Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.’”
We often boast, or take pride in, or take credit for, or place our worth in, or place our security in the things that are the most unstable, insecure in life! From any number of circumstances, wisdom, might, and riches can vanish! The root of our problem in this boasting is a sinful worship of self. When we are boasting in these things, we are boasting about ourselves! There is only one object for which all boasting should be directed - God!
As children of God, the greatest possession we have is Christ! Knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is the most stable, secure treasure we hold! There is no circumstance under which our union with Christ may vanish! Therefore, if there is any bragging to be done, let us brag on Christ. In Him, we have found redemption and have been reconciled to the Father!
One who knows the Father and boasts in Him, knows some things about God. He delights in steadfast love, justice, and righteousness! There is a connection being drawn here between what the Father delights in and the ones who boast appropriately in Him! If you know Him, you will boast in Him. If you boast in Him alone, you will live for His glory. You will show what you know! Therefore, the things the Lord delights in will be the things you pursue!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
When God Won't Hear - Jer 5-8
One of the greatest comforts of this life is knowing that whatever you may face in this life, God hears us when we pray! We often neglect the privilege of prayer and do not treasure and value it as the precious commodity it is until disaster or heartache strike. Then, we pray. And time and time again we find, God is there, and when we pray, He hears!
That is what makes the judgment of God so frightening! There comes a time when unrepentant, persistent evil will offend God’s holiness and infuriate His justice to the degree that He will not hear a prayer for deliverance! Jeremiah 7:16 “As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me, for I will not hear you.”
Those are truly terrifying words! We live in a daydream Christianity context that teaches us we can be as vile as we want to be for as long as we want to be and whenever we decide to make things right with God, all we need to do is ask forgiveness. That’s a lie!
What we need to do is repent of sin. We need to broken over our sin before God. We need to beg God’s forgiveness for our hard-hearted idolatry! We need to cease “using” God and begin “worshipping” God! If we choose to indulge our sin and disgrace the Lord, judgment eventually will fall. And when the Lord determines that it is time for us to be judged for our sin, no amount of praying will stay His hand of justice!
Therefore, today while He extends His hand of mercy, we must humble ourselves, repent, and seek His face. He WILL hear those prayers!
That is what makes the judgment of God so frightening! There comes a time when unrepentant, persistent evil will offend God’s holiness and infuriate His justice to the degree that He will not hear a prayer for deliverance! Jeremiah 7:16 “As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me, for I will not hear you.”
Those are truly terrifying words! We live in a daydream Christianity context that teaches us we can be as vile as we want to be for as long as we want to be and whenever we decide to make things right with God, all we need to do is ask forgiveness. That’s a lie!
What we need to do is repent of sin. We need to broken over our sin before God. We need to beg God’s forgiveness for our hard-hearted idolatry! We need to cease “using” God and begin “worshipping” God! If we choose to indulge our sin and disgrace the Lord, judgment eventually will fall. And when the Lord determines that it is time for us to be judged for our sin, no amount of praying will stay His hand of justice!
Therefore, today while He extends His hand of mercy, we must humble ourselves, repent, and seek His face. He WILL hear those prayers!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Shepherds After God's Own Heart - Jer 1-4
A shepherd, in biblical language, is one who cares for the people of God spiritually as an actual shepherd cares for his sheep physically. Shepherds, who oversee God’s people, are chosen and called by God. The Lord prepares, ordains, and gifts the men He desires to spiritually care for His people. Shepherds are entrusted by God with the challenging, risky, joyful task of guiding, directing, correcting, rebuking, exhorting, and discipling God’s people to be conformed to Christ! The true shepherd is one who has given his life to fulfill the task before him, and has no greater joy than to fulfill it. He is known and identified easily by his primary activity and the matter of this activity.
A shepherd after God’s own heart spends most of his life feeding the flock of God. Just as sheep need to graze in lush surroundings and chew the minerals from the grasses for nourishment, so the people of God need to feast often upon the Word of God and meditate upon it deeply! Therefore, you will most often find a shepherd after God’s own heart preaching/teaching the Word or studying it in order to preach/teach it!
This shepherd is known by the kind of meals he prepares from the Word. A shepherd is not satisfied with feeding his flock nutritionally void weeds. He searches for the rich substance. Neither is God’s shepherd satisfied with feeding the flock sermonettes filled with fluff and filler, having no substance. Rather he will set before them a three-course meal filled with the treasures, insights, doctrines, and applications of the Word. He knows they need it!
Jer 3:15 “And I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
A shepherd after God’s own heart spends most of his life feeding the flock of God. Just as sheep need to graze in lush surroundings and chew the minerals from the grasses for nourishment, so the people of God need to feast often upon the Word of God and meditate upon it deeply! Therefore, you will most often find a shepherd after God’s own heart preaching/teaching the Word or studying it in order to preach/teach it!
This shepherd is known by the kind of meals he prepares from the Word. A shepherd is not satisfied with feeding his flock nutritionally void weeds. He searches for the rich substance. Neither is God’s shepherd satisfied with feeding the flock sermonettes filled with fluff and filler, having no substance. Rather he will set before them a three-course meal filled with the treasures, insights, doctrines, and applications of the Word. He knows they need it!
Jer 3:15 “And I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Not Willing that Any Should Perish - 2 Pet 2-3
How do you reconcile the following two sentences: God does not wish that any should perish. Many will perish because they reject God. Does 2 Peter 3:9 then teach that God’s will is in subjection to man’s will? The context reveals that actually God’s will is being accomplished! First, chapter 2 is supporting context for chapter 3. Ch. 2 can be summed up in 2:9, which says the wicked will be judged and the righteous will be saved!
Ch. 3 declares the Day of the Lord will surely come. The heavens and earth will be destroyed, the ungodly judged, and believers will be kept for the new heavens and earth. The immediate context of 3:9 is v8, the point being that waiting on the day of the Lord seems long, but it isn’t in light of eternity.
Now v9. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” From the opening phrase, the Lord is fulfilling a promise while believers await His return, and the remainder of the verse explains which promise He is fulfilling. Who is the “you” that the Lord is patient towards? It is believers, cf v8 - “beloved.” Peter is not making a statement here about all of humanity but rather about believers. Now the concluding two phrases can be interpreted in light of its contextual surrounding.
The delay in the Lord’s coming is that He is patiently waiting for everyone who will trust Christ to come to repentance. For example, He did not return in 1986 because Wil Owens, one of His children, would not repent until 1987! He will not come a moment sooner because He is not willing for any of His children to perish! This is the promise His delay is fulfilling!
Ch. 3 declares the Day of the Lord will surely come. The heavens and earth will be destroyed, the ungodly judged, and believers will be kept for the new heavens and earth. The immediate context of 3:9 is v8, the point being that waiting on the day of the Lord seems long, but it isn’t in light of eternity.
Now v9. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” From the opening phrase, the Lord is fulfilling a promise while believers await His return, and the remainder of the verse explains which promise He is fulfilling. Who is the “you” that the Lord is patient towards? It is believers, cf v8 - “beloved.” Peter is not making a statement here about all of humanity but rather about believers. Now the concluding two phrases can be interpreted in light of its contextual surrounding.
The delay in the Lord’s coming is that He is patiently waiting for everyone who will trust Christ to come to repentance. For example, He did not return in 1986 because Wil Owens, one of His children, would not repent until 1987! He will not come a moment sooner because He is not willing for any of His children to perish! This is the promise His delay is fulfilling!
Friday, August 27, 2010
The Absolute Certainty of the Word - 2 Pet 1
Peter exhorts his readers to have utmost confidence in the Word of God. The Word is totally reliable, completely sure, absolutely certain. Peter uses himself as an example of one who places his confidence in the Word above all other testimonies to the veracity of God, Christ, and salvation in Christ, including his own.
