Connecting Points

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Today’s Topic: Priorities – Part 2

Today’s Text: Luke 4:1-2 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

I know, it’s Tuesday and it’s supposed to be my day off. But this is a wrangled week. Tomorrow I have some outpatient surgery done that will lay me up at home for a couple of days so I’m working today. Nothing serious, but will take a couple of days to heal. If I’m up to it I might be back on line on Thursday, but hopefully Friday for sure.

I have an assignment for you for the next few days. I will be spending some time contemplating the whole priority issue we reviewed yesterday and deepening my understanding of the Lord’s words about denying self. To help with that process, I want to really study the life of Jesus in one particular experience He had when He was tempted to connect himself to the world’s system and values. I think it would be beneficial for all of us to spend some time looking at it.

The event we will look at is the temptation of Christ in the wilderness following His baptism. Let’s read the story and see how the Holy Spirit draws some connecting points to our own lives as He helps us understand the temptations we experience to seek our value and purpose from the world. I have combined the stories from Matthew and Luke into one so we can get the whole picture.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ The devil then led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Then the devil led him up to a very high mountain and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.  And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you bow down and worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him until an opportune time, and angels came and attended him.

Three specific temptations that manifest themselves in a variety of ways in our lives today. Some are very obvious. Most are very subtle and subversive. Do you recognize them?

• The temptation to not trust God for our physical needs
• The temptation to try to mingle the pleasures of the world with the promises of God
• The temptation to find our value and status from the world and not from God

I trust that the Holy Spirit will teach us all to recognize them and defend against them with the authority of God’s Word as Jesus did. This will take effort. Don’t just skim over this. Submit to the teaching of the Holy Spirit as He reveals to us the specific areas of our lives where we have fallen into sin. Denial does not help us. We must open our hearts and our minds to the cleansing and purifying work of the Holy Spirit. After all, we say we love the Lord our God with all our heart, our mind, our soul, and our strength. Maybe the priorities of our lives should reflect that.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Monday, January 24, 2011

Today’s Topic: Priorities

Today’s Text: Matthew 16:24-26 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

What an exciting day yesterday. I couldn’t have planned the outcome better. Everything came together perfectly. People were enthusiastic. Some even stood to experience the victory. It was a wonderful worship service.

Ah ha! Gotcha! How many of you are willing to confess right now that you thought I was talking about the football game? I know that was an important event in the lives of Green Bay Packer football fans, but why does it capture us so completely that it at times overwhelms our sensitivity to the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Yesterday’s worship service couldn’t have been more timely. It was planned long before we knew that there was going to be an NFC championship football game involving the local favorite. It had everything in it that prepared us to respond correctly to whatever happened in the game. Today will be the test as to whether we learned anything or not.

In the songs we sang, the Scripture we read, and the teaching we received, there was a consistent theme of surrender. Over and over again we were challenged with the words of Jesus who said, with my personal points of emphasis added, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

• There are no exclusions or exceptions – anyone who wants to follow Jesus MUST make Him the priority of their life
• There are no additions allowed – anyone who wants to find the real and full meaning and purpose of life must first lose their own life and take up the cross of Jesus Christ.
• There are no advantages to replacing Jesus with the things of the world – NONE. All things of this world will fade and be lost, even the joy of a football game. But the joy of knowing and serving Jesus is eternal.

At the conclusion of the service dozens of people stood to commit these truths to the heart and soul, and to begin to place Jesus on the throne of their lives. It was incredible. They are the ones who are today experiencing the real victory – the spiritual victory over sin and the flesh. They are the ones who will spend today talking more about Jesus than they will the Packers of the Steelers or the Jets or the Bears. They are the people who will show more enthusiasm in their speech and have more bounce in their step, and it won’t be because a football game turned out the way they wanted – it will be because they are living for Jesus and know the incredible grace it took to bring them the victory they now have.

