Isaiah 31

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The Joy of Forgiveness--Psalm 32 Shepherd to Sheep The LORD loves you so very much. The LORD loves me so very much. The LORD loves us so very much. The LORD loves the world so very much. Have you ever considered the love that the LORD God has for mankind, and the many different perspective of His love that there are? Here are listed only four perspectives, but there are many more. With each perspective of the LORD Almighty's love that we gain, we are attaining more the LORD and His heart in us. And this is the desire of the Lord for us, that we would be established eternally in Him, in His love, always. Established. I like that, for all the different connotations that are carried with that. Love, in and of itself, is powerful stuff. Just think about all that has been dreamed, spoken, written, even sung about it. The hunger that all mankind has for it. Could this possibly be the result of our separation from the One, True, Living, Creator God of whom the scriptures make this declaration: 'God IS Love'? I believe it is. That hunger itself then becomes another evidence of the veracity of the Bible. Oh Father, Lord Jesus, and Holy Spirit, only You can satisfy my soul. Go tell it on the mountain. Selah, Pastor Ken

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Allies--Isaiah 31 Shepherd to Sheep Jeremiah 29:11--For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. This past week the Lord has impressed upon my heart 2 things. The first was the scripture address Jeremiah 29:11. I just couldn't forget it. It was impressed upon me in an unusual way. It was tattooed on the length of a bikers forearm, kind of on the lower and outward portion of his arm. This biker had quite a few tats. And he had multiple piercings and ear rings. Yes, all of the things that I used to struggle with as hatred without a cause, prejudice. I have shared how the lord worked through a brother in Christ to remove my prejudice. But there remains even now, not a prejudice or hatred, but vestiges of that former hate, a curiosity. I promised myself that I would look up the address as soon as I got home, but I didn't. I usually forget after that, but not this time. It kept coming back until I looked it up. It turned out to be, as you probably already know, one of my absolute favorite verses. I was blessed. Before I looked up the verse though, the Lord impressed upon me the second thing. I was visiting with friends, a married couple, from the Corvette club that most of you here have met. They are awesome Christian people, a true bother and sister in the Lord. The 'thing' impressed upon me then was this: Allies. These people are allies through Christ in carrying the love of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They extend love towards others that they meet and seek to simply let the Lord open doors of ministry. In the Valley Corvette club and also in the car show culture at large I was impressed about the need for allies in the battle that belongs to the Lord, in which all Christians have been called into as soldiers. But our "Allies" aren't strategic like the Israelites were seeking, ours are familial. We're born into our allegiances through Christ Jesus. It was right after this impression that the Lord brought back to my memory a Tattoo. Jeremiah 29:11. This time I looked it up. And I gained the impression of another "Ally". Selah, Pastor Ken

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Isaiah 30

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Isaiah 30

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Isaiah 30

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The Lord IS Good--Special Message Psalm 34 Shepherd to Sheep Today's study in Isaiah is interrupted in order that we may bring to the following special program: Psalm 34-The happiness of those who trust in God. As I was preparing for the study in Isaiah, the screen saver came on the computer. This screen saver floats an image of a mountain stream with Bible verses changing on top of the image. I happened to look up at one point and saw this verse 'The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.' Psalm 34:7. And I was blessed. At first, I thought to myself, "Self, maybe this would be the Psalm for our response reading." But this verse continued to block my thinking on Isaiah 30. When I went the next day to look at this Psalm in it's entirety, I realized that this is a Psalm that some of you especially need to hear. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I was particularly thinking of any one individual for any particular reason. But I thought of how the Lord knows what we need to hear and knows when we need to hear it. God forbid that we as a church would become so ingrained to a mantra "One book at a time, chapter by chapter, verse by verse." that we could lose our sensitivity to do what the Lord wants to do. Additionally, I was intrigued as to why I was blessed at reading this verse floating around on my computer screen. I mean, I am blessed at any of the verses floating at any time on this screen saver. So why this one? I have had a really good week this past week. In fact I was particularly blessed this week with fellowship. I haven't experienced any exceptional difficulties or opposition of any particular sort. Now, as I just wrote this, I realized that I was troubled about something, but not to any extreme degree. But, I have been keeping it before the Lord. So was this verse just for me this week? Let's find out. Selah, Pastor Ken