He was an eyewitness of Christ’s glory! He saw with his own eyes that Christ was the Son of God. He knew the Gospel to be true from his own sighting! He also heard God’s voice from heaven declaring approval of His Son with his own two ears! (1:16-18). However, Peter urges believers not to base their confidence in the Gospel chiefly upon his eye-witness testimony.
Peter urges, “Don’t take my testimony as your foundational certainty! Go straight to the Word, read it, and believe it!” “And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (1:19). Let Peter’s admonishment sink in. In other words, he declares, “Don’t just take my word for it, read the Word yourself!”
Why does Peter default to the Word and submit his own experience to the certainty of the Word? Because the Word comes straight from God. Peter’s testimony, as with any man’s testimony, removes the hearer one step. Peter is saying, “Don’t go through me, go straight to the Word!” “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (1:21). Since Peter also wrote Scripture, he would possibly say, “What I say about Christ is indeed reliable, but what I have written about Christ is ABSOLUTELY certain!”
He was an eyewitness of Christ’s glory! He saw with his own eyes that Christ was the Son of God. He knew the Gospel to be true from his own sighting! He also heard God’s voice from heaven declaring approval of His Son with his own two ears! (1:16-18). However, Peter urges believers not to base their confidence in the Gospel chiefly upon his eye-witness testimony.
Peter urges, “Don’t take my testimony as your foundational certainty! Go straight to the Word, read it, and believe it!” “And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (1:19). Let Peter’s admonishment sink in. In other words, he declares, “Don’t just take my word for it, read the Word yourself!”
Why does Peter default to the Word and submit his own experience to the certainty of the Word? Because the Word comes straight from God. Peter’s testimony, as with any man’s testimony, removes the hearer one step. Peter is saying, “Don’t go through me, go straight to the Word!” “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (1:21). Since Peter also wrote Scripture, he would possibly say, “What I say about Christ is indeed reliable, but what I have written about Christ is ABSOLUTELY certain!”
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Suffering and Satan - 1 Pet 5
The church of the dispersion was experiencing unprecedented persecution and suffering. This appears to be the chief motivating factor behind 1 Peter. Peter knew they were suffering horribly for the name of Christ. He therefore knew they needed a word from God to endure this harsh cruel reality.
Faith becomes a precious commodity when persecution is beating you down like a sledgehammer! Questions and doubts flood the mind. Wide ranging emotions flood the heart. One may wonder if faith in Christ is really worth all the pain? One may question God’s existence, goodness, power, faithfulness, or love. One may begin to blame God and charge Him with wrongdoing. The heavier the persecution, the slimmer the faith at times. So Peter wrote to encourage the believers with some truths about suffering.
One such truth is that we have an adversary who spends his every waking moment on the lookout for draining faith! When we are at our weakest point, Satan is on the prowl. His rotten nostrils can sniff out suffering miles away! You can bet that where persecution arises, Satan is soon present sneaking around, searching for his next victim, the suffering, faltering believer! (5:8)
Peter exhorts the suffering believers to resist the snares of Satan through faith! The very substance that is so hard to come by during suffering is the very means of resisting the enemy’s lies. Peter therefore provides them with two truths to bolster their faith. (1) They are to know that they are not alone in their suffering. Their brothers in all parts of the world are suffering with them for Christ’s sake! (2) God is gracious and watching. When His work in their suffering is soon complete, His work in their uplifting will begin!
Faith becomes a precious commodity when persecution is beating you down like a sledgehammer! Questions and doubts flood the mind. Wide ranging emotions flood the heart. One may wonder if faith in Christ is really worth all the pain? One may question God’s existence, goodness, power, faithfulness, or love. One may begin to blame God and charge Him with wrongdoing. The heavier the persecution, the slimmer the faith at times. So Peter wrote to encourage the believers with some truths about suffering.
One such truth is that we have an adversary who spends his every waking moment on the lookout for draining faith! When we are at our weakest point, Satan is on the prowl. His rotten nostrils can sniff out suffering miles away! You can bet that where persecution arises, Satan is soon present sneaking around, searching for his next victim, the suffering, faltering believer! (5:8)
Peter exhorts the suffering believers to resist the snares of Satan through faith! The very substance that is so hard to come by during suffering is the very means of resisting the enemy’s lies. Peter therefore provides them with two truths to bolster their faith. (1) They are to know that they are not alone in their suffering. Their brothers in all parts of the world are suffering with them for Christ’s sake! (2) God is gracious and watching. When His work in their suffering is soon complete, His work in their uplifting will begin!
Why Do You Suffer? 1 Pet 4
It has been said that the only certainties in this life are death and taxes. There is, however, one other certainty that you can count on, namely suffering. (Job 14:1). Suffering is a universal experience of humanity. In some way, through some means, by some set of circumstances, everyone encounters suffering. We suffer as the result of tragedy, evil, death, slander, harm, accident, incident, the list goes on and on. There are innumerable instigators of our suffering and an innumerable list of examples of our suffering. Make no mistake about it, if you live you will suffer!
This is true because of the Fall. When man fell in the Garden of Eden, sin entered the world, and with it came suffering. Sin and suffering are inseparable companions. As sin increases and pervades, so does suffering. This is why suffering is a universal human experience. It is linked with our sin, and every human being is a sinner. That is not to say that every instance of suffering is directly related to our sin. However, sin or evil is present somewhere when suffering is present.
The question is not will you suffer, but why are you suffering? Apart from random acts of violence, natural disaster, or the like, there are two primary reasons for our suffering; we are doing evil and reaping the consequences of our actions or we are living for the Lord and experiencing persecution! 1 Peter 4:15-16 “But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.”
There is suffering that is to our shame and there is suffering that is to our joy and the glory of God! It all depends upon the why.
This is true because of the Fall. When man fell in the Garden of Eden, sin entered the world, and with it came suffering. Sin and suffering are inseparable companions. As sin increases and pervades, so does suffering. This is why suffering is a universal human experience. It is linked with our sin, and every human being is a sinner. That is not to say that every instance of suffering is directly related to our sin. However, sin or evil is present somewhere when suffering is present.
The question is not will you suffer, but why are you suffering? Apart from random acts of violence, natural disaster, or the like, there are two primary reasons for our suffering; we are doing evil and reaping the consequences of our actions or we are living for the Lord and experiencing persecution! 1 Peter 4:15-16 “But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.”
There is suffering that is to our shame and there is suffering that is to our joy and the glory of God! It all depends upon the why.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
The Tragic Triumph of the Cross - 1 Pet 3
The most horrific, unjust event in history is also the most glorious and wondrous event in history! At one place, at one time the ugliness of humanity met with the beauty of God, the sin of humanity met with both the judgment and mercy of God. The cross of Christ is where all hell and heaven collided, and heaven won! It is wretched to behold with the eye the Son of Man slain beyond recognition, yet it is thrilling to embrace Him there believing and knowing that the Son of God has suffered on your behalf!
1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins” Why was Christ on the cross? The Jews thought he was there because he was labeled a blasphemer. The Romans thought he was there because he was labeled a insurrectionist. The truth was He was there to pay the price for sin! (Only once! Christ does not have to be continually offered. The cross was the final blow to sin’s curse!)
“the righteous for the unrighteous” Why was Christ paying for sin when He was not a sinner? Christ humbly became our substitutionary sacrifice. Only a perfect sacrifice would satisfy the justice of God. That, we could never do. That, only Christ could do. That, Christ did do - for us!
“that He might bring us to God” The goal of substitutionary atonement is reconciliation! Christ did not die just to remove our sin or simply offer us forgiveness. By His death, He has reconciled us to God!
