If He Were Our God

1:38 Now what's bothering me is that some of y'all are acting like y'all don't know that song. As a matter of fact, at the 8 o'clock service, they were singing it, so I think some of them were standing up and rocking and dancing and everything. And I know you know that song. Okay, maybe you know this version of the song. Maybe you don't know that version of the song. Maybe you know this one. A-O-M-O-B, drop it on me. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's do it like this. That's Alicia Keys if y'all don't know who that is. But y'all acting like I know y'all know exactly who that is.

2:30 Church people always acting like they don't know something that they know they know. That's Alicia Keys. She did it. She did her version of the same song 30 years later. in 2001. How many of y'all know the Gladys Knight version of it? Look at all these old farts right here.

2:53 How many of y'all know Alicia Keys' version of it? Now some of y'all raising your hand on both versions of the song. It's a song about a woman who is challenged because the person she loves is really chasing someone else. Let me give you the words again to the song, just in case you don't know the words. If I were your woman and you were my man, and by the way, the pips in the background would say, if you were my woman. you'd have no other woman. You'd be weak as a lamb. If you had the strength to walk out that door, my love would overrule my sense and I'd call you back for more.

3:47 If I were your woman and you were my man, she tears you down darling says you're nothing at all but I'd pick you up when she lets you fall you're like a diamond but she treats you like glass yet you beg her to love you but me you don't ask oh that's such a that's a power pastor what does this have to do with your message today because we serve a God who is saying to us if I was your God and you were my people I feel that song has some resemblance to how God perhaps feels about us sometimes with where we walk in our walk with God.

4:46 That's what I want to talk to you about today. If he was our God, look at your neighbor and say, if he was our God. Matter of fact, reword it. Tell him, if he was your God. Tell him, go ahead, y'all. Don't look at him eyeball to eyeball. If God was your God, if you served him like you said but no instead of you loving him you out chasing other gods that can't serve you can't do anything for you can't respond to you come on holler back at holler back at a brother If I was your woman and you were my man, Gladys Knight, still singing that song 60 years later. She's still singing that song.

5:33 I want to talk about this because this is the condition and the situation of Judah. Now, y'all, those of you who are Bible students, know that the kingdom of Israel was divided at some juncture in history, and there was Israel and Judah, and Isaiah chapter 30, Isaiah the prophet has the assignment of communicating on behalf of God to the people of Judah, the tribe of Judah. He has that responsibility. When they feel as though an enemy is going to come and conquer them, God sends Isaiah to come and speak to them. And chapter 30 speaks to what God says to them. All right, y'all with me? Chapter 30.

6:24 Y'all with me? Chapter 30. Now, here's my point. Let me just tell you right quick. Here's my first point. Point one is the problem with the people. The people problem. The problem with the people. the people's. And that's going to be in the first 11 verses. Matter of fact, I'm going to preach from verse 1 through verse 21. Can y'all hang with me for 21 verses?

6:51 Little weak. That's a little weak right there. The first 11 verses, he's talking about the problem with the people. Let's look at what he says. Look at verse 1. Woe to the rebellious children, says the Lord, who take counsel but not of me. And who devise plans, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin. Oh, that's challenging. God says you're rebellious, says the Lord. You're getting advice, but you're not getting advice from me.

7:27 You're listening to everybody but the Lord. You make plans, but it's not by my spirit. And your plans are adding sin to sin. In other words, you go from one level of sin to the next level of sin. If everybody say amen together, nobody know I'm talking about you. Go ahead to the next verse. Who walk to go down to Egypt and have not asked my advice to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh and to trust in the shadow of Egypt. In other words, here's what he's saying. You're getting your advice and your counsel and you're strengthening yourself by what the world tells you and not by what God tells you. If the truth be told, that's how some of you are living your lives. You don't care what the scriptures say. You don't care what the Bible teaches.

