Advance Warning--Isaiah Series

Among students, few words inspire more fear and panic than the words “pop quiz.” We don’t like to be unprepared or caught off-guard, especially when something important like a grade is at stake. I know many adults still have nightmares about forgetting about a test—or how about those wacky dreams where you find out on the last day of the semester that you were enrolled in a class that you never attended!

 Most teachers are kind enough to announce major tests ahead of time so that students will have the opportunity to get ready for them. God acted in much the same way when He gave prophecies about the future in the Bible. God didn’t give us knowledge about future things so that we could impress our friends with charts about the end times! He revealed these details so that we can be prepared for these events and learn the right lessons from them—both before and after they take place.

 In Isaiah 44-48, God made some very specific prophecies about His plan for the Jewish people and the nations around them—prophecies that are so specific that critics of the Bible claim they must have been written after the fact. After all, the only other explanation is that the Bible is true and has a supernatural origin! Let’s read about these amazing prophecies and the lessons that God would have us learn from them. 

1. God offers specific prophecies about His plan for Israel (44:24-45:13; 46:1-7; 47:1-15)

 In this section of the book of Isaiah, God makes two very specific prophecies about His plan for Israel and the nations around them. First, He states that a man named Cyrus would one day act from a position of authority for the good of the Jewish people by allowing them to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple of God. Now remember, in Isaiah’s day, the city of Jerusalem and the Temple were still standing. The city’s downfall had not yet taken place; this prophecy told of events that would happen almost 150 years down the road! [READ 44:24-28]

 Second, the Lord declared that Babylon would be suddenly overthrown from a position of security and dominance over other nations. Both of these prophecies were fulfilled by a man named Cyrus the Great, who was the king of the Persian Empire. Cyrus invaded and defeated Babylon and then issued a decree that any Jews living in his empire were free to return to Jerusalem and rebuild it. Turn with me to Ezra 1, and we’ll read a record of this decree [READ Ezra 1:1-4].

 I want to spend a bit more time discussing this idea of prophecy because it shows us just how unique the Bible really is. The fact that the Bible has made such detailed prophecies that later came true sets it apart from all other books and individuals who have tried to predict the future. All other so-called prophets have encountered one of two problems with their prophecies—either their prophecies were so vague that they cannot be proven true or false, or their prophecies just flat-out did not come to pass and were thus false prophecies.

 Nostradamus is a good example of a so-called prophet whose prophecies were too vague to be proven true or false. Nostradamus was a Frenchman who lived in the 1500’s, and he wrote many four-line poems called “quatrains” that were supposedly predictions of the future. Here is one example:

The young lion will overcome the older one,
In a field of combat in single fight:
He will pierce his eyes in their golden cage;
Two wounds in one, then he dies a cruel death.

 Think for a moment about the kind of event to which this prophecy could refer. Fans of Nostradamus claim that this prophecy was fulfilled by two kings fighting in a jousting match. Now, after I gave you that interpretation, you could read these words again and say, “Yeah, okay. That kind of makes sense.” But you could only say that after I told you the supposed interpretation. As it stands, this prophecy is so vague that it could refer to several different events and people. Notice how different this prophecy is from Isaiah’s prophecy—Isaiah mentioned a specific person named Cyrus, a specific country, a specific city, and a specific building. Its not hard to prove whether or not Isaiah’s prophecy came true.

 Other so-called prophets have made predictions that were specific but which simply did not come true. The prophecies of Joseph Smith are a good example of prophecies that did not come true. Joseph Smith was the founder of the Mormon church, and he made many prophecies about specific events that simply didn’t happen. For example, in the early 1800’s, he predicted that the city with streets of gold described in Revelation would be built in Independence, MO within a generation. Well, I used to live not far from Independence, MO, and I can tell you that it looks nothing like the city described in Revelation! His prophecy simply did not come true, but if we consider Isaiah’s prophecy, we can look in the history books and see that history played out precisely as Isaiah predicted it would.

 The fact that the Bible has specifically and accurately predicted the future reveals just how unique this book truly is. God has given mankind glimpses of His plan before that plan has actually unfolded, and even today we are looking forward to prophecies about the future that still await fulfillment. But why has God revealed prophecies like these that we read in Isaiah? Well, God gives us an explanation for that question as well.

2. God explains why He has given these prophecies (45:4-7; 48:3-5, 11, 17-19)

 First, in Isaiah 45:4-7, God states that He has revealed these events to show His unique identity as the one true God [READ 45:4-7]. When these events would come to pass and people would discover that God had prophesied them more than a century in advance, they would have clear proof that the God of Israel is unique—greater than all the other so-called gods whom people might worship.

The prophecies of Scripture can have the same effect today. Easter and Christmas give us a great opportunity to proclaim that Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection not only happened, but they were actually the fulfillment of prophecies that were made centuries in advance. The events of Jesus’ life were not only significant by themselves, they were also significant because they were part of a larger plan that God announced beforehand, so that when they happened, we could see His deity on full display.

Second, the Lord states that He announced these events in advance so that when they happened, the credit for them could not be given to any other so-called gods [READ 48:3-5, 11]. The scenario that the Lord describes here is not hard to imagine. Remember—the people of Israel lived with so-called gods all around them. It was normal at that time for people to worship any number of different gods. So when these events came to pass, the Jews could have been tempted to give credit for them to other so-called gods, and so God prophesied these things in advance so that when they happened, it would be obvious that He was behind them.

Third, the Lord stated that He had announced these events to His people so that He could bless them. God wanted His people to trust Him and obey Him so that He could bless them; thus, He gave them these prophecies so that they could change their ways and be ready for Him to act [READ 48:17-19]. Can you hear the grieving heart of God as He laments the blessings that His people had thrown away? Like a kind teacher who wants her students to succeed rather than fail, God had instructed His people and given them advance warning so that they could ace His test! He warned them about discipline to come so that they would repent, and He told them about blessings to come so that they would have the hope to stay on the narrow way.

The fact that God gives us advance warning about things to come shows us that He desires to save rather than condemn. If God simply wanted to condemn us, He could leave us totally in the dark about the future, and then one day His judgment would fall on us without any warning and that would be the end of the story. But God desires to save and forgive, and so we see Him in this passage extending a call far and wide for people to come to Him and be saved. 

3. God invites all people to embrace Him as the one true God (45:20-23)

Please follow along as I read 45:20-23 [READ 45:20-23]. Notice the boundless extent of God’s offer of salvation! He extends His invitation far and wide, inviting all people to embrace Him as the one true God, casting aside all other things that they may worship to be reunited with their Creator and pardoned by Him. Every other object of worship in this world is powerless to save us from the guilt of our sins; thus, it is absolutely crucial that we embrace God as the one and only source of salvation, for to place our hope in anything else is to place our hope in a mirage and a façade—an unreal imposter.