“being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” Such tragedy, that Christ literally died from bodily torture because of our sin! Such triumph, in His resurrection lies our hope of eternal bliss and joy with Him!
1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins” Why was Christ on the cross? The Jews thought he was there because he was labeled a blasphemer. The Romans thought he was there because he was labeled a insurrectionist. The truth was He was there to pay the price for sin! (Only once! Christ does not have to be continually offered. The cross was the final blow to sin’s curse!)
“the righteous for the unrighteous” Why was Christ paying for sin when He was not a sinner? Christ humbly became our substitutionary sacrifice. Only a perfect sacrifice would satisfy the justice of God. That, we could never do. That, only Christ could do. That, Christ did do - for us!
“that He might bring us to God” The goal of substitutionary atonement is reconciliation! Christ did not die just to remove our sin or simply offer us forgiveness. By His death, He has reconciled us to God!
“being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” Such tragedy, that Christ literally died from bodily torture because of our sin! Such triumph, in His resurrection lies our hope of eternal bliss and joy with Him!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Do You Know Who You Are? 1 Pet 2
There are ways in which the saints of the Lord remain similar to unbelievers, and it will be this way until our full, final sanctification in the presence of God. We are still sinners, just as they. We must not forget that all the good we are is by grace from without not within! However, we must also know and rejoice in the fact that we are also radically different people! Hear these distinctions of believers found in 1 Peter 2:9.
You are a chosen race! You are chosen. You are part of the unique, special, separated people of God. Before the foundation of the world, God knew you and set His love and favor upon you.
You are a royal priesthood! It is the King of kings you serve. This is a royal family that you have been adopted into. And what a place of service you have been given! It is the priests who approach the King!
You are a holy nation! You are different. You are a new creation. You have been transferred from darkness to light. Christ reigns supreme in your heart and that makes a difference in your life. You are holy, sanctified, separate!
You are part of a people for His own possession. Imagine this, you belong personally, eternally, literally to God!
Why has God made us such that we possess these four glorious distinctions? “that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him...” Our lives preach the glories of Christ. The radical difference of our lives form the foundation to justify the message we proclaim of salvation in Christ! Know who you are!
You are a chosen race! You are chosen. You are part of the unique, special, separated people of God. Before the foundation of the world, God knew you and set His love and favor upon you.
You are a royal priesthood! It is the King of kings you serve. This is a royal family that you have been adopted into. And what a place of service you have been given! It is the priests who approach the King!
You are a holy nation! You are different. You are a new creation. You have been transferred from darkness to light. Christ reigns supreme in your heart and that makes a difference in your life. You are holy, sanctified, separate!
You are part of a people for His own possession. Imagine this, you belong personally, eternally, literally to God!
Why has God made us such that we possess these four glorious distinctions? “that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him...” Our lives preach the glories of Christ. The radical difference of our lives form the foundation to justify the message we proclaim of salvation in Christ! Know who you are!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Love Without Sight - 1 Pet 1
You have heard of love at first sight, but have you heard of love without sight? If you are a believer, you are experiencing it right now! You are madly in love with a Person whom you have never met in person! You are deeply committed to this Person, and you are already married to this Person. You are just waiting on the wedding feast to begin.
You have met this Person in a real way just not in a bodily, physical way. Through contact with this Person’s Spirit, the Spirit has confirmed to you that everything you have learned, heard, and read about this Person is true! So you have met Him, but you long to meet Him face to face.
You do know Him in a real way even though you do not know Him fully. You know much about Him because His followers left a record of His actions, nature, words, and promises. You cling to every word about Him. You may not know the contour of His face but you do know the content of His character. You may not have seen a picture of Him, but you will have no problem recognizing Him when He appears! You know Him.
The expectation and anticipation of finally meeting, embracing, seeing, and worshipping Him causes abundant joy! Not even the sufferings of this world can dilute the springs of joy you feel at the thought that He is coming for you. This joy, this love without sight, is what faith is all about!
“Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet 1:8-9).
You have met this Person in a real way just not in a bodily, physical way. Through contact with this Person’s Spirit, the Spirit has confirmed to you that everything you have learned, heard, and read about this Person is true! So you have met Him, but you long to meet Him face to face.
You do know Him in a real way even though you do not know Him fully. You know much about Him because His followers left a record of His actions, nature, words, and promises. You cling to every word about Him. You may not know the contour of His face but you do know the content of His character. You may not have seen a picture of Him, but you will have no problem recognizing Him when He appears! You know Him.
The expectation and anticipation of finally meeting, embracing, seeing, and worshipping Him causes abundant joy! Not even the sufferings of this world can dilute the springs of joy you feel at the thought that He is coming for you. This joy, this love without sight, is what faith is all about!
“Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet 1:8-9).
Saturday, August 21, 2010
The Last Prophetic Words - Isa 64-66
When Isaiah’s prophetic book comes to a close, we are not only given a view of ethnic Israel’s future but that of the entire world. Isaiah 66 leaves us not in time but in eternity. Mark the following points of Isaiah’s last prophetic words. First, there is coming a final judgment where the Lord Himself will render the verdict and execution upon sinners! 66:16 “...and by His sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the Lord shall be many.”
Second, the Lord will gather all nations before Him and they shall see His glory and worship Him as the true God. v18 “For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see My glory.”
Third, the glory of God will be carried to the ends of the earth through the sending of missionaries, and as a result, many will come into the Kingdom. vv19-21 “...I will send survivors to the nations...they shall declare My glory among the nations...some of them I will take for priests...”
Fourth, those who are in Christ and love the Lord will dwell forever in His presence and worship Him. vv 22-23 “...so shall your offspring and your remain...all flesh shall come to worship before Me...”
Fifth, those who are not in Christ shall dwell where v24 “...their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched...”
Friends, this is how time will end and all things come to a conclusion. Where will you be? WIth those who have embraced and followed the Son? Or among those who always thought they would worship their own way?
Second, the Lord will gather all nations before Him and they shall see His glory and worship Him as the true God. v18 “For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see My glory.”
Third, the glory of God will be carried to the ends of the earth through the sending of missionaries, and as a result, many will come into the Kingdom. vv19-21 “...I will send survivors to the nations...they shall declare My glory among the nations...some of them I will take for priests...”
Fourth, those who are in Christ and love the Lord will dwell forever in His presence and worship Him. vv 22-23 “...so shall your offspring and your remain...all flesh shall come to worship before Me...”
Fifth, those who are not in Christ shall dwell where v24 “...their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched...”
Friends, this is how time will end and all things come to a conclusion. Where will you be? WIth those who have embraced and followed the Son? Or among those who always thought they would worship their own way?
Friday, August 20, 2010
More Than You Can Imagine - Isa 61-63
Isaiah has warned of coming judgment. He has handed down a guilty verdict due to the overwhelming evidence of sin. He has described the coming devastation and captivity. And there was more, redemption has been promised. Not based on the goodness or potential goodness of the Israelites but purely from God’s grace and for His glory. Then in a surprising sort of turn of events, Isaiah proclaims that the salvation to come will be a Person! The Messiah, the Son of God, will appear. he will be the Suffering Servant who will bear the iniquities of God’s people. But there’s more - there’s much more to this redemption - more than you can imagine!
Isaiah 61:1-3 describes the work Messiah will accomplish and its implications for those who trust in Him. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Sin, of our own choosing, left us broken, miserable, captive, and ruined. Messiah will not only remove the guilt, He will replace the ruin with the new, the mourning with joy! He will completely save, renew, and re-create! So much so that His people will be recognized as new and different, and the radical change of salvation will have one primary purpose: the glory of God!
