God Invites Comparison
Isaiah 41
Years ago I was with some pastors at a restaurant. And as we were on our way out one of the pastors – Charlie Ferchau (whom some of you know) – walked up to a young couple who were sitting there, waiting for a table. He asked their names, and then humbly and lovingly asked if anyone had ever told them about Jesus. That began a lengthy and meaningful conversation about spiritual things. And I think he left there with the man’s phone number and a plan to get together again and talk more.
I left there thinking that what Charlie did was absolutely right. Because whoever this couple was, whatever their background was, this couple desperately needed Jesus Christ.
But I also left there wondering why I don’t do what Charlie did. And as I searched my heart, I saw that it was because I was fearful and timid. Can anyone else relate to that? My guess is that we all feel some level of fear and timidity about talking to people about Jesus.
So here’s some good news. In Isaiah 41 God gives us a truth which – if we will accept and embrace it – will fill us with humble boldness and free us from fear and timidity – so that we will long to share the good news of Jesus with everyone we meet.
Interested? Let’s turn to Isaiah 41. If you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand and we’ll bring one to you. Isaiah 41 is on page 601 in the Bibles we are passing out. Isaiah was an Old Testament prophet, which meant that he was called and gifted by God to write and speak truth directly from God. And the book of Isaiah contains messages God gave Isaiah to speak to Israel at around the year 700 BC.
So what is the point of Isaiah 41? You can see the point right here in verse 1--
Listen to me in silence, O coastlands; let the peoples renew their strength; let them approach, then let them speak; let us together draw near for judgment.
Here God speaks to all of humanity: to the coastlands, which means the ends of the earth, and to all the nations. He calls all humanity to listen, so He can tell them who He is. Then He invites them to renew their strength, regroup, so they can tell Him what gods they believe in.
In other words, God invites all of humanity to compare Him with their gods, their religions, their philosophies, their systems of belief. It’s like God is challenging them to a taste-test – like they used to have between Coke and Pepsi.
Now why would God do that? Why would the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, invite all of humanity to a public comparison of Himself with all other gods, religions, philosophies, systems of belief? It’s because God knows that every question, every category, will show that all other gods, religions, philosophies are false; He alone is true.
Some of you do not yet believe in the God of the Bible. But I hope this encourages you. Because God doesn’t say – turn to Me in blind faith. No. God says – do a taste test. Compare the God of the Bible with every other religion, every other philosophy, every other system of belief. Which has more hard evidence? Which would satisfy the deepest longings of your heart? Which accounts for more of reality? Which offers you more – and at the same time is honest about trials and suffering? Compare the God of Abraham, the Father of Jesus Christ, with whatever you are believing in.
The rest of you do believe in the God of the Bible. So let this make you more bold about talking to people. Humbly ask what they think life is all about. Ask them to compare the God of the Bible with whatever they are believing in. Ask which has more evidence, which satisfies more, which fits what we know of reality. As we will see, God is infinitely superior to whatever they are trusting – but they will never see that unless we humbly and lovingly talk with them.
So in v.1 God invites all of humanity to compare Him with whatever else they are trusting, because God Himself is infinitely superior. So how does God compare to all other gods?
First, only God has revealed Himself in history. Verses 2-3 --
2 Who stirred up one from the east whom victory meets at every step? He gives up nations before him, so that he tramples kings underfoot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow.
3 He pursues them and passes on safely, by paths his feet have not trod.
God says he is going to stir up someone from the east who will trample kings and nations. So who is this? He’s mentioned by name in the next chapters: it’s Cyrus, emperor of the Medo-Persian empire. Cyrus moved westward conquering all the nations and kings before him. And here God says “I did this. I raised up Cyrus.”
Now you might think – anyone could claim to have done that. But see, God is speaking these words 150 years before Cyrus came on the scene. Isaiah wrote these words at around 700 BC, but it was not until 150 years later in 550 BC that Cyrus came on the scene. So before there was any Cyrus, before there was any Medo-Persian empire, God said he would raise up a king named Cyrus who would conquer everyone. And it happened, just as God said – because God Himself did it. And the reason God made this prophecy, and then miraculously fulfilled it, was so he could reveal Himself in history, as he says in v.4 --
4 Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.
The God of the Bible has revealed Himself in history. He said He would supernaturally free Israel from Egypt – and He did. He parted the Red Sea. He delivered Daniel from the lion’s den, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace.
And the most powerful way He has revealed Himself in history is by sending His own Son Jesus Christ into to earth – who showed that He was God in the flesh by commanding paralyzed limbs to be healed, bread to multiply, storms to stop, corpses to live. And then Jesus died on the Cross, paying the punishment for sin, and then God revealed Himself in history by raising Jesus from the dead.
Has any other god revealed himself in history? No. Only God has revealed himself in history.
Second, only God frees people from fear. Start with v.5 --
5 The coastlands have seen and are afraid; the ends of the earth tremble; they have drawn near and come.
So some crisis has come to the nations, causing them fear. So what do they do? Look at vv.6-7 --
6 Everyone helps his neighbor and says to his brother, "Be strong!"
7 The craftsman strengthens the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer him who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, "It is good"; and they strengthen it with nails so that it cannot be moved.
Because the nations are not turning to the God of Abraham, when something fearful happens the best they can do is come up with something on their own; in this case it’s an idol. And notice God’s sense of humor. Here’s this idol that’s supposed to protect them, but they need to make sure it’s secured with nails so it can’t be moved.
