Isaiah 53 vs 1-12

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Isaiah 53 vs 1-12

Calvary Chapel Cherry Creek

February 21, 2024 • Pastor Matt Korniotes • Isaiah 53

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Isaiah Chapter 53 Verse 1

· There is no doubt in my mind that as Isaiah was writing these words about the coming Savior of the world, that he had to have stopped mid-chapter and thought, “Who is going to believe this?” A Savior, a hero is undefeatable, unstoppable, indestructible, triumphal…, and yet in this chapter you find a warrior that is wounded and a Savior that is slaughtered! A true real reason why Israel today denies Jesus as Messiah!

· But then Isaiah says, “Well, here’s who will believe, receive this, understand this, those that the arm of the Lord (the strength of God) has been revealed!” Who can understand that to love someone with unconditional love is the highest form of war anyone can wage? Who can understand that salvation and freedom and autonomous satisfaction actually comes from sacrifice!? Who can understand by faith that God is love and love yields…, love serves?

· We are a race of human beings that are in constant competition with one another. Trying to get what we need for ourselves and accomplish our own will and serve our own senses, emotions and feelings…, and that is our human nature. When all of the things we truly want for ourselves and for our lives are found in discovering the way of our Creator which is to love. Specifically, to love God first and then to love each other as God loves us… We should be in constant competition with our flesh, not each other, and then we’d win!

· So, Isaiah says, “Who can believe what’s in this chapter…? To whom it has been revealed.” Why? Why would God choose to reveal wisdom and power and fullness of joy to some and not to others? Simple. God resists the proud, those that push for their own and live unto themselves, and yet grace flows to and through the humble.

Isaiah Chapter 53 Verse 2

· A root out of dry ground will be the Messiah. A perfect Man amongst a fallen race of humans. Different yet the same. Holy yet wholistic. The most lush timber standing alone in the driest of deserts… AND, who has believed, who can connect and accept that love is the reason, answer, plan and command from on-high? You, I can be and by the grace of God will be a tender plant, a root out of dry ground!

· And we begin the only detailed description of Jesus Christ physically that we have of Him prior to ascending to heaven. That description we have of Him in Revelation Chapter 1. Isaiah tells us things we wouldn’t expect to read of the perfect Son of God… Not specifically or extra-ordinarily handsome. Not built like a body builder. Just normal. Plain. Doesn’t say that Jesus was ugly but people weren’t drawn to Him because of His physical appearance…

Isaiah Chapter 53 Verse 3

· Isaiah describes Jesus with acute accuracy but please remember that although Jesus was despised and rejected, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, He was also a Man that walked in constant victory, in joy and in service to others. Yes, Jesus understands my pain and my times of down and depression, AND He also gave me the path and example of mission-minded communion with the Father that leads to overcoming self-focus, self-pity and emotional gloom.

· Folks get stuck on themselves and I get it. This world is hard and this life is hard and we aren’t, no one is, all that we want to be or all that we know we can be. However, you and I have truly no excuse to be without joy for long seasons of our lives… Joy is a fruit of walking in the Spirit. Therefore, to be filled with joy is a result of commitment, faith on our part to hide ourselves in the God, and the mission that we are on to glorify Him!

· Hide not your face from Him but rather set out to hide yourself within Him! When you are down, reach out to pray for someone. When you are especially fleshy, serve more! Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Many times, those that ask if they can pray for you need you to pray with them just as much… So, don’t disappear from church (hide your face), be here more than ever in those times of rejection, sorrow and grief. “But I don’t feel like it.” Yep… and? Do you spirit like it? Do you faith like it!?

Isaiah Chapter 53 Verses 4 – 5

· This is what Jesus took for me, did for me, what would become of the future in terms of Isaiah. Seven hundred years before Jesus would even be born and yet we have such amazing detail from Isaiah. So many carry such heavy amounts of griefs and sorrows, hidden away and stored in the deepest corners of their hearts and who they are…, have you tried taking any of that to Jesus? Yes, He died for my sin and yes, His body was bruised and broken for my salvation, but the Bible also says that He has carried and borne my grief and sorrows…

· We are told that Jesus was esteemed smitten, stricken by God and afflicted. It wasn’t understood at the time that He went to the cross WHY He was going to the cross. We know now, Isaiah revealed it also here, that all that He went through wasn’t because God had forsaken Him and wasn’t taking care of Him but it all was for the highest purpose…, forgiveness of all sin, peace between creation and Creator and the ultimate healing of humanity.

