EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM GOD

You can expect great things from God if you have A HEALTHY relationship with Him
Isaiah 54:1-10

Isaiah 54:1-10
Sinabi ng Panginoon, “Umawit ka Jerusalem, ikaw na parang babaeng baog. Umawit ka
at sumigaw sa tuwa, ikaw na hindi nakaranas ng hirap sa panganganak. Sapagkat kahit
na iniwan ka ng iyong asawa, mas marami ang iyong magiging anak kaysa sa babaeng
kapiling ang asawa. 2 Gumawa ka ng mas malaki at matibay na tirahan. Huwag mong
liliitan. 3 Sapagkat lalawak ang iyong hangganan, sasakupin ng iyong mga
mamamayan ang ibang mga bansa, at kanilang titirhan ang mga lungsod doon na
iniwan. 4 Huwag kang matakot dahil hindi ka mapapahiya. Malilimutan mo na ang
kahihiyan ng iyong kabataan at pagkabalo. 5 Sapagkat ako na lumikha sa iyo ay para
mong asawa. Panginoong Makapangyarihan ang pangalan ko. Ako ang Banal na Dios
ng Israel, ang iyong Tagapagligtas. Tinatawag akong ‘Dios ng buong mundo.’

6 “Jerusalem, katulad ka ng isang kabataang babae na nag-asawa at nalulungkot dahil

iniwan siya ng kanyang asawa. Pero ngayon, tinatawag kita para muling makapiling. 7
Iniwan kita sandali, pero dahil sa laki ng awa ko sa iyo ay muli kitang kukupkupin. 8
Dahil sa bugso ng galit ko sa iyo, iniwan kita sandali, pero dahil sa aking walang
hanggang pag-ibig sa iyo, kaaawaan kita. Ako, ang Panginoon na inyong Tagapagligtas
ang nagsasabi nito.

9 “Para sa akin, katulad ito noong panahon ni Noe nang nangako akong hindi ko na
gugunawin ang mundo. Ngayon naman, nangangako akong hindi na ako magagalit o
magpaparusa sa inyo. 10 Gumuho man ang mga burol at bundok, ang pag-ibig ko sa
iyoʼy hindi mawawala, maging ang kasunduan ko sa iyo na ilalagay kita sa magandang
kalagayan. Ako, ang Panginoong naaawa sa iyo, ang nagsasabi nito.

INTRODUCTION
Background of the text
 once great nation of Israel
 called to be the “people of God”
 “God’s treasured possession”
 lived under God and enjoyed all his blessings, his protection, love, provision.
 went from slaves to conquerors that inherited the promised land, a land flowing
with milk and honey.
 For a time, they enjoyed God’s blessing, but then they rebelled and sinned
against God, rejecting Him and turned to idol worship.
 Essentially, they became spiritual adulterers. God wasn’t about to force himself
upon them, so he said fine you don’t want me, I’ll leave, and
 God removed his blessing and his protection. After a while things began to fall
apart, the nation went through civil war and ended up divided, split in two: into
Judah and Israel. Later the nation of Assyria invaded and conquered Israel,
eventually Babylon came along and took Judah and everything else, including
almost all the people into exile.
Israel at this time was at a very low point in their history. They had gone through a
succession of wicked rulers who had led them astray from God. The Kingdom had been
divided and weakened. First the northern, and then the southern kingdom had fallen to
their enemies. The land had been laid waste, the walls torn down. Even the temple of
God where they worshipped had been ransacked and destroyed by their enemies.
Most of them had been taken captive to Babylon. Only a remnant of the people
remained faithful to God, refusing to worship idols. But when they looked around,
everything was gone. Their temple, their city, their nation, and their people, now held
captive throughout the enemy lands.

During Isaiah’s life, he witnessed the scattering of the Northern Kingdom of Israel
because of the wickedness of its people. He also prophesied that because of the
wickedness of the kingdom of Judah, it too would be conquered.

Israel was still in Babylonia, in exile when this text was written. The 70-year exile was
about to come to an end. God heard their cry so He was about to rescue them. This is
the season of Israel’s expectation for God’s intervention in their behalf. Using this text,
we will get five important truths on how to expect great things from God.

