The Bible Breakdown

Isaiah 66: It's Time to Choose

• Brandon Cannon • Episode 645

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Speaker 1:

Hello everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today. Isaiah, chapter 66. This is the last one in the book of Isaiah and it is entitled it's Time to Choose. It's time to choose. Do you ever have one of those moments when you've been kind of going back and forth between decisions and now, all of a sudden, you've got to make the decision? Can I tell you, there is someone in my life that I love very much and we have the opportunity to go out to eat all the time and this particular person. They come into this situation every time we go out to eat, because they are always fully confident what they're going to order. Until they get there and they start looking at the menu and they start seeing all these other options and they go well, you know, maybe I want to try something different or whatever. And they're going back and forth and going back and forth until the server shows up and then it's like, all right, you got to make a choice. And they're just like, um, okay, you got to give me another minute. It's like, when the moment comes, they're not sure anymore. Well, in a very I say much more real way, that's what Isaiah is saying today. He's saying you got to make a choice You're going to follow God or you're not going to follow God. You can't be back and forth forever. You got to choose. That's what we're going to talk about today. So, if you have your Bible, want to open up with me to Isaiah, chapter 66. While you're doing that, make sure you like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you leave us a five-star review on the podcast and make sure that you are going to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook, because I'm going to tell you something the more you dig, the more you find, and we want to hear about it. We want you to comment on the YouTube videos, comment on the devotionals, on the discussion posts. Let's grow together and see what God will do. Well, I'm excited to finish up the book of Isaiah because there's so much more of God's word and now we can look back at the entire book of Isaiah and remember the overall theme is God is our salvation.

Speaker 1:

Now, remember, isaiah was a prophet. This is what he did with his life. This is what God called him to do, and so his entire life he spent preaching the good news of God, prophesying, and there's different types of prophecy. There's foretelling, which is telling the future things that haven't happened yet, and there's forth telling, which is telling out the truths of God. And so Isaiah did both of those things, and so he spent his entire life preaching the good news of God, and what we have is just a few drops in the bucket of the sermons that Isaiah would have preached, that the Holy Spirit inspired him to write down. But at some point he gets to this final chapter and as he is ending his book or back then it would have been a scroll he kind of brings all of it to this climax. And that is you're going to have to choose, who are you going to follow. So let's read this together and, as we get ready to end our time together, let's see what God's word will say to us. Today. You ready, isaiah.

Speaker 1:

Chapter 66, verse 1 says this this is what the Lord says heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that? Could you build me such a resting place? My hands have made both heaven and earth. They and everything in them are mine. I, the Lord, have spoken. I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts and who tremble at my word.

Speaker 1:

But those who choose their own ways, delighting in their detestable sins, will not have their offerings accepted. When such people sacrifice a bull, it is no more acceptable than a human sacrifice, which, by the way, is not acceptable. When they sacrifice a lamb, it is as though they sacrificed a dog. Good heavens. When they bring an offering of grain, they might as well offer blood of a pig, which is no-no. When they burn frankincense, it is as if they had blessed an idol. I will send them great trouble, all the things they feared For. When I called, they did not answer. When I spoke, they did not listen. They deliberately sinned before my eyes and chose to do what they know. I despise.

Speaker 1:

They hear the message of the Lord and all hear the message of the Lord. All you who tremble at his words. Your own people hate you and throw you out for being loyal to my name. Let the Lord be honored. They scoff. Be joyful in him, but they will be put to shame. What is all the commotion in the city? What is that terrible noise from the temple? It is the voice of the Lord taking vengeance against his enemies. Before the birth pains even begin.

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Jerusalem gives birth to a son. Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who has ever heard such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem's birth pains begin, her children will be born. Would I ever bring this nation to the point of birth and then not deliver it, asks the Lord. No, I would never keep this nation from being born, says your God.

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Rejoice with Jerusalem, be glad with her. All you who love her and all you who mourn for her drink deeply of her glory. This is what the Lord says. I will comfort you there in Jerusalem. Her children will be nursed at her breast, carrying in her arms and held on her lap. I will comfort you there in Jerusalem, as a mother comforts her child. When you see these things, your heart will rejoice. You will flourish like grass.

Speaker 1:

Everyone will see the Lord's hand of blessing on his servants and his anger against his enemies. See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his swift chariots roar like a whirlwind. He will bring punishment with the fury of his anger and the flaming fire of his hot rebuke. The Lord will punish the world by fire and by his sword. He will judge the earth and many will be killed by him. Those who consecrate and purify themselves in a sacred garden with its idols in the center, feasting on pork and rats and other detestable meats that's gross, will come to a terrible end, says the Lord.

