ARCC Sermons

ARCC Sermons

By Alamo Ranch Community ChurchReligion & Spirituality
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ARCC Sermons episodes

  • July 26th - Day 207
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    July 26th
    Our bible reading today is in Isaiah chapters 40-43. The podcast will come primarily from chapter 43, a powerful old testament “gospel message” preached to Judah and yes...to us too... every day in Christ.
    God saved Judah from the Assyrians. But He still planned on disciplining rebellious Judah. The same thing can be said of His children after the cross. Our Father disciplines us when we rebel. This time He would use Babylon to draw Judah back to Himself.
    But in preparation of said judgment, God speaks to them as “Their Creator”. God had a special claim on Judah because He made them. The same thing applies to us, fellow Christians. He has created us and rejoices in all that He made. When we fail to love Him, we are failing at the very basic level of our existence.
    But there was a better reason for Judah to respond positively in faith to God. And God said it...“I have redeemed you...” God bought Judah out of physical slavery and spiritual bondage as displayed in the Exodus.
    But Judah owed their soul’s salvation to a blood promise that God made to their father Abraham, that looked forward to the perfect blood promise paid by Jesus on the cross. Awesome. Abraham was good but Jesus was better. And all of us who believe Him, hears His voice when He says...” I made you...and I have redeemed you...” You are twice mine!
    The same way that God had ownership of Judah, He has ownership of us who believe. And it’s personal. He says in today’s text, “You are mine.” Think about it, friends. We belong to Jesus the Creator and the Savior. He loves us. He all powerfully protects us, holds us, guards, and cares for us. Isn't that wonderful? We don't have to stay afraid of anyone or anything now that we are His.
    It gets better. Listen to the gospel of God through Isaiah...“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush, and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, Fear not, for I am with you.”
    ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:2-5‬ ‭
    When you face floodwaters, I'm there. When you face the fire and the flame, I'm there. You are precious to me. Don't ever forget that I will never leave you nor forsake you, no matter what comes your way.
    Oh, friends, What a gospel. Unbelievable good news for Judah way back then and incredible news for us whom our Savior calls us by name His Name.
    Awesome...Have a great day
    6 min
  • July 25th - Day 206
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    July 25th
    The bible reading today is in Isaiah 37-39 and Ps 76.
    Isaiah had already prophesied that God would come through for the Judeans in Jerusalem. They were happy to hear that. But then the intimidating presence of the Assyrian armies scared them big time. And to add to that, a threatening letter was received by Judean king Hezekiah from the Assyrian leader mocking Jerusalem and Jerusalem’s God.
    What happened next is a perfect picture of what to do when overwhelmed by threatening circumstances.
    King Hezekiah took the letter to the courts of the Temple. There he laid it before the Lord. And how he laid it was awesome. He sang a song. Hezekiah sang his faith out loud, a great war hymn to the God who saves them.
    “In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. There he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Glorious are you, more majestic than the mountains full of prey.”
    ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭76:1-4‬ ‭ESV‬‬
    Those who threaten to kill us do not know you. But Jerusalem and those therein, we know You, O, our Savior. Your name means nothing to those who threaten us. But to us, Your name is great. Your name is powerful. Your name says salvation, both here and in heaven for those who believe You.
    You don't live with the Assyrians. You live with us here on Mt. Zion. Our enemies don't know Your heavenly presence and power. But we do, here in Jerusalem. We have seen You break the flashing arrows, the shields, the swords, all the weapons of war that have come against us.
    Those against us don't know your Glory. All they know is their own. But we know Your great glory. The glory that set our forefathers free from Egyptian bondage. The glory that parted the Red Sea. The glory that led Israel by fire at night and a cloud by day across the wilderness. We know your great glory that came down on Mt Sinai and penned the 10 laws with His divine finger. We know Your glorious power that went before our fathers into the land of promise and fought for us and the land you preserved for us. These armies have never known Your glory but we have.
