A Tale of Two Religions • 05.25.25
A Tale of Two Religions
Isaiah 58
Calling out what lies beneath true and false religion
- False religion seeks one’s own desires
- True religion delights in God and is demonstrated towards others
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Good morning! My name is Jack Flaherty and I serve as one of the pastors here at Harvest. It is a privilege to be able to open the Word of God with you this morning as we continue studying the prophetic writings of Isaiah. Turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 58. Ushers will get you a copy.
We have shifted in this text towards the end. A final large section running through Isaiah 66 which looks forward to future glory and deliverance by God for his people, not just from Babylon as highlighted in 40-48, not just from sin as highlighted really from 49-57, but also as we see from here forward from the impacts of sin on this earth. The question is, are we truly aligned with and waiting on that reality? Some like to say we are and on the outside look good! Yet like an iceberg ready to sink the Titanic there is much under the surface that needs to be watched out for. That’s where today’s text comes in. We will see that God commissioned Isaiah to call out the people of Israel, the house of Jacob, to consider what they are actually waiting on. What is underneath their pious looking actions will say much about what they really worship. This is a gracious call because he isn’t just trying to put them in their place. He is trying to help them experience something positive! To avoid the iceberg so they don’t sink!
Think back to the last time you were called out on something. How’d you respond? Not always does that person have your interest in mind. This often makes us sensitive to correction and redirection. That’s not always the case. For example kids in the room, your parents redirect to help. How much more when it comes from God! We can trust that this isn’t simply to put us in our place, but to bless us by his grace. See this people is in exile for their idolatry. And God wants their idolatrous religion to be replaced by religion that rightly honors him as the one true God. Because the foundation for this future restoration is proper worship! My prayer is today that Isaiah 58 would open our eyes to this tale of two different religions so we might respond humbly and rightly to this call out for our good.
TBH, for many of us it will sound like something we’ve heard 100x, for others maybe for the first time, for all of us we need it every single time! As you hear the calling out of what lies beneath true and false religion, my prayer is that all of us find the foundation of true religion, no matter where you are there is something to be called out on, own up to, and make changes toward.
With that let’s start by reading Isaiah 58:1-5. Two points today and here is the first.
- False religion seeks one’s own desires
The proclamation of God’s words is meant to create those who are repentant! We will hear more about that next week in Isaiah 59 as we meet the penitent and elaborates on their response of repentance and see the redemption that rings brightly in the rest of the prophetic book. For now, lets enter in with humble hearts seeking to heart and excavate the entrapments of our own hearts. No matter who you are we have a tinge of this false religion that is really all about us.
We see in v1-2 the Lord is speaking to Isaiah. The Lord says to Isaiah hold nothing back as you call out to the people of Jacob. Literally give “full throat” to the message I am giving you regarding their sin and transgression. Isaiah masterfully uses the Hebrew language to cover all the different ways sin and sinfulness could be expressed. And the Lord pulls no punches right away as v2 is thick with irony. The language actually places first person pronoun “ME” first. My two-year-old whenever asked a question starts with “ME” which is cute and funny as if surprised he is included. God, a bit less cute but equally as surprised, says ‘ME you really want to delight and do these things? How do we come to this conclusion?’
As we look to v3 we hear what the people have been saying back to God. They have fasted yet God has not responded as they would like. In response Isaiah blows the warning trumpet saying your fast was about your own pleasure! You sought your own pleasures/desires/business to be done, not Gods. and you oppressed all who served you, you workers. They weren’t fasting to draw near and hear from God and seek his desires and find delight in him. It’s all about self!
That’s what v4-5 spell out in greater detail. The outcome of their fasts is quarreling and fighting and hit so much so Isaiah says with emphasis it looks like you’re fasting FOR that purpose! This kind of fasting is not pleasing to God! God already knows the heart under the surface which is seeking one’s own pleasure, but behavior is showing clearly that your fasting days are fighting and exploiting days.
And speaking of days Look at v5. Really?! This is it? A DAY, emphasis there on a one-time act of humility. This word also understood as affliction. Double entendre of your hurting yourself as a means of exalting yourself to God yet calling it humility which is a lowering before God. Its all a scam! like a reed bowing down under the wind, there is not heart soul or mind involvement. This is religious routine. This is going through the motions. Sackcloth and ashes, THIS is the accepting cast to the Lord. Naw!