Already the plans are being made for day of the Super Bowl. Parties are being planned. Tickets are being bought by some. Calls are being made to friends to see if they could connect to watch it together. People are enthralled with the hope of a victory in a game that has no guarantee to take place. And even if it does, and even if their team wins, what will it really profit them? Is our value system so messed up that we find our worth in what our favorite sports team accomplishes?

My friends, if my team were in the Super Bowl I would be excited also. But I pray – I’m on my knees today as I was in church yesterday – that NOTHING would ever be more important in this life than the love of Jesus and following Him. May we be as enthusiastic about sharing the Good News of salvation with people as we are about talking about the game.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Friday, January 21, 2011

Today’s Topic: Am I A Shelter?

Today’s Text: Isaiah 32:1-2 See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

Brrrrr!!! It’s cold this morning. Twenty-five below at my house at 6:00 AM. Makes me wish for a hot sunny day, but then I know I’d complain about that also and be looking for a shady place or some air conditioning. So, we bundle up and live with it. On the bright side, the sun came up again, and there’s hardly any wind. Sure is nice to have a working furnace in the house and a warm office from which to work. Everyone needs shelter from the weather.

The nation of Israel sure went through a lot of “weather” changes, if by weather we mean political and spiritual issues. When they obeyed God, He upheld His covenant of blessing with them. When they disobeyed Him, He upheld the consequences stated in the same covenant. God always fulfills His covenants.

In chapter thirty-one of Isaiah, which at first glance at today’s Scripture makes it appear we have skipped completely, God continues to discipline His people for their rebellion, and also declares the punishment that will fall on the nation of Assyria for rejecting Jehovah. Then in chapter thirty-two God gives a great statement of hope – a King will reign in righteousness.

From a historical perspective, this refers to King Hezekiah, whose reign was one of righteousness and peace. But from a spiritual and prophetic perspective this promise declares the coming of Jesus Christ as King. What joy I find in these words – Jesus is a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, a stream of living water that nourishes and brings life to the desert places, and the rock that provides shade and protection from the scorching sun of sin.

What joy there is in those thoughts. What refreshment of my spirit there is in relationship with Jesus. He stabilizes my life when the winds of adversity blow against me. He protects me from the storms of crisis and gives me peace even in the midst of them. When the thirst of my soul is no longer satisfied with the water of the world and my pursuits have dried up like the sands of the desert, a spring of living water bubbles up from within and satisfies my every longing. And when the stress of life saps my energy like the heat of the noonday sun God invites me into the shade of His presence and I find rest.

Wait…there is a challenge tucked away in the midst of these blessings. Do you see it at the start of the second sentence? The New International Version translates this so that these things are to be true of us as well. We are to be shelters from the wind for others who are unstable. We are to be a place of refuge and peace for those around us who are being battered by the storms of life. We are to be like streams of fresh and refreshing water for those who are not finding satisfaction from the ways of the world. We are to be the place of shade and rest for those whose strength has been sapped by the scorching sun of sin.

You and I. We are the representatives of the righteous King to those living in a weary land. Just as Jesus is our shelter in the time of storm, so are we to be a place of protection for our friends and neighbors when they are being pounded by the winds and waves of adversity. But wait, we are to be like the Rock to more than just friends and neighbors. It is the love of God that will transform our enemies, and what better way to show them His love than to offer them help and hope when they are in their greatest need.

How I praise God for being my Rock, my Refuge, my shelter. Yet I am convicted that I am not those same things to others around me. Lord, make me a servant to others, no matter who they are, that they may see the your love and the hope of glory in me, that they may discover the peace they long to know in you and you alone.

Pastor John

Just to let everyone know I am not gone, but have been absent for a few days enjoying helping missionary friends from Africa get re-established for three months back in America. I am planning on writing again tomorrow. Thanks for your patience.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Friday, January 14, 2011

Today’s Topic: Who Do You Believe God to Be?

Today’s Text: Isaiah 30:27 See, the Name of the LORD comes from afar, with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke; his lips are full of wrath, and his tongue is a consuming fire.

Henry Blackaby, in his magnificent study entitled Experiencing God, makes this statement –

When God speaks, what you do next reveals what you believe about God.

