In Isaiah 23, God describes the judgement that will come against Tyre and Sidon. It's a harsh one! These two cities were port cities of the country of Phoenicia, and in this judgement the cities will be torn down, the trade will cease, and the economy of that whole area (including the surrounding nations) will be affected by this.
In verse 8, the question is asked, "Who has purposed this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth?"
Why has this been allowed? Tyre and Sidon were wealthy cities. Having business there could make you rich like a prince. This was a great city. But not anymore.
God answers the question in verse 9, "The LORD of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pompous pride of all glory, to dishonor all the honored of the earth."
God is showing that He's the one who should be honored, He's the one who should receive glory.
It reminds me a bit of 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, so that no flesh might boast in the presence of God."
God is showing them that He is the one to receive glory. Him, and Him alone.
But what did Tyre and Sidon do to deserve such harsh judgment? Is God being mean?
The answer is no. If you read Ezekiel 26:2, you'll get a fuller picture of what's going on.
"Son of man, because Tyre said concerning Jerusalem, "Aha, the gate of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I shall be replenished now that she is laid waste."
So Tyre and Sidon were watching the judgement that was coming against Israel by Assyria, and they were looking at it as an opportunity to get some extra cash. They were waiting for Assyria to clear out, so that they could move in and take whatever was left. God wasn't okay with that.
"I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
-Genesis 12:3
God made this promise to Abraham, and it includes his offspring, Israel. Blessings will come to those who bless Israel, God's punishment will come against those who set themselves against her.
I'm encouraged by this, because it shows that God keeps His Word.
God made a promise to Abraham that He is still keeping today. That encourages me because that means that God will keep the promises that He's made to us too!
To name a few:
He'll be with us. Matthew 28:20
He's given us His Holy Spirit. John 14:16-17
He's called us. Ephesians 1:4
Nothing can separate us from His love. Romans 8:35-39
He's coming back for us. John 14:3
Monday, February 23, 2015
Friday, February 20, 2015
Getting What You Asked For
In Isaiah 21, God gives Isaiah a prophecy of Babylon's fall.
Babylon was Israel's enemy, and this would seem to come as good news. Babylon will be dealt with by the Medes. Specifically Darius. (Check out Daniel 5)
But it's interesting, in the middle of the prophecy, we see verse 4.
"My heart staggers; horror has appalled me; the twilight I longed for has been turned into trembling."
In the middle of Isaiah's prophecy, Isaiah realizes what this will mean for Babylon. They're going to be wiped out. A lot of people will die not knowing God.
Isaiah had looked forward to God's judgement against wicked Babylon, but when he saw what that actually meant for them, it turned into horror. He realized that God's judgement would be horrible, and he didn't want anyone to face this.
He was finally getting what he wanted, and he realized that it wasn't what he wanted at all.
So what do we get out of this? As Christians, we are called to love our enemies. We are called by God to bring His message of grace and truth to everyone. Even if we think that they don't deserve it. Because, Guess what?
You don't deserve God's grace either. That's the point!
An easy way to think of grace is
God's
Riches
At
Christ's
Expense
Grace is getting what Jesus deserved, because He took what we deserved. That's amazing! So we should share this message with everyone, because just like them, we didn't deserve it. But someone loved you enough to share God's truth with you, and it changed your life. Most of us probably remember who that person was. For me, it was my mom when I was 4 years old. She's awesome!
As Christians, it's our God given duty to love others. How can we not do everything in our power to keep them from going to Hell? We should make it as difficult as possible for them to stay away from God. We should be praying for them every day. Giving every opportunity to show His love, and to share His truth. Because, you might be that person for someone else.
"You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven..."
-Matthew 5:43-45a
Jesus told us that loving our enemies is following God's example, because He loved us when we were His enemies. So now it's your turn.
Babylon was Israel's enemy, and this would seem to come as good news. Babylon will be dealt with by the Medes. Specifically Darius. (Check out Daniel 5)
But it's interesting, in the middle of the prophecy, we see verse 4.
"My heart staggers; horror has appalled me; the twilight I longed for has been turned into trembling."
In the middle of Isaiah's prophecy, Isaiah realizes what this will mean for Babylon. They're going to be wiped out. A lot of people will die not knowing God.