Speaker 1:

I can see what they are doing and I know what they are thinking. I will gather all nations and peoples together and they will see my glory. I will perform a sign among them and I will send those who survive to be messengers to the nations, to Tarshish and the Libyans and the Lydians, who are famous as archers, to Tubal and Greece and to all the lands beyond the sea that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. There they will declare my glory to the nations. They will bring the remnant of your people back from every nation. They will bring them to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord. They will ride on horses and chariots and wagons and on mules and camels, says the Lord, and I will appoint them. I will appoint some of them to be my priests and Levites. I, the Lord, have spoken as surely as my new heavens and new earth will remain, so will you always be my people, with a name that will never disappear, says the Lord. All humanity will come to worship me from week to week and from month to month, and as they go out they will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me, for the worms that devour them will never die and the fire that burns them will never go out. All who pass by will view them with utter horror. Of course they will, because that's gross, disgusting and terrifying. So what do we have here?

Speaker 1:

On the last chapter, we have God, who is saying there are two choices you have to make. You can choose to follow your idols. You can choose to go that way and ultimately you will receive judgment. Or you can choose to follow me. You can choose to do what I've called you to do and you'll receive blessing and honor and all the good things. You have to make a choice, and can I tell you that's still the choice that we have today. God is our salvation, but we have to choose him. We have to choose to follow him in our life.

Speaker 1:

Once again, it reminds me of that person in my life who, I mean, they know exactly what they want until they get to the moment, and then they have to make a decision. And I want to ask this question about you what is God directing you to do in your life? Is he directing you right now to lay aside something and choose him? Is he directing you to take another step to get closer to him? Ultimately, it's time to choose. It's time to choose.

Speaker 1:

Are you going to follow God or are you not going to follow God? Maybe it's even more complicated than that, because maybe it's. Are you going to choose to follow God all the way, or are you going to choose to stay in a comfortable, maybe stagnant, place with God, because we can go through seasons when God will give us rest, and that's not being stagnant, it's God's giving us rest. But then sometimes, when God is calling us to move forward, we really like that resting place. But God is calling us forward and we have to make a choice. Are we going to choose God? Are we going to choose to continue to move forward or not?

Speaker 1:

I don't know what that is in your life. What I do know is that choice is easy to make. Until it's time to make it, it's easy to say God, I'll follow you anywhere. God, I'll lay anything down for you, god. I will tell anybody about your goodness until God calls us to move into an uncomfortable place, or God asks us to lay something down that we really like, or something else in our life.

Speaker 1:

Can I tell you one thing that's worked in my life is I choose. Before I have to, before I have an opportunity to choose, I say God today, before I have an opportunity to choose the easy path or to choose the righteous path, I choose to follow you, no matter what. And so then, when the time comes, I've already made the choice. Now can I just be really, really honest with you? It's still hard, and I don't. I don't make the right choice all the time, but it's a little bit easier because I've already decided. So it's once again back to my silly analogy. If, before you get to the restaurant, you've already looked at the menu and you've already decided what you want, then even though you see all the other options and man, they're really enticing I already know what I want. And then, when the server comes up, it's still going to be a little difficult because you're tempted. No, I've already made a decision. Make the choice before you have to.

Speaker 1:

The overall idea of Isaiah is God is our salvation. Isaiah has talked to us about the tragedy of going the wrong direction, that it's easy for a season but ultimately it leads to tragedy. He's also talked to us about the idea of choosing salvation and choosing God. How it's hard for a season, it means we have to say no to certain things and say yes to him. But the ultimate thing is beautiful. But we have to choose. And so, as we end our book of Isaiah, remember God is our salvation and we have the opportunity to choose him. So I think Isaiah would tell us choose him. You'll never regret choosing God.

Speaker 1:

Let's pray again right now.

Speaker 1:

God, thank you so much for today, thank you for the book of Isaiah, thank you that it's just, it's beautiful, it's full of wonderful promises, it's full of talking about you, god, in the moment, but also of the promised Messiah that we now know is Jesus, and we're so thankful for you. I pray, god, that throughout the rest of our journey together, we'll remember the lessons you've taught us in the book of Isaiah, and I pray that you'll help us to choose you over everything else in our life and to remember that you are for us in every way. We celebrate you right now. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen, amen One more time. God's word says in Isaiah, chapter 12, verse 2, god has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The Lord is my strength and my song. He has given me the victory man. What an amazing journey we have had through the book of Isaiah. I look forward to getting opportunity to get into a New Testament book of the Bible next time when we talk about 1 Peter, chapter one.

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Brandon Cannon

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