    And that glorious majesty and power are greater than the mountains filled with those who would prey on us.
    O friends Greater is He who is in us than he and his in this world who are against us. Sing it out loud. Believe in the One whose name means Salvation. Let us join Hezekiah in humble but bold faith and go out and fight the good fight. God our Savior is with us fighting for us, to His honor and glory!
    Have a great day
    5 min
  • July 24th - Day 205
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    July 24th
    The bible reading for today is in Isaiah chapters 35 & 36.
    I was taught in my early years as a Christian to read and study the bible with first an eye toward how the passage related to the direct audience of the prophet or apostle speaking and writing. Then I could better apply it to myself and the church. That is what I am doing today.
    Isaiah’s audience was Judah during the reign of Godly King Hezekiah. The big bully on the block was Assyria. They had already defeated and captured Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel as well as the countryside and fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. Wherever they conquered, towns, cities, camps, fields, and orchards were burned and laid waste. It was truly a wasteland. Now Assyria was going in for the kill by surrounding Jerusalem.
    Isaiah ‘s message was hard on some but full of hope for the believing. Great Egypt would not help. But God’s grace and mercy would save them.
    There was death and great destruction already at the hands of the Assyrians. Judeans in Jerusalem were afraid and panicking. But Isaiah’s picture of the near future for the promised land people, for the faithful and the unfaithful, had to encourage them.
    Let us listen...“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.”
    ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭35:1-2‬ ‭
    God was going to bring great restoration. The wastelands will be glad again. The desert will rejoice and blossom again. The countryside and wilderness habitations will blossom abundantly and will rejoice in their hearts and upon their singing lips again. The glory of this land will return because the glory of the Lord will be present and will be seen.
    Throughout my pastorates, people would ask why I spent so much time teaching on what happens to God’s kids when they die. My answer...Knowing what awaits me in heaven, being reminded of the fellowship of the saints in heaven, thinking on the glories of fellowship with my Savior, unhindered and undistracted devotion shared with God Almighty, knowing all of that, we believers can strap on our sword of the spirit and fearlessly get into the spiritual battle for the souls of men. And abound in the work of the Lord until He calls us home!
    That is what Isaiah was doing for the frighten Judeans. Listen with me...“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! “Behold, your God will come” with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”
    ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭35:3-4‬ ‭
    Wow, I’m pumped. Isaiah was not giving Judah vague optimism. He was giving them the certain promise of God their Savior. But Isaiah was not through...“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;”
    ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭35:5-6‬ ‭
    Wow, reminds me of my New Testament reading...“And Jesus answered those whom John the baptist sent, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
    ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:4-6‬ ‭
    Jesus quoted Isaiah. I am that good news...I am that miraculous power to change your future...the blind will see...the deaf will hear..the lame shall leap...and the mute will sing.
    Another Wow. Isaiah’s message would not only give hope to the anxious Judeans in their fight for life with Assyria, but his message could and must be seen as hope all the way to the coming and second coming of God our Savior, Jesus Christ.
    Listen to the text...for Judah...then for us who are walking with Jesus today...“No roaring lion shall be there (sounds like a reference to satan to me), nor shall any ravenous beast come upon it; they shall not be found there, but the “redeemed” shall walk there. And the “ransomed” of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; with everlasting joy upon their lips....”
    Sounds like heaven to me...
    Have a great day.
    7 min
  • July 23rd - Day 204
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    July 23rd
    The bible reading today is in Isaiah chapters 31-34.
    Isaiah tells Judah that God will give them victory over the Assyrians. The victory would not come from their cunning, their skills, their sharpened swords, or their hired mercenaries. God would save them. “He would do all that was necessary to save them”.
    I can't help but remember conversations that I had with Bev during high school and college about eternal life. I knew that I needed forgiveness of my sins, which were many. Bev said that forgiveness comes with eternal life. So I immediately began to try to quit sinning, at least trying to be a better person. Hopefully, that would somehow gain points with God so that He would give me His eternal life. But over and over I failed to sustain a good life. I just kept on sinning and feeling so guilty.
