Seeking God's Glory Amidst Uncertainty and Humility

 

Summary

In times of uncertainty and fear, it is crucial to remember that God is above all earthly troubles and complexities. He is not entangled in the chaos but looks down from His holy habitation, reminding us of His sovereignty and holiness. When we approach God in prayer, we must recognize His holiness and glory, acknowledging our own sinfulness and unworthiness. This understanding should lead us to humble ourselves before Him, seeking His mercy and grace.

The glory of God is His ultimate attribute, encompassing His greatness, splendor, and majesty. Our failure to truly know God is often the root of our spiritual struggles. The psalmist understood this, expressing a desire to be in God's presence, even in the most humble capacity, rather than dwelling in the comfort of the ungodly. This longing for God's glory should be our prayer, seeking a glimpse of His divine presence.

The prophet reminds us of God's past zeal and strength for His people, questioning why it seems absent now. He recalls God's mighty acts in history, such as delivering Israel from Egypt, and wonders why God is not displaying the same zeal and strength today. The prophet's plea is for God to remember His covenant relationship with His people and to act on their behalf once more.

The prophet also addresses the difficult concept of God hardening hearts, acknowledging that sometimes God allows or even causes this as a form of judgment. This serves as a warning against disobedience, urging us to seek God's mercy and compassion, asking Him to soften our hearts and draw us back to Him.

Finally, the prophet pleads with God based on the covenant relationship, emphasizing that God is their Father and Redeemer. Despite their unworthiness, they are still God's people, and he asks God to return to them, to acknowledge them, and to act on their behalf. This prayer is a reminder of the importance of humility, repentance, and reliance on God's mercy.

Key Takeaways:

- Recognizing God's sovereignty and holiness is essential in prayer. We must approach Him with humility, acknowledging our sinfulness and unworthiness, and seeking His mercy and grace. [23:40]

- The glory of God is His ultimate attribute, encompassing His greatness, splendor, and majesty. Our spiritual struggles often stem from a failure to truly know God and His glory. [25:06]

- God's past zeal and strength for His people serve as a reminder of His faithfulness. We should seek His intervention in our lives, asking Him to act on our behalf as He has done in the past. [28:15]

- The concept of God hardening hearts is a warning against disobedience. We must seek God's mercy, asking Him to soften our hearts and draw us back to Him. [37:15]

- Our relationship with God is based on His covenant with us. Despite our unworthiness, we are still His people, and we should humbly ask Him to return to us and act on our behalf. [42:01]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [23:04] - God's Sovereignty and Holiness
- [23:40] - Approaching God in Prayer
- [25:06] - The Glory of God
- [27:16] - Remembering God's Zeal
- [28:15] - God's Strength and Power
- [30:23] - The Sounding of God's Bowels
- [32:00] - Acknowledging Sin and Seeking Mercy
- [33:44] - The Plea for God's Return
- [34:15] - Understanding Hardened Hearts
- [36:34] - The Danger of Disobedience
- [38:49] - Pleading for God's Compassion
- [40:26] - The Covenant Relationship
- [42:01] - God as Our Father and Redeemer
- [46:29] - The Prayer for Deliverance

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Isaiah 63:15-19
2. Romans 9:18
3. Psalm 84:10

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Observation Questions:

1. In Isaiah 63:15-19, what does the prophet ask God to remember, and why is this significant for the people of Israel?
2. How does the sermon describe the glory of God, and why is it considered His ultimate attribute? [25:06]
3. What historical event does the prophet recall to highlight God's past zeal and strength for His people? [27:49]
4. According to Romans 9:18, what does Paul say about God's mercy and hardening of hearts?

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Interpretation Questions:

