Category: Book of Isaiah

Go to Jesus

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

In Isaiah 61, we are encouraged to go to Jesus.

Go to Jesus with your poverty and affliction and receive good news of hope for future.

Go to Jesus with your mourning and sorrow and find his comfort.

Go to Jesus with your captivity to sin and find freedom.

Go to Jesus with your sin and receive forgiveness and righteousness.

Go to Jesus with the ruins of your life and let him rebuild you into something beautiful.

Go to Jesus with your shame and dishonor and receive the honor and joy found in him.

What do you need to go to Jesus for today?

Look Forward

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

Isaiah 60 calls us to look forward to the New Jerusalem where:

  • God will dwell with us in all of his glory with such brilliance that there will be no need for the sun or moon (v1-2, 19-20, see also Rev. 21:3, 23).
  • God’s people will be gathered from the nations to dwell with God forever (v3-4, 9, 21, see also Rev. 21:2-3).
  • God will make the city a place of glorious beauty (v7, 13, 15, see also Rev. 21:2, 11, 18-21).
  • Great wealth, abundance, and praise will flow into the city for an ever-expanding glorious beauty (v5-7, 9, 11, 13, 17, see also Rev. 21:24-26).
  • Great salvation from sin will be completed as everyone trusts in him, submits to him, and walks in righteousness before him (v9, 10-12, 14, 17-18, 21, see also Rev. 21:8, 27).
  • Great salvation from the consequences of sin become a reality as peace reigns, mourning comes to an end, and joy abounds (v11, 15, 20, see also Rev. 21:4, 25)

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Will We Be Faithful?

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

In Isaiah 59:12-15, Isaiah addresses Israel’s sins in terms that could have been written to our country today. He speaks of sin, transgression, and iniquity, and it doesn’t take long to see the moral depravity of our own nation. He speaks of Israel walking away from God, and it appears that our nation is doing the same as it drifts back into paganism. Isaiah says truth has stumbled in the public square, and today people just don’t want to hear about God, His Word, or truth in our culture or our government. Isaiah says that the person who departs from evil makes himself a prey, and we see examples today of Christians who have refused to participate in evil being sued and even losing their businesses. And the question for the church today is: will we be faithful?

In a culture that celebrates sin, will we be faithful to turn from it? In a nation walking away from God, will we be faithful to follow Him? In a country that rejects truth, will we be faithful to stand for the truth? In a world that rejects righteousness, will we be faithful to walk in righteousness? Will we be faithful?

Today, as we gratefully remember our veterans who gave themselves for our country, will we as Christians faithfully give ourselves for our Lord? Will we be faithful?

Where God Dwells

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
– Isaiah 57:15 (ESV)

God is high and holy, so it should not surprise us that he dwells in a high and holy place. What should absolutely amaze us is that he would dwell with people – with those who are contrite and lowly.

To be lowly is to see ourselves in a right relationship to God. He is high and we are low. He is eternal and we are temporal. He is holy and we are not. Being lowly is not thinking we are garbage – we are image-bearers of God! Being lowly simply means that we see things as they are – God is greater than I am, and so life is about him and not me.

To be contrite is to be crushed or undone by our sins. It means that our sins against God that led him to the cross move us to weep. We cry out with Isaiah, “Woe is me!” (Isaiah 6).

And when we humble ourselves before the Lord, humbly confessing our sins and looking to him for salvation, he moves into our lives. The Holy Spirit makes us his home. We become temples of the living God. God dwells with us. What a wonderful thing that God would dwell with us!

And as God dwells with us – he revives our spirits, he revives our hearts. He gives us life – new life. He gives us significance as his presence exalts us. He gives us salvation from our sins as his Spirit applies the work of Jesus to our lives. When we come with contrite and lowly hearts, he exalts us and saves us – as he comes to dwell within us.

Everlasting Significance

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

I will give in my house and within my walls
a monument and a name better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.
– Isaiah 56:5 (ESV)

God is speaking in this verse to eunuchs who would never have children. In Israel, it was important to have children to continue the family line. To be single and never have children was a tragedy, to be a failure. But God says he will give them an everlasting name better than children. He will give them everlasting significance apart from family.

Mark this. A spouse can never give you lasting significance. If you look for your significance in your spouse, you will destroy your marriage. Your spouse was never designed to give you significance, to satisfy your soul. Only God can give you lasting significance.

Your children can never give you lasting significance either. If you look for significance in your children, you will destroy your children. And when they leave home, your sense of significance will walk right out the door with them. Only God can give you lasting significance.

Everyone is searching for significance. You may be seeking it in family, or achievements, or recognition, or fame, or power. Many today seek significance in Facebook – how many friends do you have, how many people liked your last status? People try to recreate themselves in their own image striving for significance. But only God can give you lasting significance.

Don’t seek lasting significance in the temporary. Only an eternal God can give you lasting significance. He gives us an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.

Come

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live….

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me shall not hunger,
and whoever believes in me shall never thirst….

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.”
And let the one who hears say, “Come.”
And let the one who is thirsty come;
let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

– Isaiah 55:1-3a, John 6:35, Revelation 22:17 (ESV)

Stand Firm In His Love

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

“…but with great compassion I will gather you….
…with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
says the LORD, your Redeemer.
“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
– Isaiah 54:7-8, 10

God offers us great compassion. Not just a little. Not just some. Not just the leftovers. God offers us great compassion.

