God is Good (Isaiah 7).

Pastor Steve. Hillsong Brisbane Campus. Sunday, May 30th, 2010.
God is Good (Isaiah 7).

King Ahaz--God sends a prophet Isaiah to talk to him (Isaiah 7).
Verse 4 (advice)--be careful, keep calm, don't be afraid, don't lose heart.
Don't lose heart: don't lose confidence and trust in God. Let Him take you through what you to go through, your trials, your struggles.
Verse 7--the message is from the Sovereign LORD, and it's from the Sovereign LORD who is on YOUR side. So whatever you are going through, know that is is the Sovereign LORD that's on your side.
Verse 14--The LORD will give you a sign for when you are facing trials. Immanuel: GOD IS WITH US!

4 Truths about Immanuel: God is with us.

1. GOD is with us.
To keep on going, have God first in your life. Put Him above your trials, struggles. You can suffer through anything (lose loved ones, financial struggles) and know that there is a tomorrow.
Deuteronomy 4:9: Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
Malachi 3:6: I the LORD do not change...
God's character, His promises NEVER change.
Psalm 145 is a good example of how God's character never changes. David wrote it thousands of years ago, and compare it with today and a thousand years from now how God does NOT change! Verses 8, 13, 14, 18, 20.
1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.

4 One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.

5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works. [b]

6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.

10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD;
your saints will extol you.

11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,

12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful to all his promises
and loving toward all he has made. [c]

14 The LORD upholds all those who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.

16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and loving toward all he has made.

18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.

19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.

20 The LORD watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
How GOOD has God been to you? How GENEROUS has God been to you? How LOVING has God been to you?

2. God IS with us.
Present-tense God, I AM, not limited by today's calendar. He is right here today. God is wise in not revealing our tomorrow to us. It would twist us, and turn our hearts. He is the Alpha, the Omega, the Beginning, and the End.

3. God is WITH us.
God chooses to unite Himself with us. How powerful that truth is. Union with us is true and it's real.
"I will be WITH you" is used 8 times in the Bible.
Isaiah 43:2 is just an example:
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
"I am WITH you" is used 21 times in the Bible.
Isaiah 41:10: So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Jeremiah 1:8: Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD
Haggai 1:13: Then Haggai, the LORD's messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: "I am with you," declares the LORD.
He is ours because He is with us!
Matthew 28:20: and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
It's nothing about what we are involved in, but that we can serve Him with joy. He chooses to be WITH us. Serve God, serve God, serve God. When we serve people and it doesn't go the way we plan, remember that we are serving God (he was using this as a point to have volunteers and to be happy to serve).
Acts 18:10: For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.
1 Corinthians 5:4: When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present.
The LORD is here RIGHT now! It's not dependent on what the music sounded like at church, the pastor, the people we sat by. He is HERE when we come together.

4. God is with US.
Immanuel speaks a name of victory. He is on our side. It is good to know when the enemy is surrounding us, when finances are crazy, the family is going wild, etc. that God is on our side. He is with His people.
The story of David and Goliath is just one of numerous examples of God being with us.
Can you tell the enemy that your Father is bigger? That there is a tomorrow?
Can you see God? He is Eternal, He is Able.
The God of yesterday that is here today, is not One that is aging, decaying, or growing old. No. He is in His prime. He was in His prime then, and He will always be in His prime. He is God!
Look around. God is here with you.
He is within me. My address is His address. My home is His home. My body is His temple. He is within me today and tomorrow and forever.
The enemy may be more powerful than you, but remember, Immanuel. God is with us. He is power. He is on our side.