Real Life Community Church Sermons
Real Life Community Church, is a church located in Richmond, Kentucky. Our fellowship is comprised of authentic followers of Jesus Christ who aim to glorify God in all that we do. We have a desire to reach our community, meeting both the physical and spiritual needs of those who are hurting.What to Expect in a ServiceOur Sunday Morning services include a time of dynamic, contemporary worship. We have a full praise band, consisting of real Christ-followers who are committed to worshiping God, not just through song, but in every area of their lives. Each service will include a relevant, Bible-based message, that will inspire and challenge those who hear it, in their walk with the Lord. Come casually or formally dressed… however you are most comfortable. We hope to see you soon!
Real Life Community Church Sermons
Behold Our God | Part 1 | Isaiah 40
Is your perception of God lifting you up or holding you back? Discover the profound impact that a high view of God can have on your life, offering peace and hope amidst today's challenges. Join us as we challenge the popular Western notion of a passive, culturally accommodating deity. Drawing from Isaiah 40:1-11, Pastor Chris highlights the awe-inspiring majesty, power, and sovereignty of God, urging a return to scripture-centered teachings that elevate worship above mere entertainment. A deeper commitment to holiness and fervent prayer awaits those who embrace this transformative perspective.
Journey with us through the prophecy of Isaiah and its ageless wisdom. In this message, Pastor Chris unveils the incredible promise of deliverance for Israel from Babylonian captivity, a testament to God's unmatched power and enduring word. Marvel at the imagery of preparing the way for the Lord, reflecting on the transient nature of human empires compared to the eternal kingdom of God.
Behold our God!
God. The Word of God this morning is from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 40, verse 1 through 11. Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. A voice cries in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, every mountain and hill shall be made low, the uneven ground shall become level and the rough places made plain, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. A voice says cry. And I said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it. Surely, the people are grass. The grass withers the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
Speaker 1:Go high up to a high mountain. O Zion, herald of good news, lift up your voice, high mountain. O Zion, herald of good news. Lift up your voice with strength. O Jerusalem, herald of good news. Lift it up. Fear not, says the cities of Judah. Behold your God. Behold the Lord comes with might and his arm rules for him. Behold, his reward is with him and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those who are with the young. This is the word of the Lord.
Speaker 2:Men, you may be seated. Good to see you back there, zach and Allie, and I think I saw Becca, no Dakota. All right, good to have you guys with us, good to see each and every one of you. I want to begin this morning by asking you a question how do you view God? Would you say you have a high view of God or a low view of God? You know, tragically, today, many people have constructed a feeble, or you could say, puny view of God in their minds.
Speaker 2:Many today, in the Western world in particular, they believe in a God who does not govern human history but merely responds to it. Right Hunter, they believe in a God who approves of every lifestyle. They believe in a God who is domesticated and tame and void of wrath. They believe in a God who is progressive, who changes with the culture Beloved. That is not the God of the Bible. The Bible boasts of a God who is the creator and sustainer of all things. The Bible boasts of a God who had no beginning and will have no end, a God who is true to His word, a God who is infinitely powerful, a God who is unrivaled, a God who is thrice holy, a God who is perfect in all of His ways, a God that has never made a mistake, a God who is glorious and majestic, a God who is completely sovereign, a God who is all wise and all knowing, a God who is omnipresent, all places, at all times, a God who transcends every created thing in the universe, a God who is enthroned on high forever. Oh, beloved, we don't serve a weak and puny God. I believe it's really tragic what we think of God in the western world.
Speaker 2:Even in the church it's kind of crept in. How many songs just revel? There are some, but how many songs today revel in the glory and the majesty of God? How many sermons do you hear boasting of the Father in his glory, boasting about the supremacy of Christ, boasting of the power of the spirit? What about today? So many pastors even have a low view of God. You go to a lot of churches. You don't hear the Bible. You'll hear a motivational sermon With a little scripture thrown in. Why? Because we think that we've got to tickle people's ears and we've got to preach with eloquence and we've got to be relevant if we're going to reach people, and so we better not use too much scripture. I've actually heard pastors say that. I've actually heard pastors say that, oh beloved, one verse from this text will change your life More than three hours of listening to the most eloquent speaker give their thoughts.
