God's Character: What He is Really Like

Chapter 53 - Zeal of the Lord

Isaiah chapter 9, verse 2, 6,and 7. "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light, and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them the light shined." He's talking about the whole world here. Then He tells us why, he ties verse 6 with this, it's a conjunction the word for, they have found light, "for unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace, and upon His government and peace there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David and upon His kingdom, to order it, to establish it with judgment and with justice from hence forth, and forever." How is it going to happen? The zeal of the Lord of Hosts, will perform this. "Father I thank you for allowing us to watch your hand at work. Those who were bound by different types of bondages, set free. Thank you for doing what you promised. Thank you that you are performing your promises."

 

Isaiah 7:14, "therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign, behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Emmanuel. We have a statement of God's plan, some things He definitely wants to accomplish, but these things are totally impossible. He's giving; He's couching His plan into some phrases of events that can't happen. Against the law, His law, the law of nature, that a virgin shall bear a Son. And then that all of the governments of this world shall somehow come under His subjection but we read that it's going to happen because God is on the job. One of the angelic beings that visited me in speaking about the Lord's hosts spoke of that term host in connection with God as He moved into action. He always refers to the hosts of heaven, the Lord's hosts. And His hosts are working as God is performing the thing that He has promised. God is on the job folks, He's here, and you're here because God is working, because the zeal of the Lord of Hosts has performed something that God has promised. God heard the unspoken cry of your heart and brought you to Himself, Because God is so interested, because God is so concerned.

 

Today we're going to consider the greatness of God, His credentials, His ability, the fact that He is able to do the thing that He has promised. Turn to Psalm chapter eight, David as he spoke was thinking about the greatness of the eternal God. He looked up into the sky and he saw those millions and millions of stars. He saw the beautiful handiwork of God here in this earth; it's hard to look at what God has made and not realize that there is a great God out there. It's hard to look at the greatness of God without realizing how small you really are. So David is speaking here "when I consider the heavens the works of Thy fingers, the moon and stars which Thou hast ordained. What is man that Thou are mindful of him and the son of man that Thou hast visited him? Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands. You have put all things under his feet."

 

When you stop to think about God how great He actually is you can't help to think how insignificant you are. I want you to see what God has to say about Himself. David expressed it when he spoke of the awe of God. God said in Isaiah 40 verse 12, God's speaking now, pointing to Himself. He said, "Who has measured the waters and the hollow of His hand?" I thought the Pacific Ocean was a tremendous ocean when I flew to Hawaii, it took us 5 hours. When I flew to Hawaii I thought, "Oh what a tremendous amount of water. But when I went to the Philippine Islands I had to go 10 more hours! That's a lot of water." If you want to visualize how big God is take all of the water in the Pacific Ocean, all of the water in the Atlantic Ocean, all of the water in the lakes and rivers, and it will make a little wet spot in His hand. See how big God is? God is well able to do the thing that He said He was able to do.

 

Then He went on to say, and he put his little finger on a star clear out on one side of heaven and He reached out His thumb which is the measure of God's hand and He measured with His hand, this is a span, the span of the heavens. How big is God? How big is God? How big is God? Then he said He took the mountains and weighed them exactly, and the hills in a balance, "and who has directed the Spirit of the Lord or being his counselor has taught Him? With whom took He counsel, and who instructed Him and taught Him in the path of judgment, and taught Him knowledge, and showed Him understanding? Behold the nations are but a drop in the bucket, and are counted as the small dust in the balance. Behold He takes up the isles as a very little thing. Verse 12, verse 18, this great God with billions of stars, with just your naked eye you can see more than you would want to count. They say there are billions and trillions of stars. Our God made all of those, He made them. He's a great God.

