Skip to content Our Unshakable God: Our God of Comfort Mar 25 · 35 min ...more
Our Unshakable God: Our God of Comfort
March 25, 2025 · 35 min
Pastor John Mark introduces a new series titled "Our Unshakable God" that emphasizes God's personal nature as a comforting presence in our lives, even during difficult times.
Series "Pastor Talks" with John Mark Caton March 25, 2025 · 35 min · "Pastor Talks" with John Mark Caton
Pastor John Mark introduces a new series titled "Our Unshakable God" that emphasizes God's personal nature as a comforting presence in our lives, even during difficult times. ...more Show the full description Show less Pastor John Mark introduces a new series titled "Our Unshakable God" that emphasizes God's personal nature as a comforting presence in our lives, even during difficult times.
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John Mark is the Senior Pastor of the thriving Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, Texas, where he has served since 1995.
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Our Unshakeable God 0:00 I'm excited, we're starting a brand new series today, and called Our Unshakeable God. And every 1 of those words matter. That first word, our, that means God is a personal God. He is my God, but0:12 He's also your God, which means He's our God. God means He's not a little g God. He's the God that created the universe, He spoke the world into existence. He sustains it all. He provided the way of0:23 salvation. That is our God who is also unshakable. That regardless of what's going on in this world, whatever is happening around the world, and we all look up, we're like, man, what's the0:35 economy gonna do? Are we about to go to World War 3? Is this happening? How's my job secure? There's a lot in this world that can shake us up. But I want to encourage you to tap into this0:47 series because we have an unshakable God. And if someone came up to you and said, hey, would you just tell me about your God? Let's say they had never been to0:59 church and you said the word God and they said, well define God for me. What would you say? Maybe you, came up to me someday1:11 and you heard I was married. You saw my wedding ring, said, are you married? Yeah, I'm married. And you said, I'm married to Gina, my wife. And you said, well describe her. And let's say, yeah, just describe1:23 my wife in very generic terms. She's got hair. She's got a couple eyes. I call her Jo, those who don't1:35 know, I call her Jo, that's her middle name, so I just call her Jo. She's kind of an average Jo. Average height, average age, average weight.1:48 If I said that, and by the way, if you think that's a heckler, let me tell you why they're, who they are, in a second. But it, but you would look at me and go, do you even know your wife?2:01 See, but if you asked me to describe my wife, I would tell you she's a beautiful brunette. She's got wonderful brown eyes. She is2:13 stunningly beautiful and the stunning part is not that she's beautiful, it's that I married her, right? She's got a tender heart,2:25 used to be a school teacher, she's now a realtor, incredible mom, amazing wife, spiritual gifts, mercy, teaching. She teaches a ladies life2:37 group here at our church at 11 o'clock. I think many of them are in the room, right? That's the yellers earlier when they started talking about my wife.2:49 They didn't like me downgrading her apparently. Okay, this is not an interactive conversation we're having here, alright?3:02 And she's got these cheeks. I've always just loved to touch her sweet soft cheeks. Then you would say, he knows his wife. Does that make sense? So hopefully over these next couple of3:14 weeks when someone we will begin to fill in some of the descriptors descriptors of who God is. And so when someone comes up to you and says who is God? What is he like? You're gonna say3:25 he's a God that talks to me. He's a God that loves me. He's a God that paves the way for me. He's a God that's been there with me, the deepest darkest valley and the highest mountaintop.3:38 He's a God that will never ever leave me. And so as we start this series, we got a brand new shirt if you want to get 1. We love Isaiah 40 and it's an amazing chapter, it is the3:50 turning point chapter in the book. For 39 chapters, Isaiah and God had been speaking to the children of Israel, stop disobeying me, stop disobeying me, stop disobeying me.4:02 And they disobeyed and dis- and finally God removes his hand of blessings and protections, allows the Babylonians to come in, overthrow Jerusalem, take them off into exile. And oftentimes when4:14 we find ourselves in our own difficult circumstances, we think well God must not be here. But it's amazing, 39 chapters God warned them, God removes his hand of blessings, and immediately when the4:26 Babylonians come in, God begins to talk about hope and love and forgiveness and renewal and grace. So today, what's God like?4:38 He is a comforting God. He is a comforting God. Let's start, let me just show you the beginning and remember, this is a this is a turning point chapter. 