Isaiah had looked forward to God's judgement against wicked Babylon, but when he saw what that actually meant for them, it turned into horror. He realized that God's judgement would be horrible, and he didn't want anyone to face this.
He was finally getting what he wanted, and he realized that it wasn't what he wanted at all.
So what do we get out of this? As Christians, we are called to love our enemies. We are called by God to bring His message of grace and truth to everyone. Even if we think that they don't deserve it. Because, Guess what?
You don't deserve God's grace either. That's the point!
An easy way to think of grace is
God's
Riches
At
Christ's
Expense
Grace is getting what Jesus deserved, because He took what we deserved. That's amazing! So we should share this message with everyone, because just like them, we didn't deserve it. But someone loved you enough to share God's truth with you, and it changed your life. Most of us probably remember who that person was. For me, it was my mom when I was 4 years old. She's awesome!
As Christians, it's our God given duty to love others. How can we not do everything in our power to keep them from going to Hell? We should make it as difficult as possible for them to stay away from God. We should be praying for them every day. Giving every opportunity to show His love, and to share His truth. Because, you might be that person for someone else.
"You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven..."
-Matthew 5:43-45a
Jesus told us that loving our enemies is following God's example, because He loved us when we were His enemies. So now it's your turn.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
You want me to do what?!
In Isaiah 20, God uses Isaiah as an example to the nation of Israel.
"At that time the LORD spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, "Go, and loose the sackcloth from your ways and take off your sandals from your feet," and he did so, walking naked and barefoot."
-Isaiah 20:2
This got weird, FAST. It starts out like a normal call from God, "Isaiah, I want you to go." I often wonder reading this, did God pause? Was Isaiah like, "Okay, God! Where do you want me to go?" Then God continues... "Go get naked... no, not the juice. I want you to take off all of your clothes and walk around like that for three years."
Side note: The juice "Naked" could make a fortune with a slogan like "Get Naked." and if they ever use it, I thought of it first.
I'm going to be real for a second here... I would have trouble with that calling. That's... different.
Sometimes God calls us to do things that will make us uncomfortable. Maybe He's not telling us to become a nudist for three years, maybe He is! I know for me, the uncomfortable ministry has been when God says, "Go, talk to that person that you don't know. Tell them that I love them."
It's interesting, we don't see Isaiah argue with God about this new calling. He went and did it! Isaiah faithfully obeyed when God told him to do something crazy, but I have trouble when God tells me to do something that should be normal for me.
I'll tell God, "But God, I don't know them. That would be weird. What if they think of me differently? What if they think I'm weird?" and God is quick to answer me, "Like you said, they don't know you! They won't think differently of you. I don't care if they think you're weird."
I've realized that if I go and tell them that Jesus loves them, and He died to save them from their sins, and He's alive and wants a relationship with them, they might think I'm weird. But if I don't tell them that, they might go to Hell.
I should be willing to sacrifice my "coolness" for someone's eternity. If Isaiah could give up clothes for three years, I can give up my fear of them not liking me.
If you continue the chapter, God tells Isaiah why he had to do this.
"Then the LORD said, "As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Cush, so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptian captives and the couchette exiles, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt."
-Isaiah 20:3-4
Isaiah walked naked for three years as a sign. God was using him to show Israel what was going to happen to Egypt.
If you've been reading along, you'll remember that Israel was worried about being attacked by Assyria. They were trying to trust Egypt and Cush to save them. God is telling them not to! Egypt and Cush will be judged by Assyria.
The chapter finishes off with Israel realizing that their hope in Egypt was putting them in trouble. They don't know what they'll do. They think they're stuck. If only they had read Psalms!
"It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes."
-Psalms 118:8-9
They had the answer in front of them. What they needed to do was turn to God!
Maybe you're feeling stuck and you're seeing the walls close in. You've turned to different options, and it feels like none of them are working, that's because they're empty. Turn to God! He loves you, and He has not given up on you. He is for you, not against you. The best option is always to take refuge in Him.
"At that time the LORD spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, "Go, and loose the sackcloth from your ways and take off your sandals from your feet," and he did so, walking naked and barefoot."