 

But our God has greater interest in something else that is far less significant than all of these. Why this earth is one of the smallest of the heavenly bodies that He has created. By comparison with the sun, with these other stars it's just a piece of dust in this universe. Listen to these verses, "I have made the earth, and created man upon it, even My hands have stretched out the heavens and all their hosts have I commanded." Verse 18, "for thus says the Lord that created the heavens, God Himself that formed the earth and made it. He had established it; He had created it not in vain. He formed it to be inhabited. I am the Lord and there is none else." God said "in all of the greatness of my creation, its' beautiful, it's so vast, but in all of this creation I bring the earth into focus, and then I expand the picture and I see the nations as a little drop in the bucket there. And I expand the picture more and I see men and women walking in this life with their needs, and their hurts, and their cares. And I expand it still more and I can see one individual and my heart reaches out and beats for that life. Hallelujah.

 

With all that God has, each individual is precious. Out of all of the four billion people, each individual is precious to God. What is God's interest, what's on those other planets? I was telling my wife this morning that God's interest on this earth, and on people in it is so great, God had only One Son. And the inhabitants on this earth are so valuable to God that He gave that only Son just for this earth. He doesn't have anymore, He gave the very best. He took from His own heart, the essence of His nature, He took the beauty of the stars and of the heavens, and the music from the angels song, and He wrapped these valuables from His own nature in a little human form to the world, and called His name Jesus, He shall save His people from their sin. I want you to know that God hasn't forgotten the earth, He hasn't forgotten you.

 

David when he was speaking about this, when I realize and I have to look at myself and say, "What is man that you are mindful of him?" He asked God, and the Bible is full of what God says about man. God what is man, that You are mindful of him. Why are you concerned when you got all of the stars and the angelic host? Why is man so important to You? In verse 18, of Isaiah 45, God said that this earth didn't just happen. God said I'm interested in this earth because I made it as a special place to put the highest creation that I have on it. I created it with just the right tilt so that it would give the earth its seasons. I put it at the right speed so that the earth would be maintained. I put it at exactly the right speed around the sun so that the earth would maintain its given spot. If it was a couple of miles per hour slower, it would drop into the sun. If it was a couple of miles per hour faster it would gradually spin out into space and everyone would freeze to death. But God says "I created this earth just to be just right for man. And then I took man and I made man so that he would fit right into this environment." He tells us that man is not just an afterthought.

 

God had man made in His mind before He even made the earth. In Ephesians it says that we were chosen in Him before the foundation of the earth. He had the full picture completed before it ever happened. There are a lot of questions you may have but I want you to ask God. God knows a few things that we don't know, and He could do a few things that we can't quite fathom how He can do it, and He doesn't have to ask anybody how to do it or whether He can do it or not, He just does it. If you can be simple enough to accept such a simple answer you can rest in peace. You don't have to tear your mind apart to try to figure out how God does the things that He's promised He will to do. Man is not an after thought. God created man. In God's heart God planned for man that he should not only dwell on this earth, but in God's great plan, God planned to put him here as a preparation time. You see eternity is neither long nor short, it's a big present, completed, it's there, it's there. God Himself, His picture is complete. Hallelujah. And God says I'm big enough, and I'm strong enough and I desire it badly enough that I'm going to get the job done. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts is going to perform the things that He said.

 

So He set man here on this earth. As we ask God the value of man, God says "I made him in My image, My likeness, and as I look down upon man I have to look past his sin. I have to look past his rebellion. I have to look past his enmity and drunkenness. And when I look at a man who is fighting me and hating Me, I see not these things that he's known by that people see. But I see in that man a never dying soul. I see in that man, that one individual man something of greater worth than all of my other creation put together. For the stars are going to dim and go out and the mountains are going to crumble and turn to dust, and the blazing suns are going to lose their light. Paul said "as a vesture they will fold up and they can be laid aside but God remains." And as long as God lives, that soul within you is going to live.

