Isaiah

Isaiah 29:11-32:20

“Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites with amazing wonders. The wisdom of the wise will pass away, and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.” Isaiah 29:14

A couple days ago I noticed that I hadn’t taken hardly any photos this summer. Those of you who have been following this blog for long know that this is so uncharacteristic for me!!! So today, instead of spending all my writing time inside at my desk staring at a wall, I hopped in the car and went for a drive through the country. It was poetry for my eyes! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 😉

“Soon it will not be very long – the forests of Lebanon will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops. In that day the deaf will hear words read from a book, and the blind will see through gloom and darkness. The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the LORD. The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 29:17-19

“Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say. ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:21

“Only in returning to Me and resting in Me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.” Isaiah 30:15

“So the LORD must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for His help.” Isaiah 30:18

“The breath of the LORD, like fire from a volcano, will set it ablaze.” Isaiah 30:33

“Until at last the Spirit is poured out on us from heaven. Then the wilderness will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops. Justice will rule in the wilderness and righteousness in the fertile field. And this righteousness will bring peace. Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in safety, quietly at home. They will be at rest. Even if the forest should be destroyed and the city torn down, the LORD will greatly bless His people. Wherever they plant see, bountiful crops will spring up. Their cattle and donkeys will graze freely.” Isaiah 32:15-20

* Out of the 140+ pictures I took today, those are the ones you get. 😉 It was a really great day. Thank you for your prayers this week my friends. They were greatly needed and dearly appreciated!!!!!

Isaiah 26:1-29:10

“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.” Isaiah 28:16

So yesterday we talked about the heavenly banquet and how Jesus is quite possibly the banquet since He refers to Himself as the bread from heaven. So today I want to talk more about this delicious banquet that serves bread.

Are you familiar with the law of first mention in the Bible? Basically it’s the idea that the first time the Holy Spirit mentions something in the Bible it’s a clue to its significance and meaning throughout the entire Bible. A quick Biblegateway.com search for “bread” pulls up Genesis 14:18,

“And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine.”

I about fell off my chair when I read that! Oh! Maybe I should share with you why! Check out John 6:51-55, only a few short verses from where we left off yesterday!

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I offer so the world may live, is my flesh.” Then the people began arguing with each other about what He meant. “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” they asked.

So Jesus again said, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.”

Did you catch that? The flesh of Jesus is true food and His blood is true drink. Now, if that grosses you out (and I can’t blame you there), then stick with me for Luke 22:14-20!

“When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table. Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before My suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”

He’s pointing to that “Delicious Banquet” mentioned in Isaiah that started our whole journey!

“Then He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.”

Another nod to our upcoming nuptial banquet in heaven!!!

“He took some BREAD [real, actual, physical bread] and gave thanks to God for it. Then He broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is My body, which is given for you. Do this to remember Me.”

After supper, He took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and His people – an agreement confirmed with My blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.”

Huh! Pretty cool right! He used both bread and wine to symbolize the breaking of His body and soul on the cross and the shedding of His blood for the forgiveness of our sins. These are the exact same two elements that Melchizedek presented to Abraham in that verse in Genesis that was the first mention of bread in the entire Bible.

You see, Jesus is the bread from heaven because His body was broken on the cross for us – for the forgiveness of many. That one act of ultimate obedience and faith paid the price for each and every one of us to attend that priceless Heavenly Banquet. And when we build our lives on the firm foundation of the cornerstone of the cross of Christ then we who believe will never be shaken because that cornerstone has been tested and found firm. It has overcome this world and because of that one Truth we can take heart and know that we too can overcome it as well.

Stand firm dear one; you are amazingly loved by the King of kings and the Lord of lords. You have been redeemed by the Prince of Peace who is from the order of Melchizedek. Who gave up His body and lifeblood for YOU so that you could be free from the sin that so easily entangles and hinders us in this rat race of life. Throw it all off, and run to the Cornerstone – the firm foundation upon which to build your life so that you can say:

“Our city is strong! We are surrounded by the walls of God’s salvation. Open the gates to all who are righteous; allow the faithful to enter. You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.” – Isaiah 26:1-4

He is faithful and good my friend.