I think the apostle Paul really said it best in Acts 17 when he was calling for a group of philosophers to leave behind their idols and embrace the living God. Please turn there with me [READ Acts 17:22-31]. There has never been any excuse to doubt that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of the Bible—is the one true God, but now God has given us the ultimate demonstration of this truth through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And as Paul said, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, because God is going to judge the world by the Lord Jesus Christ. Your response to Jesus is the determining factor of your verdict from God. According to John 3:36, God’s criteria for judgment is very simple—“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

My friend, you must realize today that anything you may worship apart from Jesus cannot save you. He is the only one who can save, and you can receive His salvation from sin and from Hell by confessing how wrong you have been to sin against Him and acknowledging that He alone can save you on the basis of His death and resurrection. Confess your rebellion against Him, accept Him as the only God and Savior, and you will have His pardon today!

God on Trial--Isaiah Series

In 2007, a state senator in Nebraska decided to make a point against frivolous lawsuits, so he decided to draw some attention to the issue by suing God. Senator Ernie Chambers, an agnostic, filed suit to force God to cease carrying out harmful acts of nature and making threats to send people to Hell. The first judge to hear the case dismissed it, saying that God could not be properly notified of the lawsuit since He has no home address. Chambers appealed the ruling by arguing that since God is supposed to know everything, He surely knew about the lawsuit. The lawsuit eventually died when the appeals court stated that it does not address abstract or hypothetical questions. People haven’t always taken God to court quite so literally, but through our actions people have often put God on trial and demanded proof that He is God and that His word can be trusted. So in Isaiah 41-44, God throws open the doors of His courtroom and invites the world to come in to settle the question about His deity. Is He truly the one and only God, or can the idols of the nations make a claim to be divine as well? Let’s take a seat in the courtroom as God makes His case! The Case for God’s Deity Exhibit A—God’s control over the nations (41:1-4, 11-13) Let’s read 41:1-4 [READ 41:1-4]. As we can see, God’s first claim is that He is in control over the nations. His words here refer to the power players of the Middle East who were building empires—like the Assyrians. As we have read previously in this book, these nations truly were seeking to advance their own agenda, but God claimed that they were actually carrying out His will. In these verses, God claims that He both stirred up the conquering nations and gave the other nations into their hands. Now of course, the other nations would have laughed at the idea that they were controlled by the God of Israel—especially since many of them were harassing Israel at this time. But the unique history of the nation of Israel shows God’s claim to be true. Throughout these chapters, God describes Israel as His chosen people, His servant, and His witnesses, whom He had established as a nation for Himself. Certainly no other nation could claim to have the miraculous origins and preservation that Israel had with their liberation from Egypt and conquest of the Promised Land. And if the nations would not accept the evidence of the past, God promised to give additional evidence of His control over the nations in the future [READ 41:11-13]. Exhibit B—God’s fulfilled predictions (41:21-29) Let’s read God’s challenge in 41:21-29 [READ 41:21-29]. The ability to accurately predict the future is clearly a divine power. Regardless of what you may hear from psychics on late-night TV, everyone knows that humans cannot predict the future with accuracy. So God’s challenge makes perfect sense—if these idols are gods, then they should be able to accurately predict the future, but as God states, they are utterly unable to do so. The Lord’s ability to accurately declare what will happen in the future is a powerful testimony to His deity, but honestly, it says even more about God than we normally think. We often think that when God predicts the future, He looks into the future and tells us what He sees—like a sailor looking through a submarine’s periscope and reporting on what he can see. But in reality, God knows the future because He plans the future and then carries it out. God is more like an architect showing us his plans for a building. An architect can tell you exactly what a building will look like because he has planned it out. That is the way that we should think about God’s knowledge of the future. So the idols of the nations are powerless to declare the future because they are powerless to do anything about the future. They cannot do good or harm, as God challenges them to do in v. 23. Thus, their weakness is put on full display. Exhibit C—God’s gracious redemption (43:1-2, 25; 44:21-22) With this point, we are talking about God’s response of grace and mercy to Israel’s sins. But how does redemption show that the God of Israel is the true God? Well, as the old cliché states, to err is human, to forgive is divine. Human beings are not naturally inclined toward grace and mercy—we are inclined toward revenge and ruthlessness. There is a scene in the movie Braveheart when the daughter-in-law of the King of England is trying to convince him that an act of mercy toward the rebellious Scots would demonstrate his greatness. He responds by saying, “My greatness will be displayed when Scotland lies in ashes!” That is how we as humans think, but God strikes a perfect balance between justice and mercy, and His true greatness drives Him to help His wayward creatures. Look at 43:1-2. God has just spoken of Israel’s sinfulness and the discipline that He carried out on them, then we read these words [READ 43:1-2]. In v. 1, the Hebrew text uses wording that calls to mind an Old Testament idea that is beautifully portrayed in the book of Ruth. The idea is that of the kinsman-redeemer. A kinsman-redeemer was someone who had the right to help a family member out of a desperate situation. If a person had to sell some property because of financial hardship, the kinsman-redeemer could step in and buy back the land for his relative. If a man died without having any children, the kinsman-redeemer could marry his widow to ensure her well-being and raise a child who would carry on the deceased man’s name. Now in the book of Ruth, you may remember that when Naomi returned to Israel with Ruth, these two widows were destitute. They had no way to provide for themselves except through Ruth’s labors to pick up grain that fell on the ground during harvest. You may also remember that when Naomi found out that Ruth had run into Boaz, she was thrilled because Boaz was a kinsman-redeemer—he was a relative who was in a position to help them out of their desperate situation. So when God says in Isaiah 43:1, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine,” He is describing himself as our kinsman-redeemer. He has treated us like His own relative and has lovingly helped us out of our desperate situation. Now the centerpiece of God’s redemption is always—always—the forgiveness of sins. No matter what circumstance we find ourselves in, our greatest need is always to be at peace with God by having our sins forgiven, and so God emphasizes forgiveness in these chapters. In 43:25 He says, “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” Then, in 44:21-22, He says [READ 44:21-22]. Now if we only look at the evidence that God presents, we have an open and shut case for His deity. God is obviously different from the lifeless idols of the nations. The only reason that anyone had to doubt this conclusion is that God’s people were not serving as good witnesses. God’s redemption was not on full display because God’s people were not living like redeemed people. His control over the nations was constantly being doubted by His own people as they ran around making alliances with anyone who would have them. So God describes in chapter 42 a servant whom He would send who would express all the actions of deity that He describes in this section. We can look back on this now and see that it was a prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Servant of the Lord as God’s Witness (42:1-9) Notice in the first four verses how the servant will show God’s control over the nations [READ 42:1-4]. The servant is described as having governing power over the nations to establish and execute justice in the earth, and the nations are pictured as eagerly waiting to hear His commands. Next, notice how the servant functions as a redeemer to save people out of a desperate situation [READ 42:5-7]. Finally, in vv. 8-9, we see that when the servant arrives and carries out his ministry, he will fulfill prophecy and thus show God’s ability to declare the future [READ 42:8-9]. In the person of Jesus the Christ—the Messiah—we have the perfect witness to all that God is. Colossians 1:15 states that “He is the image of the invisible God.” People in ancient times were tremendously confused that Christians had no statues—no visible images—of their God. They actually called the Christians “atheists” because they didn’t worship a God whom you could see. But the truth is, we do have an image of our God, it just isn’t a dead piece of wood or stone—it is a person who lived among us and showed us what God is like. Many people over the years have said, “If God wants so desperately for us to believe in Him, why doesn’t He come down out of the clouds and show Himself? Why doesn’t He just appear?” What these people are choosing to ignore is that God already has!! He was here, He lived with us, and we have a record of it in the Bible! The God whom we worship as the only God is guilty as charged! He is the Lord of all—the Creator, the Sustainer, and the Redeemer. So how should we respond to a God like this? These chapters spell it out for us. First, we do not need to fear in this life because of who our God is. Nine times in these chapters, God tells us not to be afraid because He is with us, He will help us, He has redeemed us, He has chosen us, He is one true Rock—a solid foundation on which to build. Second, we are to praise Him and give Him glory—that is, we are to declare His incomparable worth and status, and thus exalt Him. As I stated earlier, the only reason that people really have to doubt that our God is the one true God is that God’s people don’t live like it. If we are God’s witnesses, what kind of case can be made for His uniqueness and divinity? If someone examined your life to determine if the God that you worship is the one true God, what verdict would they reach? Would they conclude that your God must be powerful because you display so much confidence in Him? Would they conclude that He must be in control because you do not live in fear of what may come? Would they conclude that He alone has the power to redeem from sin because you are not burdened with guilt and sinful behavior does not rule your life? What is the verdict? The court is in session all around you right now. Let’s see to it that we are good witnesses!