-Isaiah 20:2
This got weird, FAST. It starts out like a normal call from God, "Isaiah, I want you to go." I often wonder reading this, did God pause? Was Isaiah like, "Okay, God! Where do you want me to go?" Then God continues... "Go get naked... no, not the juice. I want you to take off all of your clothes and walk around like that for three years."
Side note: The juice "Naked" could make a fortune with a slogan like "Get Naked." and if they ever use it, I thought of it first.
I'm going to be real for a second here... I would have trouble with that calling. That's... different.
Sometimes God calls us to do things that will make us uncomfortable. Maybe He's not telling us to become a nudist for three years, maybe He is! I know for me, the uncomfortable ministry has been when God says, "Go, talk to that person that you don't know. Tell them that I love them."
It's interesting, we don't see Isaiah argue with God about this new calling. He went and did it! Isaiah faithfully obeyed when God told him to do something crazy, but I have trouble when God tells me to do something that should be normal for me.
I'll tell God, "But God, I don't know them. That would be weird. What if they think of me differently? What if they think I'm weird?" and God is quick to answer me, "Like you said, they don't know you! They won't think differently of you. I don't care if they think you're weird."
I've realized that if I go and tell them that Jesus loves them, and He died to save them from their sins, and He's alive and wants a relationship with them, they might think I'm weird. But if I don't tell them that, they might go to Hell.
I should be willing to sacrifice my "coolness" for someone's eternity. If Isaiah could give up clothes for three years, I can give up my fear of them not liking me.
If you continue the chapter, God tells Isaiah why he had to do this.
"Then the LORD said, "As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Cush, so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptian captives and the couchette exiles, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt."
-Isaiah 20:3-4
Isaiah walked naked for three years as a sign. God was using him to show Israel what was going to happen to Egypt.
If you've been reading along, you'll remember that Israel was worried about being attacked by Assyria. They were trying to trust Egypt and Cush to save them. God is telling them not to! Egypt and Cush will be judged by Assyria.
The chapter finishes off with Israel realizing that their hope in Egypt was putting them in trouble. They don't know what they'll do. They think they're stuck. If only they had read Psalms!
"It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes."
-Psalms 118:8-9
They had the answer in front of them. What they needed to do was turn to God!
Maybe you're feeling stuck and you're seeing the walls close in. You've turned to different options, and it feels like none of them are working, that's because they're empty. Turn to God! He loves you, and He has not given up on you. He is for you, not against you. The best option is always to take refuge in Him.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Egypt
Isaiah 19 paints a picture of judgement against Egypt. If you remember from the previous chapters, Assyria is closing in on Israel, and they are worried. They want to seek help from Egypt, but God warns them that Egypt won't be able to save them because they'll be facing their own judgement!
Isaiah 19:1-15 "Judgement of Egypt"
Isaiah 19:16-25 "Blessings and Unity"
So first, we have this judgement against Egypt. God is dealing with their sin and their idolatry. The first verse says
"the idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence."
I think that God is trying to get a point across. The idols that Egypt worships are just blocks of wood or stone. They have no power to save at all. God wants Egypt to see their error. In verse 4, He promises
"I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them"
This happened in 671 BC, when Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, invaded and took over Egypt. Another part of their judgement will be a curse against the Nile. Verse 5 tells us,
"And the waters of the sea will be dried up, and the rivers will be dry and parched,"
The Egyptians depended on the Nile. Their fields needed it's water for crops. Their fisherman needed it's fish. All of Egypt's economy depended on the fruitfulness of this river. God is removing their ability to help themselves. He goes on and says that they will look for wisdom from their counselors, but the counsel that they receive won't help them at all.
The problem with their counselors is that they are in the world. They don't know God, so they can't offer Godly counsel.
How many of us have been in situations like this? We have no ability to save ourselves, and we're stuck. We've looked for help from everyone, and nobody has been able to do anything.
God has removed all of Egypt's options. The only option left is for them to turn to Him.
In the second half of this chapter, we're looking at the Millennial Kingdom again. Israel will be recognized as a powerful nation, and Egypt will fear the Lord!
Often times in the Bible, Egypt is a picture of the world. After the Israelites left Egypt and fled into the wilderness, they wanted to go back to Egypt, because it had been more comfortable there. But they were warned not to turn back, just like as Christians, we can't go back to where we came from.
