Title: Remove Obstacles (Isaiah 59:1-10)
Contents
There are many obstacles everywhere in our lives. Obstacles put us in danger with even the slightest carelessness. The more unfamiliar, the weaker the person, the younger the obstacle becomes. On highways, even small obstacles can sometimes cause major accidents. There are some cars that go crazy on the highway and run into an accident without finding the obstacles ahead. Obstacles are dangerous objects that must be removed. Therefore, on highways, the vehicles that manage the highway frequently check the safety of the road.
As we walk through life, we encounter many obstacles. In some cases, musicians have deafness that prevents them from hearing, and in other cases, sculptors or painters have injured their hands and have their hands disabled. Doesn't the withered man in the Gospels say that his original occupation was a mason?
There are obstacles in the life of faith. There are many obstacles in walking the path of faith. To live by faith is to come to Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life. But blessed is the one whose way to Jesus is like “the highway of Zion” (Psalm 84:5). The highway of Zion is the way of faith and the way of faith. It is a way of communion with God. However, if there is an obstacle on this road here, it will be blocked. Many beginners of faith encounter this obstacle and fall, giving up the path of faith and returning to the world. Some people, whenever they encounter an obstacle, they pray, fast, and become more zealous and trusting in the Lord, so they overcome it and remove it, and then they testify with joy.
Obstacles are not given to you to stumble, but you have to adjust your posture, accept it as a warning that nothing is easy, and live with prudence and prudence. And you need to build training to jump over obstacles. And you have to acquire the ability to remove obstacles.
1. The obstacle between God and us is ourselves.
In the middle of verse 8, it says, “It makes its own crooked way.” Nevertheless, many do not look for obstacles in themselves, but look for obstacles elsewhere. The obstacles you create yourself are far more terrifying than the obstacles made by others. According to the proverb, "It is harder to rule one's heart than to rule a country, and it is harder to conquer oneself than to take a city."
The biggest obstacle in life is ourselves. You are the one who gives up on trying new things because of external reactions, you are the one who trembles with the anxiety and fear that arises from guesswork, you are the one who is self-accusing and self-blame, and you are the one who is arrogant, arrogant, and loves sin.
The enemy is not outside, but inside me
-Genghis Khan-
Don't blame the family for being bad.
I lost my father when I was nine and was kicked out of town.
don't tell me you're poor
I made a living by catching and eating field mice.
War that risked my life was my job and my job.
Don't say you were born in a small country.
I have no friends but the shadows
100,000 soldiers
The people, including children and the elderly,
It wasn't even 200 million.
Don't blame yourself for not having the strength to learn.
I didn't even know how to write my name
I learned to be wise by listening to others.
Don't tell me you're going to have to give up just because it's too hard.
I escaped with curls around my neck
He was shot in the face by an arrow and died and came back to life.
The enemy was not outside, but inside me.
I got rid of everything that bothered me.
The moment I overcame myself, I became Genghis Khan.
That's right. The moment you get rid of all the obstacles that are cumbersome to you and overcome yourself, you become a true “Khan”. To become a royal priesthood, God's chosen people.
There is nothing to blame God. Many people blame God, their ancestors, their parents, and their environment whenever their path of life is blocked. So I resent and complain. On the other hand, some people blame others for having suffered damage because of whom and for whom they have been ruined by shifting responsibility to others. Some people blame the church. But for the most part, you are the obstacle.
Verses 1 and 2 of today's text read, "Not that the Lord's hand is short, that it cannot save, nor his ear dull that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from hearing. Ini," he said.
My self-esteem is an obstacle. My pride is an obstacle. My negative thoughts are an obstacle. I mean, my stubbornness is an obstacle. How often my iniquities become obstacles between God and me.
2. There is never peace when you let the obstacles go.
At the end of verse 8, he says, “Whoever treads on this path will not know peace. Obstacles placed on the road are a hazard. It is very dangerous to use an obstacle in the middle of the road and use it. There is always going to be a risk. Therefore, obstacles must be removed.
Through today's text, the prophet Isaiah is saying that the obstacles that stood in the way between the people of Israel and God took away the peace from Israel.
Saints! We must remove the obstacles that stand between us and God. We need to remove the obstacles to thinking. Our thoughts are unbelieving and negative, which can stand in the way between God and us. We must remove the obstacles of sin. A sin, no matter how small, is something that must be removed.
“If I harbor iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18). You must keep yourself clean. This is not about body odor. It's about sin. You cannot live in sin or be tolerant of sin and feel good about yourself. It is necessary to repent as often as necessary to remain pure.
After removing the obstacles, the road will be opened, and smooth communication will be possible with the opened road.
The path of faith must be open. When the way of faith was blocked, the Israelites suffered hardships due to famine, war, and pestilence, but as long as the way of faith was opened, God made their way prosper.
Therefore, today the prophet Isaiah points out the obstacles that stand between God and God's people, and appeals to the Israelites to remove those obstacles first. Leaving obstacles alone is as it is said in verse 10, "We grope like the blind, we grope like the blind, and we stumble during the day as at twilight; we are like the dead among the strong."
In ancient times, a king placed a large stone in the middle of the road. Then he hid and watched who removed the large stone. The wealthy merchants and officials of the country walked by, but they turned and passed by the stone. Many people complained and criticized the king for not clearing the road properly, but no one wanted to remove the large stone. Then a farmer appeared with a large load of vegetables. The farmer who came to the place where the stone was, put down his luggage and began to move the large stone to the side of the road. After countless lifting and pushing, the farmer was finally able to clear the stone. Just as he was about to load the vegetables on his back, the farmer saw a bag lying on the place where a large stone had been. The pocket contained a large amount of gold coins, along with a letter from the king stating that the gold coins were to be given to the one who removed the stones from the road. The gold coin saved the farmer from a long period of poverty. This experience taught the farmer an important fact that many others do not understand. That every obstacle can be an important opportunity to improve one's environment...
Saints! Not all of our problems are elsewhere. It won't work if you try to find it elsewhere. You have to find obstacles in yourself and remove them from yourself.
3. When we encounter obstacles that we cannot overcome and cannot overcome, we must be more respectful of the Lord.
Wouldn't it be great if the obstacles were only things that my resolve alone could overcome or remove with my own abilities? However, there are many obstacles that are unexpectedly overwhelming for me. And there are also obstacles that are really difficult and even impossible to pull out and remove, such as large boulders buried deep in the sand where the obstacles you consider acceptable are.
If you go to the Lord, you will find help. You can do it by relying on the Lord. You can become a player who has mastered obstacles who can enjoy obstacles.
Therefore, whenever we encounter obstacles, we should not move away from Him, but rather draw closer to Him and rely more on Him.
“When I face difficulties, I have little faith, but I depend more on my Lord who I depend on. As the years go by, I will only depend on you. Whatever happens, I rely on Jesus.” (Chan 342)
That is why, "When I face difficulties, I have little faith, but I need to rely more on my Lord, whom I depend on."