A NEW LIVE CLASS ON ISAIAH
What’s up my friends? This is Jeff with the Core Life Training podcast where we dig into the Bible, get down with some killer tunes and cool out with a tasty drink of choice. You are in episode number 11. The weather here where I live in Gresham has turned kind of chilly which I am not at all pumped about. Summer was not very hot which I'm also not pumped about because it meant I only got in my pool like I don't know six or seven times all summer long which completely sucked.
One thing that I am totally pumped about is a brand new live class I'm going to be teaching here in Gresham in mid-November on the Book of Isaiah. In the story of the Old Testament, Isaiah is one of the most important books that there is. It comes at a super crucial time in the story and it really adds a lot of important details to the message of the Old Testament. For Jesus and the New Testament authors, Isaiah is one of the most important books related to the gospel and the mission of the church as well.
So Isaiah is one of the most important books of the Bible. But how many times have you been reading through Isaiah and thought to yourself who's talking right now and who in the world are they talking to and what on earth are they talking about? Are they talking about their own time or are they talking about the future? It's such an important book in the Bible but man it's so easy to get lost and confused in it.
So what I want to do in this class is connect the Book of Isaiah with the story of the broader Old Testament. How does this book fit into that story? I want to trace the storyline of Isaiah section-by-section. I'm going to show you how the author has connected all the prophecies and the narratives and the warnings and the promises of his book to form like one big story. I want to help you understand the message of Isaiah. So I'll just walk you through the theological meaning or the main point that's communicated through the story. I want to help you meet Jesus in the Book of Isaiah. The authors of the New Testament read Isaiah as a story that was explicitly about Jesus and about the gospel. I'll show you how they did that. I want to apply the message of Isaiah to real life. If it doesn't make a difference for real life today then who cares right? Who gives a rip? So we'll look at some of the key ways that the story of Isaiah should impact real life. Ultimately, I want to help you know and love God more. If you just get some more information about the Bible or about God at the end of the course, I've really failed you. I want to help you deepen your understanding of God and strengthen your heart for him too.
This class is gonna be just three hours on one night Sunday night November 17th here in Gresham Oregon. It's gonna be in a killer location. I just want you to mark that night out November 17th. Go to www.corelifetraining.org/isaiah and you'll get all the details and information about the class there. If you register in the next two weeks I’ll give you a killer deal on the class.
SERIES RECAP
Alright let's get down to this week's episode and for those of you that have not heard the last two episodes let me give you a quick recap. God loves to be known Jeremiah chapter 9 verses 23 and 24 hosea chapter 6 verse 6, God says, “I delight in the knowledge of God. I delight, I love it when I am known.” We said that knowing God is personal, that is, you can learn a lot about someone like lots of truths and facts but not actually come to know them. God wants us to know him personally.
Knowing God is also factual. it's not just a free-for-all where we get to make up what we think God is like or how we feel God is. God gets to speak for himself to us about God. So if I'm gonna know God truly, I need to know him as he says he is. In this episode, I want to share with you the one thing that you need, it's just one thing you need for knowing God. It's not a ton, it's not a million, it's not super confusing or complicated. There's one thing that you need to know God. remember if you stick around after the outro you're gonna get this episode's drink of choice and metal moment which are both a rad. But right now why don't you grab a notebook and grab your drink of choice and let's get down to business.
SIX WAYS GOD REVEALS HIMSELF AND WHY THEY DON’T HELP US
If we're gonna come to know God the way God wants us to know him that is personally and truly, God has got to reveal himself to us. He's got to show us who he is or tell us who he is. In the Bible, God reveals himself to us in a lot of different ways.
One of the ways that God reveals himself to us is in nature or in creation. Psalm 19:1-4 says, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God and their expanse is declaring the work of his hands. Day to day pours forth speech and night to night reveals knowledge.” Creation is always telling us about God. “There is no speech nor are there words where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth and their utterances to the end of the world.” There's no people group on earth, there's no language out there that doesn't translate God's revelation in nature. Nobody can say, “I don't get it.” God's revelation in nature and creation goes everywhere. In Romans chapter 1 verse 20, Paul says, “Since the creation of the world God's invisible attributes his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen being understood through what has been made so that men and women are without excuse.” God has always told us about God in creation.
