When Faith Gets Pushback

Standing up for what God says is true can cost you, and Isaiah proves it. We lean into a hard but needed question: when the pressure is on, are we walking in unbelief or trusting the Lord with our whole lives?

Pastor Carl continues a verse-by-verse Bible teaching through Isaiah and shows how God preserves a remnant, not because people deserve it, but because God is merciful and faithful to his word. That mercy ties directly to Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah who comes first to pay for sin and will come again to set things right. Along the way, we talk about what Scripture means by “the elect,” why end times hope is meant to produce present obedience, and how the millennial reign and new heavens and new earth point to a future where former troubles are truly forgotten.

The most personal turn is Isaiah’s contrast between empty idols and a living Savior. When we build our lives around “Gad and Many” style gods of luck, destiny, comfort, or cultural approval, we end up hungry and thirsty even if everything looks fine on the outside. God’s promise cuts through the noise: “My servants shall eat.” Jesus is the Bread of Life and the Living Water who nourishes us, keeps our joy alive, and helps our light shine brighter as darkness deepens.

If you want a clear Christian sermon on standing firm, resisting compromise, and finding real hope in the gospel of Jesus, listen now. Subscribe, share this with a friend who feels the squeeze, and leave a review so more people can find this Isaiah Bible study.

What makes a Calvary Chapel a Calvary Chapel. Join Pastor Carl as he goes through one of the Calvary Chapel Distinctives on The Mountain Cross Minute.

The 20th anniversary of Facing the Giants, Monday September 14 - 6:30PM at the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville.

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

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SPEAKER_00 1:05

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 1:13

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

SPEAKER_02 1:20

Isaiah's calling out, and people are not only listening to them, but they're threatening them and following through with a lot of their threats as well. And how's that in the picture of the church today? Well, the same sort of thing, right? If we stand up for the truth of the gospel, we're gonna have pushback, and maybe worse. But the Lord has promised these things to us. My servants shall eat.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Have you ever felt pushback simply for standing up for what God says is true? Today, Pastor Carl points out that Isaiah faced serious opposition and threats when he spoke God's word. And the same thing happens to the church today. When you stand for the truth of the gospel, you can expect resistance, sometimes strong resistance. Yet God has made a firm promise to his servants, they shall eat. Jesus Himself is the bread of life who nourishes and sustains you even when others come against you. And now, here's Pastor Carl.

