Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #20230816 - This Is The Way - Isaiah 30

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#20230816 - This Is The Way - Isaiah 30 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the Study of God's Word, recorded live at Calvary
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Church in Aurora, Co To learn more about the many resources
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available through Abounding Grace Media or to tune into our
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live stream services, visit us online at Calvary Co dot Church
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or download our free Calvary Church app.
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Now let's open our Bibles and study God's Word.
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Amen. Amen.
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Awesome. And welcome to Calvary Church.
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You guys can go back to your seats.
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Good to be here. My name is Keegan Withers.
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I'm an assistant pastor here on staff, and I have the honor and
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privilege tonight to fill in for Pastor Ed is.
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He asked me a few weeks back to teach for him.
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And one of the things when I'm asked to teach, there's a
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personal conviction I have that of course it's like, hey, pray
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about if you'd be willing to share.
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And there's through the time that I've been in ministry since
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2015, I just have come to this conclusion that unless I have
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something that is a direct conflict that the answer of
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course is yes. And so when Pastor Ed text me if
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I would teach, I said just a quick yes and whatever date it
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was and just have been praying of what God would have for me to
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share today. So we'll be in Isaiah chapter 30
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if you want to grab your Bibles. I know Pastor Bob was filling in
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last week and he was also in the book of Isaiah.
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So we're doing a little theme at least over the past couple guest
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speakers through the book of Isaiah.
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And I've titled today's message This is the Way, This is the
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Way, and the theme verse is found right there in Isaiah
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chapter 30 and verse 21. Isaiah 30, verse 21.
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It says your ears shall hear a word behind you saying this is
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the way walk in it whenever you turn to the right hand or
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whenever you turn to the left to join in a word of prayer.
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As we begin our time, Heavenly Father, we just bow our hearts
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before you, God, as we know that your word is living and
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powerful, sharper than A2 edged sword.
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That it has the ability to accomplish far more than even we
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could ask than her imagine. So we pray that your words would
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fall to the depth of our heart, God, and would lead not just the
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knowledge but would lead to action.
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So we just pray your blessing. Upon this evening we ask and
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pray that in Jesus name. Amen.
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Amen. And so with the title, some of
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you that are especially for Star Wars fanatics, you might think
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that I'm just maybe a low key Star Wars fanatic, but that
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would not be fully true. I do know that this phrase, this
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is the way is more popular from the Star Wars series The
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Mandalorian. But I got to tell you that there
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was a time when I worked overnights before I came on
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staff here. I had an overnight job and there
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were some of there were some guys that worked with me that
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were Star Wars fanatics. And they were talking about one
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of the series, one of the movies.
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And I wasn't really tracking with them cuz I wasn't as into
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Star Wars as they were. And I started getting Star Wars
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and Star Trek mixed up. And then.
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Then I did something way wrong is when they corrected me.
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I said, ah, same thing. And man, you would have thought
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that would be like that would almost be the equivalent of
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walking into gang territory flashing wrong colors, right?
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And that was like those Star Wars fanatics.
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I mean they turned, they turned on me and I quickly repented.
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And I have since caught up with all of the Star Wars episodes to
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some degree, But anyway. This is the way you can just say
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The Mandalorian took that right here from the words of Isaiah.
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And as we, you know, jump into today and considering what is
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the way, I want to challenge you with a thought.
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And the the question that I challenge you with is this, How
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many decisions or choices do you think you make on an average
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day? So ponder that for a moment.
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How many decisions or choices? The you and I make, on an
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average day, thousands. Yeah, you're probably right.
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Well, actually Psychology Today did the study.
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I don't know how they figured this out, but they actually
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estimated 35,000. On an average day, 35,000
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decisions, now that would be in your waking hours.
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That's about 2000 decisions an hour for those that get less
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than 8 hours of sleep. However, you know, you can just
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kind of say, well, a few more for you, which equates to you're
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making probably dozens of decisions every minute.
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Now, some are probably a little less impactful than others, but
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all the same, we make a lot of decisions.
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And you know, we know that the the scripture would tell us
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this. That there are decisions we can
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make that lead to blessing. There's decisions we can make
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that lead to destruction. I want to share something from
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the book of Deuteronomy as I think of the words of Moses as
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he would instruct the nation, God's nation of Israel.
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He would say in Deuteronomy chapter 30 verse 19 in regards
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to making choices, he said it like this.
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He said that I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against
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you, that I have set before you life and death.
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Blessing and cursing, therefore choose life that both you and
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your descendants may live. There's a sobering reality that
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our choices don't just impact us for life or destruction, but our
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choices can very much have a profound impact on others.
