Podcasts about what isaiah

Isaiah, in this passage, is speaking to a nation who has wandered from the path God had put them on.  Not only had they wandered, but they found themselves wandering down a road that was leading to their brokenness, to pain, to frustration, and to a life that they had longed to leave behind in Egypt.Isaiah tells of someone who is going to come and suffer on behalf of his people, in order to bring them back onto the path they were originally called to.  Although there is a present truth in this promise, that God is going to redeem them and free them from their exile in Babylon, this was also a promise of one to come, who would free all of us from the exile that sin puts us into.  What Isaiah is promising the nation is what Jesus fulfilled on the cross.  A suffering servant, who gave his life on our behalf, to stop us from continuing to travel down a road of destruction, and to offer us a chance to come back to the path of life.Humanity is hopeless in our pain and suffering, but Jesus became a suffering servant, which defeated sin, but also gives us hope in the midst of our pain and despair.

In this episode of One Voice Makes a Difference, I am going to dive into the transformative power of fasting, focusing on the principles laid out in Isaiah 58. Fasting is more than abstaining from food—it's about aligning your heart with the will of the Father and seeing heaven move here on earth. I share  a deeply personal and miraculous story from my 20's when I embarked on a 7-day fast, desperately seeking God's intervention to have a baby. This testimony is one of faith, perseverance, and the undeniable hand of God at work. Through this story, I want to encourage you to embrace fasting as a powerful spiritual practice that not only brings breakthrough's but also shifts your hearts into alignment with God's purpose. The episode concludes with a heartfelt and powerful prayer, inviting heaven's will to manifest on earth and encouraging listeners to step into deeper alignment with the heart of the Father. Tune in to hear:    •   What Isaiah 58 teaches about fasting and its spiritual significance.    •   Janet's miraculous testimony of fasting and how God responded to her faith.    •   A prayer of surrender, alignment, and calling heaven to earth in your own life. This episode will encourage and equip you to embrace fasting as a tool for spiritual growth and a pathway to miracles. Links & Resources:    •   Stay connected with Janet and the One Voice Makes a Difference community. www.janetswanson.org    •   Share your own testimony or prayer requests—your story could inspire others! email: janetswansonministries@gmail.com    •   Follow Janet on social media for updates and encouragement. https://www.facebook.com/janet.swanson.75/ Thank you for listening! Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and share this episode with someone who needs a breakthrough.

May 27, 2024Today's Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8Daily Lectionary: Ecclesiastes 4:1-16; John 7:32-53And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” (Isaiah 6:5–7)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Isaiah was a smart one. He knew what was going on around him. You see, for sinners, the presence of God is absolutely bad news. What happens to sinners in the presence of God? Death. Blown up. Toast. Zapped. Whatever fun phrase you use to describe it, the point is this: God is perfection, and perfection will not abide chaos and sin in its presence for very long. And so Isaiah is afraid. Isaiah is not only reflecting that the people he dwells with are unclean and say unclean things, but he is aware that he himself is a sinner. He thinks he is done for.And so what happens? Is Isaiah zapped by God? Absolutely not. What Isaiah experiences is one of the most awesome absolutions anyone has ever experienced. He confesses his sins (“I am a man of unclean lips”) and is then forgiven by God, which is the angel touching his lips with the coal. Notice that God does not say in response, “Yes, you are. Your lips are filthy” or “Yes, you are, and so you better get fixing it.” God simply directs one of his ministers (in this case, an angel) to absolve Isaiah so he can continue his work on behalf of the LORD. Believe it or not, you get the same thing. No, you don't quite have an angel touching your lips with a flaming coal, but you do still have one of the LORD's pastors ready and waiting to hear your confession and pronounce that your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for. In the Divine Service, you make the sign of the cross, remembering that you are a baptized child of God. Like Isaiah, you are given something on your lips: Jesus' Body and Blood in the Lord's Supper. This also delivers to you God's forgiveness. You are covered with Jesus and are now perfect before God; you get to continue in the work that God has placed before you as you love and care for your neighbors. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty, everlasting God, for our many sins we justly deserve eternal condemnation. In Your mercy You sent Your dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who won for us forgiveness of sins and everlasting salvation. Grant us a true confession that, dead to sin, we may be raised up by Your life-giving Absolution. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may be ever watchful and live true and godly lives in Your service; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Before confession and absolution, LSB)-Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols . This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

Isaiah made the 2019 US Walker Cup Team as the capstone of a highly successful amateur career before falling into the wilderness of pro golf created by the pandemic. Those who didn't have status were significantly set back from a traditional career arc, especially for the class of player Isaiah is in. After enduring an up and down 3.5 years, Isaiah won on the Korn Ferry Tour 2 weeks ago in Panama by 8 shots to set himself on a path towards the PGA Tour for next season. A massive win for all those rooting for him and a huge step in the right direction for Isaiah reaching his very high potential.In today's episode we cover:- Enduring the process of developmental tours and being better from it.- What Isaiah is focused on right now for continued improvement in his game.- DERT, Cooking, the Super Bowl, and plenty of our typical banter.Thanks for the support as always!Cheers,- The Tie GuysWebsite:https://www.thetiepodcast.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/thetiepodcast/?hl=enTwitter:https://mobile.twitter.com/thetiepodcastGoodWalk Coffee:https://goodwalkcoffee.comCODE: thetie for 20% offBDraddy:bdraddy.comCODE: thetie25 for 25% off

The prophet Isaiah writes one of the most classic of all Old Testament prophecies about the coming birth of Christ. The passage he writes is born of gloom and darkness. The world had felt the full weight of sin, and it had wreaked havoc on all of creation. What Isaiah offered in chapter nine was something the Jewish people needed more than anything—hope. Hope that one day someone would come to make all things right and restore what had been broken. The birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of that hope and this fact offers us hope in our lives today.

Continuing from Episode 96, Jacob Ryder teaches perspectives on temple worship through the use of apocryphal texts. Topics include: -The Ascension of Isaiah explained-What Isaiah saw in the the 7th Heaven-Exploring the Testament of Levi and the importance of the family-Looking at our temple experiences through the lens of the ancient prophets' texts.Jacob Ryder was born and raised by faithful converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Phoenix Arizona. He served a full-time mission in Southern California speaking both English and Tongan where he developed a love for teaching the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.Since his mission he has served in various church callings within the Elder's Quorum, Young Men's, and Sunday school. Jacob has a deep love for the Temple, priesthood, the second coming of Christ, and all things Israel. He spends all his free time studying the scriptures and has recently taken up learning Hebrew. Jacob shares his thoughts and testimony with others as the host of the, By Way of Commandment Podcast. Jacob is married to his High School sweetheart and they have 3 energetic children. Have you heard about the first-of-its-kind online temple class, "House of Learning: Understanding the Doctrine of the Temple"?! Registered students receive access to 19 lessons, over 6 hours of video/audio content, and list of over 50 additional resources, all geared towards helping you know and live what the temple aims to teach us. Click HERE to register now! Want to view the whole November Awake and Ascend conference? Recordings and transcriptions are available! Registration for All Access gets you the full two-day conference, including 9 presentations and the recorded Q&A session.With the holiday season upon us, the Latter-day Disciples are once again orchestrating the 2nd annual Secret Savior's project! Please help us by nominating your friends and family in need, or donating any amount. We aim to anonymously gift 20 families with $500 worth of gifts/groceries/cash. Please join us in our efforts to provide relief and love this Christmas season.

Delivered by Simona Surya and Damian Fernandez from Saint Peter's School Jakarta in Archdiocese of Jakarta, Indonesia. Isaiah 58: 9b-14; Rs psalm 86: 1-2.3-4.5-6; Luke 5: 27-32 FASTING FOR RENEWAL The theme for our meditation today is: Fasting for Renewal. Yesterday we were illuminated in meditation that our fasting in Lent is done through charity and prayer. These are the ways we fast. Then the next thing that is very important is the fruit or result of fasting. What do you get after fasting? Today we contemplate that by fasting people will have renewal of life. The prophet Isaiah said that those who stop distressing and hurting their fellows, then turn to do good and do charity for their fellowmen, the renewal that they eventually get is that God pleases them. God will guide them always. God will satisfy all their interests that they may find happiness and peace in their lives. This renewal relates to the growth of their spiritual life, where their relationship with God is in unity and love. The basis is that they do all of God's own works. Their deeds are the expression of the Lord's deeds. What Isaiah had described really illustrates the experiences of people who were the first eye witnesses, who were living and working with Jesus Christ. All of us as members of the Church today in our different situations have this experience, especially during Lent. We want to strengthen and bind ever stronger our relationship with God, that we may become more united with Him. The condition is to persevere in faith and being good disciples of the Lord like the apostles. A renewal of life that has a strong impact on a person or in a community is repentance. This is shown in people who leave their old life in the darkness of sin and choose a new life in God. Through fasting, which is the experience of meeting and living together with God, the power of the Lord can change one's path of life. This experience was shown by Levi, the tax collector who met Jesus and then invited Jesus to eat at his house. The tax collector later became one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. If fasting during Lent has not shown signs of repentance within you and your family or community, entering the first week of Lent can be a good opportunity for you to plan well your Lenten observances and implement them personally or together. That plan must be concrete which eventually brings you to conversion and again united with Jesus. Let's pray. In the name of the Father ... O God of mercy, enlighten the way of our personal and common journey in this Lent, so that we walk in Your marvelous light for our repentance. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ... --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/media-la-porta/message

The prophet Isaiah writes one of the most classic of all Old Testament prophecies about the coming birth of Christ. The passage he writes is born of gloom and darkness. The world had felt the full weight of sin, and it had wreaked havoc on all of creation. What Isaiah offered in chapter nine was something the Jewish people needed more than anything—hope. Hope that one day someone would come to make all things right and restore what had been broken. The birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of that hope and it offers us hope in our lives today.

**DISCLAIMER** The views and opinions expressed in this podcast do not constitute financial advice and are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. What you do with your money is your responsibility and you agree any strategies undertaken are done so at your own risk. ----------------------------------------------------------- Signs are pointing in the direction of a recession, so we thought it prudent to bring back a previous guest, Isaiah Douglass, to provide some insights on what veterinary professionals should consider doing in today's economy! After working at a large national firm for a number of years, Isaiah left and founded a solo financial planning firm in 2018, pursuing a planning approach that was dedicated to identifying ways to grow the net worth of veterinarians. In the summer of 2020, he merged with another financial advisor and became a partner in Vincere Wealth Management. Isaiah is a Certified Financial Planner™, Certified Exit Planner, and Fee-Only advisor, as well as the host of the weekly Veterinarian Success Podcast, which interviews and discusses topics related to the clinical, business, financial, and personal lives of veterinarians. He is deeply involved in speaking within veterinary medicine, having talks with students, on podcasts, in video interviews, and as a guest at the Veterinary Financial Summit conference. In this episode, we cover: The hot dog stand fable Where's the line between economic reality and "the noise" What Isaiah's hearing from veterinary clients from coast to coast Choosing your response to recession conditions Financial planning considerations for veterinary professionals in today's economy Understanding bonds and the bond market What else can you own other than stocks and bonds? Portfolio reallocation and why it's important Thoughts on interest rates Final words from Isaiah Thank you to Isaiah for coming back on the show! If you'd like to connect with Isaiah you can do so online at: isaiah@vincerewealth.com https://www.vincerewealth.com/ We're online! Check out our website at theveterinaryproject.com for more info about the show, our hosts, and all things Veterinary Project. If you liked the show and want to stay in the know, please subscribe to the podcast on the listening platform of your choosing. Want to join our community of like-minded Veterinary Professionals? Send an email to theveterinaryprojectpodcast@gmail.com and we'll get you connected to our private Veterinary Project Facebook group. Any questions, comments, feedback, or requests for guests can also be sent to theveterinaryprojectpodcast@gmail.com. Thank you for listening and we look forward to seeing you next Wednesday for another episode of The Veterinary Project Podcast!

In this episode of The Integrated Life podcast, Diana shares how God took her through mourning a past dream. We must mourn our previous dreams that did not come to pass to believe in future dreams. Matthew 5:4 (MSG) says, "You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you." Only Jesus can fully comfort those who mourn. Please listen as God shows us how to let go of the past and awaken belief for the future.   Connect with Diana: integratedpurposemanagement.com Like us on Facebook Follow us on LinkedIn Quick Episode Summary: Thank you to today's sponsors  Why mourning a dream is important for healing What Isaiah 55 means to Diana  The promise Diana is holding onto into this season He deserves the glory  How God works “suddenly” in life

What does it mean to live in complete freedom? When you have a close personal relationship with the Lord, you realize that He is in control of everything. He knows the trials and tribulations that are coming your way — and He will give you a song of praise so that your test becomes your testimony! Listen as Barry shares stories from his life of how he has trusted God — even while near death in the ICU — to rest in His care and reach others for Him.Host Barry Meguiar is a car guy and businessman who hosted the popular TV show, Car Crazy, on Discovery Networks for 18 years. He loves cars, but he loves Jesus even more! Learn more about Barry at IgniteAmerica.com.Learn more about:What Isaiah 43:10 says about sharing our faithWhere God is when trials and tribulations hit our livesHow your trial is your testimonyWhy you should thank God in advanceBarry's near-death experience and who he witnessed to in the ICUPsalm 91 and the rest and security we find in God Visit Why Share on IgniteAmerica.com to learn why it is important for every believer to faithfully live God's Great Commandment as a means to help move everyone, every day closer to Jesus. Faith Sharing Stories are video stories of people just like you having fun sharing their faith and helping to provide the spark of revival. Sign up to receive emails that will bring you practical faith-sharing tips and powerful inspiration.