He will NEVER forsake you.

Isaiah 22:1-25:12

“You are a tower of refuge to the poor, O LORD, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat. For the oppressive acts of ruthless people are like a storm beating against a wall, or like the relentless heat of the desert. But you silence the roar of foreign nations. As the shade of a cloud cools relentless heat, so the boastful songs of ruthless people are stilled. In Jerusalem, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will spread a wonderful feast for all the people of the world. It will be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat. There He will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever!” Isaiah 25:4-8

There is SO MUCH in this passage that I would love to dwell on all day! But I have to point out the thing that grabbed my attention enough to make me scramble to collect my reading materials and dash back inside to my computer. The delicious banquet.

You see, as I was hand writing the verse from above I had a revelation. The banquet isn’t a physical meal. Well, at least, it’s not only a meal – let’s put it that way. (Because I really love food and I’m seriously looking forward to heavenly meals.) As I wrote the word banquet my mind was immediately transported to Jesus in the gospel of John. He had just turned five loaves and two fishes into a meal that fed five thousand men and ALL their (uncounted) wives and children. The next day He’s across the lake when these same men come to find Him in order that He might feed them again. And it’s Jesus’ response that I fast forwarded to with the mention of our upcoming heavenly banquet:

“I tell you the truth, you want to be with Me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given Me the seal of His approval.” They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in You. What can you do?…”

Now keep in mind folks, these are the SAME people who ate multiplied bread and fish just the day before!

“… What can you do? After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now He offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

“Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.” – John 6:26-27, 30-35

Jesus is our daily bread. He is the very thing that sustains us through the daily grind of life.

To Be Continued tomorrow……

Isaiah 12:1-16:7

“I, the LORD, have dedicated these soldiers for this task. Yes, I have called mighty warriors to express My anger love, and they will rejoice when I am exalted.” Isaiah 13:3

I don’t normally change the verse of the day at the top of the page, but today I just had to. Things have changed so much since the day this was first written and I wanted to make that the forefront of today’s message.

Most of Isaiah has been messages of God’s impending wrath, either toward an enemy of Israel, or towards the adulterous Israel herself. In fact, much of the Old Testament is detailing the wrath of God toward humanity in one form or another. It’s no wonder people think that God’s mad at them, He was! Key word… was.

God hates sin. Period. That has never changed. He hates how it separates us from Him. He hates what it does to us, and to our souls. God hates what sin does to our relationships. But He LOVES YOU! You see, in John 3:16 God lets us know that He loves you so much that He sent His only Son Jesus to die so that if you would believe in His name (Jesus) you would be given eternal life in heaven with Him. God gave Jesus to us as a gift to be received by faith that God put Him forward as a payment for our sins so that we could be justified from those sins and make it as if we had never committed them in the first place. (Romans 3:23-25) That way, we would feel free to come to God and talk to Him just like we talk to our best friend.

Those of us that have accepted the position of Child of God (1 John 3:1) have also been dedicated as soldiers of God – mighty warriors to express His endless love for you. There is no more banishment from the Garden of Relationship with God (Genesis 3:22-24/John 6:37), only open doors and welcoming arms, beckoning you to sprint through the curtain to His lap today. His love for you is like a river, always flowing and never ending; allow it to flow over you and cleanse away the hurt and betrayal you feel from the wounds of this world and it’s pain.

Jesus loves you. Soak in that today. Jesus loves you. Sprinkle it on your head. Jesus loves you. Splash it on your face. Jesus loves you. Wear it in your smile. Jesus loves you. Drink it into your heart. Jesus loves ME.