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Right. And we see that in Deuteronomy
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and and just, you know, as we're kind of in a back to school
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theme. I know most students are going
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back to school for Tori and I, we just sent our oldest off to
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college. It was is a it's a new
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experience for us. I mean obviously sending off our
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oldest to college, it was bittersweet.
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And I can tell you, yesterday we dropped him off Monday, and
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yesterday I felt the effects as I'm used to him showing up in
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the house about 3:00 or 4:00. And it was like, you know, hit
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me, hit me a little bit, but I I'm going to give us all a
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little bit of a homework. Work assignment, Okay.
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So I told you that we make about 35,000 decisions a day.
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So I want you to calculate how many days you've been on this
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earth. I want you to multiply that
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number by 35,000 and then just to reflect and say how the
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reality of, yes, there's been a lot of decisions.
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I I would say that's probably true for all of us here.
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It's been a lot of decisions we've made.
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That we could see the destructiveness that has come
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either to ourselves directly or has caused even that kind of
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pain upon others. And on the flip side of that,
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decisions that we've made that have been good and have been
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honorable and have been things that have been blessing, have
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we've received blessing, but also have brought glory to God.
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And so with those thoughts here, I mean coming into Isaiah
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Chapter 30, we're really going to focus today.
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On hearing the voice of God, tuning our ears to his voice and
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and following his way of life, making more and more decisions
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that would honor him. Less and less decisions that
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would lead to destruction. So as you're open to Isaiah 30,
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let's give a quick context of where we're at here and Isaiah
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chapter 30. Of course this is the prophet
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Isaiah who ministered to the southern Kingdom of Judah.
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At this point in the history of God's chosen nation, Israel and
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Judah had divided right. The nation of Israel was
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separated 10 tribes to the north and the two tribes or 2 1/2
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tribes to the South. Isaiah was ministering in the
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about 7:40 BC to about 700 BC and actually spanned the reign
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of four separate kings. And if you want to see those
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kings are listed out there in the first chapter first verse.
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But it shows that he had ministered to the nation of
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Judah through the span of four kings, 40 years and a problem
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the midway point of his ministry.
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The Assyrian army and the Syrian nation had actually overtaken
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the Northern Kingdom of Israel and so of course the southern
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Kingdom would have been very aware of the captivity.
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They would have been very aware of the impact and the
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threatening of this Assyrian Empire who was a real dominating
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power at the time. So when we get to Isaiah chapter
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30, the Northern Kingdom has already been taken captive and
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the Southern Kingdom is being threatened.
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By this empire. And of course when you're being
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threatened by a world power, it would naturally bring fear.
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It would naturally for King Hezekiah who is the king at the
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time. It would be really processing
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what do we do now. So as you jump into this first
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part, I'm going to break up the study.
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And as we talk about this is the way, there's three key points
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that I want us to grab from today.
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We'll see it laid out through this study.
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That there's going to be a way of repentance, way of
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repentance, which ultimately would be a turning away from and
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a turning towards God or drawing near to God.
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So we'll see through this section that there will be a
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call to repentance. There also be that way of grace,
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that ultimately God's grace, the undeserved, unmerited blessing
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in favor of God. We'll see that laid out in this
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chapter. And we'll also see as God always
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gives a hope, right? That hope, which is not like the
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world type of hope, a wishful thinking, but it's the hope that
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is a confident assurance. So here's some of the things
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that we'll look at as we jump into the study.
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Let's pick up in verse one and we'll read through to verse 7.
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And it says this. It says woe to the rebellious
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children, says the Lord, who take counsel, But not of me.
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And who devise plans, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin
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to sin? And who walk and go down to
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Egypt, and have not asked my advice to strengthen themselves
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in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt.
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Therefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be to your shame,
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and to trust and trust in the shadow of Egypt shall be to your
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humiliation. For his princes.
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We're at Zoan and his ambassadors came to Haines.
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And they were all ashamed of the people who could not benefit
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them, or be help or benefit, but a shame and also a reproach, the
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burden against the beasts of the South, through the land of
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trouble and anguish, from which came to lioness in the lion, the
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Viper, and the fiery flying serpent, that they will carry
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the riches on their backs of the young donkeys, and their
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treasures on the humps of camels.
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And to the people who shall not profit, for the Egyptian shall
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help in vain and to no purpose. Therefore I have called her
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rehab him Shabeth, and I'll pause there.
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And his first point would be speaking towards the way of
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repentance. And really most of this chapter
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is this call for is for the southern Kingdom of Judah, or
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Israel as a whole to repentance. And you'll notice there early on
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God pronounces a woe in verse one.
