Month: May 2011

2 Chronicles 27; Isaiah 9

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A Great Light!

“‘The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” ­– Isaiah 9:2 NLT

They say that darkness is simply the absence of light. Darkness isn’t actually a substance. It is the lack of something. As we read through the history of Israel and Judah we see that they have, for the most part, rejected God as their King and sovereign ruler. At one point they demanded that they be given a king like all the other nations. So God gave them Saul. He proved to be just what they were asking for – a king just like all the other nations had. He was a mighty warrior, but not a man who had a heart for the things of God. So he was replaced by David, who we are told was a man after God’s own heart. But even David had flaws. He was not perfect. Yet God made a covenant with David that assured him one of his descendants would rule on the throne of Israel in Jerusalem forever. What follows is the topsy-turvy history of the kings. After the reign of Solomon, David’s son, the nation of Israel splits in two – with Israel to the north and Judah to the south. A succession of kings follow that seem to get progressively worse. Occasionally there is a glimmer of light in the midst of the darkness, but for the most part, these are not good days for Abraham’s descendants. God sends prophets with messages of judgment. He will not tolerate the sins of His people forever. His holiness demands that justice be done. Sin must be dealt with. The rebellion of His people must be quelled.

But right in the middle of all the doom and gloom we read an incredible message of hope. It reveals so much about our God. He is just and holy. He is righteous and intolerant of sin. But He is also longsuffering, patient, kind, and merciful. He is not surprised by the rebellion of His people. He is not shocked that they have turned from Him and are now serving other gods. He knew that would happen when He chose them as His own. And He also knew that if His people were going to be saved from complete annihilation, He would have to do it. They could not save themselves, because they were self-destructive. In the midst of their darkness, God was going to send a light – a great light. The people were in darkness because God had removed His presence from their midst. Their darkness was due to an absence of righteousness. It was a moral darkness. It was a blackness of the soul. And nothing the people could do would illuminate the darkness and provide light for them to see their way out. So God would provide the light for them. He would send His own Son – the light of the world (John 1:4-5). Isaiah chapter nine gives us a glimpse of God’s redemptive plan for mankind – hundreds of years before it took place. Out of Galilee would come the hope of the world. He would “break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders” (Isaiah 9:4 NLT). Jesus Himself would offer the invitation, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:18-20 NLT). Jesus came to a people who were weary from having tried to live in self-righteousness for generations. They were burdened down by religious rules and legalistic demands. They were worn out from having tried to measure up to what they believed to be God’s expectations of them. They were religious about being religious, but they were lost in the darkness of their own sin. But a light would shine. God would invade the darkness with His own presence. He would punctuate His own silence with a message of hope from the lips of His own Son.

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders, And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” (Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT)

Father, without the light provided by Your Son, I would still be living in darkness. It is only His presence in my life that allows me to see at all. He provides me with light to see my own sin and my constant need of His saving grace. Thank You for illuminating the darkness of my life with the light of Your Son. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Amos 8-9

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In That Day…

“‘But I will never completely destroy the family of Israel,’ says the Lord.” ­– Amos 9:8b NLT

Rebellion. Rejection. Restoration. Redemption. Remnant. These are the themes of the Old Testament. Over and over again we have seen the people of God reject the hand of God over their lives. They rebel against His authority. They replace Him with other gods. They respond to His blessing and provision with indifference and outright contempt. They disobey His Law. They refuse to observe His ordinances. The sin against His commands. They bring shame to His name, instead of glory. The very people who share His name, dishonor Him with their behavior. And so God is forced to punish their sins. He relents over and over again, forgiving them for their indiscretions, until the day finally comes when He can ignore their rebellion no longer. The book of Amos warns of His coming judgment. But it also reminds us of something else that is coming: That day! God tells the very people He is bringing His judgment upon, “In that day I will restore the fallen house of David” (Amos 9:11a NLT). God promises to bring judgment, but He also promises to never destroy the nation of Israel completely. He made a promise to David that a descendant of his would rule on his throne forever. In spite of exile, years of oppression at the hands of their enemies, genocide, famines, droughts, wars, military occupations, and divinely inspired punishments, Israel would survive. Why? Because God ordained it. He had a purpose behind it. From this rebellious, stubborn people would come the Messiah, the Savior of the world and the redeemer of all mankind.