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait--Isaiah Series

People have often been fascinated by the thought of what they might tell themselves if they could travel back in time and give themselves some advice. That is an interesting thought, isn’t it? Imagine if God allowed you to go back and speak to a younger version of yourself after you arrived in heaven. What do you think you might say to yourself? Since you had already seen Heaven, would you tell yourself to worry less and trust God more? Would you have some words of comfort for yourself? I suspect you would. In Isaiah 40, we read about Isaiah speaking to his people from a similar kind of vantage point. He is delivering a message to his people about the coming of the Lord, and we can picture him looking back in time at his people and saying, “Wait ‘til you see this!” Isaiah 40 represents a rather dramatic shift in this book toward messages that focus more on comfort and hope. The book of Isaiah has sometimes been called, “The Bible in a nutshell,” and the comparison really is uncanny. Isaiah has 66 chapters, and the Bible as a whole has 66 books. By counting the chapters, chapter 40 would begin the so-called “New Testament” portion of this book, and this chapter begins with a passage that John the Baptist claimed for himself in the Gospels—which are the first books of the New Testament. In chapter 53, we have a detailed prophecy of the crucifixion of Christ, and then in the last chapter of Isaiah the prophet writes about a new heaven and a new earth—which is the same subject matter as the last two chapters of Revelation. In chapter 39—you may remember—Isaiah delivered a prophecy about some difficult days ahead for the people of Judah. If they were ever in need of some comforting words, now was the time, and that is precisely what we find in chapter 40. These words are a tremendous message of comfort for us as well. God offers us comfort for this life… 1. …in light of His coming (40:1-5) [READ 40:1-2] In these verses, God is speaking from a vantage point in the future and He is basically saying, “Enough! My people have suffered enough for their sins, and now I am putting an end to it.” And when will that time be? When the Lord comes to rule in the world! [READ 40:3-5] In these verses, the Lord is pictured as a traveling dignitary whose path of arrival is being prepared for Him. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to see President Bush’s motorcade as it traveled through Kansas City. As he went, the local police went ahead of him and closed off the road to all other traffic so his trip would be smooth and steady. In ancient times, workers were actually sent ahead of traveling dignitaries to repair the road ahead of them so there would be no obstacles slowing them down. So the Lord is pictured here as having no obstacles in His way when he comes, so nothing will stop Him. We have already read several prophecies in this book about the Lord reigning from Jerusalem as king over the earth, and the reminder that He is coming is the first message of comfort that Isaiah gives. It is no coincidence that 1 Thess. 4:18 tells us to encourage one another with reminders about the Lord’s coming. The fact that Jesus is coming again tells us that God’s children can always look forward to better days ahead. No matter what a day may hold for us, it is always a true statement that there are better days ahead, and with each day that passes we are one day closer to those better days. So with each day you can say, “Was today a good day?” If it was—great! But remember—there are even better days still to come. Or was today a bad day, with some grief and pain? If so, there may be some legitimate sorrow, but don’t despair; don’t lose hope. There are better days ahead. We can cling to this truth on the sure testimony of the Word of God. 2. …in light of the enduring power of His Word (40:6-8) [READ 40:6-8] These verses offer a clear contrast between the frail and temporary nature of human life today versus the established and enduring power of the Word of God. These verses certainly remind us of our own mortality, but they also remind us of the mortality of anyone who may trouble us. Chapter 39 just predicted days of trouble that the people of Judah would suffer at the hands of the Babylonians, but as mighty as their enemies would appear, they would simply be like grass in a field that flowers one day and is all but dead the next. But standing like a mighty redwood is the enduring Word of God, which will never fail until all of its promises have been fulfilled. Many people have predicted the demise of the Bible, but the Bible continues to stand despite all of the attacks against it. In the 1700’s, the French philosopher Voltaire stated that there would not be a Bible on the earth within another century. Well, by Christmas’ Eve 1933, the Bible was still around, and it was so beloved and valuable that the British Government paid half a million dollars for an ancient copy of it called the Codex Sinaiticus. On that same day, a first-edition copy of Voltaire’s writings sold for 11 cents. The Lord’s promises will not fail; He will do everything that He has said He will do. If God seems to be delaying, don’t be fooled—Peter reminds us in 2 Peter 3:9 that the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise but is patient, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 3. …in light of His compassionate care (40:9-11) I think we can all testify to God’s compassionate care in our lives today, but when the Lord comes to establish His kingdom, it seems that we will experience it in a whole new way [READ 40:9-11]. Shepherds were a common sight in Judah at that time, but they’re certainly not very common around here. However, I suspect that many of you who have cattle have probably bottle-fed a calf at some point in time. That’s the kind of compassionate care that we’re talking about here. God exercises tender love toward His people, and we will never see that more clearly than when Jesus rules in this world. 