SPEAKER_02 2:37

But for my servant's sake, I will keep a remnant. For my servant's sake, who are his servants? There was a remnant. There was a group that said, We're going to serve God. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the real God. And we're going to declare it, we're going to follow, we're going to believe. And although he's talking to Israel as a group, there's so many bad apples in the group, judgment is coming. Yet, because of the remnant, there were a few that did put their trust in the Lord, including Isaiah. He's a definite example of that. He was faithful to proclaim the truth, no matter who would listen, no matter if it put his life on a line, and it did, he was cut in half because of the things he said. That's a fun way to go, isn't it? But God in his mercy did not destroy Israel. Because if he did destroy them, then the Messiah wouldn't come. Because Messiah came in the line of Israel. If Jesus did not come onto the scene, what hope would mankind have? Zero. And because of God's mercy, God didn't destroy Israel, but brought Jesus on the scene so that in his first coming he could pay for the sin of the world. In his second coming, he's coming to set things right. He's coming to judge an unbelieving world. And I think the message that he's bringing out to Israel and to the church today is are we walking in unbelief? Or are we trusting God? Are we obeying God? Are we submitting ourselves fully to the Lord so that we can be saved? Saved from the wrath to come. And I can guarantee you it's coming. Of course, I don't know how soon it'll be coming, but it sure seems like it's sooner rather than later. But the wrath of God is coming. Verse 90 continues, I will bring forth descendants from Jacob and from Judah and heir of my mountains, and my elect shall inherit it. You say, I will be faithful to my word, to my chosen people, even though they've completely rejected me. They've gone their own way, they've taken advantage of their situation, their position in me, to take advantage of other people, build their own kingdoms, go their own way. But I will bring descendants from Judah and from Jacob, and the heir of my mountains, the mountains represent power, authority. I will take leaders from the Jewish nation and continue using them for my glory, and my elect shall inherit it. Who is the elect of the Lord? It's interesting that actually the Bible refers to two groups of elect. This particular group is Israel. And in the last days, there will be a seven, you know, the remember the 144,000? These are 144,000 Jewish believers who come to faith in Jesus Christ in the tribulation and are the elect of God. And these are used to proclaim the gospel in the time of the tribulation, where many come to faith in Jesus Christ. Now the elect also refers to the church of God, the church of Jesus Christ. To anyone who believes in the gospel of Christ, you are part of the elect. God has chosen you. And I'm not going to get into a debate of predestination or free will because they're both in the Bible. God predestined you to be saved, to be called by Him, and He's given you a choice to accept it. And whosoever will, He brings into heavenly places. So in this particular thing, we're talking about the elect of Israel that will be here during the time of tribulation, and my servants shall dwell there. Sharon shall be a fold of flocks in the valley of Acor, a place for herds to lie down for my people who have sought me. As we studied Isaiah, we know he goes, you know, jumping back and forth on the timeline of history. So we had glimmers of what it would be like in the tribulation. Now we're getting some pictures of what it'll be like in the millennial reign. When Israel has been saved and they're they're put into authority to rule with the Lord and with us as the church, we come alongside them as well, and we rule and reign in the time of the millennium. And Sharon, the valley of Sharon, the rose of Sharon, which is a picture of Jesus Christ, it's a valley that was filled with beauty and fertility. It would again be beautiful and fertile and safe and glorious. Akor, which that mean that name means trouble, trouble would turn to joy and despair to hope. And that's what's coming in the millennial reign for the nation of Israel. But you know what? Jesus says the kingdom is in your heart. This is one of the great mysteries of the faith. He talks about this kingdom where he rules and reigns in person for a thousand years on earth, and that's still to come. But he also says, when you come to faith in me, the Holy Spirit dwells within you, and the kingdom of heaven is dwelling in you. The life that we now live as Christians is a reflection of what the millennial reign will be. And if we are walking in fellowship, in submission to the Holy Spirit, then we too can have joy in the midst of our trials. We can have hope in the midst of despair. We can look at the things of the world today and instead of getting suicidal, we can say, God is at work. Do you see it? I've got good news. Can I share it with you? This is not what God meant it to be. God meant us to be free from our sin, not slaves to sin. May the Lord cause us to grasp a hold of this vision. This is the life that He's given us. But the enemy doesn't want us to believe it, does he? He wants to keep sending us lies, and our flesh is real quick to believe those lies. I just give up. This is a mess. No, with the Spirit of God, we press on and we say, Boy, the prophets long to be in times like we're in now. If they long to be here, then I should be excited that I get to be privileged enough to be living in these times, to be called by the name of the Lord, and to be called to proclaim his truth. We all are. If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, you are the hope of the world because of who lives within you. And as the darkness gets darker, your light's gonna be brighter. Are you excited about that? We have an opportunity to change the world forever. Are you on board? Alright, then he goes on. I am saving a remnant. I'm not totally rejecting and destroying Israel and judging Israel. There are some in Israel that still believe, that still obey, that still trust, people like Isaiah, people like Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, because nobody listened to him, but he spoke the truth. But in verse 11, that's not you. I'm not talking to them. I'm talking to you. You are those who forsake the Lord, who forsake, who forget my holy mountain, who prepare a table for God. No, not God, for Gad. You forsake God. You go your own way, you're thinking your own thoughts, you walk in your own wisdom, you buy into the gods of this world, you make all these