Share This Episode
Cross Reference Radio Pastor Rick Gaston Logo

Early Detection Alerts (Part C)

Cross Reference Radio / Pastor Rick Gaston
The Truth Network Radio
November 13, 2024 6:00 am

Early Detection Alerts (Part C)

Cross Reference Radio / Pastor Rick Gaston

On-Demand Podcasts NEW!

This broadcaster has 1344 podcast archives available on-demand.

Broadcaster's Links

Keep up-to-date with this broadcaster on social media and their website.


November 13, 2024 6:00 am

God deals with Israel’s sin and their disobedience. He has not abandoned them. In contrast, He pronounces the LORD’s servant obedience. Though He will be rejected by some, He will endure and fulfill God’s plan to bring light to the nations.

COVERED TOPICS / TAGS (Click to Search)
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the king's delicacies.

That's poor. I can't have it. Paul determined to know nothing amongst the Corinthians except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Man, the simplicity of the gospel. It does not need our embellishment. We don't have to create clever ways to get people to receive Christ. We have to get people to receive Christ. We have to go along with the revealed way. It's good enough. And if they don't receive Christ, it's not because the scripture lacks.

It's because they don't want them. Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame. He didn't like it any more than anybody else.

Yet he took it. Do you have a thin skin as a Christian? Do you like a hemophiliac if you get poked just a little bit, you bleed too much? I hope I'm not that way.

I know my flesh is, and I hope my spirit just stays above these things. Here's an example of bitterness and not getting past it. When I die, I'm leaving a list of people who I don't want to come to my funeral. I mean, that's just like, why? I don't want to give them the satisfaction.

So, you know, things like that, got to watch out for. So that's why I'm not going to die. I'm just going to stay around, spite them.

Anyway, coming back to this, I think Christians are the only ones that can actually say, when I die, if I die, because of the whole rapture thing. Anyhow, verse seven, for the Lord God will help me. Therefore I will not be disgraced.

Therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed. Yeah, by righteous standards, all that's true. The world has their standards, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. What the world defines foolish, not God. God says, what I'm telling you is not foolish. They're going to think it is, to the Greeks, foolishness.

To the Jews, a stumbling block. But to God is spot on. And so, you know, we have to make sure we do not let Satan write our dictionaries and encyclopedias. We are the learned of the Lord. That's why he's given us a pretty thick book. This is like, you know, one page won't work for you.

You're going to need a lot of them. Well, verse seven, Christ always chose to act as God the Son become flesh when he walked the earth. Not now. He's been glorified. He's returned largely to who he is. If he were to absolutely return to the Father, we would sort of just be very confused. But it really helps that God has become closer to us.

And through Christ, the incarnation brought Yahweh closer to us so we could learn so much more that we would not have had had he remained sort of, you know, removed in heaven. So that's why Jesus said, he who has seen me has seen the Father. What a profound statement. Nobody could say that. No angel could say that without blaspheming.

Well, again, he chose to act as God the Son become flesh, not in his inherent omnipotence, keeping himself under the guidance and control of the Holy Spirit voluntarily. That's what he's telling us in Isaiah. He said, when I come and I behave this way, you understand that I gave you an alert. I announced this. This is how I'm going to do it.

To help you identify me and I help you know what's going on and learn some things about how you're to behave also. He is the second Adam, the last. Adam, you know, failed to be the obedient being he was created to be. But Christ is the one that did not fail. He lived by faith as we're called to live. And he did not use his divinity, but he defaulted to the Godhead. And so we read in John 8, and he who sent me is with me. The Father has not left me alone, for I always do those things that please him.

Living dependent upon the power of the Spirit. Luke chapter 2. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth. This is after the incident in the Jerusalem Temple when he was 12 years old.

And was subject to them. But his mother kept all these things in her heart. So Mary, when she's telling Luke, because Luke, he researched his book, the Gospel of Luke, and he tells us that right at the beginning. He looked deep into these things, interviewing people, and talking to Mary. Mary said to him, look, there were so many things about Christ growing up that all you could do is just file it to memory. It was unlike anybody and anything. And he was not making pigeons out of mud pies or something like that, like some of the crazy heresies teach.

But he was just this stellar person. And what could she do? She couldn't explain it.

I mean, they're pretty upset they get back to Jerusalem after three days. Maybe you've had a child that has gone missing from you, and you know, you're agonizing, and when you see them, you want to take your belt off. You don't. Hopefully you don't. But you're like, where were you? Why would you do that to me?

