The words in our text were spoken to a people who had experienced great loss. They had been overrun by another culture because of the failure of their faith and their sin. Isaiah was a prophet sent to these people. The first 50 chapters of Isaiah are God communicating his unhappiness with them. But by the time of our text, God begins to outline the plan of the Messiah coming to the world. He outlines how God is going to give them back their song. Their grace would allow them to bear children and re-populate a nation. The once broken and desolate people would be revitalized because of what God was about to do. There are three promises spoken in Isaiah 54. First is the promise of a restoration of joy. God promised them a restoration of fruitfulness. He would replace their losses with greater gain. Finally God promised to restore a confidence in them. These promises given to Israel so many years ago is also for us. The same God who promised to make their tomorrows better than their yesterday is the same God saying the same thing to us today. The bible tells us that the blessing that were coming would require them to enlarge their tents and strengthen their foundations to make room for what God would provide. God understood that the promises would be hard for them to believe. For that reason God commanded them to “spare not.” Don’t hold back. Don’t try to limit God. Because all the promises sounded too good to be true, man’s tendency would be to do a little, but not too much. God said to spare not. Today is our moment. Some have lived with a darkness overshadowing us for a long time. If we will believe God and give Him all that he asks. If we do not hold back, He will do all that He said He would do. God does not want an effort, He wants all in. Many want all that God has, but are not willing to give all that they have in order to get it. We cannot sit back and wait for God. We have to first believe before God’s blessings will come. When God offers to do a great thing in our life, the greatest insult would be to not embrace all that He wants to do. God was telling Israel (and us) to let their effort to equal their opportunity. As good as the past may have been, God has greater plans for our future. We must not hold back. What matters right now is that we have an opportunity. We must not look at God and say that what He is asking is too much. Christ went to the cross for our sin. We owe all to Him. Thinking in the weakness of our present circumstances will cause us to fall short of God’s promise. “God I now you can do all but…” This kind of thinking will sabotage what God is trying to do. Don’t let the weakness of our flesh get in the way of what God has in store.

The words in our text were spoken to a people who had experienced great loss. They had been overrun by another culture because of the failure of their faith and their sin. Isaiah was a prophet sent to these people. The first 50 chapters of Isaiah are God communicating his unhappiness with them. But by the time of our text, God begins to outline the plan of the Messiah coming to the world. He outlines how God is going to give them back their song. Their grace would allow them to bear children and re-populate a nation. The once broken and desolate people would be revitalized because of what God was about to do. There are three promises spoken in Isaiah 54. First is the promise of a restoration of joy. God promised them a restoration of fruitfulness. He would replace their losses with greater gain. Finally God promised to restore a confidence in them. These promises given to Israel so many years ago is also for us. The same God who promised to make their tomorrows better than their yesterday is the same God saying the same thing to us today. The bible tells us that the blessing that were coming would require them to enlarge their tents and strengthen their foundations to make room for what God would provide. God understood that the promises would be hard for them to believe. For that reason God commanded them to “spare not.” Don’t hold back. Don’t try to limit God. Because all the promises sounded too good to be true, man’s tendency would be to do a little, but not too much. God said to spare not. Today is our moment. Some have lived with a darkness overshadowing us for a long time. If we will believe God and give Him all that he asks. If we do not hold back, He will do all that He said He would do. God does not want an effort, He wants all in. Many want all that God has, but are not willing to give all that they have in order to get it. We cannot sit back and wait for God. We have to first believe before God’s blessings will come. When God offers to do a great thing in our life, the greatest insult would be to not embrace all that He wants to do. God was telling Israel (and us) to let their effort to equal their opportunity. As good as the past may have been, God has greater plans for our future. We must not hold back. What matters right now is that we have an opportunity. We must not look at God and say that what He is asking is too much. Christ went to the cross for our sin. We owe all to Him. Thinking in the weakness of our present circumstances will cause us to fall short of God’s promise. “God I now you can do all but…” This kind of thinking will sabotage what God is trying to do. Don’t let the weakness of our flesh get in the way of what God has in store.