Israel would be punished. But God was not done with them yet. He would send them into exile, but He would return them to the land He had given them. He would restore the Temple and reinstate the sacrificial system. Israel would be dwelling in the land of promise when Jesus was born. Though living under the rule of Rome, Israel would be enjoying a certain degree of autonomy. God preserved a remnant and returned them to the land. The line of David had been protected and preserved. And a son was born who would be the heir that God had promised so many generations before. Jesus, the son of David and the Son of God. He was the long-awaited Messiah – not a political or military ruler, but the one who would set up the spiritual Kingdom of God on earth. He would offer a way in which Jews and Gentiles might be restored to a right relationship with God. He would provide a final sacrifice that satisfied the just demands of God once and for all. And one day He is going to return to establish His Kingdom on earth forever. He will restore the fortunes of Israel. He will reign from Jerusalem over all the earth. “In that day…” God will finish what He began. He will complete what He started. He will restore what mankind and the enemy have worked so hard to destroy.

One day the trumpet will
Sound for His coming
One day the skies with His
Glories will shine
Wonderful day
My beloved One’s bringing
Glorious Savior this Jesus is mine

Father, thank You for the promise of that day. You are not done. You have not finished. You will complete what You have begun because You are faithful. You will redeem and restore. You will make everything right. Thank You for that reminder today. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Amos 6-7

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How Do You Measure Up?

“‘Then he showed me another vision. I saw the Lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line. He was using a plumb line to see if it was still straight.” ­– Amos 7:7 NLT

A plumb line is a simple construction tool that consists of a string with a weight on the end. It works off of gravity and is used to determine perpendicularity. A carpenter, bricklayer, or construction worker will take the plumb line and hand it next to a wall or other structure to see if it is straight or not. The plumb line establishes the standard for straightness. It becomes the measuring tool for rightness. And in our two chapters today, God Himself uses the image of the plumb line as a way to convey to the people of Israel that He is going to measure their spiritual straightness. God said to Amos, “I will test my people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins” (Amos 7:8b NLT). God has a standard. He has a non-negotiable measuring tool for determining rightness or rightness, and it is not up for debate. We don’t get to decide if we are okay or not. We don’t get to measure ourselves against some arbitrary standard that we establish. It is always the Lord’s standard. God had established Israel to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, set apart for His use (Exodus 19:6), but they had failed to measure up. They were regularly violating the Ten Commandments.

1.  They were to worship no other gods, but the one true God

2.  They were not to make idols of those other gods

3.  They were not to misuse God’s name

4.  They were to keep the Sabbath day holy by honoring and keeping it

5.  They were to honor their fathers and mothers

6.  They must not murder

7.  They must not commit adultery

8.  They must not steal

9.  They must not testify falsely about their neighbor

10. They must not covet

The people of God were guilty of breaking all these commandments. On top of that, they were abusing the poor, growing wealthy off the mistreatment of the needy, and ignoring justice in order to line their own pockets. They were greedy, self-righteous, covetous, idolatrous, lacking in compassion, materialistic, spiritually apathetic, and addicted to pleasure. God said, “I describe the arrogance of Israel!” (Amos 6:8b NLT). They had turned “justice into poison and the sweet fruit of righteousness into bitterness” (Amos 6:12b NLT).