Here’s the point: without the God of the Bible, the God who is actually there, where can people turn when trouble comes? Maybe the doctor has bad news, or the layoff finally came, or you are facing death. Where can people turn? Without the God of the Scriptures, the Father of our Lord Jesus – all people have is man-made, flimsy idols – man-made religions, philosophies that don’t help, systems of belief that crumble under life’s trials.
But for those who look to the God of the Bible, the God who is really there – it’s an entirely different story. That’s the point of vv.8-20 – let’s focus on vv.8-10 --
8 But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, "You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off";
10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
So it’s an entirely different story for God’s people, the nation of Israel. But what about us Gentiles? The good news of the Bible is that by trusting Jesus Christ we Gentiles can become part of the people of Israel. We don’t change our nationality or culture, but the moment we trust Jesus, we become part of God’s people. And the result, as God says in v.10, is “fear not.”’ We never need to fear anything.
Why not? Because of what God says in the rest of v.10. Whenever you face any problem or difficulty, God Himself will be with you, God Himself will strengthen you, God Himself will help you, God Himself will uphold you with His righteous right hand.
Tuesday I went to a routine eye examination, and the doctor found that my peripheral vision had problems, so he referred me to a specialist. Now it’s probably nothing. But as I was walking out of his office, what I thought of is that my dad has lost his vision; and so as I got into my car, I felt fear.
But because of what Jesus Christ did for me on the Cross, I can turn to God even in my fear – and know that He is there, and that He welcomes me, and loves me. I know that He is in sovereign control of everything, even this, for His glory and my great good.
So as I drove home I asked Him to help me, and to strengthen me. And He did. I don’t want to overstate it; but it was powerful. He gave me such a sense of His presence, and nearness, that I was filled with joy. I felt – really felt – such joy in Him that the prospect of losing my vision didn’t faze me because I knew I would have Him.
Now don’t freak out. It’s probably nothing. But it didn’t feel like nothing on Tuesday. And because God is there, and God is sovereign, and God is all-satisfying – he met me in such a powerful way that I was free from fear.
No other god, no other religion, no other philosophy can do that. Only those who know the God of the Bible through Jesus have God working in their lives so they can be absolutely free from fear.
Third, only God is real and actually does anything. In vv.21-24 he says that the gods of the nations do absolutely nothing –
21 Set forth your case, says the LORD; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob. [That is, show us why your gods are so good.]
22 Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things [what your gods have done in the past], what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come [what your gods are predicting they will do].
23 Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified.
24 Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing; an abomination is he who chooses you.
So God invites the nations to show what their gods have done in the past, or to show what their gods predict they will do in the future. The answer? Nothing. Then God says what He will do – stirring up Cyrus, v.25 --
25 I stirred up one from the north [this is again speaking of Cyrus], and he has come, from the rising of the sun [that’s the east – he came from the north-east], and he shall call upon my name; he shall trample on rulers as on mortar, as the potter treads clay.
26 Who declared it from the beginning, that we might know, and beforehand, that we might say, "He is right"? There was none who declared it, none who proclaimed, none who heard your words.
27 I was the first to say to Zion, "Behold, here they are!" and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good news.
28 But when I look, there is no one; among these there is no counselor who, when I ask, gives an answer [to the challenge of v.21]
29 Behold, they are all a delusion; their works are nothing; their metal images are empty wind.
No other god, religion, or system of belief does anything, because none of them are real. Only the God of Abraham, the Father of our Lord Jesus, is real and actually does anything.
When I was in real estate I met an agent who was a Zen Buddhist, and we started meeting together. Each week we would read one chapter from his Zen Buddhist book and one chapter from the gospel of John.
I will never forget one conversation. I told him how Jesus Christ is fully God, and that when you trust Him He enters into your life and changes you. He gives you a new nature, a new heart, a new will. You don’t become perfect, but you are profoundly changed.
He just looked at me: “Have you experienced that?” “Yes.” “Really?” “Yes.” He was stunned. And then he explained that for years he had longed to be free from pride. He hated his pride. He meditated every morning and practiced Zen Buddhism – but there was no change. He went to his Zen master, who said he needed to fast more and meditate more, which he did – for months, for years. But there was no change. Why not? Because only the God of Abraham, the Father of our Lord Jesus, is real and actually does something.
It’s a long story, but he ended up turning from Zen Buddhism and trusting Jesus Christ.
So what does this mean for us? It means that when we compare the God of the Bible with every other god, religion, philosophy, we find that He alone is God. Period.
It’s not like there’s 65% evidence for the God of the Bible; and 50% evidence for atheism; and 40% evidence for Hinduism. No. God alone is God. He alone created everything, He alone reveals Himself in history, He alone came to earth in the person of Jesus. So 100% of the evidence displays the reality God and His Son Jesus Christ. And there’s no evidence for anything else. Which means everyone desperately needs to hear.
Picture it like this. It’s like everyone in San Jose has drunk poison – sin -- which causes us great pain now and will ultimate kill us. We try different treatments to be cured –herbs, vitamins, drugs. But nothing helps – and we continue in great pain, moving toward death.
But the God who created the world, in great mercy, sent His Son who through terrible suffering produced a cure by dying on the Cross. And one day someone told you about this cure, and you were completely cured. The pain left. The weariness left. Completely cured.
But think of what that means. Here you are surrounded by people who are still in great pain and facing death because of the poison. Your neighbor is trying a cure – Hinduism -- which will do nothing. Your work associate is trying a cure – positive thinking -- which will do nothing. Your family member is trying a cure – meditation – which will do nothing.
There is only one cure: Jesus Christ. You have the cure that they need. They are in pain now and facing death forever, and nothing will help them apart from Jesus Christ. So love them, care for them, and tell them.