39 chapters of warning, now all of a4:50 sudden God says let the Babylonians have at it because you need to be judged. God immediately begins to point them to the future when they would come home to Jerusalem, but not just that future of them coming home from5:02 Babylonian exile, and they do, to Jerusalem. But points them further down the road to a guy named John the Baptist who says prepare the way for the Lord, looks up at Jesus, said behold the Lamb of God who takes away the5:13 sins of the world. But it doesn't stop there, all the way to you and all the way to me and ultimately to Heaven. When all the sin, all the heartache, all the tears, and all the death are gone.5:26 And it's just us and God and those we love in all of eternity. So notice this, Isaiah chapter 40 verse 1. If you want to spend time reading the first 39 chapters,5:38 you will find yourself going stop doing that, stop doing that, stop doing that children of Israel. God's warning you. But they don't. So then all of a sudden he allows them to be overthrown and immediately God5:50 steps in and says comfort, comfort my people says your God. Man, I love that. We serve a God who loves, who cares, who comforts us along our journey. He will do everything6:02 he can to keep you out of trouble. But as soon as you get into trouble and you cry out in repentance, God quickly shifts from6:14 judgment to comfort. Do you know God would rather comfort and care for you than judge you? How many of you know that? He would absolutely. He would way rather do. 39 chapters he's worn them.6:26 Finally he lets them deliver, lets the consequences come upon them. Immediately he says comfort, comfort my people says the Lord. He warned them. He cared about them. But then he immediately6:37 provides a promise. Now 1 chapter later, this is a verse you need to memorize. Isaiah chapter 41 verse 10, notice what it says, just 1 chapter later. So God, 39 chapters of warning, from here on out it is6:49 God offering his praise, his comfort and love. Notice what it says in Isaiah chapter 41 verse 10. 1 chapter 8, he says, do not fear. How many of you know, I've said this before, that7:01 there are over 365 fear nights in the bible? That's 1 for every day, that's 1 for every trouble. He says, fear not. Why? For I am with you in the7:13 hardship. See, a lot of times we think when God allows judgment to come in our life and consequences to come in our life, just like the children of Israel, when he allowed them to be taken off into Babylon, overthrown by7:24 Nebuchadnezzar, a lot of times we can think, well God's not present. But God's telling them right here in Isaiah chapter 41 verse 10, they're not back to Jerusalem yet. He says, I am still with you.7:36 I love you. He says, do not fear for I am with you and do not be dismayed. Man, if you are ever confused, God clears up the confusion the more we walk with him. Listen to him, for I am7:48 your God. I love that. I will strengthen you and I will help you. Over and over we're told in God's word that God is not just a God that is up there somewhere.8:00 That we don't have a personal relationship with. That mucking our way through life, that somehow we're pleasing this God that we have no real relationship with. If you look at all the8:12 other religions in the Bible, take Islam, Allah, no personal relationship with Allah. He says listen, you just obey me, you follow these 5 pillars8:25 and maybe you'll end up in my heaven. But there's no presence, there's no help, there's no spirit of God, and ultimately obedience may lead to salvation if you're obedient enough.8:37 What about the Hindu God? Just this impersonal force, no personal relationship with this Hindu force. And this idea of karma that that if you're good enough in this life,8:49 maybe maybe you'll progress in your next life. But if you're bad in this life, you you will digress or digress in this life. That you'll go from 1 level to another. They have this caste system. There's some people that9:01 that apparently in the past have done so much wrong that that they have become an untouchable. And no 1 cares. If you want to go to 1 of the most discouraging places, go to a Hindu country9:14 and look at the poverty and notice that people have no care, no love, they have no relationship with the real God. What about Buddhist? It's all about moving towards enlightenment. There's no there's no real relationship9:26 with God, but our God is completely different. Our God is a God of grace and mercy. Our God wants more than anything to9:38 