God has you covered

Rev Gideon Lee

We want to pray for all those that are taking their SPM. I believe all our young in TOP do well, not just in their studies but in life. And parents, you all play a very important role. 

Isaiah 59
Sin, Confession and Redemption
1 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
3 For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things.
4 No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
5 They hatch the eggs of vipers and spin a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
6 Their cobwebs are useless for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands.
7 Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their ways.
8 The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks in them will know peace.
9 So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
10 Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead.
11 We all growl like bears; we moan mournfully like doves.
We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away.
12 For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities:
13 rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God, fomenting oppression and revolt, uttering lies our hearts have conceived.
14 So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due.
19 From the west, men will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent- up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along.
20 “The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord.
21 “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

Isaiah 60:1-5
The Glory of Zion
1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm.
5 Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.

I want to give you a little background on the book of Isaiah before we go to chapter 59. Chapter 60 starts on a very encouraging note and verse 61, 62 and it is like that from that chapter onwards. But to appreciate the blessings that is going to come you have to understand chapter 59.

The book of Isaiah is written by who? Isaiah. What does Isaiah mean? It means the Lord saves or the Lord is our salvation. Isaiah is a prophet.

Remember what did Pastor Clement says about a prophet? He comes to tell you what to do, he is the index finger that points the direction. Isaiah is such a prophet.

Firstly, he gave a message for the people there at that time. Secondly, in the message is also about something that is going to happen in the future. And third is that the message the prophet have was not just for the people at that time but is also for us today. That is why we are reading it. If not it is just history and have no relevance to us.

Here in verse 1, he sets the tone, the preamble. Isaiah 59:1 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.

This is the first thing he wanted them to know. That his hand is not too short that he cannot save. That it is not impossible, without a shadow of a doubt he can save.

He is not like a dinosaur like the T-Rex with short hands though he is powerful. His ears are not deaf that he cannot hear your cry. This is a very good reason why we pray. That is because God hears our prayers. Then he goes on to what's happening. If you read this passage, it sound depressing right? That's why I ended with arise shine! That's more positive right?

Some of the situation sounds like what we were in, walking and groping in darkness. Not only were we walking in spiritual darkness but that it was our own doing. We were like that before we were saved.

Isaiah is saying we choose to walk away from God but he also said here's how you get out of darkness. By taking responsibility. That we turn from our sin. That was what we did when we first came to God right?

How often we will solve a lot of problems in a relationship if we know how to admit our wrong. How many marriages will be saved. That's what God wants from us. Total surrender.

That was why Isaiah was saying to the people and to us as well.

Isaiah 59:19 From the west, men will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent- up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along.

I love this verse. How many of you have seen a sunrise? Or how many of you have climbed Mount Kinabalu? I have not and would like to do that one day, by helicopter (laughs). They wake you up at 2.00 am and trek up to the peak to catch the sunrise. And they tell me it's beautiful. It's cold and dark and wet and just as the sun pierce the darkness and slowly but surely you see the sun rising up. I have not been there but I am telling you this (laughs). The bible says that's what it's like, his glory is like the rising sun.

This verse proofed to be quite controversial. In those days there were no comma or verse or chapter. It was a problem for the scholars where to put the comma.

When the enemy comes in, like a flood God will raise up a standard. Or when the enemy comes in like a flood, God will raise up a standard.

The floods come in silence to places when you least expect. That was how some problems come to us right? But I am not bothered where the comma is because I like the end of the verse, God will raise up a standard. A banner. I like that.

In the old Chinese movies, how often you see two opposing armies charge at each other. And who goes first? The flag bearers.

Isaiah is saying that when the enemy comes in like a flood, like a tsunami that will overwhelm you, like this is the end for you, that is when before anything happens, the Holy Spirit is fighting on your behalf. He raises up a standard, his banner. I would rather have God on my side than the strongest man. He's got your back, he's got you covered. That's the title of this message. God has got you covered.

As a child of God, the Holy Spirit is fighting on your behalf.

Isaiah 59:20 “The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord.

The redeemer is coming to the saved ones. You and me. Who is the redeemer?

Rev 5
The Scroll and the Lamb
1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty- four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they sang:“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

This is a picture of our savior, our redeemer. The person who can redeem you has to be a kinsman. That was what Jesus did for us. Only Jesus can open the scroll who was worthy enough to do it. Jesus was your kinsman redeemer. If he did not withhold his life for you, don't you think he will withhold anything good from you? We have the Holy Spirit and Jesus, our kinsman redeemer on our side.

Isaiah 59:21 “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

Not only do we have the Holy Spirit and Jesus on our side, we also have his covenant, his word. God has given us the assurance of his word.

So many times, we look at our problems and it looks so big. But have you considered who's covering your back? You've got the Holy Spirit, the kinsman redeemer and the covenant of his word.

We have a tag team on our side, like wrestling. I would go into any ring, any battle with my Jesus. So lets arise and shine. That's going to be our theme. So TOP, lets arise and shine.