Well, we are in Isaiah chapter 58 tonight. And if you've checked your Scripture sheet, you'll see we're going to make it to chapter 59, verse 14. In chapter 55, verse 1, God extended to people from every family and nation of the earth an invitation. to come into His kingdom. This is long before Peter and Paul went to both the Jews and the Gentiles. Long before that, Isaiah showed us there's one people of God, all united through faith in the servant to come. And admission into His kingdom, admission into the New Jerusalem is not by sacrifices, or by dietary laws, or any rituals, or feast days, or by circumcision, or by ethnicity. No. Admission is by faith. By faith in Jesus Christ. And His invitation has been listen, believe, and come. If you haven't come, please do so tonight into His kingdom. Now this final section of Isaiah, which began in chapter 56. It began with a word from God calling all those who are truly His people and have professed that they believe to act in just and righteous ways. Now that we've professed our faith, God wants us to live as His people. To turn away from all pagan religious practices. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, but justice, righteousness, and mercy are the marks of God's people. Isaiah's message now is that God's promises for eternity should impact how we're living now. And they should be the most significant impact on how we live today. They should stir us to righteous living in this life. And if we believe in the promise of a glorious future that He has made, we should live in light of that belief. We saw last week though that even after the return from the exile, the people of Judah remained unfaithful to Yahweh. And remember one of the big reasons for that was unfaithful watchmen and unfaithful shepherds. Those who should have been their shepherds had failed. They were blind. They were self-seeking. They were greedy. They lacked understanding. They'd all turned to their own way. They'd gained riches unjustly. They had sought not to shepherd the people. They'd sought their own ease and comfort. And because of that, great evil had come into the land. Idolatry, sorcery, Canaanite sexual fertility rites, even child sacrifice. rituals associated with an imaginary Babylonian god. It was a mockery of God. All of this added up to spiritual adultery among those who were supposed to be the people of God. And so God's judgment was upon them. He calls the beasts of the field and the beasts of the forest to come and devour them. That's what we saw last week. And look, these were a people who, instead of turning to God in times of difficulty, in times of trouble, they looked elsewhere. They looked for man-made remedies. They looked for remedies and help from other wicked nations. Instead of turning to God and following and obeying Him, they sought answers from places other than God. And they failed to see the hopelessness of all these other remedies. In chapter 57, verse 13, we see God again challenging them to turn to their idols and see if they can save them from danger. Well, of course, they can't. But then at the end of verse 13, and then in verse 14, the Lord holds out hope to those who will trust in Him. Look at verse 13 and 14. But He who takes refuge in Me will inherit the land. and will possess My holy mountain. And it will be said, Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstacle out of the way of My people. And the Lord clearly declared for us what it is that He wants to see in those who want to come into His heaven. Now the first step here is wanting to come in, isn't it? And then the next step is recognizing our sin. And then when we do that and confess our sin and believe in Him, now He tells us what He wants to see in us. And He says in verse 15, He says, The high and exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy, says, I dwell on a high and holy place, and with the contrite and lowly of spirit. That's who He dwells with. He dwells with those who are humble. Those who have contrition for their sin. He doesn't have a bunch of kings and queens up there. No. He has humble people all around Him. These are people, qualities that demonstrate that one understands what we must understand in order to come to Him. That we've offended God. We must look upward to Him. Not across the way at some equal, but look up to Him. Believe in Him. Believe in His promises. And trust in His mercy. Because folks, we're all in need of it. And then God declared that one day He will pour out His grace. That's His undeserved kindness on sinners. And that this outpouring of His grace will extend to both Jews and Gentiles. Now that was news to them in those days. Peace to him who is far and to him who is near, as Isaiah writes it. So we now know that this was all accomplished by the work of whom? Who accomplished this for us? Jesus. And what does Isaiah call Him in those four servant songs? The servant of the Lord. But for the wicked, verse 21, all those who don't come to Christ and receive this blessing, there'll be no peace. The wicked leaders and those who follow them, who worship other gods, were going to receive divine judgment. And they would miss all of the wonderful blessings that God has prepared for those who are humble and contrite. You know, it's hard for us to understand why people don't want this, isn't it? And when we gather, we talk about, exchange, how's your witness to so-and-so doing? And oftentimes, people are unreceptive to the gospel. But for us, it's hard to understand that, isn't it? Why