Grace That Breaks Sin’s Grip

Pride loves to take credit and it rarely sees judgment coming. Today we sit with Isaiah’s blunt picture of Assyria: a ruthless power that boasts like it owns the world, even though it’s only an instrument in God’s hands. Pastor Carl walks us through the “axe and saw” warning against arrogance, then brings it home with a question that hits all of us: when life is going well, do we quietly start believing our strength is the reason?

From there, the conversation widens into spiritual realities. We talk about how Scripture uses images like birds and leaven to warn that the enemy doesn’t only attack from the outside, and how small sin can spread until it hollows out a heart or a church. We also explore God’s character as both Savior and Judge, and why that isn’t a contradiction but a call to choose which side we’ll stand on through repentance and trust.

Hope runs through the whole message in the promise of a remnant and in the gospel itself. God’s grace is bigger than any sin, but it never excuses sin. Jesus, the Anointed One, invites the heavy-laden to come for rest, breaks the yoke, and gives new hearts that can actually obey. If you’re wrestling with fear, addiction, shame, or self-reliance, this teaching offers a clear path back: stop making alliances with what feels powerful and run to Christ instead. 

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Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths.

SPEAKER_01 0:13

Welcome to Come On Up, the radio ministry of the Mountain Cross in Waynesville, North Carolina.

SPEAKER_02 0:20

Should we sin then that grace should abound? And A says, of course not, certainly not. God has given us his grace to have victory over sin. Not so we could sin more to show that his grace is even bigger, but the fact is his grace is bigger. We can't come to the Lord saying, I've just sinned too much, I'm not acceptable before you. His grace is so much bigger than any sin we could come up with. Again, it's not a license to sin, but it's a freedom from sin. And no matter what variety of sins you've committed in your life, there's still hope for you. He wants to forgive you, he wants to use you, and this is a picture of it with Israel.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Those are powerful words. No matter what variety of sins you've committed in your life, there's still hope for you. God will never give up on you. You may have messed up and done something awful. Maybe you've been trapped in a sinful addiction for a long time. But God won't stop loving you. He wants you to experience freedom from sin, but he's not waiting until you're perfect before he welcomes you into his family. Today, Pastor Carl will encourage you to run to the open arms of Jesus. And now, here's Pastor Carl.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

