Steve Webb  0:00  
The odds are astronomically high.

Steve Webb  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 God caster Steve Webb. This is the daily podcast where we'll read through the entire Bible in a year in the website is that Lifespring media.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 Steve at Lifespring media.com with a 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. 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.

Steve Webb  1:35  
Isaiah chapter 40. Our God has said encourage my people give them comfort. speak kindly to Jerusalem and announce your slavery is passed. Your punishment is over. I the Lord made you pay double for your sins. Someone is shouting clear a path in the desert. Make a straight road for the Lord our God. Fill in the valleys flatten Every hill and mountain level the rough and rugged ground, then the glory of the Lord will appear for all to see, the Lord has promised this. Someone told me to shout and I asked what should I shout? We humans are merely grass and we last no longer than wildflowers. At the Lord's command flowers and grass disappear and so do we flowers and grass fade away. But what our God has said will never change. There is good news for the city of Zion shouted as loud as you can from the highest mountain. Don't be afraid to shout to the towns of Judah. Your God is here. 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. 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's sheep. 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? Has anyone told the Lord what he must do or given him advice? Did the Lord ask anyone to teach him wisdom and justice who gave him knowledge and understanding to the Lord, all nations are merely a drop in a bucket or dust on balanced scales. All of the islands are but a handful of sand. 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. God thinks of the nations as far less than nothing. Who compares with God is anything like him is an idol at all like God. It is made of bronze with a thin layer of gold and decorated with silver, or a 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. Don't you know Haven't you heard hasn't been clear since the time of creation. 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. God brings down rulers and turns them into nothing. They're like flowers freshly sprung up and starting to grow. But when God blows on them, they wilt and they're carried off like straw in a storm. The Holy God asks who compares with me? Is anyone my equal? 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. 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? 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. The Lord gives strength to those who are weary. Even young people get tired then stumble and fall. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings. They will walk and run without getting tired.

Steve Webb  5:11  
Isaiah chapter 41. 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. 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. He chases armies and is never hurt. He goes places he has never been before, 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. 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. Workers help each other they encourage each other to be strong. 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 statute tool base so that it will not fall over and it never moves. The Lord says you Israel are my servant. Jacob, I chose you. You are from the family of my friend Abraham. 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. 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. Look, some people are angry with you but they will be ashamed and disgraced. Your enemies will be lost and disappear. 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. I am the Lord your God who holds your right hand. And I tell you Don't be afraid I will help you. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. I will make trees grow in the desert. There will be cedar acacias, olive trees Cypress for trees and pines. 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. The lord the king of Jacob says come present your arguments show me your proof. 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. 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? Look, you false gods are worthless, you cannot do anything. Only some horrible fool would want to worship you. 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. 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? 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. I looked at those false gods. Not one of them said anything. They had no advice to offer. I Ask them questions but they didn't say a word. These gods are all less than nothing. They cannot do anything. They are worthless.

Steve Webb  10:09  
Isaiah chapter 42. Here is my servant, the one I support. He is the one I have chosen, and I'm very pleased with him. I have filled in with my spirit and He will bring justice to the nation's, he will not cry out or shout or try to make himself heard in the streets. He will not break even a crushed read, he will not put out even the weakest flame, he will bring true justice. 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. 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 us spirit to everyone who walks on the earth. 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, 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. 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. In the past, I told you what would happen and it happened. Now I'm telling you something new. And I am telling you now before it happens. 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. deserts in cities, villages of Kedar praise the Lord. People living in sila sing for joy. Sing from the top of your mountain, give glory to the Lord. Praise Him all you people in faraway lands. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Deaf people listen to me. Blind people look and see. 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. 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. The Lord wants them to do what is right. He wants them to honor his wonderful teachings. But look at his people. Others have defeated them and they have stolen from them. The young men are afraid there are locked in prisons. People have taken advantage of them and there is no one to protect them. Others take their money and there was no one to say give it back. Will any of you pay attention to this warning? Will you ever learn to listen, who let Jacob be defeated? Who will let others take what belongs 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. So he poured out his anger on them and brought wars against them. It was as if there were fires all around them that they didn't know what was happening. It was as if they were burning, but they didn't try to understand. 