would anyone want to turn down eternal bliss, eternal joy, eternity with God? Isaiah has repeatedly exhorted the people of Judah to trust in God, to seek righteousness and justice. And now his focus has turned to the practice of righteousness and justice. God's going to tell us tonight how He wants us to behave. What He wants, one writer says, is for His church to serve as the model city for that new Jerusalem that's coming. that He's promised to build. He wants people to look at His church and see the future kingdom that's going to come in its fullness. We talked tonight about the trouble that's going on that's been released in this report about the Catholic churches. And some look at that and see that as casting aspersions on God or on the gospel. Well, we can do something about that. We can live in such a way that when people look at us, they won't be able to say that's dishonoring to the God who they say they worship. And so we should live in such a way that honors Him. And that means living in a way that loves and serves others. Now, I want to go back to Isaiah chapter 1. And the first five chapters were sort of an introduction that kind of covered all of this book of Isaiah. And in chapter 1, beginning in verse 10, we read this. In the New American Standard, this isn't part of the text of Scripture itself. But the heading is, God has had enough. Here's what he says, Isaiah 110, Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom. Give ear to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah. Now those two cities are gone at the time he's speaking, aren't they? Who is he referring to as Sodom and Gomorrah here? Jerusalem is right. What are your multiplied sacrifices to me, says the Lord? I've had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats. When you come to appear before me, who requires of you this trampling of my courts? Bring your worthless offerings no longer. Incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath, the calling of assemblies. I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts. They have become a burden to me. I am weary of bearing them. So when you spread out your hands in prayer, look at this, I will hide my eyes from you. Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. Wash yourselves. Make yourselves clean. Remove the evil of your deeds from my sight. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Reprove the ruthless. Defend the orphan. Plead for the widow. You get an idea how God looks upon religious formality. He's going to return to this theme tonight. Here God condemns all religion that assumes a relationship with God, but where there is no love for other people and no care for others. 58 verse 1, Cry loudly, do not hold back, raise your voice like a trumpet, and declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins. The first step on the road to restoration to God is recognition of what we are and where we stand in the light of His righteous standard. What's the Bible tell us? What's Paul tell us in Romans? All have fallen short of His glory, right? There's none righteous, none who does good. No, not one, he says, Romans 3.11. And if we don't recognize our own sin and confess it before God, what's going to happen? He will declare our sin and our sinful state to us. In either event, our sin is going to be exposed. And it already is exposed before Him. And it's going to lead to one of two possible ends. Either repentance or condemnation. We are not free to sin because we're Christians. Galatians 5.13 in your scripture sheet will make that clear to us, as will this entire passage tonight. In Jerusalem, there was an appearance of religion. We know what that looks like. Somebody who goes to church every Sunday, well, maybe 40 Sundays a year. And then the rest of their life, those other 300 days of the year, God is far from their minds. That's an appearance of religion. That's what they had in Jerusalem. They were going through the business of religion. And not only that, but because they were doing the formalities, they expected that God should reward them. That's what we have here in verses 2 and 3. Look what it says. Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, as a nation that has done righteousness and has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions. They delight in the nearness of God. Why have we fasted and you do not see? This is what they're saying to God. Why have we humbled ourselves and you do not notice? But God responds to them. Here's what He says, "...Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, you drive hard all your workers. Behold, you fast for contention and strife, and to strike with a wicked fist." They just made it a burden. You don't fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. The people of Judah had observed the formalities of their religion, but they had emphasized formalism and ritualism over what? Over Christ-likeness. Over the practice of actual righteousness. See, once you come to God, once you come to Christ, now it's time to begin practicing righteousness. Not to begin practicing religion. Worse, their emphasis on formal religion, as we read here, had led to strife among them. It had become a matter of contention. What's the proper clothing? What's the proper music? What's the proper time to do this? What's the proper manner of observation of the fast and other rituals? We see this in churches all over the place. People fighting over how we're going to do the formalities of our faith. Worse yet, They were