He will say, I will punish the fruit of the arrogant hearts of the king of Assyria and the glory of his haughty looks. I am going to, after I'm done using them, I'm going to punish them. And they would have been taken captive by Babylon and destroyed in that way. They're also destroyed, and I think we'll take a look at it a little bit later. When they come down, after they take Samaria, they do come down further, right to the edge of Jerusalem. And they're about to take Jerusalem, but there's a night when they camped before they they continued their conquest the next morning, where 185,000 of them were wiped out. God wiped them out on the edge of Jerusalem. And I think in the King James said, the next morning they woke up dead. But so the Lord stopped them there. The Lord caused them to be uh taken captive by Babylon. The fact is, he used them, and they could have been blessed by God, but in their pride and their arrogance, they thought they were doing the work. And God said, No, I'm doing the work. And he says, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am prudent, and I have removed the boundaries of the people, and have robbed their treasuries, so I have pulled down the inhabitants like a valiant man, and my hand is found like a nest in the riches of the people, and as one gathers eggs that are left, I have gathered, gathered all the earth, and there was no one who moved his wing, nor even his mouth, or even a peep. This is Assyria talking. This is their pompousness, their pride, their arrogance, their taunting against the people. We're gonna run over them, they're not even gonna know what happened. And we're gonna go in and take their nests and take their little eggs, you know, as they have no strength. There's no way you're gonna stop us. Now, you know, one way you can dig a little deeper is going, okay, in the New Testament we recognize that there are a few prophecies, a few parables that the Lord spoke about birds. And what do birds represent? Birds represent in these parables, Satan. Birds are the ones that come by and eat up the seed that are on the side of the road, so that the seed that's the word of God cannot be implanted in the hearts of man. Satan comes and eats them up after they've been scattered. Birds are the ones that end up in that big tree that is made out of the little mustard seed of faith, and birds are perching in its midst. Some of Satan's greatest work is done in the church, and that was a picture of the church. The church also gets leaven into it, right? Which is a picture of sin. And leaven leavens the whole lump, and a little sin will destroy everything. We have these birds that are in the tree that are working. So this idea that Assyria in prophecy is a picture of the Antichrist. He already has that attitude. The nation of Assyria already has that attitude that I'm just going to take over. It's demonic. And the Lord doesn't stand for it. And the Lord talks back to Assyria in general, if they're to listen. He says, Shall an axe boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it? As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up, or a staff could lift up as if it were not wood. He's saying, These are tools. An axe just doesn't get up and do its own thing. A rod, a piece of you know wood that's on the ground, doesn't just get up as if it's got flesh and bones. Look, you're a tool of the Lord. You're my weapon in my hands, you're my rod and my staff that I'm using to correct my people. It's not about your strength, it's not about your accomplishments, about your victories. It's the fact that I'm using you. And because they didn't acknowledge this, therefore the Lord in verse 16, the Lord of hosts, will send leanness among the fat ones, and under his glory he will kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. God's judgment will come upon them. So the light of Israel will be for a fire, and his holy one a flame, and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in one day, and it will consume the glory of his forest and all the fruitful field, both soul and body, and they will be as when a sick man wastes away, and the rest of the trees of his forest will be so few in number that a child might right them. So God is saying he's using Assyria to exact judgment on Israel. The light of Israel will be a fire. God is both our judge and our savior. If we don't submit and accept and serve our Savior, he's gonna be our judge. Which side are we gonna be on with the Lord? And so he brings judgment against Israel using Assyria, but at the same time, he will bring judgment against Assyria because they're not acknowledging the faithfulness of God. They think it's in their way, in their power. Israel thinks that you know what they're doing is in their power. They don't see the judgment coming because they think they have built themselves up to this place where they can never be, never be conquered. But the problem is we're thinking in human terms, we're thinking in military terms, we're not thinking in God's terms. If I'm serving the Lord, He's on my side. The Lord's armies are behind me to protect me, to guide me, to use me for his glory and his purposes. Let your fire fall down. You know, fire is is a connotation of both judgment and power. It's a refining thing, but it burns up the chaff, doesn't it? It makes us pure, but it destroys everything that's not done in faith. Two-edged sword, two-sided coin, the fire of God coming upon us. Then we have the appropriate fire fall on us, amen. Verse 20, and it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Jesus, such as have escaped the house of Jacob, will never again depend on him who defeated them. Who did they depend on? They were depending on their alliance with Syria. But Assyria was greater than that alliance, and no longer will we depend on people. We will no longer depend on other governments, we will no longer depend on our might. But they will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth, and the remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob to the mighty God. Here's hope. Isaiah reflects the heart of the Lord in that judgment comes, but God still has a plan. God is not done with Israel. And we've talked about this before. There's a popular teaching in the church today that's becoming more popular called replacement theology. The church has replaced Israel. Israel is no longer on God's radar, it has been destroyed. But that is just not true. God brought judgment and God, you know, took Israel out and into Assyria, and it was part of the dispersion. They were dispersed to all corners of the earth. And even the southern kingdom was taken captive into Babylon and much of it was dispersed, but there was a remnant that was brought back into Israel, a remnant that's not just of Judah, but a remnant that was also of people of the northern kingdom, because the northern kingdom was taken captive along with Assyria by Babylon. And so there was a group of people, I think 50,000, that went back after 70 years of captivity in Babylon, Nehemiah, and a group of people came back to rebuild Jerusalem and the walls and the temple. And even there, there were people, a remnant that were left in the nation. God has left a remnant. And is that remnant faithful to trust in the Lord and to work in the Lord? And that's where the hope is found. He doesn't completely destroy his people. And we've seen it again and again where they're brought back. And again, most recently they were brought back in 1948. But I think that there's a time of judgment still to come on Israel, and they will also be brought back. And it will be the remnant of Jacob that will return and depend on and trust in the truth of the mighty God, the Holy One of Israel. God is not changed. And his plan to use Israel as his chosen nation continues in spite of what Israel does. And he will use people in his church and even heathens to accomplish his purposes. I mean, you think of the Pharaoh in Egypt, how God used the Pharaoh to free Israel from Egypt. But the Pharaoh wasn't following God, was he? Just think if he had. If he had, after those ten curses that came upon Israel, if he had repented and said, This is the one true God, the living God, I want to serve this God. Just think what kind of position he would have been in. Just think of what is uh Egypt would have been like after that. But I digress. Verse 22. For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them will return. It's an allusion back to Abraham. Abraham was promised by God that his descendants will be greater than the sand on the sea, greater than the stars in the sky, right? And so many of these have been taken captive. But even though so many have been taken captive, there will be a remnant. The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness. This reminds me of a verse in the New Testament. Our sin is great, but the grace of God is even greater. Then Paul says, Should we sin then that grace should abound? And he says, Of course not, certainly not. God has given us his grace to have victory over sin. Not so we could sin more