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Or really to say grief and anguish be upon you, the
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blessing be removed from you, because they were not seeking
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the Lord's council at this point, but actually they were
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King Hezekiah was making an alliance with Egypt.
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As the Syrians are coming in and threatening, they make this
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alliance with Egypt and as you think about, of course, the
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significance of Egypt. Well, God, you know, just years
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prior had called Israel out of Egypt, 400 years of captivity
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there. And undoubtedly they would
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remember festivals year after year, including in specific the
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Passover, which would be this reminder of God's deliverance.
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But see how quickly they forgot? How quickly they turn back in
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Egypt, in many ways in the scripture is symbolic of the
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world system or really the corrupted value system of the
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world. It it's flawed philosophies,
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it's empty promises and it's lack of power.
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And that essentially is is where Hezekiah in his own
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understanding, you guys remember Proverbs 3/5 and six, right?
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To trust in trust in the Lord with all your heart.
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Lean not on your own understanding and all your ways.
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Acknowledge him and he'll direct your path well, for Hezekiah,
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like all of us in many ways, right?
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We've all fall victim to this in some place where we're leaning
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more on our own understanding. Than drawing into the Lord.
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And this is where Hezekiah had fallen victim.
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You could say in this way that he was just so fearful of what
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was happening with the Syrians pressing in that instead of
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doing what he knew would be best to come to the Lord.
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He makes this alliance with Egypt and I want you to notice
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in verse 7 interesting through this Isaiah as he lays it out in
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a very poetic way. And in many of this scripture
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you'll see kind of speaks in this poetic kind of form.
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But in verse seven he says for the Egyptian shall help in vain
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and to no purpose. Therefore I have called her
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Rahab Hym Shabeth which ultimately in that last phrase
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it it says Egypt the do nothing. That when you go to the ways of
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this world, it will bring no value, it will bring no
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substance. So this, that Rahab, Hemshabeth
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is just the way of saying that God's way of telling them it is
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Egypt to do nothing. And we have to think about that
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in our life. I know, I I think about this
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often that there's my own, you know, there there's my own
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thoughts ways and then you know the ways of this world and the
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world system and how quickly. We can too before coming to God
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in prayer, before seeking the Lord pressing into him in our
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devotion life that we can just operate on our experience
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operate within our own wisdom and intellect and this you know
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that rehab him Shabeth. It's a good thing to remember
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that the world will do nothing. It is.
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It's philosophies are flawed, the system is broken, that there
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really doesn't bring power or life.
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And you could think about that and whatever vices that we can
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often lean to, right. And people and society in
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general, so much will lean to relationships or so many will
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lean to substance. So many of us, again, we we kind
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of get this process through running businesses or whatever
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it could be that we just operate in our own intellect without
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fully seeking the blessing of God.
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Well, it's a call to repentance. And in this part, this first
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section of it, God is saying, hey, turn from that because this
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is of no value. Turn from that way.
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And and I pray that, you know, as you think about this is the
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way, the way of repentance. Of course it can come hard and
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and it can sound, you know, it's convicting for sure, but it's
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all for purpose, right? There's a purpose and conviction
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because God is saying don't go to Egypt.
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Rehab him, Shabeth, as you continue on in verse 8, we'll
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read from verse 8 to 14. Excuse me.
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And it says, Now go write it before them on a tablet noted on
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a scroll that it may be for a time to come, forever and ever.
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That this is a rebellious people, lying children, who will
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not hear the law of the Lord, who say to the seers, do not see
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and to the prophets, do not prophesy to us, write things,
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speak to us, smooth things, prophesied the seats.
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Get out of the way and turn aside from the path, cause the
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Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
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Therefore, thus says the Holy One of Israel, because you
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despise this word, and trust and oppression and perversity, and
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rely on them, therefore this iniquity shall be to you like
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the breach ready to fall. A bulge in a high wall who's
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breaking comes suddenly in an instant, and he shall break it
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like the breaking of the Potter's vessel.
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Which is broken in pieces, and he shall not spare, so there
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shall not be found among its fragments a Shard to take to
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take fire from the hearth, or to take water from the cistern.
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And in this section of scriptures we continue on In
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this thought of the way of repentance, I want to highlight
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their verse 10. Where he says who say to the
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seers do not see and to the prophets do not prophesy to us
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right things, but speak smooth things and prophesy deceits.
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Of course this is Isaiah's territory right?
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Isaiah is a prophet of God. He is you know, one that has
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been ordained and anointed of God.