· Folks take this verse to say that we all should be healed of all ailments. They will go to this verse and say that it says it right here, “By His stripes we are healed.” And so, with enough faith, it must be God’s will that we are all healed of all issues, ailments and illnesses. There is no doubt that all issues, ailments and illnesses are a result of the fall and not the original plan of God. However, can God heal? Yes! Is it always His will to heal everything? No. How can I be so sure? Because ultimately everyone does face death… So, at some point, everyone is NOT physically healed…, Aging the way we age is also a product of the fall. It in and of itself is an ailment. Also, to take this view terribly contradicts the personal experience of the saints in the Bible and throughout history.

· We have one example of an ailment that was healed in the Bible but we are given why that ailment existed at all. John 9:1-3, “Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.””

· Also, Lazarus (Luke 16) who was homeless, penniless, family-less, covered in sores…, was he physically healed? No. And yet when he died, the angels came and took him to paradise. A man of faith. A man of righteousness. This is a conversation that can go on and on and certainly not one to divide over, go to war over, argue about…, if you want to believe that God’s will is for you to never suffer then take that up with the cross of Christ… But for me, this world and this life (as Paul says) is nothing compared to the one that is to come where everyone, all people will be healed entirely…, how/why? By His stripes…

Isaiah Chapter 53 Verse 6

· Not a man or a woman alive or that ever has been that could have saved themselves (well except Adam and Eve – before they sinned). All have gone astray. All need a Savior. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Isaiah Chapter 53 Verses 7 – 9

· He was crucified between two thieves, His grave with the wicked. And He was laid in a borrowed tomb. Borrowed from a rich man named Joseph of Arimathea. When questioned/interrogated by Herod, Jesus said not a word to Him, He opened not His mouth. And Pilate said of Him in Luke 23:14-15, “You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed, nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.”

Isaiah Chapter 53 Verses 10 – 11

· How important is purpose to you? Is it more important than feelings? Interesting question. It pleased the Lord to bruise Him… That’s only more true than the truth that it destroyed the Lord to bruise Him also. A horrible day for God personally. His only begotten Son being terrorized, harmed, humiliated and ultimately killed. The personal pain no one will ever know but Him alone. And yet, the purpose, agreed upon by the Father and the Son before the dawn of creation. Planned and purposed… the joy of my salvation and yours outweighed in importance anything else…

Isaiah Chapter 53 Verse 12

· He was numbered with the transgressors so that I may be numbered with the great. That’s really what it all comes down to… Without what Jesus has done for me, my life is filled with obstacles, hardships, its tedious, troublesome and certainly a short time…, and then it gets even worse. As God is here, now, forever with all of us in the Person of the Holy Spirit and yet I pass from this world to the next carrying with me my iniquity, and the next life, God is not there…

· But because He has poured out His soul unto death, my soul has been redeemed unto life. So, this life is, as purposed and planned by God from the beginning, glory to glory, growth to growth, upgrade to upgrade as I learn of Him and then enter into what He has secured for me, life eternal in the presence of a God!