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Where Do You Run To?--Isaiah 30 Shepherd to Sheep "Nowhere to Run" by Martha and the Vandellas. The movie "Running Man." Even Forrest, Forrest Gump, came to say that not only could he run like the wind blows, but he said that once he started that if he was going anywhere , he was RUNNING! It seems at times that everyone in the world is running. Running as fast as they can. Running late. "Running On Empty." Run, Forrest, Run. The scripture declares that the Lord sees the comings and goings of a man and He ponders it. He sees. He considers. He passes a judgment concerning our running. And His judgments aren't always favorable because He knows that thoughts and the intents of our heart. Where we are running and why. He considers because He determines to reward according to each as fit. According to the fruit of his doings. (Jeremiah 17:10) So the question arises; Where do you run to? Additionally, When do you run? And, How and even why do you run? the amazing thing that Isaiah 30 reveals to me is not that the Lord sees, weighs, rewards our "running", but what I really sense is that the Lord's heart is broken as He observes our running in any direction except towards Him. Make no mistake, here He affirms that He will judge those who foolishly run in rebellion from Him, but still I perceive His grief. A Christian song that has found a home in several recent movies, is titled "Sinner Man." In the movies it is credited as unknown, but I have the very first Christian album I bought in the very early '70's. I had heard this brother, Chico Holiday, perform "Sinner Man" at our church that evening, and it says that he wrote at least part of it. Chico was a born again ex-convict, who came to the Lord in the penitentiary. He knew about the "Sinner Man," as all of us should. The main point of this song parallels that of Isaiah 30: "Sinner Man, where you gonna run to, on that day?" Selah Pastor Ken

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Special message

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Isaiah 28

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A Sure Foundation--Isaiah 28 Shepherd to Sheep When is the front or the back not the front or the back? When is a rope no longer a rope? When is the left or the right not the left of the right? When is distance no longer measured in miles or kilometers but instead measured in time? When you are on a boat, ship or vessel, or airplane or zeppelin. Why is it that these common things change aboard these man made contrivances? Is it for tradition's sake? To appear superior to the landlubbers? Why does everything become so nautical? The answer might surprise you. Because of danger. These vessels operate in a 'hostile environment'. An environment that is hostile toward human life. When the technology that puts us in the water, the atmosphere or even space (astronaut means 'star sailor') fails, our very existence is at risk. Survival in a hostile environment, especially during an emergency, when we are with others is dependent upon clear communication. Front, back, left, right are only relevant to the individual, but fore, aft, port, starboard, bow, stern are aways the same no matter who you are and where you pointed because they are fixed positions. If I ask you for a rope and you give me an anchor line instead of a heaving line, someone might drown. You would be giving me a rope, but our mutual shipmate would still perish. A fallen world is a hostile environment. There was no death before sin. Before the fall death was impossible. We talk about the journey of life in this fallen world with it's dangers as requiring skills to be able to "navigate" our way to a good end. these skills are not automatically known or understood but are taught to us. We must be trained to these skills. We must be established upon these things so that they become a sure foundations that will always stand. We must become dependent upon the veracity of these things to make safely home to port. We will not always be traveling through a hostile environment. There will be a final destination. Some will arrive, and some will be lost at sea. What has become your foundation for survival, where is your port of good hope? Selah, Pastor Ken

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Dangerous Allies--Isaiah 28 Shepherd to Sheep Impaired judgment. Lack of wisdom. Selfish desires. Immediacy. These are the ingredients for an intoxication drink: The Throne. The particular effect of this drink is that it causes you to place yourself upon the throne. And you don't belong there. The Lord is in fact good. He alone is gracious and able to save. He has a love in and of commitment so great that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever that believes in Him should not die but have eternal life, and in the present, a life more abundant. When men sit upon The Throne, they mistake the beauty of the Lord God for something other than what it is. They misappropriate His authority and place themselves in a place of judgment that is not theirs. They mistake the goodness of God in in allowing us to make determinations, decisions, judgments, for either His absence, allowance, non-existence or even His purpose. When men sit up on this throne they "lord" it over others and, unwittingly, even themselves. In their mistaken "wisdom" they make dangerous allies for themselves. The enemies of the Lord God; death and the grave Satan and his minions. Some make these allies unwittingly, and, yes, some do so on purpose. But their end is all the same. Selah, Pastor Ken