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And that, ultimately, is what qualifies, especially in this
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day and age, right at the timing of Isaiah, what would qualify
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him to be. But many were self-proclaimed.
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Or self established prophets, right?
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They weren't the ones that were ordained by God to give a word
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from God which so often was one calling people to repentance
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from disobedience. But many prophets of the day
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were those self-proclaimed prophets who were speaking
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comfort. Because of course this is the
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chosen nation of God right? And they would just say by your
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heritage you are blessed of God. And which would you prefer to
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hear a message of repentance? Or the blessing of comfort and
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ease and just solely of of kind of in many ways of empty
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promise. Right.
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I was thinking that. I know from stage there's been a
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few times where people have talked about the pickleball.
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Right. And so let me set another thing
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straight, Right, People, I know Pastor Josh this weekend was
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talking about me and and pickleball and I'm OK, I'm all
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right. Right.
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But you know, there's this thing with pickleball ranking where
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people will say or you, you rank yourself and pickleball anywhere
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from 2:00 to 5:00. And it's a little bit of a vain
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process because it's a self evaluation, right.
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And so I was just, you know, it's funny, I was just out
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playing the other day and I'm like, I don't know, I know it's,
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I just put a number there and went and played and kind of was
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playing people at a certain level to kind of gauge where I
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was at. But, you know, this is kind of
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the thing of the profits of the day.
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Right that they were the self-proclaimed prophets,
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self-proclaimed. You could say professionals.
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And so in this sense I want to remind you guys of Second
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Timothy chapter 4 and reminding of what is one of the things for
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us to repent that may be a cause of repent or this way of
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repenting. Second Timothy chapter 4, verse
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three and four. We're told this says that there
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a time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.
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But according to their own desires, because they have
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itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and
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will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to
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fables. We know that there can naturally
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this can naturally happen. And let's not be deceived that
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this can't happen to us, that we can heap up for ourselves
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teachers. Who would?
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You know, just one of the things that we just want to hear and
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you know, one of the the challenges that I would present
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to you through the Word and the prophecy of Isaiah, as you
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consider this is the way and specifically the way of
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repentance, is to take evaluation.
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Maybe not necessarily from the Bible teaching perspective, but
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are there those in your life or is there someone around you or
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something in your life that is causing a negative impact on
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your spiritual progress? Is there something in your life
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that is causing that negative impact on your spiritual
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progress? Because essentially for Israel,
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that was part of their issue. They were blinded to, you know,
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of the, the pressure of Assyria. And now they're fearful,
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thinking, you know, prior to that, you know, the prophets are
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saying, hey, that would never happen, the Northern Kingdom
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wouldn't fall, the Southern Kingdom won't fall.
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But now they saw that the Northern Kingdom did fall and so
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these false prophets similar to the emptiness of Egypt, these
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false prophets really did not that says that they were
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prophesying deceits. Also in verse 11 is it says to
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get out of the way back in Isaiah 30, verse 11, get out of
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the way, turn aside from the path, cause the Holy One of
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Israel to cease from before us. So as they continue to prophesy,
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they say to get out, to have the Holy One to cease from before
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us. And you know what I find
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interesting with this particular verse is it was almost like they
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knew the truth. Well, they did.
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They knew the truth, but it was too uncomfortable.
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They weren't willing to receive the truth of God.
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And, you know, it's a little convicting for me because I can
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look and say, you know, as a student of the word of God, as a
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follower of beloved follower of Jesus, I can tell you that there
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are times that God really brings conviction and almost like a
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child where there's pushback, where there's times that I've
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been, though I don't necessarily say it, I know that.
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I think it that I just disagree. Or God, Why does it have to be
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like that? Or I wish it could be like this.
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And you know that disagreement with God, that time of you know
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and and you have to just be honest with yourself and
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consider are there times that as you understand God's word and
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direction maybe it's a timing issue.
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It could be a whole host of things that maybe it's a prayer
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request that isn't being answered in the way that you
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want and then you get offended at God.
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And ultimately, verse 11 is this reminder of repenting of that
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particular way as well. The way of repentance is letting
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aside those false teachings, those bad influence, but also to
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set aside my own personal offense toward God, recognizing
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that he is God and I am not. That's always a helpful thing
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for me. So remember, his ways are higher
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than my ways, His thoughts are higher than my thoughts.
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And when things don't go my way and I don't understand that, I
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have to come to the conclusion to say, God, I I know you.
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There's something that you do that you're doing in this let's
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pick up in the next verses, verse 15 and following, and
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we'll read from verse 15 through 17.
