The Isaiah 43 Podcast

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In the final episode of Hard Truths, we come to the hardest word Jesus ever spoke to a crowd: “Take up your cross and follow me.”

This is not a call to self-improvement, but to self-denial. Not an invitation to add Jesus to your life, but to lay your life down and receive His. From Mark 8, we see that following Christ is not a hobby, a lifestyle tweak, or a religious accessory — it is a death and a resurrection.

In this closing reflection, we wrestle with the truth that there is no crown without thorns, no life without death, and no resurrection without a funeral. 

Yet this is the good news: the life we lose in Christ is the life we could never keep anyway — and the life He gives is eternal, unshakable, and free.

These truths are hard. But they are life-giving.

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In Lord’s Day 4 of the Heidelberg Catechism, we face one of the hardest questions in all of Christendom: Is God unjust to demand what we cannot do?

This episode walks us straight into the courtroom of heaven, where God’s justice is revealed as holy, necessary, and good — and where His mercy shines brighter than we ever imagined.

 We explore why sin against God’s supreme majesty requires a supreme penalty, and why the gospel is not that God ignores justice, but that He satisfies it in His Son.

At the cross, justice and mercy meet. The debt we could never pay is paid in full. And because of Christ, we no longer stand as defendants — but as beloved children, welcomed home.

This is the comfort of the catechism. 

This is the freedom of the gospel.

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Lazarus was dead. Four days in the grave. No hope left.

 And now John tells us something almost too good to be true — he’s at the table with Jesus.

In this episode, we journey into John 12 and take a moment to truly grasp the weight of that pivotal moment. Resurrection isn't just about restoring breath; it's about restoring our sense of belonging. In Christ, we’re not just outsiders or beggars at the door; we are cherished sons and daughters, invited to sit with Him by grace alone.

As Mary lavishly pours out her costly worship while Judas questions the price, we're also challenged to ask ourselves: Do we truly grasp the immeasurable worth of the One who raised us?

So come! Take a seat at the table where grace has placed you—among those welcomed by Christ, where we are never cast out but embraced as family. 

This week, we will be reading the following Scripture:

• Romans 6:4
• John 12:1-8 (NASB)
• Ephesians 2:1-3
• Ephesians 2:4-6
• 2 Corinthians 5:17-19
• John 6:37
• 1 John 2:1
• Romans 8:1
• Matthew 13:44-46
•  Luke 7:36-47
• Colossians 2:13-14
• Hosea 6:6
• Hebrews 11:6
• Ephesians 2:8

We look forward to seeing you again on Sunday!

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In Lord’s Day 3 of the Heidelberg Catechism in a Year, we confront one of the most pressing questions of our age: Did God make us this way?

Walking back to Eden, we see that humanity was created good, upright, and for God’s glory—but in Adam’s fall, our nature became bent toward sin. The Catechism holds together both our dignity as image-bearers and our deep corruption after the fall, reminding us that we are not morally neutral, but in desperate need of grace.

This episode explores original sin, total depravity, and why Scripture insists that our only hope is not self-improvement, but new birth by the Spirit of God. As Paul contrasts Adam and Christ, we are led from misery to mercy—from condemnation to adoption—until we find our comfort in the righteousness of Christ alone.

Our great hope is this: unless we are born again, we cannot live as we were made to live—but because God acts first, we may now call Him Abba, Father.

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 Nothing is out of control. Not then. Not now. 

In this episode of The Isaiah 43 Podcast, we finish John chapter 11 by slowing down over verses we’re often tempted to rush past. As Jesus withdraws before the Passover, John reveals something profound: Christ is not avoiding the cross—He is moving toward it on the Father’s perfect timetable.

While pilgrims purify themselves for the feast, the true Lamb of God is already on His way to Jerusalem. 

Religious leaders believe they are in control, yet they unknowingly serve God’s redemptive plan.

 In these final verses, we see divine sovereignty, human responsibility, and gospel irony collide.

This week we will read the following Scripture:

• John 11:54-57
• Numbers 9:9-13
• John 1:29
• Luke 11:37-44
• Hebrews 9:13-15
• Acts 2:23
• Romans 8:28
• Matthew 6:25-34
• Isaiah 55:8-9
• Titus 3:5

We look forward to seeing you again on Sunday!

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Why is it necessary to talk about "misery" before we talk about "mercy"? 

In this episode, we dive into Lord's Day 2 of the Heidelberg Catechism. 