 

Jesus said "what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" What will it profit if a man gain the whole earth but loses his own soul? That soul is so valuable. So as God would consider the billions and the trillions and all of the vast wealth, if every star was a diamond the size that it is. All of them put together could not buy one soul. So David said "What is man, Oh God? Why do you think about man, why does he occupy such a great part of Your heart?" God says, "That soul is worth too much to Me, I have too much invested in that man, I am not going to let him go. I have plans for him. My plans include taking the very best that I had, My own Son and sending Him down to take that persons place." 2 Corinthians 5, God took all of the sin of mankind, or our lives and poured it into Jesus. And then He took all of the goodness of Jesus and poured it into us. And as we read of God's plan, "man is worth so much to Me, and I am going to do some impossible things, a virgin is going to conceive, is going to bear a Son and My plan that was complete before I ever started this world is going to happen. And those that sit in darkness in the valley of death will see that great Light. Light has come, for the zeal of the Lord of hosts has performed it. It could have been well said by the angels when Jesus was born, "The zeal of the Lord of Hosts has performed this." God's plan is not only for life after this life, but God's beautiful plan is for His care in this life.

 

Isaiah 40, God why are you mindful of me? There are people who think that God doesn't know anything about them because they're too insignificant. That He's passed over them. God doesn't care about me, there's a person here and there and someone here who has been good that God cares about, but He doesn't care about me. So God answers "why sayest thou O Jacob, and speakest to Israel My way is hid from the Lord, my judgment is passed over from my God. Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth fadeth not, neither is weary? There's no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the faint, and to them who have no might He increases strength. Even the youth shall faint and be weary, and young men shall utterly fall. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

 

We read over in Isaiah 41:17-18, "when the poor and needy seek water and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, then I the Lord will hear them. I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in the high places, fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land, springs of water." I care for people God said, in Isaiah 58:6-7, His earthly address is with people. "Is this not the fast that I have chosen to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry? That thy bring the poor out to thy house, and when you see the naked that thy clothe them, and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?"

 

God is saying that "people are worth so much to Me. They're worth so much to Me." God what is man, that Thou art mindful of him? God cares for us folks, God cares for each one. He cares for us so much that He decided to reconcile and make peace with Himself through Jesus. And He says "you can come now, my wrath is turned away," come shake hands with God, you can come. He came that He might restore us back into a place in His family, and then He came that He might take us from a world that has been cursed and reunite us in His Home, that He's preparing for us. God cares. Isaiah 40:11, Even though He's so great and mighty, He said, "like a flock do I care for them, I take the lambs in my arms and I care for them."

 

God is so sure that He's not going to fail. That before Jesus went away He said "I'm going to build my church, people of all different faces, nationalities and colors, I'm going to pull them together," and He said "all of the might of hell shall not prevail against Him." It's already said, it's already sealed, and it's already written down, it's in God's big picture that the church is going through. Don't you believe it when you hear people saying that the church is going under, it's not going under. That church made up of God's people, even one individual life being so valuable, God's church is so valuable to Him. He has put the universe on automatic pilot. He said "let it run by itself, I've got some work to do down here with people," Hallelujah. This is God I'm talking about, God cares for us. He's still on the throne; He's still on the job. He said "my plan is to draw men and women to myself." The zeal of the Lord of Host has performed. Praise God. Romans 4:21, What God has promised He is able to perform; He's able to do it. "The one who begun that good work in you is able to finish it, to complete it, to perform it." He is able to finish what He started. The zeal of the Lord of hosts. He's excited about what He's doing. It's not just a passive thing; it's not just a passing thing for Him. He's excited about what He's doing, He's full of zeal. He says "it has to happen; it was part of my plan before I mixed up the mud for this whole earth. It has to happen, there's no way that it can fail." The Lord of Hosts will perform. Praise God forever more.

 

I think of that great day that is coming. Last night God gave me so many beautiful references. God stated that He lives to perform His Word and His plan and His purpose. And that we're so valuable to God, we're not just an after thought. Not too far in the distance somewhere down the line, there's going to be a great coronation day. He showed John, he said "Oh, look at the millions and billions of people, here they come." Oh Hallelujah.

 

Then I could practically hear that great archangel as he stood, and he reiterated the truth way back there in Isaiah. In Isaiah he said, "The Lord of hosts shall perform it." But I can hear this morning those words that will ring on that day, "The Lord of Hosts hath performed it." He did what He said He was going to do. And the redeemed of all of the ages. God has plans for you, not 100 years on this earth, that's just a little old spot in His plan; God has plans for you because that soul in you is never going to die. Sometime, over the hills of eternity, if you happen to stumble across a grave that says, "Here lies God," then you're in trouble, but until the eternal God dies, you're going to live because He took His eternal life and shared it with you. Hallelujah. The Lord of Hosts will perform what He said.