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For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, in returning
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and rest you shall be saved, and quietness and confidence shall
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be your strength. But you would not.
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And you said, no, we will flee on horses, therefore you shall
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flee, and we will ride on swift horses.
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Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift. 1000 shall flee
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at the threat of 1 and at the threat of five you shall flee
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until you are left as a pole on the top of a mountain, and as a
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banner on a hill. And for this particular section,
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I mean, we're still in this thought of the way of
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repentance. But I want you to see the the in
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verse 15 where God kind of speaks to the the reality of the
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blessing of repentance. It says that in returning and
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rest you shall be saved, and quietness and confidence shall
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be your strength. Of course the prophecy goes on
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to say that they would not have it, but let the positive side of
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that rest in you here. Now to the consider even like
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our refresh ministry conference, Acts chapter 3, verse 19, that
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there is a great benefit to repentance of turning from our
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failure and drawing to God and Acts chapter 3, verse 19.
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It tells us that there would be refreshing that comes alongside
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of repentance. Acts 3 Verse 19 says it like
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this. Repent therefore and be
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converted, that your sins may be blotted out so that times of
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refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
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As you think about return and rest, be still and confident.
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God sees the troubles that may be in your life.
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For Israel, of course, it was the pursuing Assyrians.
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But whatever it is for you, I want you again to take those
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words, return, rest, be still, and be confident.
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I'm reminded of the words of Jesus with that in Matthew
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Chapter 11. And hear from Jesus himself,
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Matthew 11, verse 28 through 30. Come to me, all of you who labor
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and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
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Take my yoke upon you and learn from me if I am gentle and lowly
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in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
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For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
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And just think of this in the the realm of repentance.
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That's a good thing. Jesus says come to me.
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Come to me that I'm gentle and lowly of heart.
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And as I consider this call to repentance, you know it's not a
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you know, God is not heavy-handed looking to enforce
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judgment. But in repentance, God said
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Jesus has come to me, find rest for your soul.
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Think of Psalm 46, verse 10, Psalm 46, verse 10.
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In those same words, in Psalm 46, verse 10, it tells us be
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still and know that I am God, that I will be exalted among the
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nations. And so as you consider this call
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to repentance, you know, don't take it offended.
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Don't don't be offended at me or offended at God, but consider
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that the this is the way that there is a way of repentance,
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that for me to really have the fullness of the blessing of God,
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it can't come without that time of turning away from my own
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shortcomings and failures, me seeking out the world or seeking
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false voices, or being offended. There are any of those things
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we're called and told to return. Rest, be still and be confident.
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And as we transition from there, back in Isaiah Chapter 30, I
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want us to pick up And now we'll see the IT.
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It changes a little bit the theme changes from this strong
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call to repentance to the Southern Kingdom, to turn from
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seeking out alliance with Egypt to now emphasizing the grace of
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God. So now we see the way of grace
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picking up in verse 18, and we'll read through to verse 26
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on this important topic of grace.
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And therefore the Lord will wait that He may be gracious to you,
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and therefore he may be exalted that he may have mercy on you.
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For the Lord is a God of justice, and blessed are all
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those who wait for Him. For the people shall dwell in
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the in Zion at Jerusalem, and you shall weep no more.
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He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry.
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When he hears it, he will answer you.
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And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the
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water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into
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a corner anymore. But your eyes shall see your
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teachers, your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, This is
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the way. Walk in it whenever you turn to
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the right hand, or whenever you turn to the left, you will also
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defile the covering of your images of silver and the
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ornament of your molded images of gold.
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You will throw them away as an unclean thing, and you will say
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to them, get away. And then he will give you rain
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for your seed, and with which you will sow the ground and the
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bread of increase of the earth, and it will be fat and
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plentiful. And in that day your cattle will
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feed in large pastures, likewise the oxen and the young donkeys
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that work the ground. They will eat cured fodder, and
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they which has been winnowed with the shovel and fan.
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And there will be on every high mountain, and on every hill
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rivers and streams of water, and then the day of great slaughter,
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when the towers fall. And moreover, the light of the
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moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun
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will be sevenfold as the light of seven days, and in the day
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that the Lord binds up the bruise of his people and heals
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the stroke of their wound. So we consider this section of
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Scripture and the prophecy as it continues.
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Want you to consider the grace of God?
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Think of those words. It's a gift.
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It is unearned, undeserved or unmerited.
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But it's God's favor and blessing.
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And ultimately they were deserving of judgment that their
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disobedience and the rebellion had brought them to this place
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even for the Northern Kingdom to have fallen.
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Although the Southern Kingdom was a little better, they still
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had their own share of wickedness and wicked leaders.
