Isaiah 55 vs 6-13

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Isaiah 55 vs 6-13

Calvary Chapel Cherry Creek

April 3, 2024 • Pastor Matt Korniotes • Isaiah 55:6–13

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Isaiah Chapter 55 Verses 4 – 5

· David! The murderer. The adulterer! The failed father. He looked in the mirror and knew he walked with God, knew he loved God AND he knew that his relationship with God was DEFINITELY based on God’s goodness and not his own. So, he writes in Psalm 42:1 and 5, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. Why are you cast down O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance!”

· Leadership in the heart of a Christian is so important! It cannot be overemphasized. That in Christ, through Christ, because of Christ, in response to Christ and for Christ, we are to be a light in a very dark world, a leader of this human race in terms of the things of God. Why are so many Christians so great at being a leader in the things of the enemy!? Pride, contentions, divisions, hatred, discouragement, room deflater and the negative nobility in the room!?

· Well, here’s why… They jump right to boss-ship, being something more than others, before beginning at the first stage of true leadership which is simply to be a witness. “Indeed, I have given him as a witness to the people.” Who?

· A broken, grace-needing and grace filled terrible sinner…, and yet the greatest king Israel ever has yet known… He began, his first identity within himself was that he was a witness of God. Then comes leadership. See that in verse 4? And that doesn’t mean someone that calls shots or someone that others listen to and accept and embrace and comply with… That’s not leadership…

· Leadership is doing what is right, what is best for others…, alone. Doesn’t matter who is or is not doing it. You are. That is leadership. The fact that others follow simply reveals the leader… So, there is a foundation of witness, then there is a season of leadership…, then comes what everyone wants, the right and the calling and the ordaining of God to be a commander for the people. Not because you are or want to be a commander. You are a witness of God’s goodness. You are a leader in your own heart and mind…, and now, you are qualified to help, not hurt, help others… That is to be a commander for the Kingdom of God.

· AND when commanders like this are in command then God’s glory smears on the people, the land, the ways, the group, the family, the everything like a thick jam! Proverbs 29:2 says, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice! But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.” What is a wicked man? A bad commander…, not yet a leader…, not a witness of God but a leader in the ways of the enemy…

Isaiah Chapter 55 Verse 6

· I don’t encourage you to take this as at some point God cannot be found and at some point, God is not near… Jesus said that He will be with us to the end, and that in Him we will never be left or forsaken. I encourage you to read this as seek the Lord because (as a matter of fact), if you do, you’ll find Him, He may be found. And call upon God because (as a matter of fact), He is near to you… And the next verse gives us the heart-condition that God desires…

Isaiah Chapter 55 Verse 7

· Align your heart and mind with the heart and mind of God. That is to lay aside wicked intent and action. It’s a sigh moment, a selah, where you just face that whatever you are thinking or doing or have done is not right in the eyes of God and you make that immediate change right then. That’s called submission, that’s called faith, that’s called humility, that’s called worship, that’s called repentance. It is the shortest path, the straight line to returning to the Lord. AND, the most efficient path to having God just take care of things.

· How is it that we ask for guidance, and wisdom, and blessings, and results from the Lord and yet refuse to walk with Him? I want God’s results…, my only path to that is to go about it God’s way. Sometimes that looks like going to the cross, sometimes that looks like flipping over tables…, sometimes that looks like offering grace to the down-trodden, “I don’t condemn you either, go and sin no more…,” Sometimes that looks like calling folks a brood of vipers openly and in public… Either way, whether it feels great in the moment or not, I demand God’s results in my life and so the only path to that is to seek the Lord and stay in alignment with what He would have me to do…

· By the way, that is a place that invites loneliness. That is a position that creates a desire in others to criticize…, so be it! I am and we should not be after or prioritizing the desired results of others upon our lives. That is not leadership that is collectivism and harkens back to the leadership approach of Nimrod… “Let us make a name for ourselves…” I am and we should be after prioritizing the desired results of God upon our lives…, if you want God’s results! Check out these next supporting verses on this topic!

