Hope Worth Having

Pastor Mike will be speaking on Two Paths to Eternity Part 1. He will be reading out of Isaiah 8:1-15.

God does not forsake his people. Even when our life is a mess, and even when we make some bad choices in our life, and we’re going down a direction that is not aligning with our core values or what honors Jesus Christ in our life, God is with us. Hello, this is Pastor Mike Sanders from The Open Door Church.

Welcome to Hope Worth Having. Today we’re going to be in Isaiah chapter 8, and we are going to be studying about the two paths to eternity. For all of us as humans, we have two choices, and that is we can follow the path to heaven or the path to hell.

And if we follow the path to heaven, then we receive the blessings of God, eternal salvation. And so we want to understand how do we choose the right path. Let’s get into the book of Isaiah.

If you have your Bible this morning, I want you to join me in the book of Isaiah chapter 8. We’re continuing to track through the book of Isaiah, and we’ve now come to Isaiah chapter 8. And we’ll be covering different sections of this chapter. This will actually be a two-part series again. We’ve entitled it Two Paths to Eternity.

Two Paths to Eternity. In 1960, in 1916, Robert Frost wrote his most famous poem, The Road Not Taken, which described a quandary that he found himself in. He was walking through the beautiful forest in the autumn, enjoying himself until he came to a fork in the road.

Which direction should he go? After a time of wrestling based upon uncertainty about the two destinations, he decided in the end to take the road less traveled. In his poem, he said, that has made all the difference. Jesus described even more poignantly, a far more significant choice.

He talked about two paths. One that leads to heaven, and the other leads to hell. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7, in verse 13 and 14, Enter ye into the straight gate.

For wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction. And many there be which go in thereat. Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

When we come to Isaiah chapter 8, again we are presented with two ways. Two paths. And they are woven together within this chapter.

And we are called to choose a path. The Bible teaches us that there is one way, and only one way, that leads to heaven. And his name is Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one cometh unto the Father but by me. My friends, there are not many ways that lead to God.

There are not many paths that lead to God. There is one path. And that is the path of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

What was true in the days of our Savior as he walked upon this earth. Was also true in the days of Isaiah the prophet. And as he looked forward, and proclaiming the coming of the Messiah, whom would be Jesus Christ.

He continued to remind the people that there were two paths to eternity. Now when we come to chapter 8, it’s important for you to understand it in full context. If you’ve been with us, you know that as we’ve been going through Isaiah.

That we have this King Ahaz. And he is in quite the dilemma. And all of a sudden there is the northern kingdom.

And they want to attack Judah. Which Ahaz is the king of. And so he is looking for a solution.

And what he decides to do is Ahaz builds an alliance politically with Assyria. To defeat his enemies. Assyria was the world power of the day.

It was the dominant country of that day. And Isaiah had already come to Ahaz and said don’t do it. Put your trust in God.

God will protect you. God will take care of you. God will meet your needs.

But Ahaz decided he was not going to listen to the prophet. He was going to do his own thing. And you can read all about this in Isaiah chapter 7. And 2 Kings chapter 16.

When we come to chapter 8. Ahaz has made this alliance. And now the prophet comes. And he wants the people to understand what is going to be the outcome.

And so before I get to the crux of the message I want to give you. I want you to see that there were three phases. That were the result of Ahaz dealing with Assyria.

And in phase 1 Assyria comes in. And kind of pretending to rescue Judah by destroying her enemies. So we read verse 1 all the way through verse 4. And this is symbolic language.

But to let us know that Assyria is coming in. And they’re going to protect Judah. And you remember that Judah was the southern kingdom.

Israel was the northern kingdom. They had split up. And Ahaz was the king.

So here we go. Verse 1. Moreover the Lord said to me. Take a large scroll.

And write on it with a man’s pen. Concerning Meher, Shalal, Hash, Baaz. And I will take for myself faithful witnesses to record.

Uriah the priest and Zachariah the son of Jeroboam. I know I’m struggling with these words too. And I’ve been practicing.

How do you guys think I did? Did I do okay? I’ve been practicing. But anyways. Then I went to the prophetess.

Which is Isaiah’s wife. And she conceived and bore a son. And then the Lord said to me.

Call his name. Now ladies get this. Meher, Shalal, Hash, Baaz.

What a wonderful name. What a great name. Verse 4. Before the child shall have knowledge to cry.

My father and my mother. The riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria. Will be taken away before the king of Assyria.

Again what we see these verses centering on. Is this mysterious name. Meher, Shalal, Hash, Baaz.

Which simply means speeding to the plunder. Or hurrying to the spoil. Here comes this mighty nation.

This mighty kingdom Assyria. They’re coming in. And they are going to destroy the enemies of Judah.

So they think. And not only are they under the pretense. That somehow they’re going to protect them.

But they think that when they’re done. Taking and destroying the enemies of Judah. That all of a sudden Assyria is just going to walk away.

And say there you go. Now you have your little nation and take care of yourself. But that’s not what’s going to happen.

In phase 2 of the text. We see the Lord has more work to do. Through Assyria.

And we pick up in verse 5. The Lord also spoke to me again saying. It is much as these people refuse the waters of Shiloah. That flow softly.

And this is again symbolic language. And here he is referring to. What God is doing and what his work would be.

It would be a peaceful river. Flowing softly. Rather than doing that.

They chose to rejoice and resent. And Ramaliah’s son. And now therefore behold the Lord.

Brings up over them the waters of river. Which is Assyria strong and mighty. And the king of Assyria.

And all his glory will go up over all channels. And go over all his banks. Look at verse 8. He will pass through Judah.

He will overflow and pass over. He will reach up to the neck. And the stretching out of his wings.

We will fill the breath of your land. Oh Emmanuel. Now what he is reminding them.

Is that God is going to use. Assyria. To bring judgment upon Judah.

Why? Because Judah refused to trust in the Lord. Judah refused to put their faith. In God.

They were going to rely on politics. They were going to rely on this great nation. Assyria.

That was wealthy and strong. And it had a military might. They were going to rely on them.

Instead of turning. To God almighty. So God uses this opportunity.

To judge Judah. Judah thought man they’re going to leave us alone. When they’re done.

But no they took over. The whole land of Judah. Now we see phase 3. And that is that God gives a promise.

To his people. And the promise is. That he will destroy.

Assyria. Look at verse 9. Be shattered O you peoples. Be broken in pieces.

Give ear all you from far countries. Gird yourselves but be broken in pieces. Gird yourselves but be broken in pieces.

Take counsel together. But it will come to nothing. Speak the word.

But it will not stand. For God is with us. Underscore that.

For God is with us. Because we’ve already heard in verse 8. O Emmanuel. And remember back in chapter 7. That we heard about a child.

That was going to be born. And his name would be Emmanuel. God with us.

And Isaiah the prophet said. God is going to send you. A child and it will be a reminder.

A sign to you. That God is with us. That even in the midst of the judgment.

Of God’s people. The prophet reminds. The people of God.

That God has not forsaken them. Though they had chosen a path. That was destructive.

A path that does not lead to God. Though they had chosen a path. That did not honor the Lord.

And put their faith and trust in God. That God was going to make it all come full circle. All because of the promise.

That he had given. And that is. God is with us.

That’s the thing. That you and I have to remember. Is that God does not forsake his people.

Even when our life is a mess. And even when we make some bad choices. In our life.

And we’re going down a direction. That is not aligning with our core values. Or what honors Jesus Christ in our life.

God is with us. And we can be encouraged. Knowing that Emmanuel.

Has not forsaken his people. He has not forsaken those who love him. Who live for him.

Who desire. To honor him in their life. So the judgment of God.

Would be upon Assyria. Now. I told you there was two paths.

There is the way of light. That Isaiah will teach us about. And then next time.

We’ll learn about the way of darkness. But let’s talk about the way of light. How it is described.

In Isaiah chapter 8. And I want you to make sure you have your Bible. This morning. And if you didn’t bring a physical Bible.

Grab one out of the pew. Or use your device. But whatever it takes.

Follow along with me. So that you don’t get lost. In the midst of everything.

I’m trying to share with you this morning. The first thing I want you to see. That the way of light.

Is a life in God’s firm grip. Look at verse 11. He’s already given us the promise.

But the Bible says. For the Lord spoke thus to me. With a strong hand.

And he instructed me. Here’s what I want you to see. That the strong grip.

Is a picture. Of the presence of almighty God. That he is there shielding.

And protecting. His people who choose. The way of light.

Who choose the path of God. Who choose the path. That honors the Lord Jesus Christ.

You have the hand of God. The presence of God. The strong grip of God.

Upon your life. This reminds me that Jesus. Who is our shepherd.

Our good shepherd. In the gospel of John. That he takes hold of every believer.

That every believer. Is in his hand. In his firm grip.

Jesus said I give unto them. Eternal life. And they shall never perish.

Neither shall any man. Pluck them out of my hand. What a wonderful truth to know.

That as I’m on my journey of faith. And I’m choosing the way. Of life and light.

And I’m following the path. That God has for me. That I am in the firm grip.

Of my savior. Now I know that some people like to see it differently. They like to say I’m holding on to Jesus.

My friends. Our grip is not good enough to hold on to Jesus Christ. What we need is Jesus to hold on to us.

Amen. We need the power. The presence of God in our life.

To guide us and to hold on to us. Because when the winds are blowing. And the storms and the seas are raging.

And the carpet is pulled out. From underneath our life. And everything is chaotic and confusing.

We need to know. That we are in the firm hand. And the firm grip of our lord and savior.

Jesus Christ. He leads us. He leads each one of us.

As believers and followers of Christ. He leads us powerfully. And victoriously through life.

And ultimately. He will lead us to heaven. He will lead us in that final consummation.

Of our faith. Where we will stand in the presence of God. And because he lives.

I can face tomorrow. Whatever storms may encounter me. Whatever dilemmas I might find myself in.

Circumstances. I am in the firm grip. And the hand of almighty God.

The apostle Paul. Said in second Corinthians. That he is leading us triumphantly.

That’s why I say to the church. Head up. Don’t get your head down.

Don’t be defeated. Don’t be discouraged. We are realistic about our circumstances.

We understand the situation that we are in. But we are head up. Because we are a people who have already obtained victory.

Through Jesus Christ. What Jesus accomplished on the cross. And through the resurrection.

Has already been granted to us. As victorious Christians. And therefore we are head up.

He is the lifter of my head. The psalmist said. And we therefore march with victory every day.

No matter what the outcome is on Tuesday. I’m not waking up Wednesday. And being discouraged.

Throwing in the towel. And ready to quit. I’m not going to do it.

Because all that does not determine. My victory as a believer. And I want to encourage you to know.

That as you walk in this journey of faith. God is leading you victoriously. And powerfully.

The bible says in Philippians 3.12. Not that I have already attained. Or am already perfected. But I press on.

And that I may lay hold of that. For which Jesus Christ. Also laid hold of me.

I love that last phrase. Jesus Christ has laid hold of me. We are in his grip.

We are in his protection. His covering. He is watching over us.

He is protecting us. What is our job? Because we have the power of Christ. Because we have the presence of Christ.

Because we have the hand of God. Upon us. We press on church.

Why? Because as the Hebrew writer said. We see Jesus. Everybody else sees problems.

We see Jesus. Everybody else sees disaster. But we see Jesus.

That even in the judgment of God. He can be doing his work in our life. That even in.

How things may not unfold like we want them to be. Jesus Christ. God himself.

Can be working effectively in our life. And so we press on like that runner. You know when we watch some of the Olympics.

We watch some of these races. And how close they were this year. And those runners would stretch.

And with all their might. They would agonize to get across. That finish line.

And I believe one of them. There in the race. Just barely won by stretching forth.

And that’s what you and I do church. We do not retreat. We do not give up.

We continue to press on. For the Lord Jesus Christ. Because we know that our life.

Is in his firm grip. The second thing I want you to see. That the way of light.

Is a life listening to God’s word. I’m back in verse 11. And again you’ll note.

He says in chapter 8 of Isaiah. That he instructed me. The prophet said he instructed me.

He is speaking to me. His strong hands upon me. But he’s instructing me.

That I should not walk in the way. Of this people. So I want you to know.

That a person who walks in the light. Listens to God’s word. That the bible teaches us.

That we are his sheep. And we listen to his voice. John 10 27 says.

My sheep hear my voice. I know them. And they follow me.

We do not listen to the voice of the world. We do not listen to the voice. Of naysayers.

We do not listen to the voice of those. Who are critical and negative. And hateful and rude.

We listen to the voice of God. And we follow the way. Of life and light.

We follow the path. That Jesus Christ has. Every one of us must remember.

That there are many voices. Speaking into our life. That are trying to get our attention.

And to call us away from the truth. And to call us away. From what is right and honorable.

To Jesus Christ. But we are his true sheep. And therefore we should only hear.

And respond. And activate the voice of God. In our life.

How does God speak? He speaks through his word. He speaks through the power of his spirit. He speaks through people.

In our lives. He speaks as we pray. He speaks as he gives peace.

God is not the author of confusion. The scripture says. But he is the author of peace.

And so we understand. Anything that is confusing in this world. Is not from God.

If you are frustrated. And not sure which path to take. I want you to know.

That follow the path of peace. And what is honorable to God. What is obedient to the Lord.

Don’t follow the path of confusion and chaos. That is not from God almighty. But we hear.

And we listen to his voice. But I want you to note again. In verse 11 he says.

What did God say to Isaiah? I should not walk in the way. Of this people. I think the third principle.

Is the way of life. Is a counter cultural life. A life that goes against.

The current. Listen to me church. We march to the beat.

Of a different drummer. It is not the drummer. Of the world.

It is the heavenly drummer. We do not live. In fear.

Of the world. Or people. Notice in verse 12 he says.

Do not say a conspiracy. Concerning all that this people. Call a conspiracy.

Nor be afraid of their threats. Nor be. Troubled.

We don’t follow the fear of man. The bible says. That the fear of man is a snare.

Paul the apostle. Told Timothy the pastor. He said that we have not been given.

A spirit of fear. Meaning the fear of man. We don’t operate in fear.

Of people. We are living our lives. Out of love for the lord.

Jesus Christ. We don’t love. What the world loves.

We love what God loves. And therefore we live a life. That is separated from this world.

That is insulated. From this world. We do not live as they live.

It doesn’t make us. Super spiritual. It doesn’t make us self righteous.

It doesn’t mean that somehow. We are better than others. But we hear the words of God.

When he tells us in 2nd Corinthians 6. 17. Therefore come out from among them. And be what church? Separate.

Says the lord. Do not touch what is unclean. And I will receive you.

The call of the believer. Is not to follow the way of the world. But it is.

To be counter cultural. And to be willing. To follow the path that God.

Has given us. Will there be people who press down on us. And push back because we don’t.

Follow their way. Or what the consensus is. Of the world.

Or that what the world. Wants me to believe. Absolutely.

And I want to tell you. You are right. In questioning some of the things.

That are going on in this crazy world. You are right to be thinking through it. Now we always are respectful.

We do things with meekness. And we are not here to be hateful. Rude obnoxious.

But I am telling you here church. It is okay to think through. What this world is trying to tell us to do.

Amen. And so we are thinking through those things. But we also note.

That the life of one. Who follows the way of light. Is a life of fear.

And fearlessness. Now I know what you are saying. Pastor Mike you just told us.

You just told us that we are not to be in fear. That is right. But I want you to know there is a distinction.

Of a fear of man. Or fear of people. And there is a fear of God.

Look at verse 13. The Bible says the Lord of hosts. Him you shall hallow.

Or him shall you reverence. Let him be your fear. Let him be your dread.

And what he is saying. Is that we live a life. In fear of the Lord.

The fear of the Lord. Is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. The proverb writer said.

We understand that our God is a holy God. He is a consuming fire. And that there ought to be respect.

And there ought to be reverence to God. As we live our lives. When we think about what we are doing.

Where we are going. What we are reading. What we are looking at.

What we are scrolling through. We got to remember that there is a holy God. Who is watching us.

And out of reverence to him. Out of respect to him. Out of a holy.

Healthy. Fear of God. We respond to walk.

In the way. Of light. Ahaz and Judah.

Had become fearful. Of their enemies. And the Bible tells us.

In chapter 7. That their hearts were like the trees. Who were bending. In the wind.

They couldn’t handle it. They crumbled. Because of the fear of man.

And what they should have done. When the prophet came to them. And said don’t be afraid of people.

Don’t be afraid of Assyria. Don’t be afraid of the northern kingdom. But put your trust in God.

They should have feared the Lord. They should have reverence God. They should have made God number one.

In their life. They should have made him a priority in their life. And they should have walked in the way of the light.

And God would have taken care of them. But they said no we are afraid of our enemies. And so we are going to ask the world.

To help us. With our problems. How many times have believers done that? There is a fearlessness.

To us. As believers. But there is a healthy fear.

Where we make Jesus number one. And we reverence him. In our heart.

Remember the words of our savior. He said do not fear those. Who kill the body.

But cannot kill the soul. But rather fear him. Who is able to destroy both soul and body.

In hell. So we have this dichotomy going on. In our hearts.

There is a fearlessness in us. That we are bold and confident. And courageous.

And ready to take on the world. For the Lord Jesus Christ. But there is also this reverence in our hearts.

And our great respect. To all that God has taught us. In the presence of Jesus Christ.

That we. Have a healthy fear. Of our God.

What is the next step. Of a person who follows the way of life. Of light.

It is a life resting. In the true. Sanctuary.

A life resting in the true sanctuary. We come down to verse 14. He will be as a sanctuary.

But a stone of stumbling. And a rock of offense. To both the houses of Israel.

As a trap and a snare. To the inhabitants of Jerusalem. What is he talking about? When he says he will be a sanctuary.

He is talking about he will be. A refuge. A safe haven.

We think about all that happened. Not too long ago. With our fellow citizens.

In North Carolina. The western part. Where they had all this water.

Flooding their communities. And their homes. For some of them they had to run to shelter.

They had to run to places. Of even houses of worship. So that they could have a refuge.

From the ravaging. Flooding. That was destroying lives.

And taking people’s lives. Unfortunately. In our text in chapter 8. Ahaz had aligned with the enemies of God.

In Assyria. Because he was unwilling to trust God. And stand firm in his faith.

And what is before him are two paths. A path with the Lord. Or a path separated from God.

And it’s unfortunate that he chooses. The path to hell. And we got to remember.

That as believers. That we want to follow this path. And be faithful to God.

And that we want to receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of you have not responded. And it’s time for you to respond.

You’re hoping one day you will. Well now. Today is the day of salvation.

Respond to God. Receive him. As your Lord and Savior.

Repent. And turn to God by faith. And follow him.

This is the path to eternal life in Jesus Christ. And we hope that will be true in your life. We want you to check us out on HopeWorthHaving.com And you can sign up for our devotions.

These devotions are written with a desire. To help you to go deeper in your faith. And stronger in your walk with God.

This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you. That in Christ there is hope worth having.

The post Two Paths to Eternity Part 1 first appeared on Hope Worth Having.

Pastor Mike will be speaking on Standing Firm in Faith Part 4. He will be reading out of Isaiah 7:10-25.

There is a peace that passes all understanding, and as we are walking through the floods of our lives, we know that God is with us, and we are not shaken, we are not troubled, we are not melting down, we are not coming apart. Why? Because God is with His people. Hello, this is Pastor Mike Sanders, all the way from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, the Open Door Church, Hope Worth Having Ministry, and we’re glad to be with you today.

We’re continuing our study in Isaiah chapter 7. We’re coming to the end, where we’re learning about standing firm in faith, and what all that means, and how that applies to our life, and how do we do that. So I want you to grab your Bible this morning, and let’s get into the Word. And the reason that God delays our prayers is because He is still reaching out, He is still calling people to true salvation, and He is patiently waiting for you today to come back home, and to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord, and to love Him with all your heart, and to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.

And I know that you and I are anxious, and I know that we are so ready, and we want to see the Lord’s return, but I remind you, we also want to see our loved ones come to Christ. So when we struggle with patience, when we struggle with waiting, anybody here like to wait? I’d like to meet you, never met anybody, but I’d like to meet you. Nobody likes to wait, do we? But we ask the Lord to help us be patient.

One time a lady said to me, Pastor, should I pray for patience? Well, that’s a great question, isn’t it? Because you know if you ask for patience, you know what’s going to happen. You’re going to find yourself in a pickle, and you’re going to be struggling, and then all of a sudden you’re going to be like, wow, I should have never prayed for patience, right? But I don’t really think you have to pray much to find yourself in a situation where you’re going to have to be patient. But we are patient, and we are called to be patient, and it is the fruit of the Spirit that we would be patient people, that we want to see people come to Jesus Christ.