Speaker 2:Pastors with a low view of God will resort to marketing over prayer to grow their churches. Why does our view of God will resort to marketing over prayer to grow their churches. Why does our view of God matter? A low view of God, hear me, it leads to anxiety, it leads to depression, it leads to hopelessness. But, brothers and sisters, a high view of God leads to peace, comfort and a living hope.
Speaker 2:A low view of God listen to me, this is important it will cause us to be lax in our worship. We'll come in here casually, half asleep, not thinking about the Lord, thinking about the football game that's going to be on after church. But if you have a high view of God, oh, you'll come in here with hearts prepared, you will sing with your whole heart and you will approach worship with a reverence. A low view of God will cause us to be comfortable in sin, and I hope that's not you today. A high view of God will cause you to tremble at the prospect of sin. A low view of God leads to prayerlessness. Perhaps that's why so many American Christians fail to pray. But a high view of God will lead us to pray without ceasing. A low view of God will cause us to see ourselves as his advisors. Have you ever suggested to the Lord what he should do? A high view of God will make you echo Isaiah's word his ways are above our ways, his thoughts above our thoughts. And then you'll go, lord, I don't know what I'm doing, not my will, but yours be done. Your view of God, my point, will shape your life. So for the next couple of weeks, I'm pumped up.
Speaker 2:If you can't tell, I want to preach to Isaiah, chapter 40, with the aim of reorienting us towards a biblical view of God, and through the lens of our first 11 verses. Today I want you to see two things about the Lord Number one, that he is amazingly and wonderfully tender. And number two, that he is amazingly and wonderfully tender. And number two, that he is infinitely powerful. We have a God who is amazingly or wonderfully tender and a God who is infinitely powerful. Can you just celebrate that today? Let's look at the tenderness of God. He is wonderfully tender. Let's look at the tenderness of God, he is wonderfully tender.
Speaker 2:So in the first 39 chapters of the book of Isaiah, the prophet is writing to his contemporaries, those who were alive during his time in Judah, who were under the threat of the Assyrian Empire threat of the Assyrian Empire Now. The northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria, but Judah at that time was protected. They never got Jerusalem. Because of prayer, god spared Jerusalem. But beginning in chapter 40, isaiah moves from addressing his contemporaries get this. And he begins preaching to a generation who haven't even been born yet. He's preaching to people who will be alive about 150 years later. They will have been in Babylon as exiles, because, though Judah did not fall to Assyria, it did, years later, fall to the Babylonian empire. Jerusalem was overtaken, the temple destroyed and the people of Judah became exiles. They were captives in Babylon. And so, god, 150 years before, this word is relevant to the people of Judah. He gives Isaiah this word because, see the Lord, things don't happen by chance. The Lord is sovereign. Israel did not go into Babylon in exile without the Lord's approval. So the Lord looks at what's going to happen and he says Isaiah, I want you to write to that future generation and I want you to encourage them. I have a message for your people, and so I want to point you to verse one. Here's how the message starts, and it's it sets the theme for the rest of the book of Isaiah Comfort, comfort, my people, says the Lord, oh, what a God we serve, a God of comfort.
Speaker 2:Now, when we think of the word comfort, we think of easing someone's despair, consoling someone, and certainly that meaning is included here. But the word comfort, if you look at the etymology, it's made up of a prefix and a suffix. The prefix com means with and the suffix fort means strength. Anybody been to Fort Boonesboro? You have a fort that was used to protect and to strengthen the people, used to protect and to strengthen the people, guard from invading troops. So comfort is more than just easing distress. It means to strengthen. The Lord does not mean just to console you. Today, though, he will do that Beloved. He wants to strengthen you. I don't know how you came that Beloved. He wants to strengthen you. I don't know how you came in today. The Lord wants to strengthen you.
