Keeping Faith In A Troubles Day - Isaiah 7:1-9

by Rohn Sat Dec 28, 2013 11:49 pm

KEEPING FAITH IN A TROUBLED DAY

Isaiah 7:1-9 Text: v. 9b

(Isaiah 7:9b) …. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. (KJV)

We want to talk about keeping faith in a troubled world. I don’t need to tell you that we live in a troubled world today. I’m sure that we are all concerned about world conditions. There was a time when the things that happened in another part of the world had little bearing on us and our way of life or on the freedom and peace of the rest of the world. But that isn’t so today. No matter what we want to think we are involved with what goes on in the world and it puts us in a serious place or circumstance.

(2 Timothy 3:1-5) This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (KJV)

I. WE MUST HAVE FAITH IN GOD.
The only thing that will prevail for you and me personally is to believe – have faith in God.
What is this faith I am talking about?
It is a firm belief in God.

(Hebrews 11:6) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (KJV)

Faith is older than the law. It was when Adam and Eve questioned God’s authority – didn’t believe –lost faith, that they sinned.

(Genesis 3:1-5) Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (KJV)

In fact to lose faith is to turn your back to God. Law or ritual or anything else will ever take the place of real vital faith in God.
The oldest principal of all divine teaching is faith – believing.
It isn’t a cold precept but it is a real trust and confidence.
Our trust and confidence in a lot of things may be shaken but we must keep our trust and confidence in God and look to Him and pray and believe that He will be with us and keep us in this great hour of turmoil.

II. (Isaiah 7:9) ….. IF YE WILL NOT BELIEVE, SURELY YE SHALL NOT BE ESTABLISHED. (KJV)
Or, “If ye have no faith, verily ye shall have no continuance.”
Or, “ If ye hold not fast, verily ye shall not stand fast.”
Remember the word of Habakkuk.

(Habakkuk 2:4) … but the just shall live by his faith. (KJV)

Whatever the outcome of world conditions, conditions in our own country, turmoil in our families or personal life, we are called to live by faith and believe God. Incorporated in this is the command to live a just life where we can keep our faith in God fresh, alive, believing Him.
Faith in Him and in His Word is the one universal condition that God demands - and rightly so-

1. BECAUSE OF WHAT HE IS.
We cannot lose track of the fact that God is Sovereign.
In other words He is the one that possesses supreme authority.
He is One who is free, independent and in no way limited by external authority or influence, possessing supreme excellence and greatness.
That is who we are to have faith in.
I don’t know what the future holds, there may be some rough waters that we must face, economically, socially, health may fail, death may visit us or our family’s, war may come to our shores. But whatever takes place hold fast your faith in God.
“If ye will not believe (or have faith) surely ye shall not be established.”
The plus of this is, “If ye believe ( don’t lose faith) ye shall be established.”

2. NOT ONLY IS GOD OUR SOVEREIGN GOD BUT HE IS ALSO THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB. THAT MAKES HIM THE GOD OF ISRAEL.
I thank God that down through the years that we have as a nation stood behind Israel. This is fast slipping away with the leaders we have now in the White House.
We must keep the faith and believe that God will be with His people Israel. The Jews are God’s chosen people. Help us to help them and uphold them. Pray for Israel.
In Isaiah 9:6, 7 we have the prophesy of Christ birth. Born in the linage of the house of David. God not only chose Israel as His people but He chose but he chose Israel as the vehicle to bring our Saviour into the world.
Keep faith in God and in Israel and stand fast in our support for Israel.
Pray for our leaders.

3. IN THE TIME OF TURMOIL, NOTICE WHAT GOD IS IN RELATION TO US.
It is all well and good to say He has the whole wide world in His hands, and I believe that.
It is all well to say that He is in control and again I believe that – but I need a personal God to have faith in and believe and hold onto.
First of all He is my Saviour. I have a personal relationship with Him that started when I confessed and forsook my sins, He forgave me of my sins and made me a son of God.

