1. my soul finds rest in God alone…this morning I want to continue on with this theme – finding rest in God alone
2. Isaiah 30
* grand narrative of the Bible in 5 acts – creation + fall + Israel + Jesus + church = this is the Israel act
* 700 BC (Abraham 2200; Moses 1500; David 1000)
* Assyria on the rise as a world power – Israel scared – forge a political/military alliance with Egypt for protection = a no, no!
3. tell Israel’s story through 3 words that also have bearing on our story – individually & CAC
* sin
* repentance
* renewal
Israel’s story
30:1-7 = misplaced trust in Egypt
1. breaking of covenant with God – idea of turning to another mate, unfaithfulness, infidelity
2. obstinate (1) rebellious (9) – do not consult God with their plans
3. plans will fail – Egypt will fail Israel
30:8-11 = Israel’s attitude
1. rebellious; deceitful, unwilling to listen
2. don’t want confrontation – only want to hear what they want to hear from seers & prophets!
30:12-14 = God’s judgment
1. rejected; relied; depended = their sin & guilt
2. word picture of a wall that collapses
3. word picture of pottery that shatters
30:15-18 = God’s invitation to repentance
1. Sovereign Lord & Holy One = authority
2. 15 & 18 = call to repentance based upon God’s mercy
3. 16 & 17 = Israel’s rebellion
30:19-22 = spiritual renewal
1. repentance leads to a new responsiveness to God’s word – rejection of God’s word brings hardness of heart
Sin
1. we sin & we are sinners – says Bible & human experience
2. Eugene Peterson & Walter Brueggemann thoughts on biblical theology of sin:
* sin a depersonalizing word or act – not breaking a rule but breaking a relationship – sin is a relational disorder
* all sin boils down to a refused relationship with God that spills over into a wrong relationship with others
3. we deny or minimize sin every chance we get – euphemisms proliferate in our vocabulary: mistake, bad call, poor judgment, error, wrong, slip, oversight, screw-up, etc. BUT rarely SIN!
4. EHPeterson – a refusal to deal with sin is a refusal to deal with relationships. And if we don’t deal with relationships, we can’t love. Love is the relational act par excellence just as sin is the relational act par excellence
5. Israel = replaced God with Egypt for their source of rest, security, protection = built an ‘alliance’ with someone or something other than God = breaking of covenant
6. you me CAC = what ‘alliances’ have you built in your life for security, peace, safety, rest apart from God?
* finances
* comfort food & drink
* relationships
* homes & possessions
Repentance
1. catch connection – in repentance & rest is your salvation (15) = there is no real rest (complete dependence upon God) without repentance, and there is no real repentance that does not issue in rest (John Oswalt).
2. repent = to turn around or turn back; turn mentally, spiritually, behaviorally
3. Israel = stop going in direction of self-dependence & doing things ones own way; turn around & away from this life; turn to depending on God & pleasing him = place your trust in God alone!
4. you me CAC = examination precedes repentance
* dentist to fix teeth
* doctor for physical
* mechanic for tune-up
* Canby Car Wash & Auto Lube – oil change
5. this month to Solemn Assembly on 1/22 = time of examination & repentance; Ten Steps to Spiritual Cleansing a tool to help us do this
6. where have you broken your relationship with God?
where have you broken your relationship with others?
what needs to be made right with God, others?
Renewal
1. out of his compassion & grace God calls us to spiritual renewal (18)!!
2. sin + repentance + renewal
3. Israel
* 30:19 = new life vitality passion in prayer
* 30:20 = increased spiritual perception
* 30:21 = guidance & direction
* 30:22 = followed by more repentance from idolatry
4. you me CAC – things change following repentance!
* new passion for prayer
* spiritual insight & discernment
* clear guidance
* increased sensitivity to sin
this is our call to repentance
1. use Ten Steps
2. let nothing stop you from being here on Sunday night, 6pm, 1/22!
3. Outside Magazine – Kelly Slater, world champion surfer
* broken relationships with his immediate family
* drinking too much
* using surfing to run from his personal problems
* a friend challenged him to get healthy himself so he could bring greater health to his family & quit acting like & being a victim!
* Slater repented – victim mentality + irresponsibility + neglect of important relationships + drinking
4. let’s do the same!
Ten Steps for Spiritual Cleansing
1. Get alone in a quiet place with paper, pen, and your Bible.
2. Quiet your heart before God - put away all distractions and worries until you are finally quiet before God (this may take some time!).
3. Pray to God and thank Him for bringing you to this place in your life where you desire to be cleansed before Him and His holiness. Commit yourself to God and ask for the courage to not run away from the deep work that He wants to do in your life.
4. Ask the Holy Spirit, "please reveal to me the specific sins in my life - even the ones I may have forgotten - which lie between You and me. In Jesus name, amen."
5. List everything the Holy Spirit reveals to you. Don't give into the temptation to skip some of the harder ones. Give this some time, expect some struggle. When you have completed your list, number them in the order of how difficult they will be for you to confess and make necessary restitution.
6. Anticipate the personal struggle you will face, as you have not been willing to face these issues and confess them before the Lord until this point.
7. Confess your sins one at a time before the Lord, beginning with the hardest first. "Lord, I confess to You that I committed the sin of _____________. Please forgive me for this sin and thoroughly cleanse me from it." Go through your list one by one until you are finished.
8. Expect to have to humble yourself to at least one other person as you seek to make all things right in your life. Take the hardest first and personally visit with that person. If that's not possible, telephone, if that's not possible, write a letter. Always take the upper road and do more than what would be expected of you in order to satisfy the Lord and the offended person.
9. Write "DONE!" across your sheet of paper after you have "confessed, made restoration, forgiven, and received God's cleansing!" Then burn your sheet as an act of assurance of the Lord's total and complete forgiveness.
10. Thank the Lord when you have completed your list. Praise Him for His forgiveness and thank Him for His cleansing.
(taken from the book Personal Holiness in Time of Temptation by Bruce Wilkinson, p. 112)
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