HOW CAN WE EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM GOD

I. RESTORATION (start with a right relationship with God)

- the action of returning something to a former owner, place, or condition
(pagpapanumbalik, pagbabalik sa dati) – Oxford languages
 God wants our broken relationship with Him to be restored
Isaiah 40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God
This is the main reason why Jesus died on the cross, to restore the broken
relationship between man and God. Blessed are they who accepted Jesus as their
Lord and Savior, their relationship with God was restored.
Juan 1:12
Subalit ang lahat ng tumanggap at sumampalataya sa kanya ay binigyan niya ng
karapatang maging mga anak ng Diyos.
Isaiah 59:1-2
Makinig kayo! Ang Panginoon ay hindi mahina para hindi makapagligtas. Hindi rin
siya bingi para hindi makarinig kapag tumawag kayo sa kanya. 2 Ang inyong mga
kasalanan ang siyang naglayo sa inyo sa Dios at iyon ang dahilan kung bakit niya
kayo tinalikuran at ayaw nang makinig sa inyong mga dalangin.
1 Juan 1:9
Ngunit kung ipinagtatapat natin sa Dios ang ating mga kasalanan, maaasahan nating
patatawarin niya ang ating mga kasalanan at lilinisin tayo sa lahat ng uri ng
kasamaan dahil matuwid siya.
v. 1
“Umawit ka Jerusalem, ang babaing hindi magkaanak!
Sumigaw ka sa galak, ikaw na hindi pa nakakaranas manganak.
 Magiging mas marami ang iyong mga anak kaysa sa kanya na may asawa, sabi ni
Yahweh.”
 God can restore us from barrenness to fruitfulness
II. FAITH (believe that God has the BEST PLAN for us)
- Calling people to sing before the answer to prayer or before divine intervention is a
significant call for faith
In ancient Israel, the barren woman carried an enormous load of shame and
disgrace. Here, the LORD likens captive Israel to a barren woman who can now sing
– because now more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married
woman.
i. The Babylonian exile and captivity meant more than oppression for Israel; it meant
shame, disgrace, and humiliation. God promises a glorious release from not only the
exile and captivity, but also from the shame, disgrace, and humiliation.

The woman was called to sing while still barren, without a child. Circumstances have
not changed but Isaiah calls the people to sing, because God’s plan will come true. It
is not just a song of HOPE but a song of FAITH - trusting what God has prophesied
will come true. He is going to bring His people back.

We sing because we have hope and faith in the Lord. We sing because we have a
great future. We can SING even in the midst of difficult situations because what
God has promised will come true. The journey may be tough, but the end point is
SURE – we have a great future in Christ.

Jeremiah 29:11
Sapagkat batid kong lubos ang mga plano ko para sa inyo; mga planong hindi ninyo
ikakasama kundi para sa inyong ikabubuti. Ito'y mga planong magdudulot sa inyo ng
kinabukasang punung-puno ng pag-asa.

Testimony: I came also to a point of barrenness (spiritually, financially, and

emotionally) and I told the Lord that I don’t know what to pray for. So just allow me
Lord to worship you because even in this trying times, I still choose to worship you.
Did my worship suddenly changed the situations? Paglabas ko ng kwarto ganon pa
rin, but something has changed – my heart was filled with hope and trust in the Lord
who plans the best for me.

Kayat ikay sasambahin paligid

III. PREPARATION (Accommodate God’s increase in your life)

v. 2-3
Gumawa ka ng mas malaki at matibay na tirahan. Huwag mong liliitan. Sapagkat
lalawak ang iyong hangganan, sasakupin ng iyong mga mamamayan ang ibang
mga bansa, at kanilang titirhan ang mga lungsod doon na iniwan.

a. God’s child
b. Employee
 c. Mother
d. Ministry
Make necessary preparations to accommodate God’s uncommon favor and divine
overflow in your life.

IV. INTIMACY (maintain a close relationship with God)

v. 4-5
Huwag kang matakot dahil hindi ka mapapahiya. Malilimutan mo na ang kahihiyan
ng iyong kabataan at pagkabalo. Sapagkat ako na lumikha sa iyo ay para mong
asawa. Panginoong Makapangyarihan ang pangalan ko. Ako ang Banal na Dios ng
Israel, ang iyong Tagapagligtas. Tinatawag akong ‘Dios ng buong mundo.’

Matt 26:41-42
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the
flesh is weak.”