Isaiah Chapter 55 Verses 8 – 9

· This calls me to set aside earthly rationale, experiential education, even feelings and emotions and take up a willingness to play the long game and sacrifice the moment for the righteous result…, to not be penny wise and pound foolish…, but to trust the Lord because He is intensely greater! This is why God’s word is SO profitable as we read in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness!”

· I also love this because it is a pure confrontation to the pride of people. That if I just faith-this-up then God will do what I want or if I just name this then I can claim it or if I just declare it then God will deliver it! But God’s ways and thoughts are higher! And He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to Ephesians 3:20… So no, it’s not about what I would do or how I am approaching or thinking about a situation…, it’s about submitting to the One who is eternally greater than me! It’s sobering and yet its also entirely freeing to realize that my faith, my religion, my life, my exactly everything is not actually about ME!

· Yes, I feel, yes, I deduce, yes, I comprehend, yes, I exist, and yet because of the fact and reality of God, I must decrease and He must increase! AND, God’s ways and thoughts are not like mine!? GOOOOOOD! WHEW! Because when you live long enough you begin to see that your ways and thoughts are sorely lacking!

Isaiah Chapter 55 Verses 10 – 11

· I love this! Learn the word or not… Submit myself to the superiority of Jesus Christ or not… the word will still be fully fulfilled in my life and in yours! Just like rain coming down onto the ground. Let the ground try not to change… HA! Here comes rain… It was dirt… Now we might see some beautiful flowers, luscious green grass, profitable crops…, or maybe some fungus…, ha! Or some MUD! Whatever we are going to see…, we are going to see something! And that is the power and the effectivity of the word of God!

· What should the water bring and what can the water of the word of God bring? LIFE! Seed to the sower, bread to the eater…, water is key to life and yet in some environments, water simply turns the ground into mud… And folks can even get quite stuck… But the intent of the word of God?... Look there, that amazing and great word…, “Prosper.” It means to advance, to cause success, to break out, to overcome, to bring about increase!!

Isaiah Chapter 55 Verse 12

· That is a verse that I think about personally quite often. As you trust in the Lord and His ways are being brought about in your life, even when you are suffering, go outside, listen long enough and you will hear the wind in the trees and the sound of branches, leaves, even grass blades and know that is an encouragement from heaven for you to keep going! God is with you! You are highly favored! You are loved! And He is the King of kings and the Lord of Lords!

Isaiah Chapter 55 Verse 13

· Thorns…, briers…, these are what it might look like today or what you would expect to grow…, but trust the Lord and stay humble… What will grow in the place of your own expectations, fears, even desires will surprise you, impress you, delight you…, and in that its not even about you…, its unto the glory of the Lord!