Speaker 2:The future exiles in Babylon, think about it. These are people who were never in Jerusalem, because Isaiah is writing to a generation yet to be born, not the ones first going into captivity. They had never known the Lord, they'd never been in the temple, they had never known what it is to be an autonomous and free people. They were under the tyranny of Babylon. They felt weak and insignificant. And so God, looking at those people, says Isaiah, I want you to write to those people and I want you to. Here's what I want you to do. I want you to comfort, comfort my people.
Speaker 2:In the Hebrew language they don't use exclamation points and underlines to emphasize the point. What they use is repetition. So the Lord does not just say comfort them, he says oh, comfort, comfort them, console, console them, strengthen, strengthen them. The weak and the vulnerable can find strength in the Lord. As a matter of fact, one of the most popular verses in the Bible is found in this chapter, at the very end Isaiah, chapter 40, verse 31. But they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint. Anybody tired this morning, anybody feel weak this morning, you've been through a lot this week, this year, for the past decade. The Lord would say to you comfort, comfort, that's the word for you today that I'm proclaiming Comfort, comfort my people, says the Lord.
Speaker 2:And then look at verse 2. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her that her warfare is over Now. Here's why that's so significant. Isaiah or, excuse me, judah, the people of Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel, did not deserve tenderness. Their sin was great, as a matter of fact. Let me just take you to chapter 1 of Isaiah. That sets the stage for this. It's why they're in exile, by the way, because there's consequences for sin. Did you hear me? There's consequences for sin.
Speaker 2:Verse 2 in chapter 1, hear O heavens and give ear O earth, for the Lord has spoken. Here's what the Lord says. There's consequences for sin. Verse 2 in chapter 1. Hear O heavens and give ear O earth, for the Lord has spoken. Here's what the Lord says. These children I have reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.
Speaker 2:Verse 4. All sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly. They've forsaken the Lord. Listen to this. They have despised the Holy One of Israel. They've despised the Holy One of Israel, the people of Israel, the children of God who he brought out of Egypt, defeated Pharaoh, parted the Red Sea, brought them safely through the wilderness, revealed Himself to them, gave them His law, said to them I'm going to be your God and you're going to be my people. It's that God of goodness and kindness that they rebelled against, and their sin was great. And yet what does God say? Speak to them tenderly. Maybe you've rebelled against the God who has been so good to you and you're today wondering if he's going to hit you with a lightning bolt.
Speaker 2:I would say don't mess with Him. But I want you to know we're going to sing a song at the end of this, an old hymn that says softly and tender tenderly, jesus is calling Come home, come home, you who are weary, come home. Today's the day the Lord will deal tenderly with those who seek him, confess their sins. Verse 2, he says this Tell Judah that her iniquity is pardoned, she's paid, she's received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. Now think about this God hates sin. Yes, the wages of sin is death. Shake your head at me if you agree. God is just. Shake your head at me if you agree. God is just. Shake your head at me if you agree. So how is it that the Lord could pardon the sin? Because a just God cannot overlook sin.
Speaker 2:Well, the rest of Isaiah gives us that answer because it anticipates. It anticipates a coming Messiah who would bear the sins of his people. I'll read Isaiah 53. 5 and 6 again. But he was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Pardon comes by the blood of Christ. Judah found themselves broken, sinful, far from God, but the stripes of Jesus and the sacrifice of Jesus brought healing to them and restored their relationship with God.
Speaker 2:Listen to this the people of God that were born before Christ's work on the cross were saved by what Jesus would do, by grace through faith. Have you ever wondered how Old Testament people were saved? They were saved on the basis. They came to God, they trusted him, they had faith, but it was on the basis of what he would do that they were saved. We who were born after the what Jesus did on the cross, his death, burial and resurrection, were saved on the basis, by grace, through faith, on the basis of what he has done. It's only because of Jesus that our sin can be pardoned. That's why the Lord speaks tenderly to us, because you and I, apart from Christ, are enemies of God owing of his wrath. Do his wrath. But I want you to know, because Jesus died for our sins and has been raised, that you and I are dealt with tenderly by the Lord when we come to Him in faith.