But this passage says that Egypt (picture of the world) will worship God!
"It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a Savior and defender, and deliver them."
Isaiah 19:20
God will deliver the world through a Savior! We now know that Savior to be Jesus. When there was no other way, when our options were exhausted, God Himself came as a man. He took our place on the cross so we could have His place in God's family.
Isaiah 19:1-15 "Judgement of Egypt"
Isaiah 19:16-25 "Blessings and Unity"
So first, we have this judgement against Egypt. God is dealing with their sin and their idolatry. The first verse says
"the idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence."
I think that God is trying to get a point across. The idols that Egypt worships are just blocks of wood or stone. They have no power to save at all. God wants Egypt to see their error. In verse 4, He promises
"I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them"
This happened in 671 BC, when Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, invaded and took over Egypt. Another part of their judgement will be a curse against the Nile. Verse 5 tells us,
"And the waters of the sea will be dried up, and the rivers will be dry and parched,"
The Egyptians depended on the Nile. Their fields needed it's water for crops. Their fisherman needed it's fish. All of Egypt's economy depended on the fruitfulness of this river. God is removing their ability to help themselves. He goes on and says that they will look for wisdom from their counselors, but the counsel that they receive won't help them at all.
The problem with their counselors is that they are in the world. They don't know God, so they can't offer Godly counsel.
How many of us have been in situations like this? We have no ability to save ourselves, and we're stuck. We've looked for help from everyone, and nobody has been able to do anything.
God has removed all of Egypt's options. The only option left is for them to turn to Him.
In the second half of this chapter, we're looking at the Millennial Kingdom again. Israel will be recognized as a powerful nation, and Egypt will fear the Lord!
Often times in the Bible, Egypt is a picture of the world. After the Israelites left Egypt and fled into the wilderness, they wanted to go back to Egypt, because it had been more comfortable there. But they were warned not to turn back, just like as Christians, we can't go back to where we came from.
But this passage says that Egypt (picture of the world) will worship God!
"It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a Savior and defender, and deliver them."
Isaiah 19:20
God will deliver the world through a Savior! We now know that Savior to be Jesus. When there was no other way, when our options were exhausted, God Himself came as a man. He took our place on the cross so we could have His place in God's family.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Revival or Ruin
Isaiah 18 is considered one of the most obscure passages in Isaiah. It describes a prophecy of messengers coming to Israel from the land of Cush, which is modern day Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia region. God tells them not to trust in what the people from Cush will offer, but to watch God handle the problem instead.
If you look at Israel's history, in this time they were surrounded by three superpower nations. Assyria,to the north, Babylon to the east, and Cush to the south. All three of these nations traded places as the highest power, and the biggest threat to Israel.
At the time of this prophecy (Estimated 714 BC), Assyria was dangerous. In fact, in only 12 years or so, Assyria would come in and attack Israel. Cush was going to offer an alliance with Israel, but God tells them to ignore it. God tells them (verses 3-6) to just watch Him take care of it. God promises to handle Assyria when the time comes, and that in the end, the people of Cush will worship God too!
You might be thinking, "What does this have to do with me today? I didn't sign up for a history lesson!" Well, fair enough. I'll tell you what it has to do with you and I today.
We live in very uncertain times. There are diseases, economic uncertainty, wars, terrorism, ISIS, all kinds of things that threaten us. It's very easy to look to the world for these solutions. We can put our trust in our government, or in our military. But God challenged Israel and He challenges us today. Put your trust in Him! He'll come through for us!
If you look at our world, it's pretty easy to see that one of two things could happen. 1. We could go down. We could be attacked, or wiped out by disease, or see another economic collapse, and that would be it. Anarchy would arise. The other option is revival. We could see our nation turn back to God, and see His Word and His truth sweep across this nation!
Which one it will be for our nation is hard to say at this time, and it might seem like we can't do very much about it, but we can. You can decide for yourself. A nation sees revival when individual people take stand for God's truth. You can be that individual person that decides not to look to the world for solutions, but to look to God. I think Joshua summed it up the best when he was talking to Israel.
"Now therefore fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it's evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
-Joshua 24:14-15
Joshua told them that if they wanted to serve the idols that had proven to be useless, they could. But he was deciding to follow God.