Secure your ticket to my Live Out Loud Live Event 2022! https://bit.ly/lolliveevent22 Join my Ignite Membership!! https://bit.ly/ignitelol22 APPLY NOW to work with me! https://bit.ly/LOLApply thefaithfreebie.com Join Brooke's mental wellness team: https://bit.ly/MyAmare Follow Brooke on Social Media  www.brookethomas.com www.facebook.com/LiveOutLoudwithBrooke www.instagram.com/liveoutloudbrooke We all have those moments when we feel like our crown is crooked. We forget how much God loves us and get caught up in our past disappointments and betrayals. So, what can we do in those moments to reclaim our birthright? Listen in as I explain how to restore your crown in challenging times! In this episode, you'll learn about… [0:31] How to restore your crown as the daughter of a King [1:38] What Isaiah 61:3 teaches us about coming into agreement with our anointing [2:24] Living in fear, anxiety and unworthiness vs. partnering with God [3:04] The Good, the Bad and the Ugly exercise for taking action on your calling [4:24] How to trade in your ashes for a crown of beauty [5:22] What to speak out loud as a reminder of your birthright Show Notes We all have those moments when we feel like our crown is crooked. We forget how much God loves us and get caught up in our past disappointments and betrayals. And we delay taking action on our calling. So, what can we do in those moments to remember where we came from and reclaim our birthright? How do we remind ourselves that we are the daughter of a King, and our resources are unlimited? On this episode of The Live Out Loud Show, I discuss how to restore your crown in challenging times, explaining what Isaiah 61:3 teaches us about trading in our sorrow for joy and coming into agreement with our anointing. I share The Good, the Bad and the Ugly exercise I use to help women stop living in fear, anxiety and unworthiness—and start partnering with the living God. Listen in for insight on taking your seat at the table, receiving God's goodness, and trading in your ashes for the crown of beauty you deserve! Resources Isaiah 61:3 The Live Out Loud Ignite Membership The Live Out Loud Elite Mastermind The Live Out Loud Tribe on Facebook

Secure your ticket to my Live Out Loud Live Event 2022! https://bit.ly/lolliveevent22 Join my Ignite Membership!! https://bit.ly/ignitelol22 APPLY NOW to work with me! https://bit.ly/LOLApply thefaithfreebie.com Join Brooke's mental wellness team: https://bit.ly/MyAmare Follow Brooke on Social Media  www.brookethomas.com www.facebook.com/LiveOutLoudwithBrooke www.instagram.com/liveoutloudbrooke When things are going well, it's easy to have confidence and conviction in what you're called to do. But what do you do when things come against you and your certainty starts to waver? Listen in as I share 3 Scriptures for power and healing to help you keep your conviction through a challenging time. In this episode, you'll learn about… [0:31] Why it's not a lack of skill that keeps us from getting to the next level but a lack of certainty [2:32] 3 power and healing Scriptures that are getting me through a challenging time [3:47] How Isaiah 53:5 promises that ‘by His stripes we are healed' [5:49] What Isaiah 54:17 teaches us about the weapons formed against us [7:54] How Luke 10:19 gives us the authority over the power of the enemy [9:09] Taking communion at home and asking God for support when things come against you Show Notes It's not a lack of skill that is keeping you from getting to the next level, it's a lack of certainty. And when things are going well, it's easy to have that confidence and conviction in what you're called to do. But what do you do when things come against you and that certainty starts to waver? On this episode of The Live Out Loud Show, I share three Scriptures for power and healing that are helping me keep my conviction through a challenging time. I explain how I'm leaning on the Book of Isaiah to come into agreement with the promise of God's healing and remember that ‘no weapon formed against me shall prosper.' Listen in for insight on taking communion at home and learn to leverage my go-to Scripture for claiming authority over the power of the enemy. Resources Live Out Loud Elite Mastermind Live Out Loud Live Event Isaiah 53:5 Isaiah 54:17 Luke 10:19 The Live Out Loud Tribe on Facebook

Secure your ticket to my Live Out Loud Live Event 2022! https://bit.ly/lolliveevent22 Join my Ignite Membership!! https://bit.ly/ignitelol22 APPLY NOW to work with me! https://bit.ly/LOLApply thefaithfreebie.com Join Brooke's mental wellness team: https://bit.ly/MyAmare Follow Brooke on Social Media  www.brookethomas.com www.facebook.com/LiveOutLoudwithBrooke www.instagram.com/liveoutloudbrooke My daughter Riley just graduated from middle school, and it got me thinking about the hope and excitement of students as they step forward into the next phase of life. Listen in as I share 3 commencement themes that will help you 'graduate‘ to the next level with that same kind of enthusiasm! In this episode, you'll learn about… [0:32] Looking at each new season of life with the hope and excitement of graduates [3:11] Why It's crucial to approach every day with a willingness to skill up [5:02] What it looks like to learn from your setbacks [6:02] How to find and follow your passion vs. getting sidetracked by the ‘shoulds' of others [6:56] The relationship between giving back and true happiness [7:37] What Isaiah 43:19 teaches us about God's plans for our future Show Notes No matter where we are in life, we can push ourselves to achieve something higher. We can graduate to a new level in our work, our health, our wealth and our faith. My daughter Riley just graduated from middle school, and it got me thinking about the hope and excitement of students as they step forward into the next phase of life, ready to apply what they've learned. So, what if we looked at each new season of life with that same kind of enthusiasm? What if we applied the lessons of graduates to level up our own lives? On this episode of The Live Out Loud Show, I share three graduation themes that can take you to the next level, explaining why it's crucial to approach every day with a willingness to skill up. I discuss what it looks like to learn from your setbacks and describe how to find and follow your passion without getting sidetracked by the ‘shoulds' of others. Listen in to understand the connection between giving back and true happiness and learn how God is planning something great for YOUR future! Resources Christine Caine Oprah's 2008 Commencement Address at Stanford Isaiah 43:19 The Live Out Loud Ignite Membership The Live Out Loud Elite Mastermind The Live Out Loud Tribe on Facebook

“He will succeed. He will rise. He will be lifted up. He will be highly exalted.” What Isaiah is describing is what the church calls the exaltation of Christ, that begins on Easter Sunday. Our Catechism defines the exaltation, “That according to His human nature, Jesus always and fully used the divine attributes given to Him.” So what does this mean for us?