This was not the best of times for Israel. Their lives and relationship with God were deplorable. They had forsaken God and turned their back on Him. The bible says that they had prostituted themselves to other gods. God sent Hosea as a messenger to His people. Hosea married Gomer and, she returns to the streets as an actual prostitute. He would bring her home, but she would slip away into that sinful life. Hosea’s life is a parallel of the position of Israel. God’s message was that no matter their failure, missteps and shortcomings did not change how God loves His people. The story of Hosea is a love story. It is a love that no matter what continues to love and give new chances. Each of us have sinned. These failings could have condemned us, but God extends grace and mercy. His faithfulness is new every morning.

In Hosea chapter 2, there are 20-30 instances where God reveals to his people all the things that He would do to restore them. In spite of their spiritual condition, God was willing to move for Israel. He wants to transform our failure into a doorway that will lead to something beautiful in the future. The bible says that God would allure her to Achor. Achor was a valley outside of Jericho. It was the site of a great defeat as Israel began to possess the promised land. It was a place of humiliation. God spoke to Hosea and explained that He was going to take that place of humiliation and shame and turn it into a door to prosperity. We let many things define our lives. All too often, those things are the failures we have experienced. God decided that it was time for a transformation. In the place where they failed, God will turn it into a place of blessing and success. Too many of us are letting things in our past define who we are. God wants us to know how much He cares and the plans He has for us. The bible refers to it being a door. A door is a place of transition. It can be viewed as an opportunity.

One of the great revelations that God wanted to give them was in verse 16. They had lived in a relationship with God in a fearful relationship. God wanted to transform their relationship. The words used changed from a master-slave relationship, to a spousal loving relationship. Far too many people try to live for God out of fear. That is not how God wants us to relate to him. He wants us to have a relationship because we love Him, not because we fear Him. The promise of a door is that of a transition in relationship.

This was not the best of times for Israel. Their lives and relationship with God were deplorable. They had forsaken God and turned their back on Him. The bible says that they had prostituted themselves to other gods. God sent Hosea as a messenger to His people. Hosea married Gomer and, she returns to the streets as an actual prostitute. He would bring her home, but she would slip away into that sinful life. Hosea’s life is a parallel of the position of Israel. God’s message was that no matter their failure, missteps and shortcomings did not change how God loves His people. The story of Hosea is a love story. It is a love that no matter what continues to love and give new chances. Each of us have sinned. These failings could have condemned us, but God extends grace and mercy. His faithfulness is new every morning.

In Hosea chapter 2, there are 20-30 instances where God reveals to his people all the things that He would do to restore them. In spite of their spiritual condition, God was willing to move for Israel. He wants to transform our failure into a doorway that will lead to something beautiful in the future. The bible says that God would allure her to Achor. Achor was a valley outside of Jericho. It was the site of a great defeat as Israel began to possess the promised land. It was a place of humiliation. God spoke to Hosea and explained that He was going to take that place of humiliation and shame and turn it into a door to prosperity. We let many things define our lives. All too often, those things are the failures we have experienced. God decided that it was time for a transformation. In the place where they failed, God will turn it into a place of blessing and success. Too many of us are letting things in our past define who we are. God wants us to know how much He cares and the plans He has for us. The bible refers to it being a door. A door is a place of transition. It can be viewed as an opportunity.

One of the great revelations that God wanted to give them was in verse 16. They had lived in a relationship with God in a fearful relationship. God wanted to transform their relationship. The words used changed from a master-slave relationship, to a spousal loving relationship. Far too many people try to live for God out of fear. That is not how God wants us to relate to him. He wants us to have a relationship because we love Him, not because we fear Him. The promise of a door is that of a transition in relationship.