And I think about in God’s dealing with Ahaz, and dealing with Judah, and dealing with the nation, how patient he has been. And here Isaiah the prophet says, you weary men, you weary people, verse 13, but will you weary my God also? How long will you continue to refuse to believe? How long will you refuse to trust? How long will you continue to take matters in your own hands and just handle the situation yourself and forget about relying upon the Lord Jesus Christ? Will you weary my God also? That’s a great sermon. I’m going to have to come up with one right there.

Verse 14, the theme of this text, the theme of this chapter, therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. I just want you to stop there. Ahaz said, I don’t want a sign.

I told you he didn’t want a sign because he didn’t want to believe, and he didn’t want to have to trust, and he didn’t want to have to step out because his heart was already driven towards doing it his way and trusting himself. He wasn’t interested in spiritual matters. And so again, despite all that, God patiently works with Ahaz and says, therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel. Wow. So the sign is Emmanuel.

Let’s talk a little bit about that because there are some complex issues here that I think you and I should consider this morning as we think about this situation. And I want to propose three questions to help us wrestle through this unique sign that has been given to us. The first question is, was there an immediate sign in Ahaz’s time in that God gave Ahaz this sign? Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel.

I want you to understand something about prophecy. That prophecy often has a type and then a fulfillment. It has a shadow and then a reality.

Many times the fulfillment of a prophecy can also not only be imminent, but it can be future. And so when we look at this prophecy, this sign that has been given, I would say to you to that very question, was there an immediate sign in Ahaz’s time? Yes. And the reason that I say that is, again, you’ll look at it, behold.

It’s almost as if Isaiah is saying, look, and that’s what the word behold means, look. Scholars believe that most likely that Isaiah was pointing out the young woman at the scene where the prophet was, where Ahaz was, and he is saying that God is going to give you a sign that this young woman is going to eventually give birth to a son and she will call him Emmanuel. We’ll talk more about that in just a second.

But I also want you to know that this has its ultimate fulfillment in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. You say, how do you know that? Well, see, the wonderful thing that we have is that we have the completion of the word of God. We have not only the Old Testament, but the New Testament.

And when you are studying the Old Testament, it’s important that you connect the dots and that you make the understanding of the Old and the New Testament. And you see how the New Testament interprets the Old Testament. So don’t lose Isaiah.

Go to Matthew chapter one. Would you do that for me? Say, Pastor, we just wanted to sit back and scroll on our phone. We didn’t want you to have to give us all this work to do.

Well, friends, you came to the wrong church. We’re here to study the Bible, amen? Now let’s go to verse 21. Remember that the angel has spoken to Joseph.

He is told, the angel has already told Joseph, do not be afraid. He didn’t know how Mary had become pregnant because he had not been with her intimately. And how is it that she could have a child? Verse 20 says, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take you, Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit, a supernatural conception.

Verse 21 says, she will bring forth a son and you shall call his name Jesus for he will save his people from their sins. We jump to verse 22. So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, the prophet Isaiah saying, behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son and they shall call his name, what church? Which is translated, God with us.

So I want you to know there was the immediate fulfillment. There is the eventual future fulfillment in the Messiah through Jesus Christ coming into this world. Without a doubt, our church embraces and believes in the virgin birth of Christ which leads me to my second question.

Does this verse teach the virgin birth of the Messiah? Meaning that Jesus was born of a virgin. We talked about the ultimate fulfillment of the sign pointing to the future restoration of God’s relationship with his people through the miraculous birth of God in human form. When we read Isaiah, we understand in the Hebrew language that the word virgin can be used in different ways as a young woman or it could be referred to a virgin.

There are other words that are more specific to the fact that she would be a virgin. But I want you to understand that the reason that I embrace that this is teaching the virgin birth of the Messiah is because of its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter one and verse 23 that Matthew through the power of the spirit gives us the clarification and connection of the dots of the Old Testament to the New Testament and I believe without a doubt that the ultimate fulfillment of this passage is found in Jesus Christ and that it does teach the virgin birth and yes I know you will hear critics that will say that the Hebrew word could also be translated young woman. I think in its immediate context yes in its future context it is the virgin birth of Jesus Christ Matthew one teaches us that this prophecy is ultimately about Jesus and so we understand and receive it that way that 700 years earlier the prophet Isaiah would make a prophecy about the virgin birth of Christ and that we see this being perfectly fulfilled in Jesus Christ who is called Emmanuel God with us that the power of the Holy Spirit brought forth Jesus into the womb of Mary and she became pregnant with a son having never been with a man but the Holy Spirit overshadowed her and the power of God came upon her and she conceived a son his name is Jesus his name is Emmanuel and he was fully human and he was fully divine 100% man and 100% God who can comprehend who can fully grasp but my friends though you and I cannot always fully explain everything in the Bible doesn’t mean that it’s not true I mean look some of you you can’t even open up a chemistry book and explain everything in it but you still believe it and so it is I want you to know that just because Mike Sanders can’t explain everything and you can’t explain everything doesn’t mean that it’s not true but let’s keep that in mind that the secret things do belong to the Lord and I’m called to live by faith not explanations but I still want to know what I’m learning and what I’m reading is true and it comes from God and that yes there is this immediate part of this sign but there is the futuristic part of this sign in which Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of it now what is the significance of this word Emmanuel we told you that it means God with us and the significance in Ahazdeh was that Judah’s safety would be rooted in the presence and the power of God that he would be the one who would protect them that he would be the one who would protect them from the enemies who wanted to overthrow the nation and the point was coming to Ahaz in that not only as he heard the prophet speak that this sign was going to come about that the prophet reminds him how this will unfold and one of the reasons that we believe that the prophecy the sign is not only imminent future but it’s certainly we see in verse 15 that he describes the child’s diet verse 15 curds and honey he shall eat which was nothing unusual for that day that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good for before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good that is that before the child comes to that point what we might refer to the understanding that there is right and wrong that even before that child comes to that comprehension that the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings meaning the nations that are threatening you to take over you they will be devastated and they will become a barren land before you verse 17 the lord will bring the king of assyria upon you and your people and your fathers house days that have not come since the day of ephraim departed from judah so what is going on here is this promise this sign and what is the kicker for the application of the sign and the promise to be applied to ahaz and the people of judah is the same thing that is the kicker for us in our crisis that as we see the sign the sign of the coming of the lord jesus christ i know it’s not christmas and i get frustrated when i go into stores and they’re already promoting christmas and we haven’t even made it to thanksgiving yet amen i just had to throw that out there okay and here pastor mike is in october preaching about christmas what’s wrong with him i know i hear you but i had to deal with the text and here we are in chapter seven i couldn’t just bypass it and say we’ll wait till christmas but i want you to understand this that the coming of jesus christ and the fulfillment of the sign in our messiah jesus is a reminder to us that even in our crises god is with us that even in our challenges and our tragedies that god has not forsaken us but what is the application in the sense of how is it applied to our hearts that we could be calm that we could be like those disciples who would be so amazed by the fact that jesus christ would stand and calm the waves and the seas that even they would obey him that we could have that kind of trust it is that we must believe we go back to verse 9 if you will not believe surely you shall not be established if you refuse to believe in the crisis you will not stand firm in the crisis if you refuse to trust god in the crises of your life you will not stand firm in the crisis your house will fall down you will be devastated what is the promise of the birth of our savior jesus christ emmanuel god with us what does it mean to us it is that god is with his people god is with you church the lord of host is with us the god of jacob is our refuge the psalmist said god not only is with his people but he dwells with them he dwells with us church you’re not alone in your crisis but i want you to know that the entire godhead is working together in manifesting his presence we know that god is omnipresent we know that he is everywhere at the same time it’s incredible but this is what the scriptures teach us but it’s more than just the presence of god it’s what i call the manifested presence of god in that we can sense it we can feel it that there is a peace that passes all understanding in our life and that as we walk through the fire and as we are walking through the floods of our lives that we know that god is with us and we are not shaken we are not troubled we are not melting down we are not coming apart why because god is with his people he dwells with his people the scripture says in 2nd corinthians 6 16 what agreement has the temple of god with idols in the old testament they had a temple and they worshiped god they brought their offerings to god and they worshiped and it would have been certainly horrible for them to bring an idol and worship but the bible tells us in the new testament that our bodies are the temple of god that is church wherever you go god is with you and he is dwelling in you and so he says what agreement has the temple of god with idols for we are the temple of the living god as god said i will make my dwelling among them and walk among them and i will be their god and they shall be my people i keep telling you this and i know you’re tired of me saying this to you but don’t believe everything that you feel and think you keep reminding yourself god is with me in the tragedy god is with me in the crisis that he is dwelling among me that i am the temple of god and as i believe in faith in jesus christ that god is dwelling within me jesus having revealed to his disciples in the gospel of john chapter 14 that he would be ascending to heaven that he would die on a cross and he would resurrect and eventually ascend into heaven they were troubled they were distraught but he reminds them in chapter 14 verse 18 of the gospel of john i will not leave you comfortless i will come to you the greek word has the idea of an orphan some translations put it that way i’m not going to abandon you i’m not going to leave you to be orphans in this world you’re not going to operate alone trying to figure out and navigate through this life by yourself as you go through your problems in your life and your struggles he is saying i will come to you how does he come to us the holy spirit the holy spirit is always with believers church again go to romans chapter 8 verse 9 and 11 it says this but you are not in the flesh but in the spirit if indeed the spirit of god dwells in you now if anyone does not have the spirit of christ he is not his and if christ is in you the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousness verse 11 but if the spirit of him who raised jesus from the dead dwells in you he who raised christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you you see friends you have the father the son and the spirit the trinity co-equal working together in unity to bring about the promises of god to be true in your life you’re not alone god is with you and so just as ahaz was promised that god is with him i reaffirm to you this morning that god is with you if you are a true believer in jesus christ we talked about a crisis request for a sign but it also releases god’s judgment as we come to verse 18 what happens is that ahaz says no i’m not gonna believe i’m not gonna listen you and i should not be stunned by this because remember that in isaiah chapter 6 that god said to isaiah you know he said here am i send me and that’s why you might want to be careful when you say here am i and send me but god sent isaiah to a people who would not listen who would not hear or obey everywhere god sends you is doesn’t mean it’s going to be a positive response isaiah was sent to these people and he was sent to ahaz and he refused to listen so second king’s chapter 16 verse 7 you don’t have to go there hopefully it’s up there for you but it gives us a little context of what’s going on here so ahaz sent messengers to tilglath polisir king of assyria you say pastor how do you know how to pronounce these words i don’t i just make it up like you do okay but here’s what he said i am your servant this is what ahaz is saying to assyria which is threatening he says i am your servant and your son come up and save me from the hand of the king of syria and from the hand of the king of israel who rise up against me instead of trusting in god he trusts in assyria which was the dominant world power of that day he trusted in their might in their power in their politics he trusted in all that instead of trusting in god almighty and putting his faith in the lord he has wanted the king of assyria to come and save him but i am trying to tell you the only one that can save us is the lord jesus christ and the things that you’re seeing manifested that grieve our souls and i’m there with you that burden our hearts is not because we need a new political leader it’s not because we need to somehow figure out how to do government better or politics better is because we have rejected the lord jesus christ and this nation needs to fall on its knees and repent of its sins and humble their hearts before god almighty and receive jesus christ amen about half of you clapped and half of you didn’t it’s okay okay it doesn’t shake me i’m a firm believer that jesus is the only one who can save and i back that up with the bible and if you believe a political figure will save you you are messed up in the head and i just said it and that’s what ahaz felt assyria will save me assyria will help me assyria will solve all my problems but friends i’m telling you only jesus christ and i’m encouraging you as a church family to put your trust and your faith in the lord jesus christ and him alone who is assyria we go back to chapter 5 in verse 29 as isaiah the prophet eloquently uses metaphors he uses assyria saying that their roaring will be like a lion then we jump over to chapter 7 in verse 18 and we learn again at the end of verse 18 and for the bee that is in the land of assyria meaning that they are like a swarm of bees that will sting you look at verse 20 in that same day the lord will shave with a hired razor with those from beyond the river with the king of assyria the head and the hair of the legs and will also remove the beard here’s what he’s saying is that assyria is like a razor it will cut you it will cut you go ahead and put your faith and trust in a political figure and you will find it’s like a swarm of bees a roaring lion and a razor that cuts you i’m encouraging you my friends don’t have regrets because ahaz chose to not trust in the lord and isaiah gives him all the judgment of god upon him and upon the nation and here what is interesting is ahaz was using assyria to save him and god used assyria to judge judah god works in mysterious ways but we leave you with this note and a reminder to all of us that he is god and he is god with us and he is god for us and when jesus christ came he not only died for our sins but he suffers with us you are not alone church he should be the focus of our faith in him alone are fulfilled all the words of isaiah 7 14.

he is our companion and comfort through trials he promised that he would never leave us nor forsake us by far jesus is the greatest deliverer and he will do his greatest deliverance when one day you and i stand before god and give an account of our life and jesus’s grace will have already touched our hearts and by faith we will have applied that grace to us and he will remind the father that he has already taken the punishment for our sins and that we are washed in the blood and that we have been delivered from sin and we now are a child of the king and we are allowed to enter in to the kingdom of god hearing the words well done thou faithful and good servant enjoy the rewards and the blessings of my king that’s what waits for you for all who believe the true deliverance is your spiritual deliverance and there’s no better deliverance than to be delivered from hell sin and death and may it be true in our hearts that we would see christ first and trust in him alone let’s pray remember that as we’re studying this chapter the nation of israel is under the leadership of ahaz and ahaz is floundering and he is not firm in his faith the prophet is warning him and he is asking for a sign god provides him a sign but yet he still does not stand strong and we need to remember that god’s signs are all around us and that god is working effectively in each of our lives and as we see the majesty of god’s heavens before us and we see the beauty of his blessings in our lives it is our responsibility to keep standing firm for christ and not be discouraged by the problems of this world we hope that you will continue to grow in your faith and one of the ways that you can do that is go to our hope worth having website hopeworthhaving.com and remember that we have a newsletter we put out and you can sign up for that newsletter and this gives you information and encouragement and strength and resources to help you to stay strong for jesus this is pastor mike sanders reminding you that in christ there is hope worth having.

The post Standing Firm in Faith Part 4 first appeared on Hope Worth Having.

Pastor Mike will be speaking on Standing Firm in Faith Part 3. He will be reading out of Isaiah 7:10-25.

And the reason that God delays our prayers is because He is still reaching out. He is still calling people to true salvation, and He is patiently waiting for you today to come back home and to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord. Hello, this is Pastor Mike Sanders from The Open Door Church, and I welcome you to the Hope Worth Having radio program.

We’re excited to be able to share God’s word with you today, and I want you to grab your Bible and join us as we’ve been doing an intense study of Isaiah chapter 7, and we’re learning about how to stand firm in our faith. So get your Bible and let’s get into the word. Book of Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 7. And while you’re turning to Isaiah 7, again, I want to help you with context.

I want to make sure that we always take the Bible within context, never take it out of context to make application that is not practical or even true in our life. The book of Isaiah is a contrast of Ahaz’s evil reign, Ahaz was the king, as well as Hezekiah’s righteous reign. So when you’re coming to the book of Isaiah, these are the two prominent kings that Isaiah ministered under.

Not that there weren’t other kings, but these were the two prominent ones. And we see over and over this contrast of how Hezekiah handled things and how Ahaz handled things. Isaiah’s condemnation of Judah reflects the state, the spiritual condition of Judah.

Remember that I taught you a few weeks ago that Israel had been divided into a northern and a southern kingdom, and that Jerusalem was part of that southern kingdom called Judah, and Israel retained the name Israel for the northern kingdom. Ahaz was reigning, and you see that Isaiah the prophet talks about this spiritual decline in the life of the people as well as Ahaz and the political leaders of that day. I want you to jump back to Isaiah chapter 1 real quickly.

I want to just bring out a few things to you. In Isaiah chapter 1, the prophet says, verse 10, I’m sorry, verse 10, hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom. Give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah.

Now he was speaking in hyperbole. He is making a picture for them that just like the leaders of Sodom and Gomorrah had rejected God and refused to follow Christ and that had adopted a lifestyle that was contrary to the law of God, he is saying to the current leaders of this nation that they are like the leaders of Sodom and Gomorrah, and they had not only chosen a path that was anti-God, but they were leading the people astray, worshiping idols and depending upon alliances with other countries and their own military might instead of putting their full trust in God Almighty. Jump down to verse 23 of chapter 1 again.

Verse 23, again, he states, your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves. Everyone loves bribes and follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow come before them.

The people are truly turned away from God. We jump over to chapter 2 and verse 6 through 8, we see another statement from the prophet declaring the condition of the people. In verse 6, he says, you have forsaken your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with Eastern ways.

They are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they are pleased with the children of foreigners. Their land is also full of silver and gold, and there is no end in their treasures. Their land is also full of horses, and there is no end to their chariots.

Their land is also full of idols. They worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made. Sounds a lot like America, doesn’t it? We jump over to chapter 3 and verse 12.

Again, we see the prophet pointing out the condition of the people. As for my people, I’m in verse 12 of chapter 3. As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. Oh, my people, those who lead you cause you to err and destroy the way of your paths.

What is the point the prophet is making? That the people and the rulers and the leaders had all drifted from God. So, when we come to Isaiah chapter 7, Isaiah is trying to help the people and the leaders to realign with God and to put their full trust in God Almighty. And he is trying to persuade the ruler, Ahaz, to trust the Lord during a crisis.

You might recall the crisis that we shared with you last week, that there were two nations collaborating together to come in and to throw out Ahaz as a political leader, take over the country, and to put their puppet leader in charge of the country so that they could continue to dominate the region. And so, Ahaz is in this great dilemma. The prophet comes to Ahaz and he reminds him that he does not need to be shaken.

He does not need to be devastated about this. We look at verse 2, and he says, And it was told to the house of David, saying, Serious forces are deployed to Ephraim. So his heart and the heart of his people were moved, and the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.

Then the Lord said to Isaiah, Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Sherah Jashob, your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool on the highway and the fuller’s fill, and say to him, Take heed and be quiet or be calm. Do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs, meaning these two nations that are threatening you, two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezan in Syria and the son of Ramaliah, because Syria, Ephraim, all the son of Ramaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, Let us go up against Judah, trouble it, and let us make a gap in its walls for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tobel. Thus says the Lord God.

Here’s his response to the crisis. It shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass. What was the key to making sure that that promise would be fulfilled? It was back in verse 9. Look at the lower part of the verse.

He says, If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established. It was that he was to stand firm, and he was to have faith. He was to turn to God Almighty and to put his full trust, standing firm in his faith, believing that in the midst of the crisis, God will take care of it.

God will handle it. God will work everything out according to his perfect will to bring the most glory to him and the most good to the heart of the people of his people. Well, we come down to verse 10.

We continue this study on standing firm in our faith. We learned last week that a crisis reveals. It reveals whether we have true faith.

This is what’s happening to Ahaz, because now his faith is totally exposed. Is it going to be little faith, a lot of faith? Is it going to be strong faith? Is he going to rely upon God Almighty, or is he going to run to the world for his answers? Is he going to rely on himself for the answer, or is he going to look to God? We also learned last week that a crisis requires us to believe and trust the promises of God. That sometimes a promise is all that we have, and we hold on to that promise, and God requires of us that we would not only believe the promises, but claim the promises, and that we would pray the promises, and that we would stand upon those promises.

So, this morning we continue this study, and we learned that a crisis requests for a sign. We pick up in verse 10, and we see again the prophet says, Moreover, the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God. Ask it either in the depth or in the height above.

So, God is saying to Ahaz, I want to give you a sign that will help you to know that my promises are true, that you can rely upon them. So unique, because we know that there are times in the scriptures that when one might ask for a sign, that they’re actually rejected. Not because God does not want to give a sign, but because God has already given a sign, and he has given the sign of his word, and he’s given the sign of his resurrection, and he has given the signs of his miracles, and all that has taken place.

And so, Christ reminds us that the signs are already self-evident, and you need to look at those signs first, and if you will not believe those signs, how will you believe other signs? You remember the rich man, he was in hell, and he cried out to Abraham, and he said, Please someone go tell my brothers, go tell my family that they don’t want to come to this awful place where they are separated from God throughout all eternity. And Abraham responds, they have Moses and the prophets. The rich man says, if they would see someone rise from the dead, they might believe, to which they did in Christ, in which Christ had already interrupted funerals and raised the dead.

He had already called out Lazarus from the grave, and yet they did not believe. And Abraham reminds them that if you will not believe what you already have, what makes you think you will believe if there’s something new and fascinating? So it is. It is very unique that God would give this great privilege to Ahaz and to reaffirm his power and his promises to Ahaz that we read about earlier, that in verse 7, that it shall not stand, and it’s not going to come to pass.