Hear now the word of the Lord from Isaiah chapter 25. O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. 2 For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the foreigners' palace is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt. 3 Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you. 4 For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall, 5 like heat in a dry place. You subdue the noise of the foreigners; as heat by the shade of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is put down. 6 On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. 9 It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” 10 For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain, and Moab shall be trampled down in his place, as straw is trampled down in a dunghill. 11 And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim, but the LORD will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill of his hands. 12 And the high fortifications of his walls he will bring down, lay low, and cast to the ground, to the dust. Isaiah 25, ESV The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever. In the roughly seven years that I have been here at Harvest, we have had by that time stretch an unusual concentration of funerals this year, in 2022, since the beginning of this year. As a pastor, as I've been thinking about Easter and the resurrection from the dead in light of all of these funerals that we've had in the last few months, thinking about the process of preparing for these funerals. Preparing for a funeral is always unique. Every person who dies was a unique person who reflected the glory of God in a unique way. Part of preparing for a funeral is trying to capture that, trying to understand that, trying to encapsulate that person's life and the way in which that person glorified God in whatever way during the course of his or her life. As a pastor, I always know that funerals always bring unique challenges as well. There are always questions that you can't answer when it comes to a funeral, whether you were talking about an 80 year old man who loved the Lord, who lived a life of love and devotion and worship and service to the Lord all of his life. Or whether you're talking about a five year old who was taken from our midst too soon. In the midst of this, preparing for funerals, being a pastor, you always feel so inadequate. What can I say to capture this? What can I say to address these questions? There's a special, poignant sense of difficulty in trying to answer these things and trying to address these questions and these doubts and these this pain and the sorrow and to bring comfort to these difficult situations. But it's that poignant pain in the midst of death and sorrow that always, always drives us back to the gospel. The unshakable, immovable foundation of the Gospel. That our only hope in life and in death, our only comfort, is that we do not belong to ourselves. But we belong body and soul to our faithful Savior Jesus Christ. Now, if you've been with us normally, regularly, you know that right now we're normally regularly in the middle of a sermon series through the Gospel of Matthew, where we have a very zoomed in, focused look on the life and ministry and teaching of Jesus, our Savior. Right now, we're in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter five and looking carefully at his teaching on the nature of the law. Today, we are going to zoom out. We don't want to lose the forest for the trees. We don't want to miss the big picture in the midst of all of the details. The details are so important, we need to hold them up, like looking at the different facets of a gem to see all of the beauty of the glory of Christ. But today we want to zoom out and see the whole picture. To see it once all that Jesus Christ came to do and to accomplish in his earthly life and ministry. So our big idea as we study Isaiah 25, a prophecy written hundreds of years to foretell what Jesus would accomplish by both his first coming and the second coming that we are still awaiting today. Our big idea is this that Jesus came to swallow up death forever.. As we look at this prophecy, we see three parts here. 1. Devastating Storm of Salvation 2. Death Swallowed Up 3. Dung Hill Swimming. Devastating Storm of Salvation Well, let's look at first the first five verses, a devastating storm of salvation. To understand the passage we just read, I mean, it's not totally fair to just drop into the middle of Isaiah. This is such a long book, first of all. It's also just a towering book in terms of its importance in the Bible and understanding the whole scope and sweep of salvation. Some theologians have called Isaiah the fifth gospel. We have the four gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They've called this the fifth gospel written from the Old Testament because it's so central in understanding the person and work and accomplishments of Jesus Christ. To understand this passage in particular, without going into all that's happening, Isaiah, we actually have to turn back to Isaiah 24 if you want to flip the page back. I want to point in Isaiah 24, Isaiah foretells the judgment that is coming upon the whole earth. The entirety of the judgment that is looming, looming over a wicked world where God is coming to undo creation itself as a curse and a punishment against the sin of this world. The focal point of that is a city. It's not that God's judgment is going to fall just on one geographic location, one locale, one city of all the earth, but that this city is a symbol for all of the wickedness throughout all of human history. We see this city talked about in verses ten through 13. When we read that, "the wasted city is broken down, every house is shut up so that none can enter. There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine. All joy has grown dark. The gladness of the earth is banished. Desolation is left in the city. The gates are battered into ruins. For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth among the nations." This city is symbolic. It's representative of the judgment that's coming upon all nations against the sin of all nations, against the sin of all the earth. So we come to Isaiah 25 and if we're not aware of that context, then we won't think much of this first sentence, this first verse. But it's really important in light of that judgment to understand that Isaiah is praising God for this judgment. In Isaiah 25, verse one, he says, "Oh, Lord, you are my God, I will exhort you. I will praise your name for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure." That's not just a generic praise that's particularly reflecting the judgment that God is bringing against the Earth. We know that from verse two. Here's that city again, "For you have made the city a heap." Why do we praise God? Because he has made this rebellious city symbolizing all the wickedness in all generations, in all cultures and civilizations throughout history. This city will be made a heap. The fortified city a ruin. The foreigners palace is a city no more. It will never be rebuilt. God's judgment is coming. Isaiah praises his God for this. Which is why it's so unexpected. It's really striking in this passage to come to verse three, where we read that this judgment doesn't lead probably to where we think it will lead. Look at verse three as a consequence of what we just read, as a consequence of this judgment, "Therefore, strong people's will glorify you. Cities of ruthless nations will fear you." This is shocking. The judgment of God leads to salvation. The judgment of God leads to the faith of the nations. The judgment of God leads the nations, these ruthless nations, to not only fear God, but to glorify God. This judgment leads to salvation, the salvation of the world. Now, part of the way that Isaiah in this oracle describes the way that salvation comes out of this judgment is to depict God as a defense, a place of refuge, a strong wall against the storm of the ruthlessness of the nations. Look at verse four, "For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress. A shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall, like heat in a dry place." In Nebraska this time of year, we all kind of buckle in for the season of severe weather that we're going to face. So this past Tuesday, when the tornado sirens went on in our house, it wasn't entirely unexpected. We knew the drill, knew just what to do. Got the kids out of bed, took them down to the basement until it passed. You know, I've been through so many tornado warnings in the course of my life, but every time I'm always mindful of just how vulnerable and precarious our situation is. I mean, if that tornado does descend and cut right through my neighborhood, if my house is in the center of the path of that tornado, it doesn't matter how strong of a house you have, you don't stand much of a chance. You do your best to get in the safest place in your house, nut you are always utterly exposed. You're always vulnerable. You are always completely dependent upon the grace of God. Now, that's always true, but when this tornado sirens go off, you are reminded of that afresh. God is depicted here as the stronghold in the midst of the whirlwinds and the tornadoes and the storms of this world, God is depicted as the refuge in whom we find shelter. God is the one bringing a storm of judgment and yet God is also in some way, in some sense, the refuge from the storms of the world as our salvation. How does this work together? Well, keep reading. Part of the way through verse five, "You subdue the noise of the foreigners as heat by the shade of a cloud. So the song of the ruthless is put down." The images here are all of weather. There's heat beating down of the world and God is like the shade of a cloud to give refuge and defense to this. One part of the weather disrupts another part of the weather. It was ten years ago this week, April 14, 2012, that there was supposed to be the tornado to end all tornadoes. That's how they talked about it a little bit beforehand, raging through Lincoln, Nebraska. I know because I lived there at the time. It was also a very memorable event because Nebraska canceled their spring football game for the first time since 1949 because of this severe weather that was supposed to come through. My infant daughter was not even three weeks old. My wife and I took her and even our two cats and we went to my in-laws house into the basement. They had a basement, we did not at the time. We wanted to go somewhere safe because of the violence and devastation that was going to rain down on Lincoln. I remember early that morning it was cold and then a little bit later that morning, the temperature swelled very high. When you have those two fronts, the cold front and the warm front, and when they collide and this is what meteorologists were looking for, that is a recipe for a devastating storm of salvation. I remember around noon and this actually delayed the start of the spring game. Around noon, a small rain shower crept up. A small rain shower crept up and it wasn't much of anything, but there was a little bit of lightning. So they had to delay and postpone the spring game until eventually they canceled it altogether. But eventually, that storm never came. I understand people from the Weather Channel had flown in to journalistically show what was about to happen here. This tornado never came. And as they explained it later, apparently that small little rainstorm sapped the energy from that warm front and that cold front. One part of the weather interfered with another part of the weather so that the judgment and the devastation never came. This is what Isaiah is saying. God is in some sense not only the raging storms of this world, but even the raging wrath of God, which is often portrayed as the devastating thunder of weather. Think of Psalm 29, "The voice of the Lord is over the waters. The Lord thunders free." God's wrath is depicted as the raging of the storms. Somehow, in the midst of the judgment of God, the people of God are kept safe as a refuge. What's he talking about? Isaiah doesn't make it clear here. We need the rest of Scripture to unfold to us how God can be both the raging storm as well as the shelter from this storm. The scriptures tell us very clearly this happened at the cross of Jesus Christ. When our Lord Jesus came into this world, when God of God, the Son of God came into this world and took on human nature so that He could suffer and bleed and die. There as Jesus hung on the cross, all of the raging wrath of this world, the wrath of the nations, as he was nailed to the cross by Romans, condemned by his Jewish brethren, all of that fell upon him. But not just that storm, it was also the storm of the raging wrath of God against us, against our sin. And all of that fell on Jesus. At the cross, Jesus stretched His arms out to protect us from the danger that looms and lurks against us. The danger of God's wrath against us, his judgment against us, his curse against us. Jesus became a stronghold for us and the storms of this world. And in the storms of God's own wrath against our sin. This is the story that Isaiah is looking forward to. From that hill, that mountain outside of Jerusalem on Golgotha. Isaiah skips past that in the rest of his vision to see far beyond that. Another day on another mountain, very close on Mount Zion. Where we read and versus six through nine of another scene, another event. The scene changes very quickly where we see the second section where death is swallowed up. Maybe Isaiah's thinking in this passage, in this oracle goes like this, well, this is the first part, the judgment that brings salvation. But no matter where you live, no matter when you live, even if you get through the raging of the nations in your day, what about death? Death comes for us all. We all must face it. What about the enemy of death? What will God do to disrupt death? Death is Swallowed Up This is what we see in verses 6 to 9 where death is swallowed up. Again, a sudden shifting of the scene. No longer are we talking about the scenes of the world, the city of this world. No longer are we talking about Jesus becoming our stronghold in a refuge and shelter on the hill of Calvary Golgotha. Now we are on another mountain, Mount Zion, in Jerusalem and inside the city of Jerusalem. In verse six, "On this mountain." How do we know we're talking about Mount Zion? Well, again, flip the page back, Isaiah 24:23, "Then the moon will be confounded in the sun ashamed for the Lord of hosts reigns. He reigns as a king on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders." Well, back to 25:6, "On this mountain, (Mount Zion) the Lord of Hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food, full of marrow, of aged wine, well refined." The Biblical background to what Isaiah is talking about here, where God feasts with his people on a mountain, goes to yet another mountain to Mt. Sinai back in Exodus chapter 24, where God made a covenant with his people. Then after he had made a covenant with his people to seal, to confirm, to ratify this covenant with his people, he called up a representative sample of his people. Moses was there, Aaron Moses brother the high priest was there. Aaron's two sons, who would be the priests after him, should have been, they died before this. Nadab and Abihu, they were there and then 70 of the elders of Israel were all on top of that mountain. Remember at the end of 24, where it talked about the Lord as glory being seen with his elders? Well, that's again reminding us of Exodus 24. Where on that mountain, this representative group of God's people, we read, they beheld God, and they ate and drink in Exodus 24:11. This was a foreshadowing of the great feast that God's people would enjoy with him. What Isaiah looks forward to here, all of that was foreshadowing this same scene. But look here now there is no more representatives. It's not that the elders alone will be on the mountain with the Lord. We see that not only that, but all God's people will be there. Not only all God's people, but we also see that this is a feast for all peoples everywhere. In the previous section we saw that God's judgment was coming against all people here, the feast is for all peoples on top of Mt. Zion. Now, this is a rich feast. It has rich food. It has aged wine, well, refined. The description here of aged wine, John Oswald talks in his commentary, he says, "This was a practice of keeping the dregs the ingredients from the wine continuing to soak in the wines. You just left them soaking and soaking and soaking and continuing to give off their flavor until the time came to serve the wine. And that refers to the well refined part. Then you would filter out those drags." So this is absolutely as flavorful and full of just aged glory on this mountain that they're going to eat from this rich feast. Here we are on the mountain of God with all the peoples. What's happening here? Well, this is a feast fit for the coronation of a king. I remember the last verse of Isaiah 24, "The Lord reigns, the Lord reigns as a king." This is His coronation party. This is when He is proclaimed king over all the peoples. This isn't just a party. This is a momentous shift in all of human history. Nothing from this point on will ever be the same because in verses seven and eight we read that the Lord swallows up. First, we read the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over the nations. This is probably referring to the death shroud covering an individual, but symbolically the shroud of death as a whole that covers all peoples and all nations. But to make it very clear in verse eight, we read again, "He will swallow up death forever." Now, this is a great reversal because it is death, it is the grave, it is Sheol, the Bible says, that swallows us up. That's the main problem that we have. Forget about these nations. Forget about the rebellion of the world. Our biggest problem is with death that swallows all of us up. No matter what, we escape from this world. But here, death is not swallowing us up. The Lord is swallowing up death forever. In that he is taking away the reproach of all the people. The Reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth. Our shame, our sorrow will forever be removed. We will no longer have those questions that we have at every funeral we encounter in this life. I want you to see also the universality of this. Alec Mortier points out, notice how in verses six and seven twice we read of all peoples, and then in verse seven we read about all nations. All peoples that be reference to the ethnic groups, the tribes and the languages, whereas the nations would refer to the political entities. All peoples, all nations, and then in verse eight, we come to all faces. That God is going to wipe away the tears from all faces. Every individual will be able to interact with God on this mountain. All of these peoples, all of these nations, every individual has become in verse eight, his people, God's people. The reproach of God's people He will take away from all the Earth. Well, in this scene, it's not hard to see why in verse nine, Isaiah returned to the praise that it began in verse one. In verse nine, he says, "It will be said on that day, Behold, this is our God, we have waited for Him that He might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him. Let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation." Now again, Alec Mortier commentary points out, Notice the confession here. Notice the declaration. Part of this is subjective and experiential. This is our God. We have waited for him. But then it turns objective. He's not just our God, some small tribal deity in some remote corner of the earth. This is the Lord. This is Yahweh. We have waited for him. This is our God, this is Yahweh. We read that all of this is happening. It will be said on that day, this great confession of praise will happen on that day. Well, once again, Isaiah is looking forward. But he's not only looking forward into a time that is still in the future for us. He's also looking forward, again this is hundreds of years before Jesus's birth and death and resurrection. He's looking forward to Jesus's resurrection. What we're told in the Scriptures is that the resurrection of Jesus, what we are celebrating on Resurrection Sunday is not one event, and then there will be another resurrection later that it will be a different event. We are seeing two parts of the same resurrection. They're described as a single harvest where we have with Christ, resurrection from the dead, the first fruits, the first fruits of a harvest, the first ingathering of the crops. So then at the end, when Jesus returns, He will bring in the rest of the harvest. He will bring us up from the dead with him. This will be one harvest so his resurrection is our resurrection. It's on that day in the future when we will see all that Christ came to accomplish and to begin and his first coming and all that Christ will bring to its completion at a second coming. This is our God. We have waited for Him that He might save us. You know, we live in an age of anxiety. Now, this isn't because we suddenly have new pressures that people before us didn't deal with. In the past, people dealt with death, and death was actually much more present in ages past. But we live in an age of a heightened anxiety. And one of the biggest reasons for this is our technological ability to share in a broadcast the things that we are doing. This has given rise to what people call the fear of missing out FOMO, FOMO, fear of missing out. This especially as striking teenagers. Teenagers have a far higher sense of anxiety and depression and tragically, rates of suicide than other people in the past. And it's because a lot of people have traced this to social media. We see all of these parties going on. Someone else is doing something that we're not able to do, and that can be a crushing weight. Why wasn't I invited? Why am I not there? My life isn't as exciting as all of that. We come to this story. This oracle, this prophecy and Isaiah is broadcasting to us, the party, to end all parties. The greatest party from all human existence. Here it is before our eyes and we should fear, lest we miss out on this event. We should fear less we are not involved in this party, because even though this is for all peoples and all nations, this will not be for every last individual. Isaiah makes this clear in the final section in verses ten through 12, where we come to this odd section, how does this fit in this dunghill swimming? It's a graphic, vital section to this passage that seems so out of place next to the glorious coronation feast of the Lord. But there is right here a purposeful contrast. Dunghill Swimming On one mountain, there is a great feast, as Yahweh is celebrated as king over all his people. In verses ten through 12, we come to yet another mountain, the mountain of Moab. Verse ten, "For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain and Moab shall be trampled down in his place as straw trampled down in a dung hill." Mount Zion is a is a glorious mountain where the Lord is coming down in His glory and dwelling with his people and this other mountain, Moab, is contrasted as nothing more than a dung hill. A filthy, smelly pile of dung. That's what this text is telling us. Now, why is this telling us this? Well, it's not just picking on Moab here, although Moab was a particularly arrogant nation against the nation of Israel. But singling Moab to show us here that the world will tell you that there are other parties you can join. There are other places where you can celebrate. There are other places where you can be made happy and satisfied, perhaps for all of eternity. But understand, there is no other mountain. There was no other party because there is no other savior. There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved but the name of Jesus Christ. He alone can save. He is the King who will reign on Mt. Zion and every other mountain is a false counterfeit. So this is depicted graphically the fate of those who rebellious, arrogantly, prideful, rebel against the king who has made a feast for all the peoples. We read in verse 11, "he the Moabite will spread out his hands in the midst of it as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim. But the Lord will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill of His hands and the high fortifications of his walls, he will bring down, lay low and cast to the ground, to the dust." You know, as we have young children growing up in our house, it's a joy to see them become self-sufficient in their lives. We want to train them to gain life skills they're going to need to survive. But sometimes it can be a little bit frustrating when they insist, I can do it myself. Sometimes this means insisting I can do it myself when we are late and they want to buckle their own seatbelt and they can't quite yet. It's just one more delay and it's child, let me help you, but "I can do it myself." Other times it's something they shouldn't be doing. Something that is dangerous, something that I can see will make a mess. We've walked out and we've seen high stacks of things they've clearly climbed on to get something they really shouldn't have had from a high shelf. You think you could have been seriously injured child, what were you thinking? Or you see a child just confidently, triumphantly carrying something you know will devastate your carpets if they spill it. I can do it myself. You want your children to have this sense of self sufficiency. You want them to grow in these life skills that they can't survive without. The whole point of raising children is to send them out. But you also have to train them about their limitations, to be aware of what they can and can't do. God is showing to us here our limitations. You don't have an answer for death. You don't have the means, by any stretch of the imagination, to throw your own alternate party on another hill. All you will get is swimming in a dung hill. There's a poignancy here. What do we do with death? Well, understand, we have no hope except for what Isaiah prophesies here. Application So our application this morning is from verse nine. Behold your God. As you wait for the salvation of the Lord. Now on Easter Sunday. I'm very mindful that people have come here this morning from a variety of places. Welcome, it's really good to see you this morning. This is always true. We talk frequently about how we are a church of many stories who are united as one body in Christ. But this is especially true on Easter. For those of you who have been here every week. You know, we've been working again slowly through the gospel of Matthew and the Sermon on the Mount. Again, we've been zoomed in on individual facets of Christ glory of what he came to do. Today is an opportunity to zoom out so that we don't lose the forest for the trees. We don't miss the big picture in light of the individual details, as important as those are. This morning's message helps us to see the goal of redemption all at once. But for those of you who are not here every week, maybe you regularly attend elsewhere. Maybe this is your first time here, I want to absolutely make sure that you leave today, having heard the truth that this message points out in the fifth gospel, in Isaiah, the prophecy that foretells so much about who Jesus Christ came to be and what he came to do. Isaiah is seeing a vision where he is foretelling a day far off in the future, still a day when Jesus Christ, the king, the King of kings, will come to judge the world. On that day, we are told that Christ will condemn those who have rebelled against him. Those who have persisted in their arrogant pride, I can do it myself, through whatever avenue that is for you. Jesus Christ comes to judge the wicked rebels who have resisted his reign and his rule. On that day, Jesus comes to establish a feast forever. A feast on Mount Zion in a new heavens and a new earth where he will forever dwell with his people, where he comes to serve us at table as though he were a common servant, and yet he is our Lord. Where he comes to celebrate with us his victory forever, because He comes to swallow up death forever. This is the hope that we have of the gospel, but there is a difference. Some will end not at this eternal, joyful party with Jesus, but some who do not look to Jesus and faith will spend an eternity separated from Him in hell. The difference between whether you spend your eternity in the dung hill of Moab or at the Feast of Mount Zion, has to do with whether you turn from your rebellious sin against God now and instead look to Jesus Christ who has come into this world. Who lived the absolutely perfect life. Who completely fulfilled every bit of God's requirements in His righteous law. Yet, though he was perfect, though he was righteous, this same Jesus came to die. He came to give up his life so that as he stretched out his arms on the cross, he covered us over as a mother hen covers her chicks. To shield us from the wrath and the storm of God. Not just the raging storms of this world, but to protect us against God's judgment that we have earned and deserved because of our sin. As he gave up his life, he was buried in the grave, but on the third day, on Easter Sunday, our Lord Jesus rose then from the dead, as the first fruits of the resurrection. As the first fruits of those whom God is going to bring again from the dead. Christ is risen and Christ is coming again. When He comes again, we will be raised up with Him who are looking to him with faith now. Jesus came to swallow up death forever. When he returns is when all of this comes to its completion. This will be his coronation day. This will be the day when we will feast with him at the wedding feast of the lamb. If you want to be at that party, if you fear missing out from that party, then turn this morning to faith in Jesus Christ. Turn this morning to him. This isn't exclusive. Jesus Christ says, come, come. All those who are weary, all those who are in sin and struggling, all those who are guilty wherever you are coming for them, your sin is not too great unless you don't go to your great savior. The heart of rebellion is this go it alone. I'm swimming for myself. I'm going to make this, sink or swim on my own. I want to do it my way. I can do it myself. But this is the opposite of the heart of faith, which is captured in verse nine. The heart of faith will say on that day, "Behold, this is our God, we have waited for Him, that He might save us." It's looking to Jesus Christ to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. It's waiting for Him to do all that He is promised in those scriptures. Have you turned from your own self-determination? From your own I can do it myself-ness. Are you looking to Jesus Christ who died and rose again as your Savior, he's the one who shed his blood from your sins. If so, oh, keep waiting and hoping on the Lord. But if you've never known Jesus, today ought to be the day. Every Lord's day, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. But this day should be the day when you come to know Christ. If you want to know more, please come talk to me. I would love to tell you more about Jesus, but turn from your sin and look to Christ and faith and be saved. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray that you would give us grace. I pray that you would bless us. I pray that you would encourage us in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that none who are sitting here today would miss out on this feast. I pray that you would open eyes and unclog deaf ears and that you would give soft hearts to respond in faith to the Gospel of Jesus, as is proclaimed in this prophecy, written hundreds of years before our Savior's birth. We pray that we would love Jesus as we expectantly await Him here on Earth. Oh, Lord, let that day be such a joyous, wondrous day as we praise you for the wondrous things you have done, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. Father, we pray, bring everything about that you have promised. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen.

