Sermon Tone Analysis
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In 2005 a man by the name of Edmond Knowles broke the record for the largest ever single cash-in of pennies.
He deposited a stash of 1,308,459 pennies worth over $13,000.
His collection weighed in at more than 4.5 tons.
It took Mr. Knowles 38 years to build up such a storehouse of pennies.
After his deposit, Mr. Knowles stated, “No, I don’t ever want to see another penny… perhaps I’ll collect a dew dimes.”
Today, I want to talk about the issue of idolatry.
Idolatry, as you probably know, does not have to take the form of worshiping a statue or idol.
Idolatry can happen when we delight our hearts in anything more than God.
When we choose to love something else to a greater degree than we love God, it becomes an idol.
And it can be something as innocent as the penny.
If that thing consumes us, if it becomes our life, it has the danger of also becoming our idol.
Jesus said it this way...
In Isaiah 44 God is dealing with the sin of idolatry.
God is speaking to the believing remnant of Israel.
He is speaking to believers that He had to judge because of their sin.
God allowed Israel to be conquered.
He allowed His people to be imprisoned and judged.
Again in later part of Is 43
But you have burdened me with your sins;
you have wearied me with your iniquities.
Yet God, despite Israel’s sin, in an amazing display of grace, calls His people to repentance.
God commands the people of Israel to repent of their sin, and return to worshiping Him alone.
I think, if we are honest with ourselves, we too have idols of our hearts.
We too need to marvel at the profound grace of God, and we need to repent and return to delighting in God first of all in our hearts.
God must be our chief love, God must be the object of our affection and our worship.
How do we overcome the sin of idolatry?
How do we make God the chief love and sole object of our worship?
God gives three commands that if followed will restore the Lord to the rightful place He deserves in our hearts.
If we are to make God the chief love and sole object of our worship, then...
I.
You must remember that God is the only One in this universe that can satisfy your needy soul
Key to this first section of Isaiah 44 is God’s emphasis that Israel hears what He is saying to them.
It is not new information.
So the idea is not learn something new, but remember what you already know.
v. 1- Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant;
v. 2- Thus saith the LORD that made thee,
v. 6- Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel,
v. 21- Remember these (things), O Jacob
God wants them to hear with the intent of remembering…internalize this truth…live your lives in light of this truth once again.
What truth does God want them to remember?
A. There is no one else like God
He alone is their creator.
He formed them.
And He alone is the source of their blessing.
Notice again the command to hear.
Jacob, MY SERVANT
And Israel, WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN
This is a theme that will be repeated throughout the passage.
Notice it is God alone that made them, He formed them from the womb.
This is also a key theme to understanding the passage.
In moment God will contrast this idea of being their creator their maker with those that create or make idols.
And notice God is the One who will HELP them.
He alone is their source of help.
vv.
3-5 are an example of the Lord’s blessing or the Lord’s help.
This blessing that God describes I believe is primarily future.
This blessing will be fulfilled in the New Covenant during the Millennial Kingdom.
Pour water upon him that is thirsty (thirsty land)
floods upon the dry gourd.
(A reference to physical blessing.
You need water to grow crops and be successful)
It is also an illustration for what God is going to do one day… when He pours out His Holy Spirit (like a flood) upon their seed (children), and His blessing upon their offspring.
They will multiply (physical blessing), they will grow like grass and like willows.
And they will be devoted to the Lord (all of them)
5 One shall say, I am the Lord’s; And another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; And another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord,
This is a reference to prophesies like Joel 2:28-29 talking about the pouring out of His Spirit.
And Jeremiah 31
This blessing will be fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom.
The point is, I alone, I am the God that choose you, and formed you, and have decided to bless you (not based on your own merit by the way, but because of my grace).
No one else can do these things.
Only God can.
Notice the uniqueness of God’s titles-
LORD
King of Israel
Redeemer
LORD of hosts
I am the first, and I am the last
Besides me there is no god.
Who, as I, shall call (Who is like me?)
If there is one that is like me, God says, let him declare it.
And if you are going to make that claim.
Declare also, the things that are coming and tell me what will happen.
(No one knows the future… only God.)
Is there a God besides me?
Yea, there is no God (lit.
Rock)
for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock
God asks the question, “Is there any one else like me?”
And He answers that question.
There is no other Rock (there is no other source of everlasting strength), I don’t know of any.
Illustration: When my kids were little little (infants), as much as my wife tried to avoid it, they would attach themselves to some kind of object- a stuffed animal, or a blanket.
They would get so attached to that animal or that blanket that if we didn’t give it to them when we laid them down for a nap, they wouldn’t go to sleep.
They couldn’t sleep unless that had that one specific item.
Don’t even try giving them something else in its place!
Forget it.
It had to be that one specific thing.
We even went out and bought a back up in case the primary got too dirty or we lost it.
That blanket to that child was unique.
One of a kind… and nothing else would do.
Nothing could take its place.
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