Where's God? There's God
Sermon Notes
“Your religion is not the church you belong to, but the cosmos you live inside of. Once we know that the entire physical world around us, all of creation, is both the hiding place and the revelation place for God, this world becomes home, safe, enchanted, offering grace to any who look deeply.”
- GK Chesterton
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
- Isaiah 40:1-5
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding? Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.
- Isaiah 40:12-17
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
- Isaiah 40:22-31
Table Group Resources
Mixer
What is your highlight of Thanksgiving this year?
‘Neighborly’ - Daily Devotional
To get the Daily Devotionals delivered to you every morning, text ‘dailydevotional’ to 97000.
In Pastor Sean’s 11/19/21 entry, Impossible, he reminds us that we are not invisible to God. Maybe, we are just like the mountains - breathtaking, majestic - but we just don’t see ourselves this way? If God makes beautiful things, then you are one of them! What thoughts do you need to remove to start seeing yourself as beautiful and loved? Then Pastor Sean challenges us to live this out: Who can we reach out to let them know they are seen and are breathtaking?
In Pastor Ken’s 11/17/21 entry, Even Greater Things Than Jesus, he says religion does not make us useful to God. Think about your faith in light of religion and relationship. Where in your life have you discovered that your religion is not useful to God - why not? What did you discover when you switched the narrative to a relationship with God - how then were you useful?
Sermon Questions
Scriptures: Isaiah 40:1-2, 3-5, 12-14, 15-17, 22-26, 27, 28-29, 30-3
What impacted or challenged you in today’s message?
Do you feel like you are constantly climbing up the escalator in your relationship with God? In our determination to climb, what things might we miss as God comes down on the other side?
What are your thoughts about a God who moves toward His people? He is Immanuel. What might you need to clear out of the way for His arrival - “make straight a highway” (Isaiah 40:3)?
Are you holding God accountable for things He’s never promised? According to Isaiah 40, what can you, and should you, hold God accountable to? How does this shift make a difference in your circumstances?
How will you be the kind of person who says “There’s God” to the world this week? What could you say or do to encourage someone without any hope?
Go Deeper - with Goodbook
**Goodbook will be on break Nov 14 through the end of the year.**
Serve
Hey Seniors - come share some Christmas fun with our younger generation on Saturday, Dec 11, 1-3pm. We are inviting our Kindergarten-5th Grade students to come for some fun crafts and cookie decorating with our Senior Sitters (that’s you!). Sign up at thechurchrb.org or contact Pastor heidi@thechurchrb.org or Pastor pam@thechurchrb.org to find out how you can be a part of this special event!
Pray
Our prayer for you this week is from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19:
May you be joy-filled and have the LORD’s praise always on your lips; may praying without ceasing give you life and the LORD’s wisdom; may the practice of thankfulness in all circumstances be good ripples cast out into the world; may you know without a doubt that the LORD is good and is for you, and in Christ Jesus He saves you. Happy Thanksgiving!