He requests, or he offers to Ahaz to ask for a sign. It doesn’t matter how high it is. It doesn’t matter how low it is.

He is giving this amazing opportunity to take advantage of a sign. But tragically, look at verse 12. Ahaz says, I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord.

Seems reasonable. I don’t want to test God, but here Ahaz is actually putting on a pretense of humility, trying to pretend that somehow he doesn’t want to test God and that he doesn’t need any kind of a sign. But the truth is that the king rejects the offer because he would have to believe the sign if the sign comes true.

For Ahaz in his heart did not want to believe what God had said. He did not want to believe in what had been promised to him because his heart was far from God. And we note this in verse 13.

Then he said, Hear now, O house of David. Remember, we’ve seen that phrase already, the house of David. And that’s like he’s talking about those who would be in the lineage of the kingship of David because God had already given a promise that he would have someone in the lineage of David to be the leader of Israel.

And so again, it’s a broad term, but still speaking specifically to Ahaz. He said, Hear now, O house of David. Verse 13.

It is a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Have you ever thought about how patient God is with us? Our God is a patient God who waits patiently for us to turn to him, to receive him as Lord and Savior. Sometimes people say, Pastor, why hasn’t God come back yet? Why doesn’t he just split the eastern skies and get us out of this mess right now? Well, I’d be okay with that, amen. But the Bible says that the Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

And you know, as my Christian life, as a young man, when I came to Christ, as I followed Christ, there was this heart desire to see the return of Christ many times. And I almost had this conflicted heart in that I wanted Christ to return, but at the same time, I wanted to see my mother come to Jesus Christ and to see my family come to Jesus Christ and to see my loved ones to know the Lord Jesus Christ. And I wonder, man, if the Lord had given me everything that I wanted in my heart, is it possible that my family might have missed? I’m here to report to you that my mother is in heaven today.

She trusted Jesus Christ. I’m here to report that her sisters have all trusted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I’m here to report that my brother and sister have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.

I’m here to tell you that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And the reason that God delays our prayers is because he is still reaching out. He is still calling people to true salvation, and he is patiently waiting for you today to come back home and to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and to love him with all your heart and to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.

And I know that you and I are anxious, and I know that we are so ready, and we want to see the Lord’s return. But I remind you, we also want to see our loved ones come to Christ, don’t we? So when we struggle with patience, when we struggle with waiting, anybody here like to wait? I’d like to meet you. Never met anybody, but I’d like to meet you.

Nobody likes to wait, do we? But we ask the Lord to help us be patient. One time a lady said to me, Pastor, should I pray for patience? Well, that’s a great question, isn’t it? Because you know if you ask for patience, you know what’s going to happen. You’re going to find yourself in a pickle, and you’re going to be struggling, and then all of a sudden you’re going to be like, wow, I should have never prayed for patience, right? But I don’t really think you have to pray much to find yourself in a situation where you’re going to have to be patient.

But we are patient, and we are called to be patient, and it is the fruit of the Spirit that we would be patient people, that we want to see people come to Jesus Christ. And I think about in God’s dealing with Ahaz, and dealing with Judah, and dealing with the nation, how patient he has been. And here Isaiah the prophet says, you weary men, you weary people, verse 13, but will you weary my God also? How long will you continue to refuse to believe? How long will you refuse to trust? How long will you continue to take matters in your own hands, and just handle the situation yourself, and forget about relying upon the Lord Jesus Christ? Will you weary my God also? That’s a great sermon.

I’m going to have to come up with one right there. Verse 14, the theme of this text, the theme of this chapter, therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. I just want you to stop there.

Ahaz said, I don’t want a sign. I told you he didn’t want a sign, because he didn’t want to believe, and he didn’t want to have to trust, and he didn’t want to have to step out, because his heart was already driven towards doing it his way, and trusting himself. He wasn’t interested in spiritual matters.

And so again, despite all that, God patiently works with Ahaz, and says, therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel. Wow.

So the sign is Emmanuel. Let’s talk a little bit about that, because there are some complex issues here that I think you and I should consider this morning, as we think about this situation, and I want to propose three questions to help us wrestle through this unique sign that has been given to us. The first question is, was there an immediate sign in Ahaz’s time, in that God gave Ahaz this sign? Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.

I want you to understand something about prophecy, that prophecy often has a type, and then a fulfillment. It has a shadow, and then a reality. Many times the fulfillment of a prophecy can also not only be imminent, but it can be future.

And so when we look at this prophecy, this sign that has been given, I would say to you, to that very question, was there an immediate sign in Ahaz’s time? Yes. And the reason that I say that is, again, you’ll look at it, behold. It’s almost as if Isaiah is saying, look, and that’s what the word behold means, look.

Scholars believe that most likely that Isaiah was pointing out a young woman at the scene where the prophet was, where Ahaz was, and he is saying that God is going to give you a sign that this young woman is going to eventually give birth to a son, and she will call him Emmanuel. We’ll talk more about that in just a second. But I also want you to know that this has its ultimate fulfillment in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

You say, how do you know that? Well, see, the wonderful thing that we have is that we have the completion of the word of God. We have not only the Old Testament, but the New Testament. And when you are studying the Old Testament, it’s important that you connect the dots and that you make the understanding of the Old and the New Testament.

And you see how the New Testament interprets the Old Testament. So don’t lose Isaiah. Go to Matthew chapter 1. Would you do that for me? Say, Pastor, we just wanted to sit back and scroll on our phone.

We didn’t want you to have to give us all this work to do. Well, friends, you came to the wrong church. We’re here to study the Bible, amen? Now, let’s go to verse 21.

Remember that the angel has spoken to Joseph. He is told, the angel has already told Joseph, do not be afraid. He didn’t know how Mary had become pregnant because he had not been with her intimately.

And how is it that she could have a child? Verse 20 says, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take you, Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit, a supernatural conception. Verse 21 says, she will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. We jump to verse 22.

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, the prophet Isaiah, saying, behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall call his name, what church? Which is translated, God with us. So I want you to know there was the immediate fulfillment. There is the eventual future fulfillment in the Messiah through Jesus Christ coming into this world.

Without a doubt, our church embraces and believes in the virgin birth of Christ, which leads me to my second question. Does this verse teach the virgin birth of the Messiah, meaning that Jesus was born of a virgin? We talked about the ultimate fulfillment of the sign pointing to the future restoration of God’s relationship with his people through the miraculous birth of God in human form. When we read Isaiah, we understand in the Hebrew language that the word virgin can be used in different ways as a young woman, or it could be referred to a virgin.

There are other words that are more specific to the fact that she would be a virgin, but I want you to understand that the reason that I embrace that this is teaching the virgin birth of the Messiah is because of its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 1 and verse 23, that Matthew, through the power of the Spirit, gives us the clarification and connection of the dots of the Old Testament to the New Testament, and I believe without a doubt that the ultimate fulfillment of this passage is found in Jesus Christ, and that it does teach the virgin birth, and yes, I know you will hear critics that will say that the Hebrew word could also be translated young woman. I think in its immediate context, yes, in its future context, it is the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Matthew 1 teaches us that this prophecy is ultimately about Jesus, and so we understand and receive it that way, that 700 years earlier, the prophet Isaiah would make a prophecy about the virgin birth of Christ, and that we see this being perfectly fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who is called Emmanuel, God with us, that the power of the Holy Spirit brought forth Jesus into the womb of Mary, and she became pregnant with a son, having never been with a man, but the Holy Spirit overshadowed her, and the power of God came upon her, and she conceived a son.

His name is Jesus. His name is Emmanuel, and he was fully human, and he was fully divine. 100% man and 100% God.

Who can comprehend? Who can fully grasp? But my friends, though you and I cannot always fully explain everything in the Bible, doesn’t mean that it’s not true. I mean, look, some of you, you can’t even open up a chemistry book and explain everything in it, but you still believe it, and so it is I want you to know that just because Mike Sanders can’t explain everything and you can’t explain everything doesn’t mean that it’s not true. But let’s keep that in mind, that the secret things do belong to the Lord, and I’m called to live by faith, not explanations.

But I still want to know what I’m learning and what I’m reading is true, and it comes from God, and that, yes, there is this immediate part of this sign, but there is the futuristic part of this sign in which Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of it. Now, what is the significance of this word, Emmanuel? We told you that it means God with us, and the significance in Ahazdeh was that Judah’s safety would be rooted in the presence and the power of God, that he would be the one who would protect them, that he would be the one who would protect them from the enemies who wanted to overthrow the nation. If we’re going to stand firm, we’re going to have to trust in his promises.

Now, God has promises for us, and it’s our responsibility to be in the word, learning those promises, believing those promises, praying those promises, and standing upon those promises. And that’s a part that God wants us to grow in when it comes to standing firm in our faith. Sometimes we like to stand in our own plans or our own ideas or philosophies, but all that is a sham and will eventually fall apart.

But when you stand on the promises of God, then he will continue to sustain you and support you through all the circumstances of life. Now, we want to encourage you to check out our website, HopeWorthHaving.com. And I wrote a book entitled Dynamic Devotions. Maybe you’re looking for a new devotion book.

You can order your Dynamic Devotion book right off of our website, and we’ll get that right to you. And we encourage you to take advantage of this so that you can grow in your faith. This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ there is hope worth having.

The post Standing Firm in Faith Part 3 first appeared on Hope Worth Having.

Pastor Mike will be speaking on Standing Firm in Faith Part 2. He will be reading out of Isaiah 7:1-9.

Some of us have had some setbacks, we’ve done things we shouldn’t have, and we need to come and renew our commitment to Jesus Christ. We need to gather in the house of the Lord, and we need to renew our hearts towards Jesus Christ and get a fresh start for this week, amen? Hello, this is Pastor Mike Sanders, and I want to thank you for joining us today on Hope Worth Having radio program. You’ve tuned in, and we welcome you to it, and we’re looking forward to being able to share the word of God with you.

We’re back in Isaiah chapter 7, we’re still talking about standing firm in our faith, and how do we handle a crisis? So grab your Bible, and let’s study together. Usually two enemies against each other, but now they’re coming together in an alliance, a confederacy, to get rid of Ahaz, because they need the nation’s resources, and they need the supplies so they can fight against Assyria. But these powers, these humanistic powers, political powers that devised this evil plan to conquer Jerusalem and to replace the legitimate Davidic king with their puppet would not come to fruition, because God and His promises and His word were at stake.

So the Bible says that Ahaz, he’s a proud king, and he was unable to keep his people calm and focused. They looked at Ahaz, they saw him shaking. They looked at Ahaz, they saw him in fear.

They saw his faithlessness. They saw the fact that he was relying on other things rather than the Lord. And so the people in turn were responding the same way.

And I want to say to you, whether you’re a leader of the home, you’re a leader in the church, or you’re a leader in the community, or you’re a leader in any capacity, that you’ve got to remember that people are watching you, and that you can’t be easily shaken. You can’t be overwhelmed, and you can’t walk and operate in fear, and you can’t be the person that is so easily moved by the problems of this world. That you and I are called to be firm in our faith.

We’re to be strong in our walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember what I told you, that a crisis always reveals true faith. When God allows a crisis in your life, the question is, how will you respond? And who will you be trusting? Who will you be standing on? Who will you look to for the answers? Unfortunately, Ahaz, he never seemed to think of turning to the Lord for protection.

He never seemed to think that it was important for him to call his people to repentance and humility and surrender to the Lord God Almighty, that he never thought about, maybe I should just call for a national time of prayer and reliance upon God. But Ahaz, he relied on his strategy, and he relied on his schemes, and he relied on his military might, and his proudness, and his ability to be clever, and friends, none of that will make you a firm and faithful Christian for the Lord. I want you to take your Bible, and I want you to go to James chapter 1, if you will.

Go to James chapter 1. Don’t lose Isaiah. We’re coming back. But I want you to see a parallel here in understanding how we are called to react when there’s a crisis in our life.

And so often, too many Christians, when they have a crisis, they’re melting down, they’re breaking down, they’re falling apart, and they’re acting like it’s the end of the world, when what they really need to do is they need to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now again, we come to James chapter 1, verse 2. For many of you, you’re very familiar with this passage, but I want you to see something here. He says, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.

First, I want you to know there’s all kinds of trials out there. They come in different shapes and sizes and forms, but the question is not if, but when. When will I face a trial? I want you to know that James reminds us that when you fall into a various trial.

You see, Job said this, that man’s days are full of trouble. If you’re under the notion that your life is going to be easy street, that you’re never going to have a problem, that you’re going to just walk through life with no issues in your life, then my friends, that’s your problem. Because your problem’s not your problem, it’s how you respond to your problems.

That’s the key to your faith, is how do I respond to my problems in life? I’m still in verse 2. My brethren, count it all joy. Now I don’t see a lot of people slapping high five and saying, I can’t wait to have a problem. I don’t see us having celebrations and saying, hey man, we got a trial coming, let’s get all excited.

That’s not what he’s talking about. He says count it all joy. Count it all joy when you fall into various trials.

Look at verse 3, knowing, now stop. God never asks you to check out your brain when you come to church. And the key to your faith is not your feelings, but it’s what you know.

And when you’re walking through the Christian life, there’s many times that your own flesh, your own mind is going to try to convince you to believe things that are just not true. Everything you think, everything you feel is not true. Are you with me? That’s why the psalmist was always talking to himself.

That’s why the psalmist said in Psalm 42, why are you cast down, O my soul? Why are you disquieted within yourself? Hope in God. You know what the psalmist was saying to himself? Pull it together. Put your hope in God.

Not in your emotions, not in your circumstances, not in your trial, but put your hope in the Lord. And what I’m saying to you this morning is that some of you have been walking through the fire, some of you are walking in the fire, or you’re going to walk in the fire, and don’t believe everything that you feel and everything that’s running through your brain. But I want you to rely upon the Lord knowing, look at verse 3, that the testing of your faith produces what? Some translations put it like this, your endurance.

God uses trials to shape your heart. God uses trials to shape your character. So you’re not a quitter and you don’t give up, but that you keep on keeping on for Jesus Christ.

You see, the joy that I have is not that I’m going through the trial. The joy is what I know is the outcome of the trial. How God is going to use the trial in my life to produce spiritual and godly fruit in my heart, how he’s going to build my character.

And so I don’t like the trial, I don’t like the fire, I don’t like the test, I don’t like the difficulties, but I know that God is using it to build endurance and patience into my life. I want you to look at verse 3, that testing. We don’t like tests.

The biggest fear I had when I went to school was the teacher walking in and saying, clear your desk, we got a test today. You ever thought about why a teacher or a professor might ask you to take a test? It would be for two reasons. First of all, he wants to or she wants to know where you’re at and what they’ve taught you.

But they also want you to know where you’re at and what they’ve taught you. And I really feel like that’s what God is doing in our life. He’s putting us through tests in our lives so that A, he can see where our faith is at.

Do we quit? Do we give up? Do we throw in the towel? Where’s our faith at? But he also wants you to know, because some of you are riding the high waves of prosperity and enjoying all the wonderful circumstances, and then all of a sudden the wave crashes and you find yourself in a mess and then you realize, I’m not as strong as I thought I was. I’m not as dedicated to the cause of Jesus Christ as I thought I was. And so there’s the testing of your faith.

And look at verse four as we continue on this outcome, but let patience have its perfect or complete work, that you may be perfect, or meaning mature and complete, lacking nothing. So God’s doing a great work in you. We don’t have time to digest all that, but here’s what I want to get to you.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you see, stay in context. If you’re lacking wisdom in the midst of the test or the trial, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. A lot of you are saying, why, Lord? Why is this happening to me? What are you trying to teach me, Lord? What’s going on here, God? I was enjoying life and then I got smacked upside the head with all these problems and all these testings and all these trials.

You got a lot of questions. Here’s the thing, God will give you wisdom and he’ll give it liberally, generously. He doesn’t play favorites.

He will give you answers. Now, listen to me, may not always be the answer you want. I once took a class called the Theology of Suffering.

Wow. Just the name of that attracted me to the class. But part of the Theology of Suffering is understanding that God does not always reveal the wise and the secret things belong to the Lord.

And the question is, do I have the faith to trust God with what he has revealed and what he has not revealed? Am I willing to walk by faith and trust the Lord, even though I may not have all the answers? But look, verse six, I come to him, I ask in faith with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven, tossed by the wind. There’s Ahaz being tossed by the wind. He’s in a crisis.

It’s a political crisis. It’s a military crisis. Does Ahaz fall on his knees and seek God for wisdom? Does Ahaz bring his doubts and his questions and his misunderstandings to the cross? Does he come to God for the answers and the guidance for what he needs for his next steps? No! Ahaz melts down.

And like the wind blowing the trees, he is shaken to the core. And the people look at Ahaz, they said, he’s our leader, and if he’s over there melting down, how much more should we be melting down? And now they’re freaking out. And they’re in the midst of panic.

And that’s what a crisis does. It reveals. You see, there are times that God brings trials and testings that jar us from our comfort zones.

It’s easy for you and I to just kind of get in that comfort zone, and all of a sudden we’re getting apathetic. All of a sudden we’re just kind of enjoying the rut that we’re in. And we’re just kind of there, existing, going through the motions, and then bam, God brings something about in our life that shakes us to the core, and the question is, who are you trusting in? Who are you trusting in? Warren Rearsby, many of you have read his books, his commentaries, a great man of God.

I’ve had the privilege of hearing him teach the Word of God. I got all his books, I read everything that he has written. And he said this, and I love this statement, when God’s people go through personal trials, they discover what kind of faith they really possess.

So it’s something for us to think about. We found out that Ahaz wasn’t that strong, and he was relying on the wrong things. You’re going through a trial.

Who are you trusting? Tomorrow a trial might come your way. Who are you trusting in? Second point that I want to share with you this morning is that a crisis requires us to trust God’s promises. That’s why God sent the prophet Isaiah.

He said in verse 3, go now. Go out now. Meet Ahaz.

Go out there. And he didn’t have the opportunity to delay. He just had to be ready.

Some of you work in the emergency areas of life, maybe EMT, fire, police, whatever, hospital. You understand you might be in the middle of something, but as soon as you get the signal, there’s an emergency, bam, you got to go. That’s the way Isaiah was.

He was ready. Whatever the Lord told him to go, go now. Go now.

Go now. And that’s exactly what he did. And he said to him, take heed or be calm and do not fear or be faint hearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands for the fierce anger of Razan and Syria and the son of Ramaliah.

What he’s saying is this, don’t be afraid of them. Don’t be afraid of them. Only believe.

And I really feel like when we find ourselves overwhelmed with fear and anxiety in our life about our circumstances and our problems, that the key is to get back to the promises of God. And that’s what Isaiah is doing to Ahaz. He’s saying, remember the promises of God? Look at verse seven.

It shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass. Why would God make such a bold statement through the prophet? Because Ahaz was part of the Davidic kingdom. Because a promise was given.

A promise was given and it was given in 2 Samuel chapter 7 and verse 12. It was given that the house of David, he says, when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seat after you and who will come from your body and I will establish his kingdom. God’s got this Ahaz.

Doesn’t look good. A lot of problems around us. Some of you might remember when God called Moses to go to Pharaoh and to get the people set free and all that they went through.

But finally they left. And as they were on this journey that God had them on, there was a lot of detours. There was a lot of different directions.

Instead of a direct pass to the land of Canaan and the land of victory, God took them in different directions. But you might remember that they stood there at the Egyptian armies. They stood there at the Red Sea and the Egyptian armies were coming from the backside.

And there they had the Red Sea. And all of a sudden the people started complaining to Moses. And they said, Moses, did you bring us out here so we could die? Is that why you did it? Did you do this so you could kill us? I mean here the guy put his everything on the line, followed the Lord, and he went out there and let these people, this mass amount of people out of slavery.

And when they get out there, the kindness he gets and the thankfulness he gets is he must have done it on purpose. He must have done it so that we would all be buried out here. But what does Moses do? He turns to the Lord.

Exodus 14, verse 13 and 14. After having heard from the Lord, the Bible says, Moses said to the people, do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will accomplish for you today.

For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord, oh here’s a good one, the Lord will fight for you. And you shall hold your peace.

This just thought of brain, just thought it busted in my head right now. Here I’ve been studying and this thought never even came across, but here I just thought about this. I think I’m going to use this verse for these kids beating each other up on the playground.

I’m going to say the Lord will fight for you. Hold your peace. One little boy, he got in trouble and he was sent to my office.

And he looked at me square in the eye and he just said, Pastor Mike, I just want you to know I’m out there defending myself. Oh, I tell you, it’s hard to take it all serious. Honestly, it’s so funny.

But anyways, I want you to know that the Lord will fight for you. That you shall hold your peace. That even through the trial, God is working.

