Today's scripture is Isaiah chapter 30 verses 12 through 18. Therefore thus says the holy one of Israel Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them Therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall bulging out and about to collapse Whose breaking comes suddenly in an instant and is breaking is like that of a potter's vessel That is smashed so ruthlessly that among its fragments not as sharp as found with which to take from the fire from the earth or the Dip a water out of the sister For thus said the Lord God the holy one of Israel in Returning and rest you shall be saved in quietness and in trust shall be your strength But you were unwilling and you said no we will flee upon horses Therefore you shall flee away and we will write upon switch seats. Therefore your pursuers shall be swift A thousand shall flee at the threat of one and at the threat of five You should flee till you are left like a flagstack on top of a mountain like a signal on the hill The Lord will be gracious Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you For the Lord is a God of justice Blessed are all those who wait for him made the Lord out of blessing to the reading and the hearing of his word No, you probably heard of this idea of the self-made man It is no doubt not a uniquely American thing However, I Would argue that it has found it's Greatest expression in the history of the United States
history the United States prides itself More than perhaps any other country of being able to produce Self-made people it has been woven into the fabric of our society Here in America like nowhere else If you've seen the play Hamilton and I think it's fair to say that most of us have If you haven't what are you waiting on
Then what you witness there is the creative narrative of the life that is a uniquely American hero who lifted himself up From out of the outcast of society and brought himself center stage into American power and politics doing this by sheer determination intellect and Perseverance Alexander Hamilton is an American story There are many such stories of self-made people in our country Benjamin Franklin Frederick Douglass Abraham Lincoln Booker T. Washington Madame C.J. Walker Thomas Edison Mary K. Ash And many many many more That's what America prides itself Prides itself on being the place where you can achieve your dreams Where mobility is possible for everyone Where you can as we like to say Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and achieve greatness through effort and determination And we commend self-made people We like their stories. We commend their narratives. We commend people who Didn't let the obstacles of life in their circumstances deter them or dissuade them from pursuing their dreams And redeeming their lives From bad situations and yet beloved It's morning. I would hope that we would also be aware that self-made may work and be commendable in America and Epitomize the great American dream But in the kingdom of God it is disastrous absolutely disastrous only God made particularly those who know They are God made Enter into and inherit the kingdom of God. I'll say it again only the God made But not just the God made because all are God made But those who know they are God made enter into And inherit the kingdom of God the self-made Or to put it another way The self-sayed Is the antithesis of God's grace and mercy So the Apostle Paul said he put it so right man first went to in chapter 15 and verse 10 He says that I am What I am By the grace of God that's the testimony of all those who inherit the kingdom of God I am what I am By the grace of God and With that in mind beloved. I want to suggest to us this morning that it is the self-made and Or better yet the self-saved To whom God is speaking this morning the self-made The self-saved God has a word for you this morning. Now in case you think that somebody else the danger is That while few of us would admit to being quote unquote self-made We are all guilty of acting self-made at times This was Judah's error. This is often our air as well, especially in America Because we commit The self-made as we have seen in our time in Isaiah right we recall that Judah Was an under threat from her neighbor this series Now the Syrians were not nice They were not nice. They were not polite neighbors They were the neighborhood bullies. They weren't intimidating. They were strong and they were fierce We would call them a terrorist state today. They had conquered other nations and They were aiming For Judah and Judah knew it and Therefore Judah was concerned Judah was worried Judah looked out on horizon and Judah saw A storm was coming and not just a storm Judah looked out on horizon and saw that it was going to be a tsunami and they were scared They were scared And therefore Judah did What we do when we get scared We figure out a way to protect ourselves. We figure out a way to secure ourselves We figure out a way To what save ourselves as what happens when you get scared you try to figure out a way to save yourself That's what Judah did. They had to go to God in prayer. No Did they seek the Lord in his protection? No Did they even ask God what should they do? No no Instead of seeking God's counsel they stopped their own counsel Instead of seeking God's plan they made their own plans Rather than waiting on the Lord and seeking the Lord that he might save them They determined to save them
Rather than seeking God's help the Bible says That they sinned to Egypt Another ungodly nation for Egypt's help look at Isaiah chapter 30 and verse 1 and 2 The Bible says Won't to the obstinate children the Clare's the Lord To those who carry out plans that are not mine forming an alliance But not by my spirit Keeping sin upon sin who go down to Egypt without consulting me
Who look for help to Pharaoh's protection to Egypt's shade for refuge Do you hear the indictment that God lays upon Judah?