Isaiah 61:1-3 describes the work Messiah will accomplish and its implications for those who trust in Him. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Sin, of our own choosing, left us broken, miserable, captive, and ruined. Messiah will not only remove the guilt, He will replace the ruin with the new, the mourning with joy! He will completely save, renew, and re-create! So much so that His people will be recognized as new and different, and the radical change of salvation will have one primary purpose: the glory of God!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Where the Problem Lies - Isa 57-60
God must not care. God does not love me anymore. I must no longer be saved. The Bible must not be true. Christianity does not really work. This Jesus stuff must not be all the Bible claims. God has left me. God must not be able to bear my burdens. God must not be a good, loving God. There is no God.
All of these conclusions are of course false, but are often entertained and sadly, embraced as reality by some! In our own self-centered, fallen, sinful thinking, we lay the blame at someone else’s feet, just as our first parents, Adam and Eve. If God is real, loving, and powerful, then we should be able to pursue the life that we desire while enjoying blessing, comfort, and security from God. Right? The life we are inclined to pursue is a self-centered life where everyone and everything revolves around us. We are all idolators at heart and the idol we most often prostrate before is “self.”
God will not share His glory with another, tolerate idolatry, or share quarters with sin. While we are enjoying our sin, God withdraws His presence. Sin has its way and our lives begin to crumble. Who do we blame first? Ourselves? Our sin? No. We blame God. But hear the Scripture. Isaiah 59:1-2 “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or His ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.”
The problem lies with us, not with God! The answer is repentance, not pointing the finger! The problem is our sin, not a deficiency in the infinitely wise and holy God of the Universe! Turn from sin and find God!
All of these conclusions are of course false, but are often entertained and sadly, embraced as reality by some! In our own self-centered, fallen, sinful thinking, we lay the blame at someone else’s feet, just as our first parents, Adam and Eve. If God is real, loving, and powerful, then we should be able to pursue the life that we desire while enjoying blessing, comfort, and security from God. Right? The life we are inclined to pursue is a self-centered life where everyone and everything revolves around us. We are all idolators at heart and the idol we most often prostrate before is “self.”
God will not share His glory with another, tolerate idolatry, or share quarters with sin. While we are enjoying our sin, God withdraws His presence. Sin has its way and our lives begin to crumble. Who do we blame first? Ourselves? Our sin? No. We blame God. But hear the Scripture. Isaiah 59:1-2 “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or His ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.”
The problem lies with us, not with God! The answer is repentance, not pointing the finger! The problem is our sin, not a deficiency in the infinitely wise and holy God of the Universe! Turn from sin and find God!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Salvation is a Person - Isa 53-56
In yesterday’s reading, Isaiah made it clear that judgment was not God’s final or ultimate purpose for Israel. They would face the consequences of their sin and idolatry, but the God of justice is also a God of mercy. Salvation is sure to come!
In today’s reading, we learn that the salvation that is coming is a person! Salvation will not be temporal but eternal. Therefore, salvation will not be found in military might, political alliances, or economic prosperity. Salvation is rooted in a person!
Isaiah 53 is one of the most significant chapters in the whole Old Testament because it is a description of the Coming One and His work. It is a messianic prophesy. The chief work of this coming Suffering Servant (52:13) is that He shall offer Himself to God as the Substitutionary Atonement on behalf of God’s people. He will be the final, perfect, complete sacrifice for our sins.
Isaiah 53:5,8 “But He was wounded for OUR transgressions; He was crushed for OUR iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought US peace, and with His stripes WE are healed . . . By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of MY PEOPLE?”
Jesus Christ bore our sin upon His shoulders and suffered the wrath of God against our iniquities while on the cross. He died in the stead of all who place their faith in Him! Trust Him today! Your salvation is in a Person!
In today’s reading, we learn that the salvation that is coming is a person! Salvation will not be temporal but eternal. Therefore, salvation will not be found in military might, political alliances, or economic prosperity. Salvation is rooted in a person!
Isaiah 53 is one of the most significant chapters in the whole Old Testament because it is a description of the Coming One and His work. It is a messianic prophesy. The chief work of this coming Suffering Servant (52:13) is that He shall offer Himself to God as the Substitutionary Atonement on behalf of God’s people. He will be the final, perfect, complete sacrifice for our sins.
Isaiah 53:5,8 “But He was wounded for OUR transgressions; He was crushed for OUR iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought US peace, and with His stripes WE are healed . . . By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of MY PEOPLE?”
Jesus Christ bore our sin upon His shoulders and suffered the wrath of God against our iniquities while on the cross. He died in the stead of all who place their faith in Him! Trust Him today! Your salvation is in a Person!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Salvation is Coming - Isa 49-52
Israel has been rightly charged with idolatry and wickedness. She has forsaken her Deliverer and refused to return at His many invitations. Therefore, she is to be judged, and since the sin is terribly evil, so the judgment will be equally harsh! The way God will accomplish the correction and restoration of His child will be such that He is magnified! First, God will raise up the Assyrians to defeat and enslave Israel and the Babylonians to defeat and enslave Judah. In this way, God will prove Himself over men and nations! He upholds His sovereignty.
Second, the cruel, harsh reality of enslavement will drive a remnant to repentance! The purpose of judgment is not to annihilate, but rather to restore! They will realize the uselessness and emptiness of false gods, the wickedness of their rejection of God, and they will hunger for and cry out to God for salvation. In this way, He upholds His holiness.
Third, even though God’s children forget Him, He does not forget them! Judgment is not His final act toward them, but rather it is salvation from judgment! God is going to deliver! Salvation is coming. In this way, He upholds his grace.
Fourth, the ultimate purpose behind the judgment, captivity, and restoration is that Israel’s history will be proclaimed to the ends of the earth. Therefore, every nation will hear of the might and mercy of the One True God! God will not only have children from one ethnic group, but He will have children from EVERY ethnic group! In this way, He upholds His glory!
Salvation is coming, and that means a whole lot!
Second, the cruel, harsh reality of enslavement will drive a remnant to repentance! The purpose of judgment is not to annihilate, but rather to restore! They will realize the uselessness and emptiness of false gods, the wickedness of their rejection of God, and they will hunger for and cry out to God for salvation. In this way, He upholds His holiness.
Third, even though God’s children forget Him, He does not forget them! Judgment is not His final act toward them, but rather it is salvation from judgment! God is going to deliver! Salvation is coming. In this way, He upholds his grace.
Fourth, the ultimate purpose behind the judgment, captivity, and restoration is that Israel’s history will be proclaimed to the ends of the earth. Therefore, every nation will hear of the might and mercy of the One True God! God will not only have children from one ethnic group, but He will have children from EVERY ethnic group! In this way, He upholds His glory!
Salvation is coming, and that means a whole lot!
Monday, August 16, 2010
The God of All Things - Isa 45-48
In our human, finite, self-centered minds, we tend to think of God based upon our own opinions, feelings, and reasoning. Apart from total allegiance to Scripture, we manufacture a God in our own image! One of the main assaults we launch against the true God is an attack on His sovereignty. We simply cannot imagine a God who is in control of all things, and we come up with all kinds of human reasonings as to why this is the case. This is especially true in the realm of salvation. We reason, “If God is in control of everything, that would make us robots!” or “True love cannot be forced!” Good human logic. NOT biblical truth. The biblical presentation of sovereignty never renders us as robots or forced slaves.
Another area in which we deny God’s sovereignty is in the events of the world. Every action that we deem good, we attribute to God. Every action that we deem bad, we attribute to Satan, demons, sin, people, nature - anything and anyone but God. If that is our thinking, we are not thinking about the God of the Bible! “I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things” (45:7).
You mean God is in control of tragedy, wrong, calamity, disaster, sin, evil, etc.? Yes! That actually should give us comfort for two reasons. (1) If God were not in control of things, who would be? That is a frightening thought! (2) God, who controls all things, uses all things to accomplish His purposes and to achieve His glory!