indignant, you can see it here, that God had not seen fit to reward their form of religion. You wonder what happened to Israel? Isaiah 58. They weren't seeking answers here by the things they were saying. They were venting their frustration on God. They thought God was being unfair. They acted pious toward God while at the same time they were angry with Him. You see the contradiction in coming into a worship service and being angry with God. Or angry with someone else. Or feeling vengeful toward someone else. Those are opposites. They thought, though, that they could obligate God by doing what they would do. We'll come in and offer this. We'll come in and fast. Now, God, You owe me. And when their fasting didn't leverage cooperation from God, they resented Him. That's what this passage tells us. But what poisoned their souls toward God wasn't the normal kind of sins and crimes, robbery, murder, all of that. No, what poisoned their minds toward God was their religion. They were fasting, but here's God standing at a distance like we saw back in chapter 1. Don't bring me your sacrifices. I hate your new moons. I hate your festivals. And they're wondering why. What's wrong God? We're doing what we're supposed to do here. No. It was all done in the Pharisaic spirit that we see in Luke 18, 12. I fast twice a week. I pay tithes of all I get. by now, every Christian should know, God looks to the heart. He looks to the heart. He looks to see what's in our hearts. And He is able, folks, to discern what is in our hearts. You can't hide anything from Him. Neither can I. And if in our hearts is something other than love for Him and compassion for others. All who are suffering. All who are without basic necessities of life. food, and shelter. If we don't have compassion for them, He is displeased with us. And we don't get to replace compassion for others with something else. We don't get to say, well, I'm leading the song, so I don't have to be compassionate and help others. No, it doesn't work that way. Last week we saw God is seeking people who are humble and contrite. That's who's going to dwell with Him. Now tonight He adds compassion. Isn't it interesting the way God works these things out? He had Paul teach us about compassion for about five weeks when we just finished Colossians. And now He's going to teach us about compassion again tonight through the prophet Isaiah. He doesn't mean just a heartfelt desire to help others, but He does mean that. He also means actions that do help others. Those are qualities He wants to see in those who are going to dwell with Him. And as I said, we can't compensate for a deficiency in one area of our duty to God by our performance in another area of that duty. Especially when the service we pick is a little less demanding than maybe some other service. We're here to serve. We're the people that should be seen of all the people in the world. The people who claim Christ should be the people who are seen as the most Christ-like. Shouldn't we? Well, Isaiah thinks so. But the point is, we can't neglect helping the needy because we sing in the choir. And fasting is a valid thing to do, but we shouldn't think that God would want us to prove our devotion by making ourselves hungry while failing to help out somebody else who's hungry. You see how this works? Well verse 5, Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one's head like a reed, and for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, an acceptable day to the Lord? Fasting was certainly more related to Old Testament times than today, but it's still around. It's done usually and intended to be done in conjunction with prayer. It's a time of denial of things of the body and of turning to God. It's directed to that end. Now the phrase here, bowing one's head like a reed, or as I think the King James has it, hanging his head like a bulrush. God is not pleased with a fasting which leads to a sad and downcast look. Remember the Pharisees and their fasting in Matthew 6, 16. They put on a gloomy face. So they will be noticed by men when they fast. This would be an empty appearance of humility and devotion to the higher things. And they imagine there's some holiness in that. But in Matthew 6.16, Jesus censures such attitudes. He says, "...whenever you fast, don't put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so they'll be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full." That means they're missing out on that great reward at the end. Sackcloth and ashes were added to fasting. He mentions those here. Especially when people made solemn professions of repentance in the Old Testament. They'd clothe themselves with sackcloth, which is uncomfortable clothing, and throw ashes on their head. This exercise was approved by God. And Isaiah is not condemning it here in and of itself. He condemns the absence of a genuine heart attitude though. An attitude of contrition and humility. So sackcloth and ashes, in case you're wondering, are not prohibited in our time, nor are they required. There's nothing to hinder those who want to confess their guilt to God from wearing soiled garments or uncomfortable garments. But it's not to be made a show of. It's a matter between you and God. Alright, so verse 6, God now starts to tell us exactly what kind of religion He's looking for. He says this, "...Is this not the fast which I choose? To loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry?" and bring the homeless poor into the house, when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh." Look, we