Isaiah 58 vs 1-14

May 15, 2024 • Pastor Matt Korniotes • Isaiah 58

Isaiah Chapter 58 Verses 1 – 3 · This is such a great chapter because it points out that simply doing the right things is simply not the whole story. The objective of these first three verses is to educate them/us, the people of God and the nation of Israel (which is the entirety of the elect) that a limiting factor in our growth, in our maturity, in our lives, our satisfaction and our faith is not only how we discipline our behaviors but much more so the condition of the heart! · I seek the Lord daily, as do many of you. I delight to know the ways of God, as do many of you. I pray for justice and take great delight in approaching God! And yet simply doing those things doesn’t constitute righteousness nor what God has asked of me… The result of this condition is the beginning of verse 3 where the people respond to God, “We are doing what is written but we aren’t getting anything out of it…” See the problem? · This chapter speaks more on fasting and uses the term fast or fasting more than any other chapter in the Bible. And it is authoritative and very revealing as to what fasting is all about. What is fasting? In the context of the Bible, fasting is a withholding of some sort of physical necessity for a period of time for spiritual purposes. Most common, fasting is a total neglect of food but can also be the neglect of something specific as we see in Daniel 10:3 where Daniel fasted for three weeks from “pleasant bread, meat, and wine.” · Why fast, should we fast, and why is it called a fast?! It goes so SLOW! HA! Well, the rest of this chapter we will discuss the why behind fasting. Should we fast? Absolutely! You’ll see that before the end of the study today as well. And why is it called a FAST!? HA! Let’s answer this one now. Perhaps this isn’t the textbook answer but a fast essentially accelerates the work of the Spirit as the flesh is weakened… · So, let’s look at what the issue is with the fasting that is mentioned in verse 3 as we take in the next verses, and this topic is important, you’ll know more as we continue, because Jesus was questioned about fasting in Matthew 6 and His response in verse 16 was, “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Jesus lays out a very clear directive, expectation and result…, so yes, this is an important topic for any Christian… Isaiah Chapter 58 Verses 4 – 5 · So, the end of verse 3 through verse 5 lays out the problem statement of how not to approach fasting. God says, “In the day of your fast you find pleasure,” which is an indictment that the reason behind the fast was some sort of worldly desire, something I want from God, and we know that because the end of verse 3 goes on to say that the attitude of the one that is fasting is selfishness. Exploiting or increasing the load of the other laborers, those serving you… · This fast is certainly for something personally desired, wanted, demanded as we read in verse 4 that the purpose of the fast is for strife, debate and to strike with the fist of wickedness. This fast is to make YOUR voice heard on HIGH. As we will see as we continue is the exact opposite of the fast that God desires. Isaiah Chapter 58 Verse 6 · Perhaps the single authoritative summarized scripture on the subject of fasting. Survey all of the fasts we find in the Bible; Paul fasted, Gideon fasted, Moses fasted, Elijah fasted, Samual fasted, Esther faster, Ezra fasted…, and some fasted for victory and others for deliverance, and yet survey them all in the shadow of Isaiah 58:6 and you will see that this is why they all fasted… Even Jesus, just not for Himself… · We don’t fast so that our voice will be heard on high, that’s verses 1 – 5. We fast so that God’s voice is heard in here (my brain/heart) without hindrance. We fast so that the flesh might be put into its place and the spirit might have the preeminence. To loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, to break every yoke! · People say there are so many reasons to fast and so many reasons why anyone fasted in the Bible. I don’t see that at all. There is one reason why everyone fasted in the Bible with many results! Look at this result… Isaiah Chapter 58 Verse 7 · I love this! This is a heart and an action, just not an action alone. You are