Yes, He is even in charge of calamity, and the final, ultimate purpose in “all these things,” both well-being and calamity, is “To Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance” (45:23).
Another area in which we deny God’s sovereignty is in the events of the world. Every action that we deem good, we attribute to God. Every action that we deem bad, we attribute to Satan, demons, sin, people, nature - anything and anyone but God. If that is our thinking, we are not thinking about the God of the Bible! “I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things” (45:7).
You mean God is in control of tragedy, wrong, calamity, disaster, sin, evil, etc.? Yes! That actually should give us comfort for two reasons. (1) If God were not in control of things, who would be? That is a frightening thought! (2) God, who controls all things, uses all things to accomplish His purposes and to achieve His glory!
Yes, He is even in charge of calamity, and the final, ultimate purpose in “all these things,” both well-being and calamity, is “To Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance” (45:23).
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Lord's Personal Testimony - Isa 41-44
Everyone has a personal testimony, a self-description - even God! The Lord describes Himself in Scripture both directly and indirectly. Indirectly, all the Scripture is describing God because it is from God. We learn much about God’s ways, thoughts, and will through reading the narratives and speeches of the Bible. Directly, God often speaks in Scripture and includes self-descriptions. These are called Divine Disclosures. highly intense self-revelations! When God describes Himself to us, we are given the opportunity to look upon the God who is often hidden in His glory. God’s personal testimonies in the Bible are the things we absolutely know to be true about God! We see Him when He describes Himself to us! One of those is found in Isaiah 43:10-13. (interpretations enclosed in parentheses)
“You are My witnesses, declares the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. (the purpose of election is faith!) Before Me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after Me. (there is only one true God) I, I am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior. (the Lord is our only hope) I declared and saved and proclaimed when there was no strange god among you . . . there is none who can deliver from My hand; I work, and who can turn it back?”
God describes Himself as THE God, THE Lord. Salvation is totally from Him, initiated by Him, and preformed by Him. He issues forth a challenge for any to overpower or overcome Him, and His challenge remains unanswered! The Lord is all-powerful, all-glorious, and gracious to save, and He knows it! Now, because of His divine self-disclosure, His personal testimony, we know it too!
“You are My witnesses, declares the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. (the purpose of election is faith!) Before Me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after Me. (there is only one true God) I, I am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior. (the Lord is our only hope) I declared and saved and proclaimed when there was no strange god among you . . . there is none who can deliver from My hand; I work, and who can turn it back?”
God describes Himself as THE God, THE Lord. Salvation is totally from Him, initiated by Him, and preformed by Him. He issues forth a challenge for any to overpower or overcome Him, and His challenge remains unanswered! The Lord is all-powerful, all-glorious, and gracious to save, and He knows it! Now, because of His divine self-disclosure, His personal testimony, we know it too!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
The Immortality of the WOrd - Isa 39-40
Since the Word of God is God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16), it carries with it some of the same attributes as found in God. For example, the Word of God is powerful (Heb 4:12), it is Truth (John 17:17), it is Life (1 John 1:1), and it is Righteous (Psalm 33:4). As we learn in Isaiah, it is immortal as well! Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
Inherent within the nature of nature is the indisputable fact of mortality. Death, as a huge cosmic blanket, has engulfed the whole of creation in its darkness as a result of sin. Jesus spoke of the eternality of the Word, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matt 24:35). The Word of God will outlast and outlive creation, and this includes heaven and earth as well! The Word of God is not going anywhere! False religions, man’s opinions, theories, and ideologies will come and go, but the Word of God, the Truth, will remain unscathed, unaltered, unchanged, and immortal. So build your life, soul, and eternity upon the Word of God!
Isaiah 40 is communicating an even grander reality to us. The comparison is not between grass and the Word so much as it is between man and the Word. “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field” (40:6). The real truth here is that no matter what man may think, say, or do, the Word of God will outlast and outlive him!
As believers, this truth nourishes and strengthens our faith in the promises of God. When we have withered and faded, the promises of God in Christ will remain! And so, we who believe in Christ will forever remain in Christ, in the presence of God. The immortal, eternal word declares it to be so!
Inherent within the nature of nature is the indisputable fact of mortality. Death, as a huge cosmic blanket, has engulfed the whole of creation in its darkness as a result of sin. Jesus spoke of the eternality of the Word, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matt 24:35). The Word of God will outlast and outlive creation, and this includes heaven and earth as well! The Word of God is not going anywhere! False religions, man’s opinions, theories, and ideologies will come and go, but the Word of God, the Truth, will remain unscathed, unaltered, unchanged, and immortal. So build your life, soul, and eternity upon the Word of God!
Isaiah 40 is communicating an even grander reality to us. The comparison is not between grass and the Word so much as it is between man and the Word. “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field” (40:6). The real truth here is that no matter what man may think, say, or do, the Word of God will outlast and outlive him!
As believers, this truth nourishes and strengthens our faith in the promises of God. When we have withered and faded, the promises of God in Christ will remain! And so, we who believe in Christ will forever remain in Christ, in the presence of God. The immortal, eternal word declares it to be so!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Sennacherib's Sin - Isa 36-38
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, laid siege to Jerusalem. This was not his first experience of conquering and dominating a fortified city. In fact, Assyria was the current world power of the day. No one had been able to stop them. They had steamrolled across the land and arrived at Jerusalem. On behalf of Sennacherib, Rabshakeh, told Jerusalem’s leaders, “Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?”
This was Sennacherib’s most glaring sin, his most flagrant mistake, his most costly flaw. Sennacherib grouped the Lord along with every other god. Sennacherib failed to recognize the True God among the plethora of false gods. Sennacherib’s conquests led him to believe that he was in control and that no Sovereign God existed. Sennacherib’s pride led him to believe that no power, seen or unseen, could stop him. Sennacherib failed to give the Lord the honor and glory due His name!
The Lord’s response? “Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should make fortified cities crash into heaps of ruins . . . I will put My hook in your nose . . . and I will turn you back on the way by which you came” (37:26-29).
We are prone to fall into the same error as Sennacherib, though maybe not on the scale of a world empire. But we, just as he, are guilty of believing and living as if “we” are in control and “we” have accomplished our successes and nothing can stop “us.” We must repent and give glory to God or else one day we may find a hook in our nose!
This was Sennacherib’s most glaring sin, his most flagrant mistake, his most costly flaw. Sennacherib grouped the Lord along with every other god. Sennacherib failed to recognize the True God among the plethora of false gods. Sennacherib’s conquests led him to believe that he was in control and that no Sovereign God existed. Sennacherib’s pride led him to believe that no power, seen or unseen, could stop him. Sennacherib failed to give the Lord the honor and glory due His name!
The Lord’s response? “Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should make fortified cities crash into heaps of ruins . . . I will put My hook in your nose . . . and I will turn you back on the way by which you came” (37:26-29).
We are prone to fall into the same error as Sennacherib, though maybe not on the scale of a world empire. But we, just as he, are guilty of believing and living as if “we” are in control and “we” have accomplished our successes and nothing can stop “us.” We must repent and give glory to God or else one day we may find a hook in our nose!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
The Way of Holiness - Isa 33-35
Two central themes emerge in Isaiah; global judgment upon sinners and the redemption of God’s people. Just as sure as judgment is coming, so redemption is coming because Christ is coming!
In Isaiah 35, the prophet says “the Lord has a sword” and “the Lord has a day of vengeance.” The entire chapter describes a terrifying scene of destruction and slaughter. It is meant to be terrifying, for the most terrifying place on earth to be is in the hands of an angry God!
Isaiah 36, however, pictures a vastly different scene. Here we see the earth coming alive and the glory of the Lord settling upon a land and upon a people. Here we see the weak strengthened and the fearful becoming courageous. Here we see the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, the mute singing, and the lame leaping. For here we see the glorious inheritance of the redeemed!