Amos didn’t exactly make a lot of friends with this message. That kind of sermon didn’t resonate then any more than it would today. We don’t like to be scolded. We hate being told that we don’t measure up. Amos was told to go home to Judah and take his prophecies of doom and gloom with him. He was no longer wanted. If he didn’t have anything good to say, he needed to leave. But Amos was speaking the word of God. He was telling the truth. It wasn’t fun to hear, but it was what they needed to hear. Today, we have the written Word of God. It is the plumb line for our lives. It is full of the truth of God and it contains the message of God for His people. Sometimes what we read is condemning and convicting. Sometimes it is encouraging and comforting. But we cannot afford to pick and choose the message we want to hear. We can’t use the Word of God to justify our sins or excuse our inaction. “For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are” (Hebrews 4:12 NLT). The Word of God is powerful, insightful, revealing, convicting, exposing and cleansing. It is the plumb line that measures our rightness. It is a rock-solid standard by which we can determine our spiritual straightness. It reveals to us Jesus, who is the gold standard of righteousness for all men. The fact is, I can no more measure up to the standard of Jesus than the people of Israel could keep the Law of God. But God has given me His Word and the indwelling presence of His Spirit to make it possible for me to become increasingly more like His Son. As I die to my own self-effort and learn to rely more on His power available to me through the Spirit within me, I can be transformed. I can be made straight. I can be brought increasingly more into line with His standard. But I first have to admit that I don’t measure up. I miss the mark. I am crooked and in need of straightening. What about you?

Father, thank You for the plumb line of Your Word. Forgive me for the many times I have chosen to ignore what it reveals about me. I so want to believe that I am OK. I want to see myself as spiritually straight. So when Your Word reveals that I am not, I tend to want to reject it and go with my own standard of righteousness. But that’s not how this works. You are a holy God and You have chosen us to be Your holy people, set apart for Your use and to live lives that bring You glory. Thank You for providing Your Word and the presence of Your Spirit to make it possible for me to line up more and more with Your righteous standard – Your Son. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Amos 4-5

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A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

“I hate all your show and pretense – the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.” ­– Amos 5:21 NLT

The book of Amos is NOT politically correct. Anytime you start out a chapter addressing the wealthy women of the community as “fat cows” you have pretty much made a decision to offend any and all. These two chapters are intense. They contain a scathing indictment from the lips of God concerning the people of Israel – the northern kingdom. These people had turned from Him a long time ago, choosing instead to worship false gods. They still considered themselves Yahweh worshipers, but had simply added a few other gods to their religious menu. They were highly religious and because they seemed to enjoy a certain degree of affluence and material success, they thought they were being blessed by God Himself or one of the many other gods they worshiped. So God has to make it clear that it is not He who is blessing them. In fact, He is about to bring judgment on them unless they repent and return. God had already brought a number of punishments on them over the years, from drought and famine to crop failure, plague and wars. But they had refused to return to Him. They had grown fat and happy. They enjoyed their wealth and loved practicing their religious rituals.

But all the while they were failing to do what was right. Their greed and insatiable desire for more drove their behaviors. As a result, they oppressed the poor by charging them exhorbitant rent. They twisted justice and hated those who told the truth. They trampled the poor by taxing them relentlessly and mercilessly. All the while building fancy houses for themselves. So God warns them to “do what is good and run from evil” so that they might live (Amos 5:14). He told them to “hate evil and love what is good, turn your courts in to true halls of justice” (Amos 5:15). If they did, God would spare a remnant of them. He would show mercy. Otherwise, “the day of the Lord will be dark and hopeless, without a ray of joy or hope (Amos 5:20).

Come back to me and live!

God has no desire to destroy them. He wants them to return. He wants to bless them. But their stubbornness will not allow them to admit their sins and return to Him. They saw themselves as religious and right. Their own affluence was a testament to their righteousness. They were religious, keeping a long list of religious observances. But in God’s eyes it was all show and pretense. Their offerings and sacrifices meant nothing to Him. Their hymns of praise were nothing but noise in His ears. Their worship was more about them than Him. It was all a matter of pride and pretense. It was all a show for others to see and admire. But what God wanted was something completely different. He tells them, “Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living” (Amos 5:24 NLT). God wanted to see true righteousness lived out in right behavior and the just treatment of the poor and needy. He wanted to see religion that resulted in right behavior and a godly lifestyle. He wanted to see compassion, mercy, justice, kindness, and a true appreciation for who He was and all that He had done for them. He wanted His people to understand and appreciate His compassion, mercy, justice, and kindness and share it with those around them – an endless river of righteous living. And He still wants to see the same thing today.