With brevity and precision that statement dissects our hearts. Here are some profound truths to think about over the weekend. May they bring initial unrest to our souls followed by the peace of God from knowing our faith has been strengthened.

• God spoke and said, Whoever calls on my Name shall be saved. Whoever believes on the One and Only Son of God shall have everlasting life. If we will confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us for those sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So why is it that we still live under the bondage of sin, struggling with it, seeking counseling for it, and in some cases resolving to just live with it? Do we really believe God to be who He said He was and to do what He said He would do?
• God spoke and said, I have qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For I have rescued you from the dominion of darkness and brought you into the kingdom of the Son I love, in whom you have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. So why is it that we still live with such connections to the worldly kingdom? And why is it that we still struggle to qualify ourselves in the eyes of others, giving them the right to define us and approve us? Do we really believe who God is and what He said He would do?
• God spoke and said, You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. So why is it that we still question whether or not we are ready to witness to the unsaved, or go to the mission field, or serve in the local church, or do any of the work of God to which He has called us?
• God spoke and said, See, I am coming, with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke; my lips are full of wrath, and my tongue is a consuming fire. You will sing…your hearts will rejoice…for I come to shatter your enemies and deliver you. Then why is it that we get so bent out of shape about what’s wrong with our world? What does the grumbling and complaining and critical spirits say about who we believe God to be?
• God spoke and said, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. So why do we still worry? What does that say about who we really believe God to be?
• God spoke and said, If you have the faith of a small mustard seed, you can say to a mountain, move from here to there, and it will move. As far as I know, God has never asked anyone to move a mountain, but He has asked us to do some pretty out-of-the-ordinary things in our lives. You have heard Him speak to you about those things before. They may involve a career choice, a call to ministry, a sacrificial gift to a church, or one of a million other possibilities. The point is, you have heard Him speak to you. He gave you His direction and purpose for that time of your life. Did you obey? If not, what does that say about who you really believe God to be?

I am very deeply struggling with one thing in my life right now in this regard. In thepast I have heard God speak about our church’s ministry. Many people have. We look around and see God at work in spectacular ways. We are literally overflowing on Wednesday nights with children and youth. One class packs sixteen 3-4 year olds into an 8×10 room. We have heard God speak a vision to us for expanding our ministry. He specifically said, Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back, lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left. (Isaiah 54:2-3)

We have started that process. Actually we started it over 7 years ago when God spoke those words to some of us. So does our current activity as a church continue to reflect good faith in who God is and what He spoke? And do our current personal financial decisions and our sacrificial giving to the Lord reflect faith in God who spoke and said, Seek first my kingdom, and I will provide everything else you need? Are we convinced that we are moving forward according to what we believe to be true about God, or what we know we can do for ourselves? When all is said and done, will it be said of our church that God did something beyond human ability, or will we just be another church that accomplished a nice goal but the world takes no special notice of it because it was man doing it?

When God speaks, what you do next reveals what you believe about God.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Today’s Topic: Salvation and Strength

Today’s Text: Isaiah 30:15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…”

The thirtieth chapter of Isaiah is one of contrasts. In it we see the rebellious nature of man and the gracious nature of God. Our pride seeks to protect us from looking at the reality of our nature. Our hearts long to know the depths of God’s grace. The truth is, the magnificence of God’s grace towards us cannot be fully comprehended unless we also understand the depths of our depravity. It is where sin abounds that grace abounds more.

We are taught by our flesh and all those around us under the influence of their flesh to avoid any focus on our faults. We grade our spiritual condition on a huge curve of comparison. So many people are worse than us, and very few are better, so we believe we are in no real danger of flunking. But when compared to the holiness of God, all of us fail, and all of us need forgiveness, and none of us can save ourselves. This is the truth that makes the grace of God so grand.

The contrasts between our condition and God’s compassion in this passage have really spoken to my heart this morning. May they bless you as well. You may want to open your Bible and follow along, or just click on the link to each verse. But please read each point carefully and make the personal applications the Lord has for you today. I guarantee that it will bless you with a deeper appreciation of God’s grace.