35:8, 10 “And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness . . . And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” To meet Christ as your Judge is terrifying. To meet Christ as your Redeemer is everlasting joy! This is the Way of Holiness! Holy people have encountered the Holy God. They live holy lives, and one day they will live forever in holy places!
Shall you meet a Judge or a Redeemer? That question is answered by answering this question: Is your life characterized by sin and evil for self pleasure or do you pursue holiness to the glory of God?
In Isaiah 35, the prophet says “the Lord has a sword” and “the Lord has a day of vengeance.” The entire chapter describes a terrifying scene of destruction and slaughter. It is meant to be terrifying, for the most terrifying place on earth to be is in the hands of an angry God!
Isaiah 36, however, pictures a vastly different scene. Here we see the earth coming alive and the glory of the Lord settling upon a land and upon a people. Here we see the weak strengthened and the fearful becoming courageous. Here we see the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, the mute singing, and the lame leaping. For here we see the glorious inheritance of the redeemed!
35:8, 10 “And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness . . . And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” To meet Christ as your Judge is terrifying. To meet Christ as your Redeemer is everlasting joy! This is the Way of Holiness! Holy people have encountered the Holy God. They live holy lives, and one day they will live forever in holy places!
Shall you meet a Judge or a Redeemer? That question is answered by answering this question: Is your life characterized by sin and evil for self pleasure or do you pursue holiness to the glory of God?
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Horses and Chariots - Isa 30-32
Isaiah 31:1 “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord!” One of the ways Israel displayed their unbelief and rebellion is that in time of threat and crisis, they ran to Egypt for help instead of to God for deliverance!
In chastising and correcting them, the prophet basically asked by what reasoning did they make this choice? So you plan to escape the judgment of God by fleeing to Egypt? Egypt will stay the hand of God? He clarifies the ignorance of this decision, “The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit” (31:3). For this act of rejection, God will prove His might and glory by not only causing the “helped” (Israel) to fall, but also the “helper” (Egypt) to stumble! How great the offense, how great the rejection, how deep the unbelief must be when the first thought is “Egypt” and not “God!” They were existing as if God didn’t!
My friends, we are prone to have our own “Egypt,” our own horses and chariots. We have emergency funds, emergency plans, emergency insurance, etc. We make sure that horses and chariots are nearby our families and churches in case we need help. They will be there. In times of crisis and distress, we tend to reach out to anything and anyone but God, who alone can save us! This only points to our need for greater faith!
Let Isaiah remind us all, GOD is there already! And He is far more superior and reliable and trustworthy and saving than our horses and chariots will ever be! And if we are not believing, He will prove it!
In chastising and correcting them, the prophet basically asked by what reasoning did they make this choice? So you plan to escape the judgment of God by fleeing to Egypt? Egypt will stay the hand of God? He clarifies the ignorance of this decision, “The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit” (31:3). For this act of rejection, God will prove His might and glory by not only causing the “helped” (Israel) to fall, but also the “helper” (Egypt) to stumble! How great the offense, how great the rejection, how deep the unbelief must be when the first thought is “Egypt” and not “God!” They were existing as if God didn’t!
My friends, we are prone to have our own “Egypt,” our own horses and chariots. We have emergency funds, emergency plans, emergency insurance, etc. We make sure that horses and chariots are nearby our families and churches in case we need help. They will be there. In times of crisis and distress, we tend to reach out to anything and anyone but God, who alone can save us! This only points to our need for greater faith!
Let Isaiah remind us all, GOD is there already! And He is far more superior and reliable and trustworthy and saving than our horses and chariots will ever be! And if we are not believing, He will prove it!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Blind and Drunk - Isa 27-29
The fearful danger of being spiritually blind and drunk is that you are rendered incapable of receiving, understanding, and embracing the Word of God! A drunk man simply cannot comprehend. A blind man simply cannot see. This is exactly how the Bible describes the spiritual condition of those who reject, refuse, ignore, or deny God’s truth. They are blind, drunk men. They just don’t get it. Apart from God’s grace, they never will!
Isaiah 29:11-12 “And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, ‘Read this,’ he says, ‘I cannot, for it is sealed.’ And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, ‘Read this,’ he says, ‘I cannot read.’” (Take note - the man can read other books! He just can’t read this one, the Word of God! Truly terrifying.)
What is this blindness and drunkenness? It is nothing less than judgment from God upon sinful, hard hearts! Even more terrifying that one cannot “read” or understand and embrace the Word is that this “blindness” is actually judgment! Isaiah 29:9-10 “Astonish yourselves and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind!” (This is their fault. They are sinful and rebellious toward God.) “Be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not with strong drink! For the Lord has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).”
When people just do not believe or understand or embrace portions of God’s Word, they are under a judgment of spiritual sleep! Pray the Lord awaken us by grace to His marvelous and saving Word!
Isaiah 29:11-12 “And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, ‘Read this,’ he says, ‘I cannot, for it is sealed.’ And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, ‘Read this,’ he says, ‘I cannot read.’” (Take note - the man can read other books! He just can’t read this one, the Word of God! Truly terrifying.)
What is this blindness and drunkenness? It is nothing less than judgment from God upon sinful, hard hearts! Even more terrifying that one cannot “read” or understand and embrace the Word is that this “blindness” is actually judgment! Isaiah 29:9-10 “Astonish yourselves and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind!” (This is their fault. They are sinful and rebellious toward God.) “Be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not with strong drink! For the Lord has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).”
When people just do not believe or understand or embrace portions of God’s Word, they are under a judgment of spiritual sleep! Pray the Lord awaken us by grace to His marvelous and saving Word!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Kept in Perfect Peace - Isa 24-26
Isaiah 26:3-4 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” The promise of peace in these verses is truly great and precious in and of itself, but set in its context, the meaning explodes!
Isaiah 24 describes the Final Judgment. It is a disturbing picture of global turmoil such as thus far only experienced on the movie screen. One day, the Lord will crush His enemies, annihilate sin, and totally re-create the heavens and the earth. Everything will be turned upside down in order to make it anew! We have to date only experienced this kind of disruption on the local scale. Landslides, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods cause great panic and destruction, but they are all local. The Bible describes a coming global upheaval! Hear the words of terrifying devastation in 24:1, “Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate, and He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.” Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Global, final judgment!
Chapter 24 is followed by a description of the eternal state and reign of the Lord over the earth and His people. Death is swallowed up, tears are wiped away, reproach of His people has vanished, and every foe is vanquished!
Then comes the rich promise of 26:3-4! In the middle of worldwide judgment, on the brink of eternity, the one who trusts in the Lord, whose mind is stayed on the Lord will be kept in perfect peace! Therefore, trust in the Lord forever! Because He is an everlasting rock!
This is one promise you can cling to forever!
Isaiah 24 describes the Final Judgment. It is a disturbing picture of global turmoil such as thus far only experienced on the movie screen. One day, the Lord will crush His enemies, annihilate sin, and totally re-create the heavens and the earth. Everything will be turned upside down in order to make it anew! We have to date only experienced this kind of disruption on the local scale. Landslides, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods cause great panic and destruction, but they are all local. The Bible describes a coming global upheaval! Hear the words of terrifying devastation in 24:1, “Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate, and He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.” Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Global, final judgment!
Chapter 24 is followed by a description of the eternal state and reign of the Lord over the earth and His people. Death is swallowed up, tears are wiped away, reproach of His people has vanished, and every foe is vanquished!
Then comes the rich promise of 26:3-4! In the middle of worldwide judgment, on the brink of eternity, the one who trusts in the Lord, whose mind is stayed on the Lord will be kept in perfect peace! Therefore, trust in the Lord forever! Because He is an everlasting rock!