Out text says that they missed something. It is frightening to think that there exists the possibility that we could be close to something that God has for us, but somehow miss out on that opportunity. None of us want to miss what God has planned for our life. We don’t know if they missed it because of inattention, distraction or misinterpretation. No matter how they missed it, we do not want to miss out on something that God has for us. There were seven distinct foes that God called out in Deuteronomy. Each of these represented a problem that God’s people had to deal with in order to possess the promised land. Israel was completely overwhelmed by these seeming insurmountable obstacles. As a result, they were turned back and were denied the promised land for 40 years. How we view ourselves in relation to our problems, will determine the outcome of life. They perceived themselves of being incapable of doing what God had already said they could do. If we fail to heed what God has said about our life, we too will be denied the blessing He has for us. When Israel was denied the promised land, it was not because of any of the seven nations that opposed them, it was because of their disbelief. There is no foe that can defeat us except our own unbelief. Unbelief is the great magnifier of the enemy and a diminisher of our God. None of us are exempt from the effects of unbelief. Everything that we need to overcome the challenges in our life are right in front of us. The same word that brought Israel out of Egypt was the same word that spoke the world into existence. Three short single syllable words: Let there be…. In Genesis the world was a dark and formless void until God said “Let there be.” When God spoke those words, He turned waste into worth; He turned chaos into order. He turned a mess into the world. He can still turn our mess in to order. He drove out fear and gave purpose with three simple words. That is why the devil works so hard to keep us distracted from God’s word. The devil will try to overwhelm us with so much fear that we cannot see God in the situation. What is the Devil trying to keep us from right now? What is the enemy doing to throw us off track? There is nothing too big or small for the God who said “Let There Be.”

Out text says that they missed something. It is frightening to think that there exists the possibility that we could be close to something that God has for us, but somehow miss out on that opportunity. None of us want to miss what God has planned for our life. We don’t know if they missed it because of inattention, distraction or misinterpretation. No matter how they missed it, we do not want to miss out on something that God has for us. There were seven distinct foes that God called out in Deuteronomy. Each of these represented a problem that God’s people had to deal with in order to possess the promised land. Israel was completely overwhelmed by these seeming insurmountable obstacles. As a result, they were turned back and were denied the promised land for 40 years. How we view ourselves in relation to our problems, will determine the outcome of life. They perceived themselves of being incapable of doing what God had already said they could do. If we fail to heed what God has said about our life, we too will be denied the blessing He has for us. When Israel was denied the promised land, it was not because of any of the seven nations that opposed them, it was because of their disbelief. There is no foe that can defeat us except our own unbelief. Unbelief is the great magnifier of the enemy and a diminisher of our God. None of us are exempt from the effects of unbelief. Everything that we need to overcome the challenges in our life are right in front of us. The same word that brought Israel out of Egypt was the same word that spoke the world into existence. Three short single syllable words: Let there be…. In Genesis the world was a dark and formless void until God said “Let there be.” When God spoke those words, He turned waste into worth; He turned chaos into order. He turned a mess into the world. He can still turn our mess in to order. He drove out fear and gave purpose with three simple words. That is why the devil works so hard to keep us distracted from God’s word. The devil will try to overwhelm us with so much fear that we cannot see God in the situation. What is the Devil trying to keep us from right now? What is the enemy doing to throw us off track? There is nothing too big or small for the God who said “Let There Be.”

Labels are a classifying phrase or name. Benjamin grew up to be a great leader and many prominent figures came out of his lineage. When he was born, his mother called him a Benoni: Son of my sorrows. Jacob knew, perhaps better than anyone, what a hinderance such a label could be. God knows how powerful labels can be and decided to change his name to Benjamin: Son of my strength. We place labels on people. We perceive someone to be something and sometimes have trouble seeing past those labels. We look at someone who looks like a drunkard and label him a sinner, but God looks at that same person and sees someone who is in need of salvation. Labeling is not new. The bible tells us in John, that Thomas wanted to see Jesus for himself. Humanity has labeled him as Doubting Thomas for centuries. Nowhere in the bible is he referred to in that way. Thomas was not necessary doubting, but simply wanted to experience Jesus in the same way that the other disciples had. In another familiar story, Bartimaeus called out to Jesus with great faith. They tried to quite him, but Bartimaeus would not be deterred. We refer to Bartimaeus with his label: Blind Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus left that encounter with a new label: Miracle. The world looks at people and sees characteristics, traits, faults and flaws. God looks at us and see us for who we are: A child of God. We spend a lifetime trying to find out who we are. As children we all wanted to be police men, firemen or doctors. Few grow up to be what they wanted to be at 5 years old. As young people, we strive to be popular and are driven by the trends and styles that come along. As we grow older, many try to keep up with the Jones and adapt to be something that will make them acceptable to the world. Some will change their entire life to be what they think they want to be. There is a much easier way. If we seek God, and change our life to be what He wants us to be, we will become the man or woman that God wants us to be. If we choose to wear the label “Christian”, we must follow through on that commitment. If we profess to be a Child of God, but continue to live in a way that does not glorify God, we send the wrong message to those around us. The label needs to match the stuff inside. The only place we can find our true identity is in HIm. If we do otherwise, we will waste a lifetime trying to make ourselves into something that we were not intended to be. We need to stop worrying about what everyone else says we should be, and concentrate on what God wants us to be.

