Not too many Sundays ago we were reminded that the adage, “God said it. I believe it. That settles it’” has a flaw, namely that it does not matter what I believe or do not believe, rather if God said it, then that settles it. You may also remember that many times I have said that if the word of man differs from the Word of God, I will believe God’s Word over the word of humans, who are fallible, anytime. Ever since creation humans have attempted to put themselves in positions of knowledge and power above God, even to the point of attempting to exclude God. Well, think about it, if there is no God then there are no absolutes, no absolute authority and so we are accountable to no one. That thinking is what is behind the teachings of Charles Darwin and is hailed by many Darwinist, Evolutionists, and Atheists as truth and wisdom. Great amounts of time, money and effort have gone into the indoctrination of the religion of Darwinism, Evolution and Atheism, so much so that too many in our world today actually believe Satan’s lies which have come through these means over against God and His infallible Word. For too many years Christians have sat on the sidelines watching as the world, through our public education system and unfortunately at times through our private education systems as well as through, even so called Christian colleges and universities, have been taught that there is no god, that there is no ultimate authority, that we are products of endless mutations and accidents, that there is no point to this world, and that we are responsible to no one. And all this in the name of “science.” I believe Christians have been silent for so long because we have not taken the time to get educated in how to give an answer for the hope that we have. Fortunately we live in a day and age where good factual information is readily available and where we can get answers and prepare ourselves to give an answer for the hope we have. Of course, the first place we go is to God and His Word.
Before we get to our text, let us take a moment to look at our other lessons. The epistle lesson for this morning reminds us of the importance and the power of the Gospel. Paul reminds us that as Christians we are compelled, we cannot help ourselves, but as priests in the priesthood of all believers, living our lives as living sacrifices for the Lord, we must show forth our faith and always be ready to give an answer for the hope we have in Christ Jesus our Lord. And when we do give an answer, speaking God’s Word, God does work through that word as His means of giving the gifts He has to give, as the means of grace.
In the Gospel lesson for this morning we are reminded once again that Jesus is who He says He is that He is God in flesh. He shows His divinity with power over all creation including the ability to heal. Remember, Jesus is God, with the Father and the Holy Spirit there at the creation of the world. So even these two lessons remind us of the power of the Word of God. Now, let us get to our text.
The question is often asked, “How did the world come into being?” Our text begins at verse twenty-one, “21Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?” (v. 21). When Job confronted God with all his questions God asked Job the question we need to ask those who propose a different history than God Himself gives us in His Word. We may simply ask, “Where you there?” “Then how do you know?” Remember, Darwinism, Evolution, Atheism, all these propose that there is no God and that all things simply appeared out of nothing. Interestingly enough no one has ever observed the spontaneous appearance of something from nothing, which is a foundation of so called science. Anyway, these proposals all spring from the minds of sinful, fallible human minds. When you are being told something other than what God tells us, simply ask, “Where you there?” And when the response is, “Neither were you.” You might simply answer, “Yes, but I know someone who was there and I know what He tells me.”
And yet, we know that God is not a God who simply created all things and then left this world to run on its own. Not only did God create, but He also sustains. We pick up at verse twenty-two, “22It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; 23who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. 24Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble” (v. 22-24). God is a Creator God and He is also a Sustaining God. He continues to rule over and guard His creation. He continues to take care of His creation.
What a great and loving God we have. There is no one like God, not even any idols. We pick up at verse twenty-five, “25To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. 26Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing” (v. 25-26). When we take the time to compare our God to all the other gods and idols in the world we know that there really is no comparison. All the religions of the world can be put into one of two categories. The one category is for all gods and idols and that category may be summarized by the belief that a person must save himself or herself, that a person is saved by how good he or she is, how good is their character. The other category is what we as Christians believe, that is that we are lost and condemned persons, that we have no hope and cannot save ourselves, so we rest our faith on the grace and mercy of our great and loving God who calls us out of darkness into His marvelous light. We are saved because of what God has done, does and will do for us. We are saved because our God saved us. Yes, indeed, there is no God like Him.
And what a great God we have. God is omniscient, He knows all; nothing is hidden from Him. We pick up at verse twenty-seven, “27Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? 28Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable” (v. 27-28). These words should bring fear and comfort. These words bring fear for the simple fact that we are conceived and born in sin, because every inclination of our heart is evil all the time, because we constantly sin against our God in thought, word and deed and because we sin sins of commission and omission. God knows all our faults and sins. And yet, these words, that God knows all and that nothing is hidden from Him also bring comfort. For who is like God and how great, loving and merciful He truly is. He is a God who not only gave His life for ours, but continually watches over us, protecting and forgiving us.
And finally, Isaiah reminds us that God also renews and refreshes us. We pick up at verse twenty-nine, “29He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (v. 29-31). Yes, we are imperfect, fallible human beings. We do daily sin much and are in need of forgiveness, but our hope is in our great God who picks us up, who gives us strength, who guides, guards and keeps us always in His care and protection.
What does this mean? This morning we are reminded once again that we can believe and trust in our God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and who created all things out of nothing. When we look at the facts of this world, and especially when we look at them and understand them through God’s Word, we can know and believe that God’s Word speaks truth. And actually, God’s Word explains the facts of this world better and more logically than the fictitious explanations of fallible, sinful human beings, not that we believe God’s Word for this reason, but we believe because God tells us so and because His Word has to power to give us such faith. The point is, we can be confident that God’s Word is true even in the face of the allegations that are being proposed in our world today. Stand firm.
Not only did God create all things out of nothing, we can be sure that He still sustains and preserves the world. And we can actually see His all preserving hand as we watch the seasons come and go. As we watch the earth heal and mend itself after what we call natural disasters and even man-made disasters. We see God’s all preserving and sustaining hand when each morning we rise to meet a new day.
And it is God who gives, strengthens and keeps us in faith. This is not something we do for ourselves, that would put us in the category of having to save ourselves. Remember, all things flow from God to us. He is the one who gives us faith. He is the one who lived for us, living perfectly because we cannot live perfectly. He is the one who fulfilled all His laws and commands perfectly. He is the one who took our sins upon Himself. He is the one who died for us, taking our place. He is the one who shed His blood, giving His life, dying to pay the price, the cost for our sins. He is the one who rose victorious over sin, death and the devil. He is the one who gives us the forgiveness Jesus paid for on the cross. He is the one who gives us faith, who strengthens us and keep us in faith. He is the one who will come again to judge the living and the dead. Notice the focus, on Him and Him alone.
Today we rejoice because He renews us. He lifts us up each day. He gives us the strength to face the challenges and temptations of each new day. He lifts us up with wings like eagles so that we may live lives as His priests, living lives as sacrifices to Him.
Finally, we are reminded as always that He does His work though means, namely through the means of grace. This reminds us of the importance and the necessity to make regular and diligent use of the means of grace, remembering our baptism, confessing our sins and hearing His words of absolution, hearing God’s Word, which means having personal and family devotions, attending divine service and Bible class, and the importance of coming to the Lord’s table to eat His body and drink His blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.
May God’s Word encourage you in your faith life. God never promised that life would be easy. He never promised that we would not face trials and tribulations. He never said we would never be tempted and as a matter of fact as Christians, we probably face more trials and tribulations and more temptations than those the devil already has. Yet, God has promised that He is with us, that He forgives us, that He will protect and defend us, that He is with us always and that He will be with us to help us to give us the words to speak to give an answer for the hope that we have in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. What a great God we have, a God who does all and gives all and we rejoice that we are done to and given to. To Him be the glory for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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