
Sometimes circumstances can overwhelm us and tempt us to question if God really loves us. Learn why we can find solace in God’s sovereign care in troubled times as well as in pleasant seasons. Listen to Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
“Behold Your God!” — Part Two
Isaiah 40:12–31 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 50:59 • ID: 3474
Growing in Boldness
What must have looked like a tragedy turned out to be just the opposite.
When the Philippian church learned that Paul had been imprisoned in Rome, they were surely greatly concerned. Some may have even panicked, worrying that the gospel’s influence would decline because its great teacher and apologist was shut away, unable to travel. It was a disaster for the gospel—wasn’t it?
Paul himself had a radically different perspective on his imprisonment. Underpinning all that he wrote was an unshakable confidence in God’s providence, for, as he wrote to the church in Rome, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Understanding that he had been placed in prison according to God’s plan (Philippians 1:16), Paul was able to be an optimistic prisoner and a joyful servant, looking to the well-being of the church and not to his own predicament.
For Paul, it was imperative for the church to understand that his imprisonment was not hindering the gospel but furthering it. Being a prisoner was simply another opportunity to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. What had happened had “really served to advance the gospel.” Roman soldiers were unlikely to seek out a converted Jew who was gathering crowds with his preaching—yet God wanted His good news to reach them. He therefore prepared a different method of ministry and sent Paul to them, albeit in chains. As a result, the good news spread among the entire guard and even went on to break into the very household of the Roman emperor himself. And the news of Paul’s success in turn emboldened other believers. As they realized that God was able to provide for Paul in his circumstance, they grew in their trust that God could provide for them in their own circumstances. And so they became “much more bold to speak the word without fear.”
Perhaps we, too, need the confidence that comes from remembering that God is in control. We tend to assume that circumstances have to be right if we’re going to be effective Christians. But God’s thinking is different from ours. He’s not waiting for the circumstances to be right. He’s committed to using His people for His glory, even when the circumstances appear less than ideal. And He’s able to use those circumstances to further the cause of the gospel.
We would do well to spend less time trying to change our circumstances and more time growing in boldness and speaking the word without fear. We would do well to consider how we might be in danger of using our circumstances as an excuse not to speak rather than as an opportunity to do so. Perhaps then the good news of Jesus Christ will spread through us in some strange and wonderful way, just as it did through Paul.
How is God calling me to think differently?
How is God reordering my heart’s affections — what I love?
What is God calling me to do as I go about my day today?
Saul Ravages the Church
1And bSaul capproved of his execution.
And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and dthey were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3But eSaul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he fdragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
Philip Proclaims Christ in Samaria
4Now gthose who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5hPhilip went down to the city1 of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6iAnd the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him jand saw the signs that he did. 7For kunclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8So lthere was much joy in that city.

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg, published by The Good Book Company, thegoodbook.com. Used by Truth For Life with permission. Copyright © 2021, 2022, The Good Book Company.

To Him Be the Glory
To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.
Heaven will be full of the ceaseless praises of Jesus. Eternity! Your unnumbered years shall run their everlasting course, but forever and forever; “to him be the glory.” Is He not a “priest forever after the order of Melchizedek”? “To him be the glory.” Is He not king forever—King of kings and Lord of lords, the everlasting Father? “To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.” His praises shall never end.
That which was bought with blood deserves to last while immortality endures. The glory of the cross must never be eclipsed; the luster of the grave and of the resurrection must never be dimmed. O Jesus, You will be praised forever. So long as immortal spirits live—as long as the Father's throne endures—forever, forever, unto You shall be glory.
Believer, you are anticipating the time when you will join the saints above in ascribing all glory to Jesus; but are you glorifying Him now? The apostle's words are, “To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.” Will you not today make it your prayer? Lord, help me to glorify You. I am poor; help me to glorify You by contentment. I am sick; help me to give You honor by patience. I have talents; help me to extol You by spending them for You. I have time, Lord; help me to redeem it, that I may serve You. I have a heart to feel; Lord, let that heart feel no love but Yours, and glow with no flame but affection for You. I have a mind to think, Lord; help me to think of You and for You. You have put me in this world for something. Lord, show me what that is, and help me to work out my life-purpose. I cannot do much, but as the widow put in her two copper coins, which were all her living, so, Lord, I cast my time and eternity too into Your treasury. I am all Yours; take me, and enable me to glorify You now, in all that I say, in all that I do, and with all that I have.