We explore how God’s Law acts as a light in a dark room—not to create the mess, but to reveal what is already there. If we view Jesus as a "life coach" rather than a "Savior," we miss the beauty of the Gospel. 

Join us as we discuss the three-part movement of the Catechism—Misery, Deliverance, and Gratitude—and learn why we must walk through the valley of our own brokenness to truly stand on the heights of God’s grace.

Key takeaway: The Law shows us the disease, but Christ provides the cure.

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This week, we see the immediate aftermath of Lazarus’ resurrection.

Here we see a sharp divide: some believe, others harden their hearts, and the religious leaders begin to plot the death of Jesus. What looks like human scheming and fear-driven evil is, in reality, the unfolding of God’s sovereign redemptive plan.

 Caiaphas unknowingly prophesies the heart of the gospel—that one Man would die so that many might live, gathering the scattered children of God into one.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why is humanity never neutral when confronted with God’s glory
• The doctrine of spiritual inability and God’s sovereign grace
• How fear of man misreads history and misses Christ
• The substitutionary death of Jesus and peace with God
• What it means to live as those who were once rebels but are now children of God

This week, we will be reading the following verses:

• John 11:45-53
• John 3:36
• John 3:19
• John 12:37-40
• John 6:44
• Ezekiel 36:25-29
• Romans 1:21-25
• John 3:3
• 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
• Luke 21:20-24
• 2 Timothy 2:15
• 2 Peter 1:19-21
• Romans 5:1-2
• Romans 8:15-17
• Romans 12:9-18
• Genesis 50:20
• Psalm 2:1-4
• Psalm 110:1
• Romans 8:28
• 1 Peter 2:9-11
• 1 John 2:1
• Romans 8:1-2
• Titus 3:3-5

We look forward to seeing you again for LORD's Day 2!

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What is your only comfort in life and in death?

In this opening episode of the Hiedelberg Catechism in a Year, we begin where the Christian life must always begin - not with what we do, but with who we belong to. Lord's Day 1 anchors our hearts in the finished work of Christ, who has fully paid for ours and holds us fast in life and in death.

As a new year unfolds, this episode calls us to rest, rejoice, and live in grateful obedience as those who belong - body and soul - to our faithful Savior. 

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As a sealed tomb and a four-day grave, Jesus lifts His voice - and death listens.

In this episode, we continue in John 11 and behold Christ further. He is not intimidated by decay, doubt, or the finality that we feel. From the weighty glory of God to the tears of Christ, we are reminded that believing comes before seeing, and nothing is impossible with Him. 

For each of us as we begin this new year, may we all continue to put our faith and trust in the LORD who still commands life out of the grave. 

This week, we will be reading the following Scripture:

• John 11: 4
• John 11: 20-22
• John 11: 25, 26
• John 11: 38-44
• Luke 1: 37
• Hebrews 12: 1-4
• 2 Corinthians 5: 7
• Philippians 4:6, 7
• Matthew 6: 7,8
• John 5: 25-28
• Hebrews 4: 12
• Ephesians 2: 1-3
• Ephesians 2: 4-10
• Isaiah 43: 1

We look forward to seeing you again on Sunday for the first episode of the Heidelberg Catechism in a year podcast!

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 As we close out the year and stand on the threshold of a new one, it’s tempting to place our hope in chance, resolutions, or sheer willpower. 

But Scripture offers us something far sturdier—and far kinder. 

In this final episode of the year, we pause our journey through the Gospel of John and turn instead to Lamentations 3:22–23, where hope rises from the rubble. Speaking from the ashes of Jerusalem’s destruction, the prophet Jeremiah reminds us that the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, and His mercies are truly new every morning. 

This episode is for those of us who feel weary—the one who feels behind, inconsistent, or discouraged as the year ends. Together, we reflect on God’s daily mercy, likened to fresh bread from heaven, and are reminded that our future is not held together by luck or discipline, but by the unchanging faithfulness of God secured for us in Christ. 

As we look toward the year ahead, Romans 8 anchors our assurance: nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. No superstition, no resolution, no failure—only sovereign grace. 

You don’t enter the new year with a checklist. You enter it held. 

Mercy will meet you tomorrow. And the next day. And every day after that. 

This week, we will be reading the following Scripture:

•  Lamentations 3:22-23 
•  Exodus 16:4-6 
•  Matthew 6:25-34 
•  Romans 8:31-39
•  1 John 1:9 
•  1 John 2:1 

We look forward to seeing you again in 2026!