have a relationship, a personal relationship with everybody in this room and everybody online. That's why God ultimately sent His Son. Our God is a God9:50 that cares when you're in the wilderness of life, when you're walking through brokenness or you're walking through cancer or walking through some God says, I don't want you to go through it all. Our God10:03 is a God who doesn't expect you to earn salvation because he knows you can't. He provided a way for salvation because he can. So as you think about our God, man, he is a God that comforts us and10:15 tells us not to fear. And he's pursuing everybody in here and I think he'll pursue you through this whole series, but let's start with how does God comfort us? If that's the first thing that we want to describe God, He10:26 is a comforting, caring, and loving God, how does God comfort us? First of all, He comforts us with His words. Let's go back and read verse 1 again. Notice God's words, comfort comfort. Now again,10:38 these are the first 2 words of chapter 40 after 39 chapters of warning. And what does God immediately say? Comfort my people. That's a God10:50 who loves. Anybody in here have a a son or a daughter that's a prodigal? Man, they have gone away, they've gone away, that doesn't change your love. What do you want more than anything for them to come back? You want to11:01 provide them comfort, comfort. Notice what he says, comfort, comfort. And not only is he my God, but he calls us his people, says the Lord. You know, I I don't know what you reach out to when you want11:13 comfort. Could be temporary. You bought a new car lately and you said, this is a really comfortable car. How many of you know you'll sell that car? How11:25 many of you, like me, there are some foods that are comfort foods for me, that I just enjoy eating chips and salsa and jalapeno and it destroys my voice and I speak for a living,11:37 but still I just love it. By the time I go to a Mexican food restaurant, anybody like me, by the time the food shows up, I'm about 14000 calories in. Like I really shouldn't eat that,11:49 well I shouldn't have eaten that. Right? Comfort dogs, some people have their animals or their comfort animals. Comfort dog, comfort cat, comfort this. Man, listen, that's temporary. It ultimately goes away. I know when12:00 I left the church a couple times recently, I've driven that way heading to the house. Anybody see the allergy and dust storm and the pollens that flew in here? Okay, how many of you struggle with allergies? I do. Man,12:12 I'm I'm in CVS going, I'm thinking I need 1 of these, 1 of these, 1 of these. What am I looking for? I'm looking for comfort. It's not a fix, it's a comfort. It's temporary. If you went into your doctor and your12:23 doctor says, hey, I got bad news for you. The pain that you've been feeling, you got cancer. So what do you think I should do doc? He says here's an Advil, that'll reduce the pain. How many of you know that's12:35 temporary? That's not the cure. See, a lot of times what we look for when we're going through hard seasons and difficult seasons, we look for temporary comfort, but God wants to provide for us a lasting comfort12:48 that comes with his grace and his mercy and his forgiveness and his strength and his help that provides an ultimate purpose for your life. I love what the13:00 psalmist said in Psalm 34 verse 18. He says the Lord is close. Everybody say close. Close. The Lord is close to who? The brokenhearted. You almost see this in13:11 Isaiah 40, 39 chapters of warning, immediately now you're off into exile. God starts off with comfort, comfort. Let them know I haven't forgotten about them. And so he says the Lord is close to the broken13:23 hearted and he saves those who are crushed in spirit. If you're a parent in the room, you've probably experienced what, what what many of us have experienced. We have kiddos. You ever just been laying there in your bed13:35 and all of a sudden 1 of your kids starts crying out in the middle of the night? They're just, right? And what do you do immediately? You wake your wife off, say you need to go look after that, right?13:47 No, you go in the room and what do you see? Sometimes you'll realize, we had 1 of our children that had these very vivid nightmares and dreams wake up and look at you and go, they're right13:59 there, they're right there. How many of you know you go in there and go, there's nothing right there. But then you pick up your child and they begin to stop crying, begin to wake14:11 up, they lay their head on your shoulder, even say it's okay, nothing's in here. And you walk into your child in a nightmare and and here's the interesting part, all of a sudden they calm14:22 down and they go back to sleep and you go lay in bed and you're up the rest of the night. How many of you know