Speaker 2:In verses 3 and 4, it says as a voice cries in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, every mountain and hill be made low. The uneven ground shall be level and the rough places plain ground shall be level and the rough places plain. In the ancient world people would go before a king and they would prepare the way. It was dangerous territory when you would travel in the ancient world and they would cut down trees and remove barriers and even level the ground, because kings could be a little bit extra sometimes.
Speaker 2:Israel is under the heavy hand of Babylon and what God is saying here is I'm not just going to forgive you, but I'm taking you back to the promised land. Though you rebelled against me, I'm taking you back, and I'm going before you. How can we get out from under the tyranny of Babylon? They're stronger than us. I'm going before you, I'm going to make the crooked path straight, I'm going to set the way and you're going to be back. And then, in verse 5, an even greater promise. Isaiah says and then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.
Speaker 2:For the mouth, the glory of the Lord in the Old Testament is a technical term for the manifest presence of God. It is the glory of the Lord that was with the Israelites in the wilderness. Remember, they made the tabernacle and the glory of the Lord hovered. The glory of the Lord was with them, a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Then, when they built the temple, the glory of the Lord filled the temple so much that, remember, the priest couldn't even stand. Then, in the holy of holies, the glory, the presence of the God, god resided. And so now understand this.
Speaker 2:Isaiah is writing to a generation who never worshiped in the temple, that never experienced the glory of God, and says and God by his grace, though their forefathers had so rebelled against God, ezekiel tells us it was so bad that the glory of the Lord departed from Israel. But Isaiah says oh, the Lord says, to deal tenderly with you, to comfort you, strengthen you. How are you going to be strengthened? The oh the Lord says to deal tenderly with you, to comfort you, strengthen you. How are you going to be strengthened? The glory of the Lord's returning. In other words, prepare yourself for the glory of God. What a word for us today. Did you come in here today prepared for the glory of God? Now, that's a nice sentiment. God's glory is going to come. He's going to take you back to Judah, to Jerusalem.
Speaker 2:But think about those exiles. They've never seen the power of God, they've heard about it, they've never witnessed His power, and so it's likely that they begin to question well, the Lord's tender, but can he do it? Babylon's pretty strong. Do we ever ask that? Does the Lord have the power really to save a sinner like me? Does the Lord have the power to overcome Satan in my life? Does the Lord have the power to help me with this diagnosis, with this current situation? Does the Lord have the power to save my marriage? Does the Lord have the power to bring my prodigal son or daughter back? Well, the Lord, through Isaiah, answers those questions with a resounding yes, showing Judah that God is not just tender, but that number two, he is infinitely powerful. Oh, we serve a mighty God.
Speaker 2:Verses six and eight a voice says cry. And Isaiah says what shall I cry? And here it is. All flesh is grass. All its beauty is like the flower of the field the grass withers the flower fades. When the flower of the field, the grass withers the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows on it, surely the people are like grass, the grass withers the flower fades. But the word of God stands forever. All flesh is like grass. What's the Lord talking about? He's not downplaying the, the sanctity or sanctity or value of human life. What he's saying is this his life is brief. How many of you? It seems like just yesterday you were graduating high school or college. It's unbelievable how quickly life passes by.
Speaker 2:What God is saying is this empires rise and empires fall. Presidents and kings rise, and presidents and kings fall. Nations that we think, oh, nothing will ever stop them. They're but a faint memory now. And what God says is this all flesh is like grass. He's encouraging Judah. He says listen, you look at them as a mighty empire. To me they're a blade of grass and one breath and they're out.