This is one promise you can cling to forever!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Fallen, Fallen - Isa 21-23
Isaiah 21:9 “Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the carve images of her gods He has shattered to the ground.” This is no small cry. This is no small prophecy. This is an event of global significance. Babylon is the world empire. Babylon is wealthy, powerful, dominating, feared, extravagant, conquering, and ever expanding her reaches. Babylon stands atop the nations of the world and they have no choice to do her bidding. Babylon rules the world!
Which is precisely why she will fall! There can only be one Ruler! While Babylon convinces herself that she is indestructible, the prophecy of her downfall inches closer to fulfillment every day. In terms of earthly powers, she does rule the world, but One stands above her who rules her!
In fact, Babylon was filled with carved images, objects of worship. As ruler of the world, she was also idolator of the world. She was not going to be subject to some Deity who ruled over her and her affairs. She would create her own gods. Have her cake and eat it too.
Which is precisely why she will fall! God will not be replaced by hand-made deities! God will not allow the worship that is due His holy name to be lavished upon dead wood and stone! God will be glorified! And at times throughout history He has made His name known by tearing down arrogant empires along with their elaborate systems of idolatry!
The fall of Babylon proclaims a mighty message, namely, God alone is Ruler and God alone will be worshipped! Don’t follow in the path of Babylon lest you follow in the path of her fall!
Which is precisely why she will fall! There can only be one Ruler! While Babylon convinces herself that she is indestructible, the prophecy of her downfall inches closer to fulfillment every day. In terms of earthly powers, she does rule the world, but One stands above her who rules her!
In fact, Babylon was filled with carved images, objects of worship. As ruler of the world, she was also idolator of the world. She was not going to be subject to some Deity who ruled over her and her affairs. She would create her own gods. Have her cake and eat it too.
Which is precisely why she will fall! God will not be replaced by hand-made deities! God will not allow the worship that is due His holy name to be lavished upon dead wood and stone! God will be glorified! And at times throughout history He has made His name known by tearing down arrogant empires along with their elaborate systems of idolatry!
The fall of Babylon proclaims a mighty message, namely, God alone is Ruler and God alone will be worshipped! Don’t follow in the path of Babylon lest you follow in the path of her fall!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
A Man Like Us - Ja 5
James 5:17-18 “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”
We tend to place biblical figures in a category far above and far superior to our experience. The heroes of the Bible must be super-spiritual, super-Christian, super-mature. We, on the other hand, are just the normal, run-of-the-mill, average, struggling believer. James says that is not the case! Elijah was just as average as we. Elijah was just as fallen, just as in need of a Savior, just as capable of sin, just as weak and frail and human as the rest of us. He had a nature just like ours!
That is what makes Elijah’s prayers so amazing! This normal, average, human believer prayed for it not to rain, and it didn’t! He prayed for it to rain, and it did! That’s amazing! So what’s the difference between us and Elijah because we certainly are not lifting up rain-ceasing or rain-causing prayer? Are you ready for this? The biggest difference is that Elijah prayed - most often we don’t! And when he prayed, he prayed fervently! And the way he prayed was according to God’s will (1 Kings 17:1).
Don’t miss the context of James’ Elijah insight! The context is forgiveness and salvation (vv15-16). That is where the Bible says the prayer of a righteous person has great power, and Elijah was James’ example!
Fervent, God-glorifying prayer can open the heavens, and even more amazing, it can open hearts! Now let’s get to praying!
We tend to place biblical figures in a category far above and far superior to our experience. The heroes of the Bible must be super-spiritual, super-Christian, super-mature. We, on the other hand, are just the normal, run-of-the-mill, average, struggling believer. James says that is not the case! Elijah was just as average as we. Elijah was just as fallen, just as in need of a Savior, just as capable of sin, just as weak and frail and human as the rest of us. He had a nature just like ours!
That is what makes Elijah’s prayers so amazing! This normal, average, human believer prayed for it not to rain, and it didn’t! He prayed for it to rain, and it did! That’s amazing! So what’s the difference between us and Elijah because we certainly are not lifting up rain-ceasing or rain-causing prayer? Are you ready for this? The biggest difference is that Elijah prayed - most often we don’t! And when he prayed, he prayed fervently! And the way he prayed was according to God’s will (1 Kings 17:1).
Don’t miss the context of James’ Elijah insight! The context is forgiveness and salvation (vv15-16). That is where the Bible says the prayer of a righteous person has great power, and Elijah was James’ example!
Fervent, God-glorifying prayer can open the heavens, and even more amazing, it can open hearts! Now let’s get to praying!
The Fiery Tongue - Ja 3-4
Spoken words deeply matter. The person who utters a harsh criticism or slander or false accusation is connected to his victim personally. Words can be more damaging, more destructive, cause more fallout and harm than a natural disaster. Cities can be rebuilt with brick and mortar. Hearts and lives are not so easily restored once they have been torn down.
A fiery tongue is a tool in the hands of Beelzebub. When he wants to do the most damage, he taps on the loosest tongue. He cracks the fiery tongue on the humble, gentle, lowly people of God. Venom vomits forth and stings the hearts of the “little ones.” James makes it clear that the fire of a fiery tongue comes straight from the fires of Hell!
One of the most subtle, sly deceptions of the fiery tongue is that it most often continues uninterrupted, unchanged, with no real repentance under the guise of “forgiveness.” A venomous tongue can spew as much as it wants as long as it soon follows with a false recognition of guilt. The one who has been burned by the fire cannot hold a grudge, so the fiery tongue is acquitted (or so he thinks) while the burn victim enters the burn unit for months of therapy. And when the next occasion arises, Satan’s most dependable whip is ready for the cracking!
This should not be! The mouth that can issue blessing and cursing is a visible indicator of how dark and evil is the heart. A tongue of fire is a faithless tongue. Only God can drown the flames of Hell! Fiery tongues must be submitted to the Holy Spirit. Our words can issue flames or our words can issue fountains! The difference is who is in charge of our tongues, us or the Holy Spirit?
A fiery tongue is a tool in the hands of Beelzebub. When he wants to do the most damage, he taps on the loosest tongue. He cracks the fiery tongue on the humble, gentle, lowly people of God. Venom vomits forth and stings the hearts of the “little ones.” James makes it clear that the fire of a fiery tongue comes straight from the fires of Hell!
One of the most subtle, sly deceptions of the fiery tongue is that it most often continues uninterrupted, unchanged, with no real repentance under the guise of “forgiveness.” A venomous tongue can spew as much as it wants as long as it soon follows with a false recognition of guilt. The one who has been burned by the fire cannot hold a grudge, so the fiery tongue is acquitted (or so he thinks) while the burn victim enters the burn unit for months of therapy. And when the next occasion arises, Satan’s most dependable whip is ready for the cracking!
This should not be! The mouth that can issue blessing and cursing is a visible indicator of how dark and evil is the heart. A tongue of fire is a faithless tongue. Only God can drown the flames of Hell! Fiery tongues must be submitted to the Holy Spirit. Our words can issue flames or our words can issue fountains! The difference is who is in charge of our tongues, us or the Holy Spirit?
Friday, August 6, 2010
Count it all Joy - Ja 1-2
James 1:2-4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
“Count it all joy!” Not what we want to hear when we are facing a trial! But it is what we need to hear! Trials come in all kinds of ways, from all kinds of places, prompted from all kinds of people, in all kinds of forms. Trials are not picky or selective. They sort of go with the flow, just as long as they can flow toward you! The bottom line is that trials are a part of life and always will be.
Since it is true that trials will constantly greet us through life, we must greet them when they arrive in proper fashion. If not, we will crumble under their weight! Count it all joy! That is, consider every single part and bit of this trial as an occasion for joy! The stress, the heartache, the back-stabbing, the crushing blow, the resulting fallout, everything; count it ALL joy!
