Lessons From Isaiah
Isaiah 1:10-15 (9/1/16)
September 1, 2016 • Benham Brothers
• Our nation is in trouble - we need a Solemn Assembly like 2 Chronicles 7:14. • But Isaiah 1 tells us that it will be useless if we don’t do something about the shedding of innocent blood. • The killing of kids in America is not “an” issue, it’s “THE” issue. • Everything hinges on bloodshed. • When God plans deliverance Satan plans destruction. • When God sent Moses Satan sought to “kill the kids.” • When God sent Jesus Satan sought to “kill the kids.” • Satan is killing the kids in America and the church, by-and-large, is having good church. • vs 11-12 - God doesn’t want us “doing” good church - He wants us “being the church. • His church is supposed to represent His truth at the gates of hell. • Question - if you were witnessing to someone and you looked over to notice a man about to hurt a little kid, what is your responsibility in that moment? • You can’t say, “That’s not my calling.” or “The gospel is more important.” • You have to DO SOMETHING about the kid.
Isaiah 1:15-17 (9/12/13)
September 12, 2013 • Benham Brothers
1 - Wash and make themselves clean 2 - Remove the evil 3 - Do good 4 - Seek justice 5 - Reprove the ruthless 6 - Defend the orphan 7 - Plead for the widow All of these steps go in order, so if you start reproving the ruthless (step 5) before you're washed clean then you will do it in the wrong spirit. You have to go in order!!! These steps will surely lead to success, as God defines success!
Isaiah 2:4 (9/30/21)
September 30, 2021 • Isaiah 2:3–5
* The Men of Issachar “understood the times” and knew what Israel should do. * In a time of crisis, the person who knows what to do will emerge the leader. * EX: Maintenance guy on 911 * Backstory - God sent prophets to warn His people to stay in line. * EX: Dad at men’s event - “would you mind talking to my boys?” * God sent a host of prophets who not only warned of judgment (Babylon) but gave them words of encouragement as well. * A prophet’s role: * They gave insight on what was coming and instruction on what to do. * Different times called for different messages. * The key was “understanding your times!” * In Joel 3:10 God was summoning the nations to battle - “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears.” * The instruments of peace are made into implements of war. * The tools of the trade become weapons for the deliverance. * The lessons we learn and the skills we acquire by being in the workplace are what God uses as tools to extend His kingdom and weapons to defend His kingdom here on this earth. * Jesus recruited “workplace” guys to be His disciples. * Peter fished for fish to prepare him to fish for men (lights, not lures). * EX: Painter at men’s event. * In Isaiah 2:1-4 God sent a different message (referring to life in his Millenial kingdom). * We take comfort in the fact that this day is coming, where we no longer have to battle anymore but all we do is build! * But that’s not the case today!!! * Today is a day for NEHEMIAH! * In the time of Nehemiah, he arose a leader who equipped people with two things: * A trowel to work with. * A sword to fight with. * They were to BUILD and BATTLE!
Isaiah 3:1 & 9 (9/19/14)
September 19, 2014 • Benham Brothers
God said He would remove supply and support of Israel - this was His provision and His protection. When we remove ourselves from under God's authority then we don't get His provision or protection any longer. Life must be provided for and protected in order to flourish. When the Author of life is removed then the sustainability of life is no longer possible. In America we sing "God Bless America" while trying to remove "One Nation Under God." We want the blessing part of God but not the ruler part of God - we want a Savior but not a Lord. How do you know God is removed? When sin is celebrated. vs 9 So long as there's guilt associated with sin God can still remain, but when guilt is removed and then replaced by celebration God will not stick around. Just flip on the TV and tell me if you think we've removed God from America today.