Speaker 2:What Isaiah is saying not only is God willing to deliver you, he's able. Tenderness doesn't mean much if God is not able. Tenderness doesn't mean much if God is not able. You know we cannot trust the promise of any president. You know why, no matter how good their intentions are I'm not saying that they're intentionally lying, though I'm sure that happens Probably. I just blew Hunter's mind there. But listen, you can't, we can't trust one another for future promises, 100%, no matter the intention. Here's why Because we don't know what tomorrow holds, we don't know what obstacles are going to come our way and newsflash. We're not infinitely powerful, but God can be trusted. Isaiah says to him the word of the lord stands forever. Why can we trust the lord? Why can we trust his promises? Why can we trust his covenant? Why can we trust his tenderness towards us? Because the lord does know what the future holds and the Lord's throne has never been abdicated, nor will it ever be. It's the only kingdom that will forever stand. So what the Lord promises will come to pass, because the word of the Lord stands forever. He has no rival, he has no equal, now and forever, the Lord, god. He reigns. What a mighty God we serve.
Speaker 2:And then we come to the theme verse for this text. Look at verse 9. Go up to the mountains. Isaiah said to this generation O Zion, herald the good news. By the way, that's the word gospel in the Old Testament. Lift up your voice with strength, o Jerusalem, herald of good news. By the way, that's the word gospel in the Old Testament. Lift up your voice with strength, oh Jerusalem, herald of good news, lift it up. Fear not. Say to the cities of Judah here it is behold your God, god's people were looking at their problems, these exiles, exiles. Isaiah says look to your God. They were looking at their weakness. Isaiah said look to your God. They were looking at the strength of their enemies. Isaiah said look to your God. They were looking at their anxiety and Isaiah said look to your God. They were looking at their despair and Isaiah said look to your God. And then he reminds them again of what God they're looking towards Verses 10 and 11.
Speaker 2:Behold, the Lord comes with might and his arm rules for him. Behold, his reward is with him, his recompense before him. And it's that God, he says in verse 11, who will tend to his flock? You have the God of might and infinite power to whom, in comparison, we are but blades of grass. And it's this God who then says, oh, I'll carry you like a lamb, says, I'll carry you like a lamb, I'll tend to you like a flock. He's going to gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those, gently lead those who are young.
Speaker 2:Isaiah reminds the people and us that, yes, we serve a tender God and that God is not impotent, he's not without power. He can do and he will do what he says. He's sovereign over all nations. And here's the beautiful thing we know that God kept His promise to Judah. In 538 BC, god used the pagan Persian king to defeat Babylon and bring the Israelites back to their land. God had another temple built and the glory again filled the temple. But this promise anticipates a greater glory, because it said this is a glory that not just Judah will experience, but all the world and centuries later.
Speaker 2:As we move into the holiday season, we remember that there was a baby born. The lord jesus christ took on flesh, became emmanuel, god with us. And in john, chapter 1, verse 14, god or john framed the christmas story like this. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. The glory of the Lord dwelt among us. Here's what he says. We have seen his glory. Glory is the only son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Speaker 2:Jesus came to reveal the glory of God to both Jew and Gentile In tenderness. He came in grace, grace and truth. The Lord came and in the temple the glory of God was veiled. But in Christ we have the perfect image of the glory of God. You want to see and experience the glory of God, what Moses so desperately longed for. Look to Jesus and we know again that the Lord is coming in power and full glory. He will destroy the wicked who are not in him and do not know God, and he will bring justice once and for all to this earth. He will renew his world. The new Jerusalem will come down and you and I who are truly in Christ will live forever with him. How do we know he'll do it? Because he's an infinitely powerful God. He's not concerned about the economy. He's not concerned about China, north Korea nor the United States, wherever we go, because we're but blades of grass to our great God in comparison.