4. …in light of His power, wisdom, and sovereignty (40:12-26) One lesson that we must remember about God is that He not only has good intentions toward us, but He also has the power to act on those intentions. Good intentions are fine, but if a person cannot act on their intentions, then they don’t really benefit anyone. But here God again reminds us of His greatness that allows Him to act [READ 40:14-17]. Its important to remember that v. 17 is not describing the importance that God assigns to humanity—it is describing the wisdom and power of humanity when compared to God’s wisdom and power. God doesn’t treat us like nobodies, but if we compare ourselves to Him, that’s how we look! Not only is humanity like nothing compared to God, but the false gods that we make are like nothing as well [READ 40:18-20]. The idea of v. 20 is that the idol must be well-built so that it doesn’t accidentally topple over! The idol has to have a good foundation so it doesn’t fall down! But by contrast, God founded all of creation and controls it all—including the rulers in this world who seem to be so strong and powerful [READ 40:21-26]. Those last two verses emphasize the individual attention that God gives to everything in His creation. His power and knowledge are limitless, yet they are also very personal. God calls all of the stars by name, and He knows all about you and me as well—and the plans that He has for us. Elizabeth Elliot once recounted the story of Gladys Aylward, who was a missionary to China. In her early life, Ms. Aylward hated the fact that she had black hair and was relatively short—only about 4’10’’. But when she arrived in Shanghai, she looked around and saw that everyone there had black hair and was relatively short. She was then able to praise God and say, “Lord, you know exactly what you’re doing!” God has an intimate knowledge of everything about us, but that truth is so easy to forget, and we see next that the people of Israel were struggling with that kind of forgetfulness. 5. …if we will simply wait for Him to do all that He has promised (40:27-31) Here we find the response that is required from us if we want to enjoy the blessings of God’s comfort [READ 40:27-31]. What powerful words! God offers us a spiritual strength that is even greater than the physical strength of young people in their prime! But how can we tap into this spiritual strength? How does it become active in our lives? Isaiah says here that it comes from waiting for the Lord—but waiting for the Lord to do what? I think this waiting has a short-term and a longer-term focus. The short-term focus involves waiting each day for God to work out His plan for our lives. Waiting like this means that I will refuse to walk a sinful path in order to get what I want or to take what I think is my right. The longer-term focus involves waiting for Jesus to return to this world. Waiting like this means that I won’t love the things that the unbelieving world loves. I will keep my mind focused on the priorities that Jesus has laid out and remember that my ultimate happiness will come when He returns. Its also important to understand what kind of waiting we’re talking about here as we wait for God to do His will and as we wait for God to return. This is not a put-your-feet-up-and-drink-iced-tea kind of waiting. It is not a take-a-nap-while-you-wait-for-the-fish-to-bite kind of waiting. We’re talking about the way that a child waits for Christmas! This is a grandma-and-grandpa-are-coming-over-with-presents-kind-of-waiting! This is a run-to-the-window-every-fifteen-seconds kind of waiting! We’re talking about the way that a housewife waits for company to arrive by dusting everything three times right up until the doorbell rings! In other words, this is the kind of waiting that makes us say, “I can’t wait for this to happen!” Now how do we cultivate this kind of attitude in our hearts—the attitude which Isaiah says will allow us to tap into supernatural strength? Well, in order to have this attitude, we must be convinced of two things: 1) that Jesus definitely will come, and thus our hope will not be in vain, and; 2) that when Jesus comes, what we experience will have been worth the wait. So first, we must be convinced that Jesus definitely will come. It’s virtually impossible to maintain a strong expectation for something if you’re not sure that it’s going to happen, because eventually your heart will want to shield itself from disappointment, and thus it will give up hope. So if we want to wait for Christ’s return the way that a child waits for Christmas, we must be absolutely certain that it will happen. The best way that I know of to cultivate this certainty is to look back at the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled in His first coming. Look—how do you come to know that you can take someone at their word? By seeing that in the past, they have done exactly what they said they would do! Now when we look at Jesus’ first coming into this world, we see that He has already fulfilled so many prophecies from the Old Testament. This teaches us that God is a man of his word, so when He says that Jesus is coming again, you and I can take it to the bank! Second, we must believe that when Jesus returns, what we experience will have been worth the wait. Again—why does a child have so much excitement while waiting for Christmas? Because he knows that his patience will be rewarded! He knows that what he will experience will have been worth the wait. So how do we cultivate this attitude? I believe it comes by understanding two biblical doctrines—the doctrine of heaven and the doctrine of rewards. I think many of us aren’t really that excited about living in heaven. We’re excited about leaving pain and suffering behind, but we’re not very excited about heaven because most of us don’t have the foggiest idea what it will be like. We think we’re going to float around on clouds and strum harps or something like that! We figure we’ll be at peace because we’ll be in something like a coma out of sheer boredom! My friends, we have got to learn what Scripture actually says about heaven if we want to really look forward to it. We also must understand the doctrine of rewards—that we will be rewarded for faithful service to Christ in this life. We will never endure in faithful service unless we understand that we will be rewarded for it! We may have spiritual passion for a little while, but we will soon become apathetic if we think that there is no point in making sacrifices for Christ—that there is no reward for it. Hebrews 11:6 gives us this lesson: “without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” My friend, are you spiritually weary today? There is strength available to you if you will wait for the Lord like a child waits for Christmas. There is comfort to be had if you will look toward His coming and remember the power He has which makes His promises a guarantee. Look to His Word and cultivate your certainty in His coming and your conviction that it will be worth the wait!