Isaiah 4:6 (2/21/24)
February 21, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Isaiah 4:6
* You know Jesus is coming back one day, right??!! * When He does He will reign as King. * And the world will fall in line w/His order. * There will still be sin in that day, but it will be dealt with justly. * Look at what Isaiah says that day will be like: * vs 4-6 - When Jesus returns, “The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. 5 Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. 6 It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.” * God’s presence is a “shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.” * When we take refuge in God, it doesn't stop bad stuff from happening. * They just won't affect us like they would if God wasn't our protection. * EX: It's like being out in the cold but then someone gives you a warm blanket. * They didn't stop the weather, they just brought you comfort in the midst of it. * This is what it will be like when Jesus comes back physically. * But here’s the key - we can experience this same truth spiritually before it becomes a physical reality upon His return. * A warm blanket is outside-in comfort. * But we can be warm from the inside-out! * Imagine getting your heart-rate elevated in the middle of the cold. * You’ll be hot and not need a blanket! * We can have this type of comfort today when we place our faith, hope, and trust in God! * When we sync our hearts w/Him it warms us up on the inside. * Jeremiah said, “Your Word is like a fire shut up in my bones and I am weary of holding it in” (Jeremiah 20:9). * Paul told Timothy, “Fan into flame the gift of God that is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6). * Stoking the fire of God’s Word in our hearts by spending time alone w/God is the key. * Reading the Bible w/a heart of surrender is so powerful. * And it will keep you burning hot in the midst of the storm.
Isaiah 5 (9/10/15)
September 10, 2015 • Benham Brothers
Verse 5-6 shows the punishment for their sins - God's protection and provision was removed. Here were their sins: 1) Covetousness (vs 8-10) - fostered by comparing. 2) Drunkenness (vs 11-17) - fostered by indulgence. 3) Carelessness (vs 18-19) - fostered by comfort. 4) Deception (vs 20) - fostered by desire. 5) Pride (vs 21) - fostered by rebellion. 6) Injustice (vs 22-25) - fostered by selfishness.
Isaiah 5:10 (9/5/19)
September 5, 2019 • Benham Brothers
* In Isaiah 5:8-30 we see Israel were engaging in six sins: * Greed & Covetousness, Drunkenness & Partying, Carelessness, Deception, Pride, Injustice. * vs 10 - When your main goal for work is to “get” for yourself rather than “give” to God you negatively affect your ability to produce. * This verse is a picture of a lack of profit. * They were able to get a “little something,” but not enough to create a profitable business. * All because they had the wrong motive for work. * Our work is meant to be our primary way to worship God. * Worshipping God is about finding peace. * So if you’re not worshipping God in your work then you’re not finding His peace. * It doesn’t matter how much money you make if you don’t have peace. * You’ll discover your work is not very profitable.
Isaiah 5:20 (9/5/19)
September 5, 2019 • Benham Brothers
* How does a person choose evil? * A heart bent on sin calls evil good. * His will (which is bent on sin) will convince the intellect that there is something good to be gained by giving in to the temptation. * Like a person who steals money - they don’t see stealing as evil because it’s good to be rich, it’s good to give, it’s good to have money for my family. * He has called evil good. * Think about Eve - “when the woman saw that the tree was GOOD for food, and that it was a DELIGHT to the eyes, and it was DESIRABLE to make one WISE…” * The only way she could sin was to convert the disobedience into something good. * People do evil when they have converted the act into something good for them. * Think about a time when you sinned (did evil). * You first convinced yourself that what you were about to do was justifiable. * Some greater need at the moment blocked the voice of your conscience and you called evil good. * If this is unchecked for too long, you will then start to call good evil. * This is when you become a God-hater.
