[Morning Sermon] God’s Time Zone: He’s Already There (Isa 46:8-11)

God has already given us everything we need, and His plan for us fixed and firm. We only need to trust Him and follow where He's leading. Join us as Ruling Elder Rick Altizer unpacks these ideas and more from Isa 46:8-11.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:32

So I mentioned earlier that Rick is preaching today, and he will be up in just a moment. I just want to underscore the fact that in Christ's church, elders are not just directors. They're not just officers, they're not just guys with some organizational sense that we think would do well in helping us to lead. Primarily in scripture, an elder is a shepherd. And one of the core functions of an elder is the teaching of the word. So this is a great opportunity for us to see, experience, and benefit from the fact that when Rick comes forward to shepherd us by teaching the word, he's not doing something weird or unique to Hickory Grove. He's doing exactly what he's supposed to do, and exactly what you should expect of any other elder in Christ Church. This is a great gift to us. So, Rick, come on up. Bless us with the word, brother.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

I guess that depends on how you would define weird. God will call us to do things, and sometimes they take time for those things to be done. You know, they don't happen right then. Sometimes God will call you to do something, it'll happen right then. Sometimes it might take a week, sometimes a month, sometimes a year, sometimes three years, ten. Jen and I were uh went to England and saw these beautiful cathedrals in England. Those took hundreds of years. Somebody had an idea to build a cathedral and didn't see it in his lifetime. And people gave and donated and worked and put a lot of work into that cathedral that took hundreds of years to make. And uh sometimes God will call you to do something and it doesn't happen right away, and we have to wait. And I don't know about you, but I hate waiting. My dad would never wait for anything. He he uh, like if the if the red light was, he'd just go through the red light. Like he would not, he didn't want to stop. He would drive the he would drive around and take this left and right and turn, he'd do all this stuff just so that he didn't have to stop. He just wanted to move. And uh, of course, it took much longer for him to get to where he was going if he'd have just stayed at the red light and waited for it to change. You know, that was the straight line, but he didn't want to stop, he wanted to keep moving. And uh, have you ever noticed how much of your life is spent uh watching the clock? Like I've got one right there, and I'm gonna be watching it today. I want you to know that, Kenny. Waiting for something to happen, waiting for an answer, some kind of provision, waiting for things to finally make sense. We live our lives asking questions like, when's this gonna work out? When's God gonna move? When is this gonna change? When is this gonna get better? But what if the problem isn't that God is late? What if that's not the issue? What if it's that God just isn't on our timeline at all? I started thinking about it this way. God's on a different time zone. You know, we're very linear. We're it's hard for me to conceive of time in any way other than linearly, right? What has happened before is gone, it's done. I'm in the now, I understand that. And what's coming, I don't, I don't know. I can't see that. And we live in that. But God's on a different time zone from us. And uh recently, we're gonna unpack this later in the message. I had the Lord impress on my heart very clearly, I've already given you everything you need. And um it wasn't that I will give you everything you need or I might give you everything, but I already have. And so today we're gonna study a passage in Isaiah that's going to help us understand that better. So we're gonna read from Isaiah chapter 46, verses 8 through 11. So I'm gonna ask you to get your Bibles out. If you don't have one, there's a Bible in front of you in the pew there. And let's stand together as we read. It's Isaiah 46, verses 8 through 11. Isaiah 46, 8 through 11. Remember this and stand firm. Recall it to mind, you transgressors. Remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is no other. I am God and there is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times, things not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose. Calling a bird of prey from the east, and a man of counsel from a far country. That's a that's prophetic. We'll we'll unpack that a little later. I have spoken and I will bring it to pass. I have purposed and I will do it. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Lord God, uh, will you open our ears to hear your truth? And will you speak through a guy like me? God, Holy Spirit, do your work today. