psychics and fortune telling increased to a 2.1 billion dollar industry.
This is not a new reality for our nation.
Mary Todd Lincoln had seances in the White House.
J.P. Morgan consulted psychics.
Wall Street brokers consult psychics.
In 1993, a New Jersey police department consulted psychics on 4,000 cases.
Why is this demonic industry booming?
Why do people place their hope in fortune tellers, psychics, and astrologers?
Evidently, people are worried about the future. They want to know what is coming next.
Remember, Satan will always offer a counterfeit.
If we read throughout Scripture, pharaohs, kings, and pagan nations had sorcerers, mediums, and those who practiced divination.
God was very strict about keeping that out of Israel.
10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,
11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.
Why was God so adamant about rejecting this demonic method of determining the future?
Because all of THAT is a counterfeit to the real and authentic role of the prophetic.
NO ONE knows the future except God. NO ONE knows what lies ahead except for the Author and the Finisher, the First and Last, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and Omega.
Throughout the Old Testament, God’s answer to the counterfeit was to raise up a prophetic voice.
Joseph’s interpreted Pharaoh’s dream when his sorcerers could not.
Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar’s dreams when their magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers could not.
Obviously the occult is Satan’s counterfeit to God’s revelation through the prophetic.
Now, we get to the words of the Prophet Isaiah. He called on God’s people to avoid the pagan and godless ways of the nations around them.
For the first thirty-nine chapters of Isaiah, he proclaimed judgment. They were wicked people who had turned on God and they were going to have to face the consequences of their actions.
No doubt the people wondered, is there any hope for the future?
What will God do for us?
The good news was, they did not need to consult demonic methods to determine their future. God had a prophetic word for them!
Who would like to know a little bit about the prophetic future God has for us?
Let’s see what Isaiah prophesied for the people of God- [Our Future Rescue], [Our Future Relatives], and [Our Future Revival].
Let’s begin
1. Our Future Rescue
1. Our Future Rescue
1 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.
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 fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.
Notice the first two words, but now. Isaiah is turning the page. He already addressed the judgments that will come as a result of their sins.
But NOW. He is saying, I have already covered all of that. Let’s move from the past to the future.
Regardless of their past sins and mistakes, the Lord created them. When He formed and made them, He knew the plan and the future He had for their lives.
So God told them, DO NOT FEAR, for I HAVE REDEEMED YOU.
Redemption is a wonderful word. The Hebrew word for redeemed means to ransom by price paid in lieu of the captives.
When I think of paying a ransom, I remember when terrorists have captured Americans, they will issue a ransom notice. The government has a policy, we do not negotiate with terrorists.
Imagine being the one who is captured, knowing that the ones who could pay the ransom do not or will not.
With that in mind, God is telling His people, because you are MINE and I created you, do not FEAR, I will pay the ransom notice because you belong to Me.
For those who read Isaiah’s words the first time, they would have thought of their potential captors, the Babylonians.
But when I read those words, it thrills my hear to know that Satan had a ransom notice on our lives. Because we were born into sin, we were trapped and could not escape.
BUT GOD RANSOMED US THROUGH the blood of Jesus. That is our reality. And what is amazing is God spoke these prophetic words thousands of years before we existed.
When we were lost in sin, captivated by the counterfeits of life, God saw a future for us, one where we were redeemed.
THIS is our reality— we are redeemed. He saved us and will continue to keep us!
So the reality of being redeemed by the blood of the lamb helps us when we pass through the waters.
The reality is this, until Jesus returns, we will face difficulties and struggles.
We might feel like we are sinking and drowning in the burdens of life.
But when we walk through the waters, we have nothing to fear for HE IS WITH US!
The rivers of difficulties will not drown us.
The fires of oppression will not burn us.
The fiery darts of the wicked one will not touch us.
We are redeemed, it is our future reality. No matter what comes our way, we will make it with God’s help!
That sounds like an excellent prophetic future! God has rescued us and will continue to rescue us!
2. Our Future Relatives
2. Our Future Relatives
5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west;
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
Those alive at the time of Isaiah’s writing had genuine concern about the future of their family. What would happen to their relatives?
Isaiah detailed the impending judgment that would come upon God’s people because of their consistent rebellion.
With such an uncertain future, what will happen to their families?
For the second time in this chapter, Isaiah uses the words, “fear not.”
Who has ever worried about your family?
Who has every prayed for your relatives?
What hope for the recipient of Isaiah’s prophecy— God will protect and watch over our relatives.
He promised to gather the children fro the east and the west. He will say to the north and south, bring my sons and daughters back.
