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SM1166: On-Line
Teaching Notes
GOD WANTS OUR HEARTS!
ISAIAH 58:6-12
In his book, "The Body", Chuck Colson talks about a small New England church located on the outskirts of Boston called Emmanuel Baptist Church. And in this church a division developed and this is some of what transpired:
"Very quickly the church divided into two hostile camps. Those who felt the pastor should be removed began sitting on the left side of the church. On the right side sat members who wanted to give him more time. The choir was split and given to vacillation, the organist sided with the pastor, and the church secretary didn’t want to get involved.
...Offertory envelopes contained more than tithes. Routinely they were dropped in the collection plate imprinted with particular dogma. ‘Waite no longer’ [the pastors name] some read. Others declared, ‘Support the pastor’. And there was always one proclaiming, ‘The organ is too loud.’
The deacons began to sit as a group on the left side of the church, pressing together in the front pew. In the past, one of the deacons had always made the morning announcements. But ever since the weekend of the pot luck, Pastor Waite had read the announcements himself, each time omitting the boards call to special assembly...
...Connecting the lapel mike to his suit, Waite solemnly stepped in front of the wooden communion table with its ornately carved command: ‘This Do in Remembrance of Me.’
‘If anyone is visiting today,’ he began, ‘please raise your hand and our ushers will come by and give you some information about Emmanuel Baptist Church.’
At that point, Frank Fowler got up from the front pew and strode up the stairs of the platform to the pulpit, bending toward the microphone, he smoothed out a piece of paper and started to read: ‘This is to announce a special congregational assembly for this afternoon to discus Pastor Donald Wa-’
Suddenly he could not be heard. Flora Waite, at the piano, had begun pounding out ‘Have Thy Own Way’ and was immediately joined by Sharon Carlson at the organ, drowning out the rest of Frank’s message...
Before they could begin the second verse, Frank pulled the organ power cord from the wall, and Brian Maguire shut the piano lid. Flora Waite beat on his arm for a minute and even lost her hat in the scuffle, but Brian held on.
...Then Ray Bryson got up and walked over to the pastor in the slow deliberate way that one approaches an injured animal. The veins in Ray’s neck were showing as the two men hissed under their breath at each other.
After a minute, Ray appeared satisfied. He turned to go to his seat, but his feet were tangled in the microphone cord and he fell down. There was an audible gasp from the congregation. Pastor Waite delayed for one brief moment before reaching to help him up. It was long enough to convince those close to the front that their pastor had indeed pushed Ray Bryson.
Ray must have thought so too, because he bounced to his feet and hit the pastor square in the nose with his fist. The lapel mike registered the impact.
...Within an instant a majority of the congregation converged on the communion table, punching or shoving. Many came down the center aisle to help break up the combatants, but remained to fight after their side began to fall behind in the skirmish...
Two tenors and a baritone jumped over the wooden railing of the choir loft and began exchanging punches with members from both sides of the aisle. Mary Dahl...threw a hymnal at one of the tenors, but the missel sailed high and wide and splashed down in the baptistry behind the choir. Sharon Carlson had given up on the organ and moved to the piano, where she tried to restore order by playing ‘Blest Be The Tie That Binds.’...
When Ray Bryson’s right hook finally took the pastor down, someone grabbed the spring flower arrangement from the altar and threw it high in the air in Ray’s direction. Water sprinkled everyone in the first two rows on the right side, and a visiting Presbyterian experienced complete immersion when the vase shattered against the wall next to his seat.
The fight ended when the police arrived on the scene..."
The pastor and the deacons were called to appear in court before Judge David Goldstein, who had come to know some of these Christian men through playing softball. This is what was said by the judge to these believers in Christ:
"‘I know some of you from the softball league...We may have had our differences on the ball diamond, but the cause of religion is at stake here. There must be some way you can settle your dispute among yourselves.’ No one could look at him."