Labels are a classifying phrase or name. Benjamin grew up to be a great leader and many prominent figures came out of his lineage. When he was born, his mother called him a Benoni: Son of my sorrows. Jacob knew, perhaps better than anyone, what a hinderance such a label could be. God knows how powerful labels can be and decided to change his name to Benjamin: Son of my strength. We place labels on people. We perceive someone to be something and sometimes have trouble seeing past those labels. We look at someone who looks like a drunkard and label him a sinner, but God looks at that same person and sees someone who is in need of salvation. Labeling is not new. The bible tells us in John, that Thomas wanted to see Jesus for himself. Humanity has labeled him as Doubting Thomas for centuries. Nowhere in the bible is he referred to in that way. Thomas was not necessary doubting, but simply wanted to experience Jesus in the same way that the other disciples had. In another familiar story, Bartimaeus called out to Jesus with great faith. They tried to quite him, but Bartimaeus would not be deterred. We refer to Bartimaeus with his label: Blind Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus left that encounter with a new label: Miracle. The world looks at people and sees characteristics, traits, faults and flaws. God looks at us and see us for who we are: A child of God. We spend a lifetime trying to find out who we are. As children we all wanted to be police men, firemen or doctors. Few grow up to be what they wanted to be at 5 years old. As young people, we strive to be popular and are driven by the trends and styles that come along. As we grow older, many try to keep up with the Jones and adapt to be something that will make them acceptable to the world. Some will change their entire life to be what they think they want to be. There is a much easier way. If we seek God, and change our life to be what He wants us to be, we will become the man or woman that God wants us to be. If we choose to wear the label “Christian”, we must follow through on that commitment. If we profess to be a Child of God, but continue to live in a way that does not glorify God, we send the wrong message to those around us. The label needs to match the stuff inside. The only place we can find our true identity is in HIm. If we do otherwise, we will waste a lifetime trying to make ourselves into something that we were not intended to be. We need to stop worrying about what everyone else says we should be, and concentrate on what God wants us to be.

There is something inside every person searching for a place of peace. It is not always obvious by looking at the outside, where someone might be in that search. Even in the finest, wealthiest neighborhoods there are people looking for something more; they are searching for peace. The bible says that peace and security will be lacking in the end times. If there was ever a time for the church to stand up and proclaim that we have a source of peace, that time is now. The world needs to hear the message of peace. There are many things that attack our peace. Sociologists say that 40% of our anxiety is based on things that “might:” happen in the past. Another 30% come from things that have happened in the past that we cannot change. Twelve percent of our worries come from what others think or say about us. Health worries make up the next 10% of what we worry about. These things account for 92% of our anxieties. The news is designed to play on our anxiety. War, terrorism, financial problems, social problems and crime all are things that play on our anxieties. The minds of the people of God are bombarded daily with stress and anxiety. We are in a battle. The enemy is real. The battle is in and for the mind of the people of God. The battle we face is for control of our minds. What is happening in our minds is out of the reach of the enemy. The enemy has no control of what we think or believe. He knows, however that if he messes with the outside things, those outside things will affect what goes on in our mind. We have to make up our minds to not allow that to happen. To do that, we must have peace. Peace is not a feeling. It is not an emotion, a thought or an idea. Peace is a condition; a state of being. Peace is the freedom from disturbance and strife. The peace that God gives me is the ability to be surrounded by turmoil and strife, but have blessed assurance on the inside. Peace is a fruit of the spirit. The peace of God does not come from what happens on the outside, it comes from what is happening on the inside. The enemy knows the importance of peace. He knows what happens when God’s people operate in peace. That is why he tries so hard to disrupt that peace. The bible describes the devil as a lion. The lion’s roar strikes fear into his victims. That roar can be heard for miles. That means that animals that are not even near enough to the lion to be in danger, are made afraid by the sound. Many churches no longer preach peace. They preach a gospel of prosperity, not peace. Prosperity is good, but as noted above, it does not enough. We all need the peace of God in our lives. One of the most effective ways to have the peace of God in our life is to review our testimony. Think back on times when we were in a situation and did not see a way out; but God provided a way. If we think back to a time when we were at the end of our rope, and He brought us through. If God did it once, He will do it again. The same God that made a way out of no way yesterday, is still on the throne. We were meant to walk and live in peace. Whatever our circumstance might be, it is time to grab ahold of the peace that surpasses all understanding. Even now, the enemy is speaking right now: Yeah, all this sounds good, but peace is not possible in your situation” The enemy is a liar. The disciples were on a ship that ran into a storm. Jesus was sleep in the back of the boat and it began to sink. They were doing everything in their power to save the ship, but it was no hope. They finally woke Jesus up in fear and panic. They didn't’ wake him up to calm the storm, they woke him up because they needed help bailing water. They didn’t realize who they had with them. He is more than the captain of the ship, but he captain of the seas. He said “Peace, be still.” One word from almighty God calmed the storm. That same God speaks peace into our storm.