126 – Nothing can ever separate you from GodHave you ever heard someone say, "Sin separates us from God?"This idea goes all the way back to the story of Adam and Eve when they got kicked out of the Garden of Eden.And it shows up lots of places in the Bible.For example in Isaiah:Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.  But your    iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.     Isaiah 59:1, 2And in the New Testament, the man who had been born blind and was healed by Jesus, tells the Pharisees, "We know God doesn't listen to sinners." (John 9:31  NLT)But if God doesn't listen to sinners, we are all in trouble.Fortunately, the Bible also gives lots of examples when God does listen to sinners, proving that we are not separated from Him, even when we make mistakes or something bad happens.Kind David, who committed some pretty serious sins, could still say in Psalms:Where can I go from Your Spirit?Or where can I flee from Your presence?”If I ascend into heaven, You are there;If I make my bed in hell, [Sheol] behold, You are there.If I take the wings of the morning,And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,Even there Your hand shall lead me,And Your right hand shall hold me.     Psalm 139:7-10David knew he could never be separated from God.What Isaiah and others are saying is that when you sin, you feel separated from God, but David reassures us that God is still with us, whatever the circumstances.To get at the heart of this issue, we need to understand the nature of God.The prophet Jeremiah records God revealing that He is everywhere. (See Jeremiah 23:23, 24)Since God is everywhere, there is no place you can go where God is not already present. The more we grasp this, the more we will understand that we can never be separated from God.In this episode, I also talk aboutFeeling separated from God when others sin against youGod rebuking the belief that you have to suffer (or be separated from Him) because of someone else's sinsPaul's declaration that we live, move, and have our being in GodJesus's prayer that reveals our inseparability from GodPaul's promise that nothing can separate us from God's loveMy prayer for you is that you embrace you unbreakable relationship with God. James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.To register for the 10 week class, The New Testament Angels Still Speak to Us Today, go to Angel ClassSupport the show

Delivered by Fhesty Maria Faustin from Catholic Religious High School Saint John Paul II Seminary Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Isaiah 58: 9b-14; Rs psalm 86: 1-2.3-4.5-6; Luke 5: 27-32 FASTING FOR RENEWAL The theme of our meditation today is: Fasting for Renewal. Yesterday we were illuminated in meditation that our fasting in Lent is done through charity and prayer. These are the ways we fast. Then the next thing that is very important is the fruit or result of fast. What do you get after fasting? Today we contemplate that by fasting people will have renewal of life. The prophet Isaiah said that those who stop distressing and hurting their fellows, then turn to do good and do charity for their fellowmen, the renewal that they eventually get is that God pleases them. God will guide them always. God will satisfy all their interests that they may find happiness and peace in their lives. This renewal relates to the growth of their spiritual life, where their relationship with God is in unity and love. The basis is that they do all of God's own works. Their deeds are the expression of the Lord's deeds. What Isaiah had described really illustrates the experiences of people who were the first eye witnesses, who were living and working with Jesus Christ. All of us as members of the Church today in our different situations, have this experience, especially during Lent. We want to strengthen and bind ever stronger our relationship with God, that we may become more united with Him. The condition is to persevere in faith and being good disciples of the Lord like the apostles. A renewal of life that has a strong impact on a person or in a community is repentance. This is shown in people who leave their old life in the darkness of sin and choose a new life in God. Through fasting, which is the experience of meeting and living together with God, the power of the Lord can change one's path of life. This experience was shown by Levi, the tax collector who met Jesus and then invited Jesus to eat at his house. The tax collector later became one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. If fast during Lent has not shown signs of repentance within you and your family or community, entering the first week of Lent can be a good opportunity for you to plan well your Lenten observances and implement them personally or together. That plan must be concrete which eventually brings you to conversion and again united with Jesus. Let's pray. In the name of the Father ... O God of mercy, enlighten the way of our personal and common journey in this Lent, so that we walk in Your marvelous light for our repentance. Glory to the Father ... In the name of the Father ... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/media-la-porta/message

Here in Luke, he quotes a highway project that was described all the way back in the days of Isaiah. What Isaiah descried is a picture of what took place when ancient kings would visit a region. In anticipation of their arrival the the roads were cleared of debris and other hazards. The cry here was for the people of Israel to prepare their hearts for the coming of the Messiah, the Savior. It's the same Advent cry that's made to you and me this day.

On today's episode, a listener writes in and asks Dave, "What does it mean that "my thoughts are not your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8)?"What you'll hear in this episode• The Context of Isaiah 55:8• The Meaning of Isaiah 55:8• How are God's thoughts and ways different.• What Isaiah 55:8 teaches us about God's character.• Some signs that we are in danger of thinking ourselves higher than God.• Studying Scripture.• Get Godly Guidance.• How People Should Pursue Humility.Thanks for listening to this week's episode of Servants of Grace theology segment!

On today's episode, a listener writes in and asks Dave, “What does it mean that "my thoughts are not your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8)?” What you'll hear in this episode The Context of Isaiah 55:8 The Meaning of Isaiah 55:8 How are God's thoughts and ways different. What Isaiah 55:8 teaches us about God's character. Some signs that we are in danger of thinking ourselves higher than God. Studying Scripture. Get Godly Guidance. How People Should Pursue Humility. Subscribing, sharing, and your feedback You can subscribe to the Servants of Grace Podcast via iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, or your favorite podcast catcher. If you like what you've heard, please consider leaving a rating and share it with your friends (it takes only takes a second and will go a long way to helping other people find the show). You can also connect with me on Twitter at @davejjenkins, on Facebook,  or via email to share your feedback. Thanks for listening to this week's episode of Servants of Grace theology segment!

“What is the kingdom of God like, to what can I compare it? It can be likened to a priest on retreat who hears an unfamiliar bird call in a tree while on a walk and wants to discover its source.” Listen in to the Rev. Barbara Ballenger's sermon for the fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 8. Today's readings are: Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-15; 2-23-24 Psalm 30 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 Mark 5:21-43 Readings may be found on LectionaryPage.net for Proper 8, Year B. Transcript: [The Rev. Barbara Ballenger]I was on retreat this past week at Holy Cross Monastery in New York. They're only just beginning to open up for a few guests, so I had this tiny monk's cell and most of the monastery to myself. From my window, I could see the meadow that slopes down to the Hudson River, the mown paths that cut through it and the trees that ring it. The weather was perfect. The food was great. The chanting of the brothers at prayer was sublime. I get the attraction. I could be a monk – for a week. But I also kind of missed all of you. In fact I wanted to bring you a souvenir. Unfortunately, the gift shop hasn't yet reopened and my suitcase was only so big. So I brought you a parable, collected in the meadow on my first full day at the monastery. It goes like this: What is the kingdom of God like, to what can I compare it? It can be likened to a priest on retreat who hears an unfamiliar bird call in a tree while on a walk and wants to discover its source. Sweet sweet, chew chew, Sweet sweet sweet. So she consulted the bird finding app on her phone and discovered that it belonged to an indigo bunting – a bird of great price, in the priest's eyes at least. Dark blue head, cerulean wings. It was a bird she dearly wanted to see up close in all its glory. But first she sat on a bench at the edge of the meadow to read Isaiah 55, which Br. Robert, her spiritual director for the week, suggested she start her retreat with. You can't beat Isaiah 55. Let all who thirst come to the water…. Seek the Lord while he may be found … call upon him while he is still near. Sweet sweet, chew chew, sweet sweet sweet, called the bunting. The priest decided to set aside her bible, and get some seeking practice. She followed the bird call back to the nut tree where she first heard it. But now the call was coming from across the meadow in the willow. So she headed to the willow. Only to find when she arrived that the call was coming from the oaks near the river. So she followed the path through the meadow to the oaks near the river, and she got her feet wet along the way. But when she got to the oaks along the river, the bird was back in the nut tree where she heard it the first time. And so on. Sometimes she heard the bird. Sometimes she saw it flying at a distance. One time it burst out of the grass 10 feet in front of her – a flash of blue was all she could see. And she began to wonder if the bird had a thing against priests. Finally the indigo bunting led the priest all the way around the meadow back to the bench where she started. She sat down to catch her breath and re-read Isaiah 55, in case there was some advice in there on making birds appear so you can see them up close in all their glory, and maybe take a picture to put on Facebook. Instead Isaiah announced: For you shall go out in joy and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song. Sweet sweet, chew chew, sweet sweet sweet. What Isaiah meant to say was: Let those of you who have ears to hear listen, because you're not gonna get a close look at this bird today. Or the next. Or the one after that. Somewhere in the middle of her many treks across the field, the priest – who was me – got the feeling that maybe God was playing with her, and she began to laugh too: at herself, at her belief that the indigo bunting might land right in front of her, and at the bird's uncanny ability to take off again every time she got near. God was indeed giving her a lesson on seeking, that morning. But God was also giving her a lesson on finding. Because there never was a moment when she wasn't with that bird. She could hear its song. She could see its flight. Her desire for more kept her after it; she wasn't just seeking and seeking and seeking, she was finding and finding and finding, more and more about that bird as the day wore on. She got particularly good at recognizing its call. The lesson made her realize something about faith: it's not the thing you seek, it's the thing that makes you start seeking in the first place. It's the desire that jump-starts the curiosity; that makes one take off after that wonder. If you have any desire for God at all, it's because faith is already at work within you. It's the practice of faith, the ongoing attention to its pull and its push that truly helps us to recognize God in our midst, to get used to the places where the divine draws near. That's why the monks gather five times a day to pray. We need that faith, honed in the everyday acts of morning prayer or the deep dive of retreat, that helps us to navigate the really challenging waters, to follow the signs of God's presence when there is much to distract us, especially fear, which is the greatest adversary of faith. This is the kind of life and death seeking and finding that is going on in Mark's Gospel today, in the stories of two people driven to Jesus' feet by the faith in them. Mark tucks the story of the healing of the woman with the hemorrhage right in the middle of the story of the raising of Jairus's daughter. This is the do-or-die kind of faith, which busts right through religious laws, pushing crowds and doubting neighbors to get to its destination. Jairus gets to Jesus first to plead for the life of his 12-year-old. I wonder if the crowds sort of parted for him, given that he was a leader of the synagogue and all. But when Jairus reaches Jesus, Jairus hits the dirt and tells him his story of need. “Come lay hands on my daughter who is dying, so she will be healed,” he begs. No bargains, no power plays, just 100 percent need and the insistence that Jesus can meet it. Jesus can't resist faith like that. He heads off to Jairus's with the whole crowd in tow. And that's when the woman with the hemorrhage catches up to Jesus. She had no advocate. She has been alone for 12 years. There are a few things to keep in mind about her condition. It involves blood, and that makes her ritually impure according to Leviticus. The purity laws governed people's access to worship, to the holy, to God, and to one another. Which means that as long as she has this condition, 12 years at this point, she was someone to avoid. Because if someone who is ritually impure touches you, you become ritually impure as well, and it's not a small matter to undo that. It's not impossible, but it's not easy either. So imagine a woman who has likely been cut off from her community and from worship for 12 years, and she's dying from her ailment. But she has a very strong desire for life. I wonder if the crowds sort of parted for her, given that no one wanted to risk making contact with her. When she reaches Jesus she can only bring herself to touch his hem, because she is violating all sorts of laws here – a woman touching a man, a ritually impure person touching someone else. So it makes sense that when Jesus asked “who touched me?” she was filled with fear and she hit the dirt and poured out her story of need. Now, if she had been merely extracting healing from Jesus, I think she would have denied she was involved at all, just disappeared back into the crowd. But she knew she had been driven to an encounter with the divine – and there is only room for truth in that moment, not only God's truth but her truth as well. And Jesus can't resist faith like that. “It's what healed you,” he tells her and sends her off with her access to her community and her God and her future restored. But the story doesn't end there. Because Jairus's faith is about to take a beating. Family members report that his daughter has died. Their doubt of Jesus and of Jairus is palpable – why trouble the teacher any further, they reason with Jairus, as though it was a bad idea in the first place. They laugh at Jesus when he insists there's still hope. Jairus realizes that he has a lot to lose here, his daughter, his family, his reputation, his stance in the community, and he becomes afraid. This is where Jesus takes charge, and teaches a lesson about how to keep faith alive in adverse conditions. Jesus meets the source of fear and faithlessness head on. Just as Jesus rebuked the storm in the previous chapter of Mark to calm the fears of his disciples when they were crossing the sea, Jesus rebukes the taunting crowd, casts them out and creates a space of calm that allows Jairus's faith to resurface. Sometimes to keep the faith, we have to ask Jesus to do that for us, to remove the source of our fear when we can't do it ourselves. After that it was just a matter of trusting Jesus to do what Jairus asked him to do in the first place. Only now it's not his daughter's health, but her very life that Jesus restores. Much more than Jairus bargained for, when faith sent him out looking for the Lord. “Seek the Lord while he may be found,” Isaiah 55 tells us, “call upon him while he is near.” In Jesus, God places the divine self where it can be found. In Jesus, God draws near enough for us to know we can be heard. Faith prompts us to seek and cry out in the first place. Sometimes, it just gets us as far as the hem of Jesus' cloak, or the dust at his feet, and Jesus takes care of the rest. And other times, faith hears the beguiling call of God, catches a flash of the image of God's own eternity, and wanting a better view of all that glory, gives chase. Let those of us who have ears to hear, listen. Amen. Permission to podcast/stream music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-701187. All rights reserved. Video, photographs, and graphics by the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Episcopal Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, 8000 St. Martin's Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118. 215.247.7466. https://www.stmartinec.org

READ: Isaiah 40:3-5 NLT Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together”. I’m no lover of airports, but I do love flying. Having flown to many parts of the world, I have always been amazed at the huge expanse of mountainous areas and was not surprised to discover that mountains form nearly a quarter of the earth’s land surface. Very often I have flown over them for hours on end and as I peer out of the window I imagine the way of life for the people who live there. Mountains are beautiful but they must make travel incredibly complicated for the people who have them as their home. In today’s dramatic reading we hear that our mighty God can flatten the mountains and fill in the valleys. What Isaiah is telling us is that we should never put a limit on what God can do. However mountainous our problems may be, God can blast a path through them. That should come as a great encouragement to all of us because we are probably all confronting some situations which we feel could never be solved. Humanly speaking we cannot imagine a way of overcoming them. But God looks at things in a very different way. Today’s verses are probably most familiar to us from the New Testament where we hear them in connection with John the Baptist. He fulfilled this prophecy when he came as a voice in the wilderness, preparing the way for the coming of Jesus, the Saviour of the World. Jesus’ life, death and resurrection brought a complete transformation to human history. Only by God becoming man in Jesus could the mountainous challenges of sin and death be overcome. The problems were humanly speaking insurmountable, but Jesus won the greatest victory of all time through his death upon the Cross. Truly we should never put a limit on what God can do. QUESTION: What mountainous problems have you seen God overcome in your life? PRAYER: Dear Father God, help my confidence in you to grow day by day. Amen.

