Arlen Busenitz opens Jeremiah 17 by building a Biblical framework for the heart, the control center of a person where thoughts run, desires form, decisions are made, and trust is placed. What rules the heart rules the life. Jeremiah 17 draws the sharpest contrast: The person whose heart trusts in man becomes like a shrub in the desert, parched and unable to see the good even when it comes. The person whose hope is in the Lord becomes like a tree by the river — roots deep, unafraid of heat, never ceasing to bear fruit. Verse 9 adds the uncomfortable truth: The heart is deceitful above all things. Who is your heart following? The message closes with the CARE framework for heart transformation: Come clean before God and others, Ask God for healing and help, Return to the Lord as ruler, and Entrust yourself and the results to God, obeying faithfully and leaving the outcome to Him.

Exact Scripture References:

Jeremiah 17:1-14 (main text — the sin of Judah, the shrub, the tree, and the deceitful heart)

Psalm 1:1-3 (referenced — like a tree planted by streams of living water)

Psalm 51 (referenced — prayer of confession and healing after sin)

Proverbs 4:23 (referenced — guard your heart above all else)

James 1:14-15 (referenced — desires colliding and leading to sin)

James 5:16 (referenced — confess your sins to one another)

Revelation 2:4-5 (referenced — return to your first love)

John 15:5 (referenced — apart from me you can do nothing)

Matthew 7:24-27 (referenced — wise and foolish builders)

Topics and Keywords:

What is the heart from a biblical worldview — thoughts, desires, decisions, trust, worship

What shapes the heart — Scripture, environment, conscience, Holy Spirit, flesh, unhealed past

The sin of Judah — idolatry etched on the heart

Idolatry leaving a mark on children and the next generation

Cursed is the man who trusts in man — the desert shrub

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord — the tree by the water

Biblical hope versus wishful thinking

The heart is deceitful above all things — why following your heart is dangerous

Three branches of government as a reflection of the deceitful heart

The CARE framework for heart transformation

C — Come clean before God and others

A — Ask God for healing, salvation, and help

R — Return to the Lord as ruler

E — Entrust yourself and the results to God

Leaving the results to God while being faithful with what He's given

Pastor Andy begins in Jeremiah 1:4-5, where God tells Jeremiah that before he was conceived He knew him, before he was born He set him apart, and before he could speak He ordained him a prophet to the nations. Starting with Jeremiah's reframed definition of success — faithfulness to God, not visible results — Pastor Andy points out those in the Bible whose purpose was established before birth through Jacob and Esau, David, Isaiah, John the Baptist, and Paul. Then, he asks the question every person is quietly asking: Did God do that for me? We know that every child is a heritage from the Lord, placed in a specific time and place and family by design. He then addresses the hard question: What about birth defects, tragedies, and the things that seem impossible to redeem? Pastor Andy looks to Nick Vujicic and Joni Eareckson Tada as examples where God, the great Chess Master, turned these situations into something beautiful. The message closes with a gospel call: Your purpose and meaning can only be found in relationship with the One who designed you. Surrender. Give your life to Jesus Christ.

Exact Scripture References

Jeremiah 1:4-6

Jeremiah 25:11-12

Jeremiah 31:31

Genesis 25:23

Genesis 50:20

Psalm 127:3

Psalm 139:13

Isaiah 49:1-2, 5

Luke 1:13-17

Acts 17:26

Galatians 1:15

John 9:1-3

Romans 5:20

Topics and Keywords

Jeremiah as the largest prophetic book and the weeping prophet

Success redefined: faithfulness, not results

Before I formed you in the womb – what it means that God knew Jeremiah before conception

Objections as qualifications

Purpose before birth (Jacob, Esau, David, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Paul)

Every child as a heritage and gift from God

Unchangeable facts — race, personality, genetic makeup, time in history

The hard question: birth defects, tragedies, genetic disorders

Nick Vujicic — born with no arms and no legs

Joni Eareckson Tada — paralyzed at 17

God as the great chess Master who can redeem anything

John 9 — born blind that the works of God might be displayed

Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more

Surrendering to Jesus and falling into the tracks of God's design

Give your life to Jesus Christ

Pastor Andy guides us through Isaiah 58, a call to repentance addressed to a people performing religious rituals while mistreating everyone around them. Three things were missing: They were fasting to win God's favor (transactional religion), they were mistreating people in their homes and in their society, and they were desecrating the Sabbath. Pastor Andy is direct about what mistreatment looks like today — yelling, anger, control, guilt trips, and indifference — and names real examples in the community: trafficking, exploitative payday loans, and immigrant workers being taken advantage of. The Sabbath, he explains, was a gift to be received and for Christians, Jesus is our Sabbath. He is the fulfillment of everything Isaiah 58 demands. The blessings God promises to a repentant people are staggering: Light, healing, answered prayer, continual guidance, and a soul satisfied even in drought. The challenge for each person is to find their specific gift or calling that they're rejecting and surrender it to the Lord.