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And on top of that, you know the the justice of God is just that.
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It is just and it is right. But notice in verse 18 it says
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that God said he would. He will wait for them.
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The first part of God's grace, that by grace God said, I will
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wait for you. And we know that there's so much
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to be said about us waiting upon the Lord, and that is something
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important. And of course we don't want to
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take for granted the the mercy of God and the timing of God.
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But even to think by grace, God says, I'll wait for you.
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And he said that you know here to through Isaiah and to the
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Kingdom of Judah, and ultimately to the king of the nation,
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Hezekiah, that I will wait for you.
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So by grace God says he will wait in verse 19.
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By grace we see that God will hear and answer their prayer.
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In verse 20. It was by grace that God told
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them he will teach them through brokenness, as you see there in
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verse 20. And it says that the Lord gives
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you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, and God
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will teach us through brokenness.
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And you know, thinking about this, that ultimately the true
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way for our own personal revival sometimes has to come through
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that time of brokenness to reveal the great need that we
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truly have in our heart and souls.
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But it's even by God's grace that the affliction affliction
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would come to get our eyes back on Him and our hearts back in
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order in verse 21. By grace he will speak to us
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right there in our themed verse that you will hear a word behind
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you saying this is the way walk in it.
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It's by grace in verse 22, by his own very goodness that He'll
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draw us into repentance. And isn't that exactly what
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Romans chapter 2, verse four would tell us?
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That it's the goodness of God that leads us to repentance?
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So even in that, even in that thought of the way of
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repentance, it's through the very grace of God.
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And then verse 23 through 26, we see that it's by the grace of
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God that he'll take times of suffering and hardship and turn
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them to blessing. A reminder like Romans chapter
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8, verse 28, that God works together all things for good for
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those who love him and are called according to his purpose.
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And we so we see the grace of God laid out far before even the
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physical coming of Jesus, that the grace of God was there, that
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the grace of God was upon his people, saying, I will wait for
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you, will you wait for me? And blessed it says that the end
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of verse 18 are all those who wait for him.
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Let's go on to the next verses pick up back in verse 27.
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And now we see that it is the the prophecy is shifted from
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Judah and now towards the Assyrians.
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Because remember, all of this has happened because there's
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this infiltrating and pressure coming from this Assyrian empire
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who are a godless nation who could care less about the God of
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the Bible, who even in future chapters you'll see send
33:08
threatening letters to Hezekiah mocking God, you know, defiling
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the things of God. And so God does speak here prior
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to all of that even happening. He speaks to the judgment of
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Assyria. But you know, I want us to think
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as we read this, consider your own hardship, consider the own
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Assyria or what is the pressure of this life that is getting to
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you? And as you think of that, we go
33:35
from the way of repentance to the way of grace to now the way
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of hope. And as you consider what's
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pressing in on your life, God brings this reminder always that
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there is hope, a confident assurance that we can have in
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Him for the Kingdom of Judah. It was this judgment upon
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Assyria. Read it with me in verse 27
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through the end of the chapter. And it says, Behold, the name of
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the Lord comes from afar, burning with his anger, and his
34:04
burden is heavy, and his lips are full of indignation, and his
34:07
tongue like a devouring fire. His breath is like an
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overflowing stream which reaches up to the neck to sift the
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nations from the sea of futility.
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And there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing
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them to air. And you shall have a song is in
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the night when a holy festival is kept, and gladness of heart,
34:26
as when one goes with a flute to come into the mountain of the
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Lord to the mighty one of Israel.
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The Lord will cause his glorious voice to be heard, and show the
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dissent of his arm, and with the indignation of his anger and the
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flame of devouring fire with scattering temptus and
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hailstones. For through the voice of the
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Lord Assyria will be beaten down as he strikes with the rod.
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And in every place where the staff of punishment passes,
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which the Lord lays on him, it will be with tambourines and
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harps, and in the battles of brandishing he will fight with
34:59
it. For Tofette was established of
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old. Yes, the King it is prepared,
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for he had made it deep and large.
35:06
Its pyre is fire, and the end much wood and the breath of the
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Lord, like a steam of brimstone, Kindles it again In Isaiah's
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somewhat poetic way, right? He lays out through the words of
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God this judgment that would come upon Assyria.
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And ultimately, what a beautiful representation of the very power
35:29
of God and this hope and this promise that hey, there will be
35:34
justice and there will be this righting of wrong for this
35:38
nation that had already overtaken the Northern Kingdom.