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated. So let's put this passage in context a little bit. God's speaking to his people, and they're in a difficult place. Uh they're in exile, they're surrounded by a culture that's worshiping false gods. Uh they're uncertain, disoriented, wondering what God is doing. What are you doing, God? Why are we here? All around them are idols, gods that have to be carried. Earlier in the chapter, God says something powerful. He says, I don't need to be carried, I carry you. They're carrying their idols. They have to carry them on their backs. We see that today, the idol itself. We carry our idols. We have lots of idols in our culture today that we carry them. He says, I don't need to be carried, I carry you. So this isn't some kind of abstract theology. This is God speaking to people who feel exactly like we feel sometimes. Uncertain, waiting and wondering. So this is very relevant to us today. In verse 8, God says one word. He says, remember. Remember the former things of old. Why? Why is he asking us to remember what's happened in the past? Because when you forget what God has done, you start questioning what he's doing. When you forget what God has done, you start questioning what he's doing. Israel had seen miracles, deliverance, provision, and yet they were doubting. And we do the same thing. We're talking about fear and doubt. We do the same thing. God says, look back so you can trust me moving forward. That's why we look back to see how faithful he has been. Hasn't he been faithful? Right? But when I when I forget to do that, then I start questioning, what are you doing, God? In verse 9, he says, I am God. There is no other. In other words, there's no one like me. There has never been a moment in history where God says, in the history of forever, there's never been a moment where God says, Oh, I didn't see that coming. Oh, I didn't know that was going to happen. Oh my goodness, what's going to happen next? Can you believe it? Oh no, right? God has never done that. Nothing surprises God. Nothing threatens him. Nothing is outside of his control. I love how R.C. Sprawl says there's not a lone molecule, maverick molecule in the universe that's outside of God's control. Not a, and the universe is pretty big. Every time we get bigger and better telescopes, it just keeps going and going and going. And they say we're going to find the end. No, there's no end. It keeps going and going. It's big. And not one maverick lone molecule is outside of his control. In verse 10, he says something that's key. God says, declaring the end from the beginning. God doesn't guess the future. God declares it. Declaring the end from the beginning. He's not letting it unfold and seeing what happens. He declares the future. Why? Because he's already there. Back to our time issue. He's already there. God's not moving through time the way you and I are. He's not discovering things as they happen. God stands at the end and speaks into the beginning. Let that sink in. God stands at the end and speaks into the beginning. That thing you're worried about right now. And listen, you got you got great awesome Sunday smiles. You guys look great. But you got stuff. Don't tell me you got stuff. That thing you're worried about right now. God's already seen how it ends. That situation that feels so uncertain. God already knows the outcome. That child, and you don't know what am I gonna do with this kid. That marriage, that relationship, that job, that provision, that you you fill in your blank. He's not reacting, he's revealing. Verse 10, he says, My counsel shall stand. I will accomplish all my purpose. Not I'll try, not I hope, I will. That means nothing can stop his plan, nothing can override his purpose. Your life is not fragile in God's hands. Even when things feel uncertain to you, they're not uncertain to him. And so the reason I wanted to share this is I had a personal story where this has been very was revealed very powerfully in my own life. Many of you know, uh Tracy is our wonderful editor, and together we made a film called He Calls Me Daughter, and you guys have been praying for it, so supportive of it. But uh it was about three years ago, three and a half years ago, I was at a conference and I was unemployed, as as you are when you're a filmmaker. You know, you make a film and you're immediately unemployed. And uh Alex Kendrick spoke on fervently seeking the Lord. And Jan was sick that that weekend and couldn't come. And I went back to my my room and I got on my knees, and for I slept for two hours that night. I fervently sought the Lord and asked God, God, what is it that you want me to do? What am I supposed to do? And I kind of knew what it he was gonna have me do, but I just didn't want to do it. He said, I want you to make this. And God speaks clearly to us through his word, he clearly communicates to his word. But God communicated to my heart. I mean, it was clear. This was not from me, and I heard clearly, I want you to make this film for women. And my immediate response was, I'm a dude, I don't want to make a film for a woman with a father wound. What are you talking about? You know, I and then and then it started. Well, look, I've done a few of these before. I know what it takes. It's hard, it takes money, it takes a lot of money, and I'm just some guy who's unemployed right now, you know. How's that gonna happen? And and again, I heard again, uh very