don't do enough here. We do some. We're not doing enough. Whatever it is, it's never going to be enough. Why? Because there's always going to be need. And frankly, we need to do better. But this is important. This is what Christ wants to see in His people. He's not saying, I want to see this from the worldly people, although I'm sure He wishes He did. He's talking to believers. Matthew 25, 34, The king will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. Naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. And then the righteous. And I love this answer from these people because it does demonstrate some humility. When did we see you hungry, Lord, or feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you? And here's how Jesus Christ looks at this, folks. The king will answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me. That's not a bunch of symbolism. That's flat out straight teaching from Jesus Christ to all of us. He says to them in Luke 3, 11, The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none. He who has food is to do likewise. We, of course, live in a generation and culture of people who hoard everything. Look how things have progressed. James 127, Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world. We're not free to simply sit home and let everybody else do it. James 2.14, What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warm, and be filled, and yet you don't give them what's necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so, faith, if it has no works, is dead. That doesn't mean that we're saved by works. It means that faith is something that includes works. It's demonstrated by works of love for those in need. Someone may well say, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without the works and I'll show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one, you do well. The demons also believe and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Works are a component of saving faith. And finally, Hebrews 13, 1, Let the love of the brethren continue. Don't neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners. And we're talking about and hoping to start a ministry to people getting out of jail. I'm praying that this is going to be fruitful. Remember the prisoners as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves are in the body. Matthew 7, 21. I guess this is our last Scripture of these from our Lord. Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. This lesson from our Lord is taught through all of Scripture. Our works can never be good enough to earn forgiveness of our sins, but works of help to others are the marks of those who have truly come to Jesus Christ and have surrendered their will to His will. That's what this boils down to. We all have our own wants and desires. We all know what we want. He calls us to set that aside. Yes, that's not our nature. Yes, that's difficult. Yes, that's worth it. Yes, it's worth it. His will is that we love one another. in our hearts and in our actions. So it's foolishness to expect to win God's favor by fasting or any other religious exercise if at the same time we're guilty of injustice, oppression, greed, insensitivity to the needs of others. The fast that is pleasing to God, he says here, must include humility, recognition of our sin and confession, and mercy to others. Jonathan Edwards, over 200 years ago, considered by many the greatest American preacher, said this, Christian love disposes a person to be public spirited. A man of a right spirit is not a man of narrow and private views, but is greatly concerned for the good of the community to which he belongs, and particularly of the city where he resides. Jonathan Edwards. I couldn't find a theologian who disagreed with that, by the way. When we respond to this call to love others, here's what God says, verse 8. Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth, and your righteousness will go before you. The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. And then you will call, and the Lord will answer. You will cry, and He will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, the Lord leaves no doubt what He wants to see from His people. Maybe this isn't culturally current to call people to righteousness, but this is what He calls us to. We live in a generation, in one of several succeeding generations of self-gratification above all else. That's not what God is calling us to. He says, And if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, your gloom will become like midday, and the Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire in scorched places and give strength to your bones. And you will be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins, you will raise up the age-old foundations, and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell. So he's calling us both to hearts of mercy and kindness and to the works of mercy and kindness themselves. Paul, 1 Corinthians 13, 3, If I give all my goods to the poor and have not love, I am what? Anybody know what that word is? Nothing. Nothing. The heart attitude matters. It isn't simply a matter of writing a check to someone. The essence of Christianity is love for Christ and love for others. And authentic Christianity expresses a heart for Christ in three ways. In worship, and praise, and prayer, and lifted up hands, and open Bibles. Second, in bold evangelism. And third, in protecting the weak and feeding the hungry. It's not an either-or, it's all