    Then one day I read a gospel tract that Bev and her mom gave me in my freshman year of college. The author, through bible verses, explained that sinners could never earn eternal life by trying to be good, better, and best. He explained that eternal life was a gift from God that His son Jesus bought for me with His sacrificial death on the cross. The author explained further, that Jesus did all that was necessary for me to receive eternal life, even to the sorrow in my heart for my sinning and even the desire to believe and follow Him.
    Isaiah said to Judah...”You can't save yourself. You must totally and only depend on God for your salvation. God used Isaiah to bring the truth to Judah. He used my girlfriend (later my wife) Beverly to bring it to me. Thanks, Jesus...Thanks, Miss Ann.
    Isaiah included in his message to Judah that besides the blessing of salvation from the approaching armies of Assyria, God would also give them the blessing of a coming righteous king. Some believe that King was Josiah. I tend to lean toward Hezekiah the righteous. But I wouldn't lose fellowship over it.
    What I really lean toward is that this part of Isaiah ‘s message related to a greater blessing for Judah and Israel. The coming of The Righteous One, the Prophesied Messiah, King of kings, The babe in a manger Jesus.
    Let us listen to today’s text and the description of the coming Messiah King. “Behold, “a king will reign in righteousness”, and His princes “will rule in justice”. And will be like a “hiding place” from the wind, a “shelter” from the storm, like “streams of water in a dry place”, like the “shade of a great rock” in a weary land.”
    ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭32:1-2‬
    Reign in righteousness...Jesus our righteousness!
    Rules in justice...Jesus our advocate!
    Like a hiding place...Jesus our cleft in the rock
    Like streams in the desert...Jesus our true satisfaction
    Like shade of a great rock!” Jesus our Solid Rock!
    What a Savior!
    Have a great day
    6 min
  • July 22nd - Day 203
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    July 22nd
    The bible reading today is in Isaiah 28,29,30.
    “Ah, stubborn rebellious children,” declares the Lord to Judah, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!”
    ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭30:1-2‬ ‭
    God rebuked those in Judah who looked to somebody else for their salvation from Assyria. Assyria filled the land surrounding Jerusalem with her great armies. But instead of seeking God until the answer came, Judah sought help from Egypt. They couldn't wait on God.
    Judah saw the devastating results of Assyria’s attacks on the northern kingdom of Israel. Thousands were killed and multiplied thousands were taken back to Assyria as slaves. Judeans were afraid. But worse than that, they could not wait on God.
    Oh, Judah made plans to defend themselves. But their plans did not include God. Instead of asking God what He would have them do, they followed their own wisdom. Instead of waiting on the promptings and directions of the Holy Spirit, the leaders in Judah initiated their own strategy.
    Isaiah the prophet of God told the Judeans that their way to defend Jerusalem was in vain. He told them that trying to bring Egypt to help them was futile. Egypt would sit idly by, while the Assyrians troubled Judah. But the Judeans couldn't trust God’s messenger either.
    Isaiah said, “Therefore, the Lord will wait to be gracious to you.” Is. 30:18
    We often wonder why God waits. There is more than one answer to that I'm convinced. But let us not miss the obvious. God waits to do things for us and in us and through us in order to teach us to wait on Him.
    Let us listen to Isaiah at the end of verse 18...”Blessed are all those who wait for Him.”
    Over the years, I have been asked many times what I prayed for my family. “I asked God to bless them.” Can people bless my wife and kids? Can I bless and benefit my wife snd kids? The answer is yes and yes.
    But, when I compare the good that I could bestow on my family with God’s limitless resources of good for my loved ones, it’s s no brainer...I'm asking God first and foremost every time...to bless my family.
    And from this passage and others, I have learned that God blesses those that wait, wait for Him to work, wait for Him to guide, wait for Him to supply.
