Hell, A Reality God wants us to Escape

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 9:17 Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men, Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows; For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, And every mouth speaks folly. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. 18 For wickedness burns as the fire; It shall devour the briers and thorns, And kindle in the thickets of the forest; They shall mount up like rising smoke. 19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts The land is burned up, And the people shall be as fuel for the fire; No man shall spare his brother. 20 And he shall snatch on the right hand And be hungry; He shall devour on the left hand And not be satisfied; Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm. 21 Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; Together they shall be against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.

 

Merry Christmas! Whatever happened to “peace on earth and good will to men?” This is the same chapter in Isaiah that gave us, “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa 9:6)

 

Can’t we just ignore this portion and go on with the business of a merry Christmas? Sorry, can’t do that. God’s wrath against sin is not turned away from the hypocrite, the evil doer, and those whose mouths are full of lies and folly, by putting up a Christmas tree and sticking some presents under it. It is only turned away by grace through faith in that little babe in the manger.

 

His wrath spilled out on His people in the days of Isaiah in very real pain and agony because they had turned away from God. It didn’t matter who turned away, the young men, the widows, the fatherless, all who turned away from God experienced His judgment.

And this occurrence of God’s wrath was meant to be an example for us! 1Co 10:11 says, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

 

I beg you, don’t let this example pass you by in vain. These judgments were meant to be a picture of hell, a place where the wrath of God is poured out forever upon the souls who rejected the gift of the Christ. Note the references to fire and smoke in verses 18 and 19!

In verse 20 a picture of souls forever hungry and never satisfied, this hunger so painful that a man would be willing to chew off his own arm to satisfy it, but no satisfaction shall come…..forever.

 

There will be no relief in hell, where “His hand is stretched out still. What will it be for you this Christmas? Will you receive Jesus Christ, the prince of Peace,  as your Lord and Savior or will you continue the life of the lying, evil doing hypocrite, who thinks he or she can make do with the eternal wrath of God!

 

Here is the promise for you, if you turn to Jesus! But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: (Jn 1:12)

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

Don't Tolerate False Teaching

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 9:14 Therefore the LORD will cut off head and tail from Israel, Palm branch and bulrush in one day.  15 The elder and honorable, he is the head; The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail. 16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err, And those who are led by them are destroyed.

 

“Therefore!” By now, you should know the drill, when you see the word “therefore” in Scripture, you need to go back a few verses and see what the “therefore” is “there for.”

 

This “therefore”  is here because the people refused to turn back to God. In spite of all the calamities that rained down on them, they kept saying, “We can fix it ourselves, without God.”  Sound familiar?

And guess who is getting the blame? The elders and honorable men of the church who should know better, and the false prophets who lie through their teeth twisting, turning God’s Word to avoid the necessity of repentance. “We’re good, we’re secure,” they say, not knowing that they are leading the people to destruction!

 

These people are likened to snakes or scorpions and God says He will cut them, and those who follow them, off from His people of promise. (Israel) Lopping off the head, (the leaders and honorable men,) and the tail, (where the deadly sting of the lying prophets is found)

 

This is a warning for the ages for church leaders and pastors. Always be on guard against false teaching. Don’t take your position of teacher lightly. You will be held accountable! Jas 3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

And a word for the flock as well. Flee from those who sidestep the truth. Flee those churches where repentance is ignored and easy believism is the Word of choice. Without repentance you are in err and on the way to destruction.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s today’s living word.

God's Warning Shots

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 9:8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob, And it has fallen on Israel. 9 All the people will know-Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria-Who say in pride and arrogance of heart: 10 "The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with hewn stones; The sycamores are cut down, But we will replace them with cedars." 11 Therefore the LORD shall set up The adversaries of Rezin against him, And spur his enemies on, 12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. 13 For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, Nor do they seek the LORD of hosts.

 

This particular judgment pronounced by Isaiah is aimed at the Northern Kingdom, the ten tribes of Israel, but if the shoe fits, we would do well to wear it….to take heed.

 

The Lord sent this word to the people through His prophets, and He does the same thing today. He speaks to us through those who proclaim the full counsel of His Word….Law and Gospel!

