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Sin doesn’t usually announce itself as destruction. It shows up polished, persuasive, and “normal” enough to pull us off the narrow road one small yes at a time. Pastor Carl continues a verse-by-verse walk through Isaiah 30 and confronts the cultural lies that make rebellion look harmless while it quietly steals courage, peace, and clarity.

We talk about what pride does to a soul and to a community: confidence evaporates, fear takes over, and we end up with little to show for the path we chose. But Isaiah’s warning is also a window into God’s character. The Lord waits to be gracious, and He speaks ahead of time so we can turn back before consequences harden. That patience is not weakness. It is mercy with purpose.

One of the most hopeful moments is the link between justice and forgiveness. God is the Judge, yet He offers grace without excusing evil because Jesus pays the cost at the cross. From there, the message gets intensely practical: what “waiting on the Lord” actually means, how the Holy Spirit teaches and guides, and why spiritual growth includes learning to say “get away” to the idols and inputs that defile us.

If you’re looking for Bible teaching, Christian discipleship, and a clear call to resist temptation and trust God’s Word, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find Come On Up.

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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When pressure hits, most of us don’t stop and pray, we start negotiating. That’s the tension at the heart of Isaiah 30, and Pastor Carl walks us straight into it with a warning that feels uncomfortably current: God’s people see danger coming and sprint toward Egypt for an alliance instead of seeking the Lord for counsel, provision, and protection.

We talk through why “Egypt” isn’t just ancient geopolitics. It’s a living metaphor for worldliness, self-reliance, and the false security we buy with our time, attention, and treasure. The message challenges the subtle ways we drift after coming to faith: starting by grace, then trying to finish by effort, entitlement, or “I can do what I want because I’m forgiven.” Along the way, Isaiah names another temptation we all recognize, the craving for “smooth things” that comfort us without correcting us. Truth can sting, but it also heals, because God doesn’t tell us hard things to shame us, He tells us hard things to bring us home.

The turning point is simple and hopeful: “In returning and rest you shall be saved… in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” We slow down, look at what repentance actually does in everyday life, and end anchored in the gospel promise that Jesus takes our sin and gives us His righteousness, so we can draw near without fear. If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs rest, and leave a review so more people can find this teaching.

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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We’ve all had moments where we swear God is saying one thing, but the truth is we’re not really listening. That tension sits at the center of Pastor Carl’s teaching as we walk through Isaiah 29 and confront a haunting diagnosis: people can honor God with their lips while their hearts remain far away. The question gets personal fast. Why do we go to church? Why do we do “good works”? Is it to look right, or to be changed by the Lord?

From Isaiah’s warning about willful ignorance and hidden deeds, we move to the potter and clay, where pride gets exposed for what it is: acting like the created can correct the Creator. Then we connect the dots to Revelation 3 and the lukewarm church of Laodicea. Jesus’ words are blunt and loving at the same time. If we think we’re fine, rich, and in need of nothing, we may be missing how spiritually blind we’ve become. The invitation is still open: come to Him for gold refined in the fire, white garments, and “eye salve” so we can see clearly again.

Hope runs through the back half as Isaiah shifts toward restoration, humility, and joy. We talk about zealous repentance, opening the door to renewed fellowship with Christ, and the gospel that changes prodigals, schemers, and weary churchgoers from the inside out. If you’re searching for Bible teaching on Isaiah 29, spiritual blindness, repentance, and lukewarm faith, this message is for you.

Subscribe for more verse-by-verse teaching, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review with what convicted you most. What’s one “blind spot” you want God to heal?

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 city that calls itself the “Lion of God” gets renamed by its actions and God’s response is sobering. We walk through Isaiah 29 as Pastor Carl unpacks God’s warning to Jerusalem: you can keep the feasts, say the right words, and still live with a heart that’s far from the Lord. The result isn’t just bad theology, it’s spiritual blindness, the kind that doesn’t come from lack of information but from refusing to see what’s true.

Along the way, we trace Isaiah’s images of siege, dust, and silence and connect them to the real collapse that came when Babylon conquered Jerusalem. Then the focus shifts to a theme that keeps repeating like an alarm: pride makes life feel like a dream. You “eat” and “drink” in your sleep, wake up empty, and realize the satisfaction was never real. That’s how self-trust, religious performance, and temporary security work when they replace genuine dependence on God.