Isaiah 3:16-7:25

“Then I heard the LORD asking, ‘Whom shall I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?’ I said, ‘Here I am, send me.’ Isaiah 6:8

It starts back at the beginning of chapter six, in the year that king Uzziah died – 740 BC. Isaiah saw the LORD. Now it doesn’t mention anywhere how he got there, but he is IN the throne-room of Heaven. He describes everything he sees from the “lofty throne” to the “mighty seraphim”. The moment Isaiah realizes where he is and what he’s seeing he expects death – the consequence of seeing God in person, pre-crucifixion of Christ. In an answer to his fears God alleviates them by sending an angel over to anoint Isaiah’s lips with a hot coal and tells him, “See this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” (Isaiah 6:7)

As soon as Isaiah receives that forgiveness of his guilt and sins God says, “Whom shall I send?” And right there is something too powerful for me to pass up. There is an empowerment in the acceptance and receiving of the forgiveness of your sins. There’s a verse in John where Jesus says, “apart from Me you can do nothing.” (15:5) Now if that verse is True, and it’s in the Bible so it IS True. Then the opposite is also True. When we are a part of Jesus we can do EVERYTHING! According to Philippians 4:13, you “can do all things through [Christ] who gives [you] strength.”

Isaiah 5:18 says, “What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies.” What an image!!! God has so much sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies! He aches for those who haven’t received the forgiveness of those sins through His Son Jesus. He weeps at the blood that is shed by those people whose ropes made of lies have torn and cut their flesh as those rock-heavy sins weigh them down because they haven’t given them to Jesus.

And what is the lie that creates that rope most often; the lie that you’re not worthy to approach the throne of Heaven. I know of a blood-stained cross with holes where nails pierced hands and feet that says otherwise. Jesus believed in your worth enough to die for your ticket into that throne room, who are we to refuse? My dear one, you have been invited to sit, not just in the throne room, but ON the Father’s lap as His Beloved Child. And all you have to do is lay down the sins that so easily entangle and run into His waiting open arms and allow Him to enfold your broken soul in to His presence.

Romans 10:9-10 says that if “you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.” If you believe in your heart, then speak it with your mouth and you will be saved. It doesn’t need to be wordy, it’s not complicated, you need only speak His name, “Jesus, my Lord.” Or you could say, “I believe in Jesus.” See, not complicated or hard. Simple. As simple can be.

But POWERFUL indeed!!!!

Isaiah 1:1-3:15

“Come descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD!” Isaiah 2:5

I was a dirty little ragamuffin of a girl; in a white sack dress that was all torn at the bottom, frayed and a filthy mess. I had mud clear up to my banged-up knees and up to my shoulders on my scarred arms. My shoeless feet pounded the golden floor and my mass of unkempt hair flew behind me. Tears streaked through dirty cheeks as I burst through the elaborate doors of the most pristine palace of gold. Rows of guards in pressed white robes gawked as I entered to behold a HUGE… HUGE! golden throne upon which sat the One I had come to see. I flung myself through the throne room, not caring who saw me or what they were there for. With my last ounce of strength I threw my sobbing mess at the foot of the throne.

From the moment I entered the throne room Father God’s eyes were locked on my helpless frame. He froze mid conversation and held up His hand for silence. His daughter, His Beloved, His Dear One was in the room and CRYING. All business stood still. All eternal dealings, all important things – planets spinning, stars dying, it would all just have to wait. He scooped my heaving form from the floor at His feet and set me upon His lap with His gentle arm around my shaking shoulders. He flicked His hand and everyone left the room.

Alone with my Papa, He thumbed the tears from my eyes and combed the hair from my face. Kissing my forehead He erased the dirt from my skin. Looking into my eyes He vanquished all the wounds.

My hero.

The One I came to see.

He sat there stroking my hair as we talked, all the while never diverting His eyes from mine. With His attention directed only my way the fears ceased their endless ranting in my ears and the doubts fled from the room entirely; leaving only hope. Hope in His love for me. A love so strong, that nothing in all of creation could separate me from it. “There aint no mountain high enough, aint no valley low enough to keep Me from you!”

My friends, we are all, each and every one of us, Daddy’s little girl. We are the one that He adores and would do anything in His power for. He cherishes us like none other. YOU are precious to Him. YOU are a prized daughter in the King of kings’ house! When YOU enter the throne room everything stops. When Esther entered the throne room she entered with a fear of death because she wasn’t allowed in there unless invited.

On the price of the blood of Jesus WE can enter the throne room with ZERO fear!!! My friend, your presence has been REQUESTED!