Full Title: "He Sits Enthroned Above The Earth" (Isaiah 40:21-24)
The Bible (which is a collection of numerous historical accounts, documentations, experiences, warnings, and interactions between God and man) records human nature through the Israelites and what happened to them when they defected away from God. They became wicked, foolish, and were like silly children. Today, it's easy to point the finger at them and say "look at what they did", but we, as a human race are doing the exact same things, (though perhaps in a few different ways) and yielding similar results. The reality in light of this world, human nature, and where things are headed is that God has the answer and the antidote to what ails this world. Why? Because His principles are forever principles, and lasts forever. Isaiah compared humanity to grass, flowers (which wilt and die), dirt, and now insects (grasshoppers). God wants us to walk in His truth because He wants us with Him in eternity. Today, just like in Isaiah's day, He wants us to realize who and what we are in His sight, evaluate our sin, and see the impact today.
It is when we hit rock bottom, and realize that we are nothing, we realize our perspective on God and on ourselves. In light of that, Isaiah showed the Israelites the mistakes of their grandparents, and how those behaviors were provoking God to put an end to their corruption in system, religion, spirit, and soul. Back then the Israelites had turned to idol worship which is spiritual idolatry. Today, we have idols though they may not necessarily be made of wood, metal, or some other material. When your devotion to a THING supersedes your devotion to God, THAT is your idol. Since the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, we need spiritual renewal, as it will provide us with the strength and wherewithal to get through life and whatever else it throws at us. We need to meet God on His terms, and He wants us to be strong, be able to stand, and be able to get through whatever comes against us.
We have been learning how God has been dealing with His chosen people in Isaiah's time. We are God's chosen people today, and He deals with us in a similar way. When God deals with us, God is trying to develop our perspective on Him and on what's right and wrong in His eyes. Moreover, God is also trying to give us our perspective. In these verses, Isaiah reiterates the creation account (Genesis ch. 1) to address a people who forgot God, and whose perspective needs to be recalibrated and kept. God wants us to remember Him and keep the right perspective of Him, because in doing so, we will have the strength and internal renewal needed to live on this earth, and live in favor with God.
The Israelites entered an era where their faith was not real, and God noticed. God instructed them not to accept the worship of the pagan nations around them, but they did. God instructed them to remember Him, but they forgot Him. Calamity struck them by way of the Assyrians. What can we learn from that today? The Lord takes care of us as He does a shepherd. If we run away, bad stuff happens. If a shepherd had a lamb that ran away too much, he would have to break its leg to keep it staying close to him and for its own good. At what extent do people need to learn this very thing? Pastor Troy Billow explains.
In Isaiah 40:6-8, God tells Isaiah that all people are like grass. Grass withers, but God's Word lives forever. What does that mean? A long life on this earth is nothing in the economy of God's measure of time. So how are we managing our time? The children of Israel were living life going their own way and going through religious rituals and motions, but not sincerely loving God.The outcome of that led to judgment, invasion by the Assyrians, and exile. In Deuteronomy 8, God told the people of Israel centuries before what would happen if they forgot Him, and what was said became their reality. This is why renewal is so important today. Spiritual renewal begins with not forsaking the Lord, reading His Word, and applying it in our lives. The genuine sincerity in doing that will in turn bring revitalization, not only to your soul and spirit, but also to your environment.
In Isaiah's time, when the Assyrians took over the northern Kingdom of Israel, they would take captives to Assyria and would have to make their way back home upon release. They would have to navigate their way, find food, and tread through the mountains and valleys, and it was not guaranteed that they could make their way back successfully. When Jesus came to be baptized by John the Baptist 700 years later, John the Baptist was reiterating the words from Isaiah 40:3-5. In so doing John the Baptist was calling for sincerity and for people to repent. God is looking for a sincere heart. He hates fake worship. So how does one maintain a repentant heart? In this message, Pastor Troy will explain how.
What is a "revival"? Revival begins where a repentant heart is pulled out from having a selfish, hard heart. In ancient times, just like today, people are "stiff-necked", meaning that they are hard hearted, rebellious, and do not care about turning back...unless the Holy Spirit does the work. But sometimes we have to experience misery and harsh adversity before we come to the realization that at some point we in our hardened state, come to an end to ourselves. God cares more about our character than He cares about your superficiality, selfishness, and comfort. In misery, God gets your attention. Misery causes us to "look up". And as Pastor Troy mentions in this message, "you can walk 10.000 steps away from the Lord, but it takes one step to come back." Revitalization is a want to live in God's presence, and in this message, Pastor Troy Billow will explain what that all means.
LFCC's own Bible Teacher Rob Case speaks this week on the controversial, theologically thick and heavy topic of the rapture of the Church. This topic is one that is completely supernatural in nature, and it is to precede the coming Day of the Lord, which is in turn linked to the judgments and prophecies addressed by prophets such as Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and many others. How does the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit play such a vital role in understanding the background dynamics at work behind such a concept? Find out this and much more as Rob Case explains "This Business Called The Rapture".
When you look around you, you see that the world is broken by sin and death. Everywhere you look there are bad things happening, damage being done by people, turmoil everywhere, and every time you turn on the news, it is always LOADED with bad news. With Christ, God brought good news in a world filled with bad news. The purpose of Jesus is to bring love, purpose, and meaning to life, bringing joy to a person's life. Jesus is also the only source to being redeemed to God through him. The name Jesus means "God is salvation". God brings salvation, and it is by the many eyewitness accounts who were there (this is a historical account) that we have this event to celebrate, as the mission God had in mind was all for you, in grace and in mercy, to being something new and something that would generate life, joy, and peace, in a world sick and afflicted with bad news.
What's in a name? Every name has a meaning behind it. When the Angel appeared before Mary, and shared with her the role God had in store for her, he said that she was to give her child the name "Jesus". The name Jesus means salvation. Even Jesus changed the name of Simon to Peter. Why is that? Because he wanted to change Peter's purpose. In this message, Pastor Troy Billow shares the significance of the name Jesus, and also shares what his name means as well.