8:20 You do what it is you want to do or what the world says, what you hear on television, what you read in your books. Yes, sir. Verse 3, therefore, verse 3, therefore, the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame, and trust in the shadow of Egypt shall be your humiliation. God said, I'm going to take what they told you to do that you did, and you're going to find your life jacked up, messed up. Somebody say messed up, jacked up. He said, the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame. You're going to be ashamed. How many of y'all have ever made choices and decisions? You look back and say, what was I thinking when I did that? Slide down to verse 8. This is the problem with the people. This is point one, the problem with the people. Now go, write it before them on a tablet and note it on a scroll that it may be for time to come forever and ever. I like verse 8 because God is saying, write this down for them because they don't understand what I'm trying to say.

9:25 But write it down so they can look back on it. When they find themselves jacked up, their life messed up, their circumstances jacked up, they can go back and read what I said because they ain't listening to me. But write it down so they'll have it. Amen. This is a rebellious people. Verse nine. This is a rebellious people. Lying children. Children who will not hear the law of the Lord. They won't hear what God has to say. Who say to the seers, do not see. And to the prophets, do not prophesy to us right things. Speak to us smooth things. prophecy deceits prophesy deceits tell us deceit tell us lies don't tell us the truth get out of the way verse 11 turn aside from the path cause the holy one in Israel to cease from before us look at that look I want y'all to read that verse right there cause the holy one of Israel to cease from before us get God out of my life I don't want no Bible I don't want no scriptures I don't want God talking to me Just get God out of my life.

10:38 Somebody on your road got that disease. Look and see if you can figure out who it is. They might be behind you. Look behind you. See, they might be behind you. Anybody looking straight ahead, there's the guilty party right there. This is the problem with the people. God is communicating with the people of Judah because they have turned their backs on him. They've ignored him. And God sends Isaiah the prophet to come and speak to their hearts and challenge him and what they're doing and what they're saying and the way they're behaving. It's a challenge from God. God communicates. He says that. But now somebody say, what's point two? Good, that's point one. Here's point two. Point two is the prophet's prophetic proclamation. Dr. P's, go ahead with your P's, Pastor. I got all my points. Beginning with a P, I am prolific in my presentation of this powerful prognostication. Thank you very much.

11:34 I appreciate it. the prophet's prophetic proclamation. That's verses 12 through 19. What does that say? I'm glad you asked the question. Look at verse 12. Therefore, thus says the Holy One of Israel, because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perversity and rely on them, therefore, verse 13, this iniquity shall be to you like a breach ready to fail, to fall. A bulge in a high wall whose breaking comes suddenly in an instant. Stop, stop right there. Verse 13, here we're saying, since you won't listen to me, since you want to do it your own way, since you want to listen to who you want to listen to, God, here's what he says right here. He says, there's going to come a breaking and it's going to come suddenly.

12:28 You're going to find yourself that all of a sudden you wake up in the morning and your life is gone haywire. He says it's a problem. It is a challenge. Verse number 14. And he shall break it like the breaking of the potter's vessel. Verse 14. And he shall break it like the breaking of the potter's vessel, which is broken in pieces. He shall not spare. So there shall not be found among its fragments a shard to take fire from the earth or to take water from the system. because it's going to be broken in pieces that you can't even put water in a cup.

13:07 There's some people who are living just that kind of life. Your life is tore up from the floor, jacked up, messed up. You can't even put two dimes together. Your life is destroyed, it's messed up. God's been trying to get your attention. Verse 17, verse 16, verse 15. for thus says the Lord God the Holy One of Israel in returning and rest you shall be saved stop God says I want to give you an opportunity to get it right if you return and stop doing it your way you shall be saved in quietness and confidence shall be your strength but you would not God called you to respond to him, but you refused to listen. This is the prophet's prophetic proclamation. It is a warning. He says, and you said no, for we will flee on horses. Therefore, you shall flee, and we will ride on swift horses. Therefore, those who pursue you shall be swift. You think you got it all together, and you can get it away because you got a Mercedes now.

14:22 Y'all just don't want to say amen to a brother no matter how well he preaching here today. You got your nice car now. You think everything's okay, that you can get away from God. I don't care how fast your car goes, you cannot get away from God. verse 18 says therefore the Lord will wait that he may be gracious to you stick a pen underline that in your Bibles why because we serve a God who will be patient with you how many y'all are grateful that you've seen God be patient with you he should have took you out but he woke you up this morning he should have killed you. You should be dead, buried in your grave, but he kept you alive. He kept, he keeps on giving you another chance and another opportunity to get it right, but you still hard headed. You still won't listen, but he's waiting for you to get it together. The Lord will wait that he may be gracious to you. And therefore he will be exalted that he may have mercy on you for For the Lord is a God of justice.