Doesn’t this sound familiar? Likes James 4:1-3 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
If you make religion about you gives you no ear with God AND it results in conflict with you. This is not just a house of Jacob problem, not just a NT Christian problem. This is a problem for you and me! And often it is hiding in plain sight. We want to know true vs. false religion and really its as simply as who is the focus. False religions make you the captain, sets you desires as the bullseye. Religious routines are not the currency of intimacy with God. Seeking your own pleasures is not the way to please God. Instead it produces a false humility, harms you and wastes your time, and brings you no closer to God. If the heart ain’t really there neither is God. The heart of false religion is a heart that seeks one’s own desire. That is the message of God through the cry of Isaiah to the house of Jacob.
He is not a God to be manipulated! He isn’t just going to go with the whims of what you bring. God is no genie in a bottle. No fairy in the sky. No magical quest answerer. He is God! Yes immanent who loves and cares and desires to dwell with and hear his people as heard just chapters ago and we will see later in the text. BUT he is also transcendent! The incomparable YHWH, Creator of the cosmos and sustainer of all things. You think your self-centered actions for your own pleasures will move him? Not the way you think!
Comedian whose wife left him and he thought if I do good God will be on my side and not mess with me. He had suffering and left the faith. He is not unique. So many people wonder why they can’t seem to find religion. I think what is at play in their lives, and if that’s you maybe in yours, is that your efforts however rigorous and studious and serious were about you and your own desires. We come willing to let God through his proclaimed and cried aloud word ring true and unearth what is beneath the surface to expose and explode false religion. Friend who has been searching and struggling to find, this is your first endeavor. Not greater effort but great humility. is your desire to jockey for position before God or lay low before him? We wonder why we don’t feel maybe we don’t genuine fall flat on our faces.
This is not just for unbeliever though. Remember this message was for those who claimed to be God’s people. Young and old who do what they think they are supposed to do but they don’t get the benefits they want. Children don’t’ think for one second that religious activities are always right. Praying before meals, or before bed, or showing up on Sunday morning all good things BUT those actions can be twisted and manipulated for your own pleasures. Hiding in plain sight we miss the underneath issue.
Not just kids. We see this in any ways we think “if I just do the right things life will go well, God will do what I want him to.” The key it’s not just about what religious activities we partake in when we are supposed to—“A DAY.” It aims on your passions. What is the passion you seek? I want to challenge you that this is particularly sneaky. Yes there are signs to expose the pleasures ruling, but we miss it and thus need it called out. There might be some of us here who think we’ve been doing and saying the right things to appease others and its working. Maybe even doing and saying the right things to appease ourselves. And its been working. But it can be hidden, even for a very long time. So my plea is ask yourself honestly what is the purpose of my religious pursuit? Is it about what I want? Or about God and what he wants? If you are doing it with you as the main focus that’s false religion. THIS is not an accepted means to the only one worthy of worship.
Rather what Isaiah calls out in v6-14 is what it ought to look like. Let’s read Isaiah 58:6-14. What lies beneath true religion? As we just read
- True religion delights in God and is demonstrated towards others
We really will see two religious actions address here. Isaiah first addresses this notion of fasting that came up in. Then he speaks of the Sabbath which is a bit of a circle back most immediately to ch 56 which Pastor Brent preached on, but is indeed is a key marker or indicator of true faithfulness to the Old Covenant in the entire OT. Though backwards from how listed in the point, lets address them in order they show up in the text.
Before we do, a quick note on fasting. This chapter has the most references to fasting of any in the Bible. So it is one we could use to talk more on that subject. However the context is really speaking to fasting as an example of how we take man-made religion and put it in the place of true religion. See fasting is only commanded in relation to Day of Atonement. Evidently not a requirement by God. However it is spoken of positively. Moses, David, Ninevites, Joel, Jesus for 40 days, early church, Paul all fasted. Jesus himself said in Matthew 6 “when you fast” assuming it would happen. These examples are paired with repentance, breaking bondage, national plea to God, time of special devotion to God, asking for somethings healing or deliverance. So not saying fasting is bad BUT is paired with genuine acts of humility and prayer God. So Isaiah doesn’t say never fast, instead he goes on to outline what a fast day ought to look like and also spells out the blessings that come from that! Essentially he says, instead of prioritizing this fasting practice not commanded by God even though which can be deployed for good, prioritize the clear commands of God to love and care for and serve others as spelled out in v6-12 and to love and serve God as spelled out even though briefly related to Sabbath in v13-14.