Text: Isaiah 60:1-2 Series: Glad Bethlehem's Living Light Fourth Sunday of Advent: LOVE When you’re young and energetic, you tend to be on high alert every waking moment. Your ability to move about is never in question as long as you are “up and at ‘em,” as they say. It’s the waking part that tends to present us with the greater challenge. That is to say, even if you consider yourself, as I do, an “early riser,” you like to get up on your own. You don’t want anybody pressuring you to jump out of bed, at least not before you’re ready. Indeed, for most of us, the hardest words for any of us to hear are those three that too often come to us in our moments of greatest slumber: “Rise and shine!” “Rise and shine!” Especially is that the case that when the morning light that comes your way doesn’t find you particularly excited about whatever you have before you. But if there’s anything worse than having somebody else rouse you before you’re ready to get up, it’s being in a position where you have to convince somebody else to do so. That’s the position in which the prophet Isaiah found himself in this passage before us this morning. The 60th chapter of Isaiah comes at a point in his prophecy when Isaiah found himself facing the challenge of encouraging the returning exiles that God had not given up on His promise to make them a “light to the nations.” God had roused them from their seven-decade sentence in Babylon, and though they had returned to Jerusalem excited about their future, the dark reality of beholding a city in ruins, a city that bore no resemblance to its former glory, a city that was nothing more than a shell of its former self, the reality of that bitter sight and what would be required to rebuild it was more than they could stand. They had come to a place where they just wanted to pull the covers back over their heads and go back to sleep. But God had told Isaiah in no uncertain times that He was not going to allow that to happen. Thus Isaiah speaks out those three words that a sleepy, slumbering people never want to hear: “Rise and shine! For your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. Behold, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and His glory appears over you.” What Isaiah is telling the people is that in spite of the fact that nothing to these returning exiles looked as if they had thought it would be and there didn’t seem to be any chance of anything changing for the better in the near future, God was about to draw near to them to do in their midst what only God could do – to bring to bear His light and salvation upon their gloom and darkness and to restore them to a place where they might bear witness to the nations the difference that trusting in God always makes. I read this passage of Scripture and I ask myself the question, “Why would God promise to do such a thing? Why wouldn’t God just let the people of Jerusalem stay mired in their spiritual slumber and find another people to spread His light in the world? What was so special about this people? Why were they the ones God had chosen to show the nations His glory?” To know the answer to those questions you have to try to wrap your mind and your heart around God’s essential attribute, which is the attribute of love. While there are many ways by which we try to comprehend the God in whom we live and move and have our being, the best way for us to do so is to start out by beholding him as a God who loves and who does so not because of who we are and what we have to offer him but as a God who loves precisely because of who He is and what He has to offer us. As into the darkness of Isaiah’s day did God promise to draw near to restore His discouraged people simply because He loved them, so in lowly Bethlehem did God draw near to our darkness and discouragement in Christ Jesus for the same reason, which is because He loves us. For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son. To be totally honest, I can’t think of anything our world needs more today than the light of God’s love in Jesus Christ. Take a good look around. People are not just divided; they are polarized. COVID cases are rising through the roof with the Christmas season likely to challenge the capacity of our nation’s health care system even more. Many have lost their way to make a living and their unemployment benefits are about to expire. I could go on and on, but the point is that there are far too many today who are of the opinion that there is no hope and therefore no reason to be excited about the future. What they must see and what they must hear is the good news of the Gospel – that God has drawn near in the person of Jesus to redeem the world, to release those paralyzed by their circumstances and to give aid to those who are weighed down by their heavy burdens. The whole message of Christmas is that the darkness that hovers over us – the darkness that causes us to stumble and keeps us from seeing the opportunities all around – that darkness will not last forever, simply because of how in His great love for this world God will shine His light upon it and will do so through a people willing to reflect it to others through their faith in Jesus Christ. The only question is, “Will you that be such a person?” “Will you be someone who bears witness to God’s love in Christ because of how you dare to love them in the same way? Will you work for their good? Will you shine the light of Christ into their darkness?” After all, the real test of a person’s faith is whether he or she truly has enough of it to be able to share it with another person. Some years ago, in a former church, as we were gearing up for Christmas Eve, we received a letter from the local fire marshal, informing us that the city was disallowing candlelight services because of the fire hazard those services posed. Well, you can imagine the consternation that decision created in our church. How can you have a candlelight Christmas Eve service without the candlelight? We looked at our options. We could ignore the prohibition and if cited, ask for forgiveness, though doing so would most likely come with a fine. We could act like we never got the notice, but that would be duplicitous, not exactly an appropriate thing for a church to do. Or we could not do the candlelight, which would come as a great disappointment to the membership, given how that service had meant so much over the years to that church, as our Candlelight Christmas Eve Service means to this one. So, what did we decide to do? We decided to have the candle lighting, but instead of keeping it inside the church, we decided to have people take the light outside into the community. We explained the symbolism of doing so and how it might spur us to go thinking of other ways we might could bear witness to Jesus, the Light of Life. At first, I could tell that people were uncertain about the change in that tradition. And I could also tell that as with most attempts at doing something more creative, it never goes entirely according to plan. In this case, people struggled to balance their light along with everything else they had brought with them to the service. And as people moved out from the Sanctuary into the windy night, it took something of an effort to keep their light from going out. And I’m sure that some people were dealing with the discomfort and perhaps embarrassment over “going public” with their light instead of keeping it under the bushel of a safe Sanctuary. But to their credit, the vast majority of the congregation understood the message, did their best to manage the challenge, overcame their discomfort and any shame such a public witness might have caused, and from every exit of the church, you could look out into the community and see the light of Christmas shining in the darkness and the glory of the LORD being dispersed into the city. The light of God’s glory always shines best in the darkest of places, but it may be that today it won’t be seen as God wills it to be seen unless someone is willing to reflect it. Might that someone be you? One church I read about had a different Christmas Eve tradition, a tradition that involved members in a Christmas play. At the climax of the performance, the person in charge of the lighting was to dim all the stage lights except the light over the manger. But when it came time for him to dim the lights, he accidently turned them all off, including the light over the manger. To which one of the shepherds barked out in the darkness, “Hey, you just switched off Jesus!” Now, I don’t expect anything like that to happen this evening in our Living Nativity. And I pray with all my heart that it doesn’t happen at any point or in any way in any of our church’s efforts to show the light of Jesus to our community. I pray that in the midst of whatever stupor and spiritual slumber this season of COVID may have caused us to know, that in this most holy season we will rise and we will shine so that everyone might be awakened to the possibilities of the salvation that in His love God has extended to the whole world through His Son, our Savior, Jesus, the Light of Life Isaiah 60:1-2

Text: Isaiah 60:1-2 Series: Glad Bethlehem's Living Light Fourth Sunday of Advent: LOVE When you’re young and energetic, you tend to be on high alert every waking moment. Your ability to move about is never in question as long as you are “up and at ‘em,” as they say. It’s the waking part that tends to present us with the greater challenge. That is to say, even if you consider yourself, as I do, an “early riser,” you like to get up on your own. You don’t want anybody pressuring you to jump out of bed, at least not before you’re ready. Indeed, for most of us, the hardest words for any of us to hear are those three that too often come to us in our moments of greatest slumber: “Rise and shine!” “Rise and shine!” Especially is that the case that when the morning light that comes your way doesn’t find you particularly excited about whatever you have before you. But if there’s anything worse than having somebody else rouse you before you’re ready to get up, it’s being in a position where you have to convince somebody else to do so. That’s the position in which the prophet Isaiah found himself in this passage before us this morning. The 60th chapter of Isaiah comes at a point in his prophecy when Isaiah found himself facing the challenge of encouraging the returning exiles that God had not given up on His promise to make them a “light to the nations.” God had roused them from their seven-decade sentence in Babylon, and though they had returned to Jerusalem excited about their future, the dark reality of beholding a city in ruins, a city that bore no resemblance to its former glory, a city that was nothing more than a shell of its former self, the reality of that bitter sight and what would be required to rebuild it was more than they could stand. They had come to a place where they just wanted to pull the covers back over their heads and go back to sleep. But God had told Isaiah in no uncertain times that He was not going to allow that to happen. Thus Isaiah speaks out those three words that a sleepy, slumbering people never want to hear: “Rise and shine! For your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. Behold, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and His glory appears over you.” What Isaiah is telling the people is that in spite of the fact that nothing to these returning exiles looked as if they had thought it would be and there didn’t seem to be any chance of anything changing for the better in the near future, God was about to draw near to them to do in their midst what only God could do – to bring to bear His light and salvation upon their gloom and darkness and to restore them to a place where they might bear witness to the nations the difference that trusting in God always makes. I read this passage of Scripture and I ask myself the question, “Why would God promise to do such a thing? Why wouldn’t God just let the people of Jerusalem stay mired in their spiritual slumber and find another people to spread His light in the world? What was so special about this people? Why were they the ones God had chosen to show the nations His glory?” To know the answer to those questions you have to try to wrap your mind and your heart around God’s essential attribute, which is the attribute of love. While there are many ways by which we try to comprehend the God in whom we live and move and have our being, the best way for us to do so is to start out by beholding him as a God who loves and who does so not because of who we are and what we have to offer him but as a God who loves precisely because of who He is and what He has to offer us. As into the darkness of Isaiah’s day did God promise to draw near to restore His discouraged people simply because He loved them, so in lowly Bethlehem did God draw near to our darkness and discouragement in Christ Jesus for the same reason, which is because He loves us. For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son. To be totally honest, I can’t think of anything our world needs more today than the light of God’s love in Jesus Christ. Take a good look around. People are not just divided; they are polarized. COVID cases are rising through the roof with the Christmas season likely to challenge the capacity of our nation’s health care system even more. Many have lost their way to make a living and their unemployment benefits are about to expire. I could go on and on, but the point is that there are far too many today who are of the opinion that there is no hope and therefore no reason to be excited about the future. What they must see and what they must hear is the good news of the Gospel – that God has drawn near in the person of Jesus to redeem the world, to release those paralyzed by their circumstances and to give aid to those who are weighed down by their heavy burdens. The whole message of Christmas is that the darkness that hovers over us – the darkness that causes us to stumble and keeps us from seeing the opportunities all around – that darkness will not last forever, simply because of how in His great love for this world God will shine His light upon it and will do so through a people willing to reflect it to others through their faith in Jesus Christ. The only question is, “Will you that be such a person?” “Will you be someone who bears witness to God’s love in Christ because of how you dare to love them in the same way? Will you work for their good? Will you shine the light of Christ into their darkness?” After all, the real test of a person’s faith is whether he or she truly has enough of it to be able to share it with another person. Some years ago, in a former church, as we were gearing up for Christmas Eve, we received a letter from the local fire marshal, informing us that the city was disallowing candlelight services because of the fire hazard those services posed. Well, you can imagine the consternation that decision created in our church. How can you have a candlelight Christmas Eve service without the candlelight? We looked at our options. We could ignore the prohibition and if cited, ask for forgiveness, though doing so would most likely come with a fine. We could act like we never got the notice, but that would be duplicitous, not exactly an appropriate thing for a church to do. Or we could not do the candlelight, which would come as a great disappointment to the membership, given how that service had meant so much over the years to that church, as our Candlelight Christmas Eve Service means to this one. So, what did we decide to do? We decided to have the candle lighting, but instead of keeping it inside the church, we decided to have people take the light outside into the community. We explained the symbolism of doing so and how it might spur us to go thinking of other ways we might could bear witness to Jesus, the Light of Life. At first, I could tell that people were uncertain about the change in that tradition. And I could also tell that as with most attempts at doing something more creative, it never goes entirely according to plan. In this case, people struggled to balance their light along with everything else they had brought with them to the service. And as people moved out from the Sanctuary into the windy night, it took something of an effort to keep their light from going out. And I’m sure that some people were dealing with the discomfort and perhaps embarrassment over “going public” with their light instead of keeping it under the bushel of a safe Sanctuary. But to their credit, the vast majority of the congregation understood the message, did their best to manage the challenge, overcame their discomfort and any shame such a public witness might have caused, and from every exit of the church, you could look out into the community and see the light of Christmas shining in the darkness and the glory of the LORD being dispersed into the city. The light of God’s glory always shines best in the darkest of places, but it may be that today it won’t be seen as God wills it to be seen unless someone is willing to reflect it. Might that someone be you? One church I read about had a different Christmas Eve tradition, a tradition that involved members in a Christmas play. At the climax of the performance, the person in charge of the lighting was to dim all the stage lights except the light over the manger. But when it came time for him to dim the lights, he accidently turned them all off, including the light over the manger. To which one of the shepherds barked out in the darkness, “Hey, you just switched off Jesus!” Now, I don’t expect anything like that to happen this evening in our Living Nativity. And I pray with all my heart that it doesn’t happen at any point or in any way in any of our church’s efforts to show the light of Jesus to our community. I pray that in the midst of whatever stupor and spiritual slumber this season of COVID may have caused us to know, that in this most holy season we will rise and we will shine so that everyone might be awakened to the possibilities of the salvation that in His love God has extended to the whole world through His Son, our Savior, Jesus, the Light of Life Isaiah 60:1-2