The Judge finally dismissed the case, and this is how this sad chapter of this book ends. We read:
"The leadership of Emmanuel Baptist Church filed quietly out to their cars and drove off in different directions. On the back of each car was a bumper sticker declaring, ‘God is with US at Emmanuel Baptist Church.’"
In Isaiah chapter 58 God is rebuking the Southern Kingdom of Judah for their religiosity, and He is speaking to those even today who practice such things. They fasted, and everyone knew they were fasting. It was all for show, to let people know how spiritual they were. And they thought that by doing these outward rituals God would be pleased and bless them. God was interested in their hearts for if He had their hearts then righteousness would flow from their lives. If He didn’t have their hearts, then the works of the flesh would be manifested in their lives, and that is exactly what we see here.
Their worship of God became mechanical, it was dead. The nation was spiraling out of control into idolatry, and instead of mourning over their sinful condition, they were looking to make a profit out of their fasting by making their servants work. And yes, they looked very religious, but it was empty.
They even became cranky when they fasted, got into arguments, fights, all in the name of the Lord. And God is saying to them, this is not an acceptable form of worship to Him for they were harboring anger, bitterness, covetousness, pride and-so-on in their hearts. And, believe it or not, they couldn’t understand why God wasn’t hearing them, accepting their fasting, blessing them. Their walk with God, their worship of God, was empty, it was a facade, for their hearts were far from God, they were only fooling themselves.
It is out of that thought that we are going to begin reading in verse 6 of Isaiah chapter 58.
ISAIAH 58:6-12
Their fasting was self-centered, not God centered. And the Lord is telling them that this is the fast that He is looking for. It is not only God centered, but others centered. You see, fasting is spoken of, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. It was a time where you would deny your flesh and go before God so He could speak to your heart about a given situation that you are in, or to lead you in the way you should go. It is used to free us from bondage, those things that burden us, that oppress us, and-so-on. But before you come before the Lord with these things, get right with your brothers and sisters in the Lord.
In Matthew chapter 5, that is the point that Jesus is making, to reconcile yourself with the brethren before you come to God with your gifts. If you have wronged someone, make it right, for God takes it very seriously.
You see, when your relationship with God is in line, then your relationship with man will also be in line. The problem comes when your relationship with God is off, it also throws your relationship with man off, and out of that we see the ugliness of the flesh come spewing forth out of your mouths and lives as you deal with people.
But as you spend time with the Lord, His love, His compassion, His concern will come flowing from your life and touch the lives of others. It will be manifested in the sharing of your food with those who are hungry. You will provide shelter for those who have no place to go and are wandering in the streets. When you see someone in need of clothing you won’t ignore them but provide for them. You won’t hide yourself from family that are in need, ignoring them instead of helping them and providing for them.
That is what Job said in chapter 31, beginning in verse 16. We read "If I have kept the poor from their desire, or caused the eyes of the widow to fail, Or eaten my morsel by myself, so that the fatherless may not eat of it (But from my youth I reared him as a father, and from my mother's womb I guided the widow); If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, or any poor man without covering; If his heart has not blessed me, and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; If I have raised my hand against the fatherless, when I saw I had help in the gate; Then let my arm fall from my shoulder, let my arm be torn from the socket." Job 31:16-22. Job’s faith was reflected in the things that he did, the way he reached out to his fellow man.
This is the point that James is making when he said "If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." James 1:26-27.
When we think of religion we think of ceremonies, special days, rituals and-so-on. That is not what James is saying. In fact, the word translated "religion" means "the outward practice" and in other verses it is translated "worship" or "worshiping". You see, true worship of God is seen in how we treat others for it reflects what is in our hearts. James tell us to "...be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." James 1:22. Words are no substitute for deeds, and empty words are meaningless. Put your faith into action is what James is saying. But that can’t happen unless God has your heart first.
Case in point. There is a story of a grocer who was suppose to be a Christian, but was a pious fraud. He lived in his apartment above the store he owned and every morning he would call down to his assistant,
"John!"