15:39 Somebody say justice. Blessed are all those who wait for him. God is waiting for you. waiting for you to say yes, waiting for you to get saved, waiting for you to serve his kingdom, waiting for you to do the things that he's asked you to do, waiting for you to get in his word, waiting for you to get in the discipleship program, waiting for you to disciple somebody else, waiting on you to get in the place that he's calling for you. He's beckoning you. He's crying out to you and he's waiting, but you keep putting it off. Other things are more important. You gotta go to your aerobics class. You got so many other things that are so important on your agenda that you never have time to be obedient to God. I didn't expect y'all to say amen.

16:32 Y'all had to say nothing. Oh, let me come over here. This is the people. This is my side right here. I forgot about that. Let me come over here. This is the people. This is the people. They always help me out over here on this side. If I can't depend on them jokers over there, I can always come over here and I got some amens over here. This passage, verse 19. for the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem. You shall weep no more. Zion, anytime you read Zion in the Bible, it means God's perfect will. It's the place where God abides. And it says in verse 19, for the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem.

17:29 You shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry. When he hears it, he will answer you. Y'all miss it. You know what I mean? When you get to the place of being obedient to God, when you walk in God's will, when you are walking and doing what God wants you to do, I love this verse right here. He says, when you dwell in Zion, when you get to the place of being in God's place, you shall weep no more. He will be gracious to you at the sound of your cry, and he will hear it, and he will answer your prayers.

18:04 I don't know who I'm preaching to, but I'm preaching to somebody up in this camp that's trying to duck and dodge and run away from God. I'm crying out to you today. Repent. Turn around. Repent. Change your ways. Repent. Say yes to God. Repent. Stop drinking. Stop smoking. Stop lying. Stop adulterating. Stop fornicating. Stop doing what it is you're doing. Repent. here's my final point I'm almost finished when he hears put that back up there when he hears it the sound of your cry when he hears it he will answer you anybody here glad we serve a God that will answer somebody high five your neighbor say we serve a God who will answer.

19:03 He doesn't have to, but he does. Thanks be to God. When you cry out, he will hear your faintest cry. When you reach out to him, he will respond to you. It doesn't matter how far away you've gotten. It doesn't matter how low you've gotten. It doesn't matter how often you did it, how recently you did it, where you did it, who you did it with. Thanks be to God, he will answer you. Here's my final point. Y'all got the first point? What was it? The problem with the people, point two. The prophet's prophetic proclamation. Here's point three.

19:58 The purposeful program with a promise. Go ahead, pastor, with your peace. The purposeful program with a promise. Verses 20 and 21. he gives us a program that has a purpose and a promise. What is it? I'm glad you asked the question. Verse 20. and though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers.

20:51 That's verse 20. Somebody say amen. That's verse 20 right there. I love that verse right there. Here's what he says. and though the Lord gives you, listen, listen to this. This is very important for you to see, very, very important because some of y'all don't recognize this. And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, the Lord gives you adversity and afflictions. Do y'all see that right there? You notice it says the Lord gives that to you, the Lord. Y'all blaming the devil. You think the devil's after you. But sometimes some of the drama in your life, the Lord sent it into your life. Adversity means to be in a tight spot.

21:37 That's what adversity is, to be in a narrow place. Adversity means to have opponents, oppositions, everything coming against you. Sometimes God raises you up and puts you in a tight situation, and sometimes God himself raises up people who will oppose you. and he calls it bread and water, the bread of adversity and the water of affliction. And I wonder, why does he call it bread and water? Because bread and water are essentials to life. You gotta have bread to live and you gotta have water to live. And you know what God is saying? There's sometimes there's some things I gotta put you in your life for you to be able to be who it is I created you to be. can I get an amen right there from anybody if the truth be told some of you never even came to church to your head drama in your life you never even thought about God you never even opened up your Bible you never even came to the church you drove by First Baptist Church that's a nice pretty church right there but you never came in until you had some hell break out in your life and God permitted it to come in your life because he's after you Gladys Knight says, what did she say?