Exact Scripture References

Isaiah 58:1-14

Psalm 1:1-3

1 Kings 18

Jeremiah 31:33

Topics and Keywords

Isaiah 58 as a call to repentance for a society in decay

Performative religion versus true worship

The prophets of Baal as a picture of transactional religion

Three things the people were getting wrong: false fasting, mistreating people, desecrating the Sabbath

Mistreatment of people: yelling, anger, control, indifference, exploitation

Societal mistreatment: Trafficking, payday loans, student loans, modern-day slavery

The Sabbath is a gift to be received, not a duty to perform

Jesus as our Sabbath, resting in His finished work

The blessings of repentance — light, healing, answered prayer, continual guidance

Your soul satisfied even in drought, drawing strength from outside your circumstances

The repairer of the breach and the restorer of streets

The specific gift or calling you're rejecting

Feeding the hungry, getting involved, being the hands and feet of Jesus

We don't have to be religious people, we get to be Jesus people

Pastor Andy reads Isaiah 51:1-8, a three-stanza poem written for a people in exile surrounded by ruins, stripped of hope, in a strange place with no way back to normal. Three times the Lord opens each stanza the same way: Listen to Me. He points to Abraham and Sarah, two people dead in their reproductive ability, as proof that God specializes in making something out of nothing. Pastor Andy then draws four applications: God's faithfulness to Israel guarantees His faithfulness to us; if the consequences of your own bad decisions have come home to roost, this is for you; if you're suffering because of somebody else's sin, vengeance belongs to God, let Him do it; and for all of us, God is calling us back to the simplest thing, a relationship where we listen when He talks. The message closes in Isaiah 55 with one final invitation, "Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance."

Exact Scripture References

Isaiah 51:1-8

Isaiah 55:1-3

Jeremiah 31:33

1 Peter 2:9

Romans 9-11

Acts 9:4

Topics and Keywords

Isaiah 51-57 as the Book of the Servant

The three-stanza structure of Isaiah 51:1-8 — Listen, Look, For

The moment when the vision is dead — Joseph, David, Esther, the disciples

The rock and the quarry — Abraham and Sarah

God making dead things alive

Christians grafted into Abraham's promise by faith

God's faithfulness to Israel as a guarantee of His faithfulness to us

When the consequences of your own bad decisions have come home

Suffering because of somebody else's sin

Vengeance belongs to God — let Him do it

The nature of the relationship God wants — where He talks and we listen

Isaiah 55 — come to the waters, listen and your soul shall live

Forgiveness as the only way out of bitterness and resentment

Surrender and submit your life to Jesus Christ

Pastor Andy opens in Isaiah 42, where God draws a clear line between Himself and every other "god", idol, or carved image, saying: I am the Lord and there is no other. The proof is simple. He alone declares the end from the beginning. No idol can do that. No social media influencer, no AI, nothing we hold in our right hand can tell you what's going to happen in advance and then be right. God can. The crescendo arrives when He names Cyrus, a king of Persia, over two hundred years before he was born. History, archaeology, and the Dead Sea Scrolls all confirm it. Pastor Andy confronts the two-Isaiah theory and dismisses it. The message closes with a challenge and an invitation: You have an opportunity today to look at what's in your right hand and ask — is this not a lie? Then, look to the one true God. "Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other."

Exact Scripture References

Isaiah 42-48

Daniel 5

Ezra 1

Luke 1:13, 31

Topics and Keywords

Isaiah 40-48 known as The Book of Cyrus

God's repeated theme: He alone declares the future in advance

Israel as God's witnesses to prophecy

The distinction between the true God and carved images

Modern idolatry — social media and AI

The Cyrus prophecy, 220 years in advance

Cyrus named before he was born

Historical corroboration: Herodotus, Xenophon, Josephus, Cyrus Cylinder

The Dead Sea Scrolls and the complete Isaiah scroll

German higher criticism and the two-Isaiah theory

Daniel 5 — the writing on the wall, Babylon falls overnight

Truman recognizing Israel, "I am Cyrus"

The Jewish people as witnesses throughout history

A coming King like Cyrus, Jesus the anointed one

"Look to me and be saved" — Isaiah 45:22

Pastor Andy focuses on the last line of Isaiah 38:17, "For you have cast all my sins behind your back," and digs into what sin is, what it does, and what God has done about it. Sin is defined two ways: The Greek archery term for missing the target entirely (Romans 3:23), and the force that crouches at the door wanting to control and destroy (Genesis 4:6-7). God's forbearance in the Old Testament — overlooking sin like a dirty diaper you're about to change — is not the same as forgiving it. Forgiveness, as seen in Colossians 2, means actually dealing with the problem. Only God can truly forgive because only He can restore what was lost. The message closes in Revelation 5 and the question for every person listening is simply: What do you want? Do you want to know Him?