 

Few people are willing to admit that God still sends judgment to the nations in the form of economic blight or plagues, or the warring strategies of other nations. He can use any and all of these negative circumstances to get our attention.  But how do the nations respond?

 

Our buildings are in shambles? No problem, we’ll build new and better ones. Forests laid bare, no worry, we’ll replant. A plague among us? We’ll create a cure. Economic hardship? No problem, we’ll print more money.  No need to turn to God, we’ll fix it ourselves.

 

And hell is filled with people who try to fix it themselves apart from God! Eph 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,  9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. You and I cannot fix our sin problem, we can’t turn God’s wrath against sin away by what we do. It’s His grace alone that spares us!  Repent and believe the Gospel!

It’s an age old problem spelled out for us here in Isaiah. God uses hard times to get our attention, but for the most part we refuse to turn to Him or seek His face. We blow off the words of  Isa 45:22 "Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

God Is In Control

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

 

Those of us who grew up in the Lutheran church know these words well from the annual Sunday School Christmas program. Year after year, we would memorize our parts and Isa 9:6 was always included.

 

As little children none of us quite understood that part about the government being on His shoulder, we were more caught up in the fact that a child was born, and all these cool names He would be called: “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace!

 

Little did we know then and understand the importance of this Child growing up and governing our individual lives! Of course, the truth is this Child would live, die, and rise again to be seated on the right hand of God the Father, from whence He will govern the universe into eternity!

 

Heb 1:3 reminds us that it is the risen Christ who holds this world together, “who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

All of God’s creation is subject to Him, even the devil and his demons!

1Pe 3:22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

Yes, the government of the universe is on His shoulders, and though this truth may escape the child performing during a Christmas pageant, let it not be lost on us! God is in control and knowing this….believing this, should be a source of great peace in this life!

 

Isa 46:9,10 says, “Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,'

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

In Search of Truth?

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

I find myself thinking about truth today. It seems to me that we in the church have a golden opportunity set before us. People are tired of being bombarded with all the versions of truth being tossed out by the national news outlets and social media. Many find themselves musing with Pontius Pilate, “What is truth.”

Well, Pilate truth is not “what.” It is not defined by “what” you want it to be, it is wrapped up in the God-man Jesus Christ, who said in  Joh 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

 

The truth is there is an afterlife. There IS a heaven and there IS a hell, and you don’t want to spend eternity in the latter where there will be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth forever and ever and ever.

 

Here’s the thing, there is no way I can convince you of that truth, or any of the other truths of Scripture, that is the work of God and the Holy Spirit alone. All I can do is proclaim the Scriptures to you, and seek to live those truths out before you. I can only repeat the words that God has preserved in the Holy Bible and pray that the faith that comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God will come to you!

I seek to speak the truth in love, praying the Holy Spirit will help you grasp it because when you do, you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free!

This entire devotion today was prompted by the hymn I sang in my morning devotion today. The hymn is entitled “Our God To Whom We Turn,” and the second verse really stood out to me. It goes like this:

 

 Thou art thyself the truth;
Though we, who fain would find thee,
Have tried, with thoughts uncouth,
In feeble words to bind thee,
It is because thou art
We're drive to the quest;
Till truth from falsehood part
Our souls can find no rest.

 

May these words bring faith to your heart, that your soul may find rest!

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 9:5 For every warrior's sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire. 6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

 

We sing the song “I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day” often, well it comes to us from these inspired words penned by Isaiah. The carol came from a poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He wrote it during the civil war after his son had been critically wounded in battle. I thought it would be fitting in light of today’s reading from Isaiah:

 

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
    And wild and sweet
    The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
    Had rolled along
    The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
    A voice, a chime,
    A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
    And with the sound
    The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
    And made forlorn
    The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
    "For hate is strong,
    And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
    The Wrong shall fail,
    The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."

And that is the message from Isaiah 9:5-7

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

 

Joy To the World!

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 9:3 You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian.

Tis the season of joy! We sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come!”The Light of the world, Jesus Christ, brings joy! If the gospel were a speedboat on a lake, joy would be in its wake. That wake keeps reaching out to the shoreline washing over all who are in its path, and the spiritual nation of Israel (believers) are multiplied.

