There will always be remnant that the Lord calls out and saves. This is true of Israel and those among the nations. The redeemed of the Lord shall return.
Isaiah 35: The Ransomed Shall Return
1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
2 it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, "Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you."
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
9 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Isaiah 36: Sennacherib Invades Judah
1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.
2 And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer's Field.
3 And there came out to him Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder.
4 And the Rabshakeh said to them, "Say to Hezekiah, 'Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours?
5 Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me?
6 Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
7 But if you say to me, "We trust in the LORD our God," is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, "You shall worship before this altar"?
8 Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them.
9 How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master's servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
10 Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land and destroy it.'"
11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, "Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall."
12 But the Rabshakeh said, "Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?"
13 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: "Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!
14 Thus says the king: 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you.
15 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD by saying, "The LORD will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria."
16 Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern,
17 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
18 Beware lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying, "The LORD will deliver us." Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
20 Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?'"
21 But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was, "Do not answer him."
22 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.
Things to think about…
1. Isaiah 35 is an encouraging chapter in the midst of judgement. It speaks of a time when the desert will bloom and the glory of surrounding nations like Lebanon will be given to the Lord’s land. Sharon and Carmel (a plain and a mountain in Israel) will know blessing, joy, singing and the majesty of the Lord, Isa 35:1, 2. This will be a time of rest and peace. This is significant and typical of the ministry of the Messiah. He blesses those who are weak and downcast. Isaiah says “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees” Isa 35:3. Paul also quotes this verse in 1Thess 4:18; also quoted in Heb 12:12. Christ is our strength and encouragement. In weakness His strength is shown and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Isaiah looks forward to the influence of the Messiah’s ministry upon Israel. This prophecy will come to pass when Jesus returns and fulfills all the OT promises to Israel and the nations. As we gather for Easter we celebrate how this was achieved through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
2. When the ministry of Jesus began, He fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah in Isa 35:5, 6 “the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy”. Christ, the Water of Life brings life, vs 7. These areas are still dry and while the gospel at the time of Christ saw many following Him, we know that there is a day coming when Paul says “All Israel will be saved”, Rom 11:26. “It shall be called the Way of Holiness…they shall not go astray”, Isa 35:8.
3. Christ’s kingdom will be protected, Isa 35:8. No other foreign power will penetrate this kingdom. Those who are redeemed and marked out by the Lord’s grace will return to Zion (Jerusalem) with joy and singing. Many Jews have returned to their native land in our day. As they are redeemed, Isa 35:9, they will more than return to the land, they will return to the Lord, Isa 35:10. They will know everlasting peace, joy and protection. This is the only return worthwhile as it will be eternal and is only found in their Messiah - Yeshua.
4. The worlds have no understanding as to how the Lord should be worshipped. The king of Assyria mocks Hezekiah’s ruling to remove the high places buy saying in Isa 36:7 “is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, "You shall worship before this altar"?”. The high places were not how the Lord was to be worshipped and yet the Assyrian King thinks that by removing the high places that this dishonours the Lord. He was about to find out that obedience brings blessing and obedience to the Lord’s people.
5. Isaiah 36 sets the scene for a showdown between the world superpower, Assyria and the God of Israel. While we know the outcome, Hezekiah had done everything humanly possible to mitigate the destruction of Jerusalem. Sennacherib had already come against the fortified walled city of Lachish and destroyed it. His captain, the Rabshakeh, is shouting out in Hebrew, the language of Judah, so all can hear what he is saying to Hezekiah’s men outside the wall, Isa 36:13. He shouts out against Hezekiah and his trust in the Lord, Isa 36:14-20. Satan comes against us with earthly strength, but our Lord asks us to trust in him. As we do, the Lord gets the glory for the victory.
6. Satan always makes false promises. Look at what the Assyrian promises the people of Jerusalem, Isa 36:16, 17, “Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyard.” The people of Jerusalem knew this was not true. They knew because 20 years before the Assyrians took the northern kingdom of Israel captive and they were not being blessed in Assyria. Often when the challenge is tough and there is no light of a breakthrough, that’s when the Lord makes a way. As they say, it is always darkest before the dawn.
7. The Assyrians in their boast say to the Judeans who trust in the Lord that other gods have not delivered out of the hands of Assyria “Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim?”, Isa 36:17,18. If that is the case the question from the Assyrians then becomes “Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?”, Isa 36:20. Then men of Judah remain silent, vs 21 and return to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, vs 22. While we are called to “trust in the Lord in all our ways and lean not on our own understanding”, Prov 3:5, 6, this is often easier said than done. But the Lord in growing us in our faith stretches and tests us in these things. His promise is that the redeemed of the Lord will return with singing to Zion, yet here the enemy is right on the doorstep. May we never be tempted to trust in Egypt and return to our old ways but wait on the Lord and see His deliverance. Hezekiah had to do the same.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Life groups Wednesdays. Ric Benson will be looking at the life of Christ in the church.
Pastor Jay has started the young adult’s life group after Sunday mornings café time. Open discussion around difficult topics and defending our faith is the focus.
Prayer Points
1. Pray for Easter season and this weekend’s Good Friday and Easter Sunday service
2. Conflict in Israel and Ukraine.
3. Those who are travelling over Easter. Especially while it’s wet. 60 people have already lost lives on Qld roads this year.
4. Those who are considering baptism.
5. Church finances to cover all expenses.
6. Pray for of Kids@Church, Life groups and church community days.
7. Mathys has a prayer time at church on Monday afternoons. He would be happy for you to join him and to send prayer requests.
8. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you to be saved. Pray for the blessing over the new pastoral care and hosting program.
9. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Best turnout we have had for a working bee in a long time. All tasks completed. Thankyou to all involved. Special shout out to Rob Brand – guttering and down pipes completed. Thankyou everyone!
2. Joy in the service with everyone who celebrated Palm Sunday at CBC on Sunday.
3. Kids@Church ministry – Thankyou Maddison for teaching on Easter message.
4. Continue to pray for Tad to gain strength at home. Good to see him at church yesterday. Continue to pray for Glenys as she now has a splint to gain full use in her left arm. Any encouragement you can give will be greatly appreciated.
5. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Good Friday service 9:00am 29th Mar. Easter Sunday 31st Mar, regular time 9:30am.
2. Life Groups Wednesday night at Church – 6:30pm.
3. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
4. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for March...
Q. 18. What did God give Adam and Eve besides bodies? A. He gave them souls that could never die.
