The Joshua Victor Theory

Grace, mercy, and peace to you, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. Do you see or experience a deep, human longing for peace, and for justice? Whether it’s from the common prayers of 5 th graders for world peace, to the hopes and aspirations of adults and even our national leaders, there certainly seems to be a longing for things to be better, to be different. We praise peace and justice, with our words at least. Whether we live that out or not, is another story. But even if you agree that most Americans, long for certain ideals of peace or justice—we cannot escape the brutal reality that not everyone shares this longing. We’re daily confronted with the ugly and horrendous violence of mankind. Acts of terror on innocent people, bombings, shootings, and all kinds of violence. Not just internationally, either, but in our own nation and in our communities as well. Even though we find it incredibly hard to believe, we face the painful reality that m...

Sermon outline 1. Do you ever get the feeling like God is trying to get your attention? Alarm bells? Financial collapse, disasters, personal illness, consequences of bad choices hit home, chaos in cities. All shake our security or peace. No clear message. 2. God is trying to get our attention, in His Word—notice all the “attention-getters” in Isaiah 51:1-6. “Listen to me...look to the rock...Give attention to me...give ear to me..lift up your eyes...look at...” Are we hitting “snooze” when God’s trying to get our attention? Spiritual sleep, unaware of God, ignoring. Alarm doesn’t shut off (Law). Wake up and listen…good news comes on. (Gospel) 3. What is He calling our attention to? He interprets (v. 6) the instability we see all around us. Not only the health, peace, and financial security are at risk, but the very heavens and earth, and those who dwell on it, are passing away. Attention! Peace isn’t in these! Look to Jesus, to His promises, to His salvation and righteousness...