This multiplication of souls brings with it increased joy, if nothing else by the sheer numbers! This joy is like the joy of a farmer after a bountiful harvest, or like a den of thieves spilling out their loot and rejoicing over their take. (I don’t recommend trying this last one, but it is a great example of joy isn’t it?)

 

If true revival comes, joy will follow. Revel in it, it is your strength! (Neh 8:10) Let it be your calling card, especially now, our world needs it!

 

When Phillip brought the healing balm of the Gospel to Samaria, we are told “And there was  great joy in the city” (Ac 8:8)

When he brought the healing balm of the gospel to the Ethiopian eunuch, joy followed!  Ac 8:39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

 

Why all this rejoicing? Because the yoke has been lifted. You are no longer a slave to sin. Sin does not wag your tail or have any more power over you! Ro 6:18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

 

Therefore break out the songs! Ps 67:4 says, “Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy!”

 

Yes, Join heaven and nature and sing the song of joy!

Joy to the world, the Lord has come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy

No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found
Far as, far as the curse is found

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love, and wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders of His love

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

The Light of the World

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 8:22 Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness. 9:1 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.

Let’s start out by reminded ourselves that chapters and verses were a late addition to the Bibles we have today. The Word of God flows through the Bible with no need to specify chapters and verses. They were only added to help us novices find our way around the Scriptures. They are a tool of navigation and that’s all.

(Hint for Pastors and Bible teachers. If you are going to have people look up Scriptures while preaching and teaching, it is expedient to pre-print a handout with said verses written out in advance. Many of your students aren’t as handy at finding Book, chapter, and verse as you are, and teachable moments turn into delays and frustration as your listeners and students struggle to find the Scriptures you are teaching on.)

 

At any rate, we begin chapter nine on the heels of chapter 8 which speaks of a gloomy time where people are experiencing great anguish and driven deeper and deeper into darkness. The deeper one goes into darkness, the more hopeless the situation seems. This period of judgment from God will not be pleasant.

But catch the first word of chapter 9….”NEVERTHELESS!”  This one word ought to give birth to hope for those groping in darkness and reeling from anguish. “Nevertheless!” In spite of this terrible situation, it will get better! Light and relief are on the way! Eventually the Babylonian captivity would end and the people would return to the land.

And to this land, not just any light but a GREAT LIGHT would be coming. This prophecy was fulfilled in Mt 4:13 And leaving Nazareth, He (Jesus) came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: 16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned."

 This Great Light, (Jesus) came then to shatter darkness and lift the gloom of anguish, and He’s still at it today. No need for your soul to languish in anguish, no need to stumble around in darkness, the Light of the world has come. Will you receive Him as Your Lord and Savior this Christmas season? Go ahead, light up your tree, light up your yard, but let Jesus light up your soul!

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

The Two reactions To Tribulation - Those who repent and those who curse God

 

The Two Reactions To Tribulation

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Before we were so rudely interrupted by my technical deficiencies, we were going through the Book of Isaiah verse by verse. We pick it up where we left off in the end of chapter 8:

Isa 8:21 They will pass through it hard pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their king and their God, and look upward. 22 Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.

 

Isaiah is talking about the impending judgment of those who have no faith or have cast their faith aside for other things. They look for their help from anything except the Lord.

 

The reaction of the believer to hard times and famine is to repent and seek relief from the Lord. The reaction of those without faith is to curse the very God who can save them! One of the commentaries I read put it this way:

 

“Affliction has not in itself any sanctifying power.  When not accompanied by the subduing influence of the Holy Ghost, it only stirs up in men's hearts the spirit of rebellion, and leads them to blaspheme the author of their sufferings.”

 

This is the lot of the hard-hearted who refuse to repent and surrender to the Lordship of Christ. The end result being that they are driven deeper and deeper into darkness, blaspheming the very God who can save them!

 

This prophecy from Isaiah should warn us of the end times as well where the reaction of unbelievers to God’s judgment is the same: Re 16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.

Re 16:11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

 Re 16:21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.

 When tribulation comes to this world, ….and it will, don’t curse God, rather run to the cross, run to Jesus for he has assured us that He has overcome the world.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.