We are all facing this choice, as a nation, and individually. Revival or ruin. Which one will you choose?
If you look at Israel's history, in this time they were surrounded by three superpower nations. Assyria,to the north, Babylon to the east, and Cush to the south. All three of these nations traded places as the highest power, and the biggest threat to Israel.
At the time of this prophecy (Estimated 714 BC), Assyria was dangerous. In fact, in only 12 years or so, Assyria would come in and attack Israel. Cush was going to offer an alliance with Israel, but God tells them to ignore it. God tells them (verses 3-6) to just watch Him take care of it. God promises to handle Assyria when the time comes, and that in the end, the people of Cush will worship God too!
You might be thinking, "What does this have to do with me today? I didn't sign up for a history lesson!" Well, fair enough. I'll tell you what it has to do with you and I today.
We live in very uncertain times. There are diseases, economic uncertainty, wars, terrorism, ISIS, all kinds of things that threaten us. It's very easy to look to the world for these solutions. We can put our trust in our government, or in our military. But God challenged Israel and He challenges us today. Put your trust in Him! He'll come through for us!
If you look at our world, it's pretty easy to see that one of two things could happen. 1. We could go down. We could be attacked, or wiped out by disease, or see another economic collapse, and that would be it. Anarchy would arise. The other option is revival. We could see our nation turn back to God, and see His Word and His truth sweep across this nation!
Which one it will be for our nation is hard to say at this time, and it might seem like we can't do very much about it, but we can. You can decide for yourself. A nation sees revival when individual people take stand for God's truth. You can be that individual person that decides not to look to the world for solutions, but to look to God. I think Joshua summed it up the best when he was talking to Israel.
"Now therefore fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it's evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
-Joshua 24:14-15
Joshua told them that if they wanted to serve the idols that had proven to be useless, they could. But he was deciding to follow God.
We are all facing this choice, as a nation, and individually. Revival or ruin. Which one will you choose?
Monday, February 16, 2015
Not Finished Yet
Isaiah 17 contains an account of God's judgement against Assyria, specifically against Damascus. Verse 1 declares,
"An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins."
This is a particularly interesting prophecy, because it hasn't been fulfilled... YET. Damascus is still an inhabited city, but we can see a possibility of the stage being set for their destruction. Assyria continues to set themselves against Israel, and as they attack, Israel fights back. It wouldn't be unthinkable for Israel to wipe them out in self defense of their own people and their own nation. We'll have to wait and see.
We can have two responses to this prophecy. We can choose to say that it must be incorrect, because it hasn't happened yet. Which is a silly response, because God has always fulfilled His Word. Even after almost 2000 years, Israel became a nation again on May 14th, 1948. God is faithful to His Word.
Or, we can be encouraged, that God isn't done yet. Not everything in the Bible has been fulfilled. I find this incredibly encouraging, because if God hasn't finished with the prophecies in His Word yet, then I'm confident that He hasn't finished with me yet.
God is still working on you. God hasn't given up on you. This is good news for us! One day, we'll go home to be with the Lord face to face, but until then, He's molding us into His image. He's slowly refining us. Polishing away the blemishes, and sometimes more violently cutting off the parts that don't belong.
So when things get hard, and life is tough, remember that God isn't done with you. Remember that God will fulfill His Word to bring you home to Himself. So what do we do while we wait for Him to come back, while we wait for Him to finish with us?
I believe that Paul gives us the answer to this question in 2 Corinthians 5.
"Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him." - 2 Corinthians 5:8-9
Paul acknowledges that we'd rather be in Heaven! We'd rather be done with this world, and the pain and sorrow and suffering. Being with Jesus sounds way better to me too.
But he says that while we're here, while we're away from Heaven, we make it our aim to please Him. We put our efforts, and our energies, and our focus into pleasing the One who died for us. That means that we follow His Word. That means that we live as He's called us to. We make it our aim to be like Him.
"An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins."
This is a particularly interesting prophecy, because it hasn't been fulfilled... YET. Damascus is still an inhabited city, but we can see a possibility of the stage being set for their destruction. Assyria continues to set themselves against Israel, and as they attack, Israel fights back. It wouldn't be unthinkable for Israel to wipe them out in self defense of their own people and their own nation. We'll have to wait and see.