35:43
And to say to the Southern Kingdom, it won't be the
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Assyrians. Now of course, unfortunately
35:48
through history we get to look back on history, right?
35:51
We know that God would deliver them ultimately from the
35:53
Assyrians, but the Southern Kingdom would fall just a
35:56
couple, 100 years later to the Babylonian Empire.
35:59
And again it goes back to this thought, how soon we forget and
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maybe the challenge to us today and that thought of hope and and
36:07
holding to those promises is to remember just that.
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Don't be quick to forget the call of God, the blessing of
36:15
God, to think of the power of God displayed in your life, all
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those things like, you know, we see in in in the book of Samuel
36:22
where it talks about setting up for ourselves Ebenezer Stones.
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The Lord has been faithful thus far like holding on to those
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things that we wouldn't soon forget.
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But this hope, as you think about this, it's really, you
36:35
know, anchored in faith as God would tell us, just have faith.
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And because ultimately that's the confidence, right?
36:42
The confidence of our hope is by faith in him.
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God says he's going to bring justice through to the
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Assyrians, and it reminds me of this in Romans chapter 12, I
36:54
want to give another reference verse, but in Romans chapter 12,
36:57
verse 19, and I think like I'm I'm like many of us, where a lot
37:02
of times when something wrong happens, my first inclination is
37:07
to take it in my own ability and something wrong happens.
37:11
How can I enact justice? And as the spirit of God, that's
37:16
again one of those areas that maybe we wrestle and we get
37:19
offended with God. Like, I know the truth.
37:21
I know that I shouldn't take that into my hands.
37:24
But the reality is my flesh can sometimes be strong and our
37:27
flesh can sometimes be strong. And maybe if you have an
37:32
adversary or adverse, something adverse coming against you.
37:36
Let this just be a reminder and Romans 12, verse 19, that
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beloved, do not avenge yourselves but rather give place
37:44
to wrath nor but rather give place to wrath.
37:47
For it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the
37:52
Lord. And ultimately making these
37:55
alliances with Egypt. God is like, that's not my plan,
37:58
that's not my direction. It's not to make plans with the
38:01
world or to listen to false teaching or to be offended at
38:05
me, but just know that I'm going to bring justice And however
38:11
that may translate into your heart and into your life,
38:14
receive that as the hope and promise of God.
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As you go back to Isaiah 30, and as we kind of close off some of
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the thoughts of this, I I see another key aspect and theme
38:26
throughout this chapter and even in our theme verse, A verse 21
38:32
that tells us that again I'll read it, that your ears shall
38:35
hear a word behind you saying this is the way walk in it.
38:39
Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the
38:42
left. And you noticed in that chapter
38:44
that in the section we just read in verse 31, it says that
38:47
through the voice of the Lord, Assyria will be beaten down.
38:52
And I want to take just a moment to remind you of the power of
38:56
God's voice. Psalm 29, verse four says just
39:00
that, that the voice of the Lord is powerful, that the voice of
39:06
the Lord is majestic and God is speaking and he speaks in many
39:11
different ways. And you know, I'll, I'll share
39:14
some of the thoughts of of the ways that God speaks.
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You know, God speaks to us through creation.
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We'll put a slide up on the screen.
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If you're a note taker, you can write some of these things down,
39:23
but you know God will speak through creation.
39:26
And we see that in Romans 20 it tells us that that's a reason
39:29
that people are without excuse, that no one ever, no one can go
39:33
to heaven one day and say, well, I never knew.
39:35
I never had a chance because God says just by creation itself,
39:39
nature and you and I, you and I are image bearers of God.
39:44
Or our Psalm 19 was just speak about the heavens declaring the
39:47
glory of God. So God will speak to us through
39:50
nature and creation. God does and can speak audibly,
39:54
like he did with Moses in the book of Exodus, or as he did
39:58
with Isaiah, through the still small voice that God will speak
40:02
audibly, or like with Gideon when God spoke through a sign of
40:06
the fleece. And even in Gideon's own doubt,
40:09
remember the the account there in the book of Judges where he
40:13
laid the fleece out and let the dude let it be due on this and
40:16
the dry, the ground dry. And then it was just like that.
40:20
And then the next day, he said, Well, God, if this is really
40:21
from you. And so sometimes God does and
40:24
chooses to speak, even through a sign, as a confirmation of his
40:27
direction. God can speak through
40:30
messengers. Of course, you know God speaks
40:32
through angels, who are messengers and people, right?
40:35
In First Corinthians 12, that's one of the gifts that God has
40:38
given to the church, right? This, this, this word that can
40:42
come through people as a messenger and God can speak
40:45
through dreams and visions. We see it throughout the Old
40:48
Testament through dreams that God would speak to both those
40:52
who were followers and not followers, right?