Judah was determined to save itself And beloved this may be the mindset of the world the world may believe it has no other records But to save itself
This is foolishness When it comes to God's people This is what God says He reminds us A few things about the self-saved this morning the first thing he shows us is that the self-saved are like rebellious children
The self-saved are like rebellious children
See what he said in verse 1 woe to the obstinate children the prophet Isaiah Was sent to prophesy to God's hard-headed and wayward children This is the mission that God has that God sent Isaiah on I want you to go and prophesy to my hard-headed obstinate difficult wayward children as they are chapter 1 verse 2 From the very beginning chapter 1 verse 2 Bible says listen oh heavens pay attention earth This is what the Lord says The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me the children I raised
The children I cared for
God's kids What do they do They rebelled against Judah was obstinate hard-headed hard of hearing she wouldn't listen She wouldn't listen Anyone got children like that Perhaps perhaps you were that child to your parents
Perhaps You are that child today God has hard-headed and wayward kids I want you to think about that for a moment God has hard-headed and wayward kids Not because God is a bad parent Because beloved good parenting is no guarantee That you're going to have good-compliant children
Do you take courage this morning parents If God can have difficult children anybody can
Don't let them lie to you If God can have difficult and wayward children Anybody can And Judah was hard-headed They refused to listen to good and godly counsel or advice
obviously beloved Because of sin Children are prone to question their parents Proven to question whether or not mother and father know best But you know it's one thing to question your earthly parents It's an all-together different thing When you question the wisdom Of your heavenly father And the sad point beloved is questioning God is what we too often do Almost made an art form out of it
We convince ourselves or let others convince us that God doesn't know best we do
God's plan or timing is not best mindings And therefore we we act like hard-headed know-it-all children
Hard-headed know-it-all children God says they put we move on on our own God said that's not bad idea it's just not the right time We say no Hard-headed hard of hearing We don't care to hear or heed our father's wisdom In fact we detest it
For the Bible says Isaiah chapter 30 verse 9
For these are rebellious people. No not just rebellious people. They are deceitful children deceitful children Why children unwilling to listen to the Lord's instruction?
You know Proverbs chapter 3 Verses 5 and 6 says just trust in the Lord lead not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledging And he will direct your path Rather than leaning on the wisdom and understanding of the Lord rather than trusting in the Lord The self-said lean on their own understanding They refuse refuse to acknowledge dependence on God They trust not in the Lord but trust in our cells We lean not on God's wisdom, but we trust our own wisdom We refuse to be led by the Spirit But we make our plans according to the flesh We make our plans According to the flesh Why? Because that's what That's what rebellious self-said children do
The self saves our rebellious children Who make their own plan You know what I'm saying man I know I've been there
Rebellious children Who make their own plans God's rebellious children have big plans Grand plans Why? Because rebellious children always do They always got big plans They always got grand plans They always got it all figured out
Like Judah Big plans Grand plans Plans to save themselves Verse 2 of chapter 30 For without consulting me God says For without consulting me You have gone down to Egypt for help You have put your trust in Pharaoh's protection You have tried to hide in his shape You got big plans You got grand skis
Because you think you know what you're doing That's what rebellious That's what The self-said do They make big plans They got big schemes Why? Because beloved Self-salvation is a trap into which we can easily fall at any time
And the reason that is Is because life is about making plans
That's what life is Life is about making plans We make a plan about home Where to live and when to live there
We plan our families Right family planning is an industry And some of you have made it an art form
We plan our education When to go How to pay How long to stay We plan our work When to start How we gonna get the promotion When we gonna retire Because life is about planning And we plan it We plan our lives out And beloved Planning in itself is not a bad thing Planning is good But planning is not good Apart from the wisdom and direction of God Unless you think your plans are gonna save you Unless you believe your plans I'm gonna save you Proverbs 19 and 21 reminds us the many other plans in a person's heart There's the Lord's purposes that prevails
You understand that then you should understand that making plans is good But plans won't save you beloved Your plans won't save you You can't save yourself There are no self-saved people Can we just get that out there There are no self-saved people You can't save yourself Your right deeds can't save you No matter how righteous you think they are Your right doctrine can't save you No matter how close to the Bible you think they are Your right programs won't save you
And programs are presented as saviors every day
Programs won't save you A lot of programs and therapy offer themselves a salvation
And people enter into them thinking that these things are gonna save them
alcoholic anonymous narcotics anonymous You know they have a thing called procrastinators anonymous Our groups and their therapy for whatever else you And beloved it is easy It is easy to go into these things Hoping not just to find solutions But ultimately hoping you're gonna find salvation If you do it all the time And these groups and others Counseling and therapy beloved they may help you find solutions no doubt But you must understand that they can't save you