We also dig into what it means for Scripture to become “a sealed book.” Pastor Carl points to the Holy Spirit as the One who brings the truth off the page and into our hearts, producing conviction, repentance, and lasting change. To bring it home, we connect Isaiah’s warning to Revelation 3 and Jesus’ rebuke of the lukewarm church of Laodicea, plus his merciful invitation: “I stand at the door and knock.” If you’ve been coasting, hiding, or settling for surface-level faith, this message presses a simple question: are we all in, or just nearby?

If this stirred something in you, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. What’s one area where you need God to open your eyes and help you repent?

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 spiritual life feels stuck while your “faith” still sounds right on paper, we go straight at that tension. We talk about the uncomfortable idea that real salvation produces real change and why a life that looks just like the world should spark honest self-examination. The question that frames the heart of the message is blunt: if you’re living like hell, why do you think you have heaven living in you?

We open up Isaiah’s warning to God’s people as they flirt with judgment and hide behind false security, then follow the thread to the rest God actually offers. Jesus invites the weary to come to him, and we explore what that refreshment looks like in practice: digging into God’s Word, steady growth “precept upon precept,” and ongoing fellowship that keeps us awake to truth. Along the way, we contrast Spirit-filled steadiness with the rush of quick fixes, pressure decisions, and the kind of “refreshment” that fades fast.

A major focus is the “refuges of lies” we use to protect our pride or numb our pain. Drawing from Charles Spurgeon’s list, we unpack six lies that sound normal in modern culture: being “good enough,” blaming fate, chasing exciting false teaching, trusting religious profession, claiming a saved soul with an ungodly life, and leaning on an old spiritual experience instead of a living relationship with Jesus today. Isaiah also points us to the answer: Jesus as the precious cornerstone and sure foundation, the measuring line for truth, righteousness, and peace.

If you want a Bible-based message on sanctification, repentance, addiction, spiritual renewal, and building your life on Christ, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs clarity, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

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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Alcohol can look like relief, but what if it’s quietly training your heart to run from God instead of toward Him? We hold that question up to the light of Scripture and let it search us, because real hope is not found in a bottle, a party, or a quick escape. We come back to Jesus Christ as the only steady place for faith, focus, forgiveness, cleansing, and the “new wine” of salvation.

Pastor Carl takes us verse by verse through Isaiah 28, where the “crown of pride” shines for a moment and then fades, and where drunkenness is exposed as more than a habit it’s a spiritual threat that distorts vision and destroys judgment. We talk about the remnant who trust the Lord, and why God Himself becomes their true crown of glory. Then we turn to Proverbs 23 for one of the Bible’s most honest descriptions of intoxication and addiction: the sparkle, the bite, the strange sights, the perverse words, the wounds without cause, and the craving that keeps asking for “another drink.”

From there, Luke 21 raises the stakes. Jesus warns that our hearts can be weighed down by carousing, drunkenness, and the cares of this life, leaving us unprepared for the Day of the Lord. The answer is watchfulness, prayer, and a real relationship with Christ, the One who gives true rest and refreshing “line upon line” through His Word.

If you’re wrestling with what you reach for when life hurts, listen, share this with a friend, and subscribe for more Bible teaching from Come On Up. After you listen, what’s one change you know you need to make?

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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Self-help says the answer is inside you. Isaiah says the answer is above you and it starts with surrender. Pastor Carl digs into Isaiah 26 and 27 to show why “wrestling with God” is often God lovingly revealing our own heart back to us, pressing the question we’d rather avoid: do we want to keep living our way, or do we want the blessing of God and the peace that comes when we finally say, “not my will, but yours be done”?

From there, the teaching widens into big, hope-filled promises. Isaiah declares, “Your dead shall live,” and we talk about resurrection hope, the mystery of a new resurrected body, and the reality that God specializes in bringing life where sin and despair have made things feel beyond repair. We also walk through end times themes like the Day of the Lord, God’s judgment on iniquity, and why believers can trust the Judge who is also the Savior.

