What If God’s Mercy Is Not About You

Send us a note!Peace, profit, and prosperity are words we throw around casually, but Isaiah 48 forces us to define them the way God does. We sit with Pastor Carl as he walks through this chapter and starts at the uncomfortable beginning: we are born into sin, and we should not be shocked when our world acts like it. That truth does not produce coldness, it should produce compassion and urgency, because people do not need shame without hope, they need the gospel that brings forgiveness and a changed heart through Jesus Christ.From there, the message turns to a stunning reason God keeps working with stubborn people: “for My name’s sake.” Israel faces discipline and even captivity, yet God promises he will not destroy them, and Pastor Carl connects that same mercy to the Church. We talk about the “furnace of affliction,” how hardship can refine rather than crush, and why God’s patience is meant to lead us back to repentance. Along the way we look up at creation, the stars that obey their Maker, and we hear the call to assemble and listen, both in personal Bible reading and in gathering with the body of Christ.Isaiah 48 also reaches forward to history and to Jesus: Babylon, Cyrus, return from exile, and even a glimpse of the Trinity in the Old Testament as “the Lord God and His Spirit” send the Savior. The invitation lands where weary hearts live, the rest Christ promises, and the practical fruit of faith in action: a strong work ethic, real service, and a kind of “profit” that blesses others. If this encouraged you, subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review so more people can find this teaching through Isaiah.What makes a Calvary Chapel a Calvary Chapel. Join Pastor Carl as he goes through one of the Calvary Chapel Distinctives on The Mountain Cross Minute. The 20th anniversary of Facing the Giants, Monday September 14 - 6:30PM at the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville.Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com.