fasting from bread and although it is what you physically need the most, you don’t store it for when you break your fast, you give it to someone who is in need of it. Cover the naked, take care of the people around you, and in doing so you end up asking yourself, “Why am I not like this just in general?” My own flesh becomes evident to me, why? Because it screams and I acknowledge it, but I don’t give to it! Isaiah Chapter 58 Verses 8 – 9 · People could take that (and have taken that) to mean that if you fast hard enough, if you starve long enough, this is what God requires for Him to answer you. That’s just ridiculous on so many levels! My sister lives in Florida. Let me call out to her right now with the most volume-filled shout I can muster! Will she answer!? NO! Why? Because she’s not here! Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life and NO ONE comes to the Father except through ME!” · This is the proof text to James 4:6 where it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble!” God told us through the profit Isaiah that His people reach out to Him all day long expecting to worship but their hands are covered in blood. Isaiah 1:12-17, “When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me. I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; Seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.” · If we have not the heart to humble ourselves and receive the grace of God and serve Him and be for Him and not for us then a thousand prayers, a thousand church attendances, a thousand ministry outings, a thousand Bible Studies…, all thousand apart from the Lord. Jesus said to the church in Ephesus in revelation 2:2-4, “I know your works, your labor, your patience, on and on all the things you do, nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love…” · Folks have asked me over the years what to do…, I pray, I go to church, I serve and yet God doesn’t answer me. I tell them stop! Stop all of that! Why? Because what truly is needed is for us to get to a position of worship, praise and honor unto God even if He never answers us! Humility is the position of approach to God because that looks like the cross. No one, Jesus said, no one comes to the Father except through Him! · It’s not that God wasn’t answering. Its that you are calling to Him not where He is… Angela doesn’t live in Colorado, she’s in Florida! But I shout for her here and she doesn’t answer me…, she must not love me, she must not be good…, no… Unfortunately, the issue is me. And folks don’t want to hear that…, through fasting, this is how we perhaps begin to listen… And the position of our hearts perhaps will go from shouting to service! Look at what that looks like… Isaiah Chapter 58 Verses 10 – 12 · But I demand God to restore me, build me, repair me…, the mystery of holiness is that when you let that go and submit your will unto God’s, (essentially accepting the situation of a doulos/slave/disciple to Christ) that’s when He does those things…, and not a moment sooner. It’s when you become yourself what you are demanding of God…, to serve you, to answer you, to incline His ear to you…, and yet perhaps through fasting I surrender all and weaken my flesh so that I serve Him, I answer Him, I incline my ear to Him…, it’s then…, in that drought, God satisfies the soul…, as James puts it…, God gives His grace to the humble… Isaiah Chapter 58 Verses 13 – 14 · The way up is down, man. It’s true in your home, its true in your marriage, it’s true in your career, it’s true in your walk towards victory in Christ…, it’s just true. Hard and narrow is the path that leads to life…, few find it. Why? Because we all get stuck on the “hard” and on the “narrow.” When we entirely disregard that that path is the PATH OF LIFE! It’s not easy this path, but touch that life, man… (Jesus said it’s Him), and in a mysterious way you begin to actually love and to cherish the work, the labor, the toughness of that path… · I see now. How worth it is. How necessary it is… Without that hard and narrow, the bonds of wickedness would never have broken. The heavy burdens would never have lightened. The oppression in me would have never freed. The yokes that weighed me down and halted me would have never broken!! Many are called, few are chosen, and few find it…, and it’s obvious why…

