We are in a time when holiness and righteousness is so needed. Trouble and turmoil have come because of man’s foolish turning from God. But He’s there, calling us to peace and to healing. (Isaiah 57:3-21)
Weary in a Great Way
Speaker(s): Pastor Thomas Schaller
Sermon 11752
7:00 PM on 9/18/2019
P. Schaller –
As we start our service, praise God for his grace with us tonight. His Spirit dwells in us. We are at the table
before God eating at the table. I have a prayer request I’d like you to carry with you for one
month. In the summer of 2017, we had teams go to different countries. We decided five.
Morocco and Cambodia were two. I think Tanzania. Before the summer of 2020, we’d like to
send some teams to five countries we have never been to or have not planted churches there,
like Colombia, South America.
Sometimes God can put in our hearts where we should go as a
church, where we should send a team next summer. It may be God will speak to people and
they will go there and live there.
In 1979, we decided to go to China. Sixteen of us went to
China. In a couple years, we had a team and Finnish ladies were studying the Chinese language
and living in China. It happened because when they were there, God spoke to them about it.
One of them is there today and others have followed. Look what God has done with China with
the gospel.
Today, there is a group in Morocco that came from this vision. A brother in India felt
led – P. Gary and Liz and Doug Pearson and Bethany. I think they are here tonight. I need to do
some counseling! Beth, you’ll do an awesome job Friday night and Saturday for the women’s
get together. The Spirit moved in them and it happened.
This Indian brother, Ryan, this past summer decided to move to Cambodia. I have full confidence we will have a work there. I’m asking you this month to pray and write me an email or make a phone call whatever, and say
pastor, I don’t know if this is from God, but this is on my heart. Give us the name of the country.
We’ll pray about it and plan way ahead for the next summer 2020. Isn’t that a good idea? It actually works because of prayer and faith and this is the mission.
This is amazing. I’m excited about being here with everyone tonight. We’re in the Body, every one of us. They are doing a good job painting in the room. Is God writing, painting in your heart? We pray that will happen
tonight. God will write, paint in our heart.
Can you make little groups of people and have some prayer tonight. Bring what I was saying before God and have a time of prayer and love and encourage each other and forgive each other. Maybe my arch enemy is in this group! That would be perfect to get right with God. Have some prayer in the chapel. How many sense the
Holy Spirit in your prayer? I feel that way. No hands went up. Let’s pray. Praise the Lord.
Isaiah 57, this afternoon, Isaiah 57 was in my mind. I know the chapter a little bit. I’m just believing
this is what the Lord wants me to share with you from this chapter. Here’s the thought I want
you to have with regards to God. God is righteous and holy. That’s the first thing.
When a prophet spoke from God, this was the first thing that makes the prophet different is God is
different from people. God is holy and the prophet is speaking from God’s holiness.
The prophet Isaiah is in a difficult time in history. Israel, the northern kingdom, the southern
kingdom, they have left God in different ways. I see a parallel with Israel leaving God and the
U.S. of America. How that grows from generation to generation. There were times and Isaiah
prophesied more than 50 years under different kings. There were times the king and Isaiah
were on the same page. The king was serious with God. Isaiah had a message for the country.
The country didn’t like it.
We see this happening today in our county. I watched a Billy Graham
YouTube video from 1971. He was preaching on the devil. They are seriously listening to the
message. There were thousands, a lot of people in a big stadium. What about today? What about our leaders? What about the institutions of our country and the underpinning of the institution and what is happening? We know that our faith is under attack. Righteousness is. When we say righteousness, it’s a big word. Righteousness. It’s a very big word.
Holiness. In Israel, the Lord says certain things to them in this chapter. The first thing is holiness. The second
thing is his disappointment, anger, frustration with the people and his pain he feels for the
people because they don’t know him.
There’s predictions about the future and the judgment that comes on the country. Some prophet spoke about weather. Amos spoke about the weather changing and rain on one city and not another. The prophet spoke about wealthy people taking advantage of the poor and sorcery and witchcraft and idolatry. God hates it
because it separates him from his people.
