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Chaos has a way of making compromise feel reasonable, but Isaiah 65 draws a hard line between a life shaped by God’s Word and a life shaped by our own thoughts. Pastor Carl walks verse by verse through a message that confronts spiritual drift while offering real hope. This teaching tackles the “remnant” theme head-on: God preserves a people who stay faithful even when the majority moves on.

We dig into how Isaiah 65 can be read in more than one accurate way, including Israel’s rejection of the Lord, God’s mercy reaching the Gentiles, and the bigger promise that God has not abandoned His people. From there, the passage gets painfully practical - living like pagans while claiming God’s name, trusting self-made wisdom, and sliding into pride that says “I’m not that bad.” We also address modern expressions of “holier than thou” spirituality, twisted morality, and the pull toward counterfeit spiritual power.

To sharpen the warning, Pastor Carl brings in Charles Spurgeon’s blunt diagnosis of self-righteousness and the excuses we use to justify sin. But we don’t end in condemnation. Isaiah 65 holds out grace, repentance, forgiveness, and a forward-looking vision of God’s coming kingdom, including the hope of a new heaven and a new earth. 

If you need steadiness, clarity, and a reason to keep going, press play, then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find these Bible teachings.

What makes a Calvary Chapel a Calvary Chapel. Join Pastor Carl as he goes through one of the Calvary Chapel Distinctives on The Mountain Cross Minute.

The 20th anniversary of Facing the Giants, Monday September 14 - 6:30PM at the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville.

Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com. 

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Worry, pain, and anger don’t just drain your peace, they can quietly rewrite your theology. When we’re under pressure, it’s easy to cling to a version of Jesus we’ve shaped to fit our fears and preferences, but that “other Jesus” can’t speak life into suffering or carry us through the storm. Pastor Carl walks us through Isaiah 63 and 64 to show why grieving the Holy Spirit is often less about a single moment and more about a slow drift into self-made worship.

We sit with Israel’s exile and the uncomfortable truth that Babylon can be prosperous and still feel empty. That’s where the question comes out raw: “Where is God?” Isaiah gives language for seasons when God felt powerful back then, but seems absent now. We also face the dangerous pivot from lament to accusation, and the mercy of God’s repeated call to turn back before we destroy ourselves. Along the way, we explore what it means that “grieve” can imply carving or fabricating and how idolatry can wear religious clothing.

The prayer in Isaiah 64 brings us to the heart of repentance and restoration: we appeal to God’s character, not our performance. We talk about a healthy fear of the Lord, righteousness by faith, and why “all our righteousness is like filthy rags” is meant to break pride and open the door to grace. God is the Father and the Potter, and we are the clay, reshaped by His mercy.

Subscribe for more Bible teaching, share this with someone who feels far from God, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What part of your life is most tempted to build a “DIY Jesus” right now?

What makes a Calvary Chapel a Calvary Chapel. Join Pastor Carl as he goes through one of the Calvary Chapel Distinctives on The Mountain Cross Minute.

The 20th anniversary of Facing the Giants, Monday September 14 - 6:30PM at the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville.

Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com. 

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Blood-stained robes. A winepress of judgment. A Redeemer who also brings justice. Isaiah 63 is not gentle imagery, and that is exactly why it wakes us up when we are tempted to shrink God down to something we can manage.

We follow Pastor Carl through Isaiah’s vivid prophecy of a figure returning from Edom, “mighty to save,” and we ask the hard questions it raises about the second coming of Jesus, the holiness of God, and the reality of wrath against evil. Along the way, we connect Edom to the conflict between Jacob and Esau, and we unpack why the Bible can describe Jesus as the perfect Savior and the perfect Judge without contradiction. That leads to one of the clearest themes of the message: the kinsman redeemer. Jesus becomes one of us, pays our debt at the cross, and redeems us back to God, then promises to deal fully and finally with what threatens the redeemed.

The episode also gets intensely personal. When life hurts, we often face a fork in the road: get mad at God and go our own way, or back up, admit we have drifted, and remember what God has told us, what he has shown us, and who he is. We talk about the lies we tell ourselves, what it means to grieve the Holy Spirit by “fabricating” an idol version of Jesus, and why the question “Where are you, God?” shows up both in exile and in comfortable modern life. The hope running under every line is this: God’s grace is greater, and Jesus is afflicted with our afflictions.

Subscribe, share this with someone who needs steadiness in a storm, and leave a review that tells us what part of Isaiah 63 challenged you most.

What makes a Calvary Chapel a Calvary Chapel. Join Pastor Carl as he goes through one of the Calvary Chapel Distinctives on The Mountain Cross Minute.

The 20th anniversary of Facing the Giants, Monday September 14 - 6:30PM at the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville.

Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com. 

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You can feel it when you’re living in the gap between what God promises and what you can see with your own eyes. Pastor Carl opens Isaiah 61 and 62 to remind us that God is not improvising. He is going to do a work, he is going to accomplish his purposes, and his timing is perfect even when our moment feels like chaos, loss, or slow change. 

