Transcript

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 40 CEV; Ch. 41-44 ERVin today’s episode: Ch.

Podcast Introduction

This Prophecy Friday. We’ll read Isaiah 40-44. I’m calling this episode “Wrong Number.”

Comments on Isaiah 42

In Matthew 12:17, we’re told that Isaiah 42 is about the Messiah. And after reading the chapter, I’m sure you’re probably not surprised. As you probably know, the Old Testament is full of Messianic prophecies. The Jews for Jesus website lists 365 of them. And of those 365 prophecies. 132 are in the book of Isaiah alone. The vast majority of these prophecies were fulfilled during Jesus’ first incarnation, and only a small handful remain to be fulfilled at His second coming. I’m looking forward to seeing those happen! 

Here in chapter 41, God speaking through the prophet Isaiah, makes a point of asking how many prophecies the false gods and idols made and had been fulfilled. Of course, since they were only manmade, the answer is none. 

God has told mankind part of his plan in advance, so that we would know that He is indeed God. Imagine the mathematical odds of just the Messianic prophecies being fulfilled in the life of just one man. The odds are astronomically high, so high is to be impossible, unless the One in whom they are fulfilled was indeed the Messiah. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m satisfied that Jesus is who he said he is. And if He is who He said he is, then every word he said must be true, because God is incapable of either being wrong or lying. 

If I had to pick just one thing he said that every person needs to understand, it would be this, from John 14:6. Jesus said, “I am the Way the Truth and the Life. The only way to the Father is through me.” ERV

There is no other way to God. Jesus is the One Way. Think of it like this. There are millions upon millions of cell phones on the planet, right? Each one has its own phone number. Now, if you want to phone me, you can only call the number associated with my phone. If you misdial, even one digit, you won’t get me. It’s the same with salvation. There are many purported paths to God, but only one way is the right way. 

It doesn’t matter if you’re a good person, it doesn’t matter if your intentions are right. It doesn’t even matter if you’re sorry that you’ve wronged somebody. All that matters is that you have a relationship with Jesus. That’s not me saying it. It’s Jesus himself. He is the only way to the Father. 

Thoughts on Isaiah 44 

Now in chapter 44, verses nine through 20, we saw just how silly it is for men to create a God out of a block of wood. Can we all agree on that? One of the things the Fool in the passage does is to pray to the idol he created. He says, “You are my God. Save me.”

 I agree with Isaiah when he says, “People like that don’t know what they’re doing. They just don’t understand.” That  is true. But how do we know that a god carved from a block of wood is not God? Well, because it’s a created thing, right? By definition, God is eternal. He is not created. God is omniscient, meaning he has all knowledge. He’s omnipotent, which means he has all power. He’s omnipresent. He’s everywhere. And there are other attributes that God has that a created thing does not. 

It’s easy to see that a god made from a block of wood is not God. Somebody carved it, somebody made it. It’s not eternal. It cannot save us. 

So why do so many people look to politicians to save us? Why do people expect, say… a presidential candidate to save them? Every person who runs for office is a created being. They have none of the attributes of God, yet millions of people cry, “Save us!” They think that their candidate has the answers. 

Beloved, no politician has the answer. I don’t care who he or she is. Don’t expect salvation from any of them. Look only to God, only He has the answer, and only He can save this fallen world from the troubles that it’s in. 

Come to think of it though, comparing politicians to blocks of wood is a good analogy, isn’t it?

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Isaiah 40-44: Wrong Number (LSFAB S13E055)

[TEASER – 0:00]
The odds are astronomically high.

[INTRO S13E055 – 0:02]
Hi there, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside, California, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily podcast where we’ll read through the entire Bible in a year, and the website is at lifespringmedia.com. This is Prophecy Friday, and we’ll read Isaiah 40 through 44, and I’m calling the episode “Wrong Number”.

