Honest God Truth

Isaiah 56:1-2 “Thus says the LORD: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed. 2Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.” How do we wait for the Lord Jesus to return?  Isaiah says to keep the Sabbath and don’t do evil. This is what we should do and it sounds like what we should not do!  The sabbath was a day to not do work but worship God.  Doing evil is not trusting God.  They are both very similar and saying, live so that God is the center of your thoughts and actions.  Realize that God is working in your life and praise him, thank him, love him, and trust he will be there for you in all situations.  When we live our lives we must have a God conscience and let his love and hope shine through us to glorify Jesus in all we do.  It’s not hard to understand but impossible to do with ou...

Isaiah 55:6-9 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” In our times of difficulty don’t turn away from God because you don’t like what is happening!  These are the times when he is most needed and available for your rescue.  Maybe your sins  have made you feel the Lord is distanct or He is disciplining you and calling you to more faith.  When you are in these times of difficulty and doubt turn and seek the Lord. He is compassionate and willing to forgive.  He is the only place to got even when it seems hopeless or illogical to trust him.  It i...

Isaiah 54:6-8 “6For the LORD has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God. 7For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. 8In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD, your Redeemer.” As believers in Jesus Christ we have a relationship with the God of the universe. Our salvation is not a formula or a recipe to follow but an active, dynamic interaction with Jesus. Isaiah says that God deserted you because he was angry over your sin.  Well Jesus said he will never leave us but can and does become angry with our sinful thoughts, words,and actions.  When we feel alone or fearful or hopeless, could it be that our sins have disappointed Jesus and caused him to be upset?  Putting our relationship at that level makes me realize that my sins do affect him and that causes me to feel extremel...

Isaiah 53:3-6 “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5But 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. 6All 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.” God speaking through Isaiah knew who Jesus is and what he did for all who believe in him. God’s descriptions and predictions of Jesus life and death gives us an insight to his purpose for our redemption.  Jesus borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.  Does Jesus understand when we are sad, lonely, depressed, in physical and or emotional pain?  Absolutely, he carried all our sins an...

Isaiah 52:8-10 “ The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion. 9Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” There is an end to evil and the Lord will be the victor.  He has set a time for trial and a time for celebration and with open eyes we look for his coming.  The good news is he has come and his name is Jesus and he did conquer death and evil on the cross.  For us who believe we must live with the resolve to overcome sin by trusting Jesus’ words and loving our relationship with him.  His glory does shine in these evil days and it shines brightly when we live by his grace.  He is coming again and hopefully soon. For your glory Jesus.  Amen

Isaiah 51:6-7 “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed. 7“Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings” Where do we put our trust is what we fear the most if it is gone!  Isaiah says everything we see, smell, touch and hear will vanish and be no more.  So why do we trust in something that does not last?  We so often fear what we have will be taken away and we will be miserable.  The Lord said that his salvation and righteousness will last forever. What an amazing statement. When we trust what Jesus said to love others, even our enemies, we live righteously and that means we live forever. The great news that along with righteousness there is G...

Isaiah 50:6-7 “I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 7But the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.” Trusting in the Lord God is most difficult when we go through different trials. In these two verses Isaiah describes what Jesus went through before the cross. His example is so precious to us because he did what we must do to get through the torment.  Depend on the Lord God to help us. God is not sleeping, he knows what is happening and is overseeing the entire event.  We will have questions and doubts but Jesus will help us like he helped Peter in his trial, Jesus prayed that his faith will be strong. Faith in Jesus is the most important item for all of us. With faith we will be in the presence of Jesus forever!  Therefore as we go through trials may the Lord Jesus strength us...

Isaiah 49:6-7 “he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” 7Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” We who are believers are servants to all because we spread the light of the gospel of the Lord Jesus.  We have been chosen to be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and where the Lord sends us we will be used for his glory. God promises us victory in him but many trials will come.  He is faithful and we out of changed heart trust him and love to serve and obey him.  We ask Jesus to keep our eyes open to your working in our lives so we by ...