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Isaiah 27

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Isaiah 27

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The Limitless Gospel--Isaiah 26-27 Shepherd to Sheep Think for a moment about two opposite words: Finite and Infinite. Okay, now add another word to the mix: Definite. Let's see if we can make your brain smoke: Are these words adjectives or nouns? Now I would ask you a question: Is the 'Good News', The Gospel of the LORD God, is it finite, infinite, or definite? Did I tell you that you would be tested on this? No? Too bad. Test time now: A show of hands; 1) Is the Gospel: A. Finite B. Infinite C. Definite D. 2 of the above E. None of the above F. All of the above. 2) Are the words adjectives or nouns? First word: Finite: A. Adjective B. Noun C. Neither D. Both Next word Infinite: A. Adjective B. Noun C. Neither D. Both Next word: Definite: A. Adjective B. Noun C. Neither D. Both 3) Last question: Do these questions applied to the scripture concerning the gospel present you with a: A. Paradox B. Contradiction C. An apparent contradiction D. A headache. I lied. Here's one last question Does it matter? I told you I lied, in conclusion, the last question: Why does it or doesn't it mater? Selah, Pastor Ken

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Isaiah 26

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Looking At Jesus--Isaiah 26:7-11

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The Equalizer--Isaiah 25 Shepherd to Sheep The first thought of the day is this: The LORD IS GOOD! All the Time!! 3 'E's of renown; The Energizer Bunny; the Enforcer Dirty Harry; and The Equalizer. The Bunny dude is supposed to be funny, Dude! The Enforcer dude is serious business, Dude! The Equalizer dude is,... The Equalizer dude is... umm, let me get back to you on that one. These3 character all have something in common, they are lide the Lord in some ways. The Lord isn't meant to be funny. But He is the One that never quits or gets tired. He's the One who never sleeps. He is the One who empowers His own peculiar people. He truly is the One that keeps going and going and going. He is the I Am that I Am. The Lord is the lawmaker and the enforcer of His law. He is the One to whom everyone must give account. Although Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry is a sinner and his basically one dimension character does not accurately reflect God in all of the Lord's character, the theme of someone holding murderers accountable for their actions is very attractive to human beings. Having been made in the image of God we know inherently (not instinctively) that murder is wrong and inexcusable. We want someone to execute justice for us. The Equalizer was an interesting character in drama. A former CIA hitman, he retires and offers his services to the oppressed. Yet he also sought to determine whether the victims were truly victim es. This character was an intercessor of greater power (worldly power) than those that he served. This character resonates with one of the most common realizations of fallen mankind; we are at least sometimes all in need of an intercessor/rescuer. The Lord never changes, He has always been perfect in all way. He was never a "hitman". But He has always offered Himself as an intercessor for the needy which, of course, is all of us. The Lord is there at all times to rescue us. His works of justice in intercession are always perfect and not subject to the error of judgment that we as men are. In Isaiah 25-26 He is praised for this work as "equalizer" for the nation Israel. Selah, Pastor Ken

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Praising Him--Isaiah 25 Shepherd to Sheep One thing that the praise of God cannot be is obligatory. You see, the moment praise becomes an obligation, it is no longer true praise. The words may be the same, but praise that is true isn't about the words spoken. Just as the same words are used for sincere compliment and falsely used for flattery. There seems to be twins of praise and worship doesn't there? And yet, while the twins must have the same heart there is a clear (or should be) distinction between them. We can praise the Lord from any position, and I believe that we may be able to worship Him in some way from any position, but the word most commonly (about 80% of the time) translated as worship is definitively a word describing body positioning. This word worship means to be upon our knees, and to progress to prostrate position before the throne. Obviously, worship can also be false. Prostrating oneself before a throne doesn't require a heart that is prostrate. So, a question may arise; How do we have a right heart concerning praise and worship that we can do so in spirit and in truth? First, we need to know the one that we are praising and/or worshipping. Do you know the LORD? Second, we need to know what He has done and is doing in order to know that He is worthy of praise and/or worship. Are you in the Word and prayer? Third, we need to let ourselves be inspired by these things. To be "breathed into" (the meaning of inspired) by the Holy Spirit of God. When we yield or surrender our will to Him, God will be faithful to do so. After all He did so to Adam in the garden on day six. Thank You Jesus! Selah, Pastor Ken