 (Is.55:10-11;   Ps.65:10-14,Lk.8:8;   Rom.8:18-23;   Mt.13:1-23)   “The seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit.”   Comes the Word of God.  To our eyes, to our ears.  A seed sown within our hearts.  May it find rich soil in which to grow, that we might know “the redemption of our bodies.” “The rain and the snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth… so shall [God's] word be that goes forth from [His] mouth.”  For indeed it makes the earth “fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats”: it nourishes the expectant soul and provides seed for its increased growth.  All is given life by the Word of God. What Isaiah prophesies, David sings – “You prepared the land: drenching its furrows, breaking up its clods, softening it with showers, blessing its yield.”  And by this grace which falls from heaven, consuming the manna which is its fruit, His children know the “bounty” of the Lord; for His “paths overflow with a rich harvest.”  Hardly can we contain the blessings of “the valleys blanketed with grain.” Jesus has come.  The Lord has “visited the land and watered it.”  The grace of God is in our midst in heavenly flesh and blood.  And we are left dumb; for the Word of God indeed silences our tongue.  What can we say as we see His fields coming to life?  How can we speak of the beauty of a land bathed in light?  Deeply into our souls His words do fall, and we awaken, we arise as His children of light, beginning now to understand the blessing at our fingertips, the redemption we do find in the Body and Blood of Christ.  And though we “groan within ourselves,” we know these are the “labor pains” of growth.  For in this cleansing rain purging our hearts we come to be “set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.” What a wonderful word we have from our Lord: “Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.”  What a promise He makes to those who gaze upon that which the prophets longed to possess: “To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich.”  And so, what confidence we who are granted “knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” should have in His grace-filled Spirit; and what fruit we should thus bear, even to life everlasting. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Listen through the Music" from Thoroughfare, seventh album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, let your rain fall upon us that we might bear fruit in your Name; let us hear your Word and answer your call.  YHWH, make us fertile and fruitful.  Open our hearts to receive your Word; let it sink deep within us and grow by your grace.  Your grace is as the rain which waters hearts set on your will.  May we indeed receive your abundant gifts, O LORD, and yield a rich harvest in your Name. So blind are our eyes, dear LORD, so dull our hearts.  We are deaf to your Word as we set our sights on the things of this world.  The devil easily enters in and steals from us that which we neither have nor desire.  But you come to us in your compassion to teach us, to open our ears to your Word that we might be as the untilled meadows, the fields no human hand has touched, which produce fruit in abundance by your grace. The first fruits of the Spirit we now have as a gift from you, LORD.  Yet we await the fullness of your blessings; yet we groan in pain as still we need to grow in you.  Set us free from all slavery to corruption that we might share in the glorious freedom of your children of light.  May our fruit be worthy of your kingdom.

 (Is.55:10-11;   Ps.65:10-14,Lk.8:8;   Rom.8:18-23;   Mt.13:1-23)   “The seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit.”   Comes the Word of God.  To our eyes, to our ears.  A seed sown within our hearts.  May it find rich soil in which to grow, that we might know “the redemption of our bodies.” “The rain and the snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth… so shall [God's] word be that goes forth from [His] mouth.”  For indeed it makes the earth “fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats”: it nourishes the expectant soul and provides seed for its increased growth.  All is given life by the Word of God. What Isaiah prophesies, David sings – “You prepared the land: drenching its furrows, breaking up its clods, softening it with showers, blessing its yield.”  And by this grace which falls from heaven, consuming the manna which is its fruit, His children know the “bounty” of the Lord; for His “paths overflow with a rich harvest.”  Hardly can we contain the blessings of “the valleys blanketed with grain.” Jesus has come.  The Lord has “visited the land and watered it.”  The grace of God is in our midst in heavenly flesh and blood.  And we are left dumb; for the Word of God indeed silences our tongue.  What can we say as we see His fields coming to life?  How can we speak of the beauty of a land bathed in light?  Deeply into our souls His words do fall, and we awaken, we arise as His children of light, beginning now to understand the blessing at our fingertips, the redemption we do find in the Body and Blood of Christ.  And though we “groan within ourselves,” we know these are the “labor pains” of growth.  For in this cleansing rain purging our hearts we come to be “set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.” What a wonderful word we have from our Lord: “Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.”  What a promise He makes to those who gaze upon that which the prophets longed to possess: “To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich.”  And so, what confidence we who are granted “knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” should have in His grace-filled Spirit; and what fruit we should thus bear, even to life everlasting. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Listen through the Music" from Thoroughfare, seventh album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, let your rain fall upon us that we might bear fruit in your Name; let us hear your Word and answer your call.  YHWH, make us fertile and fruitful.  Open our hearts to receive your Word; let it sink deep within us and grow by your grace.  Your grace is as the rain which waters hearts set on your will.  May we indeed receive your abundant gifts, O LORD, and yield a rich harvest in your Name. So blind are our eyes, dear LORD, so dull our hearts.  We are deaf to your Word as we set our sights on the things of this world.  The devil easily enters in and steals from us that which we neither have nor desire.  But you come to us in your compassion to teach us, to open our ears to your Word that we might be as the untilled meadows, the fields no human hand has touched, which produce fruit in abundance by your grace. The first fruits of the Spirit we now have as a gift from you, LORD.  Yet we await the fullness of your blessings; yet we groan in pain as still we need to grow in you.  Set us free from all slavery to corruption that we might share in the glorious freedom of your children of light.  May our fruit be worthy of your kingdom.

Mickey Mantle - Who will benefit from the rescue of the Lord’s coming servant? This is the key question of the closing section of Isaiah’s epic prophecy. What Isaiah shows is that those welcomed by God include unexpected outsiders. Ethnic background and religious privilege count for nothing. The one criteria that matters to the Lord is humility. One who is ‘of a contrite and lowly spirit’ before the Lord and his servant.

THE HEALING AND MIRACLE PODCASTwith Prince HandleyWWW.REALMIRACLES.ORG HEALING IS GOD'S GIFT WHY HEALING BELONGS TO YOUYou can listen to the above message NOW. Click on the pod circle at top left. (Click “BACK” to return.)OR … LISTEN NOW  >>> LISTEN HERE 24/7 release of Prince Handley teachings, BLOGS and podcasts > STREAM Twitter: princehandley Subscribe FREE to Prince Handley teaching: princehandley@gmail.com ________________________________________ INTRODUCTION In this podcast teaching we will discuss the FACT that God has provided healing for ALL … and HOW we know this. Also, we will explain HOW to receive YOUR healing. You must KNOW: that healing belongs to YOU … and that YOU can be healed and walk in health. ________________________________________ HEALING IS GOD'S GIFT WHY HEALING BELONGS TO YOU The dictionary defines "disease" as: 1) any departure from a state of health; 2) a disordered condition of mind or body marked by definite symptoms. To be at "ease" is to be FREE from pain or any discomfort, including anxiety and stress. "Dis-ease" is the opposite. In the Holy Bible, God promised MORE than healing for his people. He promised DIVINE HEALTH: freedom from disease! "If you will carefully listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and will do that which is right in his sight, and will give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon you … for I am the LORD that heals you." [Torah: Exodus 15:26] Notice the last phrase: "I am the LORD that heals you." Literally, the Hebrew language is saying, "I am Jehovah Rapha (The LORD, your physician)." It is wonderful to be able to claim God’s promises for divine healing, but it is even better to walk in divine HEALTH: not needing to be healed! Exodus 23:25 says, "And you shall serve the LORD your God and he shall bless your bread, and your water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of you." When sickness is "away" from you, then you have HEALTH. Thank God, it is His will for YOU to walk in divine health just as much as it is for your soul to be saved. In 3 John, verse 2, (a passage of scripture which is written to believers in Messiah Jesus) the Holy Bible says: "Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper AND BE IN HEALTH, even as your soul prospers." Psalm 103 gives us a powerful promise from God to any and ALL who may be suffering from disease: spiritual, physical, or mental. "Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities (or sins); who heals all your diseases." [Psalm 103:1-3] God’s nature never changes. The same healing nature of God that was revealed in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible is revealed in the New Testament. His nature is the same today as it was yesterday. In the Old Testament, God said, "For I am the LORD, I change not." In the New Testament we read, "Jesus, the Messiah, the same yesterday, and today, and forever." [Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8] Jesus displayed the healing nature of God, Jesus said, "He that has seen me has seen the Father." [John 14:9] Jesus never refused healing to anyone! Jesus’ nature is God’s nature. He never refused healing to anyone. Jesus is God! "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel [good news] of the kingdom, and healing every disease among the people." [Matthew 9:35] Jesus came to earth to heal - to restore to health: spiritually, physically, and mentally. He came to "buy" back what Adam, the first man who ever lived, lost. In the Garden of Eden, Adam sinned against God by disobeying him. God had commanded Adam: "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day you shall eat of it you shall surely die." [Genesis 2:16-17] Satan, the devil, lied to Eve, Adam’s wife, saying, "You shall not surely die." But Eve, like many people today, did not realize that REAL death is "spiritual.” Physical death (when your body dies) is merely a result of "spiritual" death. To be spiritually dead does not mean you do not exist; it simply means you exist, but that you are SEPARATED from God: "joined" to Satan! From one act of disobedience by Adam, sin entered into the world, so that spiritual death passed through the bloodline to ALL men … resulting in physical death. "Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; so death passed upon ALL men, for all have sinned." [Romans 5:12] This "spiritual" death―SEPARATION FROM GOD―which produced physical sickness and disease, and the death of the body, HAD TO BE HEALED! This is why God sent his only Son, Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), to earth. "For as by one man’s [Adam's] disobedience many were made sinners, so by the OBEDIENCE of one [Messiah Yeshua] shall many be made righteous." [Romans 5:19] In Isaiah Chapter 53 we see just what Jesus did … why he came to earth! "Surely he has borne our sicknesses and diseases, and carried [away] our pains; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted.” [Verse 4] But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. [Verse 5] All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity [or, sin] of us all." [Verse 6] What Isaiah prophesied in the Old Testament was fulfilled 750 years later by the Messiah of Israel, Yeshua Ha Mashiach [Jesus the "Christ", or the "Anointed One"]. He bore our sicknesses and diseases. He carried away our pains. He was wounded and bruised for our sin; the LORD laid on him the sin of us all. And with his stripes we are healed. In some Bibles Isaiah 53:4 reads: "Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” However, the original Hebrew (the original language of the Hebrew Scriptures) for the words "grief" and "sorrow" is "choli" and "macob", respectively. "Choli" means "sickness and disease". "Macob" means "pain" (acute pain; intense suffering: mental or physical). To prove that Isaiah meant in this passage that healing would be included in Messiah’s work for us, we need only to consult the New Testament record of Jesus’ ministry in Matthew Chapter 8, verses 16-17: "When the evening was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils; and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed ALL that were sick. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, ‘Himself [Jesus the Messiah] took our infirmities, and bore our sicknesses’." Jesus fulfilled what Isaiah the prophet said 750 years before: He bore our sicknesses and diseases. He carried away our pains. With his stripes WE ARE HEALED. Jesus’ body and mind took punishment for us … his blood paid for our sins. His body was beaten, wounded and bruised (even before he was crucified) and then he was nailed to the wooden cross … FOR OUR HEALING: spiritual, physical, and mental! Oppression - both mental and physical - is included in Messiah’s work for us. Messiah was driven; he was abased and looked down upon. Isaiah 53:7 says, "He was oppressed and he was afflicted …" In Isaiah 53:4, where it reads, " … he carried our ‘pains’ …” the literal Hebrew meaning is "acute pain; intense suffering: MENTAL or PHYSICAL." What Jesus did FOR you, you don’t have to do! Messiah Jesus healed the separation between God and man through his work FOR US, and therefore ended Satan’s dominion over ALL who would trust in Him! "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might DESTROY the works of the devil." [1 Yochanan (John) 3:8] Jesus "carried" sickness, sin, disease, poverty, and oppression―the works of the devil (Satan)―FOR YOU. Now you don’t have to carry them any longer. They do NOT belong to the believer in Christ! WHAT JESUS DID FOR YOU YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO! Now that you know that healing is God's gift—and that healing belongs to YOU—reach up by faith and receive what you need from God. Just pray this prayer: “Father in Heaven, I need healing. I ask for you to heal me. I want healing and health for my body, my mind and my spirit. I invite your Son, Messiah Jesus, to take over my whole being. Please save me and heal me. Help me to live for you here on Earth, and take me to Heaven when I die. Amen!” Baruch haba b'Shem Adonai.Your friend, Prince Handley President / RegentUniversity of Excellence Podcast time: 12 minutes, 33 seconds. Copyright © Prince Handley 2019 _________________________ Rabbinical & Biblical Studies The Believers’ Intelligentsia Prince Handley Portal (1,000’s of FREE resources) Prince Handley Books NOTICE If you would like to partner with Prince Handley and help him do the exploits the LORD has assigned him, click the secure DONATE button you see below. God will reward you abundantly on earth … and in Heaven! DONATE A TAX DEDUCTIBLE RECEIPT WILL BE SENT TO YOU ___________________________

Chapter 6 of Isaiah highlights the glory of God as Isaiah saw Him -sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple,- -KJV-.--It was because of what he saw that the prophet Isaiah realized his own sinfulness, leaving him to cry out, -Woe is me-- He was a man of unclean lips and understood it when seeing the glory of God Most High.--What Isaiah learned is a lesson for all Christians as we approach God on His throne.

In scripture and in life, God does not speak to us of why things happen. Instead, God speaks about how things can be. God speaks to us not in explanations, but in promises! Promises that we can scarcely imagine or even fathom. What Isaiah announced to the people called Israel, God has revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ. We who were once far off, removed by our own exile, have been brought near by the blood of the lamb who was slain for the world.

What Isaiah had to say to Jerusalem in his day reverberates with meaning into our own time.  Where we may have the same circumstances and context we can learn from Isaiah and heed the prophet across time.  

What Isaiah is doing in this chapter is etching a picture of the future glory of the people of God, including people from all nations. There seem to be three main themes of Isa. 60, which summarize the three great movements of God throughout history...