three. Putting ourselves out for others is contrary to our natural selfishness, so it is therefore more significant to God. And I love this sentence that Raymond Ortland wrote. Hear this. True revival isn't a private religious joyride. True revival isn't a private religious joyride. No, it spreads love to others. Galatians 5.13, For you were called to freedom. He means freed from any ritualistic or works requirements to gain salvation. He says, You're called to that freedom, brethren, but only don't turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word in the statement, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. And God always blesses the one who gives. I know you know this is true. Why do we resist it so? When we give of ourselves to others in need, God gives us His very own joy. Well, the Lord concludes this section with words which explain the true meaning of the Sabbath. It says, If because of the Sabbath you turn your foot from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and honor it, desisting from your own ways, from seeking your own pleasure and speaking your own word. If you do that, then you will take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth, and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." Well, we know from the Gospels that the religious leaders of Jesus' day did not understand the true meaning of the Sabbath. Behind this day of rest from commercial activity was the idea of one day in seven as a day of dedication to God. Yes. In the New Testament church, the Lord's Day is not the Old Testament Sabbath, but it is one day in seven set aside as a day of the gathering of the people of God in thanksgiving and worship of Him and in fellowship with one another to remember our Lord in His supper, to hear the preaching of the Word from God. He still got the day set aside for us. It simply changed because of the resurrection to the first day of the week. In addition to that, God is pleased when His people engage in acts of mercy and evangelism on the Lord's Day. Not at the expense of the worship of Him, but in addition to. This generation, I fully believe, is going to be judged and maybe is already being judged for its great sin of robbing the Lord of His day. Because that has certainly happened. And giving it over to the worship of our own idols and the gratification of our own flesh. The National Football League is number one offender. Look, when a people remove the Word of God from its teaching and its schools, when a people removes, prohibits prayer to its Creator and discards the worship of the Lord on the Lord's Day, judgment is certain to follow. And I believe what we're witnessing now is the disintegration of our culture because of offending God in these three ways. And it's up to us and all Christian churches to maintain these three things, the reading of His Word, prayer, and certainly honoring the Lord's Day. The same thing that can happen with a fast can happen with the Sabbath. It can be turned into a ritual that's unacceptable, that's displeasing to God. Worship can become something that is entertainment or something else. But worship can also be something that is His delight and our delight. And that's our goal. That should be our goal is to delight in the Lord. And that's what he's talking about here. Then he says, if you desist from seeking your own pleasure, speaking your own word, doing what you want on the Lord's day, then you will take delight in the Lord. And isn't that what we want? How many today truly delight in God? Ortland again, delight in God, he says, is the most precious treasure in the world. It opens up everything else. The Lord's Day is meant to structure our weekly schedules around glorifying and enjoying God together. The Lord's Day is God's appointed release for us from all the self-worshiping addiction to the acquisition of wealth and property and recreation. The Sabbath, he says, is God's way of saying, no, your highest value shouldn't be the things of this world. It should be me. It reminds us there's something sacred beyond this world. That's what's supposed to happen when we come together on the Lord's Day and on this day. Orland says Sunday is not an extra Saturday. It's not the end of the weekend. It's not the day to get caught up for Monday. It's the Lord's Day when we set lesser things aside and replenish ourselves and others with the fullness of God. We need to have this attitude, folks. That's the kind of church that pleases God. It's the kind of church that is properly preparing the way of the Lord. It's taking responsibility, correcting wrongs, and choosing to delight in Him. Orlin says God has made a weekly appointment with us. The question is, do we love Him enough to keep it? And His promise, if we do, is that we will take delight in Him. So He's calling us to schedule our weekly routines around His great delight. Now, while chapter 58 focuses on the blessings the righteous may expect, chapter 59 stresses the opposite. This is what unrepentant sinners can expect, and it's really a self-explanatory few verses. To the repentant, there's what? The promise of light, eternal light. You know, isn't it interesting and a wonderful thing that there aren't any words we can use to even begin to describe what God has in store for us. If we simply follow Him, believe in Him, and trust in Him. We can't describe it. It's too good. It's too wonderful. But to the unrepentant, their darkness is forever. They don't get rescued from this domain of darkness. They get a worse darkness. Here's what he says. Verse 1, the Lord's hand is not so short that it can't save, nor is His ear so dull that it can't hear. So that's not why some people aren't saved. Here's the reason. Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. Your hands are defiled with blood, your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken falsehood. Your tongue mutters wickedness. The reason some die in their sins is not the inability of the Lord to save or that He is unaware of what's going on in this world. He is. It's sin that separates people from God. And of course, the sin that settles the matter once and for all is unbelief. He says no one sues righteously. No one pleads honestly. They trust in confusion and they speak lies. They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity. They hatch adder's eggs and weave the spider's web. He who eats of their eggs dies. And from that which is crushed, a snake breaks forth. I think you get the picture. He's making it pretty Serious, isn't he? ...their webs will not become clothing, nor will they cover themselves with their works. Their works are works of iniquity. An act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil. They hasten to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. Devastation and destruction are in their highways. They do not know the way of peace, and there is no justice in their tracks. They have made their paths crooked. Whoever treads on them does not know peace. He's shown us the way of eternal life. Now he's showing us the way of eternal darkness. Isaiah is not only describing here though, he's diagnosing those people. But he's diagnosing every unbeliever here. And he goes on, Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us. We hope for light, but behold, darkness. For brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope along the wall like blind men. We grope like those who have no eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight. Among those who are vigorous, we are like dead men. All of us growl like bears and moan sadly like doves. We hope for justice, but there is none. For salvation, but it is far from us. Why are they in this sad, decrepit state? One three-letter word. God is not going to abide sin. So He made a way for our sins to be dealt with. We've got to trust in that way and believe in it. Here's the answer. For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities, transgressing and denying the Lord and turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving in and uttering from the heart lying words. Justice is turned back. Righteousness stands far away. For truth has stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot enter. The choice seems pretty easy, doesn't it? But it can't just be something that's in our minds. It has to be the way we live. That's how we know it's a real choice we've made. That this is the world into which the Lord's servant came. This is what he came into, this unrighteousness. Israel and all humanity had demonstrated its own unrighteousness when it was left to its own devices. When Christ came, the world had already turned away from God. And with that, you know what was gone? Righteousness and justice were gone in the world. You know, the lesson here is our mistreatment, our unkindness of one another and of those in need really does displease God greatly. Yeah, He wants us to observe His day. He wants us to worship Him. But He wants us to do these other things to help others as well. You know, only He could have saved His people. People that He created to worship Him and have fellowship with Him. This passage, folks, should make us run to Jesus. When we see the contrast, when we see what God wants and what happens to those who don't come to Him. Our only hope to become what God desires us to be is to be found in Him. In believing in Him and surrendering our will to His. And the first step always has to be to recognize our true state before Him. Where are we really? I trust we're all believers. I certainly pray that's the case. Assuming that to be the case, now what? Well, he's let us know of very clear terms how he wants us to live. He's not giving us some choices. It's not a buffet here. He's showing us. Help those who need your help. In my name. And then we must seek His guidance, His counsel each and every day of our lives. Because while He has shown us what delights Him, you know, the enemy and the world is going to conspire with our own lusts, try to persuade us to simply delight and satisfy ourselves. We're very blessed to have these words from Isaiah tonight. I pray that He's spoken to you. He certainly has to me. I think any feeling other than, you know, we can do a lot more than we do is probably off the mark. There's just so much more that we are able to do in His name. It's Christlikeness that we're seeking. Well, Lord, thank you for revealing yourself to us in your Son as you've done. Thank you for opening our eyes to not only the great blessings that lie ahead, but to your expectations of us, to your hopes for us, to what you desire to see in your church and your people. We pray for conviction where it's necessary, that we would delight in serving in your name. Lord, we ask for opportunity to share the gospel And we ask that You multiply our resources so that we might multiply our aid to others. Lord, I again want to pray for my friend Jim. Pray that You would fill his heart with the knowledge of Your love and Your truth. Give him strength, courage, and peace. In Christ's name, Amen.