40:54
And even there in the book of Acts where he gave Paul directly
40:58
a vision from the Lord of where to go that God can speak through
41:02
our conscience as Paul would say in the book of Acts.
41:05
That God, you know that yeah, He can use our emotion or that
41:09
God-given conscience even to speak to us.
41:12
But ultimately, as we tune our ears to the voice of God that
41:17
this is the way walk in it don't turn to the left or to the
41:21
right. We have to remember that
41:23
ultimately the primary way that we know something is from God is
41:28
through His established word. And if anything ever conflicts
41:31
with that, all these other things I've I tend to look at as
41:34
confirmations of of how God is speaking.
41:38
But the sole primary, the primary way that I've sought to
41:42
seek the voice of God is through His word, through studying it
41:46
prayerfully and allowing the Holy Spirit to illuminate the
41:50
word of God in your hearts. So as you consider that this is
41:55
the way walk in it, consider the way of repentance, consider the
42:00
way of grace, consider the way of hope, and ask God to tune
42:06
your ears to Him. Because we have the the worship
42:10
team come up. One final thought that I would
42:13
have is back in the chapter we read in verse 18, chapter 30,
42:19
verse 18 of Isaiah, where it says therefore the Lord will
42:22
wait, that he may be gracious to you and therefore he will be
42:26
exalted that he may have mercy on you.
42:28
For the Lord is a God of justice.
42:31
And then it says blessed are all who wait for him.
42:35
So we see a couple things here that we see.
42:36
One, that God will wait for us, but we also see two Blessed are
42:41
those who wait on the Lord. There may be a question that you
42:44
can reflect today. Of which one is it?
42:48
Are you waiting on God, or is God waiting on you?
42:54
As you consider that question, as we consider the way we know
42:59
Jesus says I am the way, the truth, and the life, that no one
43:05
comes to the Father except through me.
43:08
And even by His grace, we know how we started is how we
43:13
continue. And if you here today have never
43:16
made that decision, I believe that's why you're here today.
43:20
To know. Jesus says I am the way, the
43:23
truth and the life. There's a way that is better
43:26
than yours. Maybe you just have to remember
43:29
that Rehab, him, Shabeth, that this world will do nothing.
43:34
This world has nothing of substance to offer.
43:37
But the life you're desiring, that abundant life, is found in
43:41
Jesus. And as I look across the room, I
43:44
know many of us have made that personal decision.
43:48
And for us as followers, I remind you of these three things
43:52
to remember that repentance will give you refreshment, that grace
43:58
will give you strength, that hope will give you life, and May
44:03
God grant you those things and much more.
44:06
I'm going to pray over you if you would pray with me.
44:09
Let's pray this into our hearts. So, Heavenly Father, as we
44:14
consider all that we've heard tonight, God thank you that you
44:17
speak powerfully and majestically.
44:22
God, we recognize the need for repentance individually and
44:27
corporately. And God we know with repentance
44:31
comes your refreshing We want that rest and that confidence,
44:36
God. So I pray over the people here
44:40
in this room, those who are online are on the radio
44:44
listening, and even maybe those that are listening at another
44:47
time. How would you draw us by your
44:51
goodness to repentance? And I pray God, your grace upon
44:56
grace, the inexhaustible grace in our life, God and I recall
45:02
even that Scripture that says, are we so foolish, having begun
45:06
in the Spirit, that we think we can be perfected in the flesh,
45:10
that help us as your followers, not to fall victim to reaching
45:13
out to Egypt, but to draw upon your grace, to press into you
45:18
firmly and wholeheartedly. God, thank you, that you wait
45:22
upon us. And that even as the prophecy in
45:25
Isaiah says that those who wait on you, you shall renew their
45:28
strength, God, And we need that strength from you, Lord, we pray
45:32
for that hope to flood and fill our hearts.
45:36
By faith in You, Jesus, we know that there is great promise and
45:40
blessing ahead and simply that one Jesus that you said I've
45:43
come that we can have life and have it in abundance.
45:47
So fill our hearts with hope, resolve, Strengthen our resolve
45:51
to follow you and to press into you.
45:54
We ask and pray All of this in your precious name, Jesus.
45:58
Amen. We pray that you've been
46:00
encouraged by this Bible study delivered live from the
46:03
sanctuary of Calvary Church. For prayer, call us at 87730
46:09
Grace. That's 877-304-7223.
46:15
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46:18
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46:23
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46:26
Be blessed as you Worship Jesus this week.