In case you haven’t yet listened to yesterday’s episode, the one from Thanksgiving (and by the way, I hope you had a great time) I asked you to send me family pictures so that I can include them in the next newsletter. And that goes for everyone everywhere, not just those who are celebrating Thanksgiving Day. Send in your pictures. We can have a sort of family photo album. That’d be fun, right? Send them to st***@*************ia.com with the subject line “Family album”. We’ll put them in the newsletter, and if it’s okay with you, I’ll make a special family album page on the website. So when you send your picture in, please let me know if it’s okay to publish it in both places. Or if you prefer to have it in one place or the other instead of both, let me know that too. I will, of course, respect your wishes.

Now before we read, let’s pray.

[OPENING PRAYER – 1:19]
Our gracious heavenly Father, how we love you and we thank you for our time together around your Word. I pray that you would bless this time and the reading of your Word. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Okay, let’s get started.

[ISAIAH 40 (CEV) – 1:35]
Isaiah, chapter 40.

(1) Our God has said:
“Encourage my people!
Give them comfort.
(2) Speak kindly to Jerusalem
and announce:
Your slavery is past;
your punishment is over.
I, the Lord, made you pay
double for your sins.”

(3) Someone is shouting:
“Clear a path in the desert!
Make a straight road
for the Lord our God.
(4) Fill in the valleys;
flatten every hill
and mountain.
Level the rough
and rugged ground.
(5) Then the glory of the Lord
will appear for all to see.
The Lord has promised this!”

(6) Someone told me to shout,
and I asked,
“What should I shout?”
We humans are merely grass,
and we last no longer
than wild flowers.
(7) At the Lord’s command,
flowers and grass disappear,
and so do we.
(8) Flowers and grass fade away,
but what our God has said
will never change.

(9) There is good news
for the city of Zion.
Shout it as loud as you can
from the highest mountain.
Don’t be afraid to shout
to the towns of Judah:
“Your God is here!”
(10) Look! The powerful Lord God
is coming to rule
with his mighty arm.
He brings with him
what he has taken in war,
and he rewards his people.
(11) The Lord cares for his nation,
just as shepherds care
for their flocks.
He carries the lambs
in his arms,
while gently leading
the mother sheep.

(12) Did any of you measure
the ocean by yourself
or stretch out the sky
with your own hands?
Did you put the soil
of the earth in a bucket
or weigh the hills and mountains
on balance scales?
(13) Has anyone told the Lord
what he must do
or given him advice?
(14) Did the Lord ask anyone
to teach him wisdom
and justice?
Who gave him knowledge
and understanding?
(15) To the Lord, all nations
are merely a drop in a bucket
or dust on balance scales;
all of the islands
are but a handful of sand.
(16) The cattle on the mountains
of Lebanon
would not be enough to offer
as a sacrifice to God,
and the trees would not
be enough for the fire.
(17) God thinks of the nations
as far less than nothing.
(18) Who compares with God?
Is anything like him?
(19) Is an idol at all like God?
It is made of bronze
with a thin layer of gold,
and decorated with silver.
(20) Or special wood may be chosen
because it doesn’t rot—
then skilled hands
take care to make an idol
that won’t fall on its face.

(21) Don’t you know?
Haven’t you heard?
Hasn’t it been clear
since the time of creation?
(22) God is the one who rules
the whole earth,
and we that live here
are merely insects.
He spread out the heavens
like a curtain or an open tent.

(23) God brings down rulers
and turns them into nothing.
(24) They are like flowers
freshly sprung up
and starting to grow.
But when God blows on them,
they wilt and are carried off
like straw in a storm.

(25) The holy God asks,
“Who compares with me?
Is anyone my equal?”

(26) Look at the evening sky!
Who created the stars?
Who gave them each a name?
Who leads them like an army?
The Lord is so powerful
that none of the stars
are ever missing.

(27) You people of Israel say,
“God pays no attention to us!
He doesn’t care if we
are treated unjustly.”

But how can you say that?
(28) Don’t you know?
Haven’t you heard?
The Lord is the eternal God,
Creator of the earth.
He never gets weary or tired;
his wisdom cannot be measured.

(29) The Lord gives strength
to those who are weary.
(30) Even young people get tired,
then stumble and fall.
(31) But those who trust the Lord
will find new strength.
They will be strong like eagles
soaring upward on wings;
they will walk and run
without getting tired.

