Isaiah 1:13-15 English Standard Version

¹³ Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. ¹⁴ Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. ¹⁵ When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.

Do not believe that just because the theme has brought you to the climax of the story that the theme has ended. There is as much to learn once we are brought to the Cross and come to Christ as was needed to get us to accept Him as Lord and Savior.

1 Corinthians 11:27 English Standard Version (ESV) Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.

This should remind us of partaking of the Lord’s Supper and what it means to be warned not to partake unworthily. Much is left to learn in this newness of life and it is important that we learn what pleases and displeases God in this covenant we have entered into with God.

The New Covenant is a new way to live and what was acceptable in the Old Covenant to bring us to Christ is not required of us now that we have arrived. We have to learn how to live with Christ since we discovered we could not live without Him.

The concept of the indwelling Christ is difficult for some to comprehend. He is gentle, and gracious in all His dealings with us now. He is the great physician whose first law of love is to do no harm. As with any good physician He will tell us the truth as it relates to those things which harm us.

What we do will continue to have consequences both good and bad. It is not a sin to eat fudge brownies and coffee ice cream but it can lead to diabetes. That is harmful, it is not a sin.

Isaiah 1:10-12 English Standard Version

¹⁰ Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! ¹¹ “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. ¹² “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts?

Here is a quick summary statement of this portion of scripture. “It worked for them, let’s do that.”

The truth is revealed in the very last line. Those actions, no matter how good the intentions, were not authored by God. They were not performed in obedience of faith.

When I left off yesterday I proclaimed that evangelism begins in the heart. To explain that better perhaps I should say it this way. Preach the gospel and if you have to, use words.

1 Corinthians 1:17 English Standard Version (ESV) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

A life lived by obedience of faith is evangelism to everyone who comes to know us. Here is the conclusion of the theme that runs throughout the bible. The culmination of all God’s work was to bring you to Christ by means of the Cross of Christ.

In the garden stood two named trees. The one pronounced death, the other life. Satan in his jealousy of mankind tempted Eve to death. Man in his sinful state was not allowed to eat of the tree of life until the fullness of time came into being.

God with His infinite patience waited thousands of years for just the right moment to remove sin as a barrier to relationship with Him, His Son and the Holy Spirit.