He is not only working for your good, but he is working for his glory. That he’s bringing about his great purpose in your life. And so he is reminding, Isaiah is reminding Ahaz that the plans of humanity, of humans will fail.

And these political kings, it’s all going to fall apart. Go back to verse 1. And I want you to see this. He says they want to come up to Jerusalem to make war against it.

But could not prevail against it. I love this chapter because it’s like we get a summation in verse 1. We get the theme in verse 1. And then the details and the rest. But God’s saying, I’m not going to allow it.

They’re not going to be able to prevail. They’re not going to be able to accomplish it. Why? Because God gave a promise that there would always be a Davidic king.

God gave a promise. And so others may try to replace the dynasty of God and the heritage of God. But they will not succeed because God’s promises are at stake.

That’s why my friends, you and I need to be in this Bible. And we need to be marking up the promises of God. And we need to memorize the promises of God.

And we need to claim the promises of God. And we need to pray the promises of God. And then we need to go out there and stand on the promises of God.

I mean, I’m telling you, sometimes all you’ve got is a promise. Everything else is such a mess. You’re just hanging on to the promise of God.

Every day you get up, I want you to claim a promise from God. I want you to get one of those promise Bibles. Or I want you to be such a student of the word that you’re just in the Bible.

When you look into the Bible, there are questions that I ask. And I’m trying to read this passage. But one of those questions I’m always asking, is there a promise for me to claim? I’m looking for it.

I’m looking for God’s promises to claim. Because I know that His promises are going to encourage me. We go and we look at verse 7. He says, Thus says the Lord God.

It’s the Hebrew word Adonai. It means that the Lord is sovereign. He is sovereign.

He is the master. When you think of the word sovereignty, I’ve told you this before. But church, think of it in this terms.

God is in charge. God is in control. Your world may be a mess.

You may get the bad news. You may receive the information that you did not want to hear. Or that you were hoping would not come.

And you get this news. But I want you to know that the Lord says. That the sovereign God says, I’m in charge.

And though the world is out of control, I’m in control. I want you to be encouraged in that church. I want you to remember what the words of Proverbs chapter 19 verse 21.

Many are the plans in the mind of a man. But it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. So God concludes these few verses with a warning for us.

And as he goes through chapter 7 here. The prophet says it shall not stand. And then he kind of breaks some details down.

He helps Ahaz to understand. How the head of Syria. And the head of Ephraim.

That it will all come to an end. God will take care of it. He will not let them prosper.

But look at this at the end of verse 9. If you will not believe. Surely you shall not be established. It’s a little bit of a play on words in the Hebrew.

It means the idea if you do not cause faith. You will not be considered to be faithful. If you do not cause faith in your heart.

Towards God. Then you will not be established. You will not be seen as a faithful servant of God.

We will learn later that King Ahaz rejects this challenge. And this warning of faith. But I hope today that you and I would do just the opposite.

And that in the midst of our crisis. That we would have faith in the promises of God. What is it that fuels our faith? It is the promises of God.

We are reminded in Hebrews 11.6. That without faith it is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is. And that he is a rewarder of them.

That diligently seek him. God has not called you to walk by sight. Or with all the answers.

But he has called you and I to walk by faith. So being a faithful servant of God. It is not just a one time decision.

It is a continuous journey. In my walk of faith. And as I am in this journey.

There are a few things that are required of me. And I want you to remember this. You might write it down.

But you must constantly renew your commitment to the Lord. Every day church. You say I gave my life to Jesus when I was in vacation Bible school.

Thank you. But every day commit your heart to Christ. Please.

Understand that this is a continuous responsibility. Upon each of us. Is that we continually renew our commitments.

The reason we gather together church. Is to renew our commitments to Christ. As we walk the dusty roads of this world.

And the challenges and the problems of life. Some of us have had some setbacks. We have said things we shouldn’t.

We have done things we shouldn’t have. And we need to come and renew our commitment to Jesus Christ. This morning.

We need to gather in the house of the Lord. And we need to renew our hearts towards Jesus Christ. And get a fresh start for this week.

Amen. I know some of you are perfect. And you have never had a flaw in your life.

But for the rest of us. Let’s renew our commitments. Because life throws us challenges.

And temptations. So we must always reaffirm our choice to follow God. Number two.

Let go of your idols this morning. In this world that we live in. And idols take many forms.

Sometimes materialism, pride. Or even busyness. Careers.

We need to identify what is distracting us. From worshiping. And glorifying.

And serving God. And let it go. Make sure that Christ is preeminent.

Or that he is number one in your heart. This morning dethrone the idols. Before you leave this place.

And enthrone Jesus Christ. As the king of your heart. Once again.

And finally live your life. In a way that reflects. Firm faith.

Our actions speak louder than our words church. Your family is watching. Your children are watching.

Your grandchildren are watching. The church is watching. The community is watching.

Your neighbor is watching you. And how do you handle problems? How do you handle them? Are you filled with panic attacks spiritually? Or spiritual anxiety? And is it breaking you down to where you’re at a loss? It is no wonder that unbelievers would say. Why would we want their faith? It can’t even hold them up in the problem.

Our actions speak louder than words. We should strive to live our life. In a way that reflects the character of God.

He is Adonai. He is the sovereign Lord. He’s got this.

No matter what happens in our lives. We’re trusting Jesus. When you get the bad news.

How are you going to respond? How are you going to handle it? The lesson of Isaiah 7 is simply this. Stop trusting yourself. And trust Jesus alone.

Let’s pray. When we see in Isaiah chapter 7. That Isaiah and the nation of Israel. They’re in a moment of crisis in their life.

And the question is. How will they respond? Ahaz, he backed down. He gave in.

Isaiah stood strong. And this is what God is doing in our life. And we see in them.

Two different responses to a crisis. And God brings trials and circumstances. That will sometimes jar us from our comfort zones.

But we need to be faithful to God. And stand firm in our faith. Knowing that God is with us.

And God is for us. And he is going to be with us. Every step of the way.

So we encourage you to be strengthened in your faith. And to stand firm for the Lord Jesus Christ. Now a reminder to you.

We have a great website. Hopeworthhaving.com And on this website. There are a lot of resources.

There are certainly opportunities for you. To look into their archives. And you can learn so much.

In your study of the word of God. So take advantage of that opportunity. And share with us how God is working in your life.

This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you. That in Christ, There is hope worth having.

The post Standing Firm in Faith Part 2 first appeared on Hope Worth Having.

Pastor Mike will be speaking on Standing Firm in Faith Part 1. He will be reading out of Isaiah 7:1-9.

There’s many times that your own flesh, your own mind is going to try to convince you to believe things that are just not true. That’s why the Psalmist said in Psalm 42, why are you disquieted within yourself? Hope in God. Hello, this is Pastor Mike Sanders and this is Hope Worth Having.

We are looking forward to sharing the hope that is found in Christ with you today. We want to encourage you to join us as we study the Bible together today. And we are in Isaiah chapter 7. So I want you to grab your Bible and let’s learn about standing firm in our faith.

I want you to take your Bible this morning and turn to Isaiah chapter 7. Isaiah chapter 7, as you know, we’ve been tracking through the book of Isaiah. We’ve made it to chapter 7. We’re going to spend a couple Sundays here in Isaiah. And I’ve entitled this message, Standing Firm in Faith.

This is part one. We’ll pick up next week on part two. The question, one of the big questions in life is, who are you trusting in? Or you might say, what are you trusting in? What is the source of your confidence for the future? People can trust in all kinds of things.

Some are depending upon their intelligence, their education, and maybe the things that they have learned through life. Others are depending upon their skill sets, what they have developed and prepared. Some are depending upon money, finances, a retirement portfolio.

That’s what they’re depending upon. Some are depending upon a political figure or person or party. Others are depending upon military power.

Others are depending upon their talents. But the question we must ask ourselves today is, who or what are you trusting in? What you trust in is most clearly revealed during a crisis in your life. Now, when we come to chapter 7 of the book of Isaiah, we understand that the key verse of this chapter is that classic passage in verse 14.

Which says, We won’t cover the details of that verse today, but we will next week. But the main idea of this chapter is this. That God uses life crises to expose our faith.

And if we do not stand firm in our faith in Christ, the truth is we will not stand at all. So the admonition is to stand firm in faith. And I want you to notice at the beginning of chapter 7, the first two verses here, and the scenario that we understand is taking place.

Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin, the king of Syria, and Pekah, the son of Remilia, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not prevail against it. And it was told to the house of David, saying, Serious forces are deployed in Ephraim. So his heart, meaning Ahaz’s heart, because he’s the king and he is of the house of David.

So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind. Just a little bit of background just to help you because you see these different words and you wonder what in the world are they talking about. As we have already shared with you that Isaiah ministered in a time where the nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms, a northern kingdom and a southern kingdom.

Ahaz is the king of Judah. He is the king which Jerusalem resides in as the capital. And then we’re introduced in verse 1 to not only the king of Israel, the northern kingdom, but also the king of Syria.

And these two kingdoms had coalesced together and created an alliance. And they were going to take over Judah. They were going to come and at war they were going to get rid of Ahaz and they were going to put in their own king there.

And the reason is that they were fighting a bigger war. A war against the Assyrians. And so the dominant power of that day was Assyria.

And so Assyria was out ravaging different nations and kingdoms and taking over and taking political control of different countries. And so it was of the mindset of the northern kingdom and Syria that we want to build our coalition. But Ahaz said I don’t want to be a part of your coalition.

And so they were upset with him and so they said we’re going to defeat Ahaz. We’re going to boot him out and we’re going to put in our own king who will join forces with us as we fight against Assyria. And so when Ahaz heard this story, when he heard this plan of man then I want you to know in verse 2 it says that the house of David whenever you see that in the Bible it’s referring to the current maybe administration or kingdom.

Ahaz was from the lineage of David. He was the king. And so again the prophet says that it was told to the house of David.

It was told to the administration that serious forces are deployed in Ephraim. You see that word Ephraim and you say where did these people come from? Remember that Israel has 12 tribes, right? And one of the dominant tribes was Ephraim. And so sometimes in using in reference to Judah or Israel they would use the tribe’s name, the dominant tribe’s name.

So for instance we might say America or we might say the United States different terminologies which mean the same nation. Well when you referred to this tribe Ephraim in the 12 tribes you were referring to Israel. So serious forces are deployed in Ephraim or Israel which we already learned has been divided the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom.

Are you confused yet? Amen. I understand. But it’s a lot of stuff going on but I just wanted you to kind of at least try to grasp some of it.

And so what is the response of Ahaz? Look at verse 2. His heart and the heart of his people were moved. Some translations use the word shook or shaken. He was really traumatized is the idea.

Shaken as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind. So the idea is a strong wind moves across the forest or across the trees and it is blowing and it is bending and it has been shaken and it has been moved and this is the reflection of Ahaz’s heart. This is the reflection of the people’s heart.

We come down to verse 3. Then the Lord said to Isaiah. Remember that Isaiah is the prophet. He’s called to minister.

Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shira-Jeshub, your son. Now this crazy name of his son. I mean I don’t know of anybody that’s naming their kid like this.

But it simply means the remnant will return. Because you have to ask the question. Why would God want Isaiah to grab his son and go meet Ahaz? Well look at where they’re meeting at in verse 3. Again at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller’s Field.

And you don’t know all this stuff but here’s the bottom line. They were going to check the water supply, reinforce. Ahaz is there meeting with his team because he knows how they’re going to attack.

They’re going to try to get rid of their food supply. They’re going to try to get rid of their water supply. And so that’s where Ahaz is heading.

And God tells Isaiah, Isaiah get over there because Ahaz is trusting in his own resources. And when you get over there, take your son with you. And your son who means the remnant of God will return.

He will stand as a symbol to Ahaz who knows what his son’s name is and knows what it means. He will stand as a symbol that God will keep his promises. And that God will not allow this to take place.

Again we look at verse 4. And say to him. I’m in verse 4. Take heed and be quiet. Or you might say this.

Be alert and be calm. Do not fear or be faint hearted. For these two stubs.

Referring to Syria and the northern kingdom Israel. Of smoking firebrands for the fierce anger of Rezan and Syria and the son of Ramaliah. Because Syria Ephraim and the son of Ramaliah have plotted evil against you.

Saying let us go up against Judah and trouble it. And let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves. And set a king over them the son of Tabel.

Thus says the Lord God. And you might underscore this. It shall not stand.

Nor shall it come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus. And the head of Damascus is Rezan.

Within 65 years Ephraim will be broken. So that it will not be a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria.

And the head of Samaria is Ramaliah’s son. If you will not believe. You will not have faith.

Surely you shall not be established or not be able to stand. So the prophet is sent to Ahaz. And he is sent for the purpose of reminding Ahaz and the people to stand firm.

And to put their trust in God. And not to trust their own resources. But to stand firm in their faith.

So there’s two things I want you to see here this morning. First of all that a crisis always reveals true faith. A crisis always reveals true faith.

We shared with you that Assyria was the dominant superpower of the world of that day. And they were casting a shadow. Not just upon Israel.

But Judah and Syria and other nations in the Middle East. And so this was a scary time for Ahaz. He had already encountered many problems politically.

And militarily. And then the prophet comes to him. And lets him know hey here’s the game plan.

But I want you to know that God is not bending. And he’s not budging. And God is going to fulfill his promise.

The prophet reveals this scary alliance. That has taken place that we just read about. And how they were going to come together.

Usually two enemies against each other. But now they’re coming together in an alliance. A confederacy to get rid of Ahaz.

Because they need the nation’s resources. And they need the supplies. So they can fight against Assyria.

But these powers. These humanistic powers. Political powers.

That devised this evil plan to conquer Jerusalem. And to replace the legitimate Davidic king. With their puppet would not come to fruition.

Because God and his promises. And his word were at stake. So the Bible says that Ahaz.

He’s a proud king. And he was unable to keep his people. Calm and focused.

They looked at Ahaz. They saw him shaking. They looked at Ahaz.

They saw him in fear. They saw his faithlessness. They saw the fact that he was relying on other things.

Rather than the Lord. And so the people in turn. Were responding the same way.

And I want to say to you. Whether you’re a leader of the home. You’re a leader in the church.

Or you’re a leader in the community. Or you’re a leader in any capacity. That you got to remember.

That people are watching you. And that you can’t be easily shaken. You can’t be overwhelmed.

That you can’t walk and operate in fear. And you can’t be the person. That is so easily moved.

By the problems of this world. That you and I are called. To be firm in our faith.

We’re to be strong. In our walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember what I told you.

That a crisis always reveals true faith. When God allows a crisis in your life. The question is.

How will you respond? And who will you be trusting? Who will you be standing on? Who will you look to for the answers? Unfortunately Ahaz. He never seemed to think of turning to the Lord. For protection.

He never seemed to think that. It was important for him to call his people. To repentance and humility.

And surrender to the Lord God Almighty. That he never thought about. Maybe I should just call.

For a national time of prayer. And reliance upon God. But Ahaz.

He relied on his strategy. And he relied on his schemes. And he relied on his military might.

And his proudness. And his ability to be clever. And friends.

None of that. Will make you. A firm and faithful Christian.

For the Lord. I want you to take your Bible. And I want you to go to James chapter 1. If you will.

Go to James chapter 1. Don’t lose Isaiah. We’re coming back. But I want you to see a parallel here.

In understanding how we are called to react. When there’s a crisis in our life. And so often too many Christians.

When they have a crisis. They’re melting down. They’re breaking down.

They’re falling apart. And they’re acting like it’s the end of the world. When what they really need to do.

Is they need to trust. In the Lord Jesus Christ. Now again we come to James chapter 1. Verse 2. For many of you.

You’re very familiar with this passage. But I want you to see something here. He says my brethren.

Count it all joy when you fall into various trials. First I want you to know. There’s all kinds of trials out there.

They come in different shapes. And sizes and forms. But the question is not if.

But when. When will I face a trial? I want you to know. That James reminds us.

That when you fall into a various trial. You see Job said this. That man’s days are full of trouble.

If you’re under the notion. That your life is going to be easy street. That you’re never going to have a problem.

That you’re going to just walk through life. With no issues in your life. Then my friends.

That’s your problem. Because your problem is not your problem. It’s how you respond to your problems.

That’s the key to your faith. Is how do I respond. To my problems in life.

I’m still in verse 2. My brethren count it all joy. Now I don’t see a lot of people. Slapping high five and saying.

I can’t wait to have a problem. I don’t see us having celebrations. And saying hey man.

We got a trial coming. Let’s get all excited. That’s not what he’s talking about.

He says count it all joy. Count it all joy. When you fall into various trials.

Look at verse 3. Knowing. Now stop. God never asks you to check out your brain.

When you come to church. And the key to your faith. Is not your feelings.

But it’s what you know. And when you’re walking through the Christian life. There’s many times that your own flesh.

Your own mind. Is going to try to convince you. To believe things that are just not true.

Everything you think. Everything you feel. Is not true.

Are you with me? That’s why the psalmist. Was always talking to himself. That’s why the psalmist said in psalm 42.

Why are you cast down. Oh my soul. Why are you disquieted within yourself.

Hope in God. You know what the psalmist. Was saying to himself.

Pull it together. Put your hope in God. Not in your emotions.

Not in your circumstances. Not in your trial. But put your hope in the Lord.

And what I’m saying to you this morning. Is that some of you have been walking through the fire. Some of you are walking in the fire.

Or you’re going to walk in the fire. And don’t believe everything that you feel. And everything that’s running through your brain.

But I want you to rely upon the Lord. Knowing look at verse 3. That the testing of your faith. Produces what? Some translations put it like this.

Your endurance. God uses trials to shape your heart. God uses trials.

To shape your character. So you’re not a quitter. And you don’t give up.

But that you keep on. Keeping on for Jesus Christ. You see the joy that I have.

Is not that I’m going through the trial. The joy is what I know. Is the outcome of the trial.

How God is going to use. The trial in my life. To produce spiritual.

And godly fruit in my heart. How he’s going to build. My character.

And so I don’t like the trial. I don’t like the fire. I don’t like the test.

I don’t like the difficulties. But I know. That God is using it.

To build endurance. And patience. Into my life.

I want you to look at verse 3. That testing. We don’t like tests. The biggest fear I had when I went to school.

Was the teacher walking in and saying. Clear your desk we got a test today. You ever thought about why a teacher.

Or a professor might ask you to take a test. It would be for two reasons. First of all.

He wants to or she wants to know. Where you’re at. And what they’ve taught you.

But they also want you to know. Where you’re at. And what they’ve taught you.

And I really feel like that’s what God is doing in our life. He’s putting us through tests. In our lives.

So that A. He can see where our faith is at. Do we quit? Do we give up? Do we throw in the towel? Where’s our faith at? But he also wants you to know. Because some of you are riding the high waves of prosperity.

And enjoying all the wonderful circumstances. And then all of a sudden the wave crashes. And you find yourself in a mess.

And then you realize. I’m not as strong as I thought I was. I’m not as dedicated.

To the cause of Jesus Christ. As I thought I was. And so there’s the testing of your faith.

And look at verse 4. As we continue on this outcome. But let patience have its perfect. Or complete work.

That you may be perfect. Or meaning mature. And complete.

Lacking nothing. So God’s doing a great work in you. We don’t have time to digest all that.

But here’s what I want to get to you. If any of you lacks wisdom. You see stay in context.

If you’re lacking wisdom in the midst of the test. Or the trial. Let him ask of God.

Who gives to all liberally. And without reproach. And it will be given to him.

A lot of you are saying. Why Lord? Why is this happening to me? What are you trying to teach me Lord? What’s going on here God? I was enjoying life. And then I got smacked upside the head.

With all these problems. And all these testings. And all these trials.

You got a lot of questions. Here’s the thing. God will give you wisdom.

And he’ll give it liberally. Generously. He doesn’t play favorites.

He will give you answers. Now listen to me. May not always be the answer you want.

I once took a class called. The Theology of Suffering. Wow.

Just the name of that. Attracted me to the class. But part of the Theology of Suffering.

Is understanding. That God does not always reveal. The why’s.

And the secret things. Belong to the Lord. And the question is.

Do I have the faith to trust God. With what he has revealed. And what he has not revealed.

Am I willing to walk by faith. And trust the Lord. Even though I may not have all the answers.

But look verse 6. I come to him. I ask in faith. With no doubting.

For he who doubts is like a wave. Of the sea driven tossed. By the wind.

There’s Ahaz. Being tossed by the wind. He’s in a crisis.

It’s a political crisis. It’s a military crisis. Does Ahaz.

Fall on his knees and seek God. For wisdom. Does Ahaz.

Bring his doubts and his questions. And his misunderstandings to the cross. Does he come to God for.

The answers and the guidance. For what he needs for his next steps. No.

Ahaz. Melts down. And like the wind.

Blowing the trees. He is shaken to the core. And the people look at Ahaz.