 Israel is likened to the wife of Yahweh. Her exile in Babylon was like a period of
divorce when God separated her from him because of her sins.
God is both our maker and husband.
 As maker and creator, God knows us inside and out. He knows our desires and
faults but most of all God knows what we need.
 In that period of history, a woman that didn’t have a husband was disgraced, with
no way to provide for her future, but as their husband, God would restore that
disgrace by giving them protection and stability. He would be their provider and
love them and was always faithful, even after they ran after other lovers, he
was still there for them.
 The relationship between a husband and wife is a special one, they have the
closest bond where the two become one. Many people in exile had given up on
God, but with God as your husband, that relationship could be renewed and they
could draw close to him knowing that he loves them and is faithful to them. God is
Lord Almighty, which means no one can defeat him. And if you are with him, who
can defeat you. The Israelites had been defeated by the Assyrians and the
Babylonians, they had to unlearn that culture of being defeated and relearn how to
conquer again, which meant they would have to trust in God for he is the Lord
Almighty. God is the Holy one of Israel, He is to be worshipped. He is worthy.
These titles are not just little attributes of a little god, but attributes of the one true
god, the Lord Almighty. God is our Redeemer, not condemer, which means to God
wants to buy us back. It does not matter what you’ve done, how much you have
sinned, God is there to find a way to get you back. And lastly, he is called God of
all the earth. This implies that God is above all other gods, he is ruler of all.

V. DEPENDENCE (Rely on God’s everlasting love and compassion)

v. 6-10
6 “Jerusalem, katulad ka ng isang kabataang babae na nag-asawa at nalulungkot
dahil iniwan siya ng kanyang asawa. Pero ngayon, tinatawag kita para muling
makapiling. 7 Iniwan kita sandali, pero dahil sa laki ng awa ko sa iyo ay muli kitang
kukupkupin. 8 Dahil sa bugso ng galit ko sa iyo, iniwan kita sandali, pero dahil sa
aking walang hanggang pag-ibig sa iyo, kaaawaan kita. Ako, ang Panginoon na
inyong Tagapagligtas ang nagsasabi nito.

9 “Para sa akin, katulad ito noong panahon ni Noe nang nangako akong hindi ko na
gugunawin ang mundo. Ngayon naman, nangangako akong hindi na ako magagalit
o magpaparusa sa inyo. 10 Gumuho man ang mga burol at bundok, ang pag-ibig ko
sa iyoʼy hindi mawawala, maging ang kasunduan ko sa iyo na ilalagay kita sa
magandang kalagayan. Ako, ang Panginoong naaawa sa iyo, ang nagsasabi nito.

God reveals his anger as he abandoned Israel for a brief moment and allowed them
to be carried off into exile. Love is God’s essential character trait. And it’s because
he loves us, that he gets angry. God gets angry when those He loves corrupt their
lives so badly, like a good parent who gets angry when their child messes up their
life. If God didn’t love us, he won’t get angry, he wouldn’t care. The good thing about
God’s anger, is that it’s temporary. Sure, God may get angry, but he always returns
to love.

Can you see? God’s discipline is only a short while; His kindness, love is everlasting.
He has "compassion on you" - emphasised. The Lord’s desire is never to condemn
and destroy, but to redeem and to save. But we have to turn to Him, trust and obey
Him.

The contrast is between the moment of feeling forsaken and the everlasting nature
of the kindness that will come. When we feel tried and forsaken, we should
recognize that it is just for a moment, and the everlasting blessing will certainly
come.

Lamentations 3:22-23
Pag-ibig mo, Yahweh, ay hindi nagmamaliw; kahabagan mo'y walang kapantay.
23 Ito ay laging sariwa bawat umaga; katapatan mo'y napakadakila.

Awit 30:5
Ang kanyang galit, ito'y panandalian,
ngunit panghabang-buhay ang kanyang kabutihan.
Sa buong magdamag, luha ma'y pumatak,
pagsapit ng umaga, kapalit ay galak.
-
RESTORATION (start with a right relationship with God)
FAITH (believe that God has the best plan for us)
PREPARATION (accommodate God’s increase in your life)
INTIMACY (maintain a close relationship with God)
DEPENDENCE (rely on God’s everlasting love and compassion)

Numbers 24:6-8
24 Pagpalain ka nawa at ingatan ni Yahweh;
25 kahabagan ka nawa at subaybayan ni Yahweh;
26 lingapin ka nawa at bigyan ng kapayapaan ni Yahweh.