Man’s Rebellious Nature (verse 9):

• We tend to devise and pursue our own plans rather than God’s – verse 1
• We seek protection and provision from the world and not from God – verses 2-5
• We build ourselves up in our own eyes by oppressing others – verse 12
• We make ourselves look good to others by lying about who we are – verse 12

(Note the serious consequences of not being honest about who you are – verses 13-14)

• We even reach a point where we don’t want to hear the truth anymore and reject all attempts by God to help us – verses 10-11

Now notice God’s Grace:

• God longs to be gracious to us even during our worst rebellion – verse 18
• God rises above our stubbornness to be compassionate towards our needs – verse 18
• God reveals truth to us through adversity and trouble – verse 20
• God walks with us constantly and gives us specific direction – verse 21
• God provides for our every need and will bring out the best in everything He gives us – verses 23-24
• God will heal all the wounds of our suffering – verses 25-26

I know we are all very busy, and that taking time out for lengthy devotions every day is difficult. I’m thankful that you take the time each day to even consider reading what the Lord has shared in my heart. But I would encourage you to take some additional time today to really let God’s Word speak to you about our own tendency toward self-sufficiency, which is rebellion against God. Then, when it seems that you have a good grasp on the reality of your own sinfulness, let the splendor of His grace shower you with salvation and strength. After all, God has said,

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…”

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Today’s Topic: Measuring Rod

Today’s Text: Isaiah 29:19 Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

It’s just too true: we all fall into varying degrees of discouragement at times. We tend to fix our eyes on the here and now instead of the soon to be, and as a result we get bogged down in what’s wrong instead of rejoicing in the hope of the coming righting of all wrongs. Then, as if we need to make matters worse, we go to great lengths to devise our own plans for fixing it all, only to have our lives more completely turned upside down.

Isaiah recognized that problem in people. He saw the inward spiral of self-fulfillment and how we are trapped in the vortex of vanity. He wrote, the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.” Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “He did not make me”? Can the pot say of the potter, “He knows nothing”? (Isaiah 29:14-16)

All the plans of man will fail. We will start thriving when we learn that, rather than just surviving. When we finally fall on our knees in humble surrender to the plans of our Provider and Perfecter of our faith, we will be rescued from the whirlpool of worldly wants and transported into the peaceful port of God’s purpose.

At the end of this chapter in Isaiah, in verses 22-24, there are several clues to how this transformation can happen in our lives:

Therefore this is what the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, says to the house of Jacob: “No longer will Jacob be ashamed; no longer will their faces grow pale. When they see among them their children, the work of my hands¹, they will keep my name holy²; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob³, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel⁴. Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding⁵; those who complain will accept instruction⁶.”

• When we begin to see everything as the work of God…
• When we keep the name of God Holy…
• When we apply the holiness of God to every area of our lives…
• When we live in complete worship of God…
• When we commit to following God’s way and not our own we will be made wise…
• When we learn to praise God no matter what the circumstances we will gain understanding.

Picture a ruler…you know, a measuring stick. It’s six inches long. Each inch is one of the above challenges. How do you measure up? I know I’ve got some growing to do.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Monday, January 10, 2011

Today’s Topic: I See Hypocrisy

Today’s Text: Isaiah 29:13 The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.

Last Saturday was a very busy day for me. My wife rose early and went over to the grandkids house to babysit, and I remained at our house to get some work done. We have the blessing of having some students from the Moody Bible Institute Men’s Collegiate Choir staying at our house this weekend while they are in Eau Claire for a concert at our church on Friday night. I needed to get the house ready. Not only that, but on the following Monday, a week from today, our very dear friends Dudley and Inge arrive back in the States from Swaziland and they will be living with us for the next three months.

The details of my duties are not important, but suffice it to say they covered cleaning, carpentry, and cataloging. It took me well into the afternoon to get it all done, and there is still more to do. My point in telling you all of this is simple. While I did those things because I knew they had to be done, my motivation was the love I have in my heart for my wife. I serve her because I love her, and love has no limits on service.

