God Is Awesome

Introduction

Do you remember as a child trying to get away with something? Do you remember getting caught? Most of the time my face gave it away. I had a guilty look and the question would come “What did you do?” and the answer usually started out with “Nothing.” This was quickly followed by “Are you sure? You don’t look like nothing has happened.” And one or two more interrogations and the confession would come. Usually not fully at first but eventually the whole story would come out. I knew that my parents were not only insightful but knew far more than I wanted them to know.

The truth of the matter is that with lots of practice we are really very good at keeping our secrets. We are really very good at not sharing too much. We don’t want people to think badly of us and so we pretend. We pretend that things are fine when they are not. We pretend that we haven’t done anything wrong but sometimes our face will tell folks otherwise. But it is not socially acceptable to confront each other as adults. So we let things go and in the meantime, a person who needs and wants acceptance and comfort never gets it. The isolation continues and what is worse there are times that we keep telling ourselves everything is okay when it isn’t.

Today Isaiah 29 reminds us that there are things that cannot be hidden from God. We may be able to hide things from each other but hiding things from God is not possible. We may pretend with each other and think that we are keeping God in the dark as well, but such is not the case. God knows and sees and he also promises that there is a way to be near him. That’s what we want. We want to be near God. Let’s draw near to him today.

Worship

What Isaiah points out is that worship can be used as a means to hide from God. It’s nearly impossible to tell where your heart is from this vantage point. I look at you and I cannot tell what you are thinking or what you are anticipating. The song leader can’t tell while he leads singing. It’s possible to sing loud and strong because you like the song without the words meaning much. Prayers are offered but there is no way to know if you are engaged with that prayer or using it as a time for a quick nap. I suspect that we have all done these things at one time or another. A sleepless Saturday night or so many challenges on you or internal and external changes that are happening or wrangling kids literally or mentally can all distract us in worship. Such things happen to us all. This is not to give us an excuse to stay up late on Saturday or any number of other things that make it difficult for us to concentrate on Sunday but these things happen. This is not what Isaiah has in mind.

Isaiah is describing people who use worship as a means to hide from him. They are no longer in awe of God. They go through the motions because such is expected and required. But God is no longer held as the awe being that he is. Perhaps this is part of the decline in worship assemblies. God is no longer awesome. Pizza is, sports can be, spring is but God. Same old boring stuff. Singing, prayers, preaching, Lord’s Supper—what’s for lunch?

Isaiah is describing those who conduct life without thinking about what God wants. He is describing those who live their life believing that God is an afterthought. He is describing those who believe that they know more about their life than God does. God isn’t awesome. God doesn’t understand. God can’t possibly know what it is like to feel the pressures of life in the same way. Jesus never married or had kids. Jesus ran a business but then he was a preacher for 3 years living off the generosity of others. What does he know about paying bills and running a household? Jesus didn’t have to care for aging parents. He didn’t worry about retirement and recessions. How can God be awesome without knowing or understanding such things?

So what is your definition of awesome? What takes your breath away? What makes you say “Wow”? Grand Canyon? Stars on a cloudless night? Beautiful music? And is not God the Creator of those things and so many more? Would not the Creator of awesome things be awesome? So what does God promise in our text? Look at verse 14. “Therefore, once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder.” God’s deliverance from Egypt was a long forgotten memory. No longer did that deliverance produce awe in Jerusalem. No longer did God’s promise of deliverance from Assyria produce awe. Like those ancient people, we, too, see what is happening and try to understand. We apply our own thoughts, logic, and analysis—our own wisdom to what we see and predict what will happen. We hold our own thinking in awe and listen to authorities tell us what they think and imagine. Then we come here for worship and where is the awe?

Have we forgotten the cross? Have we forgotten the resurrection? Have we forgotten the wonders of God? Let’s go back to the cross. Can we reclaim our sense of awe and wonder at the cross and the open tomb? FRANK HAS COMMUNION THOUGHTS.

So What?

God promised through Isaiah that another wonder would be done. Turn over to Is. 37. There is a new king in Jerusalem. Ahaz has died and his son, Hezekiah begins to rule in Jerusalem. According to 2 Kings 18, during Hezekiah’s 14th year Assyria attacked Jerusalem. Sennacherib, Assyria’s king, threatens Jerusalem and intends to destroy it just as another king had done in Israel a few years before. Look at Is. 37:36. Do you think Hezekiah thought God was awesome? Didn’t lift a sword and Jerusalem is spared. This was the wonder of wonders again. Look at 29:22ff. They will keep my name holy and stand in awe of the God of Israel. Do you think they did?

What has God done in your life to give you an opportunity to experience awe? What sins has God forgiven? What relationship did he heal? What relationship did he take away? How did you wind up where you are today? What role did God play in bringing you to where you are today? What mighty foes has God taken away? What strength has God given you during the times of mighty enemies? What has God delivered you from?

How do you keep God’s holy? Do your words point to God’s holiness? Do your thoughts reflect God’s holiness? Do your actions point to God as holy? Do others see and hear that you believe in a holy God?

The humble will rejoice in the Lord. Those who see with faith eyes see the awesomeness of God. Our worship isn’t a time to develop faith. Worship is a time to renew faith. Worship is the time to express how awesome God is and maybe at some point as you humble yourself and look through the eyes of faith, maybe during worship you are reminded of God’s awesomeness. And when that happens we share our joy.

Have you not seen the awesomeness of God recently? Did you not see it when Paul stood before us to proclaim the good news of the cross and the open tomb?

Did you not see it when we were able to share a meal together after two long years?

Did you see it when we said thank you to Terrence and Michael for their years of service among us?

Did you not see it in the blooming flowers?

Do you not see the awesomeness of God even now in the faces of those around you?

Let us sing a song that calls us to see the holiness of God and to proclaim his wonders. Invitation.

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