This was not a blanket promise for everyone to live as they please with the hope that God will bring people back. Remember, He is speaking to those who have been redeemed.
He will help those who is called by His name. I like the way the NLT reads:
7 Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.’ ”
Isaiah explains, those who depend on me and claim me as their God, I will bring them back into the land of my blessings.
What should this tell us?
We need to have a concern for our family’s future NOW.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Nothing is more important in a child’s life than leading and instructing them in the ways of God. If we really want to see a prosperous and blessed future’s for our families, we will include God into every facet of our homes NOW.
Isaiah’s day mirrors ours. He lived in a day where ungodly people wanted to have negative influence on the people of God, especially the children.
How true of 2022. There is an assault from hell on the children and teenagers of our country. Everywhere they turn, forces of darkness want to push perversion and ungodliness on them.
Satan wants to steal our kids and grandkids!
What do we do?
Do we wait until he has taken them and then begin to call on God for help?
No, RIGHT now is the hour to rise up as parents and declare as Joshua did, as for me and MY house, we WILL serve the Lord.
We will not bow to:
promiscuity
perversion
partial commitment to God’s house
We cannot leave the future of our families to the world and the culture. We need to stand on the prophetic words of Isaiah, wherever my child goes, north, south, east, or west, I will not fear for YOU are with them keep them and always bring them home!
But what if a child departs from the house and does not continue to live for the Lord.
We cannot give up and leave their futures to the enemy. Stand on Isaiah’s promises wherever they are, God you promised to bring the my son or daughter home from the ends of the earth.
That sounds like an excellent prophetic future! God has rescued us and will continue to rescue us!
God will protect our families and bring them home!
3. Our Future Revival
3. Our Future Revival
18 “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
20 The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen.
21 This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.
I did not read them for the sake of time, but in verses 14-15, God referenced the Babylonians that will come against God’s people. Because of their rebellion against Him, He had to judge them.
But He returns to another promise— Do not remember the former things. Or, forget all of that. What is He saying?
Yes, you were guilty because of your sins, but your past mistakes do not have to define your future. God saw the day His people would return to Jersualem and rejoice.
For us, this prophecy keeps getting better and better. Each of us has a past. Who is proud of their past?
Who wants to share all the details of your past today?
Of course not, most of us prefer to leave the past, in the past. But the enemy LOVES to condemn us and make us feel guilty because of what we used to do.
Therefore, we MUST remember:
12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
The moment we repent of our sins, God forgives them and He tells us, DO NOT REMEMBER THEM BECAUSE I DO NOT REMEMBER THEM.
What will God give in place of our sin?
He does something new. He makes ways in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. He refreshes us in a dry and barren land.
He also promised:
3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;
Notice Isaiah’s progression:
We are redeemed because Jesus paid our ransom.
He will take care of our families as we call on Him.
He will remove the shame of the past and pour out His Spirit upon us!
Jesus gives more insight:
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
And Peter confirms that the Holy Spirit is the one who came to refresh and revive us!
17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.
What a wonderful future. God is willing and ready to do something new in our hearts and lives.
God is willing and ready to pour out His Spirit.
God is willing and ready to refresh us.
God is willing and ready to hear the praises of His people who cry out, WILL YOU NOT REVIVE US AGAIN THAT WE MAY REJOICE IN YOU!
Close:
I am thankful that God has given us a prophetic future. We cannot say that we have NEVER worried about the future. It would be dishonest to say we have not wondered about tomorrow.
But we can say this, we do not need Satan’s counterfeit.
We do not need to consult a psychic
We do not need to check our horoscope
We do not need to have someone tell our future
For we know the One who knows the end from the beginning.
He knows our future. While Isaiah 43 does not tell us everything God has for us, what good news for today. God has a plan for a future rescue.
Because we are redeemed and He paid our ransom, we might walk through the waters, but they will not over take us. We may go through the fire, but the flames will not devour us!
And from the position as a child of God, we need to lead our families in the way of the Lord. We need to call on His name as a family. We need to depend on Him in everything we do.
Then wherever we go in life, He will continue to bring us home and help us!
And finally, we have hope for a future revival. Whether the past has been good or bad, forget all of that. He is about to do something NEW.
That fills my heart with hope, for our lives and our families, God has a new revival prepared. A revival where:
He will pour out His Spirit
He will make ways out of dead ends
He will forgive sin
He will do a new thing
What does the future hold?
We do not know EVERYTHING God will do, but it is a good start to know that God has a plan to rescue us, to help our relatives, and to revive us.
My prayer is, GOD DO IT NOW!
MAYBE INCLUDE SOMETHING ABOUT HIS COMING? EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FAMILY