Devotional material is taken from Morning and Evening, written by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg. Copyright © 2003, Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org. Used by Truth For Life with written permission.
Daily Bible Reading for February 15
Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh
1After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. 3And Jacob said to Joseph, z“God Almighty1 appeared to me at aLuz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you bfor an everlasting possession.’ 5And now your ctwo sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, dare mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. 6And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow eRachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance2 to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”
8When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9Joseph said to his father, f“They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that gI may bless them.” 10Now hthe eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, iand he kissed them and embraced them. 11And Israel said to Joseph, j“I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.” 12Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 14kAnd Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, lcrossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). 15And he blessed Joseph and said,
“The God mbefore whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
16nthe angel who has oredeemed me from all evil, bless the boys;
and in them let pmy name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
and let them qgrow into a multitude3 in the midst of the earth.”
17When Joseph saw that his father rlaid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. 18And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19But his father refused and said, r“I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, shis younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude4 of nations.” 20So he blessed them that day, saying,
“By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying,
t‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’”
Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but uGod will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22Moreover, I have given to vyou rather than to your brothers one mountain slope5 that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39In those days Mary arose and went with haste into rthe hill country, to a town in Judah, 40and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth swas filled with the Holy Spirit, 42and she exclaimed with a loud cry, t“Blessed are you among women, and ublessed is vthe fruit of your womb! 43And why is this granted to me that the mother of wmy Lord should come to me? 44For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45And xblessed is she who believed that there would be7 a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat
46And Mary said,
y“My zsoul amagnifies the Lord,
47band my zspirit rejoices in cGod my Savior,
48for dhe has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations ewill call me blessed;
49for fhe who is mighty ghas done great things for me,
and hholy is his name.
50And ihis mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51jHe has shown strength with his arm;
khe has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52jhe has brought down the mighty from their thrones
land exalted those of humble estate;
53he has filled mthe hungry with good things,
and the rich nhe has sent away empty.
54He has ohelped phis servant Israel,
qin remembrance of his mercy,
55ras he spoke to our fathers,
qto Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
56And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
The Birth of John the Baptist
57Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord shad shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59And ton the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60but his mother answered, “No; uhe shall be called John.” 61And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62And vthey made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63And he asked for wa writing tablet and wrote, u“His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64xAnd immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue yloosed, and he spoke, zblessing God. 65And afear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all bthe hill country of Judea, 66and all who heard them claid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For dthe hand of the Lord was with him.
Zechariah's Prophecy
67And his father Zechariah ewas filled with the Holy Spirit and fprophesied, saying,
68g“Blessed be the Lord hGod of Israel,
for he has ivisited and jredeemed his people
69and khas raised up la horn of salvation for us
min the house of his servant David,
70nas ohe spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71pthat we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72qto show the mercy promised to our fathers
and rto remember his holy scovenant,
73tthe oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him uwithout fear,
75vin holiness and righteousness before him wall our days.
76And you, child, will be called xthe prophet of ythe Most High;
for zyou will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77to give knowledge of salvation to his people
ain the forgiveness of their sins,
78because of the btender mercy of our God,
whereby cthe sunrise shall dvisit us8 efrom on high
79to fgive light to gthose who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into hthe way of ipeace.”
80jAnd the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was kin the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Job Continues: Death Comes Soon to All
1“Man who is kborn of a woman
is lfew of days and mfull of trouble.
2He comes out like na flower and owithers;
he flees like pa shadow and continues not.
3And do you qopen your eyes on such a one
and rbring me into judgment with you?
4Who can bring sa clean thing out of an unclean?
There is not one.
5Since his tdays are determined,
and uthe number of his months is with you,
and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,
6vlook away from him and leave him alone,1
that he may enjoy, like wa hired hand, his day.
7“For there is hope for a tree,
if it be cut down, that it will sprout again,
and that its shoots will not cease.
8Though its root grow old in the earth,
and xits stump die in the soil,
9yet at the scent of water it will bud
and put out ybranches like a young plant.
10But a man dies and is laid low;
man breathes his last, and zwhere is he?
11aAs waters fail from a lake
and a river wastes away and dries up,
12so a man lies down and rises not again;
till bthe heavens are no more he will not awake
or be croused out of his sleep.
13Oh that you would dhide me in eSheol,
that you would dconceal me funtil your wrath be past,
that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14If a man dies, shall he live again?
All the days of my gservice I would hwait,
till my renewal2 should come.
15You would icall, and I would answer you;
you would long for the jwork of your hands.
16For then you would knumber my steps;
you would not keep lwatch over my sin;
17my transgression would be msealed up in a bag,
and you would cover over my iniquity.
18“But the mountain falls and ncrumbles away,
and othe rock is removed from its place;
19the waters wear away the stones;
the torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
so you destroy the hope of man.
20You prevail forever against him, and he passes;
you change his countenance, and send him away.
21His sons come to honor, and he pdoes not know it;
they are brought low, and he perceives it not.
22He feels only the pain of his own body,
and he mourns only for himself.”
Proclaiming Christ Crucified
1And I, when I came to you, brothers,1 xdid not come proclaiming to you ythe testimony2 of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2For I decided to know nothing among you except zJesus Christ and him crucified. 3And aI was with you bin weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of cthe Spirit and of power, 5so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men3 but din the power of God.
Wisdom from the Spirit
6Yet among ethe mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not fa wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, gwho are doomed to pass away. 7But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, hwhich God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8None of ithe rulers of this age understood this, for jif they had, they would not have crucified kthe Lord of glory. 9But, as it is written,
l“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has mprepared nfor those who love him”—
10these things oGod has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even pthe depths of God. 11For who knows a person's thoughts qexcept the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12Now rwe have received not sthe spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13And we impart this tin words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, uinterpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.4
14The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are vfolly to him, and whe is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15The xspiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16y“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But zwe have the mind of Christ.
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