Setting the Story Straight--Isaiah Series

For the last 12 years or so, Hollywood has been in love with prequels—movies that tell the back story of other movies that have already been made. To my knowledge, it all started with the Star Wars trilogy when George Lucas decided to go back and tell the story of how Darth Vader became Darth Vader. Since then, several sci-fi and superhero franchises have received the prequel treatment, including Star Trek, X-Men, Batman, and now Spider-Man. The purpose of a prequel is to enhance your understanding of the original story by giving you some of the background details that led up to it. As we return to our study of Isaiah today, we will be looking at a prequel to the dramatic rescue of Israel that we read about last time we were in this book. When we last read about King Hezekiah, he and his people were in grave danger of being conquered by the Assyrians, but God accomplished a dramatic rescue by sending an angel to slay 185,000 Assyrian troops. That was quite a story, and King Hezekiah showed tremendous faith in the midst of those dark days. But lest we forget who the real hero of the story was, Isaiah goes on in chapters 38-39 to give us some of the back story of King Hezekiah, and we learn that Hezekiah would not have even been alive in those dark days were it not for the grace of God. While we can certainly appreciate the human heroes of the Bible, Isaiah reminds us to never forget who the real hero is! Let’s learn how God prepared Hezekiah for his moment of great faith during the Assyrian invasion. 1. God applies loving grace to Hezekiah’s fatal illness (Ch. 38) Let’s read this story [READ 38:1-3]. Now, beside the obviously unpleasant thought of dying, Hezekiah was probably so troubled by this news for two reasons. First, he seems to understand that his illness was an act of discipline for some sin or sins that he had committed. We’ll see this more clearly in v. 17. The Bible does view sin as one possible cause of illness. I think God will make it very clear to us if an illness is a discipline for sin, and Hezekiah seems convinced that he is facing discipline here. He was obviously devastated at the thought of dying out of fellowship with God. Second, Hezekiah apparently did not have a son at this point and thus had no heir to his throne. He discover this when we learn how old his son was when he became king after Hezekiah’s eventual death. So Hezekiah was probably also thinking about what would happen to his family and his kingdom if he were to die without an heir. Well, the Lord was listening to Hezekiah’s prayer, and He gave a very gracious response [READ 38:4-8]. Not only did God choose to heal Hezekiah, but notice the extent of God’s gracious response. He wasn’t just going to give Hezekiah another day or another month or another year—He promised him a full 15 years of life! Then God assured Hezekiah that He would protect him from his most dreaded enemies—the Assyrians. So Hezekiah would have reason to believe that the next 15 years would be 15 good years—years of safety and security. Then, as we’ll read in a moment, Hezekiah asked for a sign to confirm this message, and God granted Him a miraculous sign to remove all doubt about His promises. So Hezekiah received far more than he could have ever hoped for, but isn’t that always true of God’s grace? Remember—the very idea of grace is receiving something that you don’t deserve. So not only are we undeserving of little acts of grace, but God pours out His grace upon us and lavishes it upon us. As John 1:16 says of Jesus, “from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.” I remember hearing a pastor compare God’s grace to eating pancakes at his grandma’s house. He said that when he was a boy, his mother would only pour a little syrup on his pancakes because she was thinking about how much sugar he was eating. But when he ate pancakes at grandma’s house, grandma would let it flow! She would pour out the syrup and let it run over the sides until the pancakes were just floating like an island in a sea of syrup. That’s what God is like when He shows grace—He just lets it flow! So if you’re ever tempted to think that God has been stingy with His grace in your life, you need to think again! God’s grace is lavish and excessive, and its designed to fill our hearts with gratitude, just as it did for Hezekiah. Hezekiah wrote a psalm to recall these events and how he learned from them. Let’s read his words [READ 38:9-14]. Hezekiah’s poetry really gives us a sense of what he was feeling, but he also gives us a glimpse of what he learned that gave him a new dedication to God [READ 38:15-20; note v. 15 NIV “I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul”]. Hezekiah realized how this whole experience had ultimately been good for him, and he had a renewed commitment to praise God and thank Him. This experience was also preparing Hezekiah for a significant test during the Assyrian invasion. Who knows how Hezekiah would have responded if he had not gone through this time? Would he have had the same faith if he had not already seen God’s power over nature with the sign of the shadow, and ultimately God’s power over his own life through this healing? Remember that God knows His whole plan for our lives, and struggles that we face today may be preparing us for victory in even greater struggles tomorrow. Let me make one quick side comment about v. 21 [READ 38:21-22]. Verse 21 tells us that God worked through the means of a medical treatment. I think verses like this tell us that God is not opposed to working through medical treatments in order to heal us. I heard a story not long ago of a boy who died from a burst appendix because his parents believed that God would only heal in response to prayer. They believed it was wrong to seek out medical help. But my friends, all healing comes from God, and His glory is not diminished if He chooses to heal through medicine. So we see from this chapter that Hezekiah would not have even been alive to display great faith if it had not been for God’s grace. But there was another important event that also prepared Hezekiah for the Assyrian invasion. 2. God applies severe mercy to Hezekiah’s naïve pride (Ch. 39) I borrowed this phrase “severe mercy” from a book with that title by a man named Sheldon Vanauken. In this book, Mr. Vanauken writes about his love story with his wife. Their romance was one that all married couples would love to have. But after many years together, his wife died of an illness, and he was left without the love of his life. Mr. Vanauken describes this loss as a severe mercy—severe because of the deep loss that he experienced, but merciful because the loss drove him closer to God. Thus, his story is one of seeing the grace and mercy of God shine through during painful circumstances. Hezekiah faced a somewhat comparable situation through some news that he received from Isaiah. Let’s read about this incident [READ 39:1-2]. Here is where Hezekiah showed some naïve pride by showing the Babylonians so much. His actions would be comparable to our president receiving ambassadors and showing them around the Pentagon, showing them all of our nuclear missiles, and giving them secrets of national security! Its hard to know exactly what he was thinking. Perhaps he thought, “I need to show these men how great I am to convince them that I am worthy of all the trouble they went to to come here.” Or perhaps he was hoping to make an alliance with the Babylonians to fight off Assyria. We know that Judah’s kings were constantly tempted to trust in friends and firepower rather than God. Either way, Hezekiah was naïve, and he revealed a sinful pride in all that God had given him. Well, Hezekiah then received some news from Isaiah that would become a severe mercy for him [READ 39:3-7]. What a devastating prophecy to hear! Everything that Hezekiah had just been bragging about would be carried away—and by the very people whom he may have thought were now his friends. And not only would Hezekiah’s things be carried away, but all of the things that had been passed on to him by previous kings and all of the things that he hoped to pass on to kings after him. And some of his own descendents would be conquered by the people whom he had just trusted, and they would be humbled and placed into servitude. This was severe news, indeed, and Hezekiah’s response has long been puzzling to students of the Bible [READ 39:8]. It is very easy to read this verse and conclude that Hezekiah is being horribly selfish and celebrating the fact that he will apparently get off scot-free. But we can’t jump to conclusions about what the word “good” means in this verse. Both the English word “good” and the Hebrew word behind it have a wide range of meaning. My dictionary listed 20 definitions for the word “good!” I think it is more likely that Hezekiah is saying that God’s word is appropriate and fitting. Given the lessons he just learned from his healing and the tremendous faith he is about to display during the Assyrian invasion, I think he is expressing a humble resignation to the will of God, saying that whatever God does is appropriate and justified. I also think that Hezekiah’s final statement is an indication that God has been merciful to him. His actions have contributed to these future consequences; God would be justified to bring down these consequences now, during Hezekiah’s time. I think Hezekiah realizes that yet acknowledges God’s mercy for delaying the consequences that are to come. All in all, I think the severe mercy of this news prepared Hezekiah for his greatest test yet during the Assyrian invasion. He learned that he couldn’t trust in money or weapons or so-called friends because all of those things could be taken away. The only option was to trust in the living God who holds our lives in His hand—who even controls nature and the future itself! Trusting in anything less would have doomed Hezekiah and his people, but his faith had been forged in the crucible of trials that had trained him to trust in God alone. My friends, consider this—Hezekiah did not know what kind of test was about to come his way when he lay sick or when he received visitors from Babylon. He didn’t know that he was about to face the most pivotal moment of his life. But God did—and God was preparing him for a great spiritual victory by taking him through the training ground of trials. We face many moments in life that don’t make sense to us at that moment, but we must remember that their importance may become very clear to us in due time. Today’s trials may simply be the prequels to tomorrow’s victories, and those victories may not have come unless we had been trained by the trials. We also have the incredible blessing of knowing how the last chapter of our lives will play out. Jesus told us that He has gone to heaven to prepare a place for us. You and I have a reservation there—the angels are putting the mints out on the pillows as we speak! So we may not know what the next chapter of life holds for us, but we do know how the story will turn out, don’t we? So can’t we live with greater faith today since we know how the story ends? We’re like characters in a movie who already know how the movie ends! What an awesome advantage for life! Don’t you think Dorothy would have liked to see the final scenes of “The Wizard of Oz” when she was first picked up by that tornado? That could have saved her a lot of trouble! Don’t you think Luke Skywalker would have liked to see “Return of the Jedi” before he had to go through “The Empire Strikes Back?” My friends, we’ve already seen the closing scenes of this movie called “life,” and we’ve seen the credits, too! Who is directing all of this? God! Who wrote the screenplay? God! Who plays the starring role? Jesus! So we don’t know what the next scene has in store for us—big deal! We know how the story turns out, and we know the director who will get us there! Today’s trials may just be the prequel to tomorrow’s main attraction, but no matter what, we know the sequel to this life is gonna be a blockbuster!