Can't save you They might help you with some solutions
But they are not salvation
Because when God comes When God sent Jesus Christ will love it God did not send Jesus Christ as a solution to your troubles God sent Jesus Christ as a salvation from your sin as the only one To save you from you As the only one To save you from your sin as the only one to save you from the wrath of God
God offer Is not a solution for your troubles this morning God's offer is salvation from your
salvation from your sin And that salvation is found beloved And returning to and resting in what God has done Salvation is found
And the R&R Just a little R&R this morning It's all we need That's all you need It's a little R&R Whatever else you all you need is a little R&R
Whatever is troubling your spirit this morning all you need is a little R&R That's what the self-said need This is the offer that God gives to the self-said this morning He offers a little R&R And God's people find That it is not in running but in resting That our salvation is achieved It is not in planning but in trusting That we are saved
And the military R&R stands for rest and recuperation And the kingdom of God On our stands For returning and rest Returning and rest Notice what the Lord says in verse 15 to chapter 30 to his people This is what the sovereign Lord The Holy One of Israel says This is what the sovereign God says In repentance and rest is your salvation And quietness and trust is your strength And returning and resting is your salvation And quietness is your strength
God promised Judah That they would soon find That their plans were insufficient Their plans were insufficient Because they had rejected the word of God Their plans were insufficient Because they had rejected the protection of God Their plans were insufficient Because they had sought comfort And guidance in their own doings
Notice what God says God told them that your plan of lies will fail you That your balloons of promise will burst
They're coming to nothing The first 13 and 14 he tells them Calamity will come upon you suddenly These plans that you have These grand schemes that you put together Like a bulging wall that burst and fall
In an instant it will collapse and come crashing down You will be smashed like a piece of pottery But it's so completely that there won't be a piece big enough to carry colds From a fireplace or a little water from a well All these grand schemes All these grand plans to save yourself It's going to come to naught They're going to fail They're going to burst They're going to come crashing down A self-salvation Self-reliance And self-satisfaction Only leave beloved The self-destruction
Only leads The self-destruction The self-salvation is not the answer Because if you think about it, beloved If you could save yourself You wouldn't need saving If the drowning person could save themselves They wouldn't be drowning The Bible reminds us over and over again Jonah chapter 2 and verse 9 Salvation is of the Lord There's not in your hands There's not in my hands Salvation belongs to the Lord There is no such thing as the self saved, beloved Salvation is of the Lord And here is the good news this morning The good news is this That God speaks a word to the self-satisfied God speaks a word to the self-reliant this morning And it is a word of mercy and grace And verse 15 he says Your salvation need not be in self All you need to do is return and rest That's it Just a little R&R Return to God and rest in him Whatever plans you had this morning Stop them, set them down Return and rest in God
Return to God, rest in his plan
Return to God, take rest Be consoled He has a plan To save you And that salvation Is in your turning Is in your turning Turning from yourself And turn again Turn again Or return Turn again Or return To God Turn from your plans, turn to God Turn from your wisdom and turn to God Salvation is in returning
And you know what, beloved God loves returns It's here when I said this morning God loves Returners Others may not be so polite to them But God loves returners
A lot of people don't return Because they are afraid of what will be said to them They are afraid of what people will think of them But beloved God loves returns He loves returns You know how we know he loves returns Because he doesn't ask when they return He doesn't ask him for where you've been Doesn't ask you where you've been When you return to God He doesn't ask you why you left Why you left in the first place When you return to God God doesn't look at you and say What took you so long You may be fearful of others asking you that question God never does God doesn't ask you where you've been God doesn't ask you what took you so long God doesn't ask you why you left
When you return to God you know what he does Like the father and the prodigal son In Luke 15 and 24 When you return to Jesus He doesn't ask you where you've been He doesn't ask you why you left He doesn't ask you anything along those lines He looks at you He says grab a robe Buy the cab Let's everybody celebrate We have a returner
We have a returner I don't care where you've been I don't care how long you've been there I don't care what you have done You can return to God
And He will welcome That's the plan Your salvation Your celebration Your joy
Is in returning Come back Come back Come back Is not in trying But in trusting the song says Is not in running But in resting Is not in wondering But in praying That we find The strength of The Lord is in returning And you can return You can return now
You can return today Salvation Is in returning Salvation is in resting It's in resting Salvation is not in the loudness of your own doing
You know when we get busy we get loud That's what happens When we get busy saving ourselves Our lives get loud
Your spirit starts screaming And it is loud But do you know what the Bible says In verse 15 That it isn't quietness Isn't quietness The blessed quietness Of trusting in the Lord That your salvation is strength as well
And quietness And trust in the Lord Your quietness is beloved Quietness is peace and calm Quietness is the peace and calm Of listening to what God says And trusting what God has done