Isaiah 27 takes an unexpected turn with Leviathan, and Pastor Carl connects that image to spiritual warfare, Satan’s lies, and the way worldly thinking trains us toward pride, idolatry, and emptiness. The episode lands on a practical call to repent, release our idols willingly, and take hold of God’s strength so we can make peace with Him and bear real fruit.

Subscribe for more Bible teaching, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help others find the show.

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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Trust can feel impossible once you’ve been let down enough times, and that’s exactly why this teaching from Isaiah cuts through the noise. We start with a blunt question: do we really trust the Lord to provide, guide, and still be good even if everything we lean on gets taken away? Pastor Carl challenges the shaky ground beneath our “backup plans” and points to the one place faith can actually rest. 

We dig into what it means to wait on the Lord without checking out. Waiting isn’t doing nothing; it’s staying faithful to what God has already called you to do while you seek Him, remember His faithfulness, and stop pushing your own agenda. We also get practical about spiritual discipline, choosing the best part of your day to meet with God, and why that kind of daily priority becomes a visible witness in a world that’s starving for something real. 

From grace toward enemies to the quiet power of idols, this message names the heart-level battle behind so much anxiety and restlessness. You’ll hear how God establishes peace by doing what we can’t do for ourselves, why repentance matters for individuals and nations, and how Isaiah’s promises of resurrection and end-times justice reshape the way we live right now. 

If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs steady hope, and leave a review with one question you’re still wrestling with.

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. 

Send us a note!

Perfect peace is one of those Christian phrases that can sound unrealistic until you put it next to an honest question: what do you think about first when you wake up? We start there, because your mental focus is not a small detail, it’s a spiritual direction. Pastor Carl walks through Isaiah 26 and shows how God’s “strong city” is built on salvation, righteousness, and a King who truly rules and reigns, not on the fragile defenses we try to build for ourselves. 

From that hope-filled picture, we zoom in on Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” We talk about what it means to keep your mind stayed on the Lord in real life, when money worries, relationships, politics, and nonstop news all compete for your attention. We also connect the theme to Revelation 21’s vision of the New Jerusalem, where God’s glory is the light and nothing corrupt is allowed through the gates. It’s a powerful reminder that lasting security is not something we manufacture, it’s something we receive in Christ. 

Then we get practical and pointed with Proverbs 3:5-7, the call to trust the Lord instead of leaning on our own understanding, and the warning not to be wise in our own eyes. Pastor Carl frames it as a “tale of two cities”: the city of God shaped by humility and justice, and the lofty city of human pride that ultimately gets brought low. We end with a challenge to seek God early, wait on Him with active obedience, and extend grace even when others refuse to behold His majesty. 

Subscribe for more Bible teaching, share this with a friend who’s overwhelmed, and leave a review so more people can find the podcast. What’s one thought you want to replace this week by fixing your mind on Jesus?

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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Judgment is one of the most misunderstood words in the Bible, and Isaiah refuses to let us treat it like a cheap threat. We sit with Pastor Carl as he opens Isaiah 24 and 25 and shows why God’s justice is not cruel or random. God warns, God gives space for repentance, and God stays faithful and true even when the world shakes under the weight of sin. That tension is the point: the Judge is also the One who goes above and beyond to save. 

We follow Isaiah’s stark images of fear, the pit, and the snare and ask an uncomfortable question: where do we run when consequences close in? Pastor Carl connects Isaiah’s language to Revelation’s pictures of the pit, deception, and the enemy’s defeat, then traces the Bible prophecy thread back to the flood and forward to the promise of final judgment by fire in 2 Peter. Along the way, we talk about the limits of human control, the humbling of kings and powers, and the breathtaking claim that the sun and moon will seem disgraced because the Lord’s glory shines brighter than anything we have ever known. 

Then the tone turns to worship. Isaiah 25 breaks into praise, pointing to a coming kingdom where God hosts a feast, removes the veil spread over the nations, swallows up death forever, and wipes away tears from every face. We also get practical and personal about pride, pretending, and what it means to humble ourselves now and build on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ while the door is open. 

Subscribe for more teaching through Isaiah, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What part of God’s justice or mercy are you still wrestling with today?

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.