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“Behold Your God!” (Part 3 of 4)

Isaiah 40:12–31
Program

It’s surprisingly easy to create an idol, even out of the good things God has given. Learn about the power behind idols, and discover how futile and dangerous it is to worship anything other than the one true God. Join us on 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

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A Life of Urgency

I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

As he took his leave of the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, the apostle Paul felt an urgent compulsion from the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. He had no idea what would happen to him when he got there, but he had a clear sense that hard times and imprisonment awaited him. Then he made this staggering statement: “I do not account my life of any value.”

This was not masochism—some strange hatred of happiness, health, or physical life. So what, then, did Paul mean by declaring his life valueless? Simply this: that he did not regard his life as so precious a possession as to be held on to at all costs.

People often say, “Well, as long as you’ve got your health, that’s all that matters!” But that is not all that matters! Our bodies are passing away. We’re crumbling even as we live and breathe. We may have our health today, but a day will come when we do not. Unless we’re able to say with Paul, “To live is Christ,” we cannot legitimately affirm with him, “and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). The only way that death can be gain is if Christ is everything. And if Christ is everything, as Paul says He is, then we can declare with him, My life is not ultimate. I don’t need to protect it as the most precious thing I have. I want to spend it for the most precious person I know.

What mattered most to Paul was that he finished his life trusting Christ and carried out to the best of his abilities the ministry Christ had given him. He felt a compelling resolve to complete the task of testifying to “the gospel of the grace of God” everywhere he could reach. There’s a task! There’s a purpose, significance, an agenda, a calling! And this is a task that has been entrusted to all of us—the commission to let everyone we meet know the good news of God’s amazing grace.

How are you, like Paul, to live a life of urgency so that you might keep going until the end? You must run your race with all your might, with the finish line in view. Don’t look for an opportunity to bow out or slow down before the final lap is over. Run with all your strength and run right through the tape, gripped by Christ’s love, energized by God’s Spirit, and guided by God’s word.

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

Philippians 1:27–30

27Only vlet your manner of life be wworthy8 of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you xthat you are standing firm in one spirit, with yone mind zstriving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is aa clear sign to them of their destruction, but bof your salvation, and that from God. 29For cit has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also bsuffer for his sake, 30engaged in the same dconflict that eyou saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Philippians 2:1–2

Christ's Example of Humility

1So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from flove, any gparticipation in the Spirit, any haffection and sympathy, 2icomplete my joy by being jof the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

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Footnotes
8 1:27 Greek Only behave as citizens worthy

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.

On a Fool’s Errand?

On a Fool’s Errand?

And when David inquired of the Lord …

When David made this inquiry, he had just fought the Philistines and gained a classic victory. The Philistines came up in great numbers, but, by the help of God, David had easily put them to flight. Note, however, that when they came a second time, David did not go up to fight them without inquiring of the Lord. Once he had been victorious, and he might have said, as many have in other cases, "I shall be victorious again. I may rest quite sure that if I have conquered once I shall triumph yet again. Why should I delay by seeking God?"

Not so David. He had gained one battle by the strength of the Lord; he would not venture upon another until he had ensured the same. He inquired, "Shall I go up against them?" He waited until God's sign was given.

Learn from David to take no step without God. Christian, if you would know the path of duty, take God for your compass; if you would steer your ship through the dark billows, put the tiller into the hand of the Almighty. Many a rock might be escaped if we would let our Father take the helm; many a shoal or quicksand we might well avoid if we would leave it to His sovereign will to choose and to command.

The Puritan said, "As sure as ever a Christian carves for himself, he'll cut his own fingers." This is a great truth. Another old divine said, "He that goes before the cloud of God's providence goes on a fool's errand," and so he does. We must mark God's providence leading us; and if providence delays, wait until providence comes. He who goes before providence will be very glad to retreat.

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go,"1 is God's promise to His people. Let us, then, take all our perplexities to Him and say, "Lord, what will you have me do?" Do not leave your house this morning without inquiring of the Lord.

1) Psalm 32:8

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 10

Genesis 43, Mark 13, Job 9, Romans 13

Joseph's Brothers Return to Egypt

1Now the famine was qsevere in the land. 2And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.” 3But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your rbrother is with you.’ 4If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.’” 6Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” 7They replied, “The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” 8And Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may slive and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. 9I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. tIf I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. 10If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice.”

11Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little ubalm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. 12Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money vthat was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. 13Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man. 14May wGod Almighty1 xgrant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, yif I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”

15So the men took this present, and they took double the money with them, and Benjamin. They arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

16When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the zsteward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon.” 17The man did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph's house. 18And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house, and they said, “It is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys.” 19So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and spoke with him at the door of the house, 20and said, a“Oh, my lord, bwe came down the first time to buy food. 21And cwhen we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man's money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us, 22and we have brought other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” 23He replied, “Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. 24And when the man had brought the men into Joseph's house and dgiven them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder, 25they prepared ethe present for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.

26When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and fbowed down to him to the ground. 27And he inquired about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man gof whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” 28They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they hbowed their heads and prostrated themselves. 29And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, ihis mother's son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, gof whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!” 30Then Joseph hurried out, for jhis compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and kwept there. 31Then he washed his face and came out. And lcontrolling himself he said, “Serve the food.” 32They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is man abomination to the Egyptians. 33And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement. 34nPortions were taken to them from Joseph's table, but Benjamin's portion was ofive times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry2 with him.