Speaker 2:It's important that we hold together this balance of God's tenderness and his power. If God were tender but not powerful, again, he'd have great intentions perhaps, but he couldn't really help us in the really tough situations. I remember well. Let me say this first If he was powerful he was powerful but not tender he would be aloof to our problems, he'd wipe us out. But we can rejoice that God is both tender and powerful. He is both willing and able to help us, to strengthen us.
Speaker 2:There was a pastor that once was asked by one of his parishioners. He said Pastor, is it okay to ask God for little things? Is it okay to pray about little things? And the pastor looked at him and he said friend to God, every request is a little thing. He's infinitely powerful, infinitely wonderful, infinitely glorious, and he's tender to us. So what do we do with this? In closing, I just want to encourage you today Behold your God, look to your God. God willing, we'll sing a song With that very message. It's actually titled Behold your God. Next week I hope to sing that.
Speaker 2:If you're here today and you do not know the Lord, I want you to know. You've sinned and rebelled against him and you're deserving of the wrath of this great God and you are not strong enough to save yourself. You're not good enough to save yourself. We all fall short of the glory of God, but that's why Jesus came. Softly and tenderly. Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me. He's calling O sinner, come home Today. For you, I pray, it's the day of salvation. Come to him today. Repent of your sin, believe upon his death, burial and resurrection. Confess him as Lord and he will save you. He'll deal with you tenderly and give you eternal life.
Speaker 2:I want to speak to prodigals for a second. There's some prodigals in here as I was praying this morning. Some of you have known the Lord, but you have strayed like the prodigal son and right now you're in the pig pen. You're living. However, you want to live wallowing in the filth of this world and you're scared and you should be scared. And I would warn you today don't stay in the mud scared. And you should be scared. And I would warn you today, don't stay in the mud. God's grace is not a license to sin. But I feel strongly today that I need to tell you before it's too late. Softly and tenderly, jesus is calling Come home, come home.
Speaker 2:You remember the prodigal son? He said I wondered if I go back home, if I could be a hired servant in my father's house. And when he went up, I imagine him going up to the house and as he was approaching he had to have his head down in disappointment and shame. But the father did something that was not kosher for men in the ancient world. He ran, he ran and he went to his son and he embraced him and he kissed him and he threw a party and killed the fattened calf and he says Welcome home, welcome home.
Speaker 2:If you've been running from the Lord. Oh, I feel strongly to say this quit running, quit running. Sin will kill you. It will kill you Body, soul and spirit. You will perish if you keep doing what you're doing. But today, if you will confess your sin and come back to the Lord, if you confess your sin, he is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Softly and tenderly, jesus is calling.
Speaker 2:Finally, today, one more group of people I want to talk to. If you're here today and you are walking with the Lord, and you're here today and you are walking with the Lord and you're discouraged, maybe you have a child who's a prodigal, and you want them to come home and you've just almost given up hope. Maybe today you're tired of feeling sick and weak. You've got some diagnosis that has overwhelmed you. Maybe today you're struggling with mental health disorder. You're overrun with anxiety and despair mania, whatever it might be. Maybe today your marriage is on the rocks and you don't see any way out. You don't see any way to make it last. I want to say to you today behold your God, get your eyes off your problems and look to Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, the one who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever ask, think or imagine. Look to him, behold your God.
Speaker 2:The reason that I felt so impressed to preach this message today is out of great conviction in my own life. It has to do with the election, because me, like many of you, we've been concerned for our nation as we've seen it unraveling before our very eyes and, admittingly, admittedly, like many of you, I was anxious beyond imagination on tuesday night. I couldn't go to sleep, kept getting up and checking the news, and it was the next couple days later that the Lord corrected me and he reminded me that, though the president plays an important role. In our country, every president is but a blade of grass. America's too far gone for a president to help us, for a nation that's turned their back like judah did. Trump can't save us.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but I'll say to you today behold your god. If we as a nation will look to christ, behold your god, hallelujah. Our hope is in the Lord. Psalm 20, verse 7. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord. Behold your amazingly tender and infinitely powerful God. Stand with me as we worship and magnify this great God and call upon him.