Isaiah 6:1-8 (10/7/21)
October 7, 2021 • Benham Brothers • Isaiah 6:1–8
* A few weeks ago we talked about the spiritual / physical connection. * God - Church - People - World (Institutions, governments, etc). * Our bodies are made the same way. * Brain - Glands - Hormones - Body (Organs, tissues, etc). * Just as people are the messengers in the world, hormones are the messengers of our bodies. * They tell our organs and tissues what to do and how to function. * Dopamine is a hormone that’s purpose is to help us with movement & motivation. * It’s the “feel good” chemical - gives us a sense of fulfillment & satisfaction. It’s also called a “reward” chemical that’s tied to accomplishment. * produce it thru nutrition, exercise, good music, meditation - but the best way to produce it is through PURSUIT! * RESEARCH: * Dopamine is a molecule in your brain and body that makes you look outside yourself, pursue things outside yourself, and to crave things outside yourself. * It is a universal currency inside all mammals that helps us accomplish goals. It’s the way you track success and whether you are fulfilled. * Low dopamine means you are not very motivated, and high dopamine means you are very motivated. * It is released in two different brain pathways, and one of those pathways is tied to your pursuit of a goal. When you pursue a finish line, a potential partner, a degree, or anything, it releases dopamine in your body. * Addictive drugs disrupt this pathway, and that is why those caught in addiction don’t want to accomplish anything (video games for boys). * This brain science shows us the power of vision long before we ever knew that our brain chemicals are tied to it. * Proverbs 29:18 - “Without a vision the people perish.” * Personal vision - what do you want for yourself? * Professional vision - what do you want for your work? * Prophetic vision - what is God doing in the world? * Habakkuk 2:2 - “Write down the vision; make it plain upon tablets, so that the one who reads it may RUN!” * Andy Stanley - “The clearer the vision, the fewer the options, the easier the decision.” * Two Keys to Vision: * 1) Sight (vs 1-4) - He saw the Lord (reverence). * Vs 4 points back to Moses on the mountain. * You know you’ve seen God when you respond like Isaiah (vs 5). * 2) Insight (vs 5) - He saw himself (humility). * Before he pronounced “woe” on others, he had to say “woe” is me! * It was his mouth - his greatest strength was also his greatest weakness. * Process - conviction / confession / cleansing (vs 6-7). * A coal from the altar of sacrifice - it is hot and can hurt your lips. * God’s hurt always brings God’s healing! * He had sinned with his mouth in the past, but it no longer defined him. * Vision (vs 8) - He saw the need (it wasn’t about him). * Isaiah volunteered for the job - he didn’t wait for it to become a passion. * Bible Knowledge - “The prophet knew that the entire nation needed the same kind of awareness of God and cleansing of sin he had received. So he responded that he would willingly serve the Lord (Here am I).”
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9/8/16)
September 8, 2016 • Benham Brothers
• The call of God to Isaiah went in three phases: • 1) Isaiah saw the Lord - God revealed Himself to Isaiah, and Isaiah “saw” Him. • Too often people jump into doing things for God without having first “seen” Him for who He truly is. • God is love and truth - he’s compassion with standards - that’s who He is. • 2) Isaiah was broken over his sin - when he saw God he felt immediate conviction. • You know you’ve seen the Lord when your reaction is like Isaiah’s. • I tell my kids that when they meet with God they should always feel some type of conviction. • 3) Isaiah was cleansed from his sin - God not only took the sin away but also the guilt of it. • Based upon this freedom Isaiah could now be God’s voice to the people. • Isaiah volunteered - this is the difference between obedience and honor. • We need to go through these steps as well before we do anything for God.
Isaiah 6:2 (2/14/24)
February 14, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Isaiah 6:2–3
- When things get bad, God is still in charge - He’s on the throne! - Isaiah 6 is one of the best passages of Scripture to show that no matter how bad things get, God is still doing something! - vs 2a - “In the year that King Uzziah died…” - It was a bad time for Jews, because Uzziah was a great king. - In that dark time, God gave Isaiah a vision! - vs 2b - “…I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” - He saw God on the throne! - His robe filled the Temple. - This means His presence was everywhere! - vs 3a - “Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying...” - They were in a posture of worship to the Holy King. - vs 3b - “…And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” - Three times they said “holy, holy, holy,” which shows that Jesus is holy to the third power! - Let’s think about the wings of these creatures. - Two covered their faces. - Two covered their feet. - Two of them were used to fly. - We can apply this to the way we live our lives: - 1) We cover our face in reverence - this is all about the posture of your life. - Are you reverent to God? Do you approach Him with holy awe? - He is worthy of our honor and respect, reverencing even the very mention of His name. - This is the best posture to have in your life. - 2) We cover our feet in holiness - the wings covering the feet reminded me of when God told Moses to take off his sandals because the place he was standing was holy ground. - To approach a holy God, we must be holy. - To be holy means two things - set apart and devoted. - We must be set apart from the world - we can’t blend in. - And we must be fully devoted to God above all others. - 3) We work with a heart of worship - the last two wings were used to keep the angels flying. - This signifies the work we do with what God has given us. - All of us have a work to do. - When we work with a heart of reverence and holiness in worship to the Almighty God, He smiles at our effort and gives us His presence. - Let’s apply this to our lives today!