 

Those promises that He made to you, He lives to keep them. I would like to think of some of the ways He's performing it. The word gospel means good news. He said take this gospel, this good news around the whole world. Tell people, let them know that they can have hope, that they don't have to die in their sins, that in the darkness the light has sprung up. Let them know the good news, that God cares for them, that they're worth something to God, that He's looking through the failure and the enmity they've had with God, and He sees within them something that is of tremendous value. They need to know the good news. For too long we've held it back from them. Some of the ways that the Lord is performing, His zeal is performing is, is sending men and women with the message of good news. God has given men and women who have yielded themselves to Him His Word; He's given them His power, His authority, where we can give the Word. Jesus wants you to come. We have the power to witness for Him, and He will stand with us.

 

We have that authority to tell men and women, your sins are forgiven because of what you have done (placing your faith in Jesus and His sacrifice) and He will back us up. Things are happening fast as God is hastening His work. Gabriel has led a host of angels into the world today to hasten men and women to God. Not only as we men and women filled with the Spirit of God carrying the message, but these angels not listening to objections, if men refuse, the cycle starts all over again. Bringing them to that point of decision and we stand with those that they are bringing. God has put His last day back up plan in operation, and there's a great work being done. He is the Lord of hosts.

 

When He speaks of hosts He speaks of that great army of heaven, the zeal of the Lord of hosts. God said "they move at my command, and they're out there doing it." And since that first message of Good News for you and your family, millions of people have turned their lives over to God because the zeal of the Lord of Hosts is performing it. Hallelujah. This is our day folks; let's get with it. Let's not let anything keep us from all that God has for us. There may be some here this morning, you're thinking of yourselves as failures, and you're ashamed to come to God, but God has brought you to this place, you're here by divine appointment.

 

God is looking at the soul that is within you that will never, never die. He says "you're worth so much to Me," He's got everlasting plans for you. Forget about your failures, I'm so thankful for that beautiful truth that God gave me that He does not record failures, and all the records that can be held against us are destroyed when we're willing to reach out and touch Him and take what He has for us. God has sent His hosts to hasten men because He cares, God's zeal will not let Him rest. The Lord God is neither weary, nor fainteth not. He is on the job 24 hours a day. God is calling people to Himself; He's making it easy for people to find God. God said "I'm making it easy for people to find Me; I'm setting before the open door. If you miss the first time, I'll set it before you again."

 

There are three terms that He has used 1) Come, 2) Call, 3) Look. He said "they that come," He's calling us to come to Him to find Him, to accept Him and be saved. Come and be saved. But many won't come out of their own stubbornness. So then He said "Call unto Me, they that call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved." From wherever you are, He said if you call unto Me from thence, He said I will hear you and I will accept you. And then there are those who are too weak and ashamed, filled with failure to even call. He says "ok, just look. Look unto Me and be ye saved all of the ends of the earth." God wants people today. The zeal of the Lord of hosts is performing it. The Word, the message has to get out.

 

I remember feeling such keen pressure after I received the first message from Gabriel. Those tapes are being multiplied; God is putting it on people's hearts to get these messages out. There are at least 100,000 angel tapes out there. What's happening, God is doing it, God's zeal is performing it. What God is doing is something He planned way back before He made the earth and His plan is completed. God's has a place for you up there in heaven. God's plan for you is complete. Praise God. There are some of you who feel unworthy to even look up to God's face, but God wants you to know that within you is a soul that will never die. God is out not looking for reasons to condemn you, you're already condemned. God is looking for reasons to lift you out of this despair, out of this darkness and not hold those things against you. He's not looking at drunkenness, He's not looking at debauchery, He's not looking at immorality, He's looking at something inside of you that belongs to Him, and He's saying give it back.

 

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