    Let’s jump ahead to Isaiah 40:31...”They that “wait upon the Lord” shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with eagles They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.”
    Yes, I believe that God. God “waited” to show Himself gracious to Judah...“inorder to teach them the futility of doing life apart from Him”.
    Let us listen to a new testament text in James chapter 5 verse 8...“You also, brethren, be patient. Establish your hearts in faith, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
    Build your heart muscle of faith by practicing patience with the Lord. Practice waiting and watching for Him to work. For Him to come through.
    In Acts 1, Jesus met his disciples in Jerusalem, behind closed doors after his resurrection and just before Pentecost. He told them to wait. To wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father.
    They obeyed Jesus. They waited. Right where he told them. And they and 3000 other believers received the powerful Holy Spirit for their mission of spreading the gospel to the world. It was worth their waiting for the Lord. And it will be so for us as well!
    Have a great day.
    7 min
  • July 21st - Day 202
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    July 21st
    The bible reading today is in Hosea chapters 8-14.
    “Set the trumpet to your lips! One like a vulture (Assyria) is over the house of the Lord (Israel) because they have transgressed my covenant and rebelled against my law.”
    ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭8:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬
    The Silver Trumpets of Moses’ Tabernacle days, 700 years before today’s reading, were originally used to call the assembly of Israel to worship Yahweh or to battle God’s enemies. Today, God commands the “trumpets” to call the Assyrians to attack Israel because they rebelled against God’s law.
    What condemning imagery. Trumpets used for something other than what God created them for, thus calling out the hypocrisy in Israel. Pointing the divine finger at the pretense in the land of God’s promise.
    God saying to Israel...“You are only actors...You’re not really my chosen ones...and you pretend to love me, while you love others more.“To me they cry, “My God, we—Israel—know you.””
    ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭8:2‬ ‭ESV‬‬
    But their cries were not sincere. If they had truly known God, they would have desired to do His will and not their own. Their appeals were not truthful, they were just for show.
    It reminds me of the words of Jesus. Matt. 7...“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
    ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:21-23‬ ‭
    Hosea was telling many in Israel that they may claim to know about God, but they have missed all-together a personal faith relationship with God.
    “I have written for Israel the great things of my law, but they were considered a strange thing by them.”
    Hosea 8:12.
    God had so many great things for Israel, according to his word, but they seemed too “strange” for many Israelis because their hearts were far from Him.
    “I have written for him great things...” This tells us who the author of our Bible is...”This volume is the writing of the living God. Each letter was penned with an Almighty finger. Each word in it dropped from everlasting lips. Each sentence was dictated by the Holy Spirit.” We agree with you, bro Spurgeon.
    “...great things...” The bible’s content. The bible speaks of the greatest and most important things in life and eternity. There is nothing in this book that is unimportant. Every verse and chapter in the bible has a solemn meaning for us.
    May this book of books be “read by us often” and “thought upon” day and night. Through Hosea, God was warning of judgment to come upon unfaithful Israel. “For Israel has forgotten his Maker.”
    As many times as God has used texts like Hosea, over the years, to awaken my own lethargic heart back to my Savior, I have to believe that Hosea’s strong message got the attention of many In Israel before the Assyrian siege and captivity.
    God’s judgment of Israel was sure. And so was His love. That’s why He sent the broken-hearted preacher to them. Hopefully, many of them woke up too, and truly believed God’s great things for them.
    Lord Jesus thank You for Your death burial and resurrection for our eternal salvation. All that You have for us is good...even when it seems strange to us.
    May we be judged a faithful bride for You and Your glory O Lord.
    Have a great day
    7 min
  • July 20th - Day 201
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    July 20th
    Our Bible reading today is in Hosea chapters 1 thru 7.
    “When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.”
    ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭1:2‬ ‭ESV‬‬
    God had an assignment for the prophet Hosea. He would use the preacher to deliver some hard and direct messages to spiritually immoral Israel and Judah.
