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Isaiah 56:6-7 A House of Prayer

In Matther 21 we read the account of Jesus turning over the tables of the money-changers in the temple, exclaiming:

And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” (Matthew 21:13)

The verse Jesus quoted came from our reading in Isaiah today:

“Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants— Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant— Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:6-7)

In the account in Matthew, Jesus was indignant (and rightly so) that the religious leaders were using their ‘requirement’ that the Temple Tax be paid using temple currency, and they were fleecing the common people in the process.

Yet when we look at that reference in context, we see a wider purpose of the house of God than only prayer - in that God’s house is a house of prayer for ALL people! 

It doesn’t matter what your nationality, your social status, or even what gods you might have served before - the Living God wants to open His house of prayer to you.

Check out the promises that God declares here:

“the sons of the foreigner...” - in other words, anyone! (John 3:16)

“who join themselves” - whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13)

“who holds fast my covenant...” - The covenant we have today is the ‘new covenant’ in Jesus Christ (Luke 22:20)

“I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house…” - The result of being in Christ is inclusion in the family of God (Ephesians 2:19) and joy (John 15:11)

"Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted…” - Jesus is our acceptable offering to God for our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21)

And the great beauty is that we don’t have to go to a temple, we can enter into God's house of prayer whenever and wherever we are - because Christ lives in us through His Holy Spirit, we ARE the temple of the Living God!

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? (1 Corinthians 6:19)

We can change the world, one life at a time...

Pastor Clay

Isaiah 55:1-2 - Come to the Waters

One of the songs we regularly sing at our church is Passion’s “Come to the Water”- this song is based on Isaiah 55:1-2:

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. (Isaiah 55:1-2)

To me this is one of the most inviting scriptures in the bible, where God is shouting out to the world, “Come to me and be filled!"

Consider the invitation that God is sending...

“Everyone who thirsts” - The message is to everyone, but specifically to those who thirst. Thirst for what? The things of God.

“You who have no money, come, buy, and eat…without price” - It doesn’t matter what your economic status, the things God will give us don’t come at a price. God will freely quench the spiritual thirst and satisfy the spiritual hunger of those who come to Him.

"Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?” - This is powerful and relevant statement. Consider for a moment all of the wealth that is spent on material things; cars, clothes, vacations, entertainment, and while these things can be fun and exciting, in the end they will not satisfy the hunger of the human soul. 

God implores us to listen carefully, pay attention, and eat what is good! Feast at the table of Almighty God, drink in the Living Water of His Son, Christ, and our soul will delight in the abundance that is ours!

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.” (1 Peter 1:3-4)

Pastor Clay

Isaiah 53 - In Honor of My Savior

In honor of my savior, who died for me… Isaiah 53:

1 Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed His powerful arm?
2 My Servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.
3 He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
4 Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins!
5 But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all.
7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet He never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, He did not open His mouth.
8 Unjustly condemned, He was led away. No one cared that He died without descendants, that His life was cut short in midstream. But He was struck down for the rebellion of my people.
9 He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But He was buried like a criminal; He was put in a rich man’s grave.
10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush Him and cause Him grief. Yet when His life is made an offering for sin, He will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in His hands.
11 When He sees all that is accomplished by His anguish, He will be satisfied. And because of His experience, my righteous Servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for He will bear all their sins.
12 I will give Him the honors of a victorious soldier, because He exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.
 (NLT)

Isaiah 52:7 - The Beautiful Bearer of Good News

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7)

Everyone loves good news: “The baby came, and she’s beautiful!” “We’re getting married!”

Goods new can be especially good when it involves the avoidance of something negative… “Your tests came back, and the tumor was benign.” “I’m only going to give you a warning ticket."

And something is always special about the bearer of good news. Suddenly that person is our new best friend!

If you think about it, we as Christians bear the best news ever: Jesus died for our sins, and we can be assured victory in this life, and a place in Heaven, if we trust in Him! 

And the bearer of this good news is truly someone special, because that person has brought news that changed the life of the recipient forever!

Christian, it's a beautiful thing to partner with God to bring salvation to another human being, to bring glad tidings of good things, to proclaim salvation.

The stakes couldn’t be higher - you’re saving them from eternity in hell.

The blessings couldn’t be bigger - you’re offering them eternity in heaven.

Consider that this week as you pray for the person you’re going to invite to Easter Service!

“We can change the world, one life at a time..."

Pastor Clay

Isaiah 51:6 - Look to the Heavens

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, the earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished. (Isaiah 51:6)

Perhaps one of the most beautiful sites in the entire universe is the site of earth from space. Our planet stands out like a blue beacon of paradise amongst the darkness of space. 