Steve Webb  14:23  
Isaiah chapter 43. Jacob the Lord created you, Israel, He made you and now he says don't be afraid I saved you. I named you your mind. 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. That's because I the LORD am your God. i The Holy One of Israel, I am your Savior. I gave Egypt to pay for you. I gave Ethiopia and Seba to make you mine. You are precious to me and I have given you a special place of honor, I love you. That's why I'm willing to trade others to give up whole nations to save your life. 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, 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 faraway places. Bring to me all the people who are mine, the people who have my name, I have made them for myself, I made them and they are mine. Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind. Bring out the people who have ears, but are deaf. 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 there right? 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. I myself and the Lord, and there is no other Savior. 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 your God. This is what the Lord Himself said, 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. 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. I am the Lord your Holy One. I made Israel I am your king. The Lord is making roads through the sea. He is making a path for his people even through rough waters. The Lord says 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 and a lamp. So don't remember what happened in earlier times. Don't think about what happened a long time ago, 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. 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. I made them and they will sing songs of praise to me. Jacob, you did not pray to Me, Israel, you became tired of me. 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. 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 and tell the bad things you did made me very tired. I I am the one who wipes away all your sins. I do this to please myself. I will not remember your sins but you should remember me. Let's meet together and decide what is right. Tell your story and prove that you're innocent. Your first father has sinned and your lawyers committed crimes against me. I will make your temple leaders unfit to serve their I will destroy Jacob. Bad things will happen to Israel. 

Steve Webb  18:46  
Isaiah chapter 44. Jacob You are my servant, Israel, I chose you. Listen to me. 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. gesture and I chose you. 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. They will sprout like grass in the spring and grow like trees by streams of water. 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. 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 in the end. There is no other God like me. If there is that God should speak now. Let him lay out everything is done since the time I made these ancient people. Let them show me the signs he gave long ago that proves he knew what would happen in the future. 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. Some people make idols but they're worthless. They love their statues which are useless. Those who serve as witnesses for the statues cannot even see. They don't know enough to be ashamed. Who made these false gods who covered these useless statues, 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. 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. 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. To split the cedar tree. The worker took some oak or a cypress wedges. To make sure he had plenty of wood. He planted some pines, but it was the rain that made them grow. 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. Mat God is only a statue that he made. But he bows down to it. 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'm warm. And I can see by the light of the fire. There's a little bit of the wood left. So he makes a statue and calls it God. He bows down before it and worships it. He prays to it and says, You are my God save me. People like that don't know what they're doing. They don't understand. It is as if they have mud in their eyes so they cannot see. Their minds cannot understand. They don't realize what they're doing. They aren't smart enough to think I burned half of the wood in the fire. I use the hot coals to bake my bread and cook the meat I eat and I use the wood that was left to make this terrible thing. I am worshipping a block of wood. Someone like that is deceived. They don't know what they're doing. They cannot save themselves and they will not admit the statue I am holding is a lie. Jacob remember these things? Israel, remember, you are my servant. I made you and you are my servant. So Israel Don't forget me. 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. 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. 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 this guy's there myself. I spread out the earth before me. False Prophets to allies. 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. 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. He tells you the deep waters become dry. I will make your streams dry too. 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.

Steve Webb  24:36  
Today, beloved, I have comments on Isaiah 42 and 44. Now in Matthew 1217. 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 that is second coming to 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 manmade, 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 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 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, six. He said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, the only way to the Father is through me. 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 missed I'll 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 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. 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?  I would love to hear your thoughts. Call the Lifespring family Hotline at plus 1-951-732-8511 for comment it comment dot Lifespring media.com or you can email me at Steve at Lifespring media.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 dot Lifespring media.com.

Steve Webb  29:48  
Please do remember to send in your family pictures, Thanksgiving or not send them to Steve at Lifespring media.com with the subject line family album and be sure to let me know if it's okay to put them in the newsletter and website, or only one or the other. Also send in your Christmas questions somebody is going to win a signed copy of my book, webs easy Bible names pronunciation guide, and there's a good chance it'll be used. So, send your Christmas questions to Steve at Lifespring media.com with the subject line Christmas question thanks to sister Kirstie who does the newsletter brother Shawn 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 live streaming media dots comm slash 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  
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Transcribed by https://otter.ai