What Is Your Salvation For?
Notes
Transcript
Explanation
Isaiah 58:1-
“Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast.
Shout aloud! Don’t be timid.
Tell my people Israel of their sins!
Yet they act so pious!
They come to the Temple every day
and seem delighted to learn all about me.
They act like a righteous nation
that would never abandon the laws of its God.
They ask me to take action on their behalf,
pretending they want to be near me.
‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.
‘Why aren’t you impressed?
We have been very hard on ourselves,
and you don’t even notice it!’
“I will tell you why!” I respond.
“It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.
Even while you fast,
you keep oppressing your workers.
The people of Israel were angry because it seemed to them that God was not answering their prayers
The people felt like they have done everything the law required them to do
-All of the boxes were checked devotions, prayers, tithing, fasting,
-God this has to make you happy what are we missing? It feels like you don’t even care what we’re doing here.
So God was faithful in this time and he responded to them......
‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.
‘Why aren’t you impressed?
We have been very hard on ourselves,
and you don’t even notice it!’
“I will tell you why!” I respond.
“It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.
Even while you fast,
you keep oppressing your workers.
What good is fasting
when you keep on fighting and quarreling?
This kind of fasting
will never get you anywhere with me.
You humble yourselves
by going through the motions of penance,
bowing your heads
like reeds bending in the wind.
You dress in burlap
and cover yourselves with ashes.
Is this what you call fasting?
Do you really think this will please the Lord?
‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.
‘Why aren’t you impressed?
We have been very hard on ourselves,
and you don’t even notice it!’
“I will tell you why!” I respond.
“It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.
Even while you fast,
you keep oppressing your workers.
What good is fasting
when you keep on fighting and quarreling?
This kind of fasting
will never get you anywhere with me.
You humble yourselves
by going through the motions of penance,
bowing your heads
like reeds bending in the wind.
You dress in burlap
and cover yourselves with ashes.
Is this what you call fasting?
Do you really think this will please the Lord?
“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
Isaiah 58:3-
NO!
The very acts of worship that they said they were doing for the Lord......at the heart of their worship was themselves.
-their fasting did not show any fruit that was consistent with the character of God
-during their time of fasting....a dedicated time where we listen for God’s voice in repentance and preparation for what he has prepared for us to do. They’re hearts we not positioned to listen and obey!
-Exploited the people who worked for them
-They had poor relationships with those who were in need .....didn’t seem to care about their needs
-Going through the motions of public sacrifice (burlap and ashes.....signaled to others their piety)
“You humble yourselves going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind”
-this is God talking to them that they re doing these acts of worship on “auto-pilot” the same way that when the wind blows reeds near the water bend.....the reeds aren’t worshiping they are reacting to the environment. (automated reaction from the people that has lost all of it’s meaning in their lives)
Why was God so explicit about these certain things?
God freed Israel from exploitation and slavery
God provided for them through the Egyptians before they left Egypt
God fed the people of Israel while they were wandering in the desert
God made sure their clothes didn’t wear out so they would have clothing to wear
God provided for them every step of the way
Israel has lost their collective memory of God’s faithfulness and they are doing to others the very thing God had freed them from in Egypt.
“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
Isaiah 58:6-
God says here from the top of the judicial system all the way to the very personal relatives you encounter frequently let redemption be the theme that echoes through your lives as my people!
-From people who are wrongly imprisoned (social justice)
-Treating those who work under you or for you with the respect and dignity and respect that God affords all of his creation
-Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people
-Do you think Isaiah was talking about only physical oppression and physical bindings?
-Do we know people as a collective who are bound by things that may be out of their control? Then we as the body need to respond!
-Share food with the hungry, give shelter
-The author is showing us that the needs that people will present will be both physical and spiritual in nature and we have the responsibility to respond to all of the needs people present.
God comes to the people through Isaiah and directly confronts their motives as to why they do what they do.....
-God cares more about the position of our heart than the rituals we practice
-
-When our motives are self-centered we are worshiping self and the flesh......we will reap a self centered righteousness.
-When our motives are God centered we are worshiping God and his love and life will be made evident through us
When our motives are God centered his righteousness will be lived out in these promises:
“Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
The Lord will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like an ever-flowing spring.
Isaiah 58:8-
godliness -righteousness our right relationship with God......our ability to hear him, know his voice and discern which path is right will lead you forward
The glory of the Lord....the presence of the his Spirit will settle on our lives and where he is there is no darkness and so the darkness around us will disappear! It will be as bright as the noon sun.
Not only will our lives be filled with his redemption, but he will continue to fill our lives physically, spiritually emotionally so that this work will not tax us ......our rivers of life, rivers of energy to do his work will be filled to an over-flowing.
Application
During the lent season we are identifying with the death of Jesus on the cross:
-Not only his death on the cross, but also the obedience to go to the cross
-WE are identifying with Jesus’ obedience to die to our desires..... “Not my will but thine”
When we depend on the godliness and righteousness that is within our ability to control and maintain the work of the kingdom flounders.....
-God doesn’t need to work in our lives, because we don’t need him to work.....its within our ability to handle
-When we go into maintenance mode and religious servitude mode we become a dull instrument…very little impact
-Not only his death on the cross, but also the obedience to go to the cross
-WE are identifying with Jesus’ obedience to die to our desires..... “Not my will but thine”
When we depend on the righteousness of God and he puts his dream within our hearts it is impossible to accomplish without him!
-WE cry God only you can do this.....you commanded us to remove burdens and set the captives free.....HELP US.
-We will see a work of the Holy SPirit in our midst that can be only described as divine intervention.....miracles from heaven.
Before we had a national crisis on our hands God had given Melwood a word for this year......NEXT.
-God knew what was coming even when we didn’t
-God knew that we were going to be rearranging our lives in ways we never thought we would have to
-God asked us to walk with him and prepare for what he had NEXT.....
-God’s Next Will Mess With Our Now.....
2 Things God is calling Melwood to in this section of scripture.....will characterize our ministry moving forward God is starting to shape or Next and messing with our Now.
1. Relational Ministry - lighten burdens, feed, clothe, shelter people, Engage with people
Transactional ministry doesn’t require us to interact with people who are in need. We can prepare, and exchange goods without requiring us to be in contact with people who need to experience the good news of Jesus
Relational ministry call us to engage with people....maybe in one-on-one interactions (nursing home ministry, inviting lost people into your home for fellowship) or it could be group interactions, VBS, feeding ministries, outreach events
2. Redemptive Ministry- creating opportunities where the redemptive work of Jesus can be seen though our actions and heard through our words.
Creating space in the life of our church where we can present the gospel to lost people in their various contexts and disciple followers of Jesus in all stages of their walk with Him.
What is your salvation for video....
Do we want to see our world redeemed? Then church we have some work to do.......
Isaiah 58:6-
“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
“Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
The Lord will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like an ever-flowing spring.