Exact Scripture References

Isaiah 38:9-20 (main text — Hezekiah's writing after his healing)

Isaiah 38:17 (focus verse — "you have cast all my sins behind your back")

Isaiah 59:1-2 (referenced — your iniquities have separated you from God)

Genesis 4:6-7 (referenced — first use of the word "sin" in the Bible — crouching at the door)

Romans 3:23-25 (referenced — all have sinned, God passed over sins in forbearance)

Acts 17:30 (referenced — times of ignorance God overlooked)

Colossians 2:13-14 (referenced — wiped out the handwriting of requirements, nailed to the cross)

Revelation 5:1-10 (referenced — the scroll sealed with seven seals, the Lamb who is worthy)

Jeremiah 29:13 (referenced — seek the Lord and you will find Him)

Romans 5:20-21 (referenced — grace reigns over your life)

Topics and Keywords

Hezekiah's song after healing, the full range of human emotion

Sins cast behind God's back

What is sin? Two definitions: missing the mark and the force that controls

God's forbearance

The difference between overlooking and forgiving sin

God as the only One who can truly forgive

Colossians 2 — wiping out the handwriting of requirements

Revelation 5 — the title deed to all creation

The seven seals as claims of justice against the earth

The Lamb as the only one worthy to open the scroll

The church removed, justice satisfied, new creation

Romans 5 — Sin reigning versus grace reigning

Two applications: the person who doesn't know God and the wandering Christian

Arlen Busenitz gives us a clear picture of Isaiah 31 that frames how believers should respond when their problem is greater than their resources: look, consult, build, and rest. Using King Hezekiah's confrontation with Assyria as the backdrop, he shows that Judah's two core failures were: 1) Trusting Egypt instead of the Lord, and 2) Failing to consult Him before acting. Arlen unpacks each principle practically, reminding us to look to the Lord as our ultimate Counselor, Healer, and Provider. Ultimately, we should rest in God's promises, knowing the harvest belongs to Him.

Exact Scripture References:

Isaiah 31:1-9

2 Kings 19:14-35

2 Kings 18

Joshua 9:14

Judges 6

Hebrews 12:1

Matthew 6:33

James 1:5

Nehemiah 4:9

Proverbs 21:31

1 Corinthians 3:6-7

Topics and Keywords:

Four keys to trusting God: look, consult, build, rest

Who is your Egypt — what you run to before running to God

King Hezekiah and the Assyrian threat

The two sins of Judah: trusting Egypt, failing to consult God

How to consult the Lord — Scripture, prayer, godly counsel, surrender

Gideon's fleece as an avoidance strategy

The Joshua 9 warning — signing agreements without consulting God

Building with a long-term perspective

The farmer principle — plant, water, cultivate, but the harvest belongs to God

Resting in God's promises instead of anxiety

185,000 Assyrians dead by morning

Repentance in each of the four areas

Pastor Andy chews on Isaiah 22:15-25, calling it a unique cut of meat in the whole book of Isaiah. It's the only personal prophecy of denouncement where God calls out a specific man by name, fires him, and announces his replacement. Shebna was removed for self-aggrandizement: Carving himself a lavish tomb, flaunting his chariots, and using his position for personal gain rather than for the benefit of the people he was responsible for. Eliakim, on the other hand, was elevated because he would be a father to Jerusalem (dependable, trustworthy, someone you could hang your weight on). Pastor Andy traces this pattern of God placing people in positions of great power at critical moments throughout history from Joseph, David, Daniel, and Esther all the way to Jesus.

Exact Scripture References

Isaiah 22:15-25

Isaiah 36:1-3

2 Kings 18-19

Psalm 75:6-7

Matthew 20:25-28

Matthew 25:21

Luke 16:10-12

Luke 19:17

2 Peter 3:11-12

Romans 5:17

Revelation 5:10

1 Corinthians 6:3

2 Timothy 2:12

Genesis 1:28

Keywords and Topics

Denouncement

Shebna and Eliakim — historical and archaeological evidence

Why Shebna was removed — self-aggrandizement and flaunting position

Why Eliakim was elevated — dependability, trustworthiness, fatherhood

God promoting people to key positions throughout history: Joseph, David, Daniel, Esther, Jesus

The key of David — ultimate authority

Servant leadership versus self-serving leadership

The church training priests while the devil trains kings

Christians' future: ruling and reigning with Christ

Why build anything if it's all going to burn?