that, right? Why did they calm down? Nothing changed in14:34 the room except your presence. That you showed up, does that make sense? That you just walked into the room and you all of a sudden said it's gonna be okay.14:47 Well there's monsters under the bed, there aren't any monsters on the bed. They hid in the closet. Well they're not in the closet. Nothing changed. But all of a sudden the child has received comfort because the14:59 mom or dad walked in the room and picked them up. Child of God I want you to know if you're in a nightmare season in your life, the Lord is close15:11 to the brokenhearted and He saves those who are crushed in spirit. So fault number 1, God comforts us with His words. Thought number 2,15:23 we're gonna love this, God comforts us with His forgiveness. Just journey through the next verse and that's exactly what we're gonna do this whole series. We're gonna go from verse 1 to 2 to 3 all the way through verse15:33 31, which is on the shirt, but here it is. God comforts us with his forgiveness. So speak tenderly to Jerusalem, he says, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed and that her sin has been15:45 paid for. I love that. 39 chapters of warning. Turning point chapter, verse 1, comfort my people. Verse 2, I have15:57 forgiven my people. And he says that their sin has been paid for. What an incredible thought. See, God's heartbeat is not to judge you, it's to forgive you. God's heartbeat is not to hurt you, he's16:09 to help you. God's heartbeat is not to destroy you, he's to sustain you. God wants that more than anything. God quickly wants to move from judgment to grace.16:22 From discipline to mercy. And we just need to operate in that understanding that man, that's what God wants from us more than anything. And I love this idea, your sins have been forgiven.16:35 39 chapters of disobedience. Verse 2 of the turning point chapter, he's talking about I've already forgiven you. And do you realize here we are on March sixteenth 3 16?16:48 That's the date. Probably the best verse as we think about this passage right now is John chapter 3 16. For God so loved the world, you, that17:00 he gave his 1 and only son, that whoever believes in him would not perish, but instead would have everlasting life. You know17:12 what God wants from you? Just faith, trust, worship, and love. You know what God wants to give you?17:24 Everything. You say all I have to do is believe in Jesus Christ, that's it. As a matter of fact, not only as you look through the rest of Isaiah, get over in Isaiah chapter17:36 53, it says all we like sheep have gone astray, each unto our own way. But God who loves you and comforts you has chosen to lay upon him, who is he talking about,17:47 Jesus Christ, the sin of us all. See if God didn't love you, he'd say you need to fix that, you need to pay for that sin, I'm gonna judge you for this. But a God who really loves you17:59 says, alright, listen, I'm gonna take care of all your sin and I'm gonna do it through my son. For God so loved the world, you and me, regardless of who we are, that he gave, it was a free gift.18:11 His 1 and only son that whoever, it doesn't matter who you are in person or online, whoever believes in him would not perish, be separated from God for eternity, but would have ultimately18:23 eternal life. You say, but pastor, I'm saved. I'm battling in my heart this this man, those things that I want to do, I don't do. Those things that I do, I know I shouldn't do. That's18:35 exactly what Paul said in Romans chapter 8 verse 1. He says, once you and I are saved, Romans 8 verse 1 says, therefore there is now, right now, no condemnation for those who are in18:47 Christ Jesus. Now interestingly enough, we love Romans 8 verse 1. But if you go the immediate context in Romans chapter 7, Paul is being honest with18:59 the Romans about his own life. He says, there is this battle that is waging in my heart and in my life and in my mind. He goes, those things I don't want to do, those are the ones I do.19:11 Those things I do want to do, those are what I don't find myself doing. He says, man, I'm a wretched man. And he says, who can save me from this? He says, thanks be to God, who loves me19:23 and cares for me. See, he says even in the midst of this turmoil, and my guess is there's some people in here that you've got some things going on in your life or you're wrestling with some things in your life that you19:33 know that they don't honor God and maybe others know about it, maybe others don't know about it, maybe it's just you, it's your heart, it's your mind, it's your decision, it's your sin. Man, can I tell you this, if you19:43 are saved, you are not condemned? And if you've never been saved, that's what God wants more than anything. He doesn't want to leave you where you are, he