But according to the bible, the earth will not exist forever. 2 Peter describes the future of earth...

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10) 

So do we mourn the eventual loss of our planet? Hardly, since 2 Peter also tells us that God is going to create a new heaven, and a new earth:

Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13)

Nestled between these two verses, the bible explains what we can be doing in the meantime...

Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God...  (2 Peter 3:11-12)

Because when the Lord Jesus returns, as noted in Isaiah 51:6, salvation will be forever! So Christian, look to the heavens for tomorrow, but live your life today in such a way that will declare your faith to the world around you. 

And this Sunday, you have a premier opportunity to make a difference in someone’s eternal life - by inviting them to Easter service. 

I will lift up my eyes to the hills — From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)

Pastor Clay

Isaiah Chapter 50 - Don’t Sell Yourself Out

Thus says the Lord: “Where is the certificate of your mother’s divorce, whom I have put away? Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you? For your iniquities you have sold yourselves...” (Isaiah 50:1)

When Israel was going through the Lord’s correction for their idolatry, some people thought “God has forsaken us…”  

Even today, it’s not uncommon for someone who’s wandered from the Lord to have the same thoughts - “Because of my sin, God has abandoned me…"

But in Isaiah chapter 50, God reveals something about His character: He NEVER abandons His people, be they the Israelites of Isaiah’s day, or the Christian today. 

No, the reality was that Israel had sold themselves into slavery by choosing to live in sin:  "For your iniquities you have sold yourselves…” 

Christian, the same principle applies today. When a Christian chooses to live in opposition to God and His word, there will be negative consequences. Sin always brings three predictable consequences:

• Sin Divides - Sin divides us from the assembly of believers, divides us from those we love, and it divides us from God. 
• Sin Enslaves - Sin seems like freedom at first, but eventually we find we’re enslaved to the sin, trapped in a downward spiral.
• Sin Destroys - Sin destroys everything it touches; relationships, careers, joy, peace, and finally lives.

Christian, God never abandons those who are His! He’s always there, available for us to return to when we’ve strayed. Even if we’ve sold ourselves out to sin, God is always ready to pay off the loan, to redeem us. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, He has provided the eternal atonement for sin.

What a great truth leading into Easter Sunday - This Sunday all over the world Christians will be celebrating the fact that through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have been set free from the curse of sin! 

I think it's a message that everyone should hear - don't you?

Pastor Clay

Isaiah Chapter 49 - For I will contend with him who contends with you

But thus says the Lord: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible be delivered; For I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children. I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. All flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” (Isaiah 49:25-26)

Relations between US and Israeli leaders have plunged to an all-time low this week. After speaking to a joint session of Congress, against the wishes of the President Obama, followed by election meddling in the Israeli elections by members of the Obama campaign team - tensions could not be higher between these two historic allies.

"I think Netanyahu has given up on Obama and vice versa; Obama has given up on Netanyahu," said Eytan Gilboa, an expert on American-Israeli relations at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies here.

At the center of these tensions is the “deal” that being negotiated by the P5+1 team, led by US Secretary of State John Kerry. Each day we read about further concessions that the US is making to Iran, which may lead to Iran eventually breaking out and obtaining a weapon. Saudi Arabia has only this week noted that they may seek to develop nuclear weapons - the beginning of a Middle East nuclear arms race.

Caroline Glick, a commentator at the Jerusalem Post, agreed that the US rapprochement with Iran could weaken the US-Israel partnership. But in a March 27 column, she accused the White House of intentionally seeking to erode bilateral bonds, writing: 

"Never before has Israel had to deal with such an openly hostile US administration. Indeed, until 2009, the very notion that a day would come when an American president would prefer an alliance with Khamenei's Iran to its traditional alliances with Israel and the Sunni Arab states was never even considered. But here we are."

When the US gives preference to the a nation that has publicly declared its intention to destroy Israel, while at the same time shuns the one nation that has the most to lose if Iran goes nuclear, then we are playing our selves into an adversarial position against Israel.

One thing the US should consider in it’s decision-making process: Israel is protected not by the US, but by God Himself. Isaiah 49:25 tells us:

For I will contend with him who contends with you… (Isaiah 49:25).

Pastor Clay

Isaiah Chapter 47 - The Ministry of Reconciliation

I was angry with My people; I have profaned My inheritance, and given them into your hand. You showed them no mercy; on the elderly you laid your yoke very heavily. (Isaiah 47:6)

Isaiah chapter 47 deals with God’s eventual judgment of Babylon, which would come 150 years after this was written, when Babylon fell to the Persian king Cyrus. 