We talk through a hope-filled but challenging idea: not everyone is automatically a child of God in the saving sense. Yes, every person is made in God’s image and deserves dignity, but Scripture points to adoption into God’s family through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Isaiah’s language of being clothed in salvation and covered in righteousness lands right where daily Christian life gets real: we stop trying to earn what only God can give, and we learn to rejoice in what he has already done through Jesus. 

Then Isaiah’s promises widen to Israel’s future redemption and Jerusalem’s restoration, including the unforgettable names Hephzibah and Beulah that picture God’s delight and covenant commitment. We also lean into the call to be watchmen: people who pay attention, warn with love, and keep praying with stubborn endurance, “giving him no rest.” If you need steady hope, a clearer gospel, and fuel for persistent prayer, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review that tells us what stood out most.

What makes a Calvary Chapel a Calvary Chapel. Join Pastor Carl as he goes through one of the Calvary Chapel Distinctives on The Mountain Cross Minute.

The 20th anniversary of Facing the Giants, Monday September 14 - 6:30PM at the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville.

Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com. 

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Jesus once read Isaiah 61 out loud in His hometown and then stopped mid verse, closed the scroll, and said the words were fulfilled. That one moment raises a huge question: why announce “the acceptable year of the Lord” but pause before “the day of vengeance”? We dig into that turning point and what it reveals about mercy, judgment, and where we are in God’s timeline right now.

We walk through Isaiah 61 and 62 with Pastor Carl, tracing the Messiah’s mission to bring good news to the poor in spirit, heal the brokenhearted, and proclaim liberty to captives. The conversation gets practical fast: sin is not just a bad habit, it is bondage, and God’s grace is not permission to stay stuck. The promise is forgiveness and freedom, comfort for mourners, and joy that replaces heaviness. Along the way we connect the “year of favor” to the Sabbath year and the Year of Jubilee, a vivid picture of release, restoration, and returning to our true Owner.

We also zoom out to the bigger story of Israel, the Gentiles, and the church, and why our place in God’s family is mercy from start to finish. We talk about what it means to be planted as “trees of righteousness,” why God gets the glory for real change, and how hope in God’s promises keeps us steady when the world feels loud and chaotic.

If this message helps you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs comfort, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What line from Isaiah 61 hits you the hardest right now?

What makes a Calvary Chapel a Calvary Chapel. Join Pastor Carl as he goes through one of the Calvary Chapel Distinctives on The Mountain Cross Minute.

The 20th anniversary of Facing the Giants, Monday September 14 - 6:30PM at the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville.

Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com. 

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Peace is one of the most abused words in public life, and we can feel how thin it gets when it depends on leverage, headlines, and fear. From Isaiah 60, we make a different claim: real peace comes from a different King. As we teach through this chapter, we trace a future where the nations stream toward God’s work, the gates stay open because so many are coming in, and the world finally sees Israel and the God of Israel with clear eyes.

We also slow down and talk honestly about discipline, mercy, and the way God keeps pursuing people who drift. Israel’s story becomes a mirror for our own lives. We do not build faith on how well we perform; we build it on how faithful the Lord is. That leads to a practical challenge: if the kingdom is alive in us right now through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, then surrender is not a religious mood. It is the daily path to clarity, renewed thinking, and a peace that can actually touch the people around us.

From modern “peace deals” to end times warnings about false peace, we contrast temporary calm with the deep change that only the Prince of Peace can bring. Isaiah’s picture is not just better politics; it is transformed hearts, righteous leadership, the end of violence, and the Lord himself as our everlasting light.

If you’ve been tired of shallow answers and you want Bible teaching that connects prophecy, hope, and everyday discipleship, listen now. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the message.

What makes a Calvary Chapel a Calvary Chapel. Join Pastor Carl as he goes through one of the Calvary Chapel Distinctives on The Mountain Cross Minute.

The 20th anniversary of Facing the Giants, Monday September 14 - 6:30PM at the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville.

Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com. 

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Darkness is real, and pretending otherwise doesn’t help. What does help is a vision big enough to outlast it and personal enough to meet you in the middle of your mess. We head into Isaiah 60 with Pastor Carl from The Mountain Cross in Waynesville, North Carolina, starting with that jolting command: “Arise, shine, for your light has come,” and we ask what it means when the world feels dim but God promises His glory will be seen.

We connect Isaiah’s prophecy to Jesus as the light who shines into darkness, and to the hope of His second coming, when He is no longer rejected or ignored. Pastor Carl paints the picture of Christ reigning in person, Israel restored and regathered, and the nations streaming in to worship the Holy One of Israel. Along the way, we slow down for the vivid details Isaiah includes: caravans, ships, gates that never close, and gifts brought in honor rather than negotiation.

One of the most memorable moments is the question about the gifts: why gold and frankincense, but not myrrh? We explore what those symbols say about Jesus as King and High Priest, and why myrrh belongs to His first coming and sacrificial death, not His eternal reign. And we bring it home with the core takeaway: we can trust God without basing that trust on how good we’ve been, because His grace keeps running after us, pulling us out, and setting us on higher ground.