Isaiah 57 vs 11-21

May 8, 2024 • Pastor Matt Korniotes • Isaiah 57:11–21

 Pride is the absolute worst disease of the spirit in all of creation. Rather than define what pride is, it’s far more-clear to say what it is not. It is not a spirit of service and responsibility towards God and others. It is a spirit of service and responsibility towards self…  Pride cannot be tolerated because it quickly becomes your god. It’s like a drug. There is no dabbling. You touch it and it takes over. Pride is the satanic supplement in the nature of created man that causes every kind of evil and torment… And it’s so extremely dangerous, you stay entirely clear of it as much as possible, because every one of us (in our flesh) loves it…  The only cure for it is to not fight it but to overcome it. If you fight pride, in a way, that itself is prideful. You must ignore it, release it, like the itch of a mosquito bite…, the moment you scratch it, it gets worse. So, the only cure for pride is humility… To cheerfully and joyfully submit myself to God and to others… Proverbs 16:19 says, “Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” Isaiah Chapter 57 Verses 11 – 12  That’s quite the challenge from God that is so healthy! All of your works and righteousness, you doing what you think is right…, what has it gotten it you? Where has it gotten you? I am confident that there is no one in this room that would go to work tomorrow for free…, or better yet, what if you had to pay your employer tomorrow to go to work!? Your life delivers what you have invested. It’s as simple as that and the will and want of God is for our good, for our profit!  Perhaps not in terms of money or resources, but I’m also not necessarily saying not! The point is that our life and who we are will be a direct result of the wise investments we make or the unwise investments we make in terms of who’s righteousness we employ. Ours, or Gods!  And this word for profit in the Hebrew (I can’t make this up) its “yaal!” Literally pronounced “yaw-al!” HA! God’s like, “YALL! Come and buy without money and be greatly satisfied!!” You want to work for no profit that’s on you, but for me, profitlessness is one of my personal enemies!  Do you know what is profitable? Love. Kindness. Giving someone the benefit of the doubt. Serving the Lord. Doing for others what you can do for them. Treating others not how you want to be treated but how they need you to treat them. Playing the long game. Being willing to suffer and sacrifice for some sort of desired goal or outcome… Trusting the Lord is profitable even when I can’t see the end… Isaiah Chapter 57 Verse 13  How about we trust the Lord and then when I cry out to the Lord, I call out in hope knowing He will deliver me because it is in Him I have put my trust. Not my mental trust, like my literal action-oriented God trusting decisions… That vibe is totally different than what we just read when we call out to Him in our moment of trouble! Isaiah Chapter 57 Verses 14 – 15  God is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The Creator of all things. Perfect, holy, just and all mighty. And He makes His company only with those that are contrite and humble in spirit. Humble we get. Maybe…  Humility is not considering self-less than others, it’s just simply considering self-less. What’s important to God is important to you and anything that challenges that is muted and starved. Hated and hunted in your heart of hearts. That’s humility. Not the thought or urge to think differently, this is the resolution and discipline to DO differently. That’s humility. It’s the strongest of strengths and it is the non- negotiable of whom God blesses and approves as His people!  But God also uses the characterization of contrite. Contrite gives an essence of guilt. Of remorse. Of sorry. That we know we have fallen short, we know we are saved and accepted by grace, AND we are still sorry. Let me give you another word for contrite. Accountable…  Here are two things that are at the tip top of the list of short order in the world and in the church. Humility and accountability. Many are called, few are chosen. Why? This. God makes His place with the humble and the contrite. Not the humble alone. The humble and the contrite… These He revives! Isaiah Chapter 57 Verses 16 – 18  These verses are difficult and seem out of place. God could perhaps be talking about one who strays or He could be talking about the nation of Israel as a whole. Either interpretation is acceptable. Isaiah Chapter 57 Verses 19 – 21  There is no peace for the wicked. Always searching, always grasping, never arriving…, going from thing to thing, person to person, problem to problem, relationship to relationship and like a self-fulfilling prophecy, always somehow turning out the same, never finding what they’re looking for... Like a troubled sea… It’s an indictment yes, but its also an offering that the peace of God is held out and offered to anyone and everyone…  Peace is far more than the end of war. The word means completeness. Settled on the inside. Sound in heart and mind. Safe. Content. The word even means a friend. It is a return to the closest state of original creation… THAT is profit! You know, war is profitable. The US defense budget for 2024 is roughly $850B dollars. Lay those dollars out and count without any breaks and it would take you 26 thousand years! War is profitable… But did you know, studies have shown, there’s very little empirical evidence of this, but studies have shown that peace is far more profitable than war?  Some financial brains have calculated that peace has a 6,000% return on investment. Why? You stop paying for destruction of valuable assets, destruction of population, destruction of earning/creating power (casualties of war), and destruction/stifling of civil innovation. It’s an interesting idea, the profitability of peace…  But industries would have to change, companies would have to change, experience in war machine design would be worth much less, and the concentration of wealth would well…, have to be far less concentrated…, which the supreme elite would never allow…  But for me, for you…., hey, we will be profitable in this life, no doubt. We have given our lives to Jesus. We have a form of godliness, everyone of us…, few will find out that peace is multiplied millions of times more profitable than war…, but hey…, many are called, few are chosen.

