“Who Is My Equal?”
7/4/10
Isaiah 40:25-26
Introduction: A couple of summers ago my family and I went to the Black Hills in South Dakota for a family reunion. Some of Tami’s dad’s family and some of her mom’s family were there (24 of us total). It just so happened that the grand son of Tami’s dad’s cousin had gotten the flu. He wasn’t there initially, but the grandpa had been around him, and he was there. Well, to make a long ordeal short, 21 out of the 24 people got the flu over the next few days! This was one of the worst flu’s I have ever had. It made me (and whoever else got it) very weak.
I mention this, because there are many times in our lives where we are weak. Sickness can make us weak; tiredness can make us weak; mental exhaustion can make us weak. But the good news is that we have a God who is strong; who never gets weak. A God to whom there is no equal. Our question this morning comes from God Himself, who asks: “Who Is My Equal?”
I. To whom will you compare me? (Isaiah 40:25, 31; 2 Cor. 12:9-10)
a. The Rookie- Example: In the movie “The Rookie,” starring Dennis
Quaid, which is based on the true story of Jim Morris, Morris is a high school baseball coach in a small town in Texas. His team gets him to agree to try out for the major leagues at the age of 39 after he realizes he has regained his arm strength and is able to throw the ball 98 miles per hour. He signs a contract, but finds himself toiling around in the minor leagues away from his wife and children. In this scene I’m going to show you, Morris is frustrated at not getting the chance to go to the majors, and he is thinking of calling it quits. At this moment he hears sounds from a little league baseball game, and goes over to check it out….VIDEO CLIP
This moment reminds Jim Morris that baseball is a GAME that he gets to play. This rejuvenates him, and a little later he gets called up to the major leagues where he has some success!
b. When I am weak- Whether it be baseball, or life, we tend to
compare ourselves against others and wonder if we are as good, as competent, as strong. But in doing this we lose the focus of where our minds should be; God should be our focus, and seeking out God’s strength should be our goal. We are meant to have fun in life, and with God’s help this can happen all the more.
Instead of letting life knock us down, stress us out, or overwhelm us, we can overcome the challenges with God’s strength. As God says in Isaiah 40:25- “To whom then will you compare me?” OR as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “…Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” In fact, just a few verses later, in the Isaiah 40 passage, in verse 31, Isaiah reminds us, “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
II. Who Is My Equal? (Isaiah 40:25-26; 1 Chronicles 16:25-27;
2 Samuel 22:33; 1 Kings 8:22-23; Job 38:1-19)
a. Comparisons- Isaiah 40:25 then challenges us with the question of
the day: “Who is my equal.” The answer to this question is an implied “no one.” The answer is that there is no other person, king, or supposed god that is God’s equal. As 1 Chronicles 16:25-27 tells us, “For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. 26 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. 27 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place.”
There is a poem called “The Six Men of Indostan,” by John Godfrey Saxe's ( 1816-1887), which says: It was six men of Indostan, To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant, (Though all of them were blind), That each by observation, Might satisfy his mind. The First approach'd the Elephant, And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side, At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant, Is very like a wall!"
The Second, feeling of the tusk, Cried, -"Ho! what have we here, So very round and smooth and sharp? To me 'tis mighty clear. This wonder of an Elephant, Is very like a spear!" The Third approached the animal, And happening to take, The squirming trunk within his hands, Thus boldly up and spake: "I see," quoth he, "the Elephant Is very like a snake!" The Fourth reached out his eager hand, And felt about the knee. "What most this wondrous beast is like, Is mighty plain," quoth he, "'Tis clear enough the Elephant Is very like a tree!" The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said: "E'en the blindest man Can tell what this resembles most; Deny the fact who can, This marvel of an Elephant Is very like a fan!" The Sixth no sooner had begun About the beast to grope, Then, seizing on the swinging tail That fell within his scope, "I see," quoth he, "the Elephant Is very like a rope!” And so these men of Indostan, Disputed loud and long, Each in his own opinion, Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong!
You see here, that depending on what part of the elephant the blind men were touching, they believed the elephant to be different than the others. People believe this to be true of the different religions; that based on how they experience God, they see him differently than others. In this thinking, there is either one God, with different ideas of God, or there are many gods that all represents the same thing; a higher power.
b. No equal- The problem here is identifying God as the elephant.
We are assuming that just as all the people were touching the same elephant, so all of the people are experiencing the same God, when in fact this is not true. We are comparing one idea of God, to what needs to be the true understanding of God. All religions cannot be true at the same time, because their teachings are completely different from one another. They cannot all be right.