Father, may my life be an endless river of righteous living. I want live in such a way that I am a conduit of Your compassion, mercy, justice, and kindness to those around me. I want to extend to others what You have given to me. Give me eyes to see others as You do. Give me a love for the poor, needy, lost and helpless. May your church and the presence of Your people on this earth be like a mighty flood of justice washing over those in need. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Amos 1-3

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The Inevitability of Accountability.

“‘My people have forgotten how to do right,’ says the Lord.” ­– Amos 3:10 NLT

Amos was just a lowly shepherd, an ordinary layman. He wasn’t a priest or a prophet, or the son of a priest or a prophet. He was a common Hebrew laborer. But God chose him to deliver a message to the people of Israel regarding their sin and His coming punishment. One minute Amos was tending sheep, the next minute he is the spokesman for God accusing the people of God of spiritual complacency, abuse of the poor, and empty religion. His is a message of judgment – on the surrounding nations, but on Israel itself. God makes it clear that they were His chosen people. He had hand-picked them, not because of anything they had done. Not because they were special or deserved His recognition. God had set them apart as His own. He had privileged them with His presence and given them a position of prominence among all the other nations. And how had they treated His favor? With unfaithfulness. They had received His special revelation in the form of the Ten Commandments, then proceeded to disobey the very commands they had been given. He had graced them with His presence and provided them with the sacrificial system as means to maintain their own holiness and deal with their own sin. But they had abandoned it for the worship of other gods. They treated God as just another in a long line of gods. He was not special. He was not unique. He was just a means to an end – their end. They worshiped Him only as long as He delivered what they wanted.

In these opening chapters of Amos, the people of Israel hear a message they longed to hear. It starts out with God’s plans for the nations surrounding them, including the southern kingdom of Judah. God is going to punish them all. This had to be music to the ears of the Israelites living in the northern kingdom of Israel. All of their enemies were going to be punished by God. Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Amon, Moab, and Judah. God said that they had all sinned again and again and He would not allow them to go unpunished. This is just what the Israelites wanted to hear. Then Amos drops the bombshell. He includes Israel in the list. He accuses them of the very same sins AND MORE. They were selling their own poor into slavery in order to make a profit. They lacked compassion on the poor and needy. They were guilty of gross immorality. They were taking advantage of the poor and needy. They were idolatrous. And they were unrepentant. In spite of the fact that they were God’s chosen people.

“From among all the families on the earth, I have been intimate with you alone. That is why I must punish you for all your sins” (Amos 3:2 NLT). God had to hold them accountable. His justice demanded it. His holiness required it. He could not deal with the sins of the pagan nations and turn a blind eye to the sins of His own people. His people had forgotten how to do right. They had grown fat and happy, rich and prosperous, by ignoring the very laws God had given them. Somehow they thought they had become immune to the consequences of sin. They seemingly believed that their position as God’s chosen people was going to protect them from reaping what they sowed. They were counting on God’s justice delivering their enemies the punishment they deserved. But they were special. They were privileged. They could get away with murder – literally. Or so they thought. Not only had they forgotten how to do what was right, they had forgotten the holiness of God. They had become complacent about His righteousness, power, and passion for holiness. They feared men more than God. They desired wealth more than God. They sought after ease and comfort more than God. They loved themselves more than they loved God. Could the same thing be said of us today? As God’s chosen people, are we just as guilty of spiritual complacency and apathy. Can we justify our sins and somehow think we can somehow escape the consequences of a lifestyle that is devoid of God? The warning from Amos is just as real today as it was then. God has not changed. He is just as holy now as He was then. His expectations have not changed. He has provided a means for us to deal with our sin. He has offered us a way to receive forgiveness. But God expects us to hate our sin and confess it regularly. He wants us to turn from sin back to Him. He wants us to obey. We are His special people, but He wants us to live like it. He has even provided us with the means to do so through the presence of His indwelling Holy Spirit. But have we forgotten how to do what is right?

Father, refresh my memory today. Help me remember how to do what is right, what You desire of me. Don’t let me become complacent, cocky and self-assured just because I have a relationship with Your Son. I want to live like who I am in Christ. I want my lifestyle to reflect the life change You have made possible.  Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Isaiah 7-8

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Who Will You Trust?

“Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.” ­– Isaiah 7:9b NLT

Life is all about trust. Every day we are faced with opportunities to trust. We trust that our alarm will go off in the morning and wake us up for work or school. We trust that when we flip the switch on the wall, the lights will come on. We trust that the food we eat will provide us with nourishment, not make us sick. We trust that our cars will start, our drives to work will be safe, and our jobs will still be there. We spend our days trusting. We trust the chairs we sit in, the traffic lights that tell us to go or stop. We trust the cashier to give us the right change. We trust the government to do what is right. Okay, so maybe that one is a stretch. But we trust in a lot of things, including people. But why do we have such a hard time trusting God?

This section of the book of Isaiah is all about Judah’s lack of trust in God. In the face of pending trouble, they are turning away from God and planning to place their trust elsewhere. King Ahaz of Judah is being threatened by King Pekah of Israel and King Resin of Syria. They are getting ready to attack Judah if King Ahaz does not make an alliance with them against Assyria. And this situation had the king and people of Judah scared. “So the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, like trees shaking in a storm” (Isaiah 7:2 NLT). But God tells Isaiah to take his young son, Shear-jashub, whose name means, “a remnant shall return,” and go to King Ahaz and tell him “to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers” (Isaiah 7:4 NLT). Isaiah is to tell Ahaz that this invasion will never happen. God is in control, not the kings of Syria and Israel. But God needs for Ahaz to stand firm in his faith. God wants Ahaz to trust in Him, not these two kings.

Immanuel – God with us

God gives Ahaz a sign. A young, unmarried woman would have a child and she would call his name Immanuel, which means “God is with us.” From the time she became pregnant to the time this young child learned to speak, approximately three years, the two invading kings would be destroyed. This prophecy should have reminded Ahaz that God was indeed with him, as well as with Judah. But Ahaz had placed his trust elsewhere. He was already planning on making an alliance with Syria and Israel. So God would destroy these two nations and then call on the Assyrians to destroy Judah. But as Isaiah’s young son’s name reflects, God would preserve a remnant. And as the young woman’s son’s name illustrates, God would be with them. Why? Because of the promise He had made to David so many years before to keep his dynasty alive. Another king would come from David’s line – the King of kings and the Lord of lords – Jesus. He would be the ultimate Immanuel – God with us.

But while God will ultimately save Judah, He will still bring judgment on them for their rejection of Him. He will use the Assyrians to punish them for their rebelliousness. Their refusal to trust God would have serious consequences. Isaiah has another son and calls his name, Maher-shalal-hash-baz. Not exactly a household name, but it means “swift to plunder and quick to spoil.” God was about to deal with the sins of His people. “My care for the people of Judah is like the gently flowing waters of Shiloh, but they have rejected it” (Isaiah 8:5 NLT). The gently flowing love of God was about to turn into an overwhelming, devatating flood. “The Lord will overwhelm them with a mighty flood … submerging your land from one end to the other” (Isaiah 8:7 NLT). Their unwillingness to trust God would lead to their destruction. The closing verses of chapter eight are a reminder to us all that God is the one in whom we should place our trust. He will keep us safe. He will watch over us. He will protect us. We should put our hope in Him. We are to seek Him for help, guidance, comfort and protection. So who are you going to trust today?

Father, help me trust You today. Replace my fear with faith. You have never given me a reason to doubt You, yet I do so every day of my life. I want to learn to turn to You and rest in You.  Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Isaiah 5-6

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Great Expectations.