Isaiah 59 vs 1-12

May 22, 2024 • Pastor Matt Korniotes • Isaiah 59:1–12

 There’s a triple take on these verses in terms of what they mean for them (Israel), the world and us. At the time that Isaiah was writing, the nation was in a very bad predicament. Even to the point that the nation had been taken, subsumed into the nation of Babylon. And the people were praying and suffering and no doubt many losing hope and patience with God in terms of their deliverance. “Why does God not deliver? He must not be able. Maybe He’s not all powerful. Maybe He’s not good…”  One of the most memorable movie lines for me personally was the line, “If God is all powerful, He must not be all good.” And that line was when Superman was faced between choosing the life of his wife or the life of his mother. The point in the movie was to destroy Superman’s confidence by proving he was not all powerful. But that really stuck with me… I had to face that with God…, because in a way, it’s reasonable…  If God is all powerful, He cannot be all good, because people suffer and there is pain and there is crime and there is death and there is disease. Maybe He’s not one of those…, (all powerful AND all good). And I wrestled. Because I know the truth, I know that God IS good and that God IS omnipotent…  The truth is God is both. He is all powerful. He is (Biblical word for that), sovereign. And He is all good. And those two together mean that He must also be all faithful and all true. Which means, what He has said, He must accomplish. Or He is not all good, all powerful, all faithful and all true.  And in His sovereignty, He decreed free will. Free will for man is within His sovereignty. Not outside of it. And for free will to be free will, (or what He decreed is false), for free will to be free will, then He must allow things to transpire that He Himself hates because it is not good, it is not of Him…, or HE HIMSELF is not good at all. So, God is all powerful, He is all good, and there exists great evil in the world today…, and not 1% of that evil is from Him AND YET HE REMAINS all powerful!  This first verse is a verse of hope for the people of Israel. That God does see, He does hear, and He is working every angle possible to bring about their deliverance within His own decree of free will upon creation….  AND, if you look at these verses through the lens of the world, world history, world condition, world situation, this rings so close to home! The world today is literally calling things that are bad, good…, and things of God are being labeled as bad…, things of hate. There are wars and news of wars, poverty, starving, suffering, selfishness is the culture of the cosmos…, and the Bride of Christ calls out Maranatha!  AND, for you, for me personally. It’s always too soon to stop hoping in God and trusting Him at His word that He is not slack, He is not on break, He is not taking a siesta…, but He is saving and hearing…, we just don’t see it yet.  I take the second perspective, the one of the condition of the world as the most eye opening, eye widening take on this chapter…, check this out… Isaiah Chapter 59 Verses 2 – 8  Is this not the exact, precise condition of this world? And perhaps especially of the western culture which happens also to be the pervasive culture in the nation of God, Israel (to whom this chapter was written)!?  Check this out…, and this is all over the place in the Body of Christ, this is all over the place in marriages, this is all over the place in the public, check this out…, No one pleads for truth (what is truth? Better yet, WHO is Truth!?) No husband/wife stops the ridiculousness of selfishidity (new word) and says, “Wait, what would Jesus have me to do? No matter what, I’m going to do that!” No one leaving a church says that… No one in the streets in the eye of the media is doing THAT!  Check this out, they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity. They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s web… This is so interesting…, He who eats of their eggs dies, and if you don’t eat them but seek to crush them, a viper springs out and gets you! This is crazy on point and indicative of classic self-serving and pride which always manifests in deflection and defense. (To use some very popular conditions of today, narcissism and gas lighting – this is EVERYWHERE)!  If someone is in sin, acting like a jerk, being so selfish and you feed into that, both of you become the same and you start a little self- affirming self-serving club. A little viper club. You can’t serve God and self because you will end up loving one and hating the other… So, death in the spirit sets in, man! BUT…, if you stop them and call them out and tell them they are harming, they either don’t care (hard- hearted), they turn it around on you (but what about you), or they straight up deny it!  You try to crush their darkness with the truth. Hey, you’re being so mean…, so selfish…, and the response you get is, “No I am not!” And listen, you can do nothing with a person that denies their sin. NOTHING. Might as well go talk to a wall. It’s so obvious what they are doing, saying is so dark and wrong. Anyone would see it…, but they won’t! These are the days that we live in…  When Christian, those that follow Jesus or say you follow Jesus, when someone says, “You’re hurting me,” the response should NEVER, repeat NEVER be a defense or an excuse or a denial. The response should always be CARE, understanding and humility. But this is NOT the condition of the family today, the marriage today, the church today and certainly not the world today! Please don’t let this childish, immature, unwise and ungodly condition be YOU!  Weaving webs of clothing to defend your hard-hearted condition and God says that web will fail and ultimately you will degrade your own heart to be so without peace that you’ve forgotten what life is like when you are in fellowship with the Holy Spirit… Here’s what that life looks and feels like and none of us want this… Isaiah Chapter 59 Verses 9 – 12  This is a description of the inward condition of a hard heart. It’s that last verse that tells us that…, “our transgressions are with us, and our iniquities, we know them.” That is a clear statement of zero repentance. Repentance is not a word that means you have lost. You’re abdicating. You’ve relinquished or yielded or resigned or stepped down from your position and in that proved someone else right. Repentance is you taking back the control that you’ve lost. It is to make a personal decision to personally progress and improve…  Being hard hearted and knowing things about me that need to be addressed and yet just going on with life is actually me saying no to the things that I want the most. First of all, as a Christian, what I want the most is to glorify God. For all He is and all He has done. For the kingdom to come which I am a citizen of and for the love that is mine through the sacrifice of Jesus.  AND, justice. To sense that I and the world is just. Righteousness. To sense that I and the world, the understanding of all things rings right in my mind and heart. Light, brightness, walls…, structure and things that create ordinance in my mind, heart and life. Stability is what is meant by walls…, and knowing which things are walls and which are doors so I don’t waste my time and get all frustrated trying to open walls!  Sight…, stabilized life (as opposed to stumbling), life in abundant places…, just like Jesus said in John 10:10. Rejoicing and gladness in the place of growling and sorrow. Ultimately living in a state of salvation, day to day and with the hope of eternity. What is required of me for all this? So simple. Remain teachable, correctable, and honorable enough to address my own issues of the heart…

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.