They said he’s our leader. And if he’s over there melting down. How much more should we be melting down.

And now. They’re freaking out. And they’re.

In the midst of panic. And that’s what a crisis does. It reveals.

You see there are times. That God brings trials. And testings.

That jar us. From our comfort zones. It’s easy for you and I. To just kind of get in that comfort zone.

And all of a sudden we’re getting apathetic. All of a sudden. We’re just kind of enjoying the rut.

That we’re in. And we’re just kind of there. Existing.

Going through the motions. And then bam. God brings something about in our life.

That shakes us to the core. And the question is. Who are you trusting in? Who are you trusting in? Warren Rearsby.

Many of you have read his books. His commentaries. A great man of God.

I’ve had the privilege of hearing him teach the word of God. I got all his books. I read everything that he has written.

And he said this. And I love this statement. When God’s people go through personal trials.

They discover what kind of faith. They really possess. So it’s something for us to think about.

We found out that Ahaz wasn’t that strong. And he was relying on the wrong things. You’re going through a trial.

Who are you trusting? Tomorrow a trial might come your way. Who are you trusting in? Second point that I want to share with you this morning. Is that a crisis requires us to trust God’s promises.

That’s why God sent the prophet Isaiah. He said in verse 3. Go now. Go out now.

Meet Ahaz. Go out there. And he didn’t have the opportunity to delay.

He just had to be ready. Some of you work in the emergency areas of life. Maybe EMT.

Fire. Police. Whatever.

Hospital. You understand. You might be in the middle of something.

But as soon as you get the signal. There’s an emergency. Bam.

You got to go. That’s the way Isaiah was. He was ready.

Whatever the Lord told him to go. Go now. That’s exactly what he did.

And he said to him. Take heed. Or be calm.

And do not fear. Or be faint hearted. For these two stubs of smoking firebrands.

For the fierce anger. Of Razan in Syria. And the son of Ramaliah.

What he’s saying is this. Don’t be afraid of them. Don’t be afraid of them.

Only believe. And I really feel like. When we find ourselves.

Overwhelmed with fear. And anxiety in our life. About our circumstances.

And our problems. That the key. Is to get back to the promises of God.

And that’s what Isaiah is doing. To Ahaz. When we talk about.

Standing firm in our faith. We understand that God uses. Crisis in our life.

To expose our faith. You may be walking in the fire. Through the fire.

But God is exposing where you’re at. In your spiritual walk with him. And so when we come to Isaiah.

Chapter 7. We realize that a crisis reveals our faith. And what has that crisis revealed about you. That’s what you need to be thinking about.

Sometimes a crisis reveals no faith. And that means you need to get on your knees. And you need to repent.

And believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. As your savior. Sometimes it reveals a weak faith.

And that means you need to get into the word. Get stronger and better for the Lord Jesus Christ. And sometimes it reveals a great faith.

And you need to be a comforter to others. Who are walking through the fire. Because you understand.

And you can minister to them. Based upon similar circumstances. Now we want to encourage you to check us out.

On our social media. We’re on X Facebook Instagram. Check us out.

Learn more about our ministry. And subscribe or like us. And what you’ll find is.

We’re constantly putting out information there. To be an encouragement. And to help you to be strong for the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is Pastor Mike Sanders. Reminding you. That in Christ there is hope worth having.

The post Standing Firm in Faith Part 1 first appeared on Hope Worth Having.

Pastor Mike will be speaking on Three Elements Necessary to Serve God Part 2. He will be reading out of Isaiah 6:8-13.

And sometimes we are called to difficult ministry, but we are called to persevere and not to deviate from our assignment, but to stay on mission for the Lord Jesus Christ, as He is calling us to stand fast for Him. Hello, this is Pastor Mike Sanders, and I am delighted to welcome you to the Hope Worth Having radio program. And today we’re going to be in Isaiah chapter six, and we’re continuing our study, not only in the book of Isaiah, but we’ve been talking about the three elements that are necessary for serving God.

So I want you to grab your Bible and join me as we jump into Isaiah chapter six. Because we’re reminded that we are His workmanship, and we are created unto good works. So you’ve been saved to serve.

How about that, church? You thought you were just saved to sit on the pew and just come hear what the pastor has to say, and then do your duty, check that box off, and go live your life however you want it. But my friends, it’s so much more than that, and that God has called you to be fully engaged in His cause and His purpose and what He is doing here on this earth. And Isaiah heard that call, and Isaiah responded to that call, and he responded with a spirit of readiness, and a spirit of resolve, and a spirit of trust.

And so let’s talk about those three things real quick. A spirit of readiness. It is a desire, an eagerness, and a willingness, and a preparation to serve the Lord.

Did you get all that? A desire, an eagerness, and a willingness, and a preparation. I like that last word, preparation. And I thought about that, how sometimes, you know, I love sports.

You guys know that. None of my teams are doing good this year, so don’t talk to me. I don’t want to hear it, okay? But you might hear a coach talk about how important it is to be prepared.

And it is true, and it’s true in our spiritual life. Some people say, well, man, you’re lucky. But one coach said this, that luck is simply preparation and opportunity coming together.

And I think it’s true spiritually, not that we believe in luck at all, because we believe that we’re fortunate and we believe that God is in control and that He is sovereign and that He’s orchestrating events and circumstances, whether they’re good or they’re ugly or difficult or hard. We know that God is sovereign and we trust in Him, but we know that we have this responsibility that in part of our readiness in serving God is that we are prepared, that we are eager and ready to serve the Lord. The scriptures teach us in 1 Peter 3, verse 15, to be ready always.

Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. Be ready. Be ready, church.

That means you have to be ready always. That means you have to be prepared. That means you have to know how are you going to answer some of these questions that people have.

Why is it that you’re different? Why is it that in an uncertain time that you have so much certainty in your heart and you have so much hope in your heart and you have so much peace and that you’re not wigging out, freaking out about the election? How about that one, amen? That we have the peace of God, whichever way it rolls. We’re trusting God all the way, amen? We’re not stressing. We’re just getting up every day, rejoicing in the Lord, trusting in the Lord.

Our assignment here to win people to Christ, to win them to Jesus, we understand, so we have a preparation in our heart and we are ready to give an answer to every man that asks, why are you different? Why are you different? But there’s also a spirit of resolve, which is a determination to go and to bear witness despite the difficulties. You’ll note again that Isaiah says, here am I. Send me. I am ready and I am resolved to go.

I am resolved to go. There is a determination to serve the Lord and to serve him faithfully. And this is what we need more than ever before, church.

We can’t shrink back from the moment. We can’t say, well, because life is difficult, oh, because we’ve got this issue and this problem that it’s time for us to just step back, give up and quit. No, my friends, church, we must rise to the level of the moment that is before us.

God has raised up this generation and it is time for us to move forward for the Lord Jesus Christ and to have a spirit of resolve in our hearts, a determination. We’re going to serve the Lord. But there’s a spirit of trust.

As Isaiah says, here am I. Send me. It’s one thing to say, Lord, send me when we know where we’re going, when we know what all the assignment involves. Sometimes they say, well, you know, you got to let everybody know the job description before they sign up.

But I’m telling you this, that sometimes God says, I just want to know your heart. I want to know, will you make yourself available? Will you be resolved in your heart to trust the Lord? Think about Abraham. God said to Abraham, I need you to relocate.

And guess what, Abraham, I’ll tell you where you’re going later on. Most of us said we’re not signing up until God tells me the details. Unfortunately, God gave too many details to Jonah and he ran.

And sometimes God doesn’t give us all the details, but can we trust the Lord? Can we trust him that he has a perfect plan and that maybe things aren’t exactly the way we wanted them to be, but we trust him that he has called us, he has assigned us, that he’s given us a mission, he’s given us a responsibility, and we’re going to do our best by being faithful and available to God. Someone once said that availability is the best ability. You see, friends, that’s the question.

Are you available? Are you available to serve God? How many times has a pastor, have I heard people say, well, I can’t do that, pastor. I don’t do that. I don’t have those skill sets.

Well, do you need skill sets to move a table? Is there a spiritual gift for changing diapers, church? There is none of these things. I understand, I’m all for identifying your spiritual gift and serving, but I’m just going to tell you, sometimes it’s just a need and a job’s got to get done, amen, and somebody’s got to pick up the banana peel that’s on the floor before somebody else slips on it and falls down. Right? It’s just a need.

There’s no spiritual gift. Maybe a little discernment, right, amen? A little discernment to see, to know that that’s a potential hazard, but faithfulness requires us that we would understand that the providence of God is continually at work in my life as a believer. Now, look, if you’re going to be faithful to God, it’s not because you’re going to be faithful to God because you’re going to always work with some dynamic people, or that everybody’s going to always love you, and everybody’s always going to say something positive, and every day somebody’s going to give you a hug, and every day somebody’s going to give you a certificate, and every day somebody’s going to give you a ribbon.

Every day, because you showed up, everybody’s just going to fawn all over you. No, my friends, that’s not the way it works. You show up to work and people grunt at you.

And sometimes they’re wondering, why are you even here and how can we get rid of you, right? Sometimes you come and people are complicated, and there’s a new set of problems. But faithfulness to the job that God has given you is that you understand the providence of God, that God has you here for a purpose, that God has a plan in your life, and that He is at work in your life, and He is using your life to make a difference for the cause of Jesus Christ. If you serve God based on how people respond to you, you will never make it in the work of Christ.

You will be a church hopper and a church shopper, and you will jump from one place to another, always looking for the greener grass, only to find that the grass was green, but the water bill was higher, right? Now daily trusting in God and in His providence is not easy. I’m going to be honest with you, church, it’s not easy. There’ll be times when you will have doubt.

You will question God’s goodness. You will wonder, did I make the right decision? I remember when I first came to the Open Door Church, I’m talking about the first day in the office, and the secretary said, Pastor Mike, somebody wants to talk to you on the phone. I said, okay.

I’m all excited. First day, we’re going to take on the mountain. We’re going to conquer the world.

It’s going to be awesome at the Open Door Church. And little did I know, when I picked up the phone, they said, if the Open Door Church doesn’t pay this bill, we’re going to sue you by Friday. And I said, Lord, did I come to the right church? Was this the church you told me to come to? Yeah.

And so, we gathered the deacons and elders and said, Wednesday, we’ve got to get this taken care of. Thank God, they all pulled their resources together and got that taken care of. But I want you to know, there’s going to be times you have questions and you have doubt when you’re serving God, but we must have a strong foundation of faith, and we will be able to weather these storms, and we must be ready, church.

Have a spirit of readiness to serve God and to trust Him even when it doesn’t make sense. Number two, the second element necessary that we see in the life of Isaiah to serve God is a willingness to warn others. Now, here’s what’s so interesting.

Isaiah says, here am I, send me. Well, he didn’t go anywhere. He didn’t go to another country.

He stayed in Judah. He stayed in Jerusalem, and he sent him to a most difficult people, to a hard-headed people. Well, I want you to look at verse 9 and 10 for me.

It says, and he said, go and tell this people, the people that you’ve been ministering to, keep on hearing, but do not understand. Keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and returned and be healed.

I mean, that’s quite an assignment, amen? I mean, this assignment was so astounding to Isaiah that in verse 11, he said, how long do I got to do it? How long do I got to put up with this? How long is this assignment? We’ll talk about that later, but I want you to go back to verse 9 and 10, and I want you to understand that the message that Isaiah was entrusted to by the Lord was a message that was not only shocking to him, but it was shocking to all those that he was to share with. We can’t forget the context of chapter 6, in light of chapter 5, in which Isaiah has been teaching, and he’s been preaching, and he’s been warning the people of God that they have turned their back on God, that they put God on the back burner, that he’s no longer preeminent in their life. He’s not important.

They are not fully, faithfully following him. And so, God says to Isaiah, go warn them. Go warn them of the coming wrath.

Urge them to flee, to run to Christ, to run to God, to run to the only refuge that they have, which is only in God. There are times that God calls us to warn people on his behalf. I know some of you say, well, I don’t know if I believe that.

Well, I mean, you drive around Chambersburg, and there are signs up, road closed, do not enter. You see these signs, and they’re designed to prevent us from going down that road to making a mess, finding ourselves. Because, and I see these people, they are not going to listen to no sign.

It doesn’t matter. They don’t care that that sign says road closed. They’re going to finagle themselves around that sign, and they’re going to go down there where those guys are working, and then they’re going to be stuck in a mess, right? And I think about how that’s like people sometimes, right? You warn them, you give them a sign that this is not the right direction, and rather than thanking you, they get angry with you.

And they not only get angry with you, but they are so stubborn in their desire to go this way that they refuse to change direction. We find this need to warn others, even in the church. Remember that the Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians that he said, we urge you brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

But I want you to notice he says, admonish the idle. The word idle means literally to put to mind. It’s the idea of warning and reproving, to bring to someone’s attention.

You and I are called to reprove one another, to admonish one another, to bring to our attention, to remind us that that is not the most honorable and godly way to go. And so Isaiah has this challenge to go to God’s people and to tell them a message in which they will hear, but they will not understand. They will see, but they will not perceive.

Their ears will be heavy, their eyes will be shut, and they will continue to be stubborn in their hearts and refuse to believe and to make God a priority in their life. The ministry that Isaiah has is to exercise his responsibility of teaching and preaching a message that has a heartening effect on the people of God. Now, what I want you to understand, church, is that sometimes people define success by the response of others.

If that is the standard of what success is in the eyes of the Lord, then I tell you that Isaiah and Noah and many of God’s apostles and preachers and teachers are miserable failures. But that is not the standard. The standard is to be obedient to the assignment.

It is to make sure that we listen to what God is telling us to do, that we understand that we have this responsibility to warn others, whether they are outside of the church and they need to be warned of eternal damnation, or they are within the church and they need to be warned of the discipline of God if they choose a path that does not honor Christ. And yes, there’ll be times that they will mock you, they will make fun of you, and they may even resist you, or they might even avoid you. But if you’re going to be effective in serving God, you must have a willingness to warn others.

And let me tell you about your message of warning others. It will either soften the heart or harden the heart. We think about the Bible says that when Moses went to Pharaoh in Exodus 8, verse 15, when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and he did not heed them as the Lord had said.

Pharaoh hardened his heart. God did one miracle after another. Every miracle that God did through Moses before the Egyptians and before Pharaoh was an undercut of their false gods that they were worshiping themselves.

It was a reminder that their gods could not save them, could not sustain them, their gods could not help them, that there was only one true God, it was Yahweh, it was Jehovah, it was the Lord God Almighty, and Moses was his representative, and he shared a message of warning to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he refused to believe. Over and over again, you and I could walk through Exodus and we could see that.

And the sad thing for us, as we are out there witnessing for Christ, that every day people choose to live their lives apart from God, despite the message that we give them. Despite it. Think about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Why did Israel reject Christ? Their hearts were hardened towards God. The Bible tells us in the sovereign plan of God in Romans 11, 25, that I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that the blindness, in part, has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. God has hardened the heart of a nation, the nation of Israel, his chosen people.

That doesn’t mean that Jews cannot be saved, but as a nation they will not follow God, they will not see Christ as the Messiah until the fullness of the times of the Gentiles has come in, until it is completed, until it is finished. At the second coming of Christ, the fullness of the Gentiles will come in, finally, and they will recognize, as Zechariah teaches us, that Jesus is the true Messiah. But it’s not that they lacked prophets, it’s not that they lacked teachers, it’s not that they lacked a competent message that was relevant enough, it wasn’t that they didn’t play good enough music in the temple, it’s that the people chose to follow their own way instead of God’s.

We like to blame everything else on everything, when the truth is that many people’s hearts are hardened to God, and it gets harder and harder every time they hear the message of God. Why is it? Because as Tozer taught us, that the sun that melts the ice also hardens the clay. The same sun that melts a heart that is tender, the same message, and they’re responsive and they’re ready and they want to receive Christ, is the same sun that hardens the clay or hardens the heart, and people become defiant and resistant to the will of God and they refuse to follow it.

But if you’re going to be an effective servant of God, you have to be faithful like Isaiah to continue to give the message, a willingness to warn others, and then thirdly and finally a commitment to persevere. So we come down to verse 11, and he says, Isaiah says, Lord how long, how long do I got to do this? And look at the answer, until the cities are laid waste without inhabitants, until the houses are without a man, the land is utterly desolate, the Lord has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land, but yet a tenth will be in it and will return and be for consuming as a tree-brent tree or as an oak whose stump remains when it is cut down, so the holy seed shall be its stump. Well there’s a lot to unpack there, but here’s what I want you to get most of all, is that if you are going to be a faithful servant, you need to persevere.

If you’re going to be an obedient servant, you must persevere. Did somebody tell you there was a crown before the cross? Did somebody tell you there was glory before the grief? Did somebody tell you that it would be easy to follow Jesus Christ and that there would be no troubles and trials in your life? Did somebody declare that message to you? They lied to you. They did not tell you the truth.

When God called Saul, who would later become Paul, he was up front with him and said in Acts 9 verse 16, for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake. I want you to understand that Christian life is a call to victory. Victory over our sin, victory over ourself, and victory over Satan.

But I want you to also understand that it is a call of victory while we are on the path of suffering. That there will be many, there will be many trials as we faithfully serve the Lord Jesus Christ. It is no wonder the apostle Paul said to Timothy, the young pastor, thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

No man that woreth and tangleth himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who has chosen him to be a soldier. I know you want to see everything in tenderness and beauty and an easy path, but in serving Jesus Christ’s church and faithfully following him requires you to be a soldier, to push through the problems, to push through the trials, to endure hardness. No magical formula the apostle gives us, no relevant next steps to take he gives us.

He simply says endure hardness. And sometimes we are called to difficult ministry with difficult people, but we are called to persevere and not to deviate from our assignment, but to stay on mission for the Lord Jesus Christ as he is calling us to stand fast for him. James 1.12, blessed is a man who perseveres under trial.

For once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him. Did you get that? You must first persevere before there’s a crown. You must first endure before there is a crown.

I want the easy life, pastor. I want my best life now. Friends, your best life won’t come until you enter into the presence of Jesus Christ in heaven.

If this is my best life now, I am of all men most miserable. I am looking for something so much better than a sin-cursed world, amen? My hope is not in this world, but I have set my affections on things that are above. The evidence of authentic saving faith is that we press on.

How do you know the Spirit lives in you? You just won’t quit. You just won’t give up. You just stay at it, being faithful to Christ.

There are days it rains, and then there’s days that the sun comes out. The warmth of the sun energizes us and invigorates us that we want to all of a sudden serve God, but there are days that it rains and it snows, church. Did you know snow’s coming, church? Now, look, you got to give me the same standard as the weatherman.

I get to be wrong half the time. But I’m just telling you, we keep pushing. We keep persevering.

We keep serving the Lord Jesus Christ. By faith, the Bible says, by faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin. I hope it’s true in our heart that God will grant us perseverance to keep moving forward in these days that we live in.

Would you pray with me? In response to the question that the Godhead asked Isaiah is who will go for us, Isaiah responded and said, here am I. Send me, Lord. And so he was ready. He was ready to go, which is a very important part of serving others, but it’s also a willingness to warn.

And so we have this responsibility to not only share the good news, but we also have to share the bad news because the bad news lets us know how good the good news is. And if we forget the bad news, then people are going to say, why do we need the good news if there is no bad? So it’s very important for us, if we’re going to serve God, have a willingness to warn others. And that’s exactly what Isaiah did in verses 9 through 10.

He shared the admonishment from God to the people. Now, God said to him that, hey, these people aren’t going to listen. And it doesn’t matter whether people listen or not or respond or not.

We just got to be faithful to God’s will if we’re going to be a servant for God. Now, I want to remind you that you can hear this message in its entirety if you go to our YouTube channel and just type in three elements necessary to serve God. And you can hear the whole message preached on a Sunday morning.

And I know it’ll be a blessing to you. So take advantage of that opportunity. We want to encourage you to check us out on HopeWorthHaving.com. And you can leave any comments or encouraging words or prayer requests.

We will follow up and continue to pray and keep you encouraged. This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ, there is hope worth having.

The post Three Elements Necessary to Serve God Part 2 first appeared on Hope Worth Having.

Pastor Mike will be speaking on Three Elements Necessary to Serve God Part 1. He will be reading out of Isaiah 6:8-13.

