Christ Church Bentonville

We don't sing in worship to connect with God.  We sing in response to the fact that God has connected Himself to us in and through Christ.

We are all on walking on one of two paths.  We are either walking in our own self-sufficiency which leads to desolation or in Christ's all-sufficiency which leads to consolation.  

As we’ve seen throughout this series of oracles, though there has been a great deal of judgment, there has also been a glimmer of hope in each one; and this one concerning Tyre is no exception. 

The Lord, through Isaiah, continues to drive home the point that reliance upon anything or anyone other than Christ, particularly ourselves, is futile.

Chapter 21 not only describes God working in the midst of the geo-political conflict of Isaiah's day, it also speaks to how we are to live in our day between the already and the not yet of God's Kingdom and our salvation.

Isaiah wasn’t the only prophet to be asked to do something that resulted in his own personal humiliation.  The Lord Christ "endured the cross and despised the shame" to take our guilt and shame upon Himself.

All the nations of the earth would be blessed through Abraham and His seed; and that includes Israel’s classic enemy of Egypt. (This was recorded at our annual visit to Blowing Springs for worship and fellowship outdoors.)

At the right time, God would intervene and accomplish His purpose and plan for Judah, Cush, and all the nations whose destinies were in HIs hands.

Fixing our eyes on anyone or anything to experience life, other than Jesus, ultimately leads to death.  It is to Him alone that we should look.

The Lord of the nations is sovereign over the nations, the judge of the nations, and a Savior for the nations.

Like Assyria, Babylon’s pride would lead to its demise.  But we must admit, the seed of pride is in all our hearts.

The aim of Christ's question was to shift Martha's attention away from the general resurrection of the dead to Himself as the resurrection and the life, and it worked.  

The section of Isaiah's prophecy that began with being confronted with God's holiness and his own sinfulness, fittingly concludes with a glorious doxology.

We can be content and confident in the midst of our circumstances as we see them between the bookends of the past reality and the future hope of the covenant God has made with us in Christ. 

"While Assyria’s remnant was as a few scattered trees of the forest, and there was no hope; Jacob’s remnant had hope as broad as the promises of the God of truth." - E. J. Young

In Christ, we are no longer under the Lord's hand of judgment, we are in the Lord's outstretched arms of mercy, and He will never let us go.  There is no other way to flee from the Lord than to flee to the Lord.  

The point in redemptive history upon which everything would turn was the birth of a boy.  The glimmer of hope in the midst of the pronouncement of judgment was that a son would be given and the darkness of sin and death would give way to the brightness of God’s glory.   

Ahaz wouldn't ask for a sign, but the Lord gave him one anyway; a son born of a virgin whose name would be Immanuel, God with us.

God's revelation of his holiness led to Isaiah's realization of his own sin which God responded to with mercy.

Chapter 5 is a folk song that told a very real story about an ordinary people who were doing very disappointing and destructive things in the midst of an extraordinary relationship.

Judgement and salvation are inextricably linked together.  Therefore, there is not only bad news regarding the last day, there is good news as well!

There was a day the Lord had determined to exercise judgement on Judah, and it pointed to the fact that there is a day the Lord has determined to exercise full and final judgment.  On that day, will it be woe to you or well with you?

In Chapter 2 Isaiah's vision describes the latter days, the current day, and the coming day.  And in light of what is and what will be, he said today is the day to trust the Lord and walk in His ways.

The Gospel according to Isaiah begins with a snapshot of the two themes of the entire book, the severity of judgement and the hope of salvation.  

Paul closed his letter to the church in Rome with a doxology, and in doing so he summarized the entirety of the letter.  It was a fitting conclusion. 

The incarnation, and Paul's description of it, should bring a joy that is both deeper and more lasting than all the tinsel and glitter and celebrations around us.

Right in the middle of what appears to be his conclusion, Paul basically said, “Oh, and one more thing. Keep your eyes and ears open for the potential infiltration of false teachers into the church." 

Christ is the One upon whom we must depend if we are going to experience the community and fellowship God intends for us to experience. (Due to technical difficulties, the recording begins at the end of the introduction and does not include the normal  OT and NT readings.)

Being united Christ, we are united to one another which includes responsibilities for one another.

May our confidence be in the fact that we are in Christ and He is in us.  May we always draw attention to what Christ has done in and through us by His Spirit.

Paul calls those who have been received by Christ to receive others who have also been received by Christ.  It's what brothers and sisters do as members in the family of God.

Paul desired harmony within the church because God desires harmony within the church in order that His people can and will ascribe Him glory and praise in unison.  

Paul reminds the strong in faith that "Christ has already paid the supreme price for the weak Christian, so how can the strong in faith refuse to pay the quite insignificant price of a minor and occasional restriction in their diet?" (Moo)

How do those weak in faith and those strong and faith live in unity in the church despite differing opinions on matters of Christian liberty? By looking to Christ, our stronger older brother, Who is able to make us stand because He died and rose again.

Paul continues to describe the life of those whose minds are being transformed by explaining how we are to related to everyone around us, Christian and non-Christian alike.  He says we are to walk lovingly, urgently, and properly.

Paul explains how we are to live in relation to the state and the governing authorities of the civil magistrate.

The renewal of our minds changes how we relate to those within the community of faith and outside the community of faith, and Christ provides both the power and motivation to do so.

We don't live the Christian life in isolation.  Every Christian has something to contribute to and we all benefit from one another.

Paul makes an appeal to the church at Rome and to us to shift from contemplating the realities of the gospel to living in light of them.

Paul spontaneously broke into praise and worship because he rightly believed God alone was and is deserving of glory and he therefore couldn’t do otherwise.

The mystery of God's plan of redemption was that the gospel was for the Jew first and also for the Greek, but the gospel was embraced by the Greeks first and also the Jews.  He used the disobedience of the Jews for the sake of the salvation of the Gentiles and used the mercy shown to the Gentiles for the sake of the salvation of the Jews.  

God's plan has always involved one people and one way of salvation.  Jews and Gentiles are branches of the same family tree by faith alone in Christ alone.

While God was keeping a remnant chosen by grace, the rest of Israel had stumbled over Christ but had not fallen.

Despite our disobedience, God consistently and faithfully holds out His hands to offer grace to those who will repent and believe.

It’s not only what is heard (the gospel) but who is heard (Christ) that makes all the difference.

We aren't saved by doing the impossible.  We're called to confess, believe, and call on the name of the Lord.

Once again, there are only two options: Christ is a rock upon whom we stand or a stone over whom we stumble.  Faith makes all the difference.

God doesn’t unjustly condemn anyone who deserves to be saved, He mercifully saves those who deserve to be condemned.

Have God's purposes and promises to His people failed?  Paul says, "No!"  The issue is not with God or His Word or His purposes and promise.  God’s purpose of election has succeeded, is succeeding, and will always succeed.

Paul, had not turned his back on his people or forsaken his roots.  Their unbelief and rebellion, and the eternal consequences that awaited them, grieved him deeply.