Are You Trusting God?
Audio Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Come, Let Us Walk in the Light of the Lord
Isaiah 38:1-39:8 (ESV)
38:1 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.
7 “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised: 8 Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.
9 A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
10 I said, In the middle of my days
I must depart;
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol
for the rest of my years.
11 I said, I shall not see the Lord,
the Lord in the land of the living;
I shall look on man no more
among the inhabitants of the world.
12 My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me
like a shepherd's tent;
like a weaver I have rolled up my life;
he cuts me off from the loom;
from day to night you bring me to an end;
13 I calmed myself until morning;
like a lion he breaks all my bones;
from day to night you bring me to an end.
14 Like a swallow or a crane I chirp;
I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary with looking upward.
O Lord, I am oppressed; be my pledge of safety!
15 What shall I say? For he has spoken to me,
and he himself has done it.
I walk slowly all my years
because of the bitterness of my soul.
16 O Lord, by these things men live,
and in all these is the life of my spirit.
Oh restore me to health and make me live!
17 Behold, it was for my welfare
that I had great bitterness;
but in love you have delivered my life
from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins
behind your back.
18 For Sheol does not thank you;
death does not praise you;
those who go down to the pit do not hope
for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living, he thanks you,
as I do this day;
the father makes known to the children
your faithfulness.
20 The Lord will save me,
and we will play my music on stringed instruments
all the days of our lives,
at the house of the Lord.
21 Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.” 22 Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”
39:1 At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2 And Hezekiah welcomed them gladly. And he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. 3 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.” 4 He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: 6 Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. 7 And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” 8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.”
Sermon Outline
Are you trusting God?
1. Trusting God in Adversity
38:2-3 “‘please… remember… wept bitterly”
38:10 “in the middle of my days I must depart”, v11 “I shall not see the Lord in the land of the living”, v15 “bitterness of my soul”
38:17 “…in love you have delivered my life”
2. Trusting God in Prosperity
39:2 “Hezekiah welcomed them gladly … there was nothing that Hezekiah did not show them…”
39:6 “all that is in your house… shall be carried away to Babylon.”
3. Trusting God in History
38:5-7 “the God of David your father… deliver you and this city… this shall be a sign”
38:17 “in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction for you have cast all my sins behind my back”
Prayer of Confession
Our faithful God, we need you every hour. We confess our faith is weak. When things are difficult, our fears, resentments and suspicions keep us from humbly turning to you. In times of ease, our pride, hastiness and complacency hinder us from wisely seeking you. Our faulty faith gives rise to sinful habits and actions. In love, deliver us from the pit of destruction, and cast our sins behind us. We appeal to you in the name of Jesus, who graciously gave his life to grant us eternal life. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
Do you find it easier to trust God when things are going well, or when things are difficult? Why?
Why is trust so hard? How do you struggle to trust, or where are you struggling with trust?
Why do people feel the need to understand why they are suffering?
How can you walk with God in a difficult period where you are confused, can’t make sense of why you are suffering, or understand how to get out of it? What should you do? What should you not do?
How does bringing the question “what are you showing me?” to God help us navigate confusing difficult periods?
What are ways you may neglect trusting God in periods where you feel confident or complacent? How can you be intentional to walk by faith during prosperous periods?
How can you inquire of God when making a big decision? What can you do, and how do you discern God’s leading?
What are some of the implications of the fact that God doesn’t just deliver from the brink of death, but he can deliver from death itself? How can that broaden and deepen you to trust God with the whole of your life?
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