wants to take you where19:55 he wants you. And that's to his glory and ultimately his grace. So thought number 1, God comforts us with his words. Thought number 2, God comforts us with his forgiveness20:07 and he paves that road. Here's number 3, God comforts us with his presence. Just like the parent that rolls into a child when they're in the middle of a nightmare, that God comforts us with his presence. He shows up.20:19 Notice what it says, Isaiah chapter 40 verse 3. He says, a voice of 1 calling in the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord and make straight in the desert a highway for our God.20:30 You know, a lot of times we think, man, when I'm in the wilderness of my life, where is God? Anybody ever thought that? Man, I'm going through a hardship, I'm going through a deep valley, I'm going through a dark spot in20:40 my life. And you ask, where is God? See, a lot of times we think, well God's only with me if I get the promotion, or if I get the raise, or if my health is good. Can I tell you?20:52 God is still there in the wilderness of your life. The children of Israel, when they were taken off into exile by the Babylonians, that was their wilderness wandering. But let me tell you what, look through God's word21:04 from Genesis to Revelation. God always shows up even when his people are in the wilderness. Remember a guy named Moses? Grew up in pharaoh's house. Ultimately21:16 tried to deliver the children of Israel on his own and ultimately kicked out into the desert. He's in the wilderness wondering if God still has a plan for his life and God shows up in this burning21:28 bush and God speaks to him. He says Moses, I want you to go deliver my people. Remember Moses said, well not me, I can't speak, I can't do anything, I'm not a21:40 great leader. God said no no no you. So maybe you're in the wilderness, you wonder does God want to speak to you? Yeah, God wants to speak to you if you'll listen, if you'll stop, and if you'll21:52 obey. Not just there, Moses goes under the children of Israel, delivers them out, brings them out, they're making their way to the promised land. For some reason Moses22:03 leads them straight to the Red Sea, and the Egyptians and the soldiers say we're not going to let them go, we've changed our mind. So you have the Red Sea in front, you have the Egyptian army behind, and what did God do22:15 there in that wilderness moment? He parched the Red Sea. And maybe there are some of you right now that, man it seems like your enemies are pursuing you and there's no way forward. Can I tell you God wants to show up in22:26 your wilderness? Remember the children of Israel went to the promised land, the spies said, you know, 2 of them said we should go in, 10 of them said no. They journeyed around in the wilderness for 40 years and what22:38 did God do? Here's some manna, here's some quail. See, God will provide for you as well. When they were struggling with how to relate to each other,22:51 God says, hey Moses, come up on the mountain, I'm gonna give you these 10 commandments. If you do these 10 commandments, they're not gonna get you to heaven, but they'll certainly let you understand how to worship me and23:03 love me and how to treat other people. After they got the 10 commandments, they're walking through the desert. Just an FYI, how many of you know there's not a lot of water in the desert? And they run23:14 out of water. And the children of Israel began to grumble against Moses and against God and against Aaron. They talk about, well let's go just kill Moses, let's go back to Egypt. Can you imagine the23:26 thought process? Instead of trusting God and trusting Moses and following him to the promised land, I would rather go back to slavery in our life. But let me tell you, a lot of people choose that path. But they're23:38 out of water. And so after the people are beginning to grumble, Moses goes out and he separates himself from the people and he says, Lord, what are you gonna do with these people? And God says, I'm gonna give them water.23:50 Even though they grumble against you and they grumble against me and they'd rather go back to slavery than to the promised land. Moses says, well that'd be really cool, how are we gonna get water? God says, hey go to24:01 this rock over here, take your staff, gather around all the elders and the children of Israel and he goes, and then I want you to talk about my glory and my grace and then I want you to strike this rock and I'm gonna24:12 have water pour out. Can you imagine Moses saying, this is just gonna break my staff? Sure enough, Moses comes over and says, gather around you grumbling people. He strikes a24:24 rock and water pours out of the rock. And sure enough, because they're not in the promised land, they're still in the wilderness, there's another