Isaiah 48:16-17 “Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there.” And now the Lord GOD has sent me, and his Spirit. 17Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.” The Bible affirms the truth of God. If you are asking why things happen and where did everything come from, the answer is God.  If you ask what is the purpose for living and existing at all the answer is for God’s glory.  This message runs through Isaiah and the entire Old and New Testament.  God speaks through his creation and through his Word.  He is the mover and foundation of all things. He desires for his creation to know him, trust him and experience all our satisfaction in him because he made us that way.  I pray Lord open our eyes to see you working today and that we, through Jesus, will give you praise and hon...

Isaiah 47: 10-11 “You felt secure in your wickedness; you said, “No one sees me”; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me.” 11But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing.” Isaiah was prophesying against Babylon and how he used them to discipline his people Israel.  God gave them over because of their sinful ways and Babylon treated them poorly. Now the Lord was judging them for their sinfulness. What is interesting is often when we sin we say to ourselves “no one will know” and we try to justify our motives and actions. But God knows and he hates evil and because of his righteousness and justice he punishes sin. All sin!  Isaiah is warning us that our great God knows all and has the ability and desire to make all things right. We as believe...

Isaiah 46:8-11 “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, 9remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ 11calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.” God knows we have a difficult time remembering God’s blessings to us. When times are going poorly we don’t like it or understand it! But Isaiah reminds us that God determines the end from the beginning and nothing can change his will. We trust in so many things that are here today and gone tomorrow yet we struggle with trusting the one who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. All the truths and promises in the Bible are sure and trustworthy, let us read them and believe the...

Isaiah 45:4-7 “4For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I name you, though you do not know me. 5I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, 6that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. 7I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity;I am the LORD, who does all these things.” Do you want to know why anything happens? Isaiah says and so does the Bible over and over, God does it for his glory.  That is always the answer and when we truly understand this fact we live in hope and security.  Cyrus, king of the Caldeans was used by God and he did not know God.  Believers know who God is and we have the great privilege to worship and praise him for all the blessings we daily receive. During the difficult times we patiently trust that God has a plan that will u...

“Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭80:3‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/59/psa.80.3.esv When God shows his glorious face in any situation all righteousness and justice results. Light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it but all those who love the light will come to the light and be saved. Lord Jesus let your light shine greatly in my heart today.  Amen

Isaiah 44:6-8,18-20, 6Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. 7Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. 8Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.” 18They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not...

Isaiah 43:1,7,25 “1But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;I have called you by name, you are mine. 7everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” 25“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah’s view of God is remarkable because he gives him all the credit for everything thing.  The Lord Jesus is creator of everything and that means you. He made us, we sinned and he bought us back or redeemed us. He does not redeem groups of people he redeems individuals like you. Why does he do this remarkable thing?  For his glory and for his sake. God works to show his glory and we who have been chosen and redeemed were made to reflect his glory for God’s sake. When we understand and believe that the Lord of the universe loves us so much to die on the cross for us it truly is amazing!  All of this...

Isaiah 42:1-4 “1Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.“ God provides justice and mercy for all.  Justice for everyone and mercy for the people he chooses to trust in his salvation. Isaiah is saying again the Lord God is purposeful and has complete control of every part of the present and future. We try on our own to get what we think we need or think others need. On our own we have no power to achieve our plans but with God all things are possible and will be obtained. When we learn that we can trust Jesus our Lord the battle is won. Dying to ourself and l...

Isaiah 41:13-14 “13For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not,I am the one who helps you.” 14Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.” God is with us we shall not fear anyone but him. This is the theme of Isaiah and I believe of the Bible. Jesus came to show us what Isaiah was proclaiming that our God is a righteous, loving God. He created all things and controls all things. The good news is that his love is so great that he came to save us from our sins that kill us. His wonderful plan for us to praise him by trusting and obeying him everyday. When we realize how wonderful he is we like all creation praise him and magnify his holy name. Lord help us to see who you are more clearly today so we may praise and glorify you for you are worthy of all our praise. Thank you Jesus. Amen

Isaiah 40:28-31”The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” When your world feels like it is falling apart turn to Isaiah 40 and receive hope, strength, assurance and true victory in the Lord God. Isaiah opens the eyes and ears for all who can believe. The Lord, creator and sustainer of all things is with us to protect us and guide us and give us energy and strength to serve and obey him. All our enemies are nothing compared to God’s greatness. Jesus came proclaiming the truths of this great chapter and will come again to accomplish all of his father’s purposes. So w...