“The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The people of Judah are his pleasant garden.” ­– Isaiah 5:7 NLT

God had chosen the people of Israel as His own possession. He had hand-picked Abraham to be the father of the nation of Israel. God had blesses Abraham and his descendants. He had given him a land, blessed him with a child in his old age, and promised to give Abraham a multitude of descendants – too many too count. Years later, when Abraham’s descendants found themselves living in the midst of a famine in the land of Promise, God led them to Egypt where He had arranged for their care through the unlikely intervention of Joseph – who had been sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and was now the second-highest ranking official in all the land of Egypt. While in Egypt, the people of Israel would prosper and multiply. Their expansion would cause the Egyptians to persecute and enslave them. So God provided a savior to lead them out of captivity and back to the land He had promised to Abraham. God miraculously provided their release from Egypt and met their needs all during their travels through the wilderness. He even gave them victory after victory over the inhabitants of the land once they arrived. Time after time, God had blessed the people of Israel. He had given them David as their king. He had graced them with His constant presence and protected them by His power. He had allowed Solomon to build a temple as His dwelling place on earth. God had provided a sacrificial system to deal with their sins and to assure their access to Him.

But as we have read in the stories of the kings of both Judah and Israel, the people continued to sin against God. They rejected His leadership. They proved unfaithful to Him time and time again. God had expectations of His people. He chose them for a reason. He had blessed them for a reason. So through the lips of Isaiah He laments, “What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?” (Isaiah 5:4 NLT). God uses the analogy of a vineyard because it was one the people of Israel would have readily understood and appreciated. Wine was a necessity in that day. Vineyards were vital to survival. So the idea of an unfruitful vine or a non-productive vineyard would have struck a chord with the people to whom Isaiah was speaking. God makes it clear that He is talking about Israel. “The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven’s armies. The people of Judah are His pleasant garden” (Isaiah 5:7 NLT). God’s chosen people were not producing the “fruit” He expected. Instead of justice (the righting of wrong), they oppressed (inflicted wrong). They replaced righteousness (right relationships) with violence (wrong relationships). They were guilty of greed, hedonism, willful sin, mocking God, pride, and corrupt values. It wasn’t that they were fruitless. It was that they were producing the wrong kind of fruit – bitter grapes instead of sweet. Their fruit was worthless. And as a result, God was going to have to deal with them. Branches that produce worthless fruit are worthless themselves. They have no value to the vineyard owner. Listen to what Ezekiel says, “Son of man, how does a grapevine compare to a tree? Is a vine’s wood as useful as the wood of a tree? Can its wood be used for making things, like pegs to hang up pots and pans? No, it can only be used for fuel, and even as fuel, it burns too quickly. Vine branches are useless both before and after being put into the fire! ” (Ezekiel 15:2-5 NLT). Vine branches don’t even make good firewood. They have one use and one use only – to produce fruit.

God had great expectations for Israel. But they failed to deliver. And in chapter six we get a contrast between the unrighteousness and worthlessness of Israel and the righteousness and worth of God. Isaiah is given a vision of God in which he is blown away by God’s holiness and his own sinfulness. Before God can use Isaiah as His messenger, Isaiah must come to grips with His sinfulness and God’s righteousness. What God is about to do to Israel is just and fair because God is righteous and holy. In the midst of Israel’s unfaithfulness, God would reveal His own holiness and righteousness by doing what is just and righteous. He would carry out His moral commands. He would honor His holiness by dealing with His people’s sinfulness. But as always, God would show mercy and grace by providing a hope for the future. These two chapters end with the promise “But as the terebinth or oak tree leaves a stump when it is cut down, so Israel’s stump will be a holy seed” (Isaiah 6:13b NLT). God would not completely abandon Israel. He would not destroy them all, but He would preserve a remnant, so that He could fulfill His promise to Abraham. From the seed of Abraham would come the Messiah, Jesus Christ. God would reveal His holiness, righteousness, mercy and grace – simultaneously. Just as the cross was a representation of God’s wrath against sin and His love for men by providing a sin substitute, God’s dealings with Israel would result in their ultimate preservation and the provision of the Messiah. God would fulfill His own expectations of the people of Israel by providing a means of salvation and a process by which holiness is achievable – through the death and resurrection of His own Son.

Father, like Isaiah, I am a man of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips. I am incapable of living up to Your holy expectations. Left to myself, I am a worthless vine producing worthless fruit. I am good for nothing. But because You provided Your Son as my sin substitute, I have hope and holiness. They have been provided by You, and I can’t thank You enough.  Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Isaiah 3-4

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Retribution and Restoration.