God in Three Persons: Thinking About the Trinity--Attributes of God Series

The Trinity is easily one of the most confusing beliefs that Christians hold about God. Even those of us who believe in it feel like we don’t understand it very well. We will loudly and boldly proclaim our belief in the Trinity, then we will get quiet very quickly when someone asks us to explain it! No matter how you look at it, a full understanding of the unity between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is beyond our ability to comprehend, but this is really no reason to be uncomfortable with the doctrine or to reject it. When we consider who God is supposed to be and who we are, we should expect to bump up against ideas that we do not fully understand. Why does it seem like such a scandal to us when we can’t fully understand something about a being who is said to be eternal, all-powerful, and all-knowing? Nor should our lack of total understanding about the Trinity be a reason to reject the idea. I can’t give you a complete explanation of how a plane flies, but I’m not going to tell you that it can’t! In our modern scientific age, we like to tell ourselves that we understand so much, but in reality, each scientific discovery only uncovers greater mysteries. Today we’re going to discuss how to think about the Trinity and what we actually mean when we say that God is one being and three persons. I hope you’ll see that we can gain a decent understanding of this doctrine, and our reflection on it can lead us to stand in awe of God all the more. 1. Where do we get the idea that God is a Trinity (tri-unity)? In his book The DaVinci Code, author Dan Brown repeats the claim that Christians invited the idea of the Trinity around 325 AD in order to make a God out of an ordinary man named Jesus of Nazareth. In reality, the idea of the Trinity springs from the Bible itself, which was written much earlier than 325 AD! Let’s take a brief look at what the Bible has to say. First of all, the Bible repeatedly states that there is only one God: • Deut. 6:4--"Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.” • Is. 43:10-11—“Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.” • Is. 44:6-8—“I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god…Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.” • 1 Timothy 2:5—“For there is one God…” We could list many more examples, but that will have to do for today. So we can see that the Bible wants us to understand that there is only one God, but at the same time, Scripture gives three distinct persons the status of being God, and they are addressed as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: • Matt. 28:19—“…baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” • 2 Cor. 13:14—“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” We could also look at verses where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are individually referred to as God. So the doctrine of the Trinity is an attempt to explain the fact that there is only one God, yet three persons are given the status of being God. 2. What are we saying when we say that God is a Trinity? Many people have scoffed at and rejected this doctrine because they think we are saying that one somehow equals three, that God is somehow one thing and three of the same thing all at once. That’s like saying that my pulpit is one pulpit AND three pulpits, or that I am one human being AND three human beings. If that is what the doctrine says then we should reject it, because that kind of thinking is a contradiction. But the doctrine of the Trinity states that God is one being and three persons. That claim is not a contradiction because a being and a person are not the same thing. Let’s make sure we understand these words. A being is simply an object that exists. My pulpit is a being; the pew that you’re sitting on is a being. That’s all that we mean by this word—an object that exists. A person is something that is living and thinking, something with a mind and a will—like you and me. So the doctrine of the Trinity states that God is one existing thing that possesses three different living and thinking personalities. One comparison that may be helpful here is to think of Siamese twins. Siamese twins are conjoined, which means they share one body. In that sense, they are one being—one existing thing. Yet Siamese twins are clearly two living, thinking people. They each have their own mind and will and they actually have a relationship with each other. This idea is the kind of idea that we have in mind when we say that God is one being and three persons, though this analogy is certainly not perfect. For one thing, God does not have a body, so we don’t want to think of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as living within one body, because God is a purely spiritual being, as we are told in John 4:24. Also, Siamese twins can sometimes be separated through surgery, and in that case they would become two separate beings. That is not possible with God because, again, God does not have a body. So the comparison is not perfect, but it points us in the right direction to think accurately about the Trinity. 3. What are we NOT saying when we say that God is a Trinity? For the sake of clarification, let’s look at what we are NOT saying when we say that God is a Trinity. A. God is one person with three different masks In theater, one person will sometimes play multiple characters simply by wearing different masks or costumes. Some people have applied that idea to the Trinity by saying that God sometimes acts as the Father, sometimes as the Son, and sometimes as the Holy Spirit. But we are not talking simply about alter egos, like Bruce Wayne and Batman. This idea is not a correct understanding of the Trinity because it leaves us with one being and only one person—not three persons. In Scripture, we see that the Trinity must be three persons because all three are capable of acting at the same time. A great example of this comes at the time of Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3 [READ Matt. 3:16-17]. This situation cannot describe one person playing three roles because we have three persons who are all on the stage (if you will) at the same time. B. The Trinity is three beings with one purpose This idea views the Trinity as a team of three beings who are all united in one purpose—like a three-man basketball team. The members of the team all share a common purpose, but the members of the team are clearly three beings and three persons—not one being and three persons. This teamwork idea is the explanation that cults like the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses use to explain the unity between God the Father and the Lord Jesus, but it does not do justice to all of the biblical data. 4. Why does this doctrine matter? It is rather easy to think to yourself, “Why does this doctrine even matter? It’s kind of complicated, so why do I need to think about it? Pastor, I’ll believe that God is a Trinity if you say so, but why do I need to try and understand it?” You need to have a basic understanding of this doctrine because it tells us about who the real Jesus is. The doctrine of the Trinity reminds us that Jesus is fully divine. He is of one being with the Father and the Holy Spirit. They share one existence, which means that Jesus cannot be the offspring of God and one of his wives, as Mormonism teaches, and He cannot be a created being, as Muslims and Jehovah’s Witnesses claim. One of Satan’s favorite schemes is to offer counterfeit Christs to the world. What better way to make people resistant to the real Jesus than to convince them that they already believe in Him? Thus, Satan has twisted the truth about Jesus in many subtle ways, so if we do not understand the precise truth about Jesus, we are at risk of being deceived by a counterfeit Christ who looks oh-so-close to the real thing. There is a big difference between having a counterfeit Rolex and having the real thing. Likewise, there is a big difference between believing in the real Jesus and accepting an imposter. The doctrine of the Trinity protects us from the trap of believing that Jesus is anything less than fully divine.