Am I the only one who's ever had these kind of feelings? I couldn't get to a phone, Dad. I was trying to.

Oh, okay. So anyhow, Mary and Joseph, you know, they were pretty upset. And so he submits to them, and Luke puts that in his writing and teaches us about Christ. And he continues, he says, and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men. So he submitted himself to the development processes that we go through. He grew in stature and wisdom, dependent on the Holy Spirit.

At any time he could have stopped that. That's one of the things when he says, I can call 12 legions down right now. But he subjected himself to these things under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to teach us how we are to conduct ourselves. Luke chapter 4, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. What's the first thing Christ points out with anointing? Preaching. Telling the truth about God based on revelation from God. He doesn't say, he has anointed me to do interpretive dance.

They had something like that in Judges, remember? The women came out with their dancing, and the men clobbered them and took them as wives. One of the goofiest stories in the Bible.

So, anyway, and some of you may say, but I like interpretive dance. Well, you shouldn't. Not in church.

What do you have when you have dueling interpretations? Oh, no, that's not right. I disagree with that. How do you settle that? A dance off, which is even more irritating.

Then you have river dance comes in. Okay. Use your arms. Anyhow, that's how I cheer at a soccer match.

Anyway, back to this. He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Those are the ones that are ready to receive because they know they don't have anything before God.

Without him, they're broke paupers. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted. You know, you can be, you can follow the letter of the law. You'll just won't, you'll be useless to God, pretty much.

I'll give you an example of that. John chapter 8. She was caught in adultery. They said, kill her.

That's what the law demanded. You see, that's how useful those guys were to God. Where was the man, by the way? They knew where he was, but they wanted to break the law. What did Christ do?

He looked for a solution in the situation. Go and sin no more. He didn't wink at sin.

You know, it's not that, sometimes it's more complicated than the letter of the law. There is this such thing as where sin abounded. Grace did much more, and you just saw it in John chapter 8 with that woman. And so, he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery to the sight of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed. At his first coming, Christ came in the spirit of grace. He stops quoting Isaiah right there because Isaiah then goes on to talk about the vengeance of the Lord, but he doesn't quote that section in application to himself because he came as the lamb of God and not the lion of Judah, which he will come as next time. Anyway, talking about the development of Messiah as announced over 700 years before his birth, Luke chapter 9, now it came to pass when the time had come for him to be received up that he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.

Well, what does that have to do with this? Well, look again at verse 7, I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed. He steadfastly set his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem. Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the king's delicacies.

That's poor, can't have it. Paul determined to know nothing amongst the Corinthians except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Man, the simplicity of the gospel, it does not need our embellishment. We don't have to create clever ways to get people to receive Christ. We have to go along with the revealed way. It's good enough. And if they don't receive Christ, it's not because the scripture lacks.

It's because they don't want them. Yet, don't forget that. As long as there's life, there's time. Well, Paul determined not to know anything among them except Jesus Christ and him crucified. But Jesus set his face like a flint and walked straight to the cross. And we are so grateful for that. That's why we can sing to him, because he's alive.

He's not only alive on paper, he is alive. Where two or more are gathered in my name, there he is in the midst. I believe that.

Not only do I believe that, I like that. Verse 8, he is near who justifies me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is my adversary?

Let him come near. The court is nauseating. When you drive by a courthouse, that is a battlefield. It's a place of conflict.

There's no healing there. And justice is slim. Sometimes you can get justice. It's like the one-armed bandit.

It's a slot machine. You might get justice. Jesus said, you know, try to settle this thing out of court, because you can't trust the courts.

It's sad to say it. Not all, sometimes there is justice. But would any of you like to go to court and have your freedom or your possessions put on the line? Anyway, here he's talking about, let's put me on trial. By the resurrection of Christ, he was acquitted, because what was the charge on Christ? Blasphemy. And that he rose again, just proved that he was not condemned by God. So God proclaimed, Hebrews chapter 7, that he is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. That part harmless, that's for his people. Anyone will come with him. We'll close with a judgment verse, because we can never lose sight of that.

Who is my adversary? Well, they came near enough to kill him, and that's what they did. They crucified him. Incidentally, when the Romans crucified people, they didn't crucify them up on the Cecil B. DeMille crosses. They, for those of you who don't know, he was the director of movies like, I forgot, Jesus of Nazareth, one of those movies.