If this strengthened your faith, share it with a friend, subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next in Isaiah, and leave a review to help more people find the show. What part of Isaiah 60 are you still thinking about?

What makes a Calvary Chapel a Calvary Chapel. Join Pastor Carl as he goes through one of the Calvary Chapel Distinctives on The Mountain Cross Minute.

The 20th anniversary of Facing the Giants, Monday September 14 - 6:30PM at the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville.

Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com. 

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Truth doesn’t disappear quietly, it gets trampled in the street. Pastor Carl’s teaching from Isaiah 59 lands like a diagnostic scan of the soul and the culture: when we stop pleading for truth and start redefining justice to fit our desires, we shouldn’t be shocked when peace evaporates. We talk honestly about the modern impulse to trust our own intellect, power, and “my truth” narratives, then wonder why the results feel like darkness at noon. 

From there, the message moves into Isaiah’s vivid images of vipers’ eggs and spider webs, a warning that sin multiplies and traps us while we try to cover ourselves with self-made solutions. We connect that to the way public life now runs on slogans and fast reactions instead of careful thought, repentance, and humility before God’s Word. Along the way, Pastor Carl applies Isaiah’s warning to hot-button moral issues like abortion and marriage, returning to a simple spiritual reality: demanding what God forbids while expecting wholeness is a dead end, no matter how normal it feels in the moment. 

The hope is not politics, it is the Redeemer. Isaiah turns toward intercession and confession, and we’re invited to let the Lord search us, free us from bondage, and take His rightful place on the throne of the heart. We also look at God putting on righteousness and salvation, pointing to Jesus’ first coming and the promised justice of His return. If you’re hungry for biblical justice, Christian truth, and a path to real peace, press play, then subscribe, share, and leave a review. What part of Isaiah 59 feels most urgent to you right now?

What makes a Calvary Chapel a Calvary Chapel. Join Pastor Carl as he goes through one of the Calvary Chapel Distinctives on The Mountain Cross Minute.

The 20th anniversary of Facing the Giants, Monday September 14 - 6:30PM at the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville.

Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com. 

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If you’ve ever wondered why your prayers feel unheard or why fasting feels like effort with no fruit, Isaiah has an answer that’s both convicting and freeing. We sit with Pastor Carl from The Mountain Cross in Waynesville, North Carolina, as he walks through Isaiah 58 and 59 and presses on a hard idea: God isn’t asking for religious strain, he’s asking for surrendered hearts.

We talk about the “fast” God chooses, the kind that loosens bonds of wickedness and breaks every chain. That starts with repentance and honesty about how we misrepresent the gospel, especially when we turn Christianity into “be good” instead of “run to Jesus.” The message gets practical fast: share bread with the hungry, welcome the poor, cover the naked, and stop hiding behind excuses when compassion feels inconvenient. Along the way, we look at God’s promises for wholehearted surrender: light in darkness, healing, guidance, protection, and a life that flourishes like a watered garden.

Then the scope widens to the church and the nation. Isaiah’s warning about sin, truth, and justice hits close to home, and the call is clear: revival starts in our hearts before foundations can be rebuilt for future generations. We also reflect on Sabbath as rest fulfilled in Jesus and the hope of God’s coming new heaven and new earth when chaos does not get the last word. If this challenged you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it.

What makes a Calvary Chapel a Calvary Chapel. Join Pastor Carl as he goes through one of the Calvary Chapel Distinctives on The Mountain Cross Minute.

The 20th anniversary of Facing the Giants, Monday September 14 - 6:30PM at the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville.

Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com. 

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A lot of us know what “good Christians” are supposed to do. We show up, we read the Bible, we try a fast, we clean up a few habits, and then we quietly wonder why nothing feels different. Isaiah 58 refuses to let us stay comfortable there. Pastor Carl walks us through God’s wake-up call to religious people who seem devoted but are running on appearance, pride, and a hidden agenda.

We talk about how easy it is to become an armchair quarterback of everyone else’s sin while ignoring our own, and how the heart can deceive us into thinking spiritual knowledge equals spiritual maturity. Isaiah names the disconnect: people fast and worship while exploiting others, fueling conflict, and clinging to secret compromises. That kind of faith tries to make God surrender to us. God calls us to the opposite: repentance, humility, and a surrendered heart that actually listens.

Then the passage turns outward. The fast God chooses loosens bonds, lifts burdens, breaks yokes, and moves us toward mercy: feeding the hungry, welcoming the poor, and refusing to hide from real human need. Along the way we connect Isaiah 58 with Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 about fasting in secret, and James 1 on being doers of the Word, not hearers only. If you want a biblical picture of authentic fasting, real repentance, and practical Christian living, this teaching will search you and steady you.

Subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review to help more people find the podcast.

What makes a Calvary Chapel a Calvary Chapel. Join Pastor Carl as he goes through one of the Calvary Chapel Distinctives on The Mountain Cross Minute.

The 20th anniversary of Facing the Giants, Monday September 14 - 6:30PM at the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville.

Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com.