We can have two responses to this prophecy. We can choose to say that it must be incorrect, because it hasn't happened yet. Which is a silly response, because God has always fulfilled His Word. Even after almost 2000 years, Israel became a nation again on May 14th, 1948. God is faithful to His Word.
Or, we can be encouraged, that God isn't done yet. Not everything in the Bible has been fulfilled. I find this incredibly encouraging, because if God hasn't finished with the prophecies in His Word yet, then I'm confident that He hasn't finished with me yet.
God is still working on you. God hasn't given up on you. This is good news for us! One day, we'll go home to be with the Lord face to face, but until then, He's molding us into His image. He's slowly refining us. Polishing away the blemishes, and sometimes more violently cutting off the parts that don't belong.
So when things get hard, and life is tough, remember that God isn't done with you. Remember that God will fulfill His Word to bring you home to Himself. So what do we do while we wait for Him to come back, while we wait for Him to finish with us?
I believe that Paul gives us the answer to this question in 2 Corinthians 5.
"Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him." - 2 Corinthians 5:8-9
Paul acknowledges that we'd rather be in Heaven! We'd rather be done with this world, and the pain and sorrow and suffering. Being with Jesus sounds way better to me too.
But he says that while we're here, while we're away from Heaven, we make it our aim to please Him. We put our efforts, and our energies, and our focus into pleasing the One who died for us. That means that we follow His Word. That means that we live as He's called us to. We make it our aim to be like Him.
Friday, February 13, 2015
The Outsiders
"Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive; let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them from the destroyer..."
-Isaiah 16:3-4a
If you read the blog from yesterday, and look at Isaiah 15, you'll see an account of the judgement against Moab. It continues in Isaiah 16, but verses 3-4 are different. In Isaiah 16:3-4, God addresses Israel's response to the judgement, and we can learn a lot of God's heart, and the way that He wants us to respond in these circumstances.
God calls Israel to shelter the outcasts, and to be a shelter for them. As the church, we're called to be a refuge for the hurting and the broken. We're called to be a refuge for the lost, and the outcasts. Basically, the people who feel like they can't be accepted anywhere, and that they are complete social outcasts should feel welcomed as they walk through the doors of a church. It always saddens me to hear of people who attended churches, and left because they didn't feel welcomed. As the church, we're called to be the most loving, most welcoming people out there, regardless of the circumstances, regardless of the brokenness that people bring. Our church is called by God to be a refuge for the broken.
This is something that makes me proud to be a part of our church, Calvary Chapel of Wilmington. We've heard testimony after testimony of people who have come to our church, and seen God move in their lives as our congregation showed Jesus' love to them. I can even think of a few times where someone was recommended to our church, because they knew that we would love them as they walked through the things that they were dealing with.
Church, this is what we're called to. Jesus said in John 13:35, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
Jesus didn't say that we would be known by our bumper stickers, or our Bible verses on Facebook. He didn't say that people would be able to identify us as His disciples when they saw how much we highlighted our Bibles, or when they heard how many verses we could quote. He said that the thing that would set us apart from the rest of the world was the way that we loved.
That means that no matter who God puts in front of you, and no matter how many problems they are dealing with, we're called to bring them in. We're called to welcome them with open arms.
I can remember when I was in high school. My dad was a police chaplain, and through this he was introduced to a homeless woman. She was in her 80s, and she lived out of her car. My parents prayed about it for a few days, then we brought her into our home for the winter. She lived with us for several months. I didn't understand it completely. I thought it was weird, and she was crazy. It wasn't always fun. It was very often inconvenient. But we showed her Jesus' love, just like He told us to.
Church, this world is full of people that aren't accepted. Pretty much every stereotype is rejected by someone. We're called to be the ones who will accept everyone. Regardless of their background, regardless of how messy their life is. Regardless of the struggles that they bring with them.
And I'll tell you why. We're called to this, because more often than not, nobody else will. Nobody else will be a refuge and a safe haven for the broken and the hurting.