to show that his grace is even bigger, but the fact is, his grace is bigger. We can't come to the Lord saying, I've just sinned too much, I'm not acceptable before you. His grace is so much bigger than any sin we could come up with. Again, it's not a license to sin, but it's a freedom from sin. And no matter what variety of sins you've committed in your life, there's still hope for you. He wants to forgive you, he wants to use you, and this is a picture of it with Israel. Though the destruction of Israel is so great, they're going to overflow with the righteousness of God. For the Lord God of hosts will make a determined end in the midst of the land. Therefore, thus says the Lord God of hosts, O my people who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, as in the matter of Egypt, for yet a little while, and the indignation will cease, as my anger in their destruction. And this in the scriptures we were just looking at have this idea again of a pattern that this prophecy would be fulfilled immediately and in the future as well. A pattern of ways that God works. And one of these ways we we talked about earlier is Assyria would come and try to attack Judah as well, and they would not be able to. They would be stopped right at the gates of Jerusalem. So he's telling the people of Jerusalem, he's talking to Ahaz as he did a few chapters ago, don't be afraid, trust in the Lord. Of course, Ahaz was one that wasn't trusting in the Lord, was he? And the Lord is gracious and long-suffering, not willing that any should perish. So if our faith is a little low at the moment, that doesn't mean God is not going to work on our behalf. But oh, how much better it is when we trust him and we follow him and we allow him to work in our hearts, and we don't rebel against him and we don't resist him, and we force his hand to bring judgment upon us. Verse 26 And the Lord of hosts will stir up a scourge for him, like the daughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb. Again, this allusion to when Gideon and his mighty men attacked the Midianites. And actually they just stood back and they made noises. And the Midianites attacked each other. And their whole camp was slaughtered by themselves. It was it was the hand of God bringing judgment against them. His rod was on the sea, so it lifted up in the manner of Egypt. And there's a lot of allusions back to Egypt. Egypt is where he set his people free. And what did Moses do with his rod? He put it in the sea, and the sea opened up and they walked through it. God was working miracles then, he'll work miracles now. Are you trusting him? Are you walking with him? It shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil. In some versions it says, because of the anointed one. Who is the anointed one? Jesus, Emmanuel, that virgin shall conceive and have a child, and we'll call his name Emmanuel, wonderful counselor, mighty God, all that. He's coming. He's the solution. And what does he say? Come to me, all who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, because my burden is easy and light. So Isaiah is picturing the more immediate victory and salvation from Assyria coming and attacking Jerusalem, but pointing to the big picture. Jesus is coming. He's the one to bring peace to Israel and the whole world. He's coming from the area of the Gentiles up in Galilee. This is the one that'll save you. Now he has come to Ahath, and he has passed through Migron and Mishmash, and he has attended to his equipment. They have gone along the ridge, they have taken lodging at Giba, Ramah is afraid, Gibeah of Saul has fled. Lift up your voice, O daughter of Gileam, cause it to be heard as far as Lash, O poor Antioch. Madmenna has fled, and the inhabitants of Gibeon seek refuge. Yet he will remain at Nob that day, and he will shake his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will lop off the bow with terror, those of high stature will be hewed down, and the haughty will be humbled, and he will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the mighty one. This last section that we did was kind of a news report. Okay, Assyria is coming. Assyria will have taken the northern kingdom. They're going to take Syria, and then they're going to take Israel, and they're going to come down as far as Jerusalem, but they're going to stop there. The mighty one is going to stop them before they take Jerusalem. Assyria came over, they took Syria, and they took Israel, the northern kingdom, and then they started going through Ash and Migron and Mishmash and Giba and Ramah and Gibeah and Galam and Antioch and Laish. And they ended up in Nob, which is really right next door, or even in the gates of Jerusalem. And there they were stopped in their tracks. You can read it in 2 Kings 185,000 Assyrian troops were dead the next morning. But didn't that shake Jerusalem up? Jerusalem was saved by the Lord, but they had these giant armies coming in, and they thought it was over. And even after the Lord, our the mighty God, his hand wiped them out, they were shaken up, weren't they? And the sad thing is Ahaz the king did not repent and turn and worship the Lord. And the following kings didn't either. And I think there were two more kings left before all of the southern kingdom was taken captive by Babylon. So what can we learn from all this? The Lord is at work, and he's going to use circumstances, situations, governments, people in our lives to conform us to his image. If we're sons and daughters of the king, he's working on us. Now, are we allowing him to work? Are we seeking after him? Are we submitting to him? Are we trusting in him? Or do we have our own agenda? And have we done things for so many years and have gotten away with them where we think they're okay when God is saying, There's so much more I have for you if you would just give these things up? If you would search after me, if you would find me. Otherwise, I will use these things as a judgment against you. How many uh addictions do we have in our lives that have become our own judgment? We could see it in our own lives, we can see it in lives of family, we can see it in lives of society, where the addiction themselves become their own judgment upon us. We find freedom from that judgment in the judge, who's the savior, who says, Come to me and empty your load, give me your burdens, and I'll give you life. And then we might get scared when uh when the enemy does come against us, and and it could be that the Lord is using the enemy to get our attention, to drive us to our knees. And when things happen in our lives that shake us up, how do we respond? Do we run away from God even more, or do we stop and we turn to God and say, Lord, I was wrong, I missed something. I was walking in my own ways, doing my own thing, thinking that I was okay, but now I see I've missed the boat. Yesterday in study six of the gospel in the church, the men were studying the fact that when Peter gave that first sermon, which started out with the gospel, and he went on to say, and this is the Jesus that you crucified, the crowd was cut to the heart. Cut to the heart. There was a conviction, there was a startling revelation inside them that said, I'm not right with God. In fact, I put Jesus on the cross. And when we realize that, that our sin put Jesus on the cross. He was placed on this cross because of me. So I put Jesus on the cross. Now we have the fear of the Lord, I caused the Son of God to be killed, I'm in trouble. But the other side of that is He hung on the cross willingly. And he identified with us so we could identify with Him, and He was buried. And we die with him to ourself, to our flesh on the cross as well. Then he was lifted up forever alive. His body did not remain in the death, it did not see corruption, it was revived, it was resurrected, it was given he was given a brand new resurrected body, and we too will be given brand new resurrected bodies. In the meantime, we've been given brand new resurrected hearts, haven't we? He's made us a new creation. So we're able now to listen to him. We're able now to hear from him, we're able now to obey him, but we are also able to go our own way still. We're also able to fall into sin and to listen to the voices that come at us from ourselves, from our flesh, from the enemy, from the world. We have a choice to make now. I'm gonna walk in his ways and trust him, or I'm gonna walk in the ways of the world. And because he loves us, and because of the zeal of the Lord has accomplished this, because he's jealous for me, he will come after us and continue to try to cut us to the heart again. So we realize that we're not right with him and that we can come back to him so we can turn, repent, and experience his grace and his mercy anew again. May we not try to twist our lives around to justify our sin or to make alliances with powerful people or or forces in order to accomplish what we want in our own lives to build our own kingdom. May we renew our faith in the Lord and our commitment to Him, to follow Him in His ways, because His ways are so much greater than our ways.

