“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV) Here we have one of the most famous prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures. Matthew quoted this prophecy in his gospel account and attributed it to Christ, Israel’s Messiah.Continue reading “The Sign of Immanuel”
Tag Archives: faith
Strength For Today
“If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.” (Isaiah 7:9, ESV) Do not worries and fears plague us today? Many of us walk through this life with much fear and trepidation. There is an antidote for this. It is faith. Faith is at the core of firmness or confidenceContinue reading “Strength For Today”
What fruit are we yielding?
“. . . he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.” (Isaiah 5:2, ESV) This section of Isaiah records a metaphor that pertains to house of Israel (v1-7). Israel was God’s chosen and beloved people. He did everything to make them fruitful and productive. Yet they chose to go the wayContinue reading “What fruit are we yielding?”
Fight the Quintessential Sin
“And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.” (Isaiah 2:17, ESV) Isaiah speaks of a glorious day, a day when the Lord shall defeat the quintessential sin in our lives once-and-for-all. What is the quintessentialContinue reading “Fight the Quintessential Sin”
100 Percent Pure
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18, ESV) Ivory Snow had a commercial slogan that said it was 99 and 44/100 percent pure. This was from anContinue reading “100 Percent Pure”
The Devout Few
“If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.” (Isaiah 1:9, ESV) When the Lord brought this message to the nation, it had just experienced a time of great prosperity. Judah, the Southern Kingdom, had experienced a time peace and prosperity andContinue reading “The Devout Few”
God’s Grace
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.” (Galatians 6:18, ASV) When you ask someone to explain the grace of God, I am afraid that their explanations often fall short. The grace of God has been manifested from the beginning of time. It is infinite and all encompassing. In otherContinue reading “God’s Grace”
The Marks of Jesus
“Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear branded on my body the marks of Jesus.” (Galatians 6:17, ASV) By the end of our lives, most of us bear the scars of life. When I go to the dentist anymore, a major portion of my check-up is to see the condition of my previousContinue reading “The Marks of Jesus”
Peace and Mercy
“And as many as shall walk by this rule, peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” (Galatians 6:16, ASV) In 1983, I was sitting in a Minneapolis hotel room, reading a Gideon placed Bible. I was really trying to sort out life. My wife had previously decided to get activeContinue reading “Peace and Mercy”
What Really Matters
“For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” (Galatians 6:15, ASV) I heard a story about a man that took a muscle-car. You know the older cars from the 50’s and 60’s that had the big V-8 engines. Well, the car had a bad engine. So, he removed the engine and didContinue reading “What Really Matters”
Renewing the Heart 