So why did God judge Babylon? Weren’t they the tool that God used to correct His people? Yes they were, yet apparently they went overboard. The Babylonians were cruel and ruthless to the Israelites, even to the point that they put especially heavy burdens on the elderly.

I believe Christians can learn from this today - you see often God will use one of us as an instrument to bring about correction and restoration to another Christian. Perhaps we discover something about them, or the Holy Spirit reveals something. When that happens God is using us to be an instrument of restoration.

The problem is that often Christians go too far - they see themselves as judge, jury, and executioner! A few things we should remember:

We’re not perfect judges

It’s funny how personally we want grace from the Lord, but when we find out about someone else’s sin, it’s hammer time! 

The reality is that sin is a problem for all people, Christians included. 1 John 1 tells us...

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10)

In other words, being a Christian doesn’t mean we never sin - it means that our sins are forgiven, and that we have the blessing of remaining in relationship with God through continual confession when we blow it. 

So before we become judgmental about another’s sin, just remember that not one of us is without sin. God is the only perfect Judge!

God exposes sin so that the person can be restored.

I believe that the reason God reveals the error of a bother or sister is not so that we can judge them, but so that we can pray for them!

See, when a Christian willingly allows sin into their life, they’re being deceived by the devil: “It’ll be fun … you’ll enjoy it … it’ll be fine, no one will know…”  But the reality it the sin is going to eventually bring pain and destruction into their life. Trust me, that the pain and destruction will be more corrective than anything we might lay on them.

As a pastor, I often find out things about people (I wish I didn’t!), and when I do here’s how I handle it:

#1 I’ll pray for the person - Begin lifting up that person in your prayer time, asking Lord to change their heart, to open their eyes, and even to allow the consequences of the sin to wake them up.

#2 I'll wait to see if and when the Lord opens a door to address it - I’ve found that if I’ll wait on the Lord, He’ll open a door of opportunity to speak to them about the issue. See, if the heart isn’t ready, the person will see our input as interference, and will pull away. 

If we'll simple pray and wait on the Lord, He'll have prepared their heart for the instruction! They’ll be more open to receiving biblical counsel. 

#3 I remind myself that I need grace, every day! When I think of how much I need God’s grace each day, it’s much easier to approach someone else with the same grace. 

Remember the end goal isn’t to punish the wayward brother or sister; the goal is to restore them. That’s why Paul, who had been a legalist all of his life before becoming a Christian, wrote by the Spirit:

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. (Galatians 6:1)

That’s part of all of our ministry - the Ministry of Reconciliation: Reconciling the unsaved to God through salvation, and reconciling the wayward Christian to fellowship through repentance. 

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18)

We can change the world, one life at a time...

Pastor Clay

Isaiah Chapter 46 - The Burden of Idolatry

Bel and Nebo, the gods of Babylon, bow as they are lowered to the ground. They are being hauled away on ox carts. The poor beasts stagger under the weight. Both the idols and their owners are bowed down. The gods cannot protect the people, and the people cannot protect the gods. They go off into captivity together. (Isaiah 46:1-2 NLT)

When we think of idolatry, we think of ancient people who bow down to statues. We think that man is too intelligent and cultured to fall for such nonsense.

But in fact, there are many idols that are worshipped today:  Money, pleasure, wisdom, appearance, substances - anything that holds a position of prominence in someone’s life could be an idol. 

Bel and Nebo, mentioned here, were the gods of fertility and abundance (Bel or “Baal”), and wisdom (Nebo), and these gods are still worshipped today, only in different ways (worshipers build mansions instead of statues.)

But Isaiah 46 points out two problem with these idols:

#1 - The idol lays a burden on the worshiper

Placing our faith and trust in an idol, say money for instance, may seem like a prudent plan. For instance, a person might think “Money will insure my well-being and comfort, it’ll give me security.” But in fact, the more a person focuses on creating and maintaining wealth, instead of being a blessing, it becomes a burden.

Time and energy must be spent managing and protecting the wealth. Wealth is subject to market and business fluctuations. People treat you different when you have money. You become skeptical of people’s motives. The thing that was supposed to set you free becomes your prison.

#2 - The idol cannot protect the worshiper

No matter how rich, popular, fit, or wise a person becomes, in the end that person will die and face God. What will be the response to the question “Why should I let you into heaven?” “I was very rich… nope.” “I was the most famous person… sorry.” I was very fit and healthy… not good enough."

See, the only thing that will matter when we meet the Lord will be “what was my relationship to Christ?” 

Sadly there will be many people on that day who would be willing to give up all that they had worked for in exchange for one thing:  A relationship with Jesus Christ. 

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19-20)

Pastor Clay