1. What does the prophet's plea for God to "return" suggest about the relationship between God and His people? [33:44]
2. How does the concept of God hardening hearts serve as a warning against disobedience, and what implications does this have for believers today? [34:15]
3. In Psalm 84:10, the psalmist expresses a preference for being in God's presence over dwelling in comfort. How does this reflect the sermon’s emphasis on longing for God's glory? [25:42]
4. How does the sermon suggest that recognizing God's sovereignty and holiness should influence our approach to prayer? [23:40]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you felt distant from God. How can the prophet's plea for God to "return" inform your prayers during such times? [33:44]
2. The sermon emphasizes approaching God with humility and acknowledging our sinfulness. What practical steps can you take to cultivate a humble heart in your daily prayer life? [23:40]
3. Consider a situation where you have struggled to see God's strength and intervention. How can recalling God's past acts of faithfulness encourage you in your current circumstances? [28:15]
4. The sermon warns against the danger of disobedience and hardened hearts. What areas of your life might need softening, and how can you seek God's mercy in those areas? [37:15]
5. How can you actively seek to know God and His glory more deeply, as the sermon suggests is crucial for overcoming spiritual struggles? [25:06]
6. The prophet acknowledges the covenant relationship with God despite the people's unworthiness. How can this understanding impact your view of your relationship with God, especially when you feel unworthy? [42:01]
7. Identify one specific way you can remind yourself of God's sovereignty and holiness in your daily routine. How might this change your perspective on earthly troubles? [23:04]

Devotional

Day 1: Approaching God with Humility
Recognizing God's sovereignty and holiness is essential in prayer. We must approach Him with humility, acknowledging our sinfulness and unworthiness, and seeking His mercy and grace. In times of uncertainty and fear, it is crucial to remember that God is above all earthly troubles and complexities. He is not entangled in the chaos but looks down from His holy habitation, reminding us of His sovereignty and holiness. When we approach God in prayer, we must recognize His holiness and glory, acknowledging our own sinfulness and unworthiness. This understanding should lead us to humble ourselves before Him, seeking His mercy and grace. [23:40]

Isaiah 57:15 (ESV): "For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.'"

Reflection: In what specific ways can you humble yourself before God today, acknowledging His holiness and your need for His mercy?


Day 2: Longing for God's Glory
The glory of God is His ultimate attribute, encompassing His greatness, splendor, and majesty. Our spiritual struggles often stem from a failure to truly know God and His glory. The psalmist understood this, expressing a desire to be in God's presence, even in the most humble capacity, rather than dwelling in the comfort of the ungodly. This longing for God's glory should be our prayer, seeking a glimpse of His divine presence. When we truly know God, our spiritual struggles diminish as we are filled with His presence and power. [25:06]

Psalm 27:4 (ESV): "One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple."

Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper longing for God's presence in your daily life, and what steps can you take to seek His glory more earnestly?


Day 3: Remembering God's Faithfulness
God's past zeal and strength for His people serve as a reminder of His faithfulness. We should seek His intervention in our lives, asking Him to act on our behalf as He has done in the past. The prophet reminds us of God's past zeal and strength for His people, questioning why it seems absent now. He recalls God's mighty acts in history, such as delivering Israel from Egypt, and wonders why God is not displaying the same zeal and strength today. The prophet's plea is for God to remember His covenant relationship with His people and to act on their behalf once more. [28:15]

Deuteronomy 7:9 (ESV): "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations."

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you experienced God's faithfulness in your life. How can this memory encourage you to trust Him in your current circumstances?


Day 4: The Warning of Hardened Hearts
The concept of God hardening hearts is a warning against disobedience. We must seek God's mercy, asking Him to soften our hearts and draw us back to Him. The prophet also addresses the difficult concept of God hardening hearts, acknowledging that sometimes God allows or even causes this as a form of judgment. This serves as a warning against disobedience, urging us to seek God's mercy and compassion, asking Him to soften our hearts and draw us back to Him. [37:15]

Hebrews 3:12-13 (ESV): "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."

Reflection: Is there an area in your life where you feel your heart has become hardened? How can you invite God to soften your heart and restore your relationship with Him?


Day 5: Embracing the Covenant Relationship
Our relationship with God is based on His covenant with us. Despite our unworthiness, we are still His people, and we should humbly ask Him to return to us and act on our behalf. The prophet pleads with God based on the covenant relationship, emphasizing that God is their Father and Redeemer. Despite their unworthiness, they are still God's people, and he asks God to return to them, to acknowledge them, and to act on their behalf. This prayer is a reminder of the importance of humility, repentance, and reliance on God's mercy. [42:01]

Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV): "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

Reflection: How can you actively live out your covenant relationship with God today, acknowledging Him as your Father and Redeemer?