First see how true religion is demonstrated by pouring out for others. The phrase “pour out yourself” in v10 is really a summary of the section. This is selfless religion. This is sincere religion. This is true religion. Let’s walk through these verses and you will notice a patter: emphasis on caring for others followed by promises of blessings.
After Isaiah says, “seeking your own desires, THIS is what you call acceptable to God?” in v5 he goes on to say what it actually is in v6-7. Fasting that is acceptable to God is not selfishly seeking your own desire but selflessly serving others. Free the bonds of wickedness. Letting the oppressed free. Feeding the hungry. Housing the homeless. Clothing the naked. Not hiding from but caring for you own people. These are all things that were not happening in Israel especially on their self-centered fasting days. No way they were helping others because they wanted what they wanted! YET when you are demonstrating a true religion in these acts of obedience to God and serve towards others, you experience the blessings as talked about in v8-9a. Light breaks forth in your life. Healing comes. Righteousness before and the Lord behind.
Pattern is repeated in 9b-10. There is the social emphasis of removal the yoke again and refuse to speak wickedness. Then pour out yourself to satisfy someone else soul. Very parallel to seeking your own pleasure/desire/satisfaction and humble. Instead of refusing to eat afflicting/humbling to fill yourself up, empty yourself for the afflicted/humble to get filled up. Total upside down. And again there are blessings galore in. Beautiful picture of light rising and gloom disappearing like the warm sunny blue skies. God’s guidance, satisfaction, strength, sustenance, restoration. This v12 starts to show we are turning the corner for the original audience about their return from exile in Babylon where they would have walls rebuilt and Jerusalem repaired. Also looks forward in large context of the way of YHWH that is in New Jerusalem!
Is this what your relgion looks like? Sometimes we get nervous about these social justice type of activities. But lets take this for what it is. This is a loving confrontation. Calling out the people. saying wake up to the false religion of going through the motions thinking just about you. Instead be about others! Get the attention off yourselves. Instead of afflicting yourself go help the afflicted. Do it from your soul man! We are called to care for those around us. There is certainly a priority within the household of God to care for others. We see that in not forsaking those of you own flesh in v7. That is especially egregious. Jesus himself in the context of giving water and clothing in the gospel is about the children of God. But also don’t be so stuck there and say we never help non-Christians. Biblically and historically it is the people of God who is the kingdom of priests to the nations, and light on the hill not hidden. Proclaiming the gospel and demonstrating that love. I’ll be honest I don’t know the exactly balance but I do know we ought to care.
Mention Abe and compassion interactions. SERVE weekends and SGs service projects. But even beyond the church we have human beings who can get out and do it! Mention opportunities for outreach during Governors Day parade happening June 7th which we hope you’ll attend and serve others in!
So prioritize serving BUT don’t swing to the otherside and say “serving is how I get right with God. It’s how I manipulate for blessings.” That was already addressed as bad! Followers of God transform communities not because that is their end goal but because they have transformed lives which cannot help but overflow to others. This is not earning blessings from God by doing. This is showing that giving of yourself actually receives the greatest blessing because it’s how God designed it to be, and it shows we put God’s design as prioritize in our lives!
imperfect as it may be that instead of self-affliction that fakes humility its true humility evidenced by loving the afflicted. How are you doing at pouring out for others? Where you have opportunity insides the church and out to care? Satisfaction and joy awaits this. Not just in a doing it in your own strength but delighting in the Lord! Which brings up v13-14 where we see
- Pleasure found in God
What we see is a shift from fasting to Sabbath. Note on Sabbath. Rom 14:5 Col 2:16-17 Heb 3-4. Options are Sabbatarian, Christian Sabbath, or Christ as Sabbath rest. Regardless of what is clear in the text is that God rules! Ground your delight in God! Sabbath day is not a day for doing your own pleasure because it is a day for God! That’s the idea here!
What are the people doing? it says in v13 they ought to turn back foot from Sabbath because instead the have trampled all over this holy day! Instead of honoring the Lord they do their own pleasure. Again, false religion means we do what we want to manipulate God and ignore what God has commanded and actually promises delight. That’s the point of the Sabbath as shown in v14. If you don’t go your own way THEN you will delight in the LORD! He will have you floating on cloud nine! Instead of trying to fast he will feed you! House of Jacob stop fasting but experience the feast which God offers! God cries out to warn them and it warps up with the mouth of God graciously declaring he has spoken. O children hear me! You want the good stuff, them find delight in God above all else! Don’t think you know the better way! delight in God!