[ISAIAH 41 (ERV) – 5:11]
Isaiah, chapter 41.

(1) The Lord says,
“Faraway countries, be quiet and listen to me!
Nations be brave.
Come to me and speak.
We will meet together
and decide who is right.
(2) Who woke up the man who is coming from the east?
He called Justice to march with him.
He uses his sword to crush nations.
He uses his bow and conquers kings—
they run away like straw blown by the wind.
(3) He chases armies and is never hurt.
He goes places he has never been before.
(4) Who was able to make all this happen?
Who controlled the lives of everyone from the beginning?
I, the Lord, am the one.
I was here at the beginning,
and I will be here when all things are finished.
(5) People along the coast saw this,
and they were frightened.
Nations at the ends of the earth
shook with fear.
They have come near.
They have arrived.

(6) “Workers help each other. They encourage each other to be strong. (7) One worker cuts wood to make a statue. He encourages the man who works with gold. Another worker uses a hammer and makes the metal smooth. Then he encourages the man at the anvil. This last worker says, ‘This work is good; the metal will not come off.’ Then he nails the statue to a base so that it will not fall over. And it never moves!”

(8) The Lord says, “You, Israel, are my servant.
Jacob, I chose you.
You are from the family of my friend, Abraham.
(9) You were in a faraway country,
but I reached out to you.
I called you from that faraway place.
I said, ‘You are my servant.’
I chose you,
and I have not rejected you.
(10) Don’t worry—I am with you.
Don’t be afraid—I am your God.
I will make you strong and help you.
I will support you with my right hand that brings victory.
(11) Look, some people are angry with you,
but they will be ashamed and disgraced.
Your enemies will be lost and disappear.
(12) You will look for the people who were against you,
but you will not be able to find them.
Those who fought against you
will disappear completely.
(13) I am the Lord your God,
who holds your right hand.
And I tell you, ‘Don’t be afraid!
I will help you.’
(14) People of Israel, descendants of Jacob, you may be weak and worthless,
but do not be afraid.
I myself will help you.”

This is what the Lord himself says.

“I am the Holy One of Israel,
the one who saves you.
(15) Look, I have made you like a new threshing board with many sharp teeth.
You will trample mountains and crush them.
You will make the hills like chaff.
(16) You will throw them into the air,
and the wind will blow them away and scatter them.
Then you will be happy in the Lord.
You will be proud of the Holy One of Israel.

(17) “The poor and needy look for water,
but they cannot find any.
Their tongues are dry with thirst.
I, the Lord, will answer their prayers.
I, the God of Israel, will not leave them to die.
(18) I will make rivers flow on dry hills.
I will make springs of water flow through the valleys.
I will change the desert into a lake filled with water.
There will be springs of water in that dry land.
(19) I will make trees grow in the desert.
There will be cedar, acacias, olive trees, cypress, fir trees, and pines.
(20) I will do this so that people will see it and know who did it.
They will notice what happened.
Then they will understand that the Lord’s hand made it happen,
that the Holy One of Israel created it all.”

(21) The Lord, the king of Jacob, says, “Come, present your arguments. Show me your proof. (22) Let your idols come in and tell us what will happen. Idols, tell us what happened in the beginning. We will listen closely so that we can make a decision. Tell us what will happen in the future. (23) What signs did you give in the past to prove that you really are gods? Do something! Do anything, good or bad, so that we can see that you are alive. Then we might fear and respect you.

(24) “Look, you false gods are worthless. You cannot do anything. Only some horrible fool would want to worship you.”

(25) “I called someone in the north to come.
He is coming from the east where the sun rises,
and he honors my name.
He tramples kings
the way a potter softens clay with his feet.

(26) “Who told us about this before it happened
so that we could say he was right?
None of your idols told us anything.
They didn’t say a word,
and they cannot hear anything you say.
(27) I, the Lord, was the first one to tell Zion about these things.
I sent a messenger to Jerusalem to say,
‘Look, your people are coming back!’”