Living for the kingdom coming, not the moment

Faithful in little, faithful in much

The original mandate — subdue and rule the earth

Foreshadow of the Antichrist vs Jesus Christ

Jesus securely fastened — his body nailed to the tree

Pastor Andy dives into Isaiah 14, openly admitting he doesn't enjoy studying Satan, but submits to the text because the church is reading through the whole Bible. He traces the centuries-long debate over whether the passage is about the king of Babylon, Satan, or both — walking through Hedwig Janau's 1926 taunt song analysis, Jerome's controversial decision to translate "day star" as the proper name Lucifer, and the sharp pushback from Luther and Calvin. He resolves the tension through Matthew 16, where Jesus addresses Satan through Peter, suggesting Satan operates through human vessels, just as he did through the serpent and the king of Babylon. Paul's statement in Ephesians 6:12 settles it: we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. The message pivots to Jesus, contrasting Satan's five "I will ascend" statements — which are eerily similar to DSM-5's nine traits of narcissism — with Jesus's choice to descend, humble Himself, and lay His life down. The way up is down. The way to life is the cross.

Exact Scripture References:

Isaiah 14:12-20

Ezekiel 28 (prophecy against the king of Tyre)

Matthew 16:22-23 ("Get behind me, Satan" — Jesus addressing Satan through Peter)

Luke 10:18 ("I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven")

Job 1-2

Revelation

Ephesians 6:12 (we do not wrestle against flesh and blood)

1 John 3:8 (the Son of God was manifested to destroy the works of the devil)

John 10:10 ("I have come that you might have life to the full")

Romans 8:11 (the same Spirit that raised Christ lives in you)

Topics and Keywords:

Isaiah 14:12-20 — taunt song against the king of Babylon

The debate: is this passage about Satan, the king of Babylon, or both?

Hedwig Janau's 1926 book and the taunt song form

Jerome's translation of day star into the proper name Lucifer

The Vulgate and its influence for a thousand years

Luther and Calvin's rejection of the Satan interpretation

John Milton's Paradise Lost as cultural influence

The Schofield Reference Bible's influence on evangelical culture

The five I will statements and their parallels to narcissism

Satan as one who operates through others — serpent, Peter, kings

Jesus in Matthew 16 — addressing Satan through Peter

Paul's summary — we do not wrestle against flesh and blood

Jesus chose to descend, not ascend

The cross as the way to life

Narcissism vs. servanthood — the DSM-5 and Isaiah 14

Surrendering to Jesus as the antidote to striving

Pastor Andy reads Isaiah 7:14 in its full historical context, beginning with King Ahaz — one of the worst kings in Judah's history, who sacrificed his son to pagan gods, replaced the temple furniture with Assyrian idols, and coldly rejected the Lord. Into that moment of rebellion and terror, God announces not a military strategy but a birth: a virgin shall conceive and bear a son. His name will be called Immanuel, "God with us." The prophecy has both an immediate and an ultimate fulfillment and is addressed to everyone, the Gentiles as well as Israel. Jesus, as the offspring of Eve and not of Adam, is the new and better Adam whose unique blood and DNA provided redemption for all humanity. The message closes with a challenge: you are not a random person living a random life — you are in covenant with God, and the fulfillment of the ages has come upon us.

Exact Scripture References:

Isaiah 7:10-25

Isaiah 7:9

Isaiah 11:1-10

2 Chronicles 28:1

2 Kings 16:3

Matthew 1:18-23

Romans 5

Hebrews 12:24

1 Corinthians 10:11

Luke 15

Topics and Keywords:

Isaiah 7:14 in its historical context

King Ahaz — one of the worst kings in Judah's history

The sign given in a moment of unbelief and rebellion

The irony of God announcing a birth in a moment of terror and conspiracy

The word alma — Hebrew for young woman of marriageable age

The word parthenos — Greek for virgin in the Septuagint

Why the Septuagint translation matters for Joseph's response

The immediate and ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy

The Book of Immanuel — Isaiah 7-12

You are not a random person — you are in covenant with God

The plural "you all" in verse 14 — the sign is for everyone

Jesus as the new and better Adam

The miracle of the virgin birth — sperm, egg, DNA, and redemption

The fulfillment of the ages has come upon us

Your choices reverberate into eternity

Hope for prodigal children and prodigal nations