idols. Sounds like today, doesn't it? We could so easily get sucked up in the ways of the world. There's so much that come at us today. You forsake my holy mountain, the place where I meet with man at in Jerusalem, Mount Zion. You go to these other high places and you you worship these other false gods and you think it's all okay because you believe in God. You're called by the name of Jesus, and yet you don't act like it. You don't walk in it. Do you really believe it? You prepare a table for Gad. Gad means fortune or luck. You're all about doing the right things, crossing your fingers, going to the casino, that hopefully God would bless you so you could have a prosperous life here in this world. Just because you have a bunch of money doesn't mean you're prosperous. What makes you prosperous? The riches of knowing the Lord, your relationship with the Lord, being used by the Lord, no matter what your financial status, that's true riches. The gospel is true riches. It saves, it delivers, it heals. But all these people are after is doing the right thing, and hopefully they'll be fortunate enough, they'll be lucky enough to get some of these things that their flesh wants. And in some demented way, we give glory to God for that. I've heard a story about a pastor years ago that that preached against the lottery until his wife won a million and a half dollars in the lottery. And they say, Well, praise God, God can use evil for to bless us too. We need to be careful, don't we? We need to align ourselves with the word of God so we know the truth. Wash yourselves in the water of the word, renew your minds so we can have the mind of Christ. Because left to our own, we're desperately wicked. So you are the ones who prepare a table for Gad, and you furnish a drink offering for many. Now, many was uh uh an idol in Babylon. And see, here's a little where we we we brought them in a in into a period of time where now they're in Babylon and they've gotten comfortable in their life there. They were taken out of God's chosen land for them, and they were brought into this enemy land, although the enemies treated them very well. All you have to do is become part of our society. You know, do things the right way, um worship our gods, build your businesses, build your families and your houses, you can have a nice, comfortable life. In a lot of ways, that's where we are in America today as well. Just don't shake the boat, just agree with the things we agree with, and don't start spewing your vial of hatred from the Bible. Then you'll be okay. But if you start saying stuff from the Bible, we're gonna shut you down. And and and we used to think, well, that's that's we're just saying that to scare people. It's been that way throughout the world for many for the last 2,000 years. And we got a glimpse of it this year, haven't we? It's true. We need to be careful that we don't get caught in looking at the situation right now and what's best for us, and that we would rather have the long-term perspective from the Lord. If I give in to this, that's gonna lead to this, which ultimately is a rejection of God, which is an eternal problem, isn't it? We're coming into a time where we need to be careful with every step we make. Let's pray about that. There's a lot, a lot more that I can say, but I think the Holy Spirit can apply it to you a lot better. Verse 12. Therefore, I will number you for the sword. Many, another he's not only an idol in Babylon, but its name means number or destiny. You're worshiping many, and I'm gonna number you for the sword. You're destined to be slaughtered. Do you not see these false gods don't give you anything good, and they just lead you in the bad way. God's appealing and saying, Please come and follow me, where you can find life and hope and forgiveness in a future. Anyway, you bowed down to many, and I numbered you for the sword. You shall all bow down to the slaughter, since you bowed down to him, and because when I called you did not answer, you didn't bow down to me. When I spoke you did not hear, but you did evil before my eyes, and chose that which I do not delight. Again, isn't that a picture of today? There's so many messages that come at us. TV, social media, the news, education systems, things that sound really good to our flesh and appeal to us, and yet they're in direct opposition to God and his word. And God speaks out in his word and he calls out to us and we ignore them. I don't got time for you today, God. I got this other thing I gotta do. And if the church is like that today, if the church is asleep at the wheel, because they're so busy trying to be like the world, so the world would like them so that they could preach the gospel to them, they forgot what the gospel is. Verse 13. Therefore, thus says the Lord God, Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry. But wait a minute, we're called by your you're we're your chosen people. You don't act like it. You've rejected me. So you're not serving me, so you're not my servants, you're gonna go hungry. Behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty. Behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed. The proud will be ashamed. Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and wail for grief of spirit. Another aspect of this is my servants are serving me now, and they're suffering for it. You are rejecting me now and living this life of luxury, and you think you got it all together. You think you got the blessing of God. When the truth is that's very temporary, and what my servants have will be forever. Remember the story of Joseph in the Old Testament? Didn't he go through a bunch of trials until that time where God exalted him to this position, where he blessed the whole world, including his family and the nation of Israel? They became a nation because of where he was at just the right time, but he went through a lot to get to that place. So the servants of God at this time are calling out like Isaiah is calling out, and people are not only listening to them, but they're threatening them and following through with a lot of their threats as well. And how is that a picture of the church today? Well, the same sort of thing, right? If we stand up for the truth of the gospel, we're gonna have pushback and maybe worse. But the Lord has promised these things to us. My servants shall eat. He calls himself the bread of life. When we partake of him, he's called the word of God. When we partake of him in the word and make him part of us, we won't be hungry, we'll be filled. He says, My servants shall drink. He told the woman at the well, I've got water that you know you drink this, you'll never thirst again. The water of the word will quench our thirst, and so much more. My servants shall rejoice. If you really know what you've been saved from, and really know the goodness of God, doesn't that make you praise Him with your heart? Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart. Paul talks about, you know, encouraging others with songs and hymns and spiritual songs that flow up from your heart. I mean, has there been a time in your life, and hopefully it's now, but has there been a time in your life where you were so close to the Lord where even on your own or in the shower, especially in the shower, because that is good acoustics, right? Where you're making up songs to the Lord and it's just flowing from your heart, and you're just praising it wherever you are. This is what God promises. But if we forget God, if we walk in our own ways, in our own wisdom, in our own thinking, in our own justification of our sin, it just leads down to a road that leaves sorrow in our heart and grief in our spirits. I mean, we believe God, may we trust him, and we follow him. You shall leave your name as a curse to my chosen, for the Lord God will slay you, the proud, the self-righteous. Israel in this case, and you know it still applies to each each man and woman today, doesn't it? We think we got it all together, we've justified it, it's everybody else's fault. I've done everything right. Who are you to tell me what to do? And you go to the grave, and everybody looks back at your life and goes, Wow, what a mess. He thought he had it all together, but look at all the lives that he destroyed along the way. Because it was all about him. We want to leave a good name for our family. We want to leave a good name. You know, is your family name considered a good name? Yeah, the so-and-so family. You know, generations of faithful followers of Jesus Christ. We want to live a good name for the Lord, don't we? But the sad part is often we smudge the name of God, and we have to call out, Lord, forgive us, but for your name's sake would you move? We've destroyed your name, would you make it great again? Lord, we need your help. May we not leave a bad name behind. So Lord God will slay you and call his servants by another name. The true servants of Jesus Christ will be called by the name of Jesus. The false servants of Jesus Christ will be called by the world. They look more like the world, they really are the world. They're not the name of Jesus. So that he who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth, and he who swears on the earth shall swear by the God of truth, because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hidden from my eyes. Here's another glimpse into the millennial reign. Here's another glimpse into life as a Christian in the body of Christ. As we follow God, as we forsake ourselves, then He's able to use us and bless us, and the things that we do, we do in the name of the God of truth. The things we promise to do, we do because of God, because He's called us to do it, and we'll be men and women of our word because the former troubles are forgotten. Why is it so important for us to forgive one another? So we can forget the past troubles and move forward in the Lord and in his blessing, and knowing that that we do that because God has done that for us. He has chosen not to look upon our sin because he's forgiven our sin. Our sin is on the cross of Jesus. It's on Jesus on the cross. The Bible says he became sin for us that we could become the righteousness of God if only we. We accept the free gift that He's given us, a free gift that cost him everything. Free to us, not to him. For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice over what I create, for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her place, her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and join my people. The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying. Now he gives us a glimpse into what happens after the millennial reign, where a new heaven and a new earth are made. Now there's debates over whether you know this is actually a new heaven, a new earth, or just a restored heaven and a restored earth. You know, when we look at when the earth was created, up until the flood was the first earth. When the flood came, that was a time of new beginnings, a time of judgment and a time of restoration. And the earth that came out of the flood was a different earth than the first earth. But it's the same earth. You get it? So our time in the millennial reign, this will begin. There'll be a time of peace and prosperity, and things will be cleaned up and glorious. But even after that, a new heaven and a new earth, it's it's mysterious, but it's glorious and it's coming. And we could debate on what it's gonna be. Is it gonna be brand new or is it gonna be the same thing, but just as sparkling immaculate the way he intended it to be from the beginning? Stay tuned and find out. You'll see what it's like. If you believe in the Lord, if you trust him, if you follow him, if you don't go in your own ways. But it's gonna be a time of peace, it's gonna be a time of joy, it's gonna be a time of work that we love to do because we're with the Lord, and he's freed us from sin, and we're able to do these things without being caught with our own desires that bring us down.

SPEAKER_01 25:07

You're listening to Pastor Carl of the Mountain Cross as he teaches through the book of Isaiah on today's episode of Come On Up. Isaiah is an important book for us to read in the Old Testament because this is where we read many prophecies about the coming Messiah. While we now know Jesus as our one and true Messiah, the people who originally read Isaiah's prophecies did not know when the promised Savior would arrive. So while the book of Isaiah calls the nation of Israel to repentance, it also inspires its readers to have hope in the coming Messiah who will establish a new heavenly kingdom on earth. Well, if you would like to learn more about what it means to follow this Messiah we know as Jesus, we have some resources online to help get you started. Just visit us at themountaincross.com and head to our How to Know God tab. You can also find a link to our podcast feed in case you want to catch up on past teachings from Pastor Carl. If you'd like to get connected with us in person, we'd love to have you join us here at the Mountain Cross. We meet every Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville, North Carolina. We also host a Faith Film Night on the first Monday of each month. To learn about our next film, visit us online or search for Faith Film Night on Facebook. Thanks for tuning in today. Well, that's all for today. 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.