clearly in my heart, I heard God communicate to me, I've given you everything you need, just go do it. And so I thought that that meant, well, I've got a couple of cameras, I have some audio equipment, I have lights. Uh I know Shonda Pierce, and I know her dad had just died, and she never really shared the story about her dad. I could probably do, I could probably get Alex Kendrick to do it, and I had some friends who maybe would film for me on spec. You know, they would go run the cameras at no cost. And that's what I thought he meant. I've given you everything you need. Um, I didn't know at that time who was going to be in the film, how the funding was gonna come, who would be seeing it, where, how it would be seen, if anybody I didn't know any of that, I didn't have any of the answers to that. And uh there were real moments of uncertainty, and many of you know I've shared here where there was a couple that was in the film, uh, a married couple, and their marriage kind of went south, and they're now divorced, and they had to be taken out of the film, and it's like, you know, oh no, this is what am I gonna do? You know, that uncertainty, which maybe some of you are in right now. But looking back, see, here we are now on a different timeline. God already knew. He knew, he knew every person that was gonna be in the film that would say yes. He knew every person who would give money, he knew who it was, every story I was gonna tell, every seat that was gonna be filled, every heart that was gonna be impacted. God led me to this the story of Scarlet Hope and Priscilla. It's like one of the key themes in the film. Had I made that call a year earlier, she wouldn't have been able to be in the film. God totally guided and directed every step. And Tracy is gonna say amen to everything I'm saying right now. Because this was a God thing. I've never in my life been a part of something that was so just God was moving through it. He was already there. He's declaring the end from the beginning, and it's still going on right now. We're gonna be in theaters in Singapore and in Brazil and in. I just heard from Korea. We're gonna be in Korea, in Estonia, TV in Estonia, and Romania, in Germany, France, England, Spain, Australia. I mean, it just goes on and on. You know, praise God. He's doing it. And I'm just walking into it step by step in real time. What felt uncertain to me was already settled by God. So uh something we would say a lot is how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you make a film? One day at a time. And God might have something for you to do that might seem overwhelming. There might be a relationship or a issue that might seem overwhelming, and it's one step at a time. It's one step at a time. Here's some scriptures that support what I heard. Uh let's see, 2 Peter 1, 3. He's given us everything we need. I've given you everything you need. His divine power has given us everything we need. There it is. For a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. There it is, he's given us everything we need. Not he will give. He might give, he may be one day. He has given. Matthew 8. Sorry, I get a little excited. I'm just I am, I'm excited. Matthew 6, 8. Your father knows what you need before you ask him. He knows what you need before you even ask. Why? Because he's already there. Romans, he's not on our linear timeline. And that's kind of hard to get your head around, but that's kind of freeing when you think about it. That really helps with this trust in God thing. We'll open that, unpack that a little more. Romans 8.28. We love this one. God works all things together for good. To those who love the Lord and are called according to their own purpose, according to his purpose. God works it all for good. We live in the not yet, but God is living active in the already done. It's already done. So what does this mean for us? Well, okay. How does this how does this relate to you and me right now sitting in this pew? If God already knows the end, you can trust him in the middle. I remember a few, about a year ago, I spoke on the three things that only three things I got for you, right? Whatever you're going through, I only got three things. One, God is sovereign. He's sovereign over everything. I can get my head around that. Two, God is good. Doesn't help me if God's sovereign, if he's not good, right? He could be sovereign, but not really good. He's good. Okay. I can believe that. I'm I can especially believe God's good for you, right? I can pray and believe God's good for you. For me, uh, you know, I might have to do some of this self-sufficiency stuff. I'm not quite so sure. But then that third one, you can trust him. Boy, that's a that's a that's a work. You can trust him. Because, see, fear and doubt are the enemy. And fear and doubt just by basically it's just unbelief. That's what fear and doubt are. It's just unbelief. Right? Perfect love casts out all fear. And fear and doubt will keep you bound. It will keep you covered and hiding and not stepping out and not taking that next step. You can trust him. You can release uh anxiety. You're not waiting on God to figure something out. See? He's not trying