(28) I looked at those false gods.
Not one of them said anything.
They had no advice to offer.
I asked them questions,
but they didn’t say a word.
(29) These gods are all less than nothing.
They cannot do anything.
They are worthless.

[ISAIAH 42 (ERV) – 10:09]
Isaiah, chapter 42.

(1) “Here is my servant,
the one I support.
He is the one I have chosen,
and I am very pleased with him.
I have filled him with my Spirit,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
(2) He will not cry out or shout
or try to make himself heard in the streets.
(3) He will not break even a crushed reed.
He will not put out even the weakest flame.
He will bring true justice.
(4) He will not grow weak or give up
until he has brought justice into the world.
And people in faraway places will hope to receive his teachings.”

(5) The Lord, the true God, said these things. (He created the sky and spread it out over the earth. He formed the earth and everything it produced. He breathes life into all the people on earth. He gives a spirit to everyone who walks on the earth.)

(6) “I, the Lord, was right to call you.
I will hold your hand and protect you.
You will be the sign of my agreement with the people.
You will be a light for the other nations.
(7) You will make the blind able to see.
You will free those who are held as captives.
You will lead those who live in darkness out of their prison.

(8) “I am YAHWEH.
That is my name.
I will not give my glory to another.
I will not let statues take the praise that should be mine.
(9) In the past, I told you what would happen,
and it happened!
Now I am telling you something new,
and I am telling you now, before it happens.”

(10) Sing a new song to the Lord;
praise him everywhere on earth—
all you who sail on the seas,
everything in the sea,
and all you people in faraway places!
(11) Deserts and cities, villages of Kedar,
praise the Lord!
People living in Sela, sing for joy!
Sing from the top of your mountain.
(12) Give glory to the Lord.
Praise him, all you people in faraway lands!
(13) The Lord will go out like a strong soldier.
Like a man going into battle, he will be full of excitement.
He will shout with a loud cry,
and he will defeat his enemies.

(14) “For a long time I have said nothing.
I have controlled myself and kept quiet.
But now I will cry out like a woman giving birth.
My breathing is getting faster and louder.
(15) I will destroy the hills and mountains.
I will dry up all the plants that grow there.
I will change rivers to dry land
and dry up pools of water.
(16) Then I will lead the blind along a path they never knew
to places where they have never been before.
I will change darkness into light for them.
I will make the rough ground smooth.
I will do these things for them;
I will not abandon my people.
(17) But some of them have left me.
They say to their gold statues, ‘You are my gods.’
They trust their false gods,
but they will be disappointed and ashamed.

(18) “Deaf people, listen to me!
Blind people, look and see!
(19) In all the world, no one is more blind than my servant.
No one is more deaf than my messenger.
No one is more blind than my chosen people,
the servant of the Lord.
(20) My people see what they should do,
but they do not obey me.
They can hear with their ears,
but they refuse to listen to me.”
(21) The Lord wants them to do what is right.
He wants them to honor his wonderful teachings.
(22) But look at his people.
Others have defeated them and have stolen from them.
The young men are afraid.
They are locked in prisons.
People have taken advantage of them,
and there is no one to protect them.
Others take their money,
and there is no one to say, “Give it back!”

(23) Will any of you pay attention to this warning? Will you ever learn to listen? (24) Who let Jacob be defeated? Who let others take what belonged to Israel? The Lord allowed them to do this. We sinned against him, so he let people take away our wealth. The people did not want to live the way he wanted. They refused to listen to his teaching. (25) So he poured out his anger on them and brought wars against them. It was as if there were fires all around them, but they didn’t know what was happening. It was as if they were burning, but they didn’t try to understand.

[ISAIAH 43 (ERV) – 14:23]
Isaiah, chapter 43.

(1) Jacob, the Lord created you. Israel, he made you, and now he says, “Don’t be afraid. I saved you. I named you. You are mine. (2) When you have troubles, I am with you. When you cross rivers, you will not be hurt. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not hurt you. (3) That’s because I, the Lord, am your God. I, the Holy One of Israel, am your Savior. I gave Egypt to pay for you. I gave Ethiopia and Seba to make you mine. (4) You are precious to me, and I have given you a special place of honor. I love you. That’s why I am willing to trade others, to give up whole nations, to save your life.

(5) “So don’t be afraid, because I am with you. I will gather your children and bring them to you. I will gather them from the east and from the west. (6) I will tell the north: Give my people to me. I will tell the south: Don’t keep my people in prison. Bring my sons and daughters to me from the faraway places. (7) Bring to me all the people who are mine—the people who have my name. I made them for myself. I made them, and they are mine.

(8) “Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind. Bring out the people who have ears but are deaf. (9) All people and all nations should also be gathered together. Which of their gods said this would happen? Which of their gods would tell what happened in the beginning? They should bring their witnesses. The witnesses should speak the truth. This will show they are right.”

(10) The Lord says, “You people are my witnesses and the servant I chose. I chose you so that you would help people believe me. I chose you so that you would understand that ‘I Am He’—I am the true God. There was no God before me, and there will be no God after me. (11) I myself am the Lord, and there is no other Savior. (12) I am the one who spoke to you, saved you, and told you those things. It was not some stranger who was with you. You are my witnesses, and I am God.” (This is what the Lord himself said.) (13) “I have always been God. When I do something, no one can change what I have done. And no one can save people from my power.”

(14) The Lord, the Holy One of Israel, saves you, and he says, “I will send armies to Babylon for you. Many people will be captured. Those Chaldeans will be taken away in their own boats. (They are so proud of those boats.) (15) I am the Lord your Holy One. I made Israel. I am your King.”

(16) The Lord is making roads through the sea. He is making a path for his people, even through rough waters. The Lord says, (17) “Those who fight against me with their chariots, horses, and armies will be defeated. They will never rise again. They will be destroyed. They will be put out like the flame in a lamp. (18) So don’t remember what happened in earlier times. Don’t think about what happened a long time ago, (19) because I am doing something new! Now you will grow like a new plant. Surely you know this is true. I will even make a road in the desert, and rivers will flow through that dry land. (20) The wild animals will thank me. The large animals and birds will honor me when I put water in the desert and make rivers flow through that dry land. I will do this to give water to my chosen people. (21) I made them, and they will sing songs of praise to me.

(22) “Jacob, you did not pray to me. Israel, you became tired of me. (23) You have not brought your sheep as sacrifices to me. You have not honored me with your sacrifices. I did not force you to give gifts to me like slaves. I did not force you to burn incense until you became tired. (24) So you did not use your money to buy things to honor me. But you did force me to be like your slave. You sinned until the bad things you did made me very tired.

(25) “I, I am the one who wipes away all your sins. I do this to please myself. I will not remember your sins. (26) But you should remember me. Let’s meet together and decide what is right. Tell your story and prove that you are innocent. (27) Your first father sinned, and your lawyers committed crimes against me. (28) I will make your Temple leaders unfit to serve there. I will destroy Jacob. Bad things will happen to Israel.

[ISAIAH 44 (ERV) – 18:46]
Isaiah, chapter 44.

(1) “Jacob, you are my servant. Israel, I chose you. Listen to me! (2) I am the Lord, and I made you. I am the one who created you. I have helped you since you were in your mother’s womb. Jacob, my servant, don’t be afraid. Jeshurun, I chose you.

(3) “I will pour water for thirsty people, and streams will flow through the desert. I will pour my Spirit on your children, and I will bless your family. (4) They will sprout like grass in the spring and grow like trees by streams of water.

(5) “One man will call himself, ‘I am the Lord’s.’ Another will use the name, ‘Jacob.’ Another man will sign his name as ‘The Lord’s Hand.’ And another will use the name, ‘Israel.’”

(6) The Lord is the king of Israel. The Lord All-Powerful is the one who will set Israel free. And he says, “I am the only God. There are no other gods. I am the Beginning and the End. (7) There is no other God like me. If there is, that god should speak now. Let him lay out everything he has done since the time I made these ancient people. Let him show me the signs he gave long ago that prove he knew what would happen in the future.

(8) “Don’t be afraid! Don’t worry. I am the one who always told you what would happen. You are my proof. There is no other God; I am the only one. There is no other ‘Rock’; I know I am the only one.”

(9) Some people make idols, but they are worthless. They love their statues, which are useless. Those who serve as witnesses for these statues cannot even see. They don’t know enough to be ashamed.

(10) Who made these false gods? Who covered these useless statues? (11) Workers made them, and the workers are only human. If they all would come together before me, we could discuss this. Then they would all be ashamed and afraid.

(12) One worker uses his tools to heat iron over hot coals. Then he uses his hammer to beat the metal to shape it into a statue. He uses his own powerful arms, but when he gets hungry, he loses his strength. If he does not drink water, he becomes weak.

(13) Another worker uses his string line and compass to draw lines on the wood to show where he should cut. Then he uses his chisels and cuts a statue from the wood. He uses his calipers to measure the statue. In this way the worker makes the wood look exactly like a man, and this statue of a man does nothing but sit in the house.

(14) To split the cedar tree, the worker took some oak or cypress wedges. To make sure he had plenty of wood, he planted some pines. But it was the rain that made them grow.

(15) When the man wanted a fire, he took some of the wood to keep him warm. He also used some of it to bake his bread. But then he used that same wood to make a statue to worship as a god! That god is only a statue that he made, but he bows down to it! (16) He burns half of the wood in the fire. He uses the fire to cook his meat, and he eats the meat until he is full. He burns the wood to keep himself warm. He says, “Good! Now I am warm, and I can see by the light of the fire.” (17) There is a little of the wood left, so he makes a statue and calls it his god. He bows down before it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “You are my god, save me!”

(18) People like that don’t know what they are doing! They don’t understand. It is as if they have mud in their eyes so they cannot see. Their minds cannot understand. (19) They don’t realize what they are doing. They aren’t smart enough to think, “I burned half of the wood in the fire. I used the hot coals to bake my bread and cook the meat I ate. And I used the wood that was left to make this terrible thing. I am worshiping a block of wood!”

(20) Someone like that is deceived. They don’t know what they are doing. They cannot save themselves, and they will not admit, “This statue I am holding is a lie!”

(21) “Jacob, remember these things!
Israel, remember, you are my servant.
I made you, and you are my servant.
So, Israel, don’t forget me.
(22) Your sins were like a big cloud,
but I wiped them all away.
Your sins are gone,
like a cloud that disappeared into thin air.
I rescued and protected you,
so come back to me.”

(23) Skies, rejoice for what the Lord has done.
Earth, shout for joy down to your deepest parts!
Start singing, you mountains
and all you trees in the forest!
Yes, the Lord has saved Jacob.
He has shown his glory by rescuing Israel.
(24) The one who rescued you is the Lord,
the one who formed you in your mother’s womb.
He says, “I, the Lord, made everything.
I put the skies there myself.
I spread out the earth before me.”

(25) False prophets tell lies, but the Lord shows that their lies are false. He makes fools of those who do magic. He confuses even the wise. They think they know a lot, but he makes them look foolish. (26) The Lord sends his servants to tell his messages to the people, and he makes those messages come true. He sends messengers to tell the people what they should do, and he proves that the advice is good.

The Lord says to Jerusalem, “People will live in you again.”
He says to the cities of Judah, “You will be rebuilt.”
He says to them, “I will repair your ruins.”
(27) He tells the deep waters, “Become dry!
I will make your streams dry too.”
(28) He says to Cyrus, “You are my shepherd.
You will do what I want.
You will say to Jerusalem, ‘You will be rebuilt!’
You will tell the Temple, ‘Your foundations will be put in place!’”

[COMMENTARY – 24:36]
Today, Beloved, I have comments on Isaiah 42 and 44. Now in Matthew 12:17, we’re told that Isaiah 42 is about the Messiah. And after reading that chapter I’m sure you’re probably not surprised. As you probably know the Old Testament is full of Messianic prophecies. The Jews for Jesus website lists 365 of them. And of those 365 prophecies, 132 are in the book of Isaiah alone. And the vast majority of these prophecies were fulfilled during Jesus’ first incarnation, and only a small handful remain to be fulfilled at his Second Coming. I tell you what I’m looking forward to seeing those happen!

Now, in chapter 41, God speaking through the prophet Isaiah makes a point of asking how many prophecies the false gods and idols made and had been fulfilled? Well, of course, since they were only man-made, the answer is none.

Beloved, God has told mankind part of his plan in advance so that we would know that he is indeed God. Imagine the mathematical odds of just the Messianic prophecies being fulfilled in the life of just one man, the odds are astronomically high, so high as to be impossible, unless the One in whom they are fulfilled, was indeed the Messiah.

I don’t know about you, but I’m satisfied that Jesus is who he said he is. And if he is who he said he is, then every word he said, must be true, because God is incapable of being either wrong or lying.

Now, if I had to pick just one thing he said that every person needs to understand it would be this from John 14:6. He said, “I am the Way the Truth, and the Life. The only way to the Father is through me.” (ERV)

Beloved, there is no other way to God. Jesus is the One Way. Think of it like this: there are millions upon millions of cell phones on the planet, right? And each one has its own phone number. Now, if you want to phone me, you can only call the number associated with my phone. If you misdial even one digit, you won’t get me. It’s the same as salvation. There are many purported paths to God, but only one way is the right way.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a good person. It doesn’t matter if your intentions are right. It doesn’t even matter if you’re sorry that you’ve wronged somebody. All that matters is that you have a relationship with Jesus. And that’s not me saying it. It’s Jesus himself. You heard me read his words. He is the only way to the Father.

Now in chapter 44, verses 9 through 20, we saw just how silly it is for men to create a god out of a block of wood. Can we all agree on that? One of the things the Fool in the passage does is to pray to the idol he created. He says, “You are my God. Save me”.

I agree with Isaiah when he says, “People like that don’t know what they’re doing. They just don’t understand.” Well, that is true. But how do we know that a god carved from a block of wood is not God? Well, because it’s a created thing, isn’t it? By definition, God is eternal. He is not created. God is omniscient, meaning he has all knowledge. He’s omnipotent, which means he has all power. He’s omnipresent, which means he’s everywhere. And there are other attributes that God has that a created thing does not.

So it’s easy to see that a god made from a block of wood isn’t God. Somebody carved it. Somebody made it. It isn’t eternal. It therefore can’t save us.

So why do so many people look to politicians to save us? Why do people expect, say a presidential candidate, to save them? Every person who runs for office is a created being. They have none of the attributes of God, yet, millions of people cry, “Save us”. They mistakenly think that their candidate has the answers.

Beloved, no politician has the answer. I don’t care who he or she is. Don’t expect salvation from any of them. Look only to God, because only he has the answer, and only he can save this fallen world from the troubles that it’s in.

Come to think of it though comparing politicians to blocks of wood, that’s a good analogy, isn’t it?

[LIFESPRING FAMILY HOTLINE – 29:12]
I would love to hear your thoughts. Call the Lifespring Family Hotline at +1-951-732-8511, or comment at comment.lifespringmedia.com, or you can email me at st***@*************ia.com. Tomorrow is Gospel Saturday and we’ll read Matthew 20 through 22. Also, Sunday is our next prayer and praise request day so if there’s something you’d like the Lifespring family to pray with you about or rejoice with you about go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

[OUTRO S13E055 – 29:48]
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Thanks to Sister Kirsty who does the newsletter, Brother Sean of San Pedro, who does the chapters, and Sister Denise who corrects the transcripts. And, Beloved, if the Lifespring Family Audio Bible brings value to your life, would you be willing to support it? Think about what the show adds to your life, put a number on it, and then go to lifestreammedia.com/support.

And now, until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. Thanks so much for inviting me into your day. My name is Steve Webb. Bye.

[JAMES COOPER – 30:54]
All the programs in the Lifespring Media family are made possible by the generous gifts of people like you.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Transcript corrected by Denise