Grace, Grace, God's Grace!

Last Week

A big thanks to to Dave Tregness for stepping in last week. Another thanks to our Elder Board, Jack Cooper, Tyler Schilperoort, Tyler Alseth and Tiffanie Hester for making available vacation to me.

Dave took a long walk walk down the “Romans Road.”

Romans 3:23 ESV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

All of us, everyone one of us!

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If you continue in your pattern of sin… There is NO gift!

Romans 5:8 ESV

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

This verse is an overarching statement… LOVE for us. God would go out on a limb for us.

Romans 10.9 and 13

Romans 10:13 ESV

13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:9 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Everyone… without regard for who you are or what you have done.

Now some of you may have been led to Christ using these verses.

Everyone, who uses faith to confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, confessed their following loudly to everyone that would listen.

Because they recognized that they have sinned and that sin breaks fellowship with God.

But they know that faith in God and belief of His death, burial, & resurrection and ascension of Jesus covers that sin.

in 2022 we are building a foundation of faith.

“How Firm a Foundation”

Hopefully you will learn things that you did not know this year and become “rooted” in those things that add to our foundation and not cause it to wash away.

Last weeks message if you have yet to trust God with your life is a road map, a passage-way, and a guide.

If you have been following Jesus these verses confirm for you your salvation and your connection to Jesus and to God.

Store theses away… They are VERY important.

They are a shield when the enemy attacks.

They are a shield in times of opportunity. Showing others the way to Peace with God with Jesus.

And finally they should provide great comfort for those of us who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior.

Today, I want to return to the Old Testament.

Isaiah 55

To Isaiah 55. Our teaching will begin in verse 10.

Let’s begin by reading. Please use your bibles, phones, apps or whatever else you use to explore God’s Word.

Stand if you can for the reading of God’s Word.

Isaiah 55 ESV

1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. 4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. 5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. 6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 12 “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

Amen… Please be seated

Our BIG question for the day is this...

Does God ALWAYS provide care, direction and conviction?

What if I missed the call that way will God still provide?

My sin is so great that I were God I’d turn my back on me… Well that’s good that I’m not God. God’s forgives if we ask.

I just don’t feel connected with God… Is He still connected to me?

Isaiah 55:10 ESV

10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

These words should be a GREAT comfort to the sower and to the bread eater..

In an area where rain and water were very rare and were always credited to God when the rains came.

Those rains

Gave those waiting for them much courage that God would provide.

Allowed plants to sprout and grow, giving fruit for today and seed for tomorrow.

Gave bread to the eater

During the exile the Jews could not rely on the rains and water. The Babylonians kept the water for their own use and rain was very rare in the region.

On their return from Babylon after their most recent exile, God sent Isaiah to bring God, Yahweh back into their lives.

We have those “rains” in our lives. We have refreshment, we have a new opportunity

We know that God has brought us through the CoVid-19 pandemic. Have we learned the lessons that he intended?… I guess only time will tell.

The whole Valley and nearly everyone in waits for the high country snow reports and speculates when the SVID and ROZA are going to start water for this year and will it be enough?

The bounty of our Valley gives food to eat and many good things to drink. The world relies on us for our bounty. This water gives our desert the opportunity to be fruitful.

We know that God gave us all of these gifts and He knows exactly what we need. We also know that he will NEVER give us more than we can handle.

We handle our problems, our issues and our joys… With Grace!

DO WE THANK GOD FOR GRACE IN OUR LIVES?

FOR ME… When I finally wake up and realize

This word is a comfort to the one who yields to God’s will.

BUT NOT ALL UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT GRACE FROM GOD… IN ANY FORM!

It will be felt as a threat and a warning to the one who stubbornly resists it.

It’s interesting… remember the last person that you tried to share your life in Christ with.

The one that resists at every turn, makes excuses, and may very well be hostile towards you.

Those “words” and The WORD of God will feel like a threat to them and they likely will reject and refuse you.

The one who speaks and the one who hears as well as the one who is not quite ready are all covered by

GRACE...

When that Grace, that unmerited favor, rests solely in our laps how do we respond? How do we respond to an offer of guidance?

Is the guide trustworthy?

Can one trust the words that the guide offers?

Will the people who are being led around allow themselves to be led?

Do the people doing the leading know where they are going?

How does this sound… After returning from captivity after being in captivity. Verse 12...

Isaiah 55:12 ESV

12 “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Thanking God for His Grace that delivered the Jews from captivity.

Thank you God for your Grace, delivered me from my sin and you from yours...

God’s WORD and Grace provide direction in our lives

How should we respond to a WORD from God...

Listen VERY carefully

Acknowledge that it is from God, that it is a gift for us, prepared especially for us

Understand what the WORD means

Know that you are bing called upon to do something

Act - Do it.

Grace is something that we all enjoy, everyone of us that have called on the name of the Lord.

It is our universal language… It’s clear that God offered to give the returning Jews Grace and mercy.

Their response was… well listen

Isaiah 63:10 ESV

10 But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.

The Jews stubbornly decided to go their own way in the face of God delivering them from captivity.

THE CHOICE HAS ALWAYS BEEN YOURS...

Which will you follow...

I want to return to the BIG QUESTION FOR THE DAY.

Does God ALWAYS provide care, guidance, direction and conviction?

Yes, yes, yes… the jewel of it all is that He will, if we will.

Listen

Acknowledge

Understand

Know

Act