He is interested in my personal welfare and in those things that concern me. He is interested in my family, my church, and my country. He is interested in those things that trouble me. He is interested in world conditions that affect me. As I keep up with current events He is interested in keeping me assured and keeping my hope us and my faith steady. He is there to listen when I pour out my heart to Him. He is there to meet the needs I bring before Him.
He reminds me that the secret is to trust in Him. God’s grace to His people is in response to trust.

He bestows His blessing on those who can both trust and hope in Him.

His people have a real concern over certain situations but they can’t allow it to frustrate them, their trust is in Him.
The 14th verse of this 7th chapter of Isaiah is a familiar verse to us but it was an answer to Israel back in that day and it is an answer to us today.

(Isaiah 7:14) Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (KJV)
Immanuel means God with us. He is with us today. He has promised to come back for us and receive us unto himself that where He is we may be also. Not only is He sitting on the right hand of the Father interceding for us but he sent the Comforter to do God’s office work among us here until He returns for us.

III. Now in the midst of all this truth, yet we need to guard against anything that would weaken our faith or cause us to cease to hold fast our faith.
You will remember that Jesus said to His disciples, “O ye of little faith” (Matt. 8:26), and again he saked them, “How is it that ye have no faith?” (Mark 4:40).
They had seen Him perform miracles and even been part of the miracles – feeding 5,000 – etc. So we can lose our faith and still keep on outwardly as if we had faith.

This brings us to the next point:

1. IN THIS WORLD OF TURMOIL WE WILL PROBABLY SEE SOME BACKSETS AND LOSSES THAT WE WEREN’T ANTICIPATING.
We will pray and I believe God answers prayer but there is an enemy out there that will do all he can to work to bring destruction and ruin to each one of us. Satan will do all he can to shake our faith and if possible defeat us and our purpose.
Remember these words to a song that we have, “There’s more with us than be with them, we’re on the winning side. – With banners unfurled we’ll tell the whole world that Jesus is captain and guide.”
As long as we stand for right and keep our faith we will be triumphant! The necessary condition is to keep our faith,
This faith is to act right, live right, and do right and leave the rest up to God believing Him to work things out for His glory and our good.
Only a living faith will uphold us in our integrity.
Integrity includes standing by our word as a people and as a nation. It will take integrity to stand for right in the face of opposition.
We have a God in heaven to look to and keep us faithful. We have a God in heaven who will see us through and keep us close to Him whatever the circumstances are that try or the storms we must go through. He will keep us and we can remain true to Him through it all.

IV. LET US NOTICE OUR POSITION.
1. WE ARE “KINGS AND PRIESTS UNTO GOD (Rev. 1:6).
That means we are in position to call on Him and it is our duty to do so in behalf of our country, our president and leaders (I don’t like what our leaders are doing, but I still need to pray for them) as well as for our families and ourselves.
United prayer is good but we need to unite our hearts in prayer when we are alone as well. Others will also be praying.
Being priests means that we have an audience with God. We can come into the Holy of Holies before Him and bring our petitions to Him. We are a privileged people.

2. THE WORD TELLS US, “NOW WE ARE THE SONS OF GOD” (John 1:12; Romans 8:14; I John 3:2).
God is the perfect Father. He desires to look after us. He wants to provide for us. What a privilege it is to be His child. Don’t lose your privilege by not believing.

3. IT IS THIS FAITH OR BELIEVING THAT ENABLES US TO REALIZE THE NEARNESS OF GOD.
We are going to need this in the days ahead more than ever before.

4. IT IS THIS FAITH THAT MAKES SPIRITUAL REALITIES NEAR TO OUR SOUL AND GIVES US ASSURANCE.

5. IT IS FAITH THAT CALLS DOWN ANSWERS FROM GOD AND REWARDS US BY ESTABLISHING US IN TRUTH AND GRACE TO FACE THE DAYS AHEAD.
Without this living faith we may expect the enemy to overcome us; but with it, we may hope to be established and blessed in the good times and in the trying times.
Ask God to increase your faith and exercise that faith by asking largely of Him.
Pray for yourself, pray for your families, pray for your country. We need His help and blessing more now than ever before.