What if there were no women in the Bible?--Mother's Day Sermon

Some people over the years have felt that the Bible is derogatory toward women—that it pictures women as being inferior to men and thus some kind of second-class citizens. But in reality, women play an absolutely crucial role at every stage of the biblical story. In fact, I would argue that because of the Bible, Christians hold women in higher esteem than any other religion in the world. Today, I would like you to consider the question, “What if there were no women in the Bible?” How would the story of Scripture be different if the contributions of women were removed from it? We’re going to consider a number of different women one by one to highlight their contributions to the story of Scripture. 1. Eve We might as well start at the beginning with Eve. Eve had an obvious and absolutely crucial role in the story of Scripture—without her, there would be no human race! That is precisely why God said that it was not good for Adam to be alone. The only time in the creation week that God said something was not good was when Adam was still alone. God could not give His final “seal of approval” to creation until He created woman. Think about that—what higher compliment could possibly be given to women? Adam by himself was not enough for God’s plan to be carried out; without Eve, the plan could not have moved forward. After Adam and Eve, the story of Scripture quickly comes into focus upon the children of Israel. On numerous occasions, that nation—and thus the family of Jesus—were saved from tragedy by the brave actions of women 2. Hebrew midwives (Exodus 1) When the children of Israel were slaves in Egypt, Pharaoh commanded all male Hebrew babies to be killed. But the Hebrew midwives refused to carry out this command and thus saved their people from possible extinction 3. Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2) This brave woman found the infant Moses in a basket floating in the Nile. Pharaoh’s own daughter disobeyed her father’s command and spared his life, thus saving that man whom God would later use to free His people from their slavery in Egypt and to give us the first five books of the Bible. 4. Rahab (Joshua 2) As the Jews were preparing to carry out God’s command to conquer the Promised Land, they sent spies into Jericho, the first city that had to be taken. Rahab hid the spies from the city leaders and let them know that the whole city was overcome with fear, because they had heard what God had done for the children of Israel. Without her, the spies may have been captured, and the people may not have had the courage to lay siege to Jericho. 5. Deborah (Judges 4) Deborah was a prophetess and a judge, meaning that God spoke through her to the people, and she settled disputes among the nation. During her time, the Israelites were in danger of being enslaved by the Canaanites. The men who led the army were too afraid to go into battle, so Deborah went with them to give them confidence, and the enemies of Israel were defeated. 6. Ruth (Book of Ruth) Ruth was not even Jewish by birth, but she embraced the God of Israel and became a direct ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without her, we would be without a beautiful picture of redemption and salvation, and the line of King David and the Lord Jesus would not exist. 7. Hannah (1 Samuel 1-2) Hannah was the mother of Samuel, the first prophet that God raised up after a long silence during the time of the judges. He essentially functioned as another Moses just before the people demanded a king for themselves. Without Hannah and her willingness to dedicate Samuel to God’s service, the children of Israel would have been without their main leader during his lifetime. 8. Esther (Book of Esther) Esther became the Queen of Persia through God’s providence, and she used her influence with the king to save the children of Israel from being annihilated by their enemies. Thus, the nation—the family of Jesus—was once again saved from extinction by a woman. 9. King Lemuel’s Mother (Proverbs 31) Many people don’t realize that the description of the excellent wife in Proverbs 31 was a poem of sorts from a mother to her son, which was undoubtedly meant to teach him about the kind of wife he should desire. This motherly advice has helped so many young men over the years. Without it, men would be even a little more clueless as we seek a wife for ourselves! 10. Solomon’s wife (The Song of Solomon) Since marriage is such an important relationship, it only makes sense that God would give us an entire book about it. Through the interaction of Solomon and his wife, we learn so much about romance and the realities of true love. 11. Mary (Luke 1) Mary obviously played a crucial role in the story of Scripture. Without her, we would not have the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ! Mary is probably the most revered woman in the world today. Now I must say that some of the attention that Mary receives goes too far, particularly within the Catholic Church, but Mary was correct when she said in Luke 1:48-49, “from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” Mary herself puts our focus on the proper person—God, the Mighty One—but we can highly respect Mary for her willingness to suffer potential shame and misunderstanding in order to obey God. 12. Jesus’ female disciples (Luke 8:1-3; Luke 24) Many people don’t realize that in addition to the twelve apostles, Jesus also had a group of female followers who traveled with Him during His ministry. According to Luke 8:3, these women “provided for them out of their means.” This is the only reference we have to any of Jesus’ disciples providing for the group’s needs. Undoubtedly Jesus received hospitality as He traveled, but without these women, His ministry may not have been financed. And let’s not forget that some of these same women were the first ones to discover that Jesus’ tomb was empty! 13. Phoebe (Romans 16:1-2) According to Romans 16, this woman was the messenger who carried the letter to the Romans from Paul to its destination in Rome. Without her, we may not have this important letter that has sparked so many revivals throughout the history of the church. 14. Lois and Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5) These women were the grandmother and mother of Timothy, whom we read about in the book of Acts and in the two letters that were written to him by the apostle Paul. We don’t know much at all about Timothy’s grandfather or father, but we know that these two godly women passed a genuine faith in God down through the generations of their family, and their faithfulness has touched the entire world. Without them, there would be no Timothy, and we would be missing two books of the Bible that are so important for our understanding of how we are supposed to act in the church today. Their example should be an encouragement for all mothers. Little did they know as they told little Timmy the stories of the Old Testament, that one day their faithfulness would impact the whole world. And so it is with you, mothers—you have no idea how God may use the smallest of sacrifices that you make in raising your children. So be faithful in your calling as mothers, and let all of us honor our mothers for all that they mean in our lives.