“But in that day, the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of all who survive in Israel. All who remain in Zion will be a holy people …” ­– Isaiah 4:2-3 NLT

Isaiah is all about the coming judgment of God upon the people of God for their sins against Him. They have refused to obey Him. They have given their affections and worship to other gods. They have become arrogant and prideful, placing their faith, hope and trust in themselves and other nations. In the final verse of chapter 2, Isaiah warns, “Don’t put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?” (Isaiah 2:22 NLT). In chapter three Isaiah tells the people that God is going to take away from them everything they depend on. Every bit of bread, every drop of water, all their heroes, soldiers, judges, prophets, fortune-tellers, elders, army officers, high officials, advisers, skilled craftsmen, and astrologers. In other words, they are going to learn the hard way just how much they really need God. All the things they have learned to lean on and prop them up will be removed. It will be a devastating time with no leaders, little provision, and no hope. But Isaiah is to “tell the godly that all will be well for them. They will enjoy the rich reward they have earned” (Isaiah 3:10 NLT).

This is a prediction having to do with future events. Some of these will be fulfilled with the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. But most of it will come about during the Tribulation, that seven year period of time after the rapture of the church and the removal of all believers from the earth. During that time, Israel will become the target of the Antichrist, who will persecute the people of Israel like never before. The last three years of the Tribulation will be extremely difficult for those who are Jews. But God will raise up a relatively small group of Jews who will come to faith in Christ and become His witnesses during this dark period of time. There will be those who survive the Tribulation and remain faithful to God. God will punish Israel for its sins, but He will also restore Israel and preserve the nation from annihilation. God will remain faithful. So while the book of Isaiah is full of warnings and predictions of doom and devastation, it is also full of promises of restoration and reminders of God’s faithfulness. “The Lord will wash the filth from beautiful Zion and cleanse Jerusalem of its bloodstains with the hot breath of fiery judgment” (Isaiah 4:4 NLT). God is good. He is faithful. He has a plan for preserving His people and protecting His name. He will restore. He will redeem.

Father, never let us lose hope. In the midst of all the difficulties of life, never let us lose sight of the fact that You have a plan that You are working and it is perfect. While we may abandon You, You never abandon us. You have not forgotten the people of Israel or their land. You will someday send Your Son to bring order and righteousness back to the earth. You will restore this world to the way You had intended it when You created it. You are far from done yet.  Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Isaiah 1-2

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Enough Is Enough.

“Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways.” ­– Isaiah 1:16 NLT

God is loving, patient, and kind. He is long-suffering. He extends mercy and grace. He is faithful and keeps His promises. But God is not a doormat to be walked on, taken for granted, and treated with disrespect. He is the God of the universe, the creator of all things. His patience has its limits. And Isaiah 1 and 2 give us a somewhat unsettling glimpse of God when He has had His patience tested one time too many. He never stops loving the people of Israel, but He does become fed up with their actions and attitudes, their unfaithfulness and hypocrisy. And He lets them know exactly what is going to happen unless they repent of their sins and turn back to Him. Isaiah has the not-so-fun responsibility of bringing a message of warning and judgment to the people of Judah regarding their rebellion and God’s coming response to it.

God has had enough. He is loving, but He is not going to allow the people He has chosen as His own to continue to live in open rebellion and mock His name. He is sick of their religious rituals and observances. It is nothing less than hypocrisy. “What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” he asks them (Isaiah 1:11 NLT). “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams” (Isaiah 1:11b NLT). “Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts” (Isaiah 1:12 NLT). Unlike the northern kingdom of Israel, Judah was still worshiping at the Temple and keeping the religious observances God had established for them. They were making their sacrifices, giving their offerings, and observing all the appropriate feasts and festivals. But their hearts weren’t in it. In fact, God tells them their hearts are sick. Their faith was worthless, impure and diluted. They were just as idolatrous as their northern neighbors. They were just as unfaithful. And so God sends Isaiah with a message that is partly a warning of judgment and a call to repentance. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. If you will only obey me…” (Isaiah 1:18-19 NLT).