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Our High Priest--Hebrews 6, 7 Shepherd to Sheep Resurrection Sunday. This is what we are actually celebrating this morning (I hope) and not "Easter". The cross of Jesus; what does it mean to you today? Is this a time when we celebrate the crucifixion of Jesus, or something else? Jesus said that if He were lifted up that He would draw all men unto Himself. We sing about Jesus being lifted up, and as Gayle Irwin remarks; "At times it makes me want to cringe? To lift Him up as He spoke of it was for Him to be crucified! Is this what the church is about? It is the same as the multitude crying out 'Crucify Him! Crucify Him'" Indeed this is what is meant by lifting Him up in the Bible. Crucify Him is the same as saying lift Him Up! In our heart of course we are speaking of exalting Him when we sing about lifting Him up. But, I too at times cringe when I stop to consider the Biblical meaning. But again, what is the real significance of today? The record shows and it is established that 3 men were crucified together when Jesus was executed. We don't celebrate the crucifixion of these 2 thieves. The Cross of Christ is absolutely essential to our salvation, but that is not our singular source of hope for eternal life. And if indeed it is essential for us, then isn't it incumbent upon us to have a clear understanding of the cross in the plan of reconciliation by the LORD God for us? Selah, Pastor Ken

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Rejoice--Isaiah 25 Shepherd to Sheep Today is Palm Sunday. What a Special day it is. The anniversary of the triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem by the Christ of God. The long awaited reconciliation between men and God, the Creator. Even in all the years of Jesus' life during His first coming, including the 3 years of His 'ministry', He was not to be declared or fully revealed as the Savior of Israel and the world. Repeatedly throughout His ministry as many came to know that He was indeed the long awaited Messiah, He told those individuals to not tell anyone, for His day and His hour had not yet come. This seems difficult to understand, unless we know the importance of prophecy from the Lord's perspective. The Lord declares that the singular most important reason to believe in the Bible is because of the prophetic words that have been given by the Lord. Indeed the accuracy of prophecy is what sets the Holy Bible apart from all other religious writings. The accuracy of the Bible is such that even some so called "Christian" scholars doubt and even claim that surely many of these prophecies were added after the fact of their occurrence. I believe that this type of view is one of the things that the Bible refers to as "damnable heresies". Heresies are simply lies. Damnable heresies are those lies about the Lord that have the potential to cause a soul to be cast into judgement; hell itself The reason that Jesus told the religious leaders that if the people didn't cry out and declare Him Messiah that the very rocks would is simple. The Lord through prophecy had declared that this very day of this entry into Jerusalem would be the day of the arrival of God's promise to save all of His creation, and that the multitudes would rejoice singing "Hosanna". Foretold by the angel Gabriel sent by the LORD God to the prophet Daniel, to the very day. WOW! Selah, Pastor Ken

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Isaiah Study

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Who Owns It Anyway?--Isaiah 24 Shepherd to Sheep One of the overarching lessons of the Bible is that with authority comes accountability even more than responsibility. Accountability is the result of authority because the scriptures declare that all authority is given by the LORD God. Certainly the two are connected, but the scriptures imply responsibility by describing and declaring accountability. Think of this: Jesus told Pilate that Pilate couldn't do anything that the Father hadn't granted him the authority. The law of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is a limit of our authority to mete justice on earth, not a license for vengeance. And it is combined with the warning of over judging. The law is given so that we can know what extents and limits are given to mankind for the authority of governing in the way that the Lord desires. Our authority was given to us in Genesis 2, on the day we were created. It was revealed as dominion, and came with accountability. When we surrendered our God given dominion of the world to Satan through believing, desiring, and acquiescing to his lies about our Lord and Creator in disobedience (SIN), the accountability came in the promised result of death. And Satan became the prince of the power of the air, the god of this present age. But he doesn't own the earth. He only has an authority. And even he has an accountability. Selah, Pastor Ken

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Isaiah 23

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Real Firepower-Isaiah 22 Shepherd to Sheep MORE HORESPOWER! MORE FIREPOWER! Model T's then Ford Mil-9's (the original Jeep) and Willy's MJ then Humvees. Shermans to Abrams to M1A1's to Merkavas. Amrams, Stingers, Patriots, Sidewinders. Hercules and Apaches. Camels to Hellcats to Sabres to Phantom's to Tomcats to Stealths to Warthogs to F-117A's. Minutemen, Scuds, ICBMs Here lately it seems almost like we're running out of names. Makes me remember the line from the old Tower of Power song: "Great Googly-Moogly! Can't you hear me talkin to ye! It's a ball of confusion. That's what the world is today." Incredibly eloquent lyrics that succinctly summarized the world then. And before then. And now. And even yet to come, at least for a little while. Do you realized that the Lord God sees all this and isn't surprised? That realizations is very comforting to me. The greatest blessing in studying prophecy, at least for me, is that I learn that not only the Lord God sees and isn't surprised, but that He has spoken about it and has revealed what He will do about it. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Selah, Pastor Ken

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