SPEAKER_01 24:07

Thanks for joining us for Come On Up. We've been hearing from Pastor Carl, the pastor at the Mountain Cross in Waynesville, North Carolina, as he teaches us about the book of Isaiah. Toward the beginning of this book, the prophet Isaiah receives a vision of God's glory, and he is certain that he and the entire nation of Israel will be destroyed in the presence of a perfect creator. But God chose mercy on Isaiah and purifies him of his sin. This is an illustration of how God had mercy on us by sending his Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. We don't have to be afraid to enter into the Lord's presence because the blood of Jesus has already paid the debt of our sin. We are made righteous and holy because of his sacrifice, which was prophesied to us all the way back in the book of Genesis and reaffirmed in the book of Isaiah. We're called to spread this message of hope to all who will hear it. And that is why this program that you're listening to is on the air. If you'd like to hear more from Pastor Carl, you can do so by visiting us online at themountaincross.com. If you're local to Waynesville, we'd also love to invite you to join us in person at the Mountain Cross. We meet every Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Smoky Mountain Cinema. You'll find more information about our services and our monthly faith film nights on our website. Pastor Carl has plenty more to share from the book of Isaiah, so be sure to come on up to the mountain with us again next time as we seek to learn more from the Lord through his word. Come on up is sponsored by the Mountain Cross, a Calvary Chapel fellowship.