THE HEALING AND MIRACLE PODCASTwith Prince Handley   PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND SPIRITUAL HEALING FOR YOU You can listen to this message NOW. Click the center of the pod circle at top left. Listen now  ... or download for later. or, REPLAY HERE >>> LISTEN NOW   If you have a friend who is sick in body or mind, or is demon-possessed, tell them about The Healing and Miracle Podcast. 24/7 release of Prince Handley blogs, teachings, and podcasts >>> STREAM Text:  "follow princehandley"  to 40404 (in USA) Or, Twitter: princehandley    PODCAST MISSION STATEMENT: My goal is to define the parameters in which you can be healed scripturally, and live in health ... and then you can help others do the same! -- Prince Handley If you have friends who need healing or a miracle, email them this teaching.  DESCRIPTION: 750 years before Messiah came to earth, the prophet Isaiah foretold that Yeshua would heal our sicknesses, diseases, pains, and sins. Yeshua fulfilled this prophecy and healing is available for YOU … today! PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND SPIRITUAL HEALING IS FOR YOU     In the last podcast we say that "spiritual" death - SEPARATION FROM G-D - which produced physical sickness and disease, and the death of the body, HAD TO BE HEALED! This is why G-d sent his only Son, Yeshua HaMashiach, to earth. "For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the OBEDIENCE of one [Yeshua] shall many be made righteous." (Romans 5:19) In Isaiah Chapter 53 we see just what Yeshua did … why he came to earth! "Surely he has borne our sicknesses and diseases, and carried [away] our pains; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. (Verse 4) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; AND WITH HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED. (Verse 5) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity [or, sin] of us all." (Verse 6) What Isaiah prophesied in the Old Testament was fulfilled 750 years later by the Messiah of Israel, Yeshua ha Meschiach [Jesus the "Christ", or the "Anointed One"]. He bore our sicknesses and diseases. He carried away our pains. He was wounded and bruised for our sin; the LORD laid on him the sin of us all. And with his stripes we are healed. In some Bibles Isaiah 53:4 reads: "Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows." However, the original Hebrew (the original language of the Old Testament) for the words "grief" and "sorrow" is "choli" and "macob", respectively. "Choli" means "sickness and disease". "Macob" means "pain" … acute pain; intense suffering: mental or physical. To prove that Isaiah meant in this passage that healing would be included in Messiah’s work for us, we need only to consult the Brit Chadasha (New Testament) record of Yeshua’s ministry in Mattiyahu (Matthew) Chapter 8, verses 16-17: "When the evening was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils; and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed ALL that were sick. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, ‘Himself [Jesus Christ] took our infirmities, and bore our sicknesses’." Jesus fulfilled what Isaiah the prophet said 750 years before: He bore our sicknesses and diseases. He carried away our pains. With his stripes WE ARE HEALED. Yeshua’s body and mind took punishment for us … his blood paid for our sins. His body was beaten, wounded, and bruised (even before he was crucified ) and then he was nailed to the wooden cross … FOR OUR HEALING: spiritual, physical, and mental! I’m going to pray for you right NOW … and Yeshua will heal YOU! P.S. - Let me know what the LORD has done for you at: PrinceHandley@gmail.com Podcast time:  4 minutes, 35 seconds (with music) Podcast size:  4.20 MB Copyright 2011 Prince Handley All rights reserved. ________________________________________ Real Miracles ResourcesPrince Handley BooksFree Bible & Rabbinical StudiesFAST READS24/7 Prince Handley Blogs, Podcasts & Teachings _________________________________________  Handley WORLD SERVICES Incorporated Box 1001 Bonsall, California 92003 USA NOTE: Scroll down for ALL previous podcasts  

Hope is not this-worldly optimism. In fact, from a purely natural perspective, pessimism is the right attitude. Hope is that supernatural virtue which orders our desire toward heaven and the things of heaven. What Isaiah talks about in our first reading is not an expectation that will be realized here below, but only in a transfigured world on high.

How Does Isaiah See What He Sees What is the When of What He Sees (Next Week) What is it that He Sees (Two Weeks) Isaiah Is Called To Believe What He Cannot See With His Physical Eyes and Proclaim It To A People Who Will Not Believe What Isaiah sees around him does not mirror what he is asked to proclaim

How Does Isaiah See What He Sees What is the When of What He Sees (Next Week) What is it that He Sees (Two Weeks) Isaiah Is Called To Believe What He Cannot See With His Physical Eyes and Proclaim It To A People Who Will Not Believe What Isaiah sees around him does not mirror what he is asked to proclaim