    God tells the truth. And for the unrepentant sinner, the truth hurts. The truth exposes sin and guilt. And that cuts deeply...and that hurts...on purpose.
    God tells the truth. For the already broken and sorrowful sinner, the truth of God brings light for the new pathway. It brings comforting forgiveness. It brings healing of sin’s bitter consequences, and God’s truth, for the repentant sinner, brings peace, joy, and gladness for the future.
    Therefore, Hosea’s message would cut many and enlighten others, hopefully, to bring the fear of God to their hearts again. And revive love for the Lord above all else.
    I agree with CH Spurgeon...
    “Hosea’s message could be summarized by the words: God loves His people in spite of apostasy.”
    We notice that before God would use Hosea to preach a message to others, God would preach one to him.
    And by the way, every Godly preacher that I have ever known in person or in historical print, has been just as committed to hearing and obeying God’s words as he was in speaking them.
    God speaks to Hosea...“Go and take to yourself a wife...”
    Ok. Other prophets had wives. That wouldn't be so strange. But God instructed Hosea to take Gomer for his wife. She was engaged in immoral behavior. She was a prostitute. “Now that would be strange”.
    Another man in scripture took a prostitute for a wife. His name was Salmon and her name was Rahab. And Salmon and his wife Rahab had a son, Boaz. Each of these being recorded in the Matthew record of the lineage of David and ultimately the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
    Now more than likely Salmon married Rahab after she became a repentant believer in Yahweh. That doesn't seem to be the case in today’s reading. But again, I'm “supposing” since the text doesn't speak to it.
    Was God interested in the soul of Gomer? Absolutely! Would He use the Godly prophet to lead her to repentance and faith? I hope that happened.
    So what was God up to in this strange situation? I believe that there were two main reasons. First, God was going to prepare the prophet to reach from his broken heart to the hard-hearted Israelites. Throughout our Old Testament reading, we have seen the covenant picture of God being the faithful husband to Israel.
    Now back to our text...Gomer would receive the benefits of being married, but she would break Hosea’s heart with her unfaithfulness, her multiple adulteries, her giving herself to others instead of only to her husband. Hosea would now be better able to relate to God’s broken heart over unfaithful Israel who had given themselves to idols, instead of their loving Savior.
    So perhaps God was giving a measure of passion and a clearer vision to Hosea for appealing to the hearts of unfaithful Israel to come back to the One who truly loves them.
    I believe that God was up to something else in our reading. Hosea took a sinner for a bride. Our Jesus did the same thing. He took me, Just As I Am. A sinner, immoral, an enemy of God, and a member of the crowd that yelled, “Crucify Him...Crucify Him...”
    And perfect Jesus asked the likes of me to do life with Him now and forever.
    Wow...now that’s a love story!
    Have a great day
    7 min
  • Insanity Of Unbelief

    The Psalmist talks about the steadfast love and mercy of God in the context of the evidence for God Himself. Without the fear of God there is no chance to find our way to love or truth or life.

    46 min
  • July 19th - Day 200
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    July 19th
    The Bible reading today is in 2 Kings 18:1-8, 2 Chronicles 29-31, Psalm 48.
    The reading today speaks to my heart. It talks about spiritual leadership. Some inspiring and some not so much.
    For almost 50 years, I've been a husband to Bev. In Christ, God has given me the role of spiritual leader in our marriage and family. For 48+ years I've been a pastor in the local church. In Christ, God gave me the role of spiritual leader in 6 churches.
    A spiritual leader at home, and a spiritual leader in the church. Some of it good. Some of it not so much.
    Let us listen to God’s testimony of Judah’s young king Hezekiah...and then we will listen to God’s testimony of some of the priests.
    “In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was “Abi the daughter of Zechariah”. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He “removed” the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).
    “He trusted in the Lord”, the God of Israel, so that “there was none like him” among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he “held fast” to the Lord. He “did not depart” from following him, but “kept the “commandments” that the Lord commanded Moses.