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Footnotes
1 43:14 Hebrew El Shaddai
2 43:34 Hebrew and became intoxicated

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

1yAnd as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? zThere will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

3And as he sat on athe Mount of Olives opposite the temple, bPeter and James and John and cAndrew asked him dprivately, 4“Tell us, ewhen will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5And Jesus began to say to them, f“See that no one leads you astray. 6gMany will come in my name, saying, h‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, ido not be alarmed. This jmust take place, but the end is not yet. 8For knation will rise against nation, and lkingdom against kingdom. There will be mearthquakes in various places; there will be nfamines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

9o“But pbe on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten qin synagogues, and you will stand before rgovernors and skings for my sake, tto bear witness before them. 10And the gospel must first be proclaimed uto all nations. 11And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, vdo not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say wwhatever is given you in that hour, xfor it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12yAnd brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13zAnd you will be hated by all for my name's sake. aBut the one who endures to the end will be saved.

The Abomination of Desolation

14“But when you see bthe abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (clet the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15dLet the one who is on ethe housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, 16and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 17And falas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 18Pray that it may not happen in winter. 19For in those days there will be gsuch htribulation as has not been ifrom the beginning of the creation that jGod created until now, and never will be. 20And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for kthe sake of the elect, whom lhe chose, he shortened the days. 21And mthen if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22nFor false christs and false prophets will arise and operform signs and wonders, pto lead astray, if possible, qthe elect. 23But rbe on guard; sI have told you all things beforehand.

The Coming of the Son of Man

24“But in those days, after tthat tribulation, uthe sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and vthe stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26And then they will see wthe Son of Man coming in clouds xwith great power and glory. 27And then yhe will send out the angels and zgather ahis elect from bthe four winds, from cthe ends of the earth dto the ends of heaven.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, eat the very gates. 30fTruly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31gHeaven and earth will pass away, but hmy words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day or Hour

32“But concerning that day or that hour, ino one knows, not even the angels in heaven, jnor the Son, kbut only the Father. 33lBe on guard, mkeep awake.1 For you do not know when the time will come. 34nIt is like a man ogoing on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants2 in charge, peach with his work, and commands qthe doorkeeper to stay awake. 35rTherefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, sin the evening, or sat midnight, or twhen the rooster crows,3 or uin the morning— 36lest vhe come suddenly and wfind you asleep. 37And what I say to you I say to all: rStay awake.”

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Footnotes
1 13:33 Some manuscripts add and pray
2 13:34 Or bondservants
3 13:35 That is, the third watch of the night, between midnight and 3 a.m.

Job Replies: There Is No Arbiter

1Then Job answered and said:

2“Truly I know that it is so:

But how can a man be zin the right before God?

3If one wished to acontend with him,

one could not answer him once in a thousand times.

4He is bwise in heart and mighty in strength

—who has chardened himself against him, and succeeded?—

5he who removes mountains, and they know it not,

when he overturns them in his anger,

6who dshakes the earth out of its place,

and eits pillars tremble;

7who commands the sun, and it does not rise;

who seals up the stars;

8who alone fstretched out the heavens

and trampled the waves of the sea;

9who gmade hthe Bear and iOrion,

the Pleiades jand the chambers of the south;

10who does kgreat things beyond searching out,

and marvelous things beyond number.

11Behold, he passes by me, and I lsee him not;

he moves on, but I do not perceive him.

12Behold, he snatches away; mwho can turn him back?

nWho will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

13“God will not turn back his anger;

beneath him bowed the helpers of oRahab.

14pHow then can I qanswer him,

choosing my words with him?

15rThough I am in the right, I cannot answer him;

I must sappeal for mercy to my accuser.1

16If I summoned him and he answered me,

I would not believe that he was listening to my voice.

17For he crushes me with a tempest

and multiplies my wounds twithout cause;

18he will not let me get my breath,

but fills me with bitterness.

19If it is a contest of ustrength, behold, he is mighty!

If it is a matter of justice, who can vsummon him?2

20Though I am in the right, wmy own mouth would condemn me;

though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.

21I am xblameless; I regard not myself;

I yloathe my life.

22It is all one; therefore I say,

‘He zdestroys both the blameless and the wicked.’

23When adisaster brings sudden death,

he mocks at the calamity3 of the innocent.

24bThe earth is given into the hand of the wicked;

he ccovers the faces of its judges—

dif it is not he, who then is it?

25“My edays are swifter than fa runner;

they flee away; they see no good.

26They go by like gskiffs of reed,

like han eagle swooping on the prey.

27If I say, i‘I will forget my complaint,

I will put off my sad face, and jbe of good cheer,’

28I become kafraid of all my suffering,

for I know you will not lhold me innocent.

29I shall be mcondemned;

why then do I labor in vain?

30If I wash myself with snow

and ncleanse my hands with lye,

31yet you will plunge me into a pit,

and my own clothes will oabhor me.

32For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him,

that we should pcome to trial together.

33qThere is no4 arbiter between us,

who might lay his hand on us both.

34rLet him take his srod away from me,

and let tnot dread of him terrify me.

35Then I would speak without fear of him,

for I am not so in myself.

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Footnotes
1 9:15 Or to my judge
2 9:19 Or who can grant me a hearing?
3 9:23 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
4 9:33 Or Would that there were an

Submission to the Authorities

1Let every person pbe subject to the governing authorities. For qthere is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you rwill receive his approval, 4for she is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, tan avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also ufor the sake of conscience. 6For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7vPay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Fulfilling the Law Through Love

8wOwe no one anything, except to love each other, for xthe one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9For the commandments, y“You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: z“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore alove is the fulfilling of the law.

11Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you bto wake from sleep. cFor salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12dThe night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us ecast off fthe works of darkness and gput on the armor of light. 13hLet us walk properly as in the daytime, inot in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, jnot in quarreling and jealousy. 14But kput on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, lto gratify its desires.

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Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

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