Listening to the Word

Isaiah 22-24; Hebrews 12   “The defenses of Judah are stripped away. And you looked in that day to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest; You saw that the City of David had many breaches in its defenses; you stored up water in the Lower Pool…but you did not look to the One who made it or have regard for the One who planned it long ago.” Isaiah 22:8, 9, 11 Hezekiah’s tunnel can be viewed today (and walked through) as the watercourse built to deliver the city of David from Assyrian siege. This engineering marvel is beyond the understanding of engineers today. However, Isaiah rebuked the leaders of Jerusalem for looking to their fortifications and engineering skills rather than to the Lord.   When God allows significant disasters in our day, do we trust in our engineers, scientists, and wealth to deliver us, or do we humble ourselves before the One? Do we view God as someone to be worshipped on Sunday but not as the Lord of heaven and earth? Will we trust in the Lord’s plan or ...

Isaiah 19-21; Hebrews 11   “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 One of the clearest evidences that we have faith in our lives is found as we earnestly seek God. We seek God without evidence that our prayers are being answered. We earnestly seek God, not casually inquire of him. The rewards for earnestly seeking God are found in the awareness of the Holy Spirit’s intercession through us. We find the joy of the Lord in sharing his prayer-burdens with us, not just in his receiving our prayer-burdens. The rewards for being a friend of God are eternal. Friends of God seek his face because they value the relationship and time together, not just his answers to their prayers. “Lord Jesus, you are my first love and I will seek you, for your glory.”

Isaiah 15-18; Hebrews 10   “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God…It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:26, 27, 31 The warning against deliberate sin by those who know the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit is clear. If we think that our ministry impact, or family heritage, or donations give us a pass with God to continue in willful sin, we are deceived. The Lord cannot bless rebellion, sin, or pride of any kind. It is healthy to live with the fear of the Lord - a fear that keeps us from sinning and focuses us on a life of worship and loving surrender to the Lord. While it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, those same hands were pierced with nails on a cross out of sacrificial love for us. God’s hands are stretched out to us today ...

Isaiah 11-14; Hebrews 9   “’Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.’” Isaiah 12:2, 3 “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” Hebrews 9:14 Salvation is found in a Person, not a formula, set of rituals, or religious observances. Jesus Christ became the sacrifice for our sin, and it is his blood which cleanses our conscience so that we may serve the living God. Those who have experienced this salvation and new life in Christ have joy and a song in their hearts. They are free on the inside from the chains of sin. They know the strength of the Lord’s presence within. They live with faith and trust in the Lord rather than with fear. Many church attenders and religious peop...

Isaiah 8-10; Hebrews 8   “The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said: ‘Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy…he is the one you are to dread.’” Isaiah 8:11-13 Fear is a powerful force when it grips the minds of a society. Fear causes irrational behavior through sudden changes that can paralyze decision-making. Conspiracy theories grow in this kind of environment. People seek to cast blame and find control over their narrative. God’s word through Isaiah in a time of national crisis was ‘don’t fear the invading forces of the Assyrians, rather, fear the Lord Almighty!’   What would his word to us be today? In times of crisis, those who know God humble themselves before him and seek his face. We grow through our dependence on the Lord, not on conspiracy. “Lord Jesus, I fix my eyes on y...

Micah 5-7; Hebrews 7   “With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?...Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:6-8 It’s in our human nature to bargain with God. e.g. ‘If I do this, then I expect you to do that. If I sacrifice to you or for you, then I expect your protection, good health, and a hand on my children.’ When we become aware of our sin, we might still think bargaining with God is our best approach. If I really sacrifice a lot (e.g. my firstborn), then he should forgive me. But God’s requirements of us go deeper. He is asking for the surrender of our will and the offer of our whole lives to him. God is asking for actions that are just and merciful toward others, as we ...