Isaiah 39:1-3 “At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2And Hezekiah welcomed them gladly. And he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.” A very interesting and common response to God’s blessings.  Hezekiah was cured of his sickness and given 15 more years.  Then the next event recorded he was being proud of all his riches.  Instead of telling his guests of the great mercy and grace of the Lord he shows them his wealth.  The Lord Is a jealous God that wants us to praise him for all he has done for us. Pride says look what I have, humility says look what the Lord has given me.  When we are hurting and worried we often turn to the Lord. That is good...

Isaiah 38:17-19 “Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back. 18For Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down to the pit do not hope for your faithfulness. 19The living, the living, he thanks you, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children your faithfulness.” Hezekiah was deeply sick and almost died then Isaiah came and told him he was going to die.  Hezekiah wept bitterly and prayed to the Lord for help. God heard his prayer and gave him 15 more years.  Hezekiah response to God’s mercy is to offer up praises to the Lord. He thank God for casting his sins behind him. This gives the Lord glory for his love and faithfulness.  Each day Jesus gives us an opportunity to praise and honor him by trusting in his mercy and sharing his love with others for in so doing we honor and praise his faithfulness to...

Isaiah 37:14-20 “Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 15And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: 16“O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. 17Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 18Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 19and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 20So now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD.” Hezekiah’s prayer was a powerful prayer because he believed in the Lord God of heaven and earth. The faith of a person who trusts i...

Isaiah 36:18-20 “Beware lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 19Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 20Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’” This part of Isaiah sets a scene of a messenger from the king in Assyria to the men of Jerusalem.  The messenger is threatening the city for destruction and they should give up before they are defeated.  He attacked their trust in the Lord saying that other nation’s god did not save them.  A real problem that occurs often throughout history.  People of God doubting the Lords faithfulness to them. We often listen to others who make us question Jesus, who he is and what he has done and is doing for us.  Who we listen to can eit...

Isaiah 35:8-10 “And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 9No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. 10And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. There is a place and great hope that Isaiah declares to holy people of God. There is a place where the Lord God lives and reigns where his people live and move with singing and everlasting joy.  All sorrow and sighing will flee away and these people are redeemed by the blood of Jesus so they rejoice in God their savior.  During difficult times of trials and tribulations let your hearts not be troubled trust in the Lord Jesus for he h...

 Proverbs 14:29-30 “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.” Anger is an emotion that responds to wrong actions that are aimed toward you or others. The difficulty is we often don’t have the full picture and motive behind the action.  Our anger often leads to sin because we are ultimately saying God I don’t like your plan for me right now.  We must learn to trust in the Lord Jesus in all moments so we can have the correct emotion for the situation by trusting and loving more than getting angry and upset. Lord Jesus help us to live for and by you. Amen

Thought of the day Isaiah 33:22-24 “For the LORD is our judge; the LORD is our lawgiver; the LORD is our king; he will save us. 23Your cords hang loose; they cannot hold the mast firm in its place or keep the sail spread out. Then prey and spoil in abundance will be divided; even the lame will take the prey. 24And no inhabitant will say, “I am sick”; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity. The Lord is our judge, lawgiver and king he will save us.  Isaiah is encouraging Israel that God is the leader that their and our hearts desire. He is the righteous judge, lawgiver and king. He provides an abundance of spoil for all his people and he forgives their iniquity. It seems to good to be true but it is true! Jesus came and is coming to make all these things happen.  His first coming he kept God’s justice and provided our forgiveness by faith in his work on the cross. His abundance is given by joy in our hearts now if we believe in him and when he comes again...