"Yes sir."
"Have you watered down the milk?"
"Yes sir."
"Have you colored the butter?"
"Yes sir."
"Have you put chicory in the coffee?"
"Yes sir."
"Very well. Come up for morning devotions!"
You see, that kind of religion, that kind of worship of God, which are lives are suppose to be a living sacrifice to God, a spiritual form of worship, is useless and not accepted by God. The Southern Kingdom of Judah were in the same predicament. They had an empty form of worship and their lives were empty, dry, powerless, unsatisfied, and they couldn’t understand why. God tells them very simply, "Would you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?" Of course not! But they were blinded by their sin, their hearts were far from God, and even though they were very religious, it was meaningless to God, He refused to accept it.
The exciting thing to me is that God wants to bless us. He wants us to turn to Him and to overflow our hearts with His love so that His love can touch and impact other peoples lives. If we focus upon God, and reach out to those in need, we will not go away empty, for God says that He will bless us more than we can imagine. And here in Isaiah chapter 58, the Lord gives us several ways we will be blessed, beginning in verse 8.
1. YOUR LIFE WILL LIGHT UP ISAIAH 58:8a
I’m sure you have seen a sunrise before, how in the complete darkness of night the light breaks forth and permeates the sky, and the land. The Lord is saying that as we abide in Him, He will light up our life in such a way that we will have an impact on those around us, dispelling the darkness with His light. It is as Job’s friend Zophar said in Job 11:17-19. We read "And your life would be brighter than noonday. Though you were dark, you would be like the morning. And you would be secure, because there is hope; yes, you would dig around you, and take your rest in safety. You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid; yes, many would court your favor."
2. YOUR WOUNDS SHALL BE HEALEDISAIAH 58:8b
The word used for "healing" speaks of a long bandage that is applied by surgeons to heal a wound. And the Lord is saying that those wounds you have in your life He will heal quickly. In speaking of those that had turned from the Lord, we read in Isaiah 1:5-6, "Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment." That is not what God desires for you. He wants to heal those wounds and give you peace in your life. It is as Psalm 147:3 says, "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." That is what God wants for you, but He won’t force Himself upon you. He wants you to freely come to Him.
3. RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL LEAD YOU ISAIAH 58:8c
The whole idea here is that as you follow after the Lord, obey His words, His righteousness will be leading you in the way you should go. You will be moving in the right direction, down the right path, the path of righteousness. As God was preparing Joshua to lead the children of Israel into the promise land, these are the words in which He instructed Joshua by. He said in Joshua 1:8-9, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Let the word of God that is opened up by the Spirit of God, guide you in all that you do!
4. GOD WILL PROTECT YOUISAIAH 58:8d
It is like what God did as the children of Israel left Egypt when the Egyptian soldiers were in pursuit of them, to take them back captive. We read in Exodus 14:19-20, "And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night." If you walk with Him He will be a light to you and protect you. If you go against Him, He will be like darkness and you are on your own. Walk in the light as He is in the light, don’t be in darkness!
5. GOD WILL RESPOND TO OUR HEARTS CRYISAIAH 58:9-10
God has forgiven us all our trespasses and sins and He is telling us that we should do the same towards others. No more pointing the finger or laying heavy burdens upon people, and going before God when you are living in sin and expect Him then to hear you. But if you do forgive others, renounce your sins, He will hear you and answer your hearts cry. Like Isaiah 59:1-4 says, "Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity. No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity." Also, in Psalm 66:18 we read "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear." Come before Him and confess your sins and allow God the opportunity to hear your hearts cry.
6. REFRESH OUR SOUL IN TIMES OF DROUGHTISAIAH 58:11
God wants to refresh our souls with the satisfying, refreshing, living waters of His Spirit that will overflow our lives. Even during times that are dry God’s Spirit will refresh our soul. His Spirit will strengthen us physically. Our lives will be lush, they will be fruitful, and that joy will be everlasting. It is like Psalm 1 says, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper." Psalm 1:1-3.