There is something inside every person searching for a place of peace. It is not always obvious by looking at the outside, where someone might be in that search. Even in the finest, wealthiest neighborhoods there are people looking for something more; they are searching for peace. The bible says that peace and security will be lacking in the end times. If there was ever a time for the church to stand up and proclaim that we have a source of peace, that time is now. The world needs to hear the message of peace. There are many things that attack our peace. Sociologists say that 40% of our anxiety is based on things that “might:” happen in the past. Another 30% come from things that have happened in the past that we cannot change. Twelve percent of our worries come from what others think or say about us. Health worries make up the next 10% of what we worry about. These things account for 92% of our anxieties. The news is designed to play on our anxiety. War, terrorism, financial problems, social problems and crime all are things that play on our anxieties. The minds of the people of God are bombarded daily with stress and anxiety. We are in a battle. The enemy is real. The battle is in and for the mind of the people of God. The battle we face is for control of our minds. What is happening in our minds is out of the reach of the enemy. The enemy has no control of what we think or believe. He knows, however that if he messes with the outside things, those outside things will affect what goes on in our mind. We have to make up our minds to not allow that to happen. To do that, we must have peace. Peace is not a feeling. It is not an emotion, a thought or an idea. Peace is a condition; a state of being. Peace is the freedom from disturbance and strife. The peace that God gives me is the ability to be surrounded by turmoil and strife, but have blessed assurance on the inside. Peace is a fruit of the spirit. The peace of God does not come from what happens on the outside, it comes from what is happening on the inside. The enemy knows the importance of peace. He knows what happens when God’s people operate in peace. That is why he tries so hard to disrupt that peace. The bible describes the devil as a lion. The lion’s roar strikes fear into his victims. That roar can be heard for miles. That means that animals that are not even near enough to the lion to be in danger, are made afraid by the sound. Many churches no longer preach peace. They preach a gospel of prosperity, not peace. Prosperity is good, but as noted above, it does not enough. We all need the peace of God in our lives. One of the most effective ways to have the peace of God in our life is to review our testimony. Think back on times when we were in a situation and did not see a way out; but God provided a way. If we think back to a time when we were at the end of our rope, and He brought us through. If God did it once, He will do it again. The same God that made a way out of no way yesterday, is still on the throne. We were meant to walk and live in peace. Whatever our circumstance might be, it is time to grab ahold of the peace that surpasses all understanding. Even now, the enemy is speaking right now: Yeah, all this sounds good, but peace is not possible in your situation” The enemy is a liar. The disciples were on a ship that ran into a storm. Jesus was sleep in the back of the boat and it began to sink. They were doing everything in their power to save the ship, but it was no hope. They finally woke Jesus up in fear and panic. They didn't’ wake him up to calm the storm, they woke him up because they needed help bailing water. They didn’t realize who they had with them. He is more than the captain of the ship, but he captain of the seas. He said “Peace, be still.” One word from almighty God calmed the storm. That same God speaks peace into our storm.