Trusting the Lord, Standing our Ground--Isaiah Series

Here in Kansas, we often feel like we are immune to some of the “culture wars” that we read about in other parts of the country. When we hear about churches being refused the chance to rent public schools on Sundays or when we read about the gay rights agenda, we think of far off places like New York and San Francisco. But the front lines of the so-called “culture wars” are really much closer than we week. Within the next few weeks, the city councils of Salina and Hutchinson will be voting on changes to city ordinances that would advance the gay rights agenda in those cities. Churches that make their facilities available to the public for rental would be directly affected. They would no longer be able to decline a rental request simply on the basis of a disapproval of homosexual behavior. So, if someone asked to rent the church for a drag party, the church could not refuse simply on the basis of a disapproval of that behavior. And lest you think that such ordinances don’t have a chance of passing, similar ordinances have already been passed in Manhattan and Wichita, though they were later repealed by the actions of concerned citizens. Biblical values are under attack in many different ways today, and none of us are far from the front lines. So how can we stand our ground when the values we hold from the Bible are attacked? Or better yet, how can we place our trust in God when others attack our values? This morning, in Isaiah 36-37, we’re going to read about a literal attack that the nation of Judah faced from Assyria during the reign of King Hezekiah. This incident can teach us some important lessons about how to trust God and stand our ground when other people attack our values. How can we trust God and stand our ground when others attack our values? As I mentioned, the story we’re going to read today took place during the reign of King Hezekiah. Along with King David and King Solomon, Hezekiah was one of the godliest kings that the nation of Judah ever had. His father, King Ahaz, had put a stop to both the sacrifices and the feasts that were commanded in the Law of Moses, but Hezekiah re-instituted both of these things. He also destroyed the bronze serpent that Moses had made in the wilderness because the people had turned it into an idol. But Hezekiah’s greatest legacy was his faith in God when the armies of Assyria marched to his doorstep. Let’s take a closer look at his example. 1. By remembering that past failures do not determine today’s choices (36:1-3) Let’s read vv. 1-3, and I want you to pay particular attention to the location where this conversation took place [READ 36:1-3]. Back in chapter 7, Isaiah confronted Hezekiah’s father, King Ahaz, at this exact location and challenged him to trust in God as he was faced with aggression from the kingdom of Israel and their neighbors, the Syrians. Now, in chapter 36, we’re back in the same location with virtually the same circumstances. The previous king of Judah had chosen not to trust in God in these circumstances, but what choice would the current king make? Hezekiah would now have to make the choice for himself, and this opportunity is important to note. He didn’t have to repeat the mistakes of the past; a new circumstance presented a new opportunity to make the right choice. This lesson is true for us as well. When someone attacks our values, that situation is intimidating enough, but we can make it even more intimidating if we bring to mind our own previous failures to trust God and make ourselves think that we can’t overcome them. But each circumstance is a new opportunity to make the right choice—past failures to not determine today’s choices. I am reminded of the story of Thomas Cranmer. Bishop Cranmer was the head of the Church of England in the mid-1500’s, shortly after the Protestant Reformation. During that time, the throne of England was passing back and forth between Protestant rulers and Catholic rulers, and each change of ruler brought persecution to the members of the opposite group. Cranmer faced severe pressure from Queen Mary I—also known as “Bloody Mary”—and to save his life, he denounced his Protestant beliefs. He later publicly announced that he had been wrong to do so, and was thus sentenced to death by burning. As his executioners prepared to burn him at the stake, he asked that his right hand be burned first since it had written the statement in which he denounced his Protestant beliefs. With each new day comes a new chance to make a different choice, a better choice—the choice to trust God. 2. By remembering that those who attack our values are building on a foundation of falsehood (36:4-22) Listen to this speech from the Assyrian official and see if you can pick out the false thinking behind it [READ 36:4-22]. There are several falsehoods in this speech. First, the Assyrians had misunderstood Hezekiah’s religious reforms. They thought Hezekiah was actually limiting the worship of the God of Judah by destroying all of the altars outside Jerusalem, but Hezekiah was actually leading the people back to a pure worship of the God of Judah. Second, they claimed that Hezekiah would be deceiving the people if he encouraged them to trust in God for deliverance. As we shall see, precisely the opposite was true. Third, the Assyrians put the God of Judah on the same level as the gods of all the other nations which they had already conquered. This was the greatest falsehood of all—to mistake the living and true God for a lifeless idol, though the God of Judah had shown His power on many previous occasions. Now when people build their claims and beliefs on a foundation of falsehood, it won’t be long before reality comes calling. Beliefs that are true are those beliefs which describe the world the way it really is. Thus, false beliefs are actually denying reality, and you can only deny reality for so long before you run into major problems. So if our biblical values are true, then those who oppose them are denying reality. They are building a house on a foundation that really isn’t there, so it’s only a matter of time before the whole house comes crashing down. We, however, are building on a firm, lasting foundation in the Word of God. 3. By choosing to believe the truth about God rather than lies (37:1-20) We can’t make the same mistake as those who are attacking our values—we must cling to what is true about God and His standards. Hezekiah was challenged by the Assyrians to believe a lie about God. Let’s continue the story [READ 37:1-13]. Notice what the king of Assyria said in v. 10—“Do not let your God deceive you.” That temptation is the oldest trick in Satan’s playbook. He wants us to believe that God is actually deceiving us. Remember how Satan approached Eve in the Garden of Eden. First he asked her, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?” He deliberately misquoted God to create doubt in Eve’s mind, then he flatly contradicted what God actually said. When Eve mentioned God’s command and the punishment of death, Satan said, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Satan wants you and me to believe that God is lying to us. He wants us to believe that God can’t really help us; He doesn’t really love us; He won’t reward us for suffering in His name. Do you see how sneaky that temptation is? It all comes down to the question, “Who are you going to believe?” This strategy lies behind every temptation we face. Satan wants to create doubt about God’s Word, and he wants to convince us that God is actually a deceiver. Fortunately, Hezekiah didn’t take the bait, and he gives us a great example of how to preach the truth to yourself all over again [READ 37:14-20]. Notice how Hezekiah is reminding himself of the truth as he prays to make his request of God. He begins in v. 16 by addressing God as the “Lord of Hosts.” God frequently used this title for Himself through the prophets. It pictures God as the commander-in-chief of the angelic armies of heaven, so it reminds us that God has both the power and the resources to defend us. But then Hezekiah states that God isn’t just mighty and strong—He is also a personal God who has committed Himself to His people. God isn’t just God—He’s the “God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim.” That phrase is a reference to the Ark of the Covenant that was in the innermost room of the Tabernacle at first and then the Temple after it was built. God had told Moses that He would meet with him here, above the Ark of the Covenant, so this became regarded as the throne of the God of Israel. Thus, Hezekiah was reminding himself that the God of the armies of heaven dwells in the midst of His people. He isn’t distant; He is right there with them! Then, Hezekiah reminds himself that even though God has committed Himself to Israel, He is still Lord over all. At the end of v. 16 he says, “you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.” So to paraphrase Hezekiah’s prayer, he has said, “God, I know you are mighty and powerful and able to defend me. I know you are right here with me, and that you are Lord over all creatures and all people.” Those are precisely the truths that we must cling to when other people attack our values. Only by maintaining this mindset can we stand our ground when our values are under attack. 4. By remembering that God is in complete control—even over those who attack our values (37:21-29) Isaiah now confirms precisely what Hezekiah prayed with a message from the Lord [READ 37:21-29]. This passage is so fascinating because the Lord states that the king of Assyria is simply carrying out His plan. The king thinks that he is acting in his own power and enforcing his own will, but in reality he is simply carrying out God’s will. My friends, here is the puzzling yet reassuring truth about those who attack our values—they are under God’s complete control! He knows their every move! Nothing they do surprises Him because they are simply carrying out His plan. This boggles the mind—why God would allow such attacks—but when He does we must not think that He has lost control or that He is simply trying to stay one step ahead of some human scheme. He is working out His plan, and we must always remember that we don’t know just how God is planning to use a situation, but we can rest assured that He has a plan that never fails, and even those who oppose Him are part of it. 5. By remembering that God can turn back our attackers in ways that we cannot imagine (37:30-38) From this final section, we should learn first of all that God can provide for us in ways that are outside the norm [READ 37:30-32]. With the Assyrian army in their land, the people weren’t able to plant their crops like usual, so God promised to provide enough for them simply from the crops that grew on their own. And since they couldn’t prepare for the following year, God promised to do the same again. Then, in three years, they could return to planting and harvesting like usual. We must always remember that God is not limited by our imaginations. God is not forced to choose from the small number of solutions that we can figure out for our problems. God is a God of miracles, and He proves it again in the remainder of the chapter [READ 37:33-38]. It is interesting that secular history confirms the events of vv. 36-38. A Babylonian historian named Berossus wrote about a disease that suddenly fell upon the Assyrian army and killed—by his count—180,000 soldiers. Other documents also record the assassination of Sennacherib by his sons, just as Scripture says. So when we find our values under attack from others, let us remember these lessons of faith from Hezekiah. God is with us, and He is in complete control—even over those who oppose Him. We can choose to trust Him in those moments even if we never have in the past, and we can remind ourselves of the truth about God to counteract the lies that we might be tempted to believe. Overall, we can look forward to a great deliverance from God that He will accomplish according to His plan.