God shows us everlasting love. Not just occasional love. Not just temporary love. Not just conditional love. God shows us everlasting love.

On the cross he showed that love. And on the cross he paid the price to bring us peace with God (53:5). And this covenant of peace cannot be removed, it cannot be cancelled, it cannot be annulled.

And so, even if the mountains and hills in all their stability were to disappear, he will not remove his love from us. He will yet have compassion upon us. Because of Jesus, nothing can separate us from his great compassion and everlasting love.  So stand firm in his love.

Stop fretting that you will somehow lose his love – it cannot be removed.

Stop working, trying desperately to earn his love – he already loves you.

Stop grumbling about your life as though he doesn’t love you.

Stop sinning against this God who loves you so much.

Stop caring what world thinks of you – what does it matter if God himself loves you.

Stop looking for love in all the other places our world looks for love – you have already found the fountain of all love.

So stand firm in God’s love.  Rest in his everlasting love & his great compassion.

The God of universe loves you.

So stand firm in his love.

Consider His Victory

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
– Isaiah 53:10-12

Consider Jesus Our Savior. Consider his victory. Jesus rose victoriously. It is not stated in so many words in these verses, but is everywhere implied. After he has made an offering for guilt (by dying), he yet will see his offspring, his days will be prolonged, and the will of God will prosper in his hands (v10). Again, he will see and be satisfied (v11). And then he will receive the victor’s prize in v12. All of these things require his resurrection in order to happen in any realistic meaningful way.

And yet his victory is not simply found in his resurrection, but in what he accomplished through his death and resurrection:

  • By making an offering for guilt, he brings about an offspring (v10), a people for God who have had their sins paid for so that they might have a relationship with God.
  • By his perfectly righteous life, death, and resurrection, he makes God’s people to be accounted righteous (v11), so that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
  • He intercedes on our behalf (v12), through his payment of sin on the cross, and now in heaven, so that no accusation of the devil against us can stand.
  • Finally, he conquered death and lives forevermore (v10), that in Christ we too might have the sure hope of our own resurrection someday through him.

Consider Jesus our Savior. Consider his victory in his resurrection and for our salvation.

Father, thank you for the good news of the resurrection of Jesus.
May we live in gratitude and hope as we ponder the many saving benefits
of your salvation purchased for us.

Consider His Sacrifice

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
– Isaiah 53:5-6

Consider Jesus our Savior. Consider his sacrifice.

Like sheep, we had all wandered away from the Shepherd to do our own thing. We chose the path of selfishness instead of loving God and people. We rebelled against our Creator and King. We chose what was evil and wicked. And all of our sins were laid on Jesus.

Jesus took our sins upon himself there on the cross. He paid the price for our sins. And consider the price for our sins. He was wounded. He was crushed. He bore our punishment, and the stripes we deserved. For us. In our place.

He bore the chastisement that we deserved to bring us peace – peace with God. In Jesus, we are reconciled to God. In Jesus, we can have a relationship with our Creator. We can draw near and commune with him as his children. We can know his daily presence in our lives, and the joy he alone can give.

And by his stripes we are healed, healed from the infection of sin and all its dire consequences. We are healed from the guilt of sin which was paid on the cross. We are healed from the power of sin, so we can live a new life with Jesus. And we will one day be healed from the presence of sin and all of its results. When Jesus returns, there will be no more sin, no more sorrow, no more sickness, no more suffering, no more pain, no more death.

Consider Jesus our Savior. Consider his sacrifice to pay for our sins to bring us peace with God and healing from sin.

Father, thank you for Jesus who paid the price for my sins.
Help me to live in the peace and healing that was purchased for me,
even as I look toward the day of final healing when Jesus returns.

Consider His Suffering Again

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

As many were astonished at you—
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
so shall he sprinkle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him…
– Isaiah 52:14-15a

Consider Jesus our Savior. Consider his suffering. He was beaten. A crown of thorns was pressed onto his head. He was scourged with a whip that ripped open his flesh forty times. He was hung on a cross with nails in his hands and feet. The extent of his suffering was so great that our passage tells us he didn’t even look like a man. He didn’t even look human, but rather a bloody mass of flesh hanging there on the cross. Consider his suffering.

And in his suffering, he sprinkles the nations. The high priest would sacrifice an animal and sprinkle the blood to cleanse, to purify, to make clean. And in the suffering of our Savior, his blood was spilt to be sprinkled on the nations, to cleanse us from our sins, to make us pure and clean. Consider his suffering that cleanses us from our sins.

And in his suffering, he shocks the nations. As people looked upon this suffering servant, they were astonished. They shut their mouths in shock and dismay at this spectacle of suffering. And yet the shock goes beyond the suffering to the salvation that flows from it – that we would be saved by his shed blood. How strange is this salvation!

And we ought to wonder. The cross can become so familiar to us. But stop and wonder at his sufferings on your behalf. Wonder at his incredible love that endured such suffering. Wonder at this great salvation that flows from his suffering. Stop and wonder.

Father, thank you for the suffering of Jesus that cleanses us from our sins.
May we wonder anew at his suffering and the shocking salvation
that flows from his blood.