to solve your situation, he's not trying to figure out how to solve this. He sees it fully. He already sees it. It's done. Keep walking. This is the big one here. Keep walking. Your job is not to understand everything. I'm gonna say that again. Because that's good. Your job is not to understand everything. There's a lot of smart people in this room. This room, I've been in a lot of churches, and this, I think the IQ level in this room is probably the highest, right? There's a lot of really smart people in this room. Your job is not to understand everything because you can't. News flash. Your job, now I want you to listen to this because this is going to help some people today. Your job is to take the next step in obedience to him and his word. Psalm 37, 23. The steps of a man are ordered by the Lord. Take the next step. That's your job. One step at a time, one bite at a time. That's how you eat the elephant. That's how you make a movie. That's how you get through your situation. One step at a time. Let's look at this scripture again, Isaiah 46, 8 through 10. Remember this and stand firm. Recall it to mind, you transgressors. Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, from ancient times, things not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all my purpose. Here's that prophecy. We're going to talk about this. Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken and I will bring it to pass. I have purposed and I will do it. God spoke this to Isaiah. Isaiah wrote this. When he wrote this, the temple was intact, and Assyria was in power. Okay? Isaiah's talking about Babylon. Babylon? What are you talking about? Assyria is in power, not Babylon. Talking about rebuilding temple. What are you talking about? Temple's right here. In Isaiah 44 and 45, Isaiah mentions Cyrus by name. Okay? This guy named Cyrus. Mentions him by name. 150 years before Cyrus the Great exists, God is speaking and mentioning him by name. He defeats the Assyrians. No, no, no, no, the Babylonians come out. So in that time, in that 150 years, the Babylonians come in, they take over, they destroy the temple. Cyrus the Great comes, conquers Babylon, and issues a decree, comes from Persia from the east, says the man from the calling a bird of prey from the east, a man of counsel from a far country. Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon, issues a decree for the Jews to go home and rebuild Jerusalem. Go home and rebuild the temple. And God saw it all. God was already there. Temple's going to be rebuilt. God knew. God knew. And uh amazing prophecy here in Isaiah. Amazing. God isn't catching up. To your life. He's not late in your life. He's not scrambling. He's not reacting. He's not trying to fix things as they break. He's already seen your tomorrow. He's already provided what you need. He's already written the ending. He isn't catching up to your life. You're catching up to his plan. He's just on a different time zone. He's already there. So your job is to take the next step. You can trust him. A friend of mine told me this years ago, a very wise man. He said, God owns tomorrow. That's his, and you can't have it. Which was news to me because I was, you know, fasting and on my knees all night and praying for the Holy Spirit to give me that spotlight and show me down there. Show me tomorrow. I need you to tell me what tomorrow is. And I'm just telling you, I never got it. I mean, I did it all. It never came. God owns it. Tomorrow is his, he owns it, and you can't have it. But he's given you today. Today's yours. And you know exactly what you need to do today. Right? So your job is to take the next step. Obey God and what he's calling you to do today. And you know what that is. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. You know what you're supposed to do today. I need to come to church today. I need to not be an idiot to my wife or to my spouse or to my, you know, I need to have patience with my kids. I know what I need to do today. Take the next step. Honor God, obey God today, and trust him for tomorrow. You can trust God for tomorrow. God owns it. It's his and you can't have it. But he's given you today. Take the next step. That's how we do it. That's how we live. That's how we do this life. Take the next step. Trust him. He's there already. You can trust God. You can trust God. You can. You can trust God. I get it. It's hard. I get it. You've had trust broken in your life time and time and time and time again. You had a dad who you couldn't trust. Okay, I get it. And there we go. We're just putting it right on to God. We can't trust him either. I get it. You can trust God. Take the next step. Trust him. Let's pray. Lord God, help us to trust you, not with just what we see, but with what only you can see. God, you are sovereign, you're good. We can trust you. Teach us to walk by faith, knowing that you're already there. Help us to keep walking and keep taking that next step. Lord, you know what our next steps are. You know what we need. What challenges are in our life today? You know what they are. Lord, will you carry us as we take the next step? In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.