    And the “Lord was with him”; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and “would not serve him”. He “struck down” the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.”
    ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭18:1-8‬ ‭ESV‬‬
    God said: There was none like Hezekiah...one of a kind...among “all” the kings of Judah.
    One of a kind In Courage: He would not give in to the bullying tactics of the king of Assyria who had already defeated the 10 tribes. He took on the Philistine war machine as God directed, all the way to the capital, and struck the terrorists down.
    One of a kind in “Spiritual Leadership”: Hezekiah would not give in to popular trends concerning worship. People were using the altars to foreign gods to do their “half-hearted” worship of their Savior. So Hezekiah pulled the foreign altars down...destroyed the foreign idols that had been left in their places across Judah and Benjamin for several generations. It took guts to take that stand. And God honored it.
    Wonder what it was that God used to inspire spiritual desires in Hezekiah? We know that it probably wasn't his wicked father Ahaz. But I'm guessing. So I believe it was his mother, Abi, daughter of Zechariah, the prophet. And think about it, God uses moms and grandparents to influence the children too!
    So this young king was known in heaven for his undivided devotion to God. Hezekiah trusted in his Lord, especially when he was called on to wait. That’s a hard one. And he would not depart from following the Lord, even when friends did.
    Was Hezekiah a perfect king? No, not by a long shot. But his nation was blessed through his leadership. A godly leadership. Courageous and faithful.
    Hezekiah was good...but our King...was and is better by far. Praise You, Jesus, for faith to accept redemption’s assignment, and courage to voluntarily suffer and die so that we could be saved...our Lord...our Savior!
    So what about the priests in today’s text? Well, God replaced many of the priests with laymen. Why?
    Well, that’s the rest of the story.
    Have a great day!
    7 min
  • July 18th - Day 199
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    July 18th
    Our Bible reading today is in Isaiah 23-27.
    In the middle of that reading, in Chapter 25, we read about God’s people praising and believing God in and through great tribulation.
    We have all experienced difficult times in our lives. Stressful times, painful times, times of great loss, times of deep sorrow, times of desperation and fear-filled anxieties. We have all known, to some extent, the dark nights of our soul. But rarely have we heard people singing their faith at midnight.
    “O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.”
    ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭25:1‬ ‭ESV‬
    These faithful Israelis, in the midst of unusually difficult days, when God was judging a world of evil, sang the good news of their God to themselves and to each other..." from of old”...from as far back as anyone could remember, the Savior God had faithfully cared for His people of faith in good times and bad. He had fulfilled His plans to love, to protect, and to supply every need. Therefore, as the trouble predicted became the new normal, God’s faithful ones praised His Name! That’s a wow!
    That reminds me of Paul and Silas in the record of Acts chapter 16...“And when the Philippians had inflicted many blows upon Paul and Silas, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
    About “midnight” What were they doing? Complaining? Wondering why Jesus was putting them through this suffering? No...not even close.
    Paul and Silas were singing their faith out loud, whether the Lord delivered them or not. And what happened after God gave them a song at midnight? Eventually, the Philippian jailer, who heard their songs, began to believe in Jesus too...even his whole household. Now that’s a Wow!
    “Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God,” and the prisoners were listening to them,”
    ‭‭Acts‬ ‭16:23-25‬ ‭ESV‬‬
    Now back to our text today...Isaiah reminded these suffering saints of what God will do one day...“...God will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the “veil” that is spread over all nations. “He will swallow up death forever....”
    The prophet was saying to those Israelis enduring great tribulation: We may both die in this war, but death and a hole in the ground is not the winner. Reminds me of the gospel of Christ Isaiah preached the message that Paul preached to the church in Corinth...“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
    ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:51-54‬ ‭
    Sunday’s coming, that great getting up morning...the resurrection day...Death is swallowed up in total victory.
    And so is this referring to the rapture? The Marriage Supper of the Lamb? I believe so...but that’s the rest of the story.
    Have a great day
    6 min

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