The third point is his heart as a Father. But. I will judge you. The judgment is real. I can’t stand it. It stinks. It’s smoke in my nose. It’s in my face. I can’t stand your prayers, your hypocrisy, your meetings, your sorcery, your witchcraft, your sexual perversion and sexual activity. It makes me sick but, but. And he has this amazing tender
heart of love for his people.
This is repeated in the prophets over and over again. It’s when Jesus Christ comes, that it becomes so clear to us what is God’s heart. He was so low and so meek and so humble and died for us to save us. Now we can see this heart that God has for us. And more. We are now in the Body and experiencing him. We now have his Spirit and mind and gifts. And yet we have a sin nature and fall away. We have the same thing happened to Israel
can happen to us as well. There is no need for that because we are now members of his Body.
Isaiah 57, I want to get to the end of it so we’ll start in verse – all of it is good. Vs. 3. This is very
offensive to Jewish people to be said your mother is a whore and your father an adulterer. Vs.
4. I can’t help but feel we have that carelessness in our country. We are playing a game with
God. Ever seen these popular things where someone is sticking out their tongue like a rock star
in a photograph? It’s like a demonic expression. It’s not dignity or respect. Vs. 4. Inflaming is a
word like set on fire. Inflaming yourselves under every green tree in your idolatry. This is human
sacrifice. Vs. 5. These are idols. Vs. 6-8. This is idolatry in the mountains, in bed with an idol, not
God. That’s what he is saying. Vs. 9-10.
I can’t help but think this is hard work for them. I know in India when they do the pilgrimages around the country, they take a week and walk to the Ganges and do their sacrifices and come back. It takes a lot of time and effort to go to a holy hill and make their service there. Vs. 10. When we work as Americans in a lively, busy lifestyle and
we stop on the beltway in principle. We stop and put the brakes on and say I’m tired in the
greatness of my way. I am exhausted.
This is a good thing. I stop and make some calculation. What am I doing? I need help. These people have not stopped in the greatness of their way and found out there is a lie in their right hand. Our God has not called us to be weary, Is. 40:31. Wait on me and you’ll renew your strength. Walk, run, and not be weary. Be like an eagle. This
is the value of our spiritual life.
The disciple of a spiritual life is a very real thing. I have to learn
to say no to things very seductive, appealing and easy to reach out and take. A spiritual life is
the life of the Spirit. God is saying I have so much for you. You must find me. I am for you. You
have to stop going to the mountain and getting in bed with an idol. Stop believing a lie.
You have to say no to this and that. I will help you. Christ came and said come unto me. I will send
the Holy Spirit into your life and he will teach you. Vs. 11. Fearing God.
I read a piece from Billy Graham’s book. He started preaching and the preacher he was being trained by was living in England, Steven Olford. Billy Graham went to see him and said I want to have power. He said
Billy, I want to hear you preach. He listened about half an hour and said nothing special there.
His message was biblical, organized but not much there. Billy Graham said I know. I want to
preach. I have a message. This man said to him you have to be broken. The Holy Spirit has to
give the power and it takes brokenness. Billy Graham said what does that mean? How can I be
broken? I read it today the few paragraphs and it touched my heart. That’s beautiful.
That’s what is needed. That’s not just for a man preaching but for a Christian living. There is so much
for us.
Billy Graham went home, and he was so much hungry for God. He paced back and forth
in his room. This great story of being surrendered and broken before God. He said that night,
Billy was the guest speaker and this man Olford said the power of God fell. Billy Graham said I
got it. I understand it. God wants me with all my heart. It’s a beautiful story.
Vs. 11-13 this is God speaking about their idolatry. They are dust. They are wind. Vs. 14. There it is. The
tenderness. God is saying my people are weary. They are worshipping idols. They are sick and
tired.