Now here's the problem, there's a big problem with this. No one actually ever knows God truly through nature alone. This is from Romans chapter 1 verse 21. “Even though they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks but they became futile in their speculations and their foolish heart was darkened.” Their understanding got haywire. Verse 22 says, “Professing to be wise they became fools and they traded away, they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image.” People reject God's revelation of God in creation. They reject his glory in creation and instead we make an idol. We make idols in the form of corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. So Paul says that God reveals who God is in creation but he also says that no one ever actually comes to know God truly through creation alone. What we all do is make idols out of what we see. Oh God must be like the Sun. Oh God must be like a crocodile. Oh actually God must be a lot like me! Isn't it amazing that the first Idol we make is in the form of corruptible man? The God people believe in on their own, just by looking around in nature, is usually a bigger, smarter, more powerful version of themselves. That's called idolatry. God reveals himself truly in creation but nobody actually ever comes to know him truly through nature alone.
God also revealed himself in the story of the Bible by appearing to people. In Genesis chapter 17, God appears to Abraham and tells Abraham what he's like and what he wants. In Genesis chapter 26, he appears to Isaac. In Genesis 35 he appears to Jacob. If you remember in Exodus chapter 3, God appears to Moses after hundreds of years of Israel being in slavery in Egypt. But they've been worshiping Egyptian idols for centuries and God appears to Moses in a burning bush. Moses doesn't even know who God is. God says go tell Pharaoh let my people go and Moses is like, “I don't even know what your name is.” In Exodus 19, God reveals himself on the mountain to the nation of Israel and they reject him outright at that spot. In Exodus 34, God reveals himself to Moses and declares his name, “The Lord, the Lord, gracious and compassionate slow to anger and abounding and loving-kindness.”
God appears to people and reveals himself but what's the problem with that? I wasn't there. I wasn't there for any of that. So in the story of the Bible, God reveals himself by appearing to people. I just haven't happened to have experienced that.
Another way God reveals himself to people in the story of the Bible is by speaking to people through angels. I'm thinking of Genesis chapter 19 where God speaks to Abraham in the whole Sodom and Gomorrah scene. God speaks to Abraham and tells him what God is like and what God wants and God's purpose and plan. He says all of that through angels. In Matthew chapter one, God tells Joseph what's going on with Mary and this child that's gonna be born and what Joeseph should do about it. I mean you can see where Joseph’s going, “What in the world has happened around here like honestly somebody better tell me what's up.” And the Lord is glad to reveal himself and to tell Joseph but he does it through an angel.
So God reveals himself through angels but what's the problem with this? The problem, for me at least, is God has not revealed himself to me through angels. I've never met an angel at least as far as I know. I've never gotten a word from the Lord through angels at least as far as I know. So like it's real hard for me to know God if I'm waiting for him to reveal himself to me through angels.
Another way that God reveals himself in the story of the Bible is through miracles. In Exodus chapter 14, God reveals his greatness and his power and his love for Israel in delivering them through the Red Sea. That's a huge miracle! I'm preaching through the Gospel of Mark right now and we just went through Mark six, seven and eight. In that passage Jesus feeds 4,000 people and he feeds 5000 people. He's doing all kinds of miracles.
What's the problem with this? God reveals himself through miracles but I wasn't there. I have no access to them. I wasn't getting fed. I wasn't one of the four thousand or five thousand. So if I'm waiting for miracles to happen to know God better and to understand who God is, I'm gonna be waiting a long time to know God.
God also reveals himself in the story of the Bible through prophets. He gives prophets visions and dreams. He gives them his message to speak. That's awesome! God reveals himself through prophets but what's the problem? I've never met one of those prophets. I never met Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel or any one of the twelve. I don't know these guys. I've never had a legit prophet speak to me that way. So if I'm waiting for God to reveal himself to me so that I can get to know him through prophets, I'm gonna be waiting a long time.
Finally, God reveals himself through his son. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 2 says that God has revealed himself to the fathers in various times in many ways. But in these last days he has spoken to us by his son. In John chapter 14 verse 9 Jesus says, “If you've seen me you've seen the father.”
