If You Were God for A Day

What if you had the powers of the governor for one day? What would you do? What would you do if you could be president for a day?  What would you do to the tax laws of this country if you had the authority to rewrite them?  What would you do if you could rewrite the Social Security system? What would you do if you could be God for a day?

 I. Seeing What God Sees

A.    What you could do if you were in God’s position for 24 hours.

B.    Imagine being able to know everything that happens at any given moment.

1.     Suppose you had God’s power on that day.

a.     What would you do?

b.     How would you use your knowledge and power?

II.  Judah’s Predicament (Isaiah 1)

A.    God made it clear to His people they had reached a point where He could no longer ignore or forgive their iniquities.

1.     Their level of iniquity

a.     No part of their body is healthy – 1:4-6

b.     God hid (ignored) their worship – 1:10-15

c.     Jerusalem had become a haven for evildoers – 1:21-23

d.     God would cleanse His city and people – 1:24-31

2.     God has declared two things…

a.     His people were guilty of evil; tried and convicted

b.     God promised vengeance and destruction upon them

B.    The judgments pronounced by God eventually came to pass.

III. Isa. 55:1-13 – God offers to reconcile with His people.

A.    Invites His people to remember why they need Him.

1.     55:1 – They were invited to come to the waters.

2.     55:2 - God would extend to them His blessings

3.     55:3-5 – I will be as merciful to you as I was to David.

B.    55:6-7 - Isaiah speaks:  God wants His people to come and obey Him.

C.    55:8-11 – God speaks: Submission to Him is key.

D.    55:12-13 – Isaiah speaks: Peace can once more be found in God.

IV.  God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways

A.    Consider how you felt at the beginning of this lesson.

1.     Would you offer any grace or mercy to those who commit evil?

2.     Would you be willing to offer them a second chance?

B.    We often cannot understand why God would not just destroy those who violate His will.  55:8-9

1.     If He did, where would it leave us?

2.     We should be willing to forgive, accept and forgive those who wrong us.  Matt. 7:12; 18:21ff

3.     Lk. 17:10 - no matter good we are, we still are not worthy.

a)    We all deserve spiritual death – Rom. 6:23a

C.    God calls us to respond to Him!  Rom. 6:23b; 2 Cor. 6:16-18.

D.    This is why passages in Eph. 1:3-8; 2:1-10 are so empowering. 

Conclusion

A.    Have you taken advantage of His mercy and grace?