Is that true of you? Are you finding your delight in God? How might you know? What things are you pumped to talk about? What things are you pumped to do? These might be the things you are being fed!
What about use of your time? Talks about Sabbath as holy ground. Without legalism how might you set aside holy time for God? Specifically on the day the church writ large has historically held special? Where might you need to scale back on recreational activities you and your children participate in? The things you consume? The work you do? One thing I think is catching up to us in this day and age is we forget God has ways to be pursued and has spoken them in his word! There is a spiritual formation movement which has some good but also some that can catch us up in the bad. Not just any single thin is prescribed by God as a pursuit of him. Recently been listening to and reading on several perspectives here and finding myself more and more conviced that instead of finding what makes me “feel closest to God” I ought to trust what has been clearly spoken of by God: prayer, Bible intake, and meditation/deep thinking on the Word.
Did you catch the flow of this passage? Fasting for your own pleasures brings no blessing, but instead seeking delight in God as demonstrated in your selfless pouring out for others brings feasting with blessings— the opportunity has come full circle from self-starvation to being fed by God! This is what is offered to all who would stop trying to find their own way on the path of man centered man led man made false religion. Instead see the true religion that is laid out in the law of God! All of this summed up by Jesus in Matthew 22:36-40 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
True religion which Jesus summed up as love God and love neighbor. It’s the simple and routine answer. But we need it every time. God says true religion comes down to, underneath it all, are you worshipping God as demonstrated by a delight in him and good done to others OR are you worshipping self as demonstrated by seeking your own delight and harming others. True religion which says its not a matter of earning your keep in the kingdom of God, but rather experience the warmth and delight of God upon your face as he graciously brings you in and free pouring out everything you have in obedient response to the king because your cup is overflowing and there is plenty of abundance to go around.
Message ends where it began. Lord’s Word through full voice of prophet and now from mouth of the Lord. Instead of accusation of rebellion there is promise of blessing of confidence in face of life circumstances and enjoying cov blessings. Stop searching for your own pleasure and instead search for the Lord you will find the pleasures forevermore. Ultimately we find this delight in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Who fasted seeking the pleasure of the father. Who is Lord of the Sabbath. Who prayed for us to believe in the message of his life death and resurrection so that we might truly know the way truth and life. Who rides on heights of life with us and feeds us as the bread of life with his inheritance as sons and daughters of the king.
If you feel you are fasting in a search for God, know you don’t have to. See the savior lifted up on the cross who made a way for you. He’s done the work. HE calls us simply to turn from trying to do it our own ways for our own wants and instead trust him and his ways by his divinely spoke Word. The Lord is more interested in your enjoyment of his blessings through obedience than your missing out through self-imposed deprivations. If you don’t know what that looks like don’t try to figure it out on you own. Lay low and talk to someone who can help. Because what is in view here yes is Israel getting back to Jerusalem and yes the immediate promises for them. But these are indeed the spiritual realties for all who trust in Jesus AND also the dwelling in the streets only makes sense in the eternal city. You don’t make your home in the road do you? Unless the journey is done! We are invited to come to the masters home which he prepares for us and delight in and feast with him forever!
Speaking of feasting, today we end our service celebrating the Lord’s Supper. This is a time where we see the gospel in front of us through the remembrance of his broken and shed blood, which bread and cup represent. In this time we look back to what Jesus did on the cross, look inward dealing with sin, to look around at the family brothers and sisters for whom Christ died, and we look forward to eating the meal with him in eternity.
Before we partake, a couple of important notes. First, we welcome all believers. But if you have not repented and placed your faith in Christ then we ask you consider the message of the gospel and respond obediently or let the elements pass by. Also, we heed the Biblical warnings of not only being a believer, but of dealing with unconfessed sin and disunity in the body. Jesus died to deal with sin so we ought not hide it nor sit here with divisions or issues between Christians unaddressed. As I invite the ushers forward and worship team up and the elements are passed, I invite you to take some time to reflect and deal between you and the Lord (and others if needed). After all are served I will come up, pray, and then we take it all together.
PRAY. Confess that we often make things about us. Ask for God’s help to desire Him above all and to show that desire in how we love and serve others.
In 1 Cor 11:23-34, Paul relays to us what he received from the Lord, recalling that night Jesus was betrayed. Jesus took the bread and gave thanks and breaking it said “this is my body, which is for you. Eat this in remembrance of me.” Let’s eat together. In the same way he took the cup saying “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. As often as you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.” Let’s drink together. Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus! Let’s stand together and sing to our loving God.