God reveals himself to us through Jesus. But here's the problem. Jesus isn't here to hang with me like at least not physically. I can't go sit down at the Hoppy Brewer and hang out with Jesus and ave a nice pint of an Imperial Stout and get to know him. That's not how it works.
In the story of the Bible, God reveals himself in lots of ways but we actually have no access to God's revelation of himself, we don’t have any way to get to know God better unless we were there. So it seems like I'm kind of screwed in terms of knowing God better.
THE ONE THING WE NEED FOR KNOWING GOD
But here's the good news. God gives us access to all of God's revelation about God in His Word. So if I'm gonna know God truly and if I'm gonna know God personally and if I'm gonna know God deeply, I must know God in his word. I've got to go to the word of God in order to understand and know him better.
Second Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed” or “inspired.” Scripture is God's own description of God. I'm not wondering if this is some clown on TV telling what me what he thinks about God. This is not some person in a Bible study going around the circle going “Now what does God mean to you?” This is God Himself telling us about God and what God is like and what God wants and what his purpose for my life is and what I'm like and what his goals and future plans are. He tells me all of that in Scripture.
In John 17:17, Jesus says that God's Word is the truth. When God tells us about God, he never lies. He never fakes. He never puts on a front to look better than he actually is. He never does what we all did in junior high school or in high school. He never walks in and, even though we're scared out of our mind or were the nerdiest person in the world, we sort of act cool and act like we got it together. God doesn't have to put on a front. He doesn't hide the truth about who God is from us. He doesn't hide any flaws or faults because he doesn't have any. When God tells us about God and who God is, God tells us the truth.
God's Word is also enough to get to know God. 1 Peter 1:23 says, “We were born again not by seed which is perishable but by the imperishable seed which is the Word of God.” How do I ever know God and be born again in the first place? Peter says it's through the Word of God. In 1 Peter 2:2 Peter says you should “crave the pure milk of the word that by it you might grow in respect to salvation.” How do I ever grow and know God more? Peter says you should crave the word for that. I don't actually need more than Scripture to know God.
Ultimately, Scripture is the final authority on God. God's Word is authoritative over all things so God's description of God is authoritative and true. It’s true over and against all of the culture cultural opinions about God. Whatever our culture says and whatever the latest fad is and whoever the latest cool author is telling you about God, it doesn't matter. Not even a bit. God's Word is the final authority on God even over and against my own feelings. Sometimes I'll find myself having sinned and screwed up and done something really stupid that I shouldn't have done and I repent and I ask the Lord for forgiveness. And I find myself still feeling bad. I still feel guilty even though God says I'm forgiven. I still feel sort of dirty even though in Isaiah chapter 1 verses 18 to 20 he says my sins can be washed white as snow. I feel like I sort of have to make it up to him even though Romans 8:1 says there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Sometimes our own feelings get in the way of the truth of who God is.
What we have to do in those moments is go to Scripture and let Scripture be the final authority on God. A.W. Tozer said you have to speak the truth to your own soul rather than just listen to your soul. The psalmist says, “Why are you so downcast O my soul? He's talking to his sad soul he says, What's the problem sou? Put your hope in God.” Tozer says too often we spend too much time listening to ourselves, listening to how we feel and think rather than listening to God tell us about God and what's true.
So to know God truly and deeply and personally we’ve got to know him in his word. His word is his own description about himself. It's true, it's enough and it's the final authority on who God is.
FOUR REASONS WE SHOULDN’T GO TO SCRIPTURE AND THE ONE REASON WE SHOULD
God loves to be known personally and truthfully. He reveals himself to us in Scripture so we can know him. So what do we do then we go to Scripture to know God? Too many people go to Scripture every day, or as often as they do go to Scripture, not really to know God but to prove their commitment to the Lord. Like they’re gonna show God how committed to Jesus they are by reading the Bible every single day.
Some people go to Scripture in order to earn a blessing. Like it's Monday and you know you have a big prayer request that you want answered by Friday. You have a job interview on Friday or an exam or something's going down later this week and you want to earn the blessing. So you’re gonna read the Bible extra this week. That's not why we go to Scripture.