But if you cover your sins, try to hide them, not reach out in love to others, then there are consequences to your actions. David, after his sin with Bathsheba and the killing of her husband Uriah, was both physically and spiritually affected by his refusal to acknowledge his sin and repent before God. In Psalm 32, beginning in verse 3 we read "When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer." Psalm 32:3-4.
For David, his life was in physical pain. He was tired. The conviction of God was heavy upon his life. His spiritual life was dry and lifeless. It bore no fruit. For a whole year David refused to do anything about it. And then he said in Psalm 32:5, "I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin." Once David repented, God stood there with forgiveness, healing him both physically and spiritually. And understand this, God was always ready to forgive, He was just waiting for David to repent, and the same is true in our own lives. God’s forgiveness is always there, He is just waiting for us to repent!
7. LIFTED UP IN THE SPIRIT ISAIAH 58:12
Lives that were in ruins, lives that were desolate, God wants to repair, He wants to restore. All He asks from you is to let go of those empty religious activities, and come to Him. Let go of the anger, the bitterness, the pointing of fingers, the bondage you have placed yourself in and others in. As you do God will lift you up in the Spirit higher than any mountain top. Not only will God restore and repair your life, but He will use you to touch the lives of others so that His healing may impact other lives too.
In Isaiah chapter 32 we see Isaiah speak of the coming king, Jesus Christ to restore this land and its people as He sets up His kingdom. But we can also look at this as the result of what happens in our lives as the king, Jesus Christ is in residence there. Beginning in verse 12, we see the response of what happens when He is not on the thrones of our hearts, and then what happens when He is, the result of that relationship in our life. We read "People shall mourn upon their breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine. On the land of my people will come up thorns and briers, yes, on all the happy homes in the joyous city; Because the palaces will be forsaken, the bustling city will be deserted. The forts and towers will become lairs forever, a joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks--Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is counted as a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places, Though hail comes down on the forest, and the city is brought low in humiliation." Isaiah 32:12-19.
Without the Lord in our life we are full of sin - thorns and briers. There is no joy, our lives will be desolate. But when we come to God, asking Him to be Lord and Savior of our life, or when we return to Him from our backsliden condition, the refreshing waters of the Holy Spirit are poured out upon us and our lives become fruitful once again. It is out of that relationship that righteousness, peace, security flows.
May we as individuals and as part of the body of Christ, truly be able to say and reflect the truth of what we say, that "GOD IS WITH US AT CALVARY CHAPEL OF MANITOWOC!" But unless God has our hearts, our relationship with Him is dead, dry and fruitless. He wants our hearts so that He may transform us into His image.
You see, man was created in the image of God, but sin has distorted that picture. It is like looking at your reflection in a still lake. The picture represents you accurately. But if you were to throw a rock into the water, the picture would quickly become distorted by all the ripples in the water that were produced by the rock being thrown in. That is what sin has done. God has come to calm those ripples and in doing so, as the world looks at us, they are seeing a picture of God, a representation of Him that is getting clearer each day as He is transforming our lives.
Let me leave you with these words about a man who was transformed by the power of God and the effect it had upon his life. We read "For three days Edwards had not eaten a mouthful of food: for three nights he had not closed his eyes in sleep. Over and over again, he had been saying to God, ‘Give me New England! Give me New England!’ and when he arose from his knees, and made his way into the pulpit they say that he looked as if he had been gazing straight into the face of God. They say that before he opened his lips to speak, conviction fell upon his audience."
God desires to work in you so that He might work through you. Don’t live your life doing dead rituals before a living God. Don’t live your life in rebellion against Him, harboring all kinds of ungodly attitudes and actions towards man. Give Him your heart, let your life be a living sacrifice unto Him so that He may use you for His glory. Let the king reign in your heart and flow through your life! Let Him light up your life, let Him set it ablaze for His glory!