Isaiah 57 vs 1-21

May 1, 2024 • Pastor Matt Korniotes • Isaiah 57

Isaiah Chapter 57 Verses 1 – 2 · “The righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart.” Good thing Numbers 23:19 tells us that God is not a man… The righteous perishes and the merciful men are forsaken but nothing is lost on God. The rest of the righteous doesn’t, (can’t), come from this world. That doesn’t even make sense. The satisfaction of the saint can only come from the Spirit. · So as the things of this world continue to be unfair, difficult, frustrating and wearisome, its ok… You don’t go to Subway for a steak. They don’t serve that there. The world is going to do what the world is going to do. People are going to live for themselves. Call things that are evil, good. The world is going to harm you and call it right and fair… All of those things do much less damage if you expect them! · Verse 2 speaks of peace, rest, and uprightness. Uprightness in this world gets you contentions, debates and cycles of swirl! Verse 2 possibly speaks of death as well in the way this is worded and if that is so then we have a verse that reconciles how it is that the Bible speaks of death in certain places as “sleep.” Notice verse 2 says that entering into peace they shall rest in their beds…, and walk in uprightness! Yes, the Bible speaks of death as sleep, yes, the Bible speaks of the dead entering into their graves, and yes, the Bible speaks of the body doing all of those things while the Spirit walks with God! Isaiah Chapter 57 Verses 3 – 10 · This is quite the indictment against those who have essentially harmed the righteous. And the key central verse and theme of the indictment is verse 7. On a lofty and high mountain, you have set your bed. In other words, you have lifted, elevated, promoted yourself in your own heart and life and that truly is the downfall of everything… · Pride is the absolute worst disease of the spirit in all of creation. And rather than define what pride is, it’s far more-clear to say what it is not. It is not a spirit of service and responsibility towards God and others. It is a spirit of service and responsibility towards self… The refusal to submit yourself to others and to God. That is pride and that becomes your god. You cannot serve God and dabble in pride… · There you went up to offer sacrifice…, where? On the high hill you set up for yourself. Pride cannot be tolerated because it quickly becomes your god. It’s like a drug. A secret sin. There is no dabbling. You touch it and it takes over. Pride is the satanic supplement in the nature of created man that causes every kind of evil and torment… And it’s so extremely dangerous, you stay entirely clear of it as much as possible, because every one of us loves it (in our flesh)… · The only cure for it is to not fight it but to overcome it. If you fight pride, in a way, that itself is prideful. You must ignore it, release it, like the itch of a mosquito bite…, the moment you scratch it, it gets worse. So, the only cure for pride is humility… To cheerfully and joyfully submit myself to God and to others… Proverbs 16:19 says, “Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” Isaiah Chapter 57 Verses 11 – 12 · That’s quite the challenge from God that is so healthy! All of your works and righteousness, you doing what you think is right…, what has gotten it you? Where has it gotten you? I am confident that there is no one in this room that would go to work tomorrow for free…, or better yet, what if you had to pay your employer tomorrow to go to work!? Your life delivers what you have invested. It’s as simple as that and the will and want of God is for our good, for our profit! · Perhaps not in terms of money or resources, but I’m also not necessarily saying not! The point is that our life and who we are will be a direct result of the wise investments we make or the unwise investments we make in terms of who’s righteousness we employ. Ours, or Gods! · And this word for profit in the Hebrew (I can’t make this up) its “yaal!” Literally pronounced “yaw-al!” HA! God’s like, “YALL! Come and buy without money and be greatly satisfied!!” You want to work for no profit that’s on you, but for me, profitlessness is one of my personal enemies! · Do you know what is profitable? Love. Kindness. Giving someone the benefit of the doubt. Serving the Lord. Doing for others what you can do for them. Treating others not how you want to be treated but how they need you to treat them. Playing the long game. Being willing to suffer and sacrifice for some sort of desired goal or outcome… Trusting the Lord is profitable even when I can’t see the end… Isaiah Chapter 57 Verse 13 · How about we trust the Lord and then when I cry out to the Lord, I call out in hope knowing He will deliver me because it is in Him I have put my trust. Not my mental trust, like my literal action-oriented God trusting decisions… That vibe is totally different than what we just read when we call out to Him in our moment of trouble! Isaiah Chapter 57 Verses 14 – 15 · God is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The Creator of all things. Perfect, holy, just and all mighty. And He makes His company only with those that are contrite and humble in spirit. Humble we get. Maybe… · Humility is not considering self-less than others, it’s just simply considering self-less. What’s important to God is important to you and anything that challenges that is muted and starved. Hated and hunted in your heart of hearts. That’s humility. But God also uses the characterization of contrite. Contrite gives an essence of guilt. Of remorse. Of sorry. That we know we have fallen short, we know we are saved and accepted by grace, AND we are still sorry. Let me give you another word for contrite. Accountable… · Here are two things that are at the tip top of the list of short order in the world and in the church. Accountability and humility. Many are called, few are chosen. Why? This. God makes His place with the humble and the contrite. Not the humble alone. The humble and the contrite… These He revives! Isaiah Chapter 57 Verses 16 – 18 · These verses are difficult and seem out of place. God could perhaps be talking about one who strays or He could be talking about the nation of Israel as a whole. Either interpretation is acceptable. Isaiah Chapter 57 Verses 19 – 21 · There is no peace for the wicked. Always searching, always grasping, never arriving…, going from thing to thing, person to person, problem to problem, relationship to relationship and like a self-fulfilling prophecy, always somehow turning out the same. Like a troubled sea… It’s an indictment yes, but its also an offering that the peace of God is held out and offered to anyone and everyone… · Peace is far more than the end of war. The word means completeness. Settled on the inside. Sound in heart and mind. Safe. Content. The word even means a friend. It is a return to the closest state of original creation… THAT is profit!