Lets turn to Isaiah 6. While youre finding that, remember I spoke about Rich Mullins? He is the Christian artist who wrote Our God is an Awesome God, Step by Step, Sing Your Praise to the Lord, and a number of other songs. Ten years ago, he passed away in an untimely death. A car accident took his life ten years ago. He was a man who took a vow of poverty and gave every penny-every dime-of every record, every concert, every royalty, to the poor. He lived on an Indian reservation, having a meager salary from a small church on a Navajo Indian reservation when he could have been a pretty wealthy man. He was a young man who really captured my attention early in the ministry. I not only bought his music, but I really enjoyed what he had to say. I thought by way of introduction this week, we would play a little clip of Rich Mullins. Those of you who have never seen what he looks like can see him and hear his heart a little bit as he talks about the glory of God. Lets play a little clip, and then well get into the Word. At the close of the service this morning, were going to see Rich Mullins video called The Other Side of the World about missions. Youre going to see the setting as a dump in Guatemala City. If youve gone on any of our church missions trips to Guatemala City, you will recognize that dump. Its a place where our church has ministered on a number of occasions. Shelley and Jason Raddenbach, from our church-we send there as missionaries-live near that area and have been to that dump many times. So when that video comes up, some of you will recognize that scene that he sings in as a backdrop. We talked about the glory of the Lord and what that is. Isaiah is going to encounter that in the sixth chapter of his book that bears his name. Isaiah receives a vision from God. This is not a dream. This is not some sort of something that happens only in his mind. This is something Isaiah experiences, and he is trying to communicate to us the reality of what he saw in Heaven. He sees the Lord and the Lord is on His thrown, and he says this train filled the temple. He talks about the angels flying overhead. He talks about what they were saying. He speaks of how their voices shook the room. Thats the angels now, not God-just the angels voices shook the room. Now the room was filled with smoke and incense. Hes trying to describe this heavenly scene as best he can. He sees God and hears his response. He says in Verse 5 (of Isaiah 6, page 680 of pew Bibles), Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined! The word ruined means to be cut off, to be destroyed. What Isaiah is saying here is he encounters God in all of His holiness. The first thing he reflects upon is his own impurity, his own sin, and he says, I should just die right now because Ive seen God. He says, …I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips… If your lips are unclean, if what comes out of your mouth is unclean, its because what is on the inside is unclean. Jesus says out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. What Isaiah is saying here is I am unclean. I am impure from the inside out. There is nothing about me that should stand in the presence of the Holy God. Then an angel does something very symbolic. He takes a coal from the fire with tongs, and he comes over and touches Isaiahs mouth. The angel says, Your sin has been atoned for. Youve been forgiven. That fire represented Gods purity and His ability to cleanse from sin. Then, the Word of God says God speaks. Isnt it interesting that before Isaiah hears Gods plan and purpose for his life, he first must deal with the sin issue? If there are unconfessed sins in your life, dont expect to hear from God. Dont expect to know His plan. You first deal with the sin issue. Then, I can hear and then God will speak. God says (Isaiah 6:8, page 681), Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? He doesnt specifically call Isaiah. He doesnt say, Isaiah, will you go? He simply puts the question out there, Who can I send? Who will be my mouthpiece? Who will go to my people and share my message? Isaiah responds by saying, Here am I. Send me! Was Isaiahs confidence in himself? Not at all. He just said, I should just die right now because I am impure. Isaiahs confidence was in God because if God was sending him, God would equip him. Because God had touched him, he knew he could carry out whatever God had called him to do. So he says, Here am I. Send me! Just a few moments earlier, Isaiah was saying, Im a clinker brick. Im scarred. Im flawed. I have defects. Thats [the topic of] our series: a clinker brick, a brick that is damaged and tossed aside, not fit for construction. Whats more miraculous than Isaiah saying, Here I am. Send me! is God saying to Isaiah, Go! God is saying, In spite of your impurity, in spite of your fallenness and your sinfulness, Isaiah, I will use you. God will use us if we are broken, if we are humble before Him. God will use us in all of our defects, all of our impurities for His glory and for His purposes. Thats our introduction this morning. I notice some of you are tuning out when I introduce the series. I did it the same week every week, so I thought I would introduce it a little differently this week. So weve looked at a different example of a clinker brick, a different example in church history of a clinker brick, and then we talk about how it applies to our lives. This morning were talking about whether we are Excuse Makers or Difference Makers in the Kingdom. Id like you to turn, if you would please, to Luke 14. Speaking of excuses, I dont think anybody hears more excuses than police officers do. Police officers pull you over for speeding or going through a light. Theyve heard pretty much every excuse in the book when they pull drivers over. I heard a story about an officer who pulled a guy over for speeding. It was the end of his shift, and he was in a pretty good mood. It was the last thing hed have to do for the night before he signed out. He pulled the guy over and said, Hey, listen. Tell me one I havent heard before, and Ill let you off the hook. The guy said, Well, officer, 20 years ago, a police officer took away my wife, stole my wife from me. I saw you in my rearview mirror with that siren, and I thought maybe you were bringing her back. Then the officer said, Well, have a good day, sir. He gave him his license back and left. We come up with excuses. Ive heard some duzies over the years as to why people have missed church, havent been in church for awhile, or stopped ministering. I wont say any of them because you might have said one to me, and I dont want to embarrass you. Right now, you guys are playing tape really fast and thinking of excuses you might have given. Excuses really are not so much lies as they are polite ways of not telling the truth. For instance, the Bears quarterback Rex Grossman loses to Green Bay. He speaks at the press conference, and he says, Yeah, I didnt prepare for the game. The game didnt mean anything. Its New Years Day, a lot of things going on. I should have planned; I should have been better. I wont do that next week. [He just gave] a bunch of excuses instead of getting up there and saying, The Packers played better. They played like a team on a mission. This could be Brett Favres last game, so those guys played like warriors, and we came out flat. They were a better team today. That was the truth, but thats not what he said. He gave excuses, right? Some of you cant believe your ears right now, but Im just speaking the truth. I remember a woman named Sandy Cane who was leading a church musical, a drama musical. She wanted a quote from me. I was just a young buck. I was in my early 20s, and I was thinking, Wow, somebody wants a quote from me. Somebody is actually going to get up in a drama and say, Pastor Jeff Williams says… Thats kind of cool. Then I promptly forgot about it until the day of the performance. She said, Remember I need that quote. I thought, Oh, yeah, the quote. Okay, now I have to write something down. I took out my pen and thought for a moment. I wrote down something profoundly stupid, something dumb like it had a youth theme to it. It was [something like], The youth of tomorrow or youth of today… It was something ignorant that was not in the slightest bit memorable. I handed it to her, and I said, Heres my quote. Hours later she came back. She said, Hey…yeah. Hey thanks for turning in that quote, but we did get a lot of quotes. The performance is going to go long, and we just dont have a lot of time, so were going to have to eliminate your quote. It was really good, and thanks for sharing that. I was thinking, Okay. I knew exactly what she was saying. Obviously my quote would have taken about three seconds to read. Why didnt she just come out and say, You know, you didnt put any thought into your quote. Your quote was very sub-par and not in the least bit memorable, so theres no reason to share it with anybody at any time-ever-in the history of the human race. But, she just did it in a nice way. Some of you, maybe in high school or more recently, somebody has asked you out on a date, and youve come up with a polite excuse as to why you cant go. We use excuses all the time. Were going to see some chart toppers right here in Luke 14. Were going to see some real excuse makers here. Jesus is staying at the home of a prominent Pharisee. The man is powerful; he is wealthy; and he has invited Jesus into his home as a guest. A lot of VIPs are there, and theyre not Jesus friends. Theyre watching Jesus with a skeptical eye. Theyre waiting for Him to slip up. Theyre waiting for a way to entrap Him with His words or His actions. They were talking about banquets and the Kingdom, and one of the men reclined at the table and gave this impromptu outburst. He said, Its going to be great! Were in the Kingdom of Heaven and partaking in the feast of God! Hes saying, Wont it be great at the end of the ages when we sit down in the messianic reign and share a meal with God? Jesus uses that outburst as a teaching moment and starts to talk about the Kingdom. We pick up the story in [Luke] 14:16 (page 1034 of pew Bibles), Jesus replied: A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. So these men and women had already received invitations. I dont throw many parties because I dont like the feeling of people calling and canceling at the last minute. Because of that, I only have one party a year, and thats for my staff-and they pretty much have to come. I know somebody is going to come. So he had already given out the RSVPs, regrets only. These are people who had already accepted the invitation and had put it down on their calendar to come to the banquet. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, Come, for everything is now ready. You said you were going to be there, so we bought food for you. Theres a spot on the table that has your name on the card. You committed to being there; youre expected to be there; we have prepared for you to be there; and Im sending out this notice, this invite that is like the courtesy phone call. This is like the reminder that says, Hey, remember, Friday night at 6 oclock. Be there! So the servant goes out and reminds people. Verse 18 says, But they all alike began to make excuses… Theyre not giving reasons, because sometimes there are valid reasons why we cant do something. Other times, there are excuses. Last Sunday, some of you came from far away and live on country roads where there was drifting. [And for others] it was dangerous and hazardous to drive, so you stayed home. That was a reason. Some of you who live two blocks away looked out the window and saw the cold and wind and said, Im going back to bed. That was an excuse. Thats an example between the two: reason vs. excuse. He comes out and says, Remember, we have that banquet today. Youre invited! He comes to the first guy in Verse 18 and says, Yeah, that banquet. I wanted to go to that, see, but I just bought this field, and I must go see it. Please send my regrets. I must go see it. Is it going somewhere? The field that you just bought, why do you need to see it now? Has it changed since you bought it? Does it look the same? Why the urgency? Why the rush to go see this field you bought? Cant you eat first and then go see the field? We dont know what the behind-the-scene story is here. Maybe the guy just gives bad banquets. Maybe there is just a bad cook. Brenda had a family member that would invite us over to eat, and it was awful! It was horrendous! She could not cook a lick, not even a frozen pizza. Twice, we went over there for frozen pizza. The first time she burned it to a crisp, and the second time she burned it to a crisp. I think we ended up eating it the second time. You had to hammer and chisel. It was like Jell-O that would not come off the spoon, no matter how many times you shook it. When Aunt Blanch would invite us over, it was like, Aw, gee, Aunt Blanch, I have to clip my nails. How many of you have ever given a flimsy excuse to somebody and thought, They have to see through that. Thats pretty weak. Usually theyre just right off the top of your head. Thats what I understand some of these to be. The second person, in Verse 19, says, I have just bought five yoke of oxen… Yeah, that banquet sounds like fun, but Im on my way to try them out, so can you send my regrets? So you bought the oxen, and now youre going to try them out? Isnt that like saying, Hey, I bought a car, and I cant come to your house to eat because I have to go give it a test drive? Isnt the time to give the test drive before you buy it? Isnt the time to try out the oxen before you made the purchase? And where are the oxen going? Why is there such a big hurry that you have to check out the oxen you bought right now? The third guy, in Verse 20, said, Boy, yeah, that banquet, thats really good. I know I committed to go to it, but I just got married. I cant come. He didnt mean this was his wedding day. He meant he was a newlywed. Youre going to be together for the rest of your lives-can you spare a meal to go to this guys place who was prepared for you? No. Even though were going to be together for the next 40, 50, 60 years, I dont have time to go to your banquet because I have to… This is the only guy who is half-way legitimate. Maybe, his wife had laid down the law, right? Maybe there were things he had to do around the house that day. This guy could be legit. The other two…not a chance. We laugh at these guys, but the truth is, we are these guys. The truth of the matter is: Theyre clinker bricks. Every excuse they gave had to do with themselves. [They were] putting something [first] in their lives that was more important than the commitment they made to a friend. They didnt think about his feelings. They didnt think about the expense he had gone through in buying that meal or preparing that meal. They didnt think about how disappointed he would be when they committed to come and didnt show up because their needs were more important. Thats us. Were clinker bricks too. You and I have all made excuses as to why we cant do what God has called us to do; go where Hes called us to go; give what Hes called us to give; say what Hes called us to say; share what Hes called us to share. Were clinker bricks. Im painting a picture right now. After the service this morning, Im going to come back over here, and Im going to paint this entire canvas black. Im not going to take the time to do it right now, but you can watch me [later]. As soon as we say Amen, Im heading over here. Im going to cover this entire canvas with black paint. This represents the darkness thats in our souls. This represents this clinker brickness-this new word weve coined-that is a part of all of us. Next week, at some point during the service, youre going [to be thinking], That transformed into something good, something beautiful. We promise you… Ill be kind of glad because Im tired of getting paint all over my hands and my clothes. Thats coming up next week. That reminds us of who we are. That reminds us of our sin nature, of our fallenness-were clinker bricks. The question we pose is this: Are you an excuse maker or are you a difference maker? A difference maker says, It doesnt matter what the obstacles are, were going to overcome it. Were going to get it done. As we form our team for our new building, we want to have people who are difference makers saying, Yeah, we have obstacles. We have work, but were going to get this thing done. No matter what endeavor you entertain, no matter what endeavor you join together to accomplish, you want people on that team who are going to say, Were going to get this done. Were going to meet challenges, and were going to overcome those challenges. We may not know how, but we know we will. You dont want a team of excuse makers. Excuse makers, as soon as they run into conflict or obstacles, quit. We cant do it. Why? Because of that. If that werent there, we could do it. But because thats there, we better stop. If everybody in the world were excuse makers, nothing would get done. The same thing is true in the church. If were excuse makers, things arent going to be done because as soon as they get difficult, were going to quit. Were not going to try to think outside the box, go outside of the lines. Were just going to say, Oh, we cant do it. The great commission. Now, look at the servant here. The servant is sent out, but he doesnt make excuses. This guy gets the job done. He comes back with the news, and the owner of the house is very angry. He says, Go out quickly into the streets and the alleys of the town. Bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame, folks like Rich Mullins was talking about in this clip earlier. He says, Sir, the servant said what you have ordered has been done. There is still more room. This guy didnt say, Well, what if they dont come? Look at the success weve had in the past. What makes us think its going to be any better? He doesnt do any of that. He does what he is told. He comes back and he says, There is more room. The master told his servant, Go out into the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet. Theologically speaking, Jesus is talking here, but the invitation was first given to the Jews. Many of them received, and many rejected. Jesus said then the message will be taken to all people, and all will be invited. It was a servants job to go out into the world and take that message, that invitation of the king, and say, You are invited. Friends, that servant is the church. You and I have been called by God to take this message of the Gospel to the world-no excuses. No excuses. Every generation has had its challenges in church history, in the Gospel, as far as carrying out the great commission. It seems like God always raises up some people who refuse to make excuses and say, Lets get the job done. I want to tell you this morning about a man by the name of William Carey. William Carey lived in the late 1700s, early 1800s. William Carey was born in England, and he was a shoe cobbler. While he would perform his vocation, he would learn. He was a multi-tasker, so he would learn languages [while he was working on shoes]. In fact, he became the master of many languages. God would use that when He would send William Carey to the country of India. In India, William would labor for seven years before he lead the first person to Christ. He would translate the Bible into 40 different languages and dialects. Can you imagine that? This man had a brilliant mind. He was also a clinker brick. He became so consumed with his ministry and translation and pastoring that he neglected his family. He had four small boys. What were told in church history is they were obnoxious, rude, had no manners, no structure, and no discipline at all. It was co-workers on the field in India who literally raised William Careys boys because he didnt do it. He was a clinker brick. He was a bad parent, but he was an incredible missionary. He is called the Founder of Modern Missions-a very important person in church history. There were a lot of excuses being told as to why we werent getting the job done around the world. People were saying things like you know, it costs a lot of money. Its very dangerous. You have to sail the oceans to get to some of these countries. When you get there, the indigenous people are often hostile not only to our message, but to us. Besides that, there are language barriers. Sometimes we dont speak their languages. They dont have the Bible in their language. Some climates are cold; some climates are hot. There are all these problems and difficulties we have to overcome, so its much easier to just not go. But William Carey was a difference maker and not an excuse maker. His response to the one who said, Well, they dont have a Bible in their language was Well, write one. If they talked about that climate being unsafe or that group of people being hostile, hed say, What about Paul? What about the groups he ministered to? What about the times he was in riot and shipwreck? Well, its expensive. Sometimes its cold and its hot… William Carey wrote a book. The book was entitled, in 1792, this catchy little title-easy to remember. It was called An Inquiry into the Obligations of Christians to use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens. Easy, thats what it was called. That was literally the title of the book. In the book he says something very poignant. He says, Listen, you Christian merchants out there who have money, how did you get that money? Some of you put your life at risk to cross treacherous seas. Some of you faced hostile people to mine for gold. Some of you went into unfamiliar climates in Africa, for instance, and faced heat to sell, to trade, and to buy into a choir. If youre going to go all around the globe and go to all different kinds of cultures and all different kinds of languages for the sake of a buck, how much more should we do it for the sake of a soul and the God who has called us to do it because Hes given us that command? He laid down His life for us. Whoa! Ive read the book. Its not a long read. He talks about the history of missions, how we go about missions. He talks in one chapter about charts, all the countries, all the people groups who havent heard, where the Gospel has been preached. Here are how many people who are not Christians? Then in Chapter 4, he blows out all the excuses. In Chapter 5, he talks about using their culture, their languages, to get the job done, just like as a church we believe and practice. He says, Use their culture. Use their language. Love them. Heres how you reach them for Christ. William Carey became the Father of Modern Missions. Ive been talking a lot about Pastor Sean Christensen lately. I said I hope our staff doesnt get jealous because Ive talked so much about him lately. Just to let our staff know, should you ever choose to go overseas full-time to a place like Haiti, Ill talk about you a lot too. Look at the things Pastor Sean has to do. Number one, look what he is giving up. Hes selling his home. He is leaving his job, his family, and his friends, and his country. Hes taking his four children and his wife, and he is going to a completely different culture-the voodoo capital of the world, Haiti. [This country is] the poorest of the poor. Then he has to face the challenge of raising the support; $5,400 a month is what he has to raise. Thats a lot of money. You say, Why does it cost $5,400 to live in Haiti? Its the poorest country in the world. You can live there for $2,000 a year. Right, you could if you wanted to live on a dirt floor with no air conditioning, no electricity, no plumbing, no running water, no car, all of that. Hes already giving up a lot. Lets not put him in that kind of a situation. Lets have him at least have electricity, plumbing, running water, a refrigerator, and a car for goodness sakes. So not only does he have the financial challenges, but he has to learn two languages: Creole and French. He has to learn them, not just to communicate the basics to function in society. He has to learn French well enough to teach local pastors the Bible. Thats going to be his job. Hes going to be teaching the Haitian pastors, so they can teach their congregation. Many of them could not go to school. What you could hear from Sean is a lot of excuses, couldnt you? I cant go… You could think of any one of those things, and you could run with it, but he is saying, Im going to get it done. With Gods help, the help from my family and friends, the church, were going to get this done. Hes at 10 percent, so he has 90 percent to go. Hes just starting out here. It puts some of our excuses to shame, doesnt it? He wants to make a difference in the world for Christ. Do you want to make a difference in the world for Christ? We are either-we talked about this a few weeks ago-the ones sent, or we are senders. We have to recognize this is our mission. Were going to watch a song [video clip] by Rich Mullins called The Other Side of the World as he sings in Guatemala City (lyrics can be read at http://www.kidbrothers.net/wohsoe.html#tosotw). Its a song you might not be as familiar with, but I want you to listen to the lyrics as he talks about it being an ominous job. There is so much to do, yet there is optimism in his voice. There is a can-do spirit behind his words. Lets listen to the song, The Other Side of the World. We as a church want to be difference makers in our world for Christ. We shared several weeks ago about World War II, how it was a very different war than the one we are facing now. We tend to just listen on the news, watch, or read articles, but unless we have somebody [we love] in the war, other than the price of gas for instance, our lives are not affected in a personal way. There is no sacrifice we are making unless we have somebody in the war. World War II was not like that. World War II was seen as everybodys war. The home front was just as important as the front line. The conservation, the sacrifice, the war bonds, Rosie the Riveter, woman going back to work-converting factories into places that made weapons, financing the war: that was vital to the success of what America was doing in Europe in fighting Hitler and the Nazis and imperious forces. We saw this as our battle. We couldnt have won it without the home front. In regards to missions, we have to see it as our fight. It is a fight; it is a battle, but its our battle. We have to say to Pastor Sean-more than just patting him on the back-Hey, good luck with that! Youre leaving everybody you love and going off to Haiti! Best of luck to you! We have to do more than that. Parents in our church, Jim and Lita Powers, their son went off to Thailand, left a prominent church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to go and minister to the orphans in Thailand. Now he is giving 100 percent of his time and energy to reach the people of Pakistan. Talk about dangerous missions. Talk about a land that needs the Gospel. He is there ministering. We have to do more with Todd Powers than say, Hey, good luck Todd! Our D.R. team: we have friends and some people in church we know, maybe even some family members, who are taking a week of their time this summer. Theyre leaving their jobs, leaving all of you, boarding on a plane and going off to an unknown country to minister and love people in the name of Christ. [They are] going to minister to lepers, orphans, and children. Theyre sharing the love of Christ to the people who are hurting. We have to do more than just say, Hey, good luck to you. We have to be behind them in our prayers, our giving, and any way we can use our talents and resources to make it happen. This team, as I met with them last week in our meeting, we dont know how were going to get everything we need. We dont know how were going to do everything we need to do, but its a journey of faith, and were not offering any excuses. Were saying, Were going to get it done, but we need your help to do that. Every two years, our church embarks on a major missions outreach. This year, its the Dominican Republic. Every two years, we take an offering to benefit missions. This is not giving to an agency. This is not giving to a nameless, faceless group or something where we put money into a pot and really dont know whats done with it. This offering will benefit Pastor Sean Christensen and his ministry to Haiti. It will benefit Todd Powers in Pakistan. It will benefit our church, the folks who are going to the Dominican Republic. Im going to ask our ushers to come forward at this time, and well receive that love offering for missions. If youre not ready or not prepared, just let us know if you want to bring something by on Monday or Tuesday. We just want to bless these people we know and love in a tangible way. This is not the be-all end-all, but it is part. It is a practical way we can participate in world missions. These dollars will send people you know and love to people you dont know. I hope even though you dont know them, you still love them and reach them for Christ.

Episode 04: Isaiah Taylor A positive mindset and confidence are crucial ingredients in the making of a successful entrepreneur. Whether you're just starting out or have been at it for a while, these will help you stay focused on your goals and keep you going when things get tough. Serial entrepreneur and creator Isaiah Taylor joins me in this episode to break down the lessons he learned in his inspiring journey as an entrepreneur. Isaiah and I talk about several different aspects of his life, including his interest in films and building a full-fledged business (thetayloredminds.com) out of it. He also talks about running a profitable credit business, the secrets behind his impeccable professionalism and how it makes him stand out from the many others in the industry, and the need to have a customer-first approach in your company. If you've ever wished to have an insider look into the life of an incredible businessperson, then this episode is for you! Do not forget to tune in! Shoutout to our Sponsor, Morgan and Co.: www.morganandcorealty.com How about you start your day with a powerful dose of encouragement and motivation to fuel your entrepreneurial spirit? Connect with me and my mentor, David Shands, and hundreds of inspiring entrepreneurs like yourself on The Morning Meetup -- every Monday to Friday at 8 am! About Isaiah!Isaiah Taylor is the CEO at Taylored Minds Consulting, a firm specialising in providing clients with the proper knowledge to leverage credit. Starting in 2014, he dreamed of becoming an artist, visionary and creator. He turned the idea into reality by founding his film and content creation business, The Taylored Minds. Connect with Isaiah!Website: www.tayloredmindsconsulting.comInstagram: @taylormademillions Connect with Me!Instagram: @drkwashington Time Stamps[00:00] A Sneak Peek into the episode[00:11] About the Turo car sharing marketplace[01:02] About our Sponsor, Morgan and CO[01:57] Meet Isaiah Taylor, serial entrepreneur and content creator[03:40] Isaiah shares how he discovered that films were his passion[04:50] Isaiah elaborates on his love to help people from a film perspective[06:48] How to keep your clients coming back to you for your services (and how Isaiah's business does it)[08:23] Isaiah talks about the importance of professionalism and why he nurtures that[10:07] Isaiah's childhood and why his brothers are his greatest inspiration[12:25] Isaiah's interest in sports, including his love for football and basketball[21:00] How to discern good energy[23:00] Why Isaiah believes mindset is everything[24:00] How to set aside your ego and be willing to learn any amount of knowledge from anyone[26:07] Why Isaiah believes knowledge is unending wealth. [26:42] How Isaiah balances his work and family, despite having multiple businesses to manage[28:39] The power of affirmations.[32:55] How to make money and create an impact in people with your work[34:22] What Isaiah teaches his clients with his credit business[39:00] About the Turo car sharing marketplace[42:25] The keys to leading a successful business like IsaiahAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy