Isaiah 14:12-24

Guest Speaker – John Whelan

Guest Speaker – John Whelan

Amos 7:1-17

For millennia builders have used a plumb line to measure accuracy of a vertical surface such as a wall. It consists of a weight suspended from a thin cord, and uses gravity to help create a reference line for comparison.

God’s Word is our plumb line to use as a reference for our lives. It provides clear definition of how we should measure our walk with God. Many times we want to compare how others “line up” without looking at ourselves.

Through Amos, God let the people of Israel know they did not measure up, and He was about to bring destruction. As we look at our own “plumb line” we see that as stated in Romans 2:23, we all fall short, but we have a Savior who has sacrificed for us, and gives us assurance that through Him we have new hope and alignment, as we are presented before our Maker.

Isaiah 1:1-20

Isaiah was a prophet during the reign of 5 kings in the southern kingdom of Judah. According to history, most of the kings followed God and did what was right. However, it was apparent that the people of Israel/Judah were being led astray in their actual practices.

The passage above declares that although the people were from Israel, they behave as though they did not know who God was or what He did for them. They were just going through the motions. Isaiah tried to explain that it is because of their actions, that God was ignoring their requests.

Isaiah closes out with a promise. If we return to God, and repent, He will make our sin as white as snow, through Jesus. Let us recognize when we have turned astray, and accept the gift God provided through the sacrifice of His Son to purify and restore a right relationship with God.

Obadiah 1-9

The prophets Obadiah and Amos had a message for the people of Edom, that God was about to punish them for their past actions, or lack thereof. Edom was the country established from the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. There was a lot of history between these brothers, and although it looked like they had mended their differences and moved on, there is no account that Esau (Edom) had forgiven Jacob (Israel).

Most of us have had an experience where someone has hurt us. It is much easier to avoid and move on than to forgive the one who hurt us. After all, look at what they did. However, we still have that unforgiveness in our soul eating away at our heart, and missing an opportunity for God to shine through.

If we keep our eyes on Jesus and how He provided the model, we remember what He went through as people mocked, beat and crucified Him. In the end He forgave them and let God shine through to mend hearts and grow the kingdom.

Ecclesiastes 7-12

Solomon’s wisdom caused him to question several things about his life. He was wealthy, wise and had great power. there were many thing he noticed that God controlled, and he did not understand. The basic conclusion he arrived at was that God is on control. this was summed up in his statement at the end of the book, reminding us to fear God and follow His commandments.

Fear God does mean to run away because of what He may do to us, but fear in the sense of respect and awe of understanding the power and love God shows to us. This requires trust in God’s wisdom and guidance to the point where we tremble in his presence, knowing that He is in control, and we are willing to follow.

Matthew 1:20-21

For those unable to attend, or who want to share the great story of our Savior’s birth, here is the entire candlelight service form this year.

Enjoy, and share the good news!

Ecclesiastes 1 – 6

Solomon was a wise, wealthy and powerful king over Israel, during the height of its history. He wrote this book toward the end of his life as a retrospective, looking back on what he had done in life. In this text we see that, although he had many accomplishments and experiences, it was all meaningless compared to what God had done.

Regardless of what he could do with his wealth, power and wisdom, it is the love of God that has lasting results. the commandment God has given us is to love God first with everything in our being. Only then can we love our neighbor.

Let us remember in this season when God loved us so much He gave us His Son as a baby in a manger. So that He would provide salvation for all through His sacrifice.