52E TRANSCRIPT Why Isaiah 52 important How Grace exposes and helps against obstacles
www.crazygoodgod.org
Nancy Teague
nancy@crazygoodgod.org
Feb 1, 2023
Hi there, welcome to crazy Good God podcast. I'm Nancy Teague and thanks for listening.
00:15 Let's talk about obstacles. Imagine you might have had or have some in your life? I have. What's fascinating is the Lord used that word in a dream. It's taken me a while to realize His obstacles are not what we would define as obstacles in life.
Have you ever had a dream with words only - no pictures, no scenes, no interaction? This ‘worded dream’ happened May 1st, 2000 at 5:00 AM. I noted the time because His words woke me up right after hearing him, and the clock was nearby.
00:56 Here's a serendipity about this episode. Several days ago when considering a topic for the next episode the Lord reminded me of the May 1st 2000 Dream. But, it was just three days ago I realized the next episode is #52, and that number was spoken in the dream. How cool is that?!
01:20 Also I noticed a pattern of fives. May is the 5th month, the number 52 is in the dream and this episode, this year ending in 23 adds up to five. Perhaps you know that number 5, biblically, is symbolic for grace. Grace is the essence of the Pure Gospel. Most of us really don't know how gargantuan grace is in all its radical absurdity, lavishness, and inclusive goodness. You know what, grace fully shows God's crazy goodness!
01:59 Okay, the ‘word dream’. It's short and to the point, even though I didn't know what the point was way back in 2000.
“Isaiah 52. The Lord says, “Remove the obstacles.””
It woke me up and I'm like, ‘Whoa, what did I just hear clear as a bell!? Isaiah 52? What are the obstacles?’ Over the years, little bits and pieces of understanding have come from Isaiah 52, but now almost 23 years later, it feels like I see the big picture in Isaiah 52 and the obstacles.
02:39 A brief explanation of how I got here. In 2012 the Lord began to rock my boat. Little did I know it was a religious boat. I grew up going to church, learned about Jesus, loved Jesus. Had felt God's presence a couple of times when young. Encountered Holy Spirit in 1973 after the unexpected death of my mom. A devastating loss for me. The experiential encounter with the reality of Holy Spirit helped me get through that loss and gave me a ravenous appetite for the word. Decades of seeking, studying, growing. Eventually, ministry opportunities and church leadership. It all seemed good and meaningful.
03:24 But in 2012 God took me on an unexpected lonely trek listening to speakers, reading books, videos and they had messages different from my understanding of God. I was challenged about scriptures I hadn't read before or hadn't even noticed because of my traditional religious mindset. Believe me, there were a lot of ‘buts’.
Reminds me of Jesus's words – “I have many things to tell you, but you cannot understand them right now.” I think that's the way the Lord operates. He knows our journey, our levels of understanding, our confusion, our struggles. Hey, even our adamant religious conclusions! And He knows when and how to open each person's eyes to more.
04:15 Alrighty, let's focus on “remove the obstacles”. Sounds like something to do. We like doing - for example, the traditional religious ‘you have to ask Jesus to save you’. But I've learned God is not about doing. He is all about us seeing and being.
So what are the obstacles to see? Sin? Nope. Sin is like fruit on the tree. There's something deeper.
04:48 What is the root of the tree, the essence of the tree that produces hurtful fruit? For the root, let's look at how the fall began.
With a question. A question that questioned the goodness, kindness, generosity of God. Negativity and lie were in the question. Blindness came. Negative brings dark and we will not see clearly. Then deception. You know it's a sobering thing when you're deceived because you just know you're right and not open to anything new or different. Then short sighted. You can't see beyond the surface and you focus on behavior. Hence comparing and judging come easily. It's actually a way to make ourselves feel better about ourselves. ‘After all, I'm not that bad.’
05:46 You know what, only God looks on the heart. We look on the outward appearance. Only truth can change our focus to inward. There's something bigger and better in you and others.
Holy Spirit open our eyes to see - to see the truth of the obstacles as God sees them.
Next Wednesday, we will explore Isaiah 52 exposing obstacles and the wondrous finished work of Jesus. Huge good news.
Bliss to you and never forget God is absolutely crazy about you!
References: Isaiah 52 Jn 16:12 Jn 14:26