Flight ISA02 - Part A

Judah was able to look at a historical example of what not to do so they said okay we will do it only for a while. They will do it later on and it will become their undoing.

When life gets easy to try to step out your own strength.

That's when it's most vital to trust in God's time today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip shares about the critical warnings. God gave Israel through the prophet Isaiah, and offers a vital lesson on why wait on the Lord at the end of the program Skip and his wife Linda sure about some helpful resources to help you dig into God's truth. We have connect with Skip Heitzig Abbott. This is probably my favorite because you can take teachings with you to go to the app store. Go to Google play get that little app asked if it's your favorite and then he threw it out and pick Kurt you like that app because it's on the go, but you Skip and when you be sure to stay with us after today's message to her the full discussion right now we want to tell you about a resource that shows what you can find great hope for today in Jesus resurrection pretty obvious that this world is filled with imperfect people and that's on purpose God is into restoring human beings he could make perfect people populate heaven with perfect people, but he doesn't do that. He takes people ordained up beat up bruise by time damaged by sin. He does all resto job on complete restoration celebrate the joy and beauty of redemption. The morning that changed everything with skip. I think this DVD collection of six hope filled Easter weekend messages is our thanks to you when you get $35 or more today to help connect more people to God's word and the redeeming love of Jesus Christ.

Restoration is based on redemption and redemption is tied to resurrection to give call 800-922-1888, or get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer the book of Isaiah as we get into the message with skip-is the most often quoted of the Old Testament prophets in the New Testament 21 times.

New Testament authors quote the book of Isaiah little bit a recap, Jesus started his ministry quoting the book of Isaiah. He went into the synagogue at Nazareth and opened up the scroll of the prophet Isaiah read from chapter 61 the spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor words right out of the prophet Jeremiah John the Baptist began his ministry quoting from Isaiah chapter 40 voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord make his pastorate where we left off last time I did make it all the way through the 39th chapters organ to begin a chapter 28 quickly move in that direction. But what we left off was a series of woes which is a proclamation of judgment when you say wow to somebody WOE it means. Look out what is about to come is in great woe to you is is a is a denunciation. Jesus used the term Walgreens describes Pharisees, you hypocrites. John the Baptist use the word well. The prophet Isaiah.

In a few chapters for pronounces a series of woes as the nations are in parade before him to receive their well but when you read all low it's like you want to also think of in terms of wool slow down a minute woe horsing you may have heard about the preacher who bought a horse from somebody in his church met the guy said it will preacher the horse that you're buying is very different from any other horse you've ever had were written I train this horse with biblical commands so don't think that you can say to this horse. Giddyup horse won't go if you say giddyup but if you say, praise the Lord the horse will take off when you want to stop this horse you can say woe you have to say amen if you say amen that horse will come to a stop preachers that I think I can manage that. Thank you very much for Donna's money mound. The horse started writing off by saying praise the Lord or started taken off into a nice trot.

He was have a good time as he was going out across the landscape a little jackrabbit jumped out of the bushes and spoke to the horse. So what went now into a full gallop toward a ravine with the 200 foot drop. The preacher panicked forgot all those commands he was supposed to say and said woe will pull back on the right 010 horse did not stop or slow at all as he was getting closer to the ravine in the nick of time.

He remembered the command and said amen and the horse screeched to a halt right on the precipice of that ravine and the preacher wiped his brow as a praise the Lord tonight. Would you to begin with some woes some amen some slow it down some denunciation of judgment again quickly. Chapters 1 through 39 is condemnation. Chapters 40 through 66 are about consolation that helps you remember condemnation and consolation. So the first part of the book is the prophet confronting nations, condemning nations getting in their face. Second part of the book is about hope and consolation not getting in their face as much as lifting up their arms about both parts of the book have condemnation and hope. The second part of the book deals mostly and hope. Now let me because I always like to do this, whether it's with adults or kids, but I always like to boil things down its simplest term the whole book of Isaiah, all of chapters 1 through 66 could be summed up in a nutshell in here it is that God will purify and prepare Israel for the Messiah. That's all of it boiled down to its irreducible minimum God will purify true judgment and thus prepare Israel for its Messiah for the first coming of the Messiah, when Jesus comes to deal with sin and for the second coming of the Messiah, when Jesus comes to rule and reign with those who have been cleansed from sin.