And Sometimes God doesn’t give us all the details, but can we trust the Lord that he has a perfect plan? But we trust him that he has called us that he’s given us a mission and we’re going to do our best by being faithful and available the God Hello, this is pastor Mike Sanders from the open-door Church And we are glad that you could be with us for the hope worth having radio program today We’re back into Isaiah chapter 6 verses 8 through 13 We’re talking about three elements that are necessary to serve God and we’re certainly looking at this great Question who will go for us and Isaiah says here am I send me let’s get into the text If you have your Bible this morning, I want you to join me in the book of Isaiah chapter 6 We come to Isaiah chapter 6 and last week. We looked at verses 1 through 8 again We’re coming back to verse 8 and we’ll look to the rest of the chapter in verses 8 through 13 Again to help you because I know some of you show up They say now according to Lifeway research the average church member attends once a month I know that’s not true of several of you But many of you probably so and so you come in you hear a message from the pastor and pastor Mike’s talking about things that you don’t even understand or have any context. So that’s why it’s not that I forgot or that I’m repeating myself.

It’s just I’m trying to bring everybody in so we’re all on the same page together in Isaiah chapter 6 And I want you to understand that the book of Isaiah. It’s a lot of back and forth it’s a lot of talking about the future and what waits for us as believers the hope that we have and hope of an eternal life with God in which he will wipe away the curse of sin and We’ll live eternally with him our loved ones forever and ever but also The book of Isaiah is about the present it’s about what Isaiah the prophet is saying to the people and Chapter 5 is all those woes as God is bringing a judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem and Then all of a sudden we come to chapter 6 many Bible scholars commentaries Question why is chapter 6 kind of thrown into the midst of all this? I am of the persuasion My personal opinion, please understand that that Isaiah the prophet under the inspiration of the Spirit having just delivered all the woes in chapter 5 is now Helping the people to understand the hope The help that is found in the Lord and he shares a personal experience In a tragic time in his life as a dear friend King Uzziah had died And it wasn’t just that King Uzziah died for the sake of history But rather to really grasp the emotion that Isaiah is feeling and he’s at the throne He’s in the temple he’s prostrate before God and he is crying out to God and he is sharing his heart to God and he is Seeking God and the Bible tells us in verse 1 of chapter 6 that Isaiah saw the Lord Sitting on a throne High and lifted up and we saw that last week But what does it lead to verse 5 of chapter 6 woe is me? from the chapter 5 woes to the chapter 6 woe Isaiah understands what it is to see the glory the righteousness the holiness of God To be so overwhelmed with it and the weight and the heaviness of the glory of God That he would see himself as so unrighteous unclean before God But here he shares in this beautiful story how God sent the angel to Bring a live coal to his lips to bring redemption restoration Forgiveness and grace and so it is that everyone that is on the weight of the woes of chapter 5 There is hope there is help through Jesus Christ He is rushing to us his mercy and his grace and his love To wash away our sins and to find true forgiveness in the Lord Jesus Christ This great experience of worship of God touching the very lips of the prophet and his iniquity being taken away in verse 6 and his sin being purged or atoned for leads to verse 8 in which he hears the voice of the Lord saying whom shall I send and Who will go for us? It’s easy we didn’t get time to finish verse 8 last week, but it’s easy for us to rush through this verse 8 and Hurry and get to the point of here I am I send me but I want you to stop for a second I want you to analyze for a second whom shall I send? the outcome of our worship the outcome of our time with the Lord of the outcome of God’s grace and Effective work in my life is that I have a heart For missions, I have a heart to reach others I have a heart to bring the gospel to other people if you have a mission problem, you have a worship problem You’re not experiencing the fire of worship in your personal walk with God and the fire of worship in your corporate worship with God It’s going to bleed over into your evangelism and your desire to serve others and your desire to witness to others But Isaiah hears Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? It’s the second part of this question that I want you to bring your attention to this morning who? will go for us It’s just like God said in Genesis in one verse 26 when he said let us Make man in our image Who is the us who will go for us? Isaiah not only experience that he saw the Lord high and lifted up and he saw the Seraphim’s the angelic seraphim’s flying around the throne and declaring holy holy holy Which reminds us again of the Trinitarian Godhead, but we again hear from the Godhead in Proposing this question to Isaiah who will go for us Who will go for the father? Who will go for the son? Who will go for the spirit? It is the Godhead That is working collectively together to not only bring about your salvation and your Sanctification but to bring about your mission and your assignment here on this earth You say Mike. I think you’re losing it jump over to first Peter.

Don’t lose Isaiah Don’t lose Isaiah. We’re coming back to it. I promise you I’m not like one of those preachers who just preaches a verse says a verse and departs there from We’re coming back church, but I wanted you to see something so beautiful and so wonderful that in first Peter chapter 1 in verse 2 That again, we see the Godhead at work and bringing about our salvation in verse 2. He says we are elect according to the foreknowledge of God the father in Sanctification of the spirit so we have the father the spirit Why why was all this done for obedience and sprinkling of the blood? Jesus Christ friends.

Here’s what I want you to understand that the entire Godhead the Trinity the father the son and the spirit co-equal and one is all Participating in the bringing about of your salvation It is the father who calls us and the son who saves us and the spirit who sanctifies us If the reason it is essential for you to see this It is not only that the father and the son and the spirit are working Effectively in your heart to bring you to the point that you would not only believe and trust in Jesus Christ for your salvation But they are working effectively that you would continue to mature and to grow and to be like Jesus Christ and to walk in obedience To Jesus Christ, but it doesn’t finish there because as Isaiah brings to our attention that the Godhead is not only interested in your salvation and in your sanctification, but the Godhead is interested in your service to God in Which the scriptures tell us that the voice of the Lord? saying whom shall I send and Who will go? for us And you may have felt in your journey of faith That perhaps you were alone in trying to serve the Lord but if nothing else not only does God always have a Remnant of believers who are faithful and who are staying at the task at getting the job done day after day But there is the Trinitarian Father son and spirit bringing about the success of your service and the effectiveness of your service for the glory of God and you must remember as you reflect upon the greatness of our God that the father the son and the spirit are collaborating together That you may serve the Godhead in Such a way that it brings profound glory to God Almighty and Church, you must remember that your salvation is foremost about the glory of God And I know that some of you jumped on to this wonderful ship of the gospel of Jesus Christ So that you would not have to face hell and be separated from God forever and ever and I understand that you Wanted that fire insurance But friends to take your understanding of the gospel and your salvation to a higher level, please know That you are saved for the glory of God and You are saved for the glory of the Godhead and that it is not only your salvation that glorifies God It is your sanctification It is your obedience to God. It is your Maturation your development as a believer that is to bring glory to God and Here ultimately it is also your service Your assignment Your job here on this earth is for the glory of God and the Godhead is working together So this morning I want to talk to you about the three elements that are necessary to serve God The three elements that are necessary that we see in the life of Isaiah after having this great experience of worship with God and this Momentous time in which he saw the Godhead lifted up Before him and he comes in complete surrender in verse 8 and says here am I? Send me Here am I what is the first element? It is a spirit of readiness Isaiah heard God’s call and he responded. Let me say this.

There is a call for salvation There is a call for you to be saved There is a call for you to be sanctified that you would live in obedience to Jesus Christ That you would reflect him more and more in your life But there is also a call for you to serve God For by grace, are you saved through faith that not of yourselves? It is a gift of God not of works lest any man should what both But the verses don’t stop Because we’re reminded that we are his workmanship and we are created unto good works So you’ve been saved to serve. How about that Church? You thought you were just saved to sit on the pew and just come here what the pastor has to say and then do your Duty check that box off and go live your life. However, you wanted but my friends It’s so much more than that And that God has called you to be fully engaged in his cause and his purpose And what he is doing here on this earth and isaiah heard that call and isaiah Responded to that call and he responded with a spirit of readiness And a spirit of resolve and a spirit of trust And so let’s talk about those three things real quick a spirit of readiness It is a desire an eagerness and a willingness and a preparation To serve the Lord.

Did you get all that? the desire and eagerness and a willingness and a preparation I Like that wet last word preparation And I thought about that how sometimes, you know, I love sports. You guys know that none of my teams are doing good this year So don’t talk to me. I Don’t want to hear it Okay, but you might hear a coach talk about how important it is to be prepared and It is true.

It’s true in our spiritual life. Some people say well, man, you’re lucky but one coach said this that luck is simply preparation and opportunity Coming together and I think it’s true spiritually not that we believe in luck at all Because we believe that we’re fortunate and we believe that God is in control and that he is sovereign and that he’s orchestrating events and Circumstances whether they’re good or they’re ugly or difficult or hard We know that God is sovereign and we trust in him, but we know that we have this Responsibility that in part of our readiness and serving God is that we are prepared that we are eager and Ready to serve the Lord the scriptures teach us in 1st Peter 3 verse 15 to be ready always Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear Be ready be ready church That means you have to be ready always that means you have to be prepared That means you have to know how are you going to answer some of these questions that people have? Why is it that you’re different? Why is it that in an uncertain time that you have so much certainty in your heart and you have so much hope in your Heart and you have so much peace and that you’re not wigging out freaking out about the election. How about that one? Amen? That we have the peace of God whichever way it rolls.

We’re trusting God all the way. Amen We’re not stressing We’re just getting up every day rejoicing in the Lord Trusting in the Lord our assignment here to win people to Christ to win them to Jesus We understand so we have a preparation in our heart and we are ready to give an answer to every man that asks Why are you different? Why are you different? But there’s also a spirit of resolve, which is a determination to go and to bear witness Despite the difficulties you’ll note again that Isaiah says here am I? Send me I am ready and I am resolved to go. I am resolved to go.

There is a determination to serve the Lord and To serve him faithfully and this is what we need more than ever before Church We can’t shrink back from the moment we can’t say well because life is difficult Oh because we’ve got this issue and this problem that it’s time for us to just step back give up and quit No, my friends Church. We must rise to the level of the moment that is before us God has raised up this generation and it is time for us to move forward for the Lord Jesus Christ and to have a spirit of resolve in our hearts a Determination We’re going to serve the Lord but there’s a spirit of trust as Isaiah says here am I? Send me It’s one thing to say Lord send me when we know where we’re going when we know what all the assignment involves Sometimes they say well, you know, you got to let everybody know the job description before they sign up But I’m telling you this that sometimes God says I just want to know your heart I want to know will you Make yourself available. Will you be resolved in your heart to trust the Lord? Think about Abraham God said to Abraham.

I need you to relocate and guess what Abraham? I’ll tell you where you’re going later on Most of us said we’re not signing up until God tells me the details Unfortunately, God gave too many details to Jonah and he ran and Sometimes God doesn’t give us all the details, but can we trust the Lord? Can we trust him that he has a perfect plan and that maybe things aren’t exactly the way we wanted them to be But we trust him that he has called us. He has assigned us that he’s given us a mission He’s given us a responsibility and we’re going to do our best by being faithful and available to God someone once said that availability is the best ability You see friends that’s the question. Are you available? Are you available to serve God? How many times as a pastor have I heard people say well, I can’t do that pastor.

I don’t do that. I don’t have those skill sets Well, do you need skill sets to move a table? Is there a spiritual gift for changing diapers Church? There is none of these things I understand I’m all for identifying your spiritual gift and serving But I’m just gonna tell you sometimes it’s just a need and a jobs got to get done Amen, and somebody’s got to pick up the banana peel that’s on the floor before somebody else slips on it and falls down Right. It’s just a need There’s no spiritual gift Maybe a little discernment right a man a little discernment to see to know that that’s a potential hazard But faithfulness requires us that we would understand that the providence of God is Continually at work in my life as a believer Now look if you’re gonna be faithful to God it’s not because you’re gonna be faithful to God because you’re gonna always work with some dynamic people or That everybody’s gonna always love you and everybody’s always gonna say something positive and every day somebody’s gonna give you a hug and everybody Somebody’s gonna give you a certificate and every day somebody’s gonna give you a ribbon Every day because you showed up.

Everybody’s just gonna fawn all over, you know, my friends. That’s not the way it works you show up to work and people grunt at you and Sometimes they’re wondering why are you even here and how can we get rid of you? right sometimes you come and People are complicated and there’s a new set of problems But faithfulness to the job that God has given you is that you understand the providence of God That God has you here for a purpose that God has a plan in your life And that he is at work in your life And he is using your life to make a difference for the cause of Jesus Christ If you serve God Based on how people respond to you. You will never make it in the work of Christ You will be a church hopper and a church shopper and you will jump from one place to another Always looking for the greener grass only to find that the grass was green, but the water bill was higher, right? Now daily trusting in God and in his providence is not easy I’m gonna be honest with you church.

It’s not easy. There’ll be times when you will have doubt You will question God’s goodness You will wonder Did I make the right decision? I? remember when I first came to the open-door church, I’m talking about the first day in the office and The secretary said pastor Mike somebody wants to talk to you on the phone I said, okay. I’m all excited First day we’re gonna take on the mountain.

We’re gonna conquer the world It’s gonna be awesome at the open-door church and little did I know when I picked up the phone They said if the open-door church doesn’t pay this bill. We’re gonna sue you by Friday And I said Lord did I come to the right church Was this the church you told me to come to Yeah, and so We gathered the deacons and elders and said Wednesday. We got to get this taken care of.

Thank God They all pulled their resources together and got that taken care of but I want you to know There’s gonna be times you have questions and you have doubt when you’re serving God but we must have a strong foundation of faith and we will be able to weather these storms and we must be Ready church have a spirit of readiness to serve God and to trust him Even when it doesn’t make sense number two the second element necessary That we see in the life of isaiah to serve. God is a willingness to warn others Now here’s what’s so interesting Isaiah says here am I send me Well, he didn’t go anywhere He didn’t go to another country He stayed in judah. He stayed in jerusalem and he sent him to a most difficult people To a hard-headed people Well, I want you to look at verse nine and ten for me.

It says and he said go and tell this people The people that you’ve been ministering to Keep on hearing But do not understand keep on seeing But do not perceive Make the heart of this people dull and their ears heavy and shut their eyes Lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and returned and be Healed I mean, that’s quite an assignment. Amen I mean this assignment was so Astounding to isaiah that in verse 11, he said how long do I got to do it? How long do I got to put up with this How long is this assignment? We’ll talk about that later But I want you to go back to verse nine and ten and I want you to understand that the message that isaiah Was entrusted to by the lord was a message that was not only shocking to him But it was shocking to all those that he was to share with We can’t forget the context of chapter 6 in light of chapter 5 In which isaiah has been teaching and he’s been preaching and he’s been warning The people of god that they have turned their back on god that they put god on the back burner that he’s no longer Preeminent in their life. He’s not important.

They are not fully faithfully following him and so god Says to isaiah Go warn them Go warn them of the coming wrath Urge them to flee To run to christ to run to god to run to the only refuge that they have which is only in god There are times that god calls us to warn people on his behalf I know some of you say well, I don’t know if I believe that well I mean you drive around chambersburg And there are signs up road closed Do not enter You see these signs and they’re designed to prevent us from going down that road to making a mess Finding ourselves and I see these people they are not going to listen to no sign. It doesn’t matter They don’t care that that sign says road closed. They’re going to finagle themselves around that sign And they’re going to go down there where those guys are working and then they’re going to be stuck in a mess, right? And I think about how that’s like people sometimes right You warn them you give them a sign that this is not the right direction And rather than thanking you they get angry with you And they not only get angry with you, but they are so stubborn in their desire to go this way that they refuse to change direction We find this need to warn others even in the church Remember that the apostle paul told the thesalonikins That he said we urge you brothers admonish the idol Encourage the faint-hearted help the weak be patient with them all But I want you to notice he says admonish the idol the word idol means literally to put to mind It’s the idea of warning and reproving to bring to someone’s attention You and I are called to reprove one another to admonish one another To bring to our attention to remind us that that is not the most honorable and godly Way to go and so isaiah has this challenge to go to god’s people And to tell them a message in which they will hear but they will not understand They will see but they will not perceive Believe Their ears will be heavy their eyes will be shut And they will continue to be stubborn in their hearts and refuse To believe and to make god a priority in their life Isaiah had a spirit of readiness.

He was ready for god Now god never called him to another country Never called him to leave israel. He never called him to go to people He did not know but he was ready and he did have to minister to stubborn people People that would not listen to his message. He was a prophet who would bring warning And he would encourage the people to turn their lives fully over to god and some would respond but some would not And the question is will we be faithful will we be available when god is calling us I hope that’ll be true in your life that no matter what the lord’s plan is for you that you’ll be ready And that you’ll be faithful and available to serve him as he calls you This is pastor mike sanders reminding you that in christ.

There is hope worth having

The post Three Elements Necessary to Serve God Part 1 first appeared on Hope Worth Having.

Pastor Mike will be speaking on The Wholeness of Worship Part 2. He will be reading out of Isaiah 6:1-8.

So we know in a physical, temporal sense the need for cleansing. How much more do we need that spiritually, Church? That’s why I’m teaching you this morning that holiness is activated by your worship of God. Hello, this is Pastor Mike Sanders from the Open Door Church.

Welcome to Hope Worth Having radio program. Thank you for being with us today. We’re jumping back into Isaiah chapter 6. We’re learning about the wholeness of worship because we understand that there is a big picture as we are worshiping the Lord and it’s never about us but it’s always about Him.

So let’s grab our Bibles and continue to dig into the Scriptures. And your heart builds walls and defenses because of the offenses of relationships and circumstances. It’s God who brings you back and melts your heart to be tender and soft towards Him again.

It is not only in the fire of worship that He is refining me, consuming me, and melting me. He is warming me. He is warming us as believers as we come and gather this morning and we encounter God and we see Him high and lifted up as we sing praises to God, as we pray and worship the Lord in our prayers, and as we read the Scriptures and worship the Lord, as we fellowship together and worship to God.

It is God who in this fire of worship is warming our hearts. He is warming those cold hearts that are in so desperate need to be thawed. You thought that just inviting someone to the church was about reaching some kind of a number, but it’s about bringing people into the fire of worship that warms their heart towards Jesus Christ.

The fire of worship also ignites us when we are turned off of God, life, problems. He turns us back on for Christ. This is the refining work of God.

This is what Isaiah is trying to communicate to his people. Do not be overwhelmed by all the woes. Do not be overwhelmed, because as we come into the presence of God and we have a great reverential awe for God, that there is a God who either sends a messenger or sends an angel or sends Himself to fly to you.

I want you to underscore that in verse 6, that He flew to me, Isaiah says. God did not abandon me in my uncleanliness. He did not abandon me in my becoming undone and coming apart at the seams.

He did not abandon me as I heard the woes of His righteousness and His holiness and His glory, but He sent down one of those angels who touched the very lips of my heart, and He cleansed me, refined me, and He warmed me to the Lord Jesus Christ. So what is the point of your greatest weakness? What is that sin that is so easily setting you back? If you will come to God in the midst of His holiness this morning, His purifying fire will touch you at that point, at that moment. So we’ve learned this morning that our ungodliness is exposed by our worship to God, but I also want you to see that holiness is activated by our worship to God.

I want you to, if you will again, go back to Isaiah chapter 1 because there is a theme that keeps resonating through the book of Isaiah. It is this title that’s been given to God, the Holy One of Israel. We come to verse 4 of chapter 1, and again, we see that the prophet says, a last sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corruptors.

They have forsaken the Lord. They have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel. They have turned away backwards.

We jump over to chapter 5, where we just were a week ago. In chapter 5 in verse 19, and again, we are taught that, that say, let him make speed, meaning they were wanting God to speed up His timetable and hasten His work that we may see it work on our timetable, God, not yours. It was mocking to God.

The Bible says, let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come that we may know it. We come to chapter 6, verse 3, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts. I know you’re probably tired of me saying it, but somehow it needs to be embedded in your mind and your heart because of the confusing times that we live in.

But the greatest attribute of God is His holiness. And out of all of His other attributes and very nature, they emanate from the holiness of God. And at the very foundation of who God is, He is holy.

Now, not to in any way try to minimize or to be disrespectful to God Almighty, but the Hebrew word has the idea of being a cut above. We might look at it like this, which Isaiah will say later in the book of Isaiah, where he declares that God would say, who is like me? God is certainly a cut above humanity, man. He is a cut above.

He is beyond us. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts.

Here, the prophet says that his encounter with God led the angels for him to witness the angels saying, holy, holy, holy. We know in the Jewish culture to use a word twice was to describe it as being most, meaning if we were to say, holy, holy, we were saying that God is most holy, that He is above all the holiness of any man or any person on this planet. But yet, what we see here is that He says, holy, three times, which intensifies the highest level of expression.

And in a real sense, what Isaiah is saying is the holiness of God is so indescribable that even our language cannot even fully express how great and transcendent our God is. In his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer writes, what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. If you haven’t read The Knowledge of the Holy, get it on Amazon this afternoon, not while I’m preaching, but order that book.

It’ll probably be very inexpensive. You could probably get it in PDF free. But the bottom line is, if you want to just revel in the greatness and the holiness and the magnificence of that little book, if you’re like me, limited in your capabilities of comprehension, you’ll have to read it several times.