The sex stuff we have in our country is repulsive, foolish, stupid. People can’t stop talking
about it. That’s all comedians do. Filthy jokes. We are a sick society. We are weary, tired. We
are sick of the filth and the wickedness and evil in our country. When we have a holy God, that
makes us holy. We realize, we realize what it is. Vs. 14. Pick up any stones along the way, along
the road and prepare the way that my people can find the way to me. They’ll be running to me.
Don’t put a stumbling stone in the way.Let the people of God come to me. Vs. 15.
That’s the problem. Pride. It’s pride. It’s pride. It’s arrogance. King Saul in this amazing story, Saul and David. It’s a great study. Saul, do you want to kill David? No, I don’t want to kill David. Why are
you doing it? Why are you hunting him? I’m going to kill him. I’m not going to kill you, David.
And basically this is my way of saying it. Fine, you stay on that side of the valley.
Chapter 26 David said now I know Saul will kill me. I’ll go live with the Philistines. I’ll be safer living with
them than my home country with the king. This man can’t get rid of it because there are
demons involved. There are people who can’t get rid of their bad habits. I swear I’ll never do it
again. Where is it? Where is it? This is it.
God is saying if you come to me, if you trust me. You can’t even believe who I am. There is none like me. I am greater than everything about you. I am God. Come to me. We have this pride thing. We talk about our problems like crazy.
I have this thing about the 19 th century in history in America. I’m fascinated by these people because
of how they suffered. In every family, there was a child that died, one or two before they
reached adulthood. The average age of an American male in 1900 was 47. They had their
disease and sickness and they died.
We are choking on our selfishness. We are choking on our
wealth and success and living a lot longer and good at complaining about life. No matter, they
were just as wicked in the 19 th century as the 21 st.
If we could seek and find, God will make us lights in a dark world. He will teach us holiness and he wants to. He wants to. He’s a heavenly Father that wants to teach us how to speak. This guy can’t stop it. Have you ever met someone they can’t stop talking about their problem and themselves and can’t stop talking about how
bad things are and gossiping and talking? There is an amazing change that happens. Vs. 15-18. I
create the fruit of the lips, vs. 19. I will heal him. I will. I will heal him. I will make him whole. I will make him a blessing. What comes out of his mouth is blessing. I will heal him. I will change
him. Vs. 20-21. They cannot change.
Look at Saul. He’s saved. I believe Saul was saved and went to heaven but he’s a classic example of a carnal person and can’t change. He goes back to it. There is trouble and no peace. He is living in his wickedness. God is saying peace, peace to you that is near and far away. The abortionist, the woman that takes the child and the boyfriend who walks her into the clinic. He’s part of the whole thing. Maybe demanding of her or
requiring of her.
Do you think you are going to get away with it? What about a poor person and
I take advantage of it. Will I get away with it? Stealing is a wicked thing in our hearts. God sees
this all over the place and says come to me. I’m a heavenly Father. I will give you mercy instead
of judgment. I’ll give you forgiveness. I’ll give you grace. I gave you my Son. That’s my heart. I’ll
change your life. Here is the believer saying I need it, want it, please. God is saying I live in
eternity with you that is of a contrite spirit and humble heart. I will fill you, satisfy you, cleanse
you and make you holy because I am holy.
That holiness is something we should appreciate and
not laugh at in the world. I don’t laugh at the jokes. I don’t like attitudes of indifference and
mocking and unbelief. We must be discerning the world we live in. We are salt and light in it. Be
like my heavenly Father.
Mt. 5:48 we learn all the time here about the finished work and the
Body of Christ that we are like God. It’s important to go back to those things because I want my
life to be changed by the holiness of God and the Spirit of God and the ways of God.
Please enjoy these sermon notes from the messages preached at Greater Grace Church in Baltimore. These notes are provided to aid in your study and understanding of the Word. Note that these notes do not represent complete, word-for-word transcriptions. Also, they may contain omissions as well as some errors in spelling and structure, etc., as we attempt to provide them as soon as possible. Our hope is that these notes serve as a way to help you search and connect with messages on related subjects and passages. Thank you for your interest in the ministry of Greater Grace.
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