All of that is found in this book of Isaiah in chapter 28, the prophet wants to get the nations attention so they don't go down the destructive path, and so he gives a series of warnings, chapter 28 verse one low to the crown of pride to the drunkards of Ephraim noticed that word Ephraim. Now some of you.

I'm hoping by now will know what the word Ephraim refers to not just the person, not just a tribe but an entire nation and it's speaking about the northern kingdom. You remember how we have said a few times that Israel split north and south 10 tribes of North to tribes down south. The 10 northern tribes were called Israel but sometimes they were called by its biggest most principal tribe of the 10 Ephraim so here Ephraim doesn't mean a person doesn't mean a tribe means the northern kingdom of Israel called Ephraim woe or woe to them it continues, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which is at the head of the verdant valleys to those who are overcome with wine. Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one. Like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm like a flood of mighty waters overflowing who will bring them down to the earth with his hand now Isaiah the prophet was a mouthpiece of God, principally to the southern kingdom called anybody. Judah to tribes down south go under the name Judah, the 10 tribes under the name Israel, or in this case Ephraim so Isaiah is a prophet mostly in Jerusalem mostly to the southern kingdom of Judah. However, he is using the northern kingdom.

As an example of what not to do. They were drunk they were debauched. They were idolaters they didn't listen to previous profits and they went into captivity of the Assyrians in 722 BC. It continues verse three the crown of pride the drunkards of Ephraim will be trampled underfoot and with that in mind, go to the next chapter. Chapter 29 verse one here it says 102 REL your goal who is REL the word REL means lion of God or hearth of God or altar of God. It is a pseudonym like Ephraim that represents the North REL is a pseudonym to refer to Judah, the southern kingdom that becomes unmistakable. If you read to the chapter of the time to get to verse eight. It's unmistakable that is referring to Zion because he mentions the name so speaking here about Jerusalem and Judah. Woe to REL two REL, the city where David dwelt.

Now we know that's Jerusalem adhere to year.

Let feasts come around yet. I will distress. REL. There shall be happiness and sorrow, and it shall be to me as REL again. The word means lion of God or altar. So it's as if to say this altar will be common altar of blood because of the disruption that is coming upon the southern kingdom. I will encamp against you. Verse three all around. I will lay siege against you with the mound that is an army of siege amount and I will raise siege works against you. So we have to close into chapters go to chapter 30 verse one. There's another one. Low to the rebellious children, says the Lord, who take counsel, but not of me and who devise plans but not by my spirit, that they may add sin to sin, who walked down to Egypt and have not asked my advice to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh and to trust in the shadow of Egypt me tell you what's going on that northern kingdom Ephraim knew that the Assyrians were strong and were about to take them captive, so they sought friendships alliances with other nations. They bought them off.

They looked for strength and help from Egypt though. That didn't work because they were taken captive in 722 BC and the king down south.

So that's the northern kingdom. The king down south Judah, the southern kingdom is a king by the name of Hezekiah. He's going to be mentioned in the next coming chapters Hezekiah's advisors told him to go gets help from Egypt like the northern kingdom prided like look, the Assyrians are now after us.

They Artie took the northern kingdom. You need an ally and you need help and so go pay them some money and let them be your strength.

When Isaiah the prophet found that out is that bad move.

Bad form. Don't do it.

Israel tried that and they failed. The Assyrians took them over Seneca Rebbe, the ruler of the Syria made Israel its vassal state. If you like them. Trust in the flesh trust in the arm of the flesh trust in Egypt.

You two will fail.

Here's a principal. The southern kingdom of Judah was able to learn from somebody else's example. Now they will learn from it.

They will obey what Isaiah the prophet said, but only for a little while. It was George Santayana who was an historian who said those who fail to learn from history are doomed to relive history. Judah was able to look at a historical example of what not to do and so they said okay we won't do it only for a while. They will do it later on and it will become their undoing. Now I'm I'm following this because of verse were about to read is going to make more sense. What is the antidote to trusting in the flesh, trusting in God, trusting in the Lord.

Let me even go deeper more than just trusting in the Lord. It's waiting on the Lord's seat. When the enemy surrounds you, and you don't know what to do when you're tempted to go get help from worldly means sometimes you don't. You're tempted to act and react. You just need to stop and wait wait on the Lord wait on the Lord with down to verse 15 for thus says the Lord God, the holy one of Israel in returning that is don't go to Egypt come back.