Quotes

"Heaven yes it's a good thing to remember that if it were only this that as you and I are surrounded by perplexities and are wondering what's going to happen and are so conscious of the strength of Communism or every other ISM that we begin to quake and fear remember that he's above it all and looks down upon it all he's not in it he's outside the flux of it all and that'll put you right at once look down from heaven and behold from where well the habitation of of thy Holiness." [00:22:54]

"Do we remember who God is when we pray do we tell him do we use this terminology do we think it out do we remember the Holiness of God how we essentially it is look at our Lord himself when he was here in this world he who though he was on Earth was still in heaven the only begotten beloved Son of the father look at him praying and this is what he says Holy Father we don't pray truly unless we realize these things." [00:23:47]

"The glory of God is his essential and ultimate attribute it means his greatness his Splendor his majesty I'm never tired of saying this I must say it again you know the real trouble with all of us is that we don't know God we think we do but we don't don't the glory of God have you ever thought of it you see the pist knew this much about it he said I would sooner be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness or of the ungodly." [00:24:56]

"He reminds God and himself of the relationship that subsists between them you see you start with God God as he is in himself and then you go on to the relationship between us and God well he here are his terms he puts it in the form of a question he says where is thy Zeal toward me where is thy Zeal toward me what's he talking about well what he means is this he knows the p history of the children of Israel and of God's dealings with them." [00:26:47]

"God's Almighty strength and ability and power I rather like the way in which the psalmist puts it the prophet puts it here you see doesn't doubt the strength he knows it's there he's confronted by the power of Babylon and the calans who have sacked the city of Jerusalem carried away the people captive and you might come to the conclusion well of course this has happened to us because God hadn't the strength to prevent it and wasn't strong enough to conquer them no no says the prophet it isn't that God has still got the same strength." [00:28:55]

"Where is the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies that's of course a typical biblical and especially Old Testament expression the sounding of the bowels the Ancients believed that the bowels were the seat of the emotions why well because when a man's under a strong emotion he's aware of the movement of his bowels he may even have a pain a colic and Agony strong emotion gives movements of the bowels and that's what this man says where is the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward us." [00:30:25]

"Why hast Thou made us to Earth from thy ways and hardened our heart from thy fear have you pondered that have you considered it do you realize exactly what this man is saying let's be clear about this his petition is why hast Thou made us to ear from thy ways and why hast thou hardened our heart from thy fear what is this well we mustn't evade this difficulty we must face it with open eyes some people have tried to avoid the problem by saying that it just means that God permits us to be hardened." [00:33:50]

"It is a terrible and dangerous thing for God's people to be disobedient for sometimes God punishes our Disobedience by not only turning his face from us and leaving us to ourselves he even seems to drive us into sin and into error and to harden our hearts he sends afflictions and afflictions Harden us that is one of God's ways of punishing us and what the prophet is praying is this oh God stop dealing with us judicially we deserve it we deserve it we've sinned against you we've rebelled against you." [00:36:50]

"Be careful how you treat God my friend you may say to yourself I can sin against God and then of course I can repent and go back and find God whenever I want you try it you try it and you will sometimes find that not only can you not find God but that you don't even want to you'll be aware of a terrible hardness callousness a callosity in your heart and you can do nothing about it and then you suddenly realize that it's God punishing you to reveal your sinfulness and your vess to you." [00:38:01]

"Thou Art Our Father Thou Art Our Father this is most significant you know the trouble with these Jews always was that they were always talking about Abram Abram is our father they said these Gentiles who are they Abraham is our father they rested upon the fact that they were the children of Abram John the Baptist knew that very well because you remember when he preached to them he says begin not to say in yourselves we be Abraham seed for I say unto you that God is able to raise out these Stones children unto Abraham." [00:40:37]

"Though Abram be ignorant of us and Israel acknowledge us not thou oh Lord At Our Father Our Redeemer thy name is from Everlasting Abraham of course a great man thank God Jacob marvelous yes yes but Abraham is dead and Jacob is dead they can't rise up and save us God thy name is from Everlasting it is too everlasting God is not the god of the Dead but of the living and he is the Living God we don't fall back on the fathers however augus and great we go back to God." [00:42:48]

"Though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel acknowledge us not thou oh Lord art still Our Father Our Redeemer thy name is Everlasting and then he goes on to say you see we are thy in inheritance he says this is the truth the tribes of thine inheritance that's who we are we are thy people they were not thy people we are thine thou never bearest rule over them they were not called by thy name this is a tremendous thing the Lord's portion is his people though we may be full of sin and unworthiness as we are we are still the people of his Holiness." [00:44:24]

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Transcript
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