Guidance from God: Prophetic Abundance
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Intro:
2 Peter 1:19-21
Today, I want to preach on the topic of [Guide us God], the subject of my message is, [Prophetic Abundance].
There was an amusement park in Oklahoma City called Frontier City. The entire park was set in the wild west. That was about as close to the old west as I got in my childhood.
In fact, I didn’t realize the true value of a good western until 2015 when I moved to Vulcan. Who in here loves a good western?
I was once reading about the movie sets where they shoot westerns. I am sure many of you can describe them better than me. I looked at the pictures of the set and saw the old western buildings.
Everything looked just right for an old western gun fight. Until the pictures showed an arial view to reveal that most of the buildings were just facades.
The word facade means the face of a building, especially the principal front that looks onto a street or open space
I found the same to be true of some of my favorite Christmas movies. It appears like the neighborhood if full of pristinely decorated homes, covered with snow and lights.
When in reality, the homes are a facade. The outside looks real, but behind the facade is a empty lot somewhere in Los Angeles.
As I have thought about the prophetic, and the need for God to speak to us, my mind has gone to facades.
The prophetic moves us beyond face value. It takes us past the exterior appearances to what lies behind.
Satan lives in the land of facades. On the outside, everything he offers seems like JUST the thing people want. He pretends to provide:
fulfillment
peace
happiness
love
He allures people with empty promises that are nothing more than a facade. Sadly, many have fallen prey to his conniving ways and later came to realize that their lives are void of:
true joy
true love
true peace
true hope
true fulfillment
If we look at our world, we can all agree that many people are living a facade. The appear to have everything together on the outside.
The world emphasizes wealth, popularity, power, and status and symbols of arrival and fulfillment. But of those who have success later reveal, it was all a facade for there is no amount of money or power that can bring peace and hope.
But when we have the prophetic, the words of God will shine like a light in a darkened land. God wants to speak to us and show us that Satan’s promises are nothing more than a facade.
If Satan’s promises are empty, what are God’s promises?
The promises of God flow with ABUNDANCE . With God there is no facade.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
God is a God of abundance. Abundance means a very large quantity of something.
I want us to keep this in mind today, if God has abundance, behind Satan’s facade has absence. He incapable of providing what we need because he is a liar and the father of lies.
Today, we will look at Isaiah 55 and see how the prophet wanted the people to see beyond Satan’s facade. For too long God’s people longed to possess the status of the surrounding nations.
They felt the tug and pull to follow the evil customs of the nations who served their foreign Gods. But Isaiah shows that those who turn their back on God are living with the facade that everything is okay.
If only they would turn to Him, they would enjoy God’s abundance!
So today, let’s keep in mind that God will generously provide for us so that we will always have everything we need!
Let’s look at Isaiah’s prophetic words and see that God provides, [Abundant Attention], [Abundant Assurance], and [Abundant Authority].
1. Abundant Attention
1. Abundant Attention
Isaiah 55:1-3
Isaiah issues an amazing invitation. He points to needs every person has- thirst, hunger, and finances.
He wants to know who is thirsty. Those who are thirsty can come and drink and will find their thirst satisfied.
He invites those who are hungry to come get bread.
He references money. If they cannot afford to purchase something to drink or eat, he has good news, it is all free.
But he asks them, do you notice that you continue to spend money on food that does not give strength?
What about all the times you have paid for food that does you no good?
What is God saying here?
Obviously he is not just speaking about bread and milk. Though God is concerned about our physical well-being, Isaiah’s words are spiritual.
In Scripture, God often uses physical needs to focus on spiritual matters. For too long God’s people had sought for satisfaction in the wrong places.
They were giving into the facade that following the patterns of the pagan society around them would provide true satisfaction.
The results?
They came up empty. Their lives were absent of true satisfaction and strength.
The fact that God spoke this to Isaiah tells us two things.
First, God paid attention to the people’s disregard of Him. Their willingness to ignore Him did not go unnoticed.
Second, God noticed they lacked spiritually and was willing to give them everything they need if only they will COME TO HIM.
Isaiah’s prophetic words were an invitation, come to me and your soul will delight in abundance. God is more than a facade. He never issues an empty promise.
Should they decide to come to Him:
He will quench their spiritual thirst
He will provide their spiritual neds
He will satisfy their spiritual hunger
Should they choose to include themselves to Him and listen to Him, God promised to make a covenant with them and give them the unfailing love He promised to David.
A covenant is more than a contract or a promise. It is a binding agreement between God and a person. When God makes covenant, He does not change His mind.
He promises, COME TO ME and I will make a covenant with you, just like I did with David, I will always be there with you.
Jesus is concerned about our needs and situations. But what I see from this passage is that the foundation of all of our problems and possibilities is spiritual.
When we turn from God, our physical and spiritual life suffers. But when we turn to Him, He will take care of us in every way.
Isaiah invited them to come to the waters, but where do we go?
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.”
In our situations of life, God invites us to come to HIM and HE will give us water that will never run dry. Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s promises.