Unfortunately that doesn’t always apply to the way we serve God, does it? Our worship of Him is not always the product of our love for Him. Isaiah saw that in the people of His day as well. They talked about their faith, they prayed, and they worshiped, but it was insincere. I think it will help us to understand the seriousness of this issue if we read this verse from the English Standard Version of the Bible. It says, And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men.”

The hypocrisy of the hearts is obvious. But before we come down too hard on them, we must not be in denial about our own hardness of heart and double-standard lifestyles. We just might be as guilty as they were.

Here are some serious questions to consider:

• Do you truly love God more than you love yourself in EVERY area of your life?
• Do you do the “religious” duties of your church while in your heart you are longing to be elsewhere doing something else?
• Do you seek to serve God out of fear of His punishment or as a response to His grace and love?
• Is your worship of Him an expression of your love to Him?
• Is your whole life a living sacrifice given in service to your Lord as a reasonable act of worship?

Those questions give me cause to pause. It will be plenty to chew on for today.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Friday, January 07, 2011

Today’s Topic: Is that a trumpet?

Today’s Text: Isaiah 29:1 Woe to you, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David settled! Add year to year and let your cycle of festivals go on.

I love music. Certain styles of music move me more than others. Some of it touches deep into my soul and spirit. Music is God’s medium of connecting our minds with our emotions and moving them both into the realm of the spiritual.

Last weekend as my wife and I sat down together at the end of a long day, we checked to see what was on television. One of our favorite movies was coming on so we turned to it and spent some quiet time enjoying Sister Act 2. The music is incredible. That got my wife to thinking about the soundtrack to that movie that was somewhere in our library. She found it, and along with a couple of other older cd’s, she put them in the van for her trip to Madison the next day.

When I got in the van this morning to come to the office, one of my favorite cd’s of all time was playing in the van from her trip. The incredible trumpet sounds of Phil Driscoll filled the van with a vision of heaven for me. I cranked up the volume, and found the song I wanted to hear that was also on the Sister Act 2 soundtrack. It’s familiar to most of you, I’m sure. The song is His Eye Is On the Sparrow.

Granted, the duet that the two students sing on the Sister Act 2 soundtrack is more beautiful, but the Phil Driscoll Live version is more powerful. I turned up the volume a little more. Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come, why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home, when Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He: His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Trumpet solo. What a trumpet that man can play. It is truly the sound of the Lord’s trumpet. Someday the Lord will blow His trumpet and Jesus will return.

Just then I arrived at the office. I chose to turn the song off and listen to the rest of it on my way home for lunch. When I opened my Bible on my desk and looked at the next verse in Isaiah, these are the words that jumped off the page at me – Add year to year and let your cycle of festivals go on.

Immediately the Holy Spirit spoke and said, “Life goes on, same old same old, but who’s listening for the trumpet?” It’s true. Year after year we carry out the same routines of life, adding pleasure upon pleasure and treasure upon treasure, but who is listening for the trumpet? Year after year we attend the religious activities we’ve chosen for our spiritual nourishment, but even they have become routine and maybe even mundane. Why? It’s probably because we’re not listening for the trumpet. We are so focused on the here and now that we are not looking and listening for the return of the King.

Because of that we get discouraged. Our hearts are troubled. We have lost some hope. We go through the routine of life living one step at a time and questioning every step. But Jesus says, “Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear, and resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”

Friends, Jesus is coming back. It may or may not be in our lifetime. But if we are not looking for it, and are simply living for today, what hope do our children and grandchildren have of hearing the trumpet when it sounds? We must live every day with our eyes looking up and our ears anticipating the greatest sound of music we will ever hear – the trumpet call of Jesus.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Today’s Topic: God Is Working On Us

Today’s Text: Isaiah 28:21 and 29 The LORD will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon—to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task… All this also comes from the LORD Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom.

