Our Frustration and God’s Plans

Audio Recording

Sermon Outline

Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Come, Let Us Walk in the Light of the Lord

Isaiah 45:18-25 (ESV)
18 For thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens
    (he is God!),
who formed the earth and made it
    (he established it;
he did not create it empty,
    he formed it to be inhabited!):
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.
19 I did not speak in secret,
    in a land of darkness;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
    ‘Seek me in vain.’
I the Lord speak the truth;
    I declare what is right.

20 “Assemble yourselves and come;
    draw near together,
    you survivors of the nations!
They have no knowledge
    who carry about their wooden idols,
and keep on praying to a god
    that cannot save.
21 Declare and present your case;
    let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
    Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
    And there is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
    there is none besides me.

22 “Turn to me and be saved,
    all the ends of the earth!
    For I am God, and there is no other.
23 By myself I have sworn;
    from my mouth has gone out in righteousness
    a word that shall not return:
‘To me every knee shall bow,
    every tongue shall swear allegiance.’

24 “Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,
    are righteousness and strength;
to him shall come and be ashamed
    all who were incensed against him.
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
    shall be justified and shall glory.”

Sermon Outline
Are you living in the wrong story?

1. Faithfulness of God to His Plans

• v18 “For thus says the Lord, who created… he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!”

• v19 “I did not speak in secret, I did not say… ‘Seek me in vain.’  I the Lord speak the truth”

2. Frustration Because of Our Plans

• v20 “…you survivors of the nations!  …who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save.”

• v23  “… word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow...”

• v24 “…all who were incensed against him”

3. Freedom In the Plans of Jesus

• v22 “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!”

• v24 “only in the Lord shall it be said of me, are righteousness and strength”

• v25 “In the Lord all the offspring of Israel shall be justified and shall glory.”

Prayer of Confession
Sovereign Lord, You alone are wise, powerful, and good. You are perfect in all Your ways, and yet, we confess that we are not.  We have often thought too highly of ourselves.  When our sense of entitlement clashes with reality, we fail to learn and grow.  Instead of humbling ourselves, we become angry—angry at You, angry at others—desperate to maintain control.  In our pride, we have harbored