Dear Brothers and Sisters, Prayer will be held at the Brown barn.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thess 5:16-17

Isaiah 28:14-24 continues to elaborate on the first “woe” that appears in the section that spans chapter 28-33. Last week we focused on Isaiah’s warning to Judah – verses 1-13. On Sunday, we will hear Isaiah’s message to Judah. In his message is hope. We will continue to explain the spiritual drunkenness that overcame the leaders of Judah. These chapters are known as the six woes of Judah. The first woe appears in chapter 28. It reads, “Woe to the drunkards of Ephriam.” Instead of standing on a true and tested foundation, they are staggering under the inebriating influence of pride. The leaders of Judah have made a covenant with death and have made lies their refuge. As a result they are like a fading flower and showing the signs of a person who is intoxicated – difficulty concentrating, lowered inhibitions, senses dulled, drowsy, erratic behavior, slow reaction time, impaired judgment, exaggerated emotions, difficulty walking, blurred vision, slurred speech, decreased response to stimuli, apathetic… slow breathing and death. BUT… there is more. There is hope for those who have gotten drunk. God offers a solution. The road is not a dead end. Death is not the only alternative. God has laid in Zion a stone – Behold the corner stone, “Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.” 28:16. To “act hastily” is to live in a state of disappointment from being jerked around through your own pride that leads to inebriation, deception, hassle, to the point of disappointment. Christ rescues from the troublesome inoperability that comes from pride. There is hope for those who still have some pride in their bloodstreams.

This chapter is the beginning of a new section in Isaiah – the woes of Isaiah 28-33. As we’ve already established, the first woe appears in chapter 28:1, “woe to the drunkards of Ephriam.” As we progress further in this section you will notice that the following five woes call to attention various other sins of Judah as follows,

Chapter 29:1-14 – Continuing in spiritual fraud, 1 “Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! Add year to year; Let feasts come around.

Chapter 29: 15-24 – Hiding secret sin, Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord.

Chapter 30 – Seeking advice from the world, 1 “Woe to the rebellious children,” says the Lord, “Who take counsel, but not of Me.

Chapter 31 – Trusting in worldly means of protection, 1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses.

Chapter 33 – Taking aggressive action against others, 1 Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered.”

The songs are below:

We Gather Together
We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
He chastens and hastens His will to make known.
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!

We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant,
And pray that Thou still our Defender will be.
Let Thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

Psalm 9:1-10
I now will give whole-hearted thanks to the Lord,
And all of Your marvelous works will record.
In you will be glad and exultingly cry,
And praise to Your name will I sing, O Most High.

When backward my foes were all turned in despair,
They stumbled and perished because You were there.
For you have defended my judgment and cause;
You sat in just judgment upholding Your laws.

You chided the nations, the wicked destroyed;
Their names You erased and forever made void.
The foe is consumed, is completely erased,
Their cities destroyed and their memory effaced.

The Lord will eternally sit on His throne,
Establishing it for His judgment alone.
In righteousness He’ll judge the world from His seat,
And unto all peoples shall equity mete.

The Lord is a stronghold, a lofty strong tower.
For all the oppressed in their troubles’ dark hour.
Those knowing Your name, Lord, trust You for Your grace;
You have not forsaken those seeking Your face.

What God Ordains Is Always Good
What God ordains is always good:
His will is just and holy;
As He directs my life for me,
I follow meek and lowly.
My God indeed in every need
Knows well how He will shield me;
To Him, then, I will yield me.
To Him, then, I will yield me.

What God ordains is always good:
He is my Friend and Father;
He suffers naught to do me harm,
Though many storms may gather.
Now I may know both joy and woe,
Some day I shall see clearly
That He hath loved me dearly.
That He hath loved me dearly.

What God ordains is always good:
Though I the cup am drinking
Which savors now of bitterness,
I take it without shrinking.
For after grief God gives relief,
My heart with comfort filling,
And all my sorrows stilling.
And all my sorrows stilling.

What God ordains is always good:
This truth remains unshaken.
Though sorrow, need, or death be mine,
I shall not be forsaken.
I fear no harm, for with His arm
He shall embrace and shield me;
So to my God I yield me.
So to my God I yield me.

Speak O Lord
Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your Holy Word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us;
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness,
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All Your purposes for Your glory.

Teach us, Lord, full obedience,
Holy reverence, true humility;
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity.
Cause our faith to rise; cause our eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority.
Words of pow’r that can never fail –
Let their truth prevail over unbelief.

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us –
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
That will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises,
And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory.

All I Have Is Christ
I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way.
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave.
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will.
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still.

But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross.
And I beheld God’s love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace.

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me.
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose.
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You.

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life