I don't remember, greatest story ever told, I think it might have been. Anyway, when they crucified a person, number one, they wanted to save lumber. That wasn't their priority. You know, how many of the Spartacus rebellion slaves did they kill? No, they littered the Appian Way, thousands of them they crucified. But they crucified a person at eye level. They wanted you to look at his face. They wanted you to see his agony. He was a poster boy for Rome's law. And if you violated Rome, you would get crucified. And that's traumatic to see a human being, it's hard to see an animal suffer, but a human being to suffer like that. When Christ was crucified, it was at eye level.

They wanted you to see him. When they crucified the Jews after conquering Jerusalem in one of the revolts, they ran out of wood. They were crucifying so many of them. So, when we talk about the suffering of Christ, as this verse, and he talks about who is my adversary, well those adversaries crucified him. Peter said, who committed no sin, 1 Peter 2, nor was deceit found in his mouth.

What kind of people are these that killed him? Verse 9, surely Yahweh, surely the Lord Yahweh will help me. Who is he who will condemn me? Indeed, they will all grow old like a garment.

The moth will eat them up. Well, it's just a consequence of being on the wrong side of God. He doesn't say, I will grow old, because he did not grow old. No one could declare his generation. He was cut off.

They killed him. But he says, they're going to grow old. So, God's definitions bypass oftentimes our immediate definition. It's a paradox. Something that appears to contradict, but actually does not. So, when Paul says to Timothy, you have seen me in persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch and Iconium, at Lystra, what persecutions I endured.

Can you catch that? When Paul's writing this, and he sort of inserts this emotional, what persecutions I suffered. And then he goes on, and out of them all, the Lord delivered me. I think about this verse when I have my pity parties, which are usually not attended, I've noticed. This is no surprise, we're here with you. But I have my pity parties too. They're between me and the Lord.

And it's always the same. You know, some scripture verse comes to mind. You know, Jeremiah being pulled out of the miry pit by, you know, an African slave, or just, you know, whatever it is. Paul here, out of the mall, the Lord delivered me. And I get stronger with that. I know what my duty is.

And I get up and go do it. And I just, you know, take my hits, looking for a better day, as a faithful creator awaits me. And boy, thank God, as Paul said, and all those who have loved his appearing. He doesn't say, boy, I can't wait to get to heaven, too bad for you.

What would salvation be like if he only saved you? Well, you'd be grateful maybe, but doesn't that create other thoughts that are positive towards other people? God, can I be useful to you and a blessing to others? When I go make a pastoral call, Lord, can I just be a blessing? You know how hard it is to be a blessing sometimes? It's just not, you know, sometimes people don't make it easy. Sometimes you're just in a foul mood. You don't always have to understand why you're down in the dumps. David said, why are you cast down, my soul? Why are you cast down? Yeah, because of creepy curses on this world. And then you'll work out of it.

Just keep working. Verse 10, who among you fears Yahweh? Who obeys the voice of his servant?

Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of Yahweh and rely upon his God. So those who fear the Lord are to come to the light.

They're invited to trust. Fear is to revere. It's a holy reverence to a pure God. To obey is to heed. Obedience is not a philosophy.

A lot of Christians think it's just a good idea. It is a fact, a concrete fact. Who walks? To walk is to live.

And finally he says to trust, and that is faith in action. Who walks in darkness and has no light. That's moral and spiritual darkness. And this is the condemnation that the light is coming to the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. Well, it continues, verse 11, look all you who kindle a fire, who encircle yourselves with sparks. Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled.

This you shall have from my hand. You shall lie down in torment. That's a pretty heavy way to end a chapter about the coming of Messiah. But God says, look, I'm not playing. What makes you think I'm joking? What makes you think there's something funny about my son dying on a cross?

There's nothing funny about it. You can make light, but be not deceived. God is not mocked. That which a man sows, he shall reap.

Those who walk in the light of the fire they have kindled are condemned to sorrow. That's what he's saying. There's created light, then there's the creator's light. All of it, in the literal sense, is his. We're talking about, metaphorically, man's understanding. Then the light's turned on. Well, what do we mean by that?

We finally understood something. The light that man generates without God is useless light. It is useless. It is useless against the curse of sin. Comparatively, man's light is like just sparks to God.

