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Isaiah 11

The recurring question is: How do we get from the increasingly more troublesome and shaking current state of affairs (of an arrogant and rebellious world), to the place that God originally intended? Joni Mitchell ALMOST got it right in her "Woodstock" song when she sang: "we have to get ourselves back to the garden". What she got wrong is that WE can't get ourselves back to the garden as long as the world continues in its sinful self  will. That redemption and restoration can only be accomplished by our zealous and jealous God. Isaiah 11 points to the miraculous plan of eternal God raising up the Branch from the lineage of Jesse. It's truly wondrous. We will visit Ezekiel 39 and some other places to tie this glorious package together. Yea God!

Isaiah 10

Again we are pressing into knowing and understanding our great God, and how He works on earth, among His people and also among all the nations. Isaiah is prophesying to his contemporary readers, and to us.

The work of the Spirit is intended to enlighten us to the ways of God and to transform our minds so that our alignment might be most effective, for His purposes and for His glory. We begin w a passage in Jeremiah that tells us what to rejoice in. And by His grace, we move a little deeper into that understanding in this session. 

Isaiah 8 & 9

This is a critical session in the study of this powerful book.

Isaiah 9:6 was not breathed upon by our God to Isaiah the prophet so that we might have a Christmas card slogan. It was revealed so that we, upon whom the end of the age has come, might gain holy understanding as to how God will unfold His plan for redemption - starting from the virgin birth of a Savior to the eventual and total rule and reign over all the nations by that second-time-to-appear same Messiah.

It's no wonder the world will counsel us not to talk about politics (government) or religion, as both can be inflammatory to any start-up conversation.

And yet "government" and "religion" are precisely God's property as well as God's agenda. That being the case, in our Christmas card slogan both are addressed.

Isaiah 9:6
⁶ For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

(NKJV)

 

 

Isaiah 7

Isaiah 7 has the prophet speaking to King Ahaz, and/but we first go into the compromised kingship of this failed leader who progressively walks into the trap of idolatry and ongoing wickedness. There is much to learn, to note, to avoid, and also there is understanding to embrace.

My personal opinion is that the (even-now-used) Jewish word "tsuris" has its root in "sarar" and "sara" (best pronounced tsara or tsarar, and not to be confused with the great wife of patriarch Abraham, Sarah (whose name is pronounced with the same soft "s" sound we speak in English).

Troubling times are times for which the saints are called and graced to be prepared, so that we might accomplish great exploits spoken of by Daniel.

Isaiah 6 (finally!) and some 2 Chron 26 before that

We conclude last week's investigation back in 2 Chron to gain more insight into kings, priests, anointings, callings, accountability etc. And then we proceed into Isaiah 6, better recognizing some of what likely was the pain-of-remembrance of the aborted reign of Uzziah. NT kings and priests are called to greatness, in sobriety and humility and obedience.

Suggestion: Over the course of the next week or two, you might want to read 2 Chron chapters 26-36. It chronicles (hence the book's name) the upcoming downfall of the Southern kingdom, into eventual captivity by the Assyrians. It is a huge theme-of-warning throughout the book of Isaiah (the study that we plan to continue). In Isaiah we will see God speaking both to (a) the people of that time and also (b) the people of our time - as our world walks out the days prior to the return of our Lord, days that will necessarily involve troublings and shakings so that people might draw close to the one true Hope and Deliverer. In Him, as always, we are safe and find success.

Isa 6 Prelude - God's original plan for a nation of king/priests

This week 4 podcast is an intentional full-session bunny trail to dig into God's desire for a dual-mantle-wearing nation of king/priests, first revealed and offered in Ex 19:3-6 and finally fulfilled in Christ, declared by Peter (1 Pet 2:6-12) and then trumpeted in Rev 1:4-6.

Powerful stuff. Powerful call. Huge potential. Huge responsibility. What we are called into as New Testament saints is, in the true biblical sense of the word, awesome.

When the prophet Isaiah (6:1) marks the year of his calling as "the year that King Uzziah died", I believe God offers the inquisitive reader understanding into some of the profundity of that timing. NEXT Saturday our plan is to look back into Uzziah's life and ministry, and then forward (finally!) into Isaiah 6.

There's innumerable king and priest stories chronicled in scripture, so that we might learn from real examples, both right and wrong. We need to unlearn what world-royalty and world-authority looks and behaves like, and we want to learn heavenly authority, as modeled by our King. As Paul tells us:

1 Corinthians 10:11
¹¹ Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the end of the age has come.

 

Complete In The Wholeness Of God

Mark 12:28-29

When the Pharisees asked the bottom-line question: "Which is the first (primary) commandment of all?", He answered them by first reciting the S'hma: "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one". "ECHAD" means "ONE" and the width, length and depth of that ONENESS speaks to wholeness, holiness, completeness, incomparability, and in His case, supremacy. We, as His people, are offered "ECHAD", in Him.
Wildly/prophetically, Zech 14:9 assures us that in that day (of His return), Jesus Himself will fulfill the S'hma. And in our pressing forward into God, and making room for the work of the Spirit in our lives, right here, right now, we can walk in wholeness, and holiness. This message was first spoken a while back, in California.

Isa 05 05.18.19

This is Week Three in our study of Isaiah. If you've listened to Weeks One and Two you already know that our Isaiah study will necessarily (and happily) take us all over the scriptures. I do believe that is the best and safest way we will remain most accurate and most able to understand not only the historicity or the prophetic nature of what has been written, but will also provide us with the ability to confirm our interpretation of some sometimes challenging-to-understand writings. The scriptures best testify of themselves. Please pardon my hoarse voice this week. TECHNO-NEW: Equipment-wise, plans are in the works to make your listening experience better.

Isa 03-04 05.04.19

Week 2 of Isaiah. A nation that still enjoying luxury and relative peace, so therefore assuming all was well w God, was being told that was not the case. And in the warning is an offer of acceptance by God and a promise to the righteous. BTW - the mis-addressed verse "when I slew them..." is actually in Psalms 78:34: "...when He slew them then they sought Him...."

 

Alignment Class Session 2 pt1

This is one portion of teaching from a class several years ago. Listening to a little of it, I did quickly sense the Lord in it. I remember the entire class and it was good and alive and remains so. If I can find the other sessions I will post them as well. Pardon the just-OK recording.