It really all plays out in and through Jesus Christ; the Son of God; the Messiah; the Savior of all. The different religions do not believe Jesus to be the same person the Bible teaches Him to be. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus was God in the flesh who died for our sins to bring salvation to the world. This is really where we see the great power of God at work, and how God brings His power and strength to us, His people.
The Jesus of Islam was not the Son of God who died for the sins of the world; neither is the Jesus of Mormonism or Christian Science. The Jesus of these religions are not the Jesus of the Bible. Even though many religions might seem to be the same, when you delve into their teachings, you see that the god they believe in is not the God of the Bible at all; it is not the same elephant. And if the God of the Bible is the only true God, then these other gods do not compare in any way.
We are told in 2 Samuel 22:33, “It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect.” OR 1 Kings 8:22-23, which says, “Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven 23 and said: ‘O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.’”
We need to understand that God is not like any other God. One of the best passages that helps us to understand this is in the book of Job, where God gives Job a little talk to put things in perspective. It is found in Job 38:1-19, “Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: 2 "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? 3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. 4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone- 7 while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? 8 "Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, …? 12 "Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, …?… 18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. 19 "What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside?…” God goes on for another 69 verses. Then the heading of Job, chapter 42 is, “Job is Humbled and Satisfied.” At this point, Job understands his place, and God’s place; Job understands the power and strength of God. Job understands that there is no God like his God; the One true God!
Conclusion: I am amazed at how people don’t honor and revere the name of God and the power of God. I am amazed at how people can say they believe in God and worship God, but they do not have a right perspective of who God is. So many don’t understand that as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of this world and our lives, God is to reign over all. Maybe it is because people follow the old adage “out of sight, out of mind.” Because God isn’t visibly present here on earth, people forget about who God really is, and the place He is to hold in their lives.
When God asks, “Who is my equal?” what do you say? Does God hold the place of king and ruler of your heart and mind? Do you honor God with your actions, thoughts, and beliefs? Do you let other teachings enter into your understanding of who God is, watering down the truth? There is no equal to God; God alone reigns supreme. God alone is to be worshiped. God alone is to govern our lives. Anything that takes precedence of God in our lives begins to hold equal status to God for us. This is not right. We must keep God securely on the throne. We must let others know that God is the only true God. We must not have anything else that equals God. Let us hold fast to this truth, today, and every day. Amen.
7/4/10
Isaiah 40:25-26
Introduction: A couple of summers ago my family and I went to the Black Hills in South Dakota for a family reunion. Some of Tami’s dad’s family and some of her mom’s family were there (24 of us total). It just so happened that the grand son of Tami’s dad’s cousin had gotten the flu. He wasn’t there initially, but the grandpa had been around him, and he was there. Well, to make a long ordeal short, 21 out of the 24 people got the flu over the next few days! This was one of the worst flu’s I have ever had. It made me (and whoever else got it) very weak.
I mention this, because there are many times in our lives where we are weak. Sickness can make us weak; tiredness can make us weak; mental exhaustion can make us weak. But the good news is that we have a God who is strong; who never gets weak. A God to whom there is no equal. Our question this morning comes from God Himself, who asks: “Who Is My Equal?”
I. To whom will you compare me? (Isaiah 40:25, 31; 2 Cor. 12:9-10)
a. The Rookie- Example: In the movie “The Rookie,” starring Dennis
Quaid, which is based on the true story of Jim Morris, Morris is a high school baseball coach in a small town in Texas. His team gets him to agree to try out for the major leagues at the age of 39 after he realizes he has regained his arm strength and is able to throw the ball 98 miles per hour. He signs a contract, but finds himself toiling around in the minor leagues away from his wife and children. In this scene I’m going to show you, Morris is frustrated at not getting the chance to go to the majors, and he is thinking of calling it quits. At this moment he hears sounds from a little league baseball game, and goes over to check it out….VIDEO CLIP
This moment reminds Jim Morris that baseball is a GAME that he gets to play. This rejuvenates him, and a little later he gets called up to the major leagues where he has some success!
b. When I am weak- Whether it be baseball, or life, we tend to
compare ourselves against others and wonder if we are as good, as competent, as strong. But in doing this we lose the focus of where our minds should be; God should be our focus, and seeking out God’s strength should be our goal. We are meant to have fun in life, and with God’s help this can happen all the more.