I am fascinated by this twenty-eighth chapter of Isaiah. I hope you can bear with me as we share what is now our fourth Connecting Point from this passage. If you care to review, you can connect to these links. https://lifelinkdevo.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/are-you-listening/

https://lifelinkdevo.wordpress.com/2010/12/03/false-security/

https://lifelinkdevo.wordpress.com/2011/01/05/the-purpose-of-trouble/

What fascinates me is the modern day application of these historical events and how we as Christians need to wake up to what God is doing around and in us. A good friend yesterday helped me to put the whole chapter in perspective and brought out the truths that we need to understand. Here’s what Curt Kregness wrote to me from Sao Paulo, Brazil:

God, through Isaiah, is taking the leaders of Judah (called Ephraim here) to task for their alliance with Egypt in order to escape from the Assyrians.  This is the “covenant with death” mentioned in v. 15 and 18.  Judah should be looking to the precious cornerstone (v. 16) for its sure foundation, and not to human strength.

So, the short bed and the narrow blanket of v. 20 is a metaphor for Judah’s misplaced trust.  The alliance with Egypt will offer no rest, no comfort, for Ephraim (ESV Study Bible).  The strange work and alien task of the Lord, v. 21, is having to fight against his own people because of their disobedience.  The mention of Mount Perazim and the Valley of Gibeon is ironic, because in those two battles God fought for Israel against their enemies.  Now he must resist his people because they are rebelling against him.

The final section of the chapter uses another metaphor—the farmer.  The breaking up and turning over of the soil, although costly, has a purpose: to produce grain to make bread, v. 28.  “All this comes from the Lord Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom,” v. 29.

My conclusion for this passage would be that God loves us so much that he is willing to take extreme measures to get our attention and win us back to his family.  His wisdom is completely trustworthy, even when we turn our backs on him and suffer the tragic consequences of our sin.

We are not all that different from the people of Isaiah’s day. We are at times more intimately connected to the world than we are to Jesus Christ our Savior. We are at times more interested in finding satisfaction and fulfillment from the world than we are from God. We even at times scoff and mock at the things God calls us to do and the people He asks us to become, justifying our worldly connections to one another with humanistic rationalizations. We even at times incorporate spiritual ideas into our arguments to satisfy the fleshly desire we have to be accepted by God in what we are doing. My friends, think about this carefully. You will discover that there is far too much truth in what I just wrote.

Then on top of all of that, the one more thing from verse twenty-one – God’s work has become strange and  alien to us. We have become so engrossed in the lifestyle of the world, and so convinced that we can love both the world and God and use both for our own fulfillment and satisfaction, that when we look to see what God is doing around us we don’t recognize Him. How sad it is when God initiates a work in our lives and we mock it or scoff at it because it doesn’t fit into our personal life plan or our daily schedule of approved activities. We have become so in touch with what we want from the world that we are out of touch with the touch of God on our lives. We have chosen to believe that the social and financial benefits of living in our modern civilization are our rights and we choose to pursue them rather than pursue what God wants for us.

I know this is heavy, and sounds ominous. It is. That’s the point. We have so bought into the world’s system that the things of God seem burdensome to us. But you must know this – God will not stop loving us or pursuing us. We may not like what happens to finally get our attention, but He will win us back to Himself. Every event of our lives today will be an opportunity for us to turn from the pursuit of pleasure and prosperity in the world to a personal and productive relationship with Almighty God. By contrast, according to verse twenty two, those same circumstances can make life tougher. The Lord says, “Now stop your mocking, or your chains will become heavier.” You see, what we think we are doing to find satisfaction in life by pursuing the values of the world is really wrapping us up more tightly in the chains of bondage to the world so we see and know less and less of God.

The chapter concludes with good news for us all. God is working to bring us to fullness in Christ. We may not like what He has to do to bring us back, but it is a work of love. His plan is timed perfectly to bring in the greatest harvest of righteous souls possible. He is breaking up the soil of our hardened hearts.  He is planting seeds of righteousness. He will harvest those seeds by beating away all the chaff. Then we will stand before the people of this world as reflections of His glory. Look at your life today – God is working on you because He loves you and wants all of you. Embrace what happens as His expression of love to you.

Pastor John