time in their journeys, they run out of water again.24:37 And this time they're more vicious and more angry at Moses and they said listen Moses, we want you to just take us back to Egypt. Moses says, God, these people you gave me, these are your people,24:49 Can you get rid of them all? God says, no I'm going to give them some water. And God tells Moses the second time, he says, listen I want you to go back to another rock. Said I don't want you to strike the25:01 rock this time, I want you to speak to it. Well Moses is hacked off. He's hacked off at the people. So he walks back over there and says gather around, show you what25:12 God's going to do, give us some more water. And instead of him speaking to the rock, he strikes the rock again out of anger and bitterness. Now God could have said, nobody gets water25:24 because Moses is mad. But instead God says, you disobeyed me, but I'm a provide for my people anyway. See that's the kind of God that25:36 we serve. See see when they were in the wilderness they hadn't gotten to Jerusalem yet where they ultimately built the temple, where worship happened and where the presence of God was, but God didn't want to leave them25:47 without his presence even when they were in the wilderness, so he gave them a design of a tabernacle. Kind of a moving temple that God promised his presence would be there even when they were disobedient,25:59 they were in the wilderness, not in the promised land. And there are some of you that you're out in wilderness wandering, maybe in this room or in person, you wonder is God here? Let me tell you what, God wants to be26:10 there in your difficulty, in your hardship, in everything about and then you just think about this verse. A voice cries from the wilderness, prepare a26:22 way for the Lord. Does that sound familiar? That's echoes of the New Testament, where John the Baptist, Matthew chapter 3,26:34 prepare the way for the Lord. And there's Jesus. So even in this moment, this turning point season where the children of Israel have been disobeyed, they've been dislodged26:46 from Jerusalem, and their temple has been destroyed, God is always looking forward for an opportunity to provide grace and mercy and love. And so wherever you are today, I want you to know God is26:58 looking for that same opportunity in your life to provide grace and love. So thought number 1, man, God comforts us with his words. 2, he comforts us with his forgiveness regardless27:10 of your sin. Number 3, he comforts us with a presence even in the wilderness. Here's number 4, God comforts us with his action. See, God wants you and I to do27:22 some things. He wants us to do some things to prepare the way for him, but God also wants to do some things. Let's just continue to read, look at verse 4. Here's what's gonna happen, preparing the way. Every valley shall27:32 be raised up, in other words we're gonna fill in the low spots. Every mountain will be made low, we're gonna tear down the high spots. The rough ground shall be made level, so it's smooth, and the rugged27:44 places made plain. See, in the ancient times, in the ancient seasons, if if a king was gonna go to a city, that king would send a herald out to that27:56 city to issue an edict that listen, the king wants to come to your town, to your city, and the edict said, the townspeople, the construction crews need28:08 to go out and prepare the way. And so there were 2 things that were happening through the wilderness to a new town, there would have to be a smooth path because the king had to travel on a smooth path.28:21 And so the edict that has been given here is saying, listen, to you and to me, you might be in a wilderness, you might be in a tough spot, you might be in a difficult place, but God is delivering an edict. He wants to28:30 show up in your life and my life. And my job is to prepare the way, alright? What does that mean? I'm going to fill in the low spots. I don't know what the low spots in your life are, but28:42 here's what I do know, it might be sin. There's some people in here in person or online that you need to deal with some sin in your life, some low spots in your life, some addiction problems, some difficult, maybe no 128:53 else knows about it but you, but do you need to fill in some low spots? What about tearing down some high spots? Anybody in here so proud and arrogant that you're never going to humble yourself before a mighty29:05 God? You're certainly not going to humble yourself before others? And the king's edict is let's tear down the high places, and he says let's smooth out some29:17 rough stuff. I don't know what that might be, if there's some relationships in your life and in my life that I need to go back and fix and I need to go back and repair, I need to put back together.29:30 See that's God's call to