Instead of letting life knock us down, stress us out, or overwhelm us, we can overcome the challenges with God’s strength. As God says in Isaiah 40:25- “To whom then will you compare me?” OR as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “…Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” In fact, just a few verses later, in the Isaiah 40 passage, in verse 31, Isaiah reminds us, “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
II. Who Is My Equal? (Isaiah 40:25-26; 1 Chronicles 16:25-27;
2 Samuel 22:33; 1 Kings 8:22-23; Job 38:1-19)
a. Comparisons- Isaiah 40:25 then challenges us with the question of
the day: “Who is my equal.” The answer to this question is an implied “no one.” The answer is that there is no other person, king, or supposed god that is God’s equal. As 1 Chronicles 16:25-27 tells us, “For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. 26 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. 27 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place.”
There is a poem called “The Six Men of Indostan,” by John Godfrey Saxe's ( 1816-1887), which says: It was six men of Indostan, To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant, (Though all of them were blind), That each by observation, Might satisfy his mind. The First approach'd the Elephant, And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side, At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant, Is very like a wall!"
The Second, feeling of the tusk, Cried, -"Ho! what have we here, So very round and smooth and sharp? To me 'tis mighty clear. This wonder of an Elephant, Is very like a spear!" The Third approached the animal, And happening to take, The squirming trunk within his hands, Thus boldly up and spake: "I see," quoth he, "the Elephant Is very like a snake!" The Fourth reached out his eager hand, And felt about the knee. "What most this wondrous beast is like, Is mighty plain," quoth he, "'Tis clear enough the Elephant Is very like a tree!" The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said: "E'en the blindest man Can tell what this resembles most; Deny the fact who can, This marvel of an Elephant Is very like a fan!" The Sixth no sooner had begun About the beast to grope, Then, seizing on the swinging tail That fell within his scope, "I see," quoth he, "the Elephant Is very like a rope!” And so these men of Indostan, Disputed loud and long, Each in his own opinion, Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong!
You see here, that depending on what part of the elephant the blind men were touching, they believed the elephant to be different than the others. People believe this to be true of the different religions; that based on how they experience God, they see him differently than others. In this thinking, there is either one God, with different ideas of God, or there are many gods that all represents the same thing; a higher power.
b. No equal- The problem here is identifying God as the elephant.
We are assuming that just as all the people were touching the same elephant, so all of the people are experiencing the same God, when in fact this is not true. We are comparing one idea of God, to what needs to be the true understanding of God. All religions cannot be true at the same time, because their teachings are completely different from one another. They cannot all be right.
It really all plays out in and through Jesus Christ; the Son of God; the Messiah; the Savior of all. The different religions do not believe Jesus to be the same person the Bible teaches Him to be. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus was God in the flesh who died for our sins to bring salvation to the world. This is really where we see the great power of God at work, and how God brings His power and strength to us, His people.
The Jesus of Islam was not the Son of God who died for the sins of the world; neither is the Jesus of Mormonism or Christian Science. The Jesus of these religions are not the Jesus of the Bible. Even though many religions might seem to be the same, when you delve into their teachings, you see that the god they believe in is not the God of the Bible at all; it is not the same elephant. And if the God of the Bible is the only true God, then these other gods do not compare in any way.
We are told in 2 Samuel 22:33, “It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect.” OR 1 Kings 8:22-23, which says, “Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven 23 and said: ‘O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.’”
We need to understand that God is not like any other God. One of the best passages that helps us to understand this is in the book of Job, where God gives Job a little talk to put things in perspective. It is found in Job 38:1-19, “Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: 2 "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? 3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. 4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone- 7 while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? 8 "Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, …? 12 "Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, …?… 18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. 19 "What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside?…” God goes on for another 69 verses. Then the heading of Job, chapter 42 is, “Job is Humbled and Satisfied.” At this point, Job understands his place, and God’s place; Job understands the power and strength of God. Job understands that there is no God like his God; the One true God!
Conclusion: I am amazed at how people don’t honor and revere the name of God and the power of God. I am amazed at how people can say they believe in God and worship God, but they do not have a right perspective of who God is. So many don’t understand that as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of this world and our lives, God is to reign over all. Maybe it is because people follow the old adage “out of sight, out of mind.” Because God isn’t visibly present here on earth, people forget about who God really is, and the place He is to hold in their lives.
When God asks, “Who is my equal?” what do you say? Does God hold the place of king and ruler of your heart and mind? Do you honor God with your actions, thoughts, and beliefs? Do you let other teachings enter into your understanding of who God is, watering down the truth? There is no equal to God; God alone reigns supreme. God alone is to be worshiped. God alone is to govern our lives. Anything that takes precedence of God in our lives begins to hold equal status to God for us. This is not right. We must keep God securely on the throne. We must let others know that God is the only true God. We must not have anything else that equals God. Let us hold fast to this truth, today, and every day. Amen.
posted by Logan's Blog at 10:03 PM
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