Isaiah 34:1-2 “ 1Draw near, O nations, to hear, and give attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it; the world, and all that comes from it. 2For the LORD is enraged against all the nations, and furious against all their host; he has devoted them to destruction, has given them over for slaughter.” Judgement is coming says the Lord God and we should know that God punishes sin. We must not say I am without sin and not worry or say God will be merciful to me for he loves me. God is a God of righteousness and truth and sin must be punished. Either he punishes you for every sin or he would be an unjust God.  The good news is that Jesus the God man came to take our sins on him and pay the cost of punishment for us.  We must believe and acknowledge this truth and share this great need to everyone who believes.  Amazing grace the live God has for us.  Don’t ever take his grace for granted but be thankful.  Thank you Jesus. Amen

Isaiah 31:2 “ And yet he is wise and brings disaster; he does not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity. Trusting in the Lord and not mankind is wise. God is so different (holy) than us. We are often not wise because we don’t know the future. We have no power to bring disaster.  And what we do often is say things that we wish we could take back. This is not so with Jesus. He is wise an powerful because he knows the future and determines all things. When his word says anything it will occur for he doesn’t take back his words and they always are true.  Therefore Lord Jesus help us to put our trust in you for you are the only one who has saved us and will continue to keep us until we see you face to face. For your glory Lord and our great joy. Amen

Isaiah 30:18-20 “Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. 19For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. 20And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher.” Our God is a gracious Lord slow to anger and abounding in love to his people.  He also is a just God punishing evil but waits for his people to turn from not trusting him. Paul said we were chosen before the foundation of the earth was formed to be God’s children by the blood of Jesus. God puts his reputation on our faith in him. Like his nation Israel he blesses them when they trusted him and punished them when they didn’t .  This is called discip...

Isaiah 29:22-24 “Therefore  thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale. 23For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. 24And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding, and those who murmur will accept instruction.” Isaiah’s mission was to open the eyes of Israel to the workings of God in their daily life. So often they were blind to God’s working and did not understand what he was doing.  The Lord is glorious and when our eyes, ears, and hearts our open to see him two wonderful things happen; first he receives glory by us being in awe of his great work and two our hearts receive tremendous joy that grows without limitations. We were made to find pleasure in Jesus.  Let Isaiah encourage us to see the Lord working in us and the ...

Isaiah 28: 29 “This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.” Isaiah in this chapter prophecies about mankind living and making merry with celebrations of wine drinking and being proud of their success. But often unrighteousness is used for obtaining their goals. God is a righteous Lord who punishes evil actions and self pride. He explains how his world works with planting and harvesting at appropriate time. God loves order and his commandments are true and worthy of obeying.  Therefore Isaiah ends the chapter in amazement of how wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom the Lord God is!  We should take note and agree that Jesus is amazing and desires our praise and honor. Yes God is the Lord of host because he is with us and in us working out his plans.  Thank you Jesus for loving us so much that you are intimately involved with us everyday.  Amen

Isaiah 27:2-7 “In that day, “A pleasant vineyard, sing of it! 3I, the LORD, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day; 4I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would march against them, I would burn them up together. 5Or let them lay hold of my protection, let them make peace with me, let them make peace with me.” 6In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit.” God has a plan for his people and the plan is good. If God purposes anything it will be done for there is no one, thing, or event that can stop him. When the Lord calls to us to come to him for protection and salvation we can trust him and obey. He has your future planed out and it is full of joy and peace. While the plan may bring challenges and difficulties we must know and rejoice for he is creating us to obtain his reward. What we need most is faith that he loves us and will never le...

Isaiah 26:4-7 “Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. 5For he has humbled the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city. He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust. 6The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy.” 7The path of the righteous is level; you make level the way of the righteous. Trusting in the Lord means to know his righteous way and obeying him. He will protect you and make you joyful if you trust him. What makes the righteous child of God joyful? When her path is level because she knows the Lord Jesus is her rock and she trusts in his love.  Thank you Jesus! Amen