The Need for Christ
Labels:
Isaiah
Remember: We will not be writing the whole
portion of Scripture in the article, so you will have to have your Bible open
and follow along, as I attempt an expository lesson.
5. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 4
Chapter divisions are not inspired and sometimes this
is quite obvious. For instance, the last verse of chapter two, “Stop regarding man, whose breath of life
is in his nostrils; for why should he be esteemed.” connects perfectly to
the first part of chapter three. The kind counsel from the Lord prepares his
people for the deterioration of the leadership described in chapter three. As
we enter chapter four, we can easily see a continuance of the last two verses of
chapter three. In fact, the first verse begins with the word “for”, obviously joining it
grammatically to 3:26.
The
consequences of war
Verses 25 and 26 speak of war, the death of the young
and mighty and the mourning that follows. As a result, the male population has
been severely decimated and chapter four begins with a description of the
conditions. “For seven women will take
hold of one man in that day, saying, ‘We will eat our own bread and wear our
own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach!’”
My Sister Jean
Labels:
personal testimonies
The following
excerpts are from a letter, given recently to my sister, Phyllis, from a friend
of our family. She was a teenager during the years that our dad pastored a
group of Native Americans in Oneida, Wisconsin. The lady’s father helped Dad in
that work. The letter was written to this friend by our sister Jean, just a few
months before Jean went to be with the Lord in 1957. She had acute leukemia and
was 18-years-old. She graduated to her heavenly home shortly before she would
have graduated from high school. The letter came to Phyllis about the same
time, I think, that she received the document from our neighbor with Dad´s
testimony, which I have recently posted on this blog.
If you have
read, What Our Hands Have Handled, you
know a little about Jean´s story and also about how the Holy Spirit was moving
in that area in a powerful manner. I have never experienced anything like it
since. The Lord allowed Jean to profit from those days, before her home going.
If you have not read What Our Hands Have
Handled, you certainly may do so. Please let me know. Some have shared how
they were blessed through tears of joy and sadness by reading the book. The
comments have been many. It has been translated into Spanish, German, Romanian,
and, as I write, the book is at the printers, having been translated into
Bulgarian.
I am not
writing this, however, to push my book, although as I infer, I believe it would
be a blessing to you. No, I just want God’s people to know that we have a
Friend, who sticks closer than a brother and takes us through valleys, where no
human friend can be at our side. Please be sure that you have that Friend… the
Friend who died in your place and will be at your side, when you die. You will
never have another like this one.
Words and Actions Uncover the Heart
Labels:
Isaiah
We
will not be writing the whole portion of Scripture in the article, so you will
have to have your Bible open and follow along, as I attempt an expository
lesson.
4. An expository study of Isaiah,
chapter 3
Not one Word in the Bible is wasted or insignificant. Here
is a word that we might tend to overlook: It is “Behold!” Pay
attention! Take your eyes and ears off all else,
and focus on the Word of the Lord. Lay aside all the forms of media, the news, world
events, teaching and information, and focus on the prophet Isaiah, the man who
is hearing from God. What God is communicating has incomparably more value for
your soul. Be sure you get the word from God. It is a word that never dies;
that holds the same value today that it had when it was first spoken. Jesus saw
that Isaiah also spoke to the people of His day, and so we should see that the
living word addresses our generation.
Incompetent
leadership
He is presented as the Sovereign, the absolute Lord
over all… Lord over all lords. Jehovah of hosts means that He is the Captain of
unnumbered armies, which He enlists from wherever He wants to enlist them, whether
among angels in heaven or men on earth. He will not fail to carry out
everything that He has said that He will do. If God be for us, who can be
against us and, if God be against us, who can be for us. Regardless of who we
are and when we appear in history, we don’t want to have God for an enemy.
The Story of my Life
Labels:
personal testimonies
I’m sure that my dad gave them this document, not only
so that they would know his story, but with the intention of sharing the gospel
with them through it...a gospel that had nothing to do with the religion we
profess My parents’ witness and the prayers for our neighbors that went up from
our family altar every morning bore fruit. Ruby came to know the living Christ
in her later years. I’m not sure of the details, but I have heard also that
some, at least, of her children have also found the Lord and that her husband
expressed hope in Christ on his death bed.
I have had an entire lifetime to observe the
faithfulness of God in answering prayer and the sureness of the promises of His
word. Read, then, this simple testimony of a simple country preacher, who only
had the opportunity of going to grade school for six years. I have written his
complete story in a book called, “What Our Hands Have Handled” and if you are
interested in obtaining it, please let me know.
The Millennium
Labels:
Isaiah
We will not be
writing the whole portion of Scripture in the article, so you will have to have
your Bible open and follow along, as I attempt an expository lesson. Here,
very near the beginning of his book, Isaiah refers to the Millennium. There
will be more references to follow.
3. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 2
Knowing that there have been, and still are, wonderful
Christians, who do not believe in a literal millennium, I hold the conviction
that every true Christian should
believe in the literal thousand-year reign of Christ, along with His saints, on
the earth. Historically, there are many, who did not and I can understand their
conclusions, due to the fact that in their day signs did not exist, such as
those we are seeing today. Jonathan Edwards, in writing to other Christian
leaders in the 18th Century, stated that it would be impossible to
ascertain prophetical accuracy until the church drew near to the time of
Christ’s second return. He was echoing Daniel’s frustration at the end of his
book: “I heard but could not understand; so I said, ‘My lord, what will be the final end of these events?’ He said, ‘Go
your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time’” (Dn.12:8,9). Even
the tremendous intellect of Edwards couldn´t grasp them.
However, a great and clear sign appeared around the
turn of the 20th Century that had men, such as J. C. Ryle and C. H.
Spurgeon, talking about the literal fulfillment of Ezekiel 37. This chapter,
2500 years old, and many other Old Testament prophecies spoke of the literal
return of the Jews to their promised land and their sovereign self-government. This
is to happen in preparation to the literal reign of Christ from Jerusalem. “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel
from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every
side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the
land” (Ez.37:21,22). This mass movement was underway as the 20th
Century began and on May 14, 1948, Israel became a sovereign nation! On that
day, the displacement theory (the assumption that the Church had replaced
Israel) should have been thrown out the window, along with all the theories
that the fulfillment of such prophecies was spiritual, not literal.
Restoration through Judgment
Labels:
Isaiah
We will not be writing the whole portion of Scripture
in the article, so you will have to have your Bible open and follow along, as I
attempt an expositional lesson.
2.
An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 1, verses10-31
The Lord God never accepts heartless, ritualistic
religion. Isaiah addresses first the rulers of Israel in the name of the Lord
and likens them to the leaders of ancient, extinct Sodom (v.10). That is their
likeness and, as those rulers, they are headed for extinction. Their people,
the remnant excluded, are like the evil population of Gomorrah and God lets
them know His displeasure with their sacrifices (v.11).
Numerous
sacrifices, assemblies, and prayers
The Lord’s assessment of their religion must have come
as quite a shock to them. After all, they have been sacrificing to Him great
quantities of animals, but He tells them that they are worthless to Him. God is
never impressed with quantities, but always measures by quality. In the days of
Isaiah, He spoke of multiplied sacrifice, burnt offerings of rams, fat of fed
cattle, bulls, lambs, goats and incense. The Lord continues to see things His
way, when He judges the state of the church. Quantities of money, beautiful
buildings and fancy equipment are not taken into account.
God is not speaking of worshiping other gods in high
places, but of legitimate sacrifice, offered in the right places. This is
typical of the kind of worship, to which Isaiah’s book refers, and for this
reason, it is often quoted in the New Testament. Jesus said, “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah
prophesy of you: This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far
away from Me, but in vain do they worship Me” (Mt.15:7-9).
Whose Image is on Your Life?
Labels:
Important messages
I can testify of the mark of God on David's life from his youth. Even as a student in a Christian school, Dave was often called into the office to help counsel problematic students. As a teenager, the Lord began to move upon his life, preparing him for the future. For many years, Dave lived in the Republic of Ireland and gained a reputation there, as an able teacher of the Word of God. He worked with the youth and saw a gang of boys turn their attention towards heaven. Fruit still remains and even other members of their families now belong to Christ.
Dave now lives in the same area of Vermont as his twin brother, Daniel. Daniel pastors the Swanton Christian Church and Dave contributes his valuable teaching from time to time. He also works in house construction, which might have something to do with his insight on the house of God in this message. He is also sought out as a photographer at weddings and I will add a little sample of his photography to this article. I will also introduce you, by photos, to his three sons.
(click on any photo for a larger view)
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| Jared and his guitar |
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| Jacob, the youngest |
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| Ethan, JV soccer captain |
Judah Abandons Its God
Labels:
Isaiah
1. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 1, verses 2-9
Isaiah begins a declaration in the name of the Lord to
Judah and to Jerusalem, but his message holds true in the entire world. How
clearly and with what detail God speaks to His prophet! It is a protest against
His people, but also gives counsel towards repentance. It is a call to rational
thinking, with an intention of offering forgiveness, followed by blessing. The
Lord speaks of Israel’s fall into corruption and they have become His enemies.
From sons of God they become offspring of evildoers. In the end, they will be
brought to repentance through a work of righteous judgment.
God
speaks: Heaven and earth must pay attention
The Lord wants to be heard (v.2a); He wants to
communicate, therefore throughout the Bible He commands His servants to write.
His words sweep the heavens, fall down to earth and fill all of time. He
reveals His thoughts and the feelings of His heart.
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