Is not busy in yourself To save yourself Is not busy in yourself To accomplish your plans
Quietness Is trusting what the Lord says And trusting what the Lord has done It is the peace that comes from knowing That I don't have to save myself But that God promises to provide all the salvation I need It's quietness It's not bragging It is not boasting But it is trusting Has bragging and boasting gets loud And that's what the self-saved do
They're loud So we do When we seek to save ourselves You make sure everybody knows It's not a bragging and boasting But it's trusting the Lord You know Most people can't hear What God is saying And you know why Because they're just too loud All I can hear is themselves They're just too loud They're too busy listening to themselves So you're just You're busy listening to yourself You can't hear what God says Well God says quiet peace You can't hear it Because you're too busy listening to yourself Making your own plans A accomplice in your own will And you can't hear God Because it's all too loud
Our salvation beloved Our salvation
Wasn't accomplished In the noise of human works Our salvation was not accomplished In the loudness of the law But our salvation was accomplished In the quiet The blessed quietness Of the Lord's mercy and grace The Lord Jesus Was quiet That's how you got saved I'm not saying that's what the Bible says Isaiah chapter 53 Verse 7 He was oppressed And he was afflicted Yet he opened and knocked his mouth The Lord was quiet Like a lamb that was led to the slaughter Like a sheep That before his shears Is silent So Way to Open Not his mouth You were saved Because our Lord was quiet Because he said Not my plans But your plans be done Not my will But your will be done And because the Lord Jesus Contrusts in the plan And the will of God Guess what He could be Quiet He promised he would have me He kept me He promised he would save me He's gonna save me I can be quiet I can be quiet Beloved listen Quietness is a gift Receive it It is a gift It is the Lord's response To the storms of our lives Receive it Is the calmness of knowing That God is in control God's in control God's in control His will be done I am in his hands These are his plans This is his salvation
Let me be quiet Let me find rest And peace in him Let me be quiet This is how we're saved This is how it is well with our souls Unfortunately, beloved Too many of us Act as if Activity is gonna save us So Act as if Activity is gonna Gotta do something Gotta figure out Gotta do something Why gotta talk to you I gotta do something Somebody gotta do something This is Judah This is storm coming We gotta figure out something We gotta do something We gotta get this together And after we make our plans Lawton is this good Okay We think that our activity Is gonna save us No beloved The Psalmist says in Psalm 46 If verse 10 Be still and know that I am God Be still In other words Be quiet God says Be quiet And let the grace of God save you I know beloved It is hard It is hard To be saved by grace Because it is too good I don't have to do anything But rest and trust and be quiet
Be quiet Let the grace of God save you Be quiet Let the death The resurrection Of Christ Save you This is what sets Christianity apart You do understand In Islam Activity saves In Judaism Activity saves
In Christianity In the kingdom of God Jesus saves And in He says to you and me Now be quiet I got this I'm not asking you to do anything
Be quiet Now this is
Is earth shattering There is no other faith A religion like this in all the world What all That you have to do Is come Rest Trust and be quiet God says I got it I got it When the Lord Jesus comes into A life he comes For the purpose of Quieting the soul He comes to quiet the loudness In Mark chapter 4 The Bible tells us that Jesus was on a boat He was on a boat with his disciples And while they were on that boat Jesus decided that he would Get some sleep Get some rest Take a little R and R
And he lays down And he goes to sleep And while he was sleeping The Bible tells us That a loud storm came A loud storm And what happened to the disciples They got scared Just like us They got scared And what happens when we get scared We get loud And after the disciples did The storm got loud They got scared And they got loud
They got loud Because they woke up Jesus I didn't wake up Jesus I woke up Jesus Jesus rose And what did he do
What did he do What the first thing he did Was that he quieted the storm
First 39 of chapter 4 and Mark He got up Reduc the wind And set to the waves Be quiet Be still And immediately The wind died And it was completely calm He stopped there After he quieted the storm You know what he did then He quieted to the disciples The next verse chapter 40 Verse 40, chapter 4 He said to the disciples Why are you so afraid Do you still have no faith Why are you not resting And trusting In other words he said What's wrong with y'all Why y'all get so loud You not heard Don't you remember Where is your Faith That you might have A quietness Even in the midst of the storm
Trust me I got it Most like to think That the Lord woke up and said What's wrong with y'all I want to sleep Don't sleep Have you not read Don't you know That he who keeps you Need the slumbers No, it's leech Trust me I'm in it with you And I'm going to bring
A blessed quiet In the midst of the storm
Let the waves crash Let the billows roll
There is A blessed quietness Or that brings assurance To the trusting soul How many of y'all remember that I remember that Growing up is one of my favorite songs Here's sung in church We don't sing anymore Because you know we get educated We can't sing those little songs like that
There Is a blessed quietness A holy quiet That brings assurance To my soul That on That stormy sea Jesus speaks to me And the billows The billows cease To Roll That's where your salvation is That's where your assurance and comfort is It's not running But interesting It's not in shouting
But in quiet That you find The strength The salvation Of the Lord Would you be quiet this morning The Lord is speaking Trusting Seeking His plans Our best Be quiet Be quiet