You’ll be so overwhelmed with how Tozer describes the glory and the greatness of God that you will read it and stop and just worship God. That’s how moving it is. What I’m trying to say to you, when Tozer tells us what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us, I’m telling you, we live in a culture that disagrees with us.

And that’s why theology is so important in your life, learning about who God is, because theology is a combination of two words, which means the study of God. And as you study God, studying his attributes, his character, his nature, his essence, you can’t help but just want to worship him. Isaiah 8 verse 13 says that the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy.

Let him be your fear and let him be your dread. Here’s what I want you to know, church, that there is a healthy fear. There is a holy fear.

Not the fear of man, which is a snare, the Bible says. Not striving to please people or worry about what others might think, but there is a holy fear that requires us as believers that when we are in his presence that we have a great reverence for God. Cultures have expressed that reverence to God in different ways.

There’s no one particular way that supersedes another. We go back into the New Testament and we see that the apostle, through the inspiration of the Spirit of God, would tell the women to make sure that their heads were covered. It was a symbolic expression of not only their submission to their husband, but their reverence to a holy and righteous God.

Do not worry, ladies, I’m not asking you to cover your head. If you want to, that’s fine. But I’m just here to tell you that this was a cultural expression of their reverence to God.

Sometimes people of other generations have taken their hat off when they enter into the house of the Lord. Why? As an expression of reverence. Sometimes out of respect, someone who is sitting, when someone walks in the room of authority or of a particular title, they will stand up in their presence out of respect.

These are just different cultural ways that people express themselves. I’m not saying they’re right or wrong, I’m just saying they’re ways that people show respect. But please don’t misunderstand me.

I’m not pushing any kind of cultural agenda upon you. I’m just saying that somehow, some way in our hearts, you and I need to get to that moment that however we express that reverence, however we express that holy, healthy fear before the presence of a righteous and glorifying God who is transcendent and beyond our words to describe, that this is an expression of our worship to him. Every time we hear praise going on around the throne of God, we should have a sense of his holiness.

The focus of our hearts this morning when we gather should be upon the holiness of God, that there ought to be something that we recognize as beyond us and reverential towards the Lord. I know that for some, it may cause us to feel so unworthy, it may cause us to feel so unrighteous and unholy, but this is not what God’s ultimate goal is. Because in that moment, as we are feeling unworthiness, God wants us to find wholeness.

The wholeness of worship is what I’ve been teaching you. There is a root relationship between the word whole, healthy, wholeness, and holy. And when we talk about holiness, we’re talking about our wholeness, W-H-O-L-E-N-E-S-S, before God.

Holiness is God’s completeness. It is his fulfillment entering into my incompleteness. It is his righteousness filling into my unrighteousness.

It is his holiness filling into my unholiness, sir, my lack of holiness. The only way for this to happen is to be in his presence, whether it is personal or it is corporate. When you come and you say, Lord, I’m unworthy, I’m a sinful man in your presence in the house of the Lord.

It is in that moment that our worship begins to transform us. The worship of the believer is designed to transform the believer. Hear me.

Hear me so well on this. It is not original with me, but it is good for you to consider and ponder that you become like who or what you worship. And so, the question is, if you say, what’s wrong with me? I would say, what or who are you worshiping? Some of you are worshiping self.

Some of you are worshiping sports. Some of you are worshiping your children. Some of you are worshiping everything under the sun, maybe your career, and you are worshiping everything else but the one who is worthy of your worship.

You will become like what or who you worship. So, that’s why we need the fire of worship. We need God to send the coal to transform our lives.

It is the work of Christ on the cross that is purifying believers even now as I speak. As his purifying grace is being poured out into your heart, it is no wonder that John would say in 1 John 1, 7, if we walk in the light, meaning Christ is the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin. Just the act of worship, just the submission and surrender and reverence to God is having an eternal effect upon you in cleansing and purifying your heart.

Think about it, church. So, we know in a physical, temporal sense, the need for cleansing and the need to be cleaned up. How much more do we need that spiritually, church? That’s why I’m teaching you this morning that holiness is activated by your worship of God.

And yes, you want to stay home, but you’re only becoming more like the world. But when you’re in the presence of God and you are worshiping God, he is cleansing you, he is purifying you, he is washing away that sin that has stained your life, that is beginning to be embedded in your heart. He is making you more like him.

And that’s why I don’t want to miss a Sunday. That’s why I don’t want to miss. And there can be a thousand excuses.

I’ve had migraines too. I’ve come up here and preached with migraines. I’ve come up here with my foot, my ankle, and all these issues I’ve got.

I don’t even want to tell you because you’re going to start sending me letters and telling me how to fix this and that with your home remedies, amen? But I just want you to know, church, I’m pushing through because the cleansing of worship means so much to me. Now, the third thing that I want you to learn this morning from this text is wholeness is restored by our worship to God. Remember that Isaiah said in chapter 6 and verse 5 that not only was he unclaimed but he was undone, falling apart at the seams.

You have walked through life and circumstances and problems and felt the same way. But what is unique about this is that what made him feel so undone was to be in the presence of God. So let’s do a little lesson here.

The word worth originally described the weight of a coin. In the ancient world, the coins were made of valuable metals, which as they were passed, exchanged, and used, they began to thin rapidly, causing the coin to lose its value. And that’s exactly how Isaiah felt.

He could see that little by little he was coming apart. But God is calling each of us to worship him in his presence in order that a transfer of his being, his righteousness, his holiness may take place in our hearts. That as we walk through this life, that the wear and tear of the coin of our lives is being restored by his nature within us, thus we are being restored through worship, and worship is the situation or the circumstance that brings wholeness and restoration to the believer.

It is no wonder the prophet Malachi said this, but for you who fear my name, healthy fear, the son of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. It is because God’s worth is poured into your heart that you become whole in Jesus Christ, that the fullness of God is imputed into your heart and into your life as you are standing in the presence of a holy and righteous God.

You are receiving this grace from God into your life. But I know what you say, well Mike I’ll just stay home because I’ll get rested up. I want to say something to you church, that’s like saying to your vehicle, you stay in the garage and I know some way somehow you’ll get gassed up, that somehow that fuel will just emerge into my tank and you’ll jump in that car and it never did emerge and you’ll run that car till it’s empty and you can no longer move forward and so it is in your spiritual life.

Are you listening to me church? The spiritual energy that God provides for you is in the moment of your worship to him and that he is restoring you and making you whole as you are worshiping him personally and as you are worshiping him corporately. Now the final truth that I want you to learn this morning is that missions is ignited in our worship of God. Now think about this, look at verse eight he says, having already experienced the purging of God, the wholeness of God, the forgiveness of God, the grace of God, then in verse eight you’d think there’d be a lot of hugging going on, but there’s a commission.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for us? Whenever you see a question in the Bible, please don’t think that God doesn’t know. I mean he didn’t say to Adam, where are you? Because God had lost Adam, amen? That he had misplaced Adam. Adam was right where God knew he was and the goal was not to ask the question for God’s benefit, but for Adam’s benefit.

And Isaiah is asked a question by God, not for the sake of God, but for the sake of Isaiah. This is a great tool by the way as you’re raising teenagers, I’m just here to say. But I’m telling you what God is trying to do for you and I is to bring a self-awareness in our hearts.

Where are you Adam? Just put your name there. Where are you spiritually? It’s not like God doesn’t know, but the problem is you don’t know. And for Isaiah, he needed to have a self-awareness that worship leads to mission and mission is ignited as we worship God.

So whom shall I send and who will go for us? The mission of our lives is found in our worship to God. The reason we’re not evangelistic and the reason we’re not having spiritual conversations and the reason that we’re not on mission every day when we hop out of that bed is because we’re not worshiping God like we ought to. That the fire of worship hasn’t touched our lips and our hearts just yet.

But after the angel had purified Isaiah’s lips, the Lord had him on mission. And you can only find your true direction and intended purpose in the context of your worship to God. If you’re in a dead church where there is no worship and the fire of worship is not evident, if you’re in a ministry that is not worshiping the Lord, it’s no wonder not only are the pews empty, but no one is being sent out on mission for God.

Now every Christian has a mission and that mission is to make disciples. Jesus said in Matthew 28 verse 19, therefore go and make disciples to all nations. You can’t excuse that.

You can’t say that’s just for the pastor, that’s just for the missionary, that’s just for the elders, that’s just for the deacons, but it certainly ain’t for me. No my friends, it’s for all of us. But what is it that helps your heart align with that command? It is your personal worship with God.

It is your corporate worship with God. If you come and you’re not worshiping God, it’s no wonder you’re not on fire for God and that you can’t wait because you want a desire. When you worship God, you have a desire in your heart that all the nations would worship God.

That all the peoples of every ethnicity and people groups would worship God before throne because at the heart of missions, as Piper teaches us, is all the nations would worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Evangelism has nothing to do about another notch in your belt and it has nothing to do with about the size of your church or how many people you have reached. It is about a passion of worship for God and that you not only desire that you would worship God, but you have a desire that people from all walks of life would worship and that drives you, that motivates you, and as you are worshiping God this morning, as you are in this worship service, you should walk out of here with a desire to do missions, to have spiritual conversations, to be plugged into ministries throughout the week that are advancing the cause of Jesus Christ.

We love you all, but some of you just sit and soak. Something’s not right. You ought to be plugged and say, I want to make a difference for Christ, and if your missions is messed up and your evangelism is messed up, it means your worship is messed up, and you need to rethink that.

Now, we as believers, we are called to be set apart in our behavior, but we are sent out in our relationships, so we strive to be holy as the scripture says, be holy for I am holy, but we walk out of here and march out of here with a desire to be sent out and say, Lord, here am I. The more our eyes are upon Christ, the more we see our need for Christ. That’s why it’s so important that when we are worshiping the Lord, whether it’s corporately or personally, that we are always exalting Christ. Then we find that comfort of the gospel as we mourn over our sinfulness, and we recognize that Christ is the one who meets us at the point of our sinfulness, and he touches us as the angel did and brings cleanliness to each of us.

I pray that’ll be your experience, that you will experience the touch of God in grace and forgiveness in your life, and this will set you on a journey of worshiping the Lord and exalting him for the rest of your life. We want to thank you for being a part of Hope Worth Having ministry, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to minister. You might have a prayer request, and if you do, just send it our way.

We want to do more than just teach the Bible. We want to pray for you, and so you can go to our contact button on our website, hopeworthhaving.com, and you can share with us your requests, and we’ll lift those to the Lord. This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ there is hope worth having.

The post The Wholeness of Worship Part 2 first appeared on Hope Worth Having.

Pastor Mike will be speaking on The Wholeness of Worship Part 1. He will be reading out of Isaiah 6:1-8.

What is it that the Lord does as we are in his presence, overwhelmed by his greatness and his righteousness and his glory and holiness, and our sinfulness is fully exposed? The Lord meets us at our point of need by purifying us. Hello, this is Pastor Mike Sanders and I want to welcome you to the Hope Worth Having radio program all the way from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. I serve as the senior pastor of the Open Door Church, and we are excited to be able to share God’s word with you today.

We’re going to be in Isaiah chapter six. That’s a classic chapter and one that a lot of Christians are familiar with. But let’s begin to dig into it and learn about the wholeness of worship.

I want you to take your Bible this morning to Isaiah chapter six, Isaiah chapter six. We’ve been tracking through the book of Isaiah, and when we look at chapters one through five, we can see that as kind of a prologue of the book as a whole, meaning that in these first five chapters that we’ve already covered, there have been some great themes that Isaiah has brought to our attention that he’ll continue to bring to our attention through all 66 chapters. We come to chapter six and we have an account of Isaiah’s initial prophetic commissioning, meaning that this is the moment in which Isaiah had a true encounter with God and he surrenders his life to be all in and fulfilling the call of God upon his life.

As you are reading through chapters one through five, remember that I had taught you already that there’s going to be this bouncing back and forth in the book of Isaiah, that there are times that Isaiah is talking about that future. He’s talking about in that day. He uses that phrase consistently throughout the book of Isaiah.

And then there are moments that he’s talking about the present and he is revealing to Judah and Jerusalem, the people of God, exactly some of the judgment that is upon them. The judgment is upon them because they have not honored God in their life. He is not first.

Everything else is first in their life, even accumulating wealth, as we saw in chapter five, is more important than their worship of God, their love of God, and their service for the Lord Jesus. And so they have put God on the back burner. So when we come to chapter six, it seems so unusual that Isaiah would then transition from all the different woes that we read about in chapter five.

And there were six different woes and they were heavy lifts as Isaiah was drilling down on the people of God and where they had strayed from their walk with God. But we come to chapter six and now he’s taking us to the past. Why is Isaiah doing this? I think that as we understand the prophet, I think he has a heart for the people and I think he recognizes that they’re overwhelmed with the weight of their sin.

And he is, in a sense, illustrating to them that he has been there. He understands what it is to have a sense of unworthiness and uncleanliness. He recognizes that as they are encountering all of the words of God that are saying, hey, woe unto you, woe unto you, woe unto you, that it can be crippling and crumbling to the heart of the people of God.

And it reminds us that Isaiah was a man who not only was pointing the finger to the people, but he was pointing it at himself. And he recognizes the words that the Apostle Paul had truly taught the young pastor Timothy in 1 Timothy 4, 16, when he said to take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this, you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

He’s not talking about salvation in the sense that he was saved from his sins, but he’s talking about the victorious Christian life. He’s talking about overcoming temptations and overcoming the challenges of the devil trying to distract us and draw us away from God. And so, the apostle reminds the young pastor, take heed to yourself, give attention to your own spiritual life.

Make sure that you are constantly keeping your heart in check with the Lord. I think that’s what we see in Isaiah 6, is Isaiah saying to the people, yes, I have this responsibility to give you the words of God, and they’re not always comfortable and they’re not always delightful, necessary, but hard to receive. And so, he takes them to chapter 6 and says, I want to illustrate how God is working on me, too.

We were taught in Bible college that long before you stand up on Sunday to preach the word, you have to let the word preach to you as a pastor every day. You guys only have to endure it for a few minutes, maybe 30, 40, 50. I know I’ve been known to go a little bit longer, but the pastor endures it every day.

As he’s in the word and God is preaching to him, taking heed to yourself, and this will help save you and those who hear you, that they may live victoriously. So, we pick up in chapter 6 of Isaiah in verse 1, and again, we’re going back into the past, and he’s reminding of this encounter he had with God. Verse 1, in the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple.

Above it stood seraphim, each one had six wings. With two, he covered his face, and with two, he covered his feet, and with two, he flew. And one cried to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.

The whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So, I said, woe is me.

Now, I want you to stop for a second. I want you to see the connection again. Remember in chapter 5, he kept telling the men of Judah, the people of God, woe is them.

In order that they not be overwhelmed with the weight of their sin, he is now saying to them, I’m right there with you, woe is me. Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts.

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal, which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it and said, behold, this has touched your lips. Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is purged.

Also, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, here am I, send me. Such a rich text, so much that you have probably already heard about this text if you are a student of the Bible in your own personal study with the Lord, and certainly other teachers of God’s word have expounded on this passage because it’s one of those classic passages. But this morning, I want to bring our attention upon the wholeness of worship.

The wholeness of worship. Here, Isaiah has this incredible moment of worship with God and to God. What is unique about it is that what we see here, it is in a time of tragedy for Isaiah.

He is taking the people back, and he is saying, I’ve been there. I have struggled. I have been overwhelmed.

I have been hurt. I have been touched with disappointment and tragedy. And he says in verse 1, in the year that King Uzziah died.

And I know what you’re saying to me, what’s that got to do with anything? In that Isaiah was a friend of the king, a close companion of the king. And he ministered to the king. And this friendship was deep.

And so, in the year of the death of Uzziah the king, in the year that my dear friend, King Uzziah died, it was in that moment, in that circumstance, in that tragedy, in that crisis, I saw the Lord. I know you don’t want to hear this, but some of the best times for worship and encountering God are in the middle of a crisis or even a disappointment in your life. Amid the crisis of King Uzziah’s death, Isaiah learned something about the impact of worship and the impact of God’s holiness on his heart.

He recognizes that there is something here that God has done effectually or effectively in his heart. And so, he reminds the people of God what this was like for him. It is a personal testimony.

It is a illustration of encouragement because if you’ve been hearing the woes of chapter five, then you are going to appreciate the woe of Isaiah. And the first thing when we think about the wholeness of worship that I want you to learn this morning is our ungodliness is exposed by our worship to God. That our ungodliness and our own shortcomings are bared, exposed, right before God as we are worshiping him.

Isaiah sees this, what is often referred to as a theophany. Whenever they say that they see the Lord or they saw God in the Old Testament, it is referred to an appearance of the likeness of God or something in the form of God presenting himself to this particular person. Moses said no one has seen God.

John the Apostle said no one has seen God as well. And so, how do we square this? How do we reconcile this? No one has seen God in his complete fullness. No one has seen God in his full glory.

As a matter of fact, Moses had to kind of hide his face as the glory of God on the mountain of God was being revealed to him in the book of Exodus. Moses, no one has truly seen but just a glimpse of God. But no one has seen the fullness of God, but yet here Isaiah says, I saw the Lord.

This theophany, this manifestation of God has been presented to Isaiah. It is a vision of God’s throne. And as he sees this vision, he states that he saw the Lord sitting on a throne, verse 1 of chapter 6, high and lifted up.

The train of his robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphims. These are angelic beings who were circulating the throne of God.

He tells us that they had six wings and two of them covered his face and two of the wings covered the feet of the angels and then two were used to fly. The angel in the presence of a holy God, the angel in the presence of a God who is glorious, wonderful, awesome, and great was so moved by the greatness of God that they covered their face, they covered their feet as they circulated the throne of God. And one cried, one angel, one seraphim angel cried to the other saying, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts.

The whole earth is full of his glory. It is this vision, this manifestation that when Isaiah sees it, he immediately sees his own unworthiness and sinfulness. As he describes the vision, then we come down to verse 5. What is his response to this vision? It is, woe is me.

I am undone. It’s the idea of, the word is the idea of coming apart. I’m falling apart at the seams.

And so Isaiah is saying every part of me is coming apart as I am in the presence of God and I am overwhelmed by his holiness and I am overwhelmed by his glory. What is it that initiates Isaiah’s thoughts in the presence of God to be so aware of his sinfulness is that he recognizes that he’s unclean, that he has many imperfections. This is what is unique about worshiping God, that is our attention is brought upon the greatness and the holiness and the worthiness of God and the transcendency of God that we cannot help but see in the midst of this great light of who God is that our own sinfulness is exposed.

Why is it that some people do not want to come to church worship service? Why would they rather stay home because they do not want their sins exposed? We see an illustration of this in Genesis 18 with Abraham in verse 27, the Bible says that Abraham answered and said, Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. It’s not that Isaiah and Abraham struggled with self-esteem. It’s that they were in the presence of God and there was such a reverence.

There was such a awe of God that their sinfulness was clearly seen in contrast to the righteousness of God. And I want you to remember this as a believer, as you are striving to be more like Christ in your life, that we will never see our sinfulness until we contrast ourselves to the majesty of Jesus Christ. The mistake that many believers make today is they are comparing themselves or even contrasting themselves to other believers and other people and they say, Well, I’m as good as Fred and Ethel and I’m as good as them.

And so I’m doing pretty good. And when you compare yourselves to others, you might be doing good. But when you come into the presence of a holy God.

And you begin to measure your life into the majesty of Jesus Christ. The authentic believer is humbled and is seeking God’s grace. We see an example of this in the gospel of Luke chapter five.

Would you take a moment to turn their church in Luke chapter five? I want you to witness this. I think it’s important for you as a believer when you’re researching and studying the scriptures that you are not only looking for commands to obey, but patterns to follow. Because it’s easy to be sucked up into some false theology where people claim that they have seen God and that they have witnessed God and yet they’re so prideful about it and they are arrogant about it and they boast about it and there’s no humility in their life.

And yet that is not what I have witnessed as a pattern in scripture. Whether it was Moses, Daniel or Isaiah and even the apostle Peter. I’m in Luke chapter five in verse four.

When he had stopped speaking, he said to Simon, launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. But Simon answered and said to him, master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless, at your word, I will let down the net.

And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats so that they began to sink.

Isn’t that the way God works? I mean, he not only fills our boat and our cup, but he fills the other boats and cups. Amen? What is Simon’s response? He knows that in the real circumstance, he’s a fisherman. He’s skilled at his job.

He knows that this was a true work of God. What is his response? In verse eight, when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’s knees saying, depart from me for I am a sinful man, oh Lord. That’s what I say to you that our ungodliness and unrighteousness is exposed by our worship to God.

How essential it is that you and I understand this as we come into the presence of God, whether it is in our personal time with the Lord or our corporate time together as followers of Christ. But I don’t want to leave you discouraged. I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed.