Return to your land and return to your Lord in returning and rest you shall be saved in quietness and confidence shall be your strength but you would not see your your hope doesn't lion running toward Egypt and getting their help.

Its it's been quiet and appears God's children are so anxious in God the father, St. – stop rest weight. Wait on the Lord. Maybe that's a word from the Lord for you tonight your anxious something's coming up this week or next week or surgery of somebody you love or your own.

A possible interview that might end a job or something and you you are tempted to go out in act in the flesh and not wait on the Lord Jesus said come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. So he's telling them stop. Just wait, just rest to chapter 31 verse one again. Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the holy one of Israel, nor seek the Lord so there tempted to look for earthly help to fix their problem. Now my fast forward using this principle member how we talked about a prophecy that is fulfilled immediately but becomes a template 28. A greater fulfillment later on in the end of days. Things are going to get so bad in the world economically in terms of natural catastrophes that occur that the Bible predicts a ruler will come on the scene that will seem to have all the answers.

He goes by a number of names, most of us call him the Antichrist that we goes by about 50 different names in total in the Scripture. He is going to persuade people that he has the solution to their long-awaited questions and problems he'll bring them out of suffering will bring them relief, and the world will follow him. Jesus put it this way. I come in my father's name, and you do not receive me. Another will come in his own name, him you will receive. I think he speaking about that coming ruler that the world, even Israel at the time will gravitate toward just like the world want to do in the ancient times with Egypt. By the time you get down to chapter 35 Isaiah looks well beyond the current status of the nation of the Syria or Babylon well into the future a pass with the Bible refers to as the great tribulation.

On the earth past the tribulation to the coronation of the Messiah. He is already mentioned into the kingdom age, no notice some of these predictions of drastic changes that will occur.

Chapter 35 verse one the wilderness in the wasteland that shall be glad for them and the desert, our ears should perk up. The desert shall rejoice and shall blossom as the roads. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing the glory of Lebanon shall be given to at the excellence of Carmel that is now Carmel. When you go to Israel will be there and share in the plain of Sharon and they shall see the glory of the Lord, the excellency of our God. These are areas known for their agriculture and their prodigious verdant production of crops just beautiful landscape. The trees, the cedars of Lebanon, etc. so there seems to be a prediction of some radical changes on the earth. The change in the hydrological cycle that areas that are normally nonproductive and barren desert will be very, very productive that there will be geographical and topographical transformation taking place. Not a huge portion of the American Southwest of which we are apart is desert. Imagine the stretch say from Barstow to Tucumcari looking like Hawaii, bring it on just the desert blossoming forth like a rose. Now were told that some of these desert areas are are even growing their expanded not only that, but on the eastern part of California even up toward the North part of eastern Oregon part of eastern Washington. These are arid areas. There's lots of deserts in the world. I think Isaiah wasn't thinking a Barstow Turk Tucumcari go due. I think I'm thinking he's thinking of the negative of the Sinai desert of the Great American American Arabian Peninsula. Although sand dunes from Edom, or modern-day Jordan all the way to wire rack is. I mean, it makes it makes Rio Rancho look lush that there's only stones. There's not even plants that grow that even little shrubs. The growth I know because I took a 25 hour taxi from Amman Jordan to Baghdad ancient Babylon 25 hours one way and the only comforting thought. With this passage, one day this place ain't gonna look like this place, this place will be transformed. Like the prophet said then verse five. It goes on, the eyes of the blind shall be open the ears of the deaf shall be on stop the lame shall leap like a deer. The time of the dump shall sink for water shall burst forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert that wraps up Skip's powerful message for the series the Bible from 30,000 feet. If you Skip as they share about some helpful resource to help you dig into God's truth. The nation of Israel strayed from filing tax counsel and command and experience dire consequences skip. It's important to live our lives in obedience to the Lord and we can find his full counsel in his word. We have sent excellent resources so I listeners can dive into the truth. The Bible can you share some of those without. I'll share six of them with you. Number one is connectwithskip.com go to that website connectwithskip.com you can access over 3500 sermons verse by verse teachings to any book of the Bible. I people all the time as I always go to find out what you have to say about this because it's very rare to find a whole Bible commentary in an oral form like that so that's connectwithskip.com then on number two there's you version these are devotionals on the app you version so if you go to you version is a Bible app. You can find a devotional, a marriage, one on temptation one on developing a thankful heart, another on theology go there and get into the word that way then number three we have connect with Skip podcast.

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Thank you, Skip in line again.

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