When we turn to God, he will provide abundant attention to every part of our lives, physically and spiritually.
2. Abundant Assurance
2. Abundant Assurance
Isaiah 55:6-7
Here is another promise of God— SEEK THE LORD WHILE YOU CAN FIND HIM.
When I hear the word seek, my mind goes to the childhood game of hide and seek. I played it as a child and I have watched children play it as an adult.
The seeker always seems to get excited when they get close to finding the one who is hidden.
Imagine God being like that, he is there waiting for us to seek Him. But here is the good part about God, when we begin to seek Him, reveals Himself to us!
Whenever someone begins to call on the Lord, He will accept them just as they are, but He does not intend to keep them as they are.
When we really seek God, really desire a relationship with Him:
We will want God to change our wicked ways
We will want to Got to remove the very thought of doing wrong
I love what Isaiah promises, when we begin to seek Him, He will show us His mercy and ABUNDANTLY PARDON us. Or as one version says to forgive generously.
I am glad that God has pardoned us from our sins and the punishment we deserve is gone.
Let’s think of that for a moment. We know ALL the wrong that we did. We know ALL the mistakes we have made. Why would God choose to save us?
Sometimes I have wondered, what was He thinking? Not just to save me, but to call me and let me walk close to Him?
Perhaps the people thought that in Isaiah’s day. Abundantly pardon us, what is He thinking?
The prophet answers.
Isaiah 55:8-9
God does not think like us. His ways and thought are not our ways and thoughts. Isaiah attempts to show us God’s perspective. He sees a situation in ways that are different than ours.
That alone is VERY assuring. When God abundantly pardoned us, He did so because He knows EXACTLY what He is doing.
In studying this passage I read something about God’s perspective that excited me:
There is more grace in God’s heart than sin in humanity’s hearts.
There is more power in the Holy Spirit to convict of sin than there is power in satanic forces to tempt people to sin.
There is more power in one drop of blood shed by Jesus to cleanse hearts from the stain of sin than there is in accumulated filth of humanity’s sin since Adam and Eve.
What assurance. Too often we look at the sin, the evil forces, and the wickedness in the world. But God does not see it that way.
I take great assurance that God does not look at what we face from our perspective— for He knows EVERYTHING and will work it all out according to His will.
God invites us to follow Him and He will give us abundant attention.
God invites us to seek Him and He will give us abundant assurance
3. Abundant Authority
3. Abundant Authority
Isaiah 55:10-11
Once again, Isaiah uses natural occurences to make a point.
Precipitation comes to water the ground. When the water comes to the ground it stays there to help the seed planted by the farmer to grow.
That seed can produce grain which will eventually be used to make bread to feed the hungry.
Isaiah’s point- rain falls from the clouds for a purpose.
He then compares this to the Word of God. God sends His word for the purpose of producing fruit. God’s word will accomplish what God desires.
Here is our hope— when we STAND o the Word of God we have abundant authority. Why do we have authority in God’s word?
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Why does God’s word possess such power?
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
Every passage found in the Word of God comes straight from God through the pen of human authors. Therefore, we can depend on the Word.
We know this works because JESUS HIMSELF depended on the Word of God.
Jesus entered the wilderness to pray and fast. As he did so, Satan came to tempt Him. Remember, the enemies words are nothing but a facade.
They might sound good on the outside, but they are hollow and empty. Satan tried this on Jesus. He offered a solution for his physical spiritual needs.
But Jesus overcame Satan’s lies by saying IT IS WRITTEN! With great authority, Jesus depended on the Word of God.
Scripture has an abundance of solutions to every one of our situations and problems. Therefore, the more we read, memorize, and declare the word of God, the more we will walk in abundant authority!
Close:
God invites us to follow Him and He will give us abundant attention.
God invites us to seek Him and He will give us abundant assurance.
God invites us to quote Him and He will give us abundant authority.
Isn’t it great to know that there is NO facade when it comes to the Lord?
He stands by His word. He fulfills His promises. He answers those who call on Him.
Sadly, many people have bought into Satan’s lies. They believe the facade that he can provide what they need.
But God has a prophetic word— He is abundantly powerful and able to meet our needs.
Remember, He pays abundant attention to our physical and spiritual needs— all we have to do is come to Him and He will provide for us.
He asks us to seek Him and He will answer. But we might wonder, I have sought, I have prayed, and I have asked, and it seems to get me nowhere.
9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
Satan will put up the facade that God does not listen, but when we seek Him we have the abundant assurance that He sees our perspective in ways we cannot not.
That tells us that He has solutions and answers for us that we cannot see yet!
He also gives us permission to stand on His word and His promises to us!
All of this sounds great, but how is it possible to walk in the abundance God has for us?
How can we really come to Him, trust Him, and depend on Him.
We have to remember our abundance is not what WHAT we have, but WHO we know!
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Satan’s facades always lead to destruction. But when we know Jesus, He will give us life and we can have it more abundantly.
So when we stay close to Him, He promises:
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Our abundance comes from Christ. So let’s call on Him.