God is calling them to return to Him. He warns them that if they don’t, He will be forced to deal with their pride and arrogance. They have wealth, power, pride and idols in abundance. But God tells them, “Human pride will be brought down, and human arrogance will be humbled” (Isaiah 2:11 NLT). God will cause them to return to Him. He will not allow them to continue to live in open rebellion to Him. So He warns them of the consequences and pleads with them to repent and return. “Don’t put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?” (Isaiah 2:22 NLT). Trust in God. Turn back to God. Put your faith and hope in God. That same call could be issued to many of us today. We are going through the religious motions, serving God outwardly, but refusing to trust in Him inwardly. The message of Isaiah is timeless. May we listen to what the Lord has to say.

Father, help me hear what You are saying through Isaiah. Don’t let me read this book just as some historical document, but as the living, breathing Word of God. Show me my own sins through the lives of the people of Judah. Call me to repentance. Reveal Yourself to me through this incredible book.  Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

2 Chronicles 26

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A Self-Made Man.

“But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall.” ­– 2 Chronicles 26:16 NLT

King Uzziah was a successful king. Like Solomon before him, he seemed to have it all: power, prestige, possessions, and an ability to succeed at just about anything he put his mind to. He experienced great military victories. He oversaw significant construction projects. He had abundant flocks and herds, vineyards and farms. His standing army consisted of 307,500 elite troops. Civic improvement projects were everywhere in Judah, thanks to Uzziah. We are told that “his fame spread far and wide … and he became very powerful” (2 Chronicles 26:15b NLT). This guy had it all, including a reign that lasted five decades.

But Uzziah had one major problem: Pride. He failed to recognize and realize that his fame, power, and success were the direct result of God’s intervention in his life. He took the throne at 16 and was mentored by Zechariah, “who taught him to fear God” (2 Chronicles 26:5 NLT). And it seems that Uzziah did fear and seek God. And as long as he did, God gave him success. We are told that “God helped him in his wars against the Philistines (2 Chronicles 26:7 NLT). His fame and power were from God, “…for the Lord gave him marvelous help” (2 Chronicles 26:15b NLT). He owed all his power, success, fame, and wealth to God. But rather than thank God and acknowledge His hand in his life, Uzziah sinned against Him. He became so convinced of his own significance and self-importance that he thought he was above God’s law. He didn’t have to live according to God’s rules. As a result, he entered the temple of God and attempted to offer sacrifices on his own. This was clearly a violation of God’s law and when the priests tried to stop him, he became angry. He threw a temper-tantrum right in the temple. As he held an incense burner in his hand, he raged at the priests for attempting to stop him from doing what HE wanted to do. It’s funny that the burning of the incense was supposed to be an act of worship, a pleasing aroma to God, but here was Uzziah, throwing a fit in the temple – an action that was anything but pleasing to God. As a result of his actions, Uzziah is struck with leprosy. He is rushed out of the temple and is quarantined in a separate house for the rest of his life. He is no longer able to enter the temple of God. When he dies he is buried in a separate field, apart from the rest of the kings. His pride led to his destruction (Proverbs 16:18). His failure to show gratitude to God for His providential participation in his life resulted in Uzziah’s prideful arrogance and ultimate fall. He bought the lie that he was a self-made man. He ended up worshiping self more than he worshiped God. He respected his own wishes more than he did those of God. His will was more important than God’s. What a temptation for each of us. God is active in each of our lives. Any success we have is a direct result of His hand. Any joy we experience is from Him. All that we have comes from Him. Even the next breath we take. And when we fail to recognize His provision, we can begin to think that we are self-made and self-sustaining, leading to a love of self that is ultimately self-destructive. “As long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success” (2 Chronicles 26:5b NLT). Keep your eyes focused on God, not self. Seek Him. Serve Him. Obey Him. Thank Him. You are nothing without Him.

Father, how easy it is to believe the lie that I have made myself what I am. I can take credit for my own successes, then blame You for my failures. I want to think that I am something special, when in reality, I am nothing without You. Open my eyes to the reality of Your providential presence in my life each and every day.  Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org