September 9, 2022
UPSIDE-DOWN MORALITY–THE SIGN OF IMPENDING WOE The Lord declared impending judgment on Judah through the prophet Isaiah for their rejection of His law and the confounding of His Word. “What sorrow.” He said. Or as in other translations, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” For their thinking had become so warped
September 8, 2022
BRING YOUR SINS TO THE LORD Isaiah begins his prophecy with a terrifying appraisal of Israel’s sin. Yet before he even finishes the first chapter, he offers this hope of forgiveness and covering from the Lord. For the Lord invites us to come to Him and “settle” our sin problem. Though our sins are deeply
May 19, 2022 | Isaiah 6:1-8 |
The lyrics to this hymn were written by British pastor and poet, Reginald Weber. Weber was born in Cheshire, England, in 1783. He was a “preacher’s kid,” and later succeeded his father in the church his father once pastored. He later felt God’s calling to the mission field and in 1822, at the age of 40, he was appointed to oversee the Church of England’s ministries in India. While in the village of Trichinopoly on April 3, 1826, he preached to a large crowd in the hot sun, and after trying to cool off in a pool, suffered a stroke and died.
It was later that same year after his death, that his widow found 57 hymns he had written among his belongings that had never been published. Among them was “Holy, Holy, Holy,” which she had published along with her husband’s other hymns.
In Isaiah chapter six, the Lord gave the prophet a revelation of His holiness. We can understand what it means that God is holy.
October 1, 2021
WE NEED NEW CLOTHES This is the problem with the idea that we can live a good enough life to please God and earn entrance into heaven–– “our righteous acts are like a polluted garment.” We make the mistake of comparing ourselves to those around us and concluding that we are as good as the
September 27, 2021
CHRIST’S CRUCIFIXION PROPHESIED CENTURIES BEFORE Seven hundred years before Christ Jesus, the Lord gave the prophet Isaiah a description of His coming. There are two types of Messianic prophecies revealed in the Old Testament. Both are seen in Isaiah. The first is the Messiah as conquering king, who will rule the nations from the throne
September 26, 2021
CHRIST’S LOVE FOR US IS STILL INSCRIBED ON HIS HANDS When Israel accused the Lord of forsaking them, He replied saying that He could never forget them. He compared Himself to a mother, saying, “Can a woman forget her nursing child?” Then, He said that He had “engraved” them on His hands. The word “engraved”
September 22, 2021
DO YOU KNOW HOW TO RENEW YOUR STRENGTH? Do you feel weak and worn out? The Lord gave an answer through the prophet Isaiah saying, “Wait on the Lord.” There is a fatigue that afflicts both young and old. Days off and vacations seem to have no effect on this deep fatigue. Recreation and entertainment
September 15, 2021
A HIGHWAY OF BLESSING The Lord spoke through Isaiah concerning a day when the rivalry between Egypt and Assyria would end, and Israel would no longer be the battleground between them. This must have been an astounding prophecy for that time. For Egypt and Assyria had been sworn enemies and Israel suffered between them in
September 10, 2021
IMMANUEL–GOD WITH US Isaiah gave King Ahaz of Judah this sign from God to show that within only a few years, the kingdoms of Israel and Syria would be gone. Yet, this prophetic sign had a double fulfillment. It’s present-day fulfillment was for Ahaz, but it’s future fulfillment was for the entire human race. For
December 6, 2020 | Isaiah 9:1-2,6-7 |
Understanding the true meaning of Christmas begins by understanding and admitting the darkness of our world. Not the darkness of winter’s short days, but the darkness of ignorance and evil, suffering and pain, fear and anxiety, dark despair and gloomy grief. These and more describe what the Bible means by “darkness.”
It’s not enough to recognize the darkness in our world, nor is it enough to think you can brighten it through your own good intentions and efforts. In fact, this is the very reality that the Light of Christmas reveals: That we not only live in a dark world, but we have a darkness in our souls that cannot be enlightened without a Light from outside ourselves, a Great Light that could overcome our soul’s darkness. In Isaiah 9, he encouraged the people of Israel with a Messianic prophecy of a Son who was to be born as a great light that would overcome the world’s darkness. We can believe that the great Light that overcomes the world’s darkness has come in the person of Jesus.