Isaiah 6:5 (2/21/24)
February 21, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Isaiah 6:5
* How can you know when you have really met with God, when you are truly in His presence? * Two Ways: * 1) When temptations decrease (“flee youthful lusts”). * 2) When convictions increase. * We’re going to focus on convictions. * When you meet w/God you will become conscious of your own specific inadequacies in living up to the standard God has for your life. * Isaiah had just met with God - he had a vision of the Lord. * How did he respond? * vs 5 - “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” * The minute he was in God's presence he experienced conviction. * It wasn't just a general feeling of guilt, but a very specific conviction toward an aspect of his life that could quench the working of the Spirit in his life. * KEY - God is specific with conviction, not generic. * Generic guilt is from Satan. * Specific guilt is from God. * Isaiah’s strength - his calling - was to be a mouthpiece for God. * But that was also his weakness. * KEY - Your greatest weakness is often an overextension of your greatest strength. * How can we come into the presence of the Lord? * Surrender * When you meet with God ask the question - "is there anything in my life that would hinder our relationship?” * Humility * See yourself through the grid of who God is an who you are in relation to Him. * Obedience * Trust and Obey - for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus!
Isaiah 10:5 (9/6/18)
September 6, 2018 • Benham Brothers
* God used Israel’s enemy to punish them. * Then he punishes Israel’s enemy, but only after He used them to course correct His people. * God often uses the weaknesses of others to get us where He wants us to be. * We shouldn’t focus on their weakness but on what God may be saying to us through their actions. * ex: my boss at DDC. * God will deal with our “enemies” in His own time, but until then let God use them in your life to smooth out your rough edges.
Isaiah 10:15 (2/28/24)
February 28, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Isaiah 10:15
* When God wants to do something in the world, He uses people to do it. * If He does it any other way it’s called a miracle. * God wants to do good things through you. * We have a part to play, but it’s God’s power on display. * God does His part and we do ours. * EX: Manna in the wilderness. * We are tools! * For us to take credit for doing anything would be like a shovel taking credit for digging a hole - we're just the tools God's chosen to get the job done! * God uses us as tools, but He also uses others. * He will use them to get us where He wants us. * In Isaiah 10, God is using Israel's enemies to punish them for their idolatry. * Then He reminds them that He's the One Who's doing it - their enemies are simply His tool of choice. * vs 15 - “Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!” * God uses people, but so does Satan. * We can be a tool for God or a tool for Satan. * Our job is two-fold: * 1) Be someone God can use (be humble and willing). * And when you do good things, remember that you’re just a tool. * 2) See through people to the spirit that’s animating them. * If what the person is doing is good you won’t worship them, you’ll worship God! * If what they’re doing is bad you won’t hate them, you’ll hate the sin in them! * EX: Jesus complementing Peter, then rebuking him. * On both occasions, Jesus saw “through” the person to the spirit that animated them. * Seeing ourselves as a tool for God or Satan keeps us from getting bitter toward people or worshipping people. * We don’t whig out when people wrong us because we know God could be using that to strengthen us or get us where He wants us to go. * And we don’t worship people when they do good stuff because we recognize they can do nothing apart from God. * We are all tools. * It’s up to us as to whose tool we’ll be!