This is what Isaiah is saying. You understand because as he is proclaiming the word in chapter five, declaring all the woes, he’s now illustrating to them, this is what God did for me, that as I came into his presence and he exposed my ungodliness and he exposed my unrighteousness, this is what happened. Look at verse six.

Then one of the seraphims, those angels that were crying out, holy, holy, flew to me, having in his hand a live coal, which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it and said, behold, this has touched your lips. Your iniquity is taken away and your sin purged.

What is it that the Lord does as we are in his presence, overwhelmed by his greatness and his righteousness and his glory and holiness and our sinfulness is fully exposed? The Lord meets us at our point of need by purifying us. God sent an angel in this case of hot coal to touch Isaiah’s point of unworthiness, which was his lips. Surely had it been his hands that were unclean, the Lord would have touched his hands.

The fire of the coal brought regeneration and forgiveness and grace to the place of impurity in Isaiah’s life that he was most sensitive to. For you, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you understand that the scripture says in 1 Thessalonians 4.3, for this is the will of God, your sanctification, that God is bringing the fire of worship to your point of uncleanliness, to the point of your need, to the point where you are struggling in his presence. And it is through the work of Christ on the cross that the blood of Jesus Christ is ministering to your heart as you stand in his presence and you are unworthy and unclean.

And as you cry out to God for grace and forgiveness, he does not just sit on his throne, but he flies to your heart and he flies to your point of need. And he brings regeneration, forgiveness, and grace to you. What is the fire of worship? Hear me, write this down, in that he refines us.

It is God who burns out the residue of what is unworthy in our heart. For what we find that as we as believers are being sanctified because it is the will of God, your sanctification is his will. Your purification is his desire that God is using people, circumstances, and events in your life to bring you to that point where he is refining you.

He is refining your heart. He is burning away all the residue of what is unworthy and what is not glorifying and what is not honorable to the Lord Jesus Christ. But this fire of worship is also consuming us because it takes the bondage out of our lives and burns it up.

If we find ourselves in the bondage of addiction, if we find ourselves in the bondage of some habitual sin that is dragging us down as believers, if we find ourselves so weighted down by the things of this world and the sin that so easily besets us, it is in the fire, in the crucible of worship that God is consuming us and he is releasing us from that bondage. The fire of worship is that he is melting us. He is melting us.

There’s no doubt that the circumstances and the trials of life can harden the heart. There’s no doubt that our hearts are in need of softening. It is in the moment of worship personally and corporately that God is making your heart soft again to him.

As you walk through the dusty roads of life and your heart builds walls and defenses because of the offenses of relationships and circumstances, it’s God who brings you back and melts your heart to be tender and soft towards him again. It is not only in the fire of worship that he is refining me, consuming me, and melting me. He is warming me.

He is warming us as believers as we come and gather this morning and we encounter God and we see him high and lifted up as we sing praises to God, as we pray and worship the Lord in our prayers, and as we read the scriptures and worship the Lord, as we fellowship together and worship to God. It is God who in this fire of worship is warming our hearts. He is warming those cold hearts that are in so desperate need to be thawed.

You thought that just inviting someone to the church was about reaching some kind of a number, but it’s about bringing people into the fire of worship that warms their heart towards Jesus Christ. The fire of worship also ignites us when we are turned off of God, life, problems. He turns us back on for Christ.

This is the refining work of God. This is what Isaiah is trying to communicate to his people. Do not be overwhelmed by all the woes.

Do not be overwhelmed because as we come into the presence of God and we have a great reverential all for God, that there is a God who either sends a messenger or sends an angel or sends himself to fly to you. I want you to underscore that in verse 6, that he flew to me, Isaiah says. God did not abandon me in my uncleanliness.

He did not abandon me in my becoming undone and coming apart at the seams. He did not abandon me as I heard the woes of his righteousness and his holiness and his glory, but he sent down one of those angels who touched the very lips of my heart and he cleansed me, refined me, and he warmed me to the Lord Jesus Christ. What is the point of your greatest weakness? In chapters 1 through 5, it’s kind of like a prologue to the book of Isaiah as we’re learning about key principles in these different chapters.

But now we come to chapter 6, and this is kind of a commissioning, if you will, a preparation of the prophet Isaiah. He displays before us an incredible experience that he had in worshiping the Lord in a time of great discouragement in his life. And so we want to look into that wholeness of worship and make sure that as we are worshiping the Lord, we are honoring him and we are seeking his glory in every area of our life.

And so I hope this vision of Isaiah, of God on the throne, gives us a great sense of God’s glory, but also a clear picture of our own sinfulness and how much we need God’s forgiveness in our life. I want to thank you for being a part of our radio program. And I want you to know that you can go to our website and learn more about the Hopeworth Having ministry.

And it is a ministry that we are broadcasting and advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ through radio, television, internet, social media. And we want to let everybody know that we can around the world that Jesus Christ died on the cross, rose again, and is alive today, sitting at the right hand of the Father, interceding on our behalf. And we pray that you will come to know Jesus Christ as your Savior.

This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ there is hope worth having.

The post The Wholeness of Worship Part 1 first appeared on Hope Worth Having.

Pastor Mike will be speaking on What More Could God do for You Part 2. He will be reading out of Isaiah 5:1-5.

You want to see a nation back to God it is not going to be accomplished at the ballot box It’s not going to be accomplished in Congress or even the White House. It is going to be accomplished as God’s people exalt Jesus Christ and he does an incredible work in the hearts and the minds of people Hello, this is pastor Mike Sanders and we welcome you to the hope worth having Radio program and we are broadcasting from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Delighted that you could be here today, and we’re back in the book of Isaiah chapter 5 We’re still studying what more could God do for you? So let’s grab our Bibles and let’s get into the scriptures today Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity a Sin as if with a cart rope That say let him make speed and hasten his work that we may see it and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel Draw near and come that we may know it. What he is saying is that they have deceived themselves.

They have become slaves to sin as If they were beasts of burdens who are slaves to the master and in this case They are mocking God. They are not pursuing God, but they are mocking God. They are questioning God They are challenging God.

They are defying God They are demanding that God carry out what they want and when they want it Very disappointing to see people defining God the way they want it to be Rather than saying I want to see the revealed God in his word and in his truth And worship him for who he is not what I want him to be That he’s just a God who is to be a genie in my life And he just responds to my demands and wishes and he immediately accomplishes what I want him to do in my time Rather than recognizing mess being transcendent and sovereign and all-powerful and omniscient That we are his servants He is the source of all that is good in our life And who are we to demand from God who are we to dictate to God what kind of a timetable? He is to operate by We see the fourth woe Remember what I told you how many woes were there? Six hang in there church. I have good news for you at the end. I Know it’s hard.

Just be glad you weren’t the one that had to study and put this sermon together Look at verse 20 We’re very familiar with this one Woe to those who call evil good and good evil Who put darkness for light and light? for Darkness who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter? If there’s ever been a passage of scripture that defined our culture and our society I think it’s Isaiah chapter 5 and verse 20 And I could stand up here and rant and I could rave about the different things that are Destroying the fabric of this nation and this society and this culture and you would all agree with me And I know it to be true And I don’t deny any of that But I want you to know it all starts in our own hearts And it’s easy for us To scream at the darkness and to yell at the wicked But what really Isaiah is calling us to do is to look at our own hearts Are there moments and times in our life where we are compromising our own? Integrity and we are calling what is wrong, right? Are we in our own hearts failing to love God and make him a priority Are we sending the wrong message to our families to our children and to our grandchildren? When we choose to do what we want rather than honoring the Lord Jesus Christ in our life God is using the prophets to not only call out a nation and rightly so church But he is also using this prophet to call out the people directly in their own hearts Yes, we live in a postmodern world a world where both they believe everything is relative that there is no absolute Truth that whatever you say is true is true to you And whatever I say is true is true to me you and I know that they are constantly trying to Redefine what is truth? We know the scriptures teach us that Jesus is truth Amen, Jesus said I am the truth the life and the way and no man comes unto the Father But by me, we know that Christ and his word is truth. That is the measurement. That is the standard and so We see that even what used to be common sense Among a general society in America has been flipped on its head And now we’re trying to figure out You know, what’s going on? I? Was down in Baltimore area Friday night being a part of a renewal vow service and As I was coming back that night.

I was listening to the radio I heard a news report about a young girl just outside of st. Louis, Missouri They were all in up arms because she went to school and she took a test and on the test she had failed this test and the parents were all upset because one of the questions was how many genders are there and the little girl having common sense said there’s two and she Failed the test. It’s crazy And I saw the other day that in Pennsylvania you could have 50 different options for your gender in your license You know, and I mean maybe somehow we could come up with you know, I don’t worry I don’t worry about me church Okay, I’m a two gender guy But maybe somehow we could dream up two or three or four or five six I don’t know.

But how do you come up with 50 plus genders? I That’s just a heavy lift seems to me And so here we are in crazy times where children are mutilated and the government sponsors all this and if a parent steps in and tries to say I don’t want my child to be mutilated and they’re not old Enough to make this kind of a decision that all of a sudden you’re put in prison for this That if you stand up and you say I’m pro-life and I want to stand for what’s right and I would just like to go across the street of the abortion clinic and just pray for those moms and those children who are being aborted that you would be a Threat and thrown into jail You think there’s no way this is happening is Happening all the time. I’m not making it up church Like I’m not coming up here just swinging from the hip and hoping something sticks to the wall I’m actually telling you things that are happening And they’re not in other countries They’re in America That there are places in America that if you have a Bible study in your home that they come in shut it down and Tell people you’re not allowed to study the Bible in your house Now if we’re gonna have Tupperware party, no, that’s different I’m not against Tupperware ladies. I’m all in anything to keep that wonderful food fresh.

I’m all in But what I’m trying to tell you I’m trying to show you what used to be common sense has been flipped on its head and Has been called evil Wrong this is the craziness that we live in and this is what the Isaiah is addressing and He is challenging us to look into our own hearts let’s look at verse 21 the fifth woe arrogant false wisdom woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own Sights rather than being humble before God rather than seeking God for wisdom or seeking other godly People or mentors in your life. You just believe that you have your own wisdom in your own eyes, and you don’t need Anybody else’s input and you don’t need anybody’s insights You know it all I’m not talking about your teenager I’m talking about everyday people who are prudent in their own sights whoa, number six a drunken corrupt justice system Verse 22 and 23. I told you when we go through Isaiah, you’re gonna feel like you’re reading About our nation Woe to men mighty at drinking wine woe to men valiant in mixing intoxicating drink who justify the wicked for a bribe and Take away justice from the righteous man And this is what we see so much injustice in this world We see people pursuing again We’ve already talked about the alcohol the drunkenness the wanting to just pursue these things to control their minds That this is their passion.

This is their focus. They’re good at all that but they’re not good at loving Jesus They’re not good at making Christ supreme and number one in their homes How many homes have been destroyed? By alcohol how many abusive relationships have existed because of alcohol? And I know some of you don’t like me speaking about this But I’m just reading the Word of God and I’m trying to help you understand how it relates to our life and as a pastor Of over 30 years how many times have I had to go into these terrible? situations Where alcohol has been at the source of? all the sin that is happening in this home and see you don’t have to go into the brokenness and Try to help this family pick up the pieces and had these people just made Christ number one and abandoned the alcohol and kicked it to the curb and Said it’s not necessary It’s not what brings true meaning and significance in one’s life. It is the Lord Jesus Christ.

It’s a relationship with him That’s what’s most important in our life Well, we talked about those bad grapes, but let’s talk about the judgment that is coming in verse 13 through 17 we see That God is going to bring judgment upon the people So it says therefore my people have gone into captivity because they have no knowledge Their honorable men are famished their multitude dried up with thirst Therefore she all has enlarged itself opened its mouth beyond measure Their glory and their multitude and their pomp and he who is jubilant shall descend into it People shall be brought down each man shall be humbled and the eyes of the lofty shall be humble now I want you to jump down to verse 24 therefore as the fire devours the stubble and the flame consumes the chaff so the root will be as rottenness and their blossom will ascend like dust because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts and Despise the word of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against his people He has stretched out his hand against them and stricken them and the hills trembled and their carcasses were as refuse in The midst of the streets for all this his anger is not turned away But his hand is stretched out Still you could go on and read more of it later But I want you to see something here real quickly in verse 13 therefore in verse 14 therefore Jump over to verse 24 therefore verse 25 Therefore what is the therefore therefore? It’s the same because the people have abandoned God They have abandoned his word They have not made God a priority in their life that God’s judgment is Coming upon them. What is the result? I Want you to see the sweet fruits of God’s judgment we sometimes look at God’s judgment as a negative But remember God disciplines those he loves Just Like you discipline your children when they get off track and they start going a direction that does not honor God you Discipline them because you love them and the Bible teaches us that if we refuse to discipline our children that we really do not love them that one of the manifestations of a parent’s love for their child is Discipline and so it is in our relationship with God that there are times that when our life is not in alignment with his word His truth and his glory that he will discipline us.

So what are the sweet fruits of God’s judgment? I want you to go back to verse 15 through 17 again We just read it but the Bible says the people shall be brought down and each man shall be humble and the eyes of the lofty shall be humble and The sweet fruit of judgment is humility Church how beautiful it would be that as you are experiencing the discipline of God rather than resisting it and defying God and Challenging God is that you and I would have a humble heart towards the Lord That if we would confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us church how important it is that in our own lives when we see the roots of Sinfulness taking hold of our life When we see the roots of bitterness in our life and the roots of hate in our life that we would address these issues That are being brought up by Isaiah as we look at this as we’re not Prioritizing God in our hearts and we’re letting things and the material things of this world and the passions of this world override our pursuit of God and our walk with God and our fellowship with God that if we would as we are Experiencing the judgment of God that we would humble ourselves before the Lord Jesus Christ I’m getting ready to make at least 80% of you mad. Are you okay? I Think I’m a nice pastor because I kind of pre-warned you that rather than making America great again We should make America humble. But if this country would not boast in its wealth and Boast in its power and boast in its military its chariots if we would if we were reading the Psalms This country would have a sweeping revival of humility across this nation If not Only God’s people would fall on their knees and repent of their sins and saying Lord forgive us for not making you number one That we no longer are seeking you first in our hearts.

Forgive us God, but forgive our nation Forgive our national leaders who no longer put you first who never take time to honor you and to give you Credit for what you have accomplished in us and through us and all around us my friends everything that you see in your home and in your family and in this nation is Because of the grace and the goodness of God. Amen Yes We need to make America Humble again, that’s the sweet fruit of God’s judgment. That’s what I’m praying for in America You may be praying that America would be great again But I’m praying that America would be humble again that there would be another great awakening Sweep across this land and that not only would people come to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord But people would be humble and recognize that God is the source of all the blessings we continue in the sweet fruit look at verse 16, but the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment and God who is holy shall be hallowed in Righteousness, wouldn’t that be wonderful to once again in our own hearts to exalt God to recognize him as supreme and Number one to lift him up Jesus said that if I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me all kinds of people from all nationalities from all ethnicities Jesus says as I am lifted up I will draw people to God you’ll want to see a nation back to God It is not going to be accomplished at the ballot box It’s not going to be accomplished in Congress or even the White House It is going to be accomplished as God’s people exalt Jesus Christ and he does an incredible work in the hearts and the minds of people and Brings them to true Salvation the sweet fruit of God’s judgment is not only that God is exalted and on full display as being great and mighty and That there’s a humility that sweeps across the land that God’s people are humble and we’re not Bragging and boasting about look what I did.

Look at me bring all attention to me, but look at verse 17 That God’s people are peacefully serving and feeding Then the lamb shall feed in their pasture and in the waste places of the fat ones strangers shall eat This is just again symbolic metaphorical Language that Isaiah the prophet is using and he’s reminding us that peace We think of Psalm 23 how the Lord is my shepherd and I shall not what I Shall not want I keep forgetting there’s different translations out there But anyways, we forget but the point is this that we’re not going to need anything as we make him our Shepherd as we put him as the priority in our life. And now what does he do? He leads us down the path of righteousness He leads us by the still waters you see when your life is right with God, then your life will be right with others and As you are honoring Jesus Christ in your life, you will walk in peace Not only within your own heart before God Almighty you are peace with God But you’ll have peace with others and you will be able to live your life in a beautiful Glorifying way to God Almighty. That is the sweet fruit of God’s judgment upon our life What does all this mean to us pastor in these final minutes? I just want to share with you the powerful gospel of Jesus Christ and How it impacts our life and I want to return to the question that was proposed in the song at the beginning of this chapter and It’s simply this what more Could God have done? It is the question in the title of my sermon this morning.

What more could God do for you? before You would give glory to him I’m not saying you don’t have brokenness in your life I’m not saying that there isn’t problems and hurts and challenges But are you telling me even in the midst of some of your struggles that there isn’t any expression of God’s common grace in your life That there isn’t any of God’s goodness being displayed in your life the very fact that you and I could get out of bed and that we could get ready and we could come and worship with God’s people is that not a beautiful display of God’s grace upon us and Is it not something that should lead us to worship God? What more could God do? God has done all that is necessary To a bring us to a point of thanksgiving and worship and praise to him But he has also done all that is necessary so that you would have eternal life in Jesus Christ People say well if God would just do this and God would just do that and you remember the story and the man who went Into hell and Jesus described. He said go tell my brothers and Jesus said you have the prophets You have the law If you won’t respond to what God has already done What makes you think that if someone rose from the dead that you would respond? But not only did God give in his grace the prophets and the law But he gave the Savior Jesus Christ who did rise from the dead and he did come forth out of that tomb and he did Bring eternal life to those who believe in Jesus Christ What else does God have to do? Before you would believe in him and that you would trust in him What is the power of the gospel? It is the full knowledge that God has done all that is necessary to bring you into a right Relationship with the Heavenly Father that you may spend eternity with him forever That you may know him and That you may commune with him even as you walk on this earth But let me tell you something else about the power of the gospel that as you’re reading through these woes and you should and You should use it as a as a measuring stick in your heart and ask the Lord Is there any area of my life that I need to address listen? I? Want to remind you the power of the gospel when you read something in the scriptures and you find yourself to be guilty That the power of the gospel is that the judgment of your sin has already been paid for on the cross there is no condemnation in those who are in Christ Jesus and That what is important and essential to you is to go get the beautiful remedy of Sin by coming to God confessing it Believing it and applying it to your heart and then rising up and moving forward So every once while I get into meeting with these children about some of their issues at the school And I told this little boy I said look here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna pray to God confess our sin and When we rise up from praying together We’re gonna reboot and we’re gonna walk out of this office With a brand new start and I want you to finish the day strong for Jesus Christ and You see I want to say that to you church That as we walk in this journey of faith, there are times we find ourselves under the condemnation of God We see these woes We see these truths and the prophet and the apostles speak to us and we realize that we are guilty before God and that we have Allowed some things in our hearts that have distanced us from God But this is not the final chapter because Jesus Christ went to the cross for your sins and if you’ll just come humbly before him and if as you are Coming to him confess your sins and call upon God to forgive you of your sins He will reboot your life and you can walk out of these doors with a brand new start in Jesus Christ.

Amen And if you’re here today and you don’t even know Jesus Christ I want you to know that the Bible teaches us that he is Giving us a brand new start as we are in Christ. We are new creations in God that God Recreates our hearts and our spirit that we may love him that we may live for him and that we may enjoy him all the days Of our life and I pray that it’ll be true in your life church That you will keep running back to the cross day after day in your hearts Isaiah chapter 5 Stands as a warning To us as the people of God We are reminded at all the privileges that we have all the blessings We have that we have to be careful that we do not receive the grace of God in vain That we are always appreciative that we’re always thankful to God. Thank you.

I want you to enjoy the blessings Church that God gives you Enjoy them richly But when’s the last time you thank God? When our family would head out on vacation as a family we would pray Say Lord. Thank you for this opportunity Thank you for the resources that we could go on vacation together And I would encourage you church Did not become so self-righteous and think that you deserve Common-grace You deserve Blessings. No, none of us do Every day is a blessing from God and the scriptures teach us to whom much is given Much Much The prophet tried to alert the people of Israel to what was happening to them because of success sometimes success can be our worst enemy and They had become Distracted accumulating things but yet compromising and losing their integrity and Drifting in their walk with the Lord.

And so the prophet is helping them to understand that they have Received the grace of God But let us pray as the Apostle prayed that they did not receive it in vain Meaning don’t fail to take advantage of the opportunities that God has for you as his grace has Washed us clean may his grace not be wasted in our lives We want you to check us out on our YouTube channel hope worth having on that channel. We have live streaming interviews playlists Bible studies a lot of things that you can keep up with and help you in your own personal study of the scriptures and We encourage you to take advantage of that and use it as a tool to help you to grow in your faith This is pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ there is hope worth having

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