It didn't compare to his supernova light. His light of morality, intellectual understanding, spiritual things. God makes level playing fields. There's a Christian. Well, Stephen Hawking, you know, was touted to be such an intelligent physicist.

I think it was his primary, whatever it was. There's another Christian who was just as intelligent as him in the same world, challenged Hawkins to a debate which Stephen Hawkins would not take. And the Christian, who I'm purposely not naming, he wrote a book, and it's more evangelical, and he used Daniel as, you know, the main character. And, you know, reading the book, I'm saying to myself, this man is a hundred times more intelligent than I am except when it comes to Scripture. Now it's the equal playing field because there's such a thing as anointing.

And I found the book actually kind of boring because, you know, it's not pride. It's just a fact. I mean, I get paid to immerse myself in Scripture. If you get paid to immerse yourself in something and you applied yourself, you're going to be pretty good at it. You're going to be better usually than the people who aren't doing that.

It's just a law of life. What would you do to a guy that's always in the gym practicing, you know, punching and kicking and wrestling? Who wants to fight that guy?

Well, somebody else has been in the gym doing the same thing. You're going to have the advantage. Well, there are many books that are written by people who are more intelligent but not necessarily more anointed. This level playing field keeps us humble and it does not allow anyone to boast. And we see people that, you know, are in high places and they get saved and they feel like they got to write a book now. Now somehow they're an authority.

That's not how it works. One, exhibit one, Peter the fisherman. I mean, Peter was a mess as far as, you know, by the world standards. But he lived with God three years.

Men write volumes about Peter and his two little letters and his life. So we talk about light, we talk about intelligence. Well, God's intelligence has this additive, anointing.

It changes everything. Go to a church where the pastor's not anointed. You won't be able to wait to get out of that church. He's just repeating things saying, but this is no anointing. And it's not hard to find pastors who are anointed. They love the Lord. They love the Lord's people. They understand their calling. There's things about their calling that they're honest enough to say they do not like. But they're also scared enough to say, I can't leave it.

There's nothing wrong with any of that. You know, when you see a parent say, I'm not leaving my child. I'm going to stay here and I'll die for my child.

We applaud that. Well, you better have a pastor that has the same kind of approach to ministry. I don't want Jesus to say to me, are you two going to leave?

Oh, man. Well, summing this up, some feel no need for what they cannot control. And that's why they want to make their own fires. That's what Isaiah is talking about.

They want to make their own fires. They don't want to receive light from God. They won't acknowledge him as God. Or they'll demote him and say, well, there are other gods too.

There are other ways also. When Paul gets in Romans and talking about those who have not heard the gospel, at no point does he say, well, there are other gods are valid. At no point does he do anything like that.

Because they're not. What is it profit a man if he gains the world and loses? Well, let's read it. Because this, I was going to quote Matthew, but Luke, I think, presents it a little differently.

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and is himself destroyed or lost? What good is it starting your own little campfires of knowledge that end up damning you forever? Walk in the light of your fire in the sparks you have kindled, God said. Go ahead. Try that. See how far you get in eternity with that.

Almost done. Three verses. John, 1 John 1.7. If we walk in the light as he is the light, we have fellowship with one another. And the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. And so Isaiah finishes this line. He says, this you shall have from my hand. You shall lie down in torment.

So here's a call to the unconverted to get their act together. Two verses. Ephesians 5. Let no one deceive you with empty words. For because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. And then Ephesians 5, 8, two verses later. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Well, by God's help, we'll be doing a lot better with him than we were without him.

Let's pray. Our Father, more information, more challenges. The Spirit says, bring them on Lord, because you know best.

The carnal man, the natural man, always resists you. And we are aware of these things. And may you find us always looking to submit to you. Thanks for tuning in to Cross Reference Radio today. Cross Reference Radio is a ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia. If you'd like to learn more about this ministry, we invite you to visit our website, crossreferenceradio.com.

You'll find a number of teachings from Pastor Rick available there. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe, you'll be notified of new editions of Cross Reference Radio. Just search for Cross Reference Radio on your favorite podcast app. You can also follow the links at crossreferenceradio.com. We're glad we were able to spend time with you today. Tune in next time to continue learning from the book of Isaiah with Pastor Rick, right here on Cross Reference Radio.
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-11-13 08:12:39 / 2024-11-13 08:22:47 / 10

Get The Truth Mobile App and Listen to your Favorite Station Anytime