22:54 Hold up, I need to find that part. I'd rather live in his world than live without him in mine. You know, that's, let's see. Hold on, I gotta find, wait a minute. Just hold on, I gotta find the words here for a second. Oh, oh, oh, if I were your woman and you were my man, here's what I'd do. I'd never, no, no, stop loving you. Y'all missed it. It doesn't matter what you do, God still loves you.

23:23 You lied, but he still loves you. You cussed, but he still loves you. You went where he told you not to go, but he still loves you. Somebody ought to give God the praise that in spite of your behavior and your choices, he still loves you. Somebody ought to give him a praise right there. I never know, no. So that's what God, God can be singing this song right here to us. That if we, if he could just be our God and we could be his people, all of the things he would do for us, he wants to do some stuff for us. But he says, I'm going to give you some bread and some water. I'm going to give you some adversity and some affliction. And he calls it there because it's essential. Challenges, you need challenges in your life. Some of you wouldn't even cry out to God till you had hell break loose in your life.

24:21 Behold, I'm almost finished. I'm coming to a close. He says this in verse number 21. Let me read the latter part of verse 20 again. He says, here's why God gives you all of this adversity and this affliction. Here's why. He says in the latter part of verse 20, Your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers, and your ears shall hear a word behind you. Ooh, stop right there. Ooh, I feel, man, I feel something down in my soul. Hear what he's saying. I love this verse right here. He says, the teachers that you've been ignoring, they are not going to be ignored anymore.

25:10 When we was raising our kids, my daughter played basketball in high school, and the coach asked us to let a young lady from the Bahamas come and live with us and play on the team. And so she did from the Bahamas and came and played on the team. But she was doing bad grades. She wouldn't do her work. So once we got worried that she wasn't doing her work at school and thought she could just play, we started giving her some adversity and afflictions. Y'all not hearing what I'm saying? And all of a sudden she got the call and she started doing her work. Come on now. She could no longer ignore the teacher. Y'all not hearing what I'm saying?

25:59 She could no longer ignore the teacher. And some of you are in life that you're trying to ignore the teacher. But the best thing you can do is don't let God have to keep on increasing the adversity and increasing the affliction. Go ahead and listen to what he's trying to tell you and repent and be submitted to him. Somebody look at your neighbor and say, he's preaching better than you're saying amen. God brought it in your life so you could see the teacher. So you can hear what the word is. And I love this right here. It says, I'm almost finished. I'm coming to a close. I'm bringing it to a conclusion. Here's what Isaiah says to them. He says, God brought it so that you could see the teacher and so you could hear the word. And here's what the word says. Go this way.

26:46 Walk this way. That's what it says. Let me read it to y'all again. It says, your eyes shall see your teacher, the latter part of verse 20. Your ears shall hear a word from behind, a word behind you, verse 21, saying, this is the way. Walk in it. whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left, God is going to talk to you and say, come on and walk. Walk this way. I don't know who sang that song, but I heard it somewhere or another. God will communicate with you and tell you what path to take.

27:27 How many of you know it's best to follow the path that God lines up for you? I feel like the claps are getting lower and softer and lower because your flesh don't want to hear that. Your flesh don't want to hear obey God.

27:49 Submit to him. It doesn't want to hear that. And this passage, Isaiah 30, I hope you go back and read these 21 verses again at some point in your life that the call of God to you is to get right with him. Amen. You've had enough drama.

28:17 Don't make God have to increase the adversity or the affliction. Because he loves you and he'll do whatever it takes to get you in the right place of where you're supposed to be. Now, I got up this morning at 3 o'clock this morning.

28:43 I was sleeping good, and the Holy Ghost woke me up at 3 o'clock, 3 a.m. this morning. And I woke up to hearing in my head, Gladys Knight. and I couldn't get rid of it. My sermon's already done. What does this Gladys Knight got to do with...