If I still haven't convinced you, think of this. You were sinning against God. You had set your life against Him. Ephesians 2 says that you were even His enemy. But even then, God accepted you. GOD ACCEPTED YOU. If a holy and perfect God can accept us, it's time for us to start accepting others. I'm sick of hearing stories of the church telling women that God hates them because they had an abortion. I'm sick of seeing posters that say "God hates fags" If you're doing that, either stop doing, or stop associating yourself with Jesus. That isn't His heart! Jesus loves the broken! Remember, He's telling Israel to love the same people that He is judging. You see, God will deal with sin, but this isn't from hate. It's because a standard has been broken and repercussions must follow. We're not God. We're not called to judge people for breaking His standards. He'll deal with that. We're called to love them through the hard times, and show them His heart for them. He wants them to return to Him.
If you're one of those, sick and broken, hurting and lost, down and out, if you feel like you're an outsider, I need you to know that Jesus loves you, and because of that, I love you too. You're welcome here.
-Isaiah 16:3-4a
If you read the blog from yesterday, and look at Isaiah 15, you'll see an account of the judgement against Moab. It continues in Isaiah 16, but verses 3-4 are different. In Isaiah 16:3-4, God addresses Israel's response to the judgement, and we can learn a lot of God's heart, and the way that He wants us to respond in these circumstances.
God calls Israel to shelter the outcasts, and to be a shelter for them. As the church, we're called to be a refuge for the hurting and the broken. We're called to be a refuge for the lost, and the outcasts. Basically, the people who feel like they can't be accepted anywhere, and that they are complete social outcasts should feel welcomed as they walk through the doors of a church. It always saddens me to hear of people who attended churches, and left because they didn't feel welcomed. As the church, we're called to be the most loving, most welcoming people out there, regardless of the circumstances, regardless of the brokenness that people bring. Our church is called by God to be a refuge for the broken.
This is something that makes me proud to be a part of our church, Calvary Chapel of Wilmington. We've heard testimony after testimony of people who have come to our church, and seen God move in their lives as our congregation showed Jesus' love to them. I can even think of a few times where someone was recommended to our church, because they knew that we would love them as they walked through the things that they were dealing with.
Church, this is what we're called to. Jesus said in John 13:35, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
Jesus didn't say that we would be known by our bumper stickers, or our Bible verses on Facebook. He didn't say that people would be able to identify us as His disciples when they saw how much we highlighted our Bibles, or when they heard how many verses we could quote. He said that the thing that would set us apart from the rest of the world was the way that we loved.
That means that no matter who God puts in front of you, and no matter how many problems they are dealing with, we're called to bring them in. We're called to welcome them with open arms.
I can remember when I was in high school. My dad was a police chaplain, and through this he was introduced to a homeless woman. She was in her 80s, and she lived out of her car. My parents prayed about it for a few days, then we brought her into our home for the winter. She lived with us for several months. I didn't understand it completely. I thought it was weird, and she was crazy. It wasn't always fun. It was very often inconvenient. But we showed her Jesus' love, just like He told us to.
Church, this world is full of people that aren't accepted. Pretty much every stereotype is rejected by someone. We're called to be the ones who will accept everyone. Regardless of their background, regardless of how messy their life is. Regardless of the struggles that they bring with them.
And I'll tell you why. We're called to this, because more often than not, nobody else will. Nobody else will be a refuge and a safe haven for the broken and the hurting.
If I still haven't convinced you, think of this. You were sinning against God. You had set your life against Him. Ephesians 2 says that you were even His enemy. But even then, God accepted you. GOD ACCEPTED YOU. If a holy and perfect God can accept us, it's time for us to start accepting others. I'm sick of hearing stories of the church telling women that God hates them because they had an abortion. I'm sick of seeing posters that say "God hates fags" If you're doing that, either stop doing, or stop associating yourself with Jesus. That isn't His heart! Jesus loves the broken! Remember, He's telling Israel to love the same people that He is judging. You see, God will deal with sin, but this isn't from hate. It's because a standard has been broken and repercussions must follow. We're not God. We're not called to judge people for breaking His standards. He'll deal with that. We're called to love them through the hard times, and show them His heart for them. He wants them to return to Him.
If you're one of those, sick and broken, hurting and lost, down and out, if you feel like you're an outsider, I need you to know that Jesus loves you, and because of that, I love you too. You're welcome here.
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