We don't go to Scripture to make up for some sin that we did. I screwed up on Monday so better read my Bible extra Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday so that by Friday God will be happy with me again. Nope. That’s not why we go to Scripture. We don't go to Scripture to make God happy. If I read my Bible every day God will be pleased with me? No man. Why do we go to Scripture? We go to Scripture to know him more deeply, more personally and more truly. We go to hear him tell us about himself.
A PRAYER TO SAY WHEN YOU READ THE BIBLE
Here's part of my prayer every time I open up the Bible to read and study even if I'm studying for a sermon or whatever. I’ll share the rest of it as we go along in the episodes coming up but part of my prayer is, “Lord please help me to know you more deeply in what I'm about to read. Just help me know you, whatever I'm reading, help me know you more deeply. Help me know what you're like, what you want, what I'm like, what I'm supposed to be, what is your purpose and your plan. Help me know you more deeply in what I'm about to read.
SNEAK PEEK: A SIMPLE PLAN FOR KNOWING GOD IN HIS WORD
I need to read Scripture in order to know God personally truly and deeply. So it's important that I have some idea of what in the world I'm doing when I open my Bible. Maybe you're not sure when you open the Bible exactly what to do. What should I be reading right now? Or, how much should I be reading? Or maybe you're not sure how to get something out of it or you're uncertain what you're even supposed to be getting out of it in the first place. So many people are told over and over you’ve got to read your Bible, read it a lot, read it every day. But they never get told how to read it and how to read it in a way that they can get to know God better.
In the next episode of the Core Life Training Podcast, I want to give you a simple plan to open up your Bible, read it, know and understand what's going on there and, ultimately, to know and understand God more deeply. I'm gonna link you to my free ebook called Make Your Bible Work for You. It's a guide for getting the most from your personal Bible study. I'll just walk you step-by-step through some of the tools that I use, the way that I open up Scripture, the way I mark Scripture and take notes. And I’ll walk you through the prayer that I pray when I open the Bible. I’ll tell you what that prayer is, where the things in that prayer come from in Scripture and why that prayer is so important.
Okay cool. I think that's it for this episode. I appreciate you hanging out for it! Be sure to like and follow Core Life Training on Facebook and Instagram. You’ll get info on upcoming classes, both live and online, new podcast episodes, I'll keep you up to speed on everything else that we're doing at Core Life Training. And you can message me there. I would love it if you would message me your Bible or theology questions. If you have comments about the podcast I would totally love to hear from you.
If you like your information and your updates in your email inbox, you can go to www.corelifetraining.org and sign up for the email list. I promise I won't spam you or sell your information to anybody. I’ll just keep you up to speed on what we're doing. Don't forget to go to www.corelifetraining.org/isaiah and check out the new class coming up. Know what you want, be decisive, sign up now you get a killer price in the next two weeks. Thanks again for checking out this episode! After the outro is the drink of choice and the metal moment if you dig it. My name is Jeff Olson. I teach the Bible and I will check you later.
DRINK OF CHOICE
Dig it man! So this week's drink of choice is a brand new one to me. This one's called Underground Mountain Imperial Brown Ale. It comes from Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids Michigan. I've had Founders KBS Imperial Stout. It’s like a coffee, chocolate stout, barrel aged and so good. That is a killer beer. But I've never had Underground Mountain Imperial Brown. This thing's brewed with coffee and aged in bourbon barrels. It's definitely lighter than a stout but man is it tasty. It’s super good. It was on tap at the Hoppy Brewer here in downtown Gresham. I was stoked to get a little bit of this stuff. So this episode's drink of choice: Underground Mountain Imperial Brown Ale. You should check out Founders Brewing Company if you ever get a chance. That one is super tasty!
Metal Moment
And for this episode's Metal Moment we are gonna swing a little more punk than metal. I want to give you a little bit of the soundtrack of my early teen years. I spent a lot of summers skateboarding around, kicking hacky sacks and listening to this band and this particular record and this particular song. These guys really need no introduction. This is Black Flag and it's a song called Rise Above from their record Damaged. Again, I appreciate you guys checking out this episode of the Core Life Training Podcast. You're gonna need to set your drink of choice down for this one, stand up, crank it up and I'll check you later.