us that part of our job is to prepare the way for God to show up. God desires more than anything to show up in your life and mine,29:42 but sometimes it's the sin in my life that won't allow me to accept him. Well that's where forgiveness comes in, sometimes it's the pride in my life that won't allow me to bow before him and we need to deal29:54 with that, sometimes it's just those rough spaces and rough patches. So you and I need to understand God wants more than anything. For you to take action, he wants to take action.30:07 Our actions prepare the way, his actions show up. Man, that's an awesome thought. I love this, this next thought here. Isaiah chapter 46 verse30:18 4, talking about actions. God says I made you, I will carry you, I will sustain you, and I will rescue.30:32 You. Anybody struggling here with some self confidence, some struggle? Can I tell you God made you just like you are, don't you ever forget that? Anybody in here30:44 struggling with just the just weary? Your God will carry you, just prepare the way for him. Think you're gonna fall? He'll30:56 sustain you. Think all is lost? He'll rescue you. See that's the God we serve. See our, my personal, our31:07 God is an unshakable God. There are times in your life and mine that circumstances scare us to death.31:21 God still got a steady hand. God still got it all in control. And here's the final thought, God comforts us with his glory. That31:33 regardless of the wilderness, 39 chapters of disobedience the children of Israel had, God still promises his glory. He says, listen, I'm gonna allow you to go off into Babylon and exile. It's gonna be31:45 hard, it's gonna be difficult, you're gonna hate it, but I'm still gonna get the glory in your life. Maybe there's some people in here in this room today that you need to hear that very same thing, that there are times31:57 in our lives when we disobeyed God and you wonder, can God use me? Can I tell you this, not only can he use you, he will use you if you prepare the way32:10 and he will get the glory? It will also shock some people around you that man, when you consider that person's past or that person's family, how can God32:22 be useful? Because that's the kind of God he is. Look at verse 5, and the glory, everybody say glory. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all the people32:34 will see it together. What an incredible thought. All the people were taken off into exile. All the people participated in the sin. All the people separated themselves from God. All the people found32:46 judgment, but God immediately wants to be bring grace. Why does God want to bring grace? Because when God brings grace to your life and my life, then ultimately God gets the glory. And then I love this idea that all the32:58 people participated in the sin and all the people are gonna see God's glory. What an incredible thought that in the midst of 39 chapters of disobedience, and maybe there's some people in here,33:10 that when you look back over your life, it's been more about disobedience and living life your own way and sin and walking away from God instead of walking toward God's and toward his favor, toward God and toward his33:21 favor and toward his grace. Maybe your whole life and you wonder, can God use me? This is your turning point chapter. That God looks at all of your sin33:33 and the rest of your life in his first 2 words, comfort comfort, my people. There's some people in here today that you need some comfort and God's bringing33:44 it. You need forgiveness, God's already delivered. You need God's presence, He's ready to show up. You need His words, He's ready to speak.33:56 You say what happens if I do all that? I get to see His glory. There is nothing better in your life, and in my life, your family's life, in our church's34:08 life to see a bunch of broken people who live the first 39 chapters of Isaiah, all of a sudden turn from heading their own way towards God's34:20 way. And not only were they blessed, because of their obedience, you and I are blessed even today. March sixteenth 2034:32 25, For God so loved the world that He gave His 1 and only Son, whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. That's34:44 God's grace. Let's pray. God, thank you so much just for an opportunity to begin today to walk through this amazing chapter, Isaiah chapter 40.34:57 God, let us hear it and receive it well. God, if there's some in this room or some online, if they lived a life like the children of Israel in the first 39 chapters of their life,35:09 their own way and their own disobedience, let this be the turning point moment where they hear from You in this series. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen and Amen.In this video 0:00 Our Unshakeable God
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