Isaiah 57 vs 1-21

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Isaiah 57 vs 1-21

Calvary Chapel Cherry Creek

May 1, 2024 • Pastor Matt Korniotes • Isaiah 57

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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!

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 Chapter 56 Verses 1-12

April 24, 2024 • Pastor Matt Korniotes • Isaiah 56

Isaiah Chapter 56 Verses 1 – 2 · These opening verses of this chapter are really a call to faith. We, (maybe its just me (definitely me)), take the position of once things go a certain way, look a certain way, once she or he acts a certain way, then I will do what I am supposed to do. And that entirely understandable rational perspective keeps me and keeps you from being irrationally blessed by God at times! · Matthew 13:58 says, “He did not do many mighty works there (Nazareth) because of their unbelief.” This is a mysterious statement but we know that, “without faith (Hebrews 11:6) it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” · What’s my whole point? If I wait until I see the reward of the Lord to be faithful on my part then I’m not being faithful at all…, I’m just reacting. And part of God’s work in my life is to teach me to trust Him even when I am not able to see what He is planning or doing! And this is where the MIGHTY works of God truly originate from in my life. · Did you catch that in the verse in Matthew we just read? It’s not that God won’t work in your life if your faith is lackluster…, of course He will! God loves me and God loves you with a perfect, covenant, unconditional love through Jesus Christ…, BUT…, AND…, God’s MIGHTY works, which I entirely want in my life, come from and through me being not just a follower or a believer but a disciple. Disciplining my own heart and mind to do exactly what we just read in Isaiah 56! · Keep justice. Watch for it, look out for it, be ready and charged up to be a just and a good man…, and do righteousness! That word in the Hebrew is actually judgement…, do what is ordered in heaven, proper in the presence of the perfect…, and its then this incredible promise by God, “My salvation is about to come and My righteousness is about to be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this and the son of man who lays hold on it…!” · So, we cry out God bless me, God provide for me, God deliver me, God use me, God show me…, and in a way faith answers back, “You first!” Because the question is, what am I going to do if God does none of those things…? And this is really the crux of the matter. If God does nothing more than what He has already done for me through Christ, is it enough? These are those that love the Lord. Not for what He gives them but for who He is and what has already been given. These are the thankful, these are the hopeful, these are the faithful… · And we are going to see Isaiah talk about those who keep from defiling the Sabbath… Keeping the Sabbath was commanded to the Jews as a perpetual commandment. Exodus chapter 31 verses 16–17, “Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.” · This is a hot topic of discussion still within many groups and churches today. Should we keep the Sabbath as defined and described in the Old Testament because it is a perpetual commandment? The answer biblically is yes and it is no… · Exodus 31:16-17 cannot be more specific that it is specifically for the children of Israel. Is the church the children of Israel? No. We are the children of God. Number one. Second, the Sabbath is a sign between God and the children of Israel forever. Again, not the church. That’s enough for me personally but obviously because of all of the emotion around this topic it requires more investigation. · Something happened when Jesus came, died on the cross for the sins of the world, rose from the grave three days later, ascended to the Father and deployed the Holy Spirit into the hearts of humans. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” It’s not that the law expired, or that the Old Covenant was thrown out…, it was satisfied completely, all of the law, all of the prophets, fully completed, established and settled in the Person and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. · We read in Hebrews 8:13, “In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” Why? The law was there to require obedience. The New Covenant is now in place to fully reveal something far more powerful than obedience… LOVE. As we read in Galatians 5 of the fruits of the Spirit being love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law! Why? It’s stronger than any LAW! · So, the rest commanded of the Sabbath is fully satisfied, wrapped up, obedience fulfilled and even original purpose revealed in Jesus Christ. To sabbath means to cease from work… Hebrews Chapter 4 is the definitive chapter to explain that the Sabbath commandment of the Old Testament was a foreshadowing of the rest we are to enter into in the Person of Jesus Christ through the New Covenant. What is the Sabbath? Not what…, who! Jesus Himself is the sabbath of all men… So, there’s the doctrine… · AND, do whatever you want! There are folks out there so hung up on things like Sabbath, and communion, and baptism and circumcision and rejecting Easter and recognizing Passover… Check this out, this might blow your mind… · Colossians 2:8-23, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.” · OH MAN. So, what does that mean!? YOU DO YOU unto the Lord and I will do ME unto the Lord! If I feel a strong conviction to recognize the Sabbath then that’s totally fine… maybe that’s what the Lord wants ME to do. AND my conviction is MINE. I will never tell you to have my conviction and likewise. The only thing we ought to persuade people towards is growing closer to Jesus. You may disagree with me but my agreement is not with you, it is with the Word of God… Isaiah Chapter 56 Verses 3 – 7 · Notice the personal reward for the personal obedience. To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths…, not to the eunuchs who ensure everyone around them keeps the sabbath… exactly what is repeated in verse 6…. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t teach, rebuke, exhort and correct. Obviously, we should, but the desire of our heart should not be first to ensure others are doing what we think they should be doing but rather ourselves. Are we ourselves walking in what God has revealed and asked of us personally? So entirely completely eternally more important!! Isaiah Chapter 56 Verses 7 – 8 · The house of the Lord, and this would have been shocking for the Israelite to read, shall be called a house of prayer for ALL nations! What do we see as we survey the religious scene today? You can’t take communion unless you are a part of our church. You can’t worship here unless you have converted to Judaism, Islam, on and on. When the house of the Lord ought to be a place where anyone is welcome to come in and pray…, meet God one on one… Isaiah Chapter 56 Verses 9 – 12 · The final verses are a call to get right personally. Peter was rebuked by Jesus because Peter was mindful of the things of men and not of God. Had nothing to do with anyone else but Peter himself… And so, as we set to seek after the Lord ourselves, He straightens everything out in terms of how we are to be in the world and towards others…