How? Are we as Christians supposed to live “in the real world” as if trials do not affect us? As if they do not matter? No! Actually, we are to live as if they do matter! In fact, they matter tremendously in terms of our relation to God! The source of our joy in the trial is to know that trials are not haphazard accidents, but rather God is over and in control of our trials, and He is guiding us through them for our good and His glory! Trials do what nothing else can do as quickly or as greatly; trials conform us to Christ! Count it all joy, my dear friend, because God is shaping you and preparing you because He is going to use you, and you are going to glorify Him!
“Count it all joy!” Not what we want to hear when we are facing a trial! But it is what we need to hear! Trials come in all kinds of ways, from all kinds of places, prompted from all kinds of people, in all kinds of forms. Trials are not picky or selective. They sort of go with the flow, just as long as they can flow toward you! The bottom line is that trials are a part of life and always will be.
Since it is true that trials will constantly greet us through life, we must greet them when they arrive in proper fashion. If not, we will crumble under their weight! Count it all joy! That is, consider every single part and bit of this trial as an occasion for joy! The stress, the heartache, the back-stabbing, the crushing blow, the resulting fallout, everything; count it ALL joy!
How? Are we as Christians supposed to live “in the real world” as if trials do not affect us? As if they do not matter? No! Actually, we are to live as if they do matter! In fact, they matter tremendously in terms of our relation to God! The source of our joy in the trial is to know that trials are not haphazard accidents, but rather God is over and in control of our trials, and He is guiding us through them for our good and His glory! Trials do what nothing else can do as quickly or as greatly; trials conform us to Christ! Count it all joy, my dear friend, because God is shaping you and preparing you because He is going to use you, and you are going to glorify Him!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Blessings of Discipline - Heb 11-13
Hebrews 12:10,11 - “For they [earthly fathers] disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he [God] disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
No one enjoys discipline! It is not a celebratory event filled with feelings of joy and anticipation. Discipline is a trying, tough, challenging time of life. Discipline causes one to questions himself, God, and everyone else. Discipline causes one to examine his faith, to ask the hard questions, and to give the brutal, honest answers. However, when God disciplines His children, He does so for high and glorious purposes. Discipline delivers many precious blessings from God, which will drive us further into the Father’s presence instead of farther from it!
First, if one is being disciplined by God, it is proof that God is his Father! You don’t have to enjoy the whip to take delight in the One whose hand delivers the blow! To be disciplined means to be owned and loved by Almighty God!
Second, God purposes to do us good as a result of the discipline. God is doing many things in our lives including removing ugly sins and implementing godliness.
Third, the greatest blessing of discipline is that God’s ultimate purpose in disciplining His children is to prepare them for the eternal glory that awaits us all in His presence, to share in His holiness!
No one enjoys discipline! It is not a celebratory event filled with feelings of joy and anticipation. Discipline is a trying, tough, challenging time of life. Discipline causes one to questions himself, God, and everyone else. Discipline causes one to examine his faith, to ask the hard questions, and to give the brutal, honest answers. However, when God disciplines His children, He does so for high and glorious purposes. Discipline delivers many precious blessings from God, which will drive us further into the Father’s presence instead of farther from it!
First, if one is being disciplined by God, it is proof that God is his Father! You don’t have to enjoy the whip to take delight in the One whose hand delivers the blow! To be disciplined means to be owned and loved by Almighty God!
Second, God purposes to do us good as a result of the discipline. God is doing many things in our lives including removing ugly sins and implementing godliness.
Third, the greatest blessing of discipline is that God’s ultimate purpose in disciplining His children is to prepare them for the eternal glory that awaits us all in His presence, to share in His holiness!
Once for All - Heb 8-10
Under the first covenant God established the means whereby guilty sinners could be purified. A tent was constructed. A Holy Place within the tent was set apart. The ark, containing sacred elements and constructed with the mercy seat, was placed inside the Holy Place. A High Priest, once a year, would enter and sprinkle blood on the mercy seat. In this way, every sinner of the nation, from the High Priest on down, were purified from their sins. A death had taken place on behalf of the sinners, in the stead of the sinners. Now this took place every year because every component of this first covenant was merely a shadow, merely a copy, merely a pointer to the second, complete covenant.
Christ was the mediator of the new covenant. He was the final, complete tent. The tabernacle was a tent in which the presence of God dwelt among the people. Christ was God who clothed Himself in flesh, a tent, and “tabernacled” among us (John 1:14). Christ was the final, complete High Priest. Hebrews 7 and 8 demonstrate this reality. As mediator, Christ was able to enter the final, complete Holy Place, the heavens where God dwells. The blood of Christ would be the final, complete sacrificial offering. It was on the cross when the true High Priest, in the true tent, in the true Holy Place, offered the true blood in his death, it was then and there that final, complete redemption was made for the people of God.
“He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (9:12). That’s it. It is Finished! Done. Complete. Once for all. God’s people have been eternally redeemed. Christ, through His sacrificial, perfect death on the cross, secured all the blessings of the New Covenant!
Christ was the mediator of the new covenant. He was the final, complete tent. The tabernacle was a tent in which the presence of God dwelt among the people. Christ was God who clothed Himself in flesh, a tent, and “tabernacled” among us (John 1:14). Christ was the final, complete High Priest. Hebrews 7 and 8 demonstrate this reality. As mediator, Christ was able to enter the final, complete Holy Place, the heavens where God dwells. The blood of Christ would be the final, complete sacrificial offering. It was on the cross when the true High Priest, in the true tent, in the true Holy Place, offered the true blood in his death, it was then and there that final, complete redemption was made for the people of God.
“He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (9:12). That’s it. It is Finished! Done. Complete. Once for all. God’s people have been eternally redeemed. Christ, through His sacrificial, perfect death on the cross, secured all the blessings of the New Covenant!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
The Perfection of the Son - Heb 5-7
Without careful thought, Hebrews 5:8-9 can be confusing or dangerous! The truth of the verses, however, is a glorious promise held forth for all who follow Christ! “Although He was a son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.”
The confusion arises when one tries to understand how the Son of God can “learn” anything? How can the Son of God be “made perfect?” Isn’t He God? Doesn’t He know all things already? Isn’t He already perfect? As God the Son, yes, He does know all things and He is perfect! These verses are not addressing the nature of His deity. These verses are addressing the task of redemption that Christ came to accomplish!
In order to redeem fallen man, Christ had to become a man and fulfill what no man had ever been able to achieve - perfect righteousness! That is, complete adherence to the law of God in act, thought, and will. There was a kind of learning process as He, as man, suffered for us, being like us. He was obedient even unto the point of death! Through it all He obtained a perfection as a man, the God-man, but a man nonetheless. Therefore, all who are in Christ have this perfect righteousness bestowed upon them in response to their faith and are enabled to stand before God.
Notice though that verse nine describes those who have eternal salvation as those who obey Christ! It is not those who simply “ask” Him into their hearts. It is not those who merely just pray a prayer. It is those who follow Him! Followers of Christ are the ones who truly believe in Him! His perfection is our perfection!
The confusion arises when one tries to understand how the Son of God can “learn” anything? How can the Son of God be “made perfect?” Isn’t He God? Doesn’t He know all things already? Isn’t He already perfect? As God the Son, yes, He does know all things and He is perfect! These verses are not addressing the nature of His deity. These verses are addressing the task of redemption that Christ came to accomplish!
In order to redeem fallen man, Christ had to become a man and fulfill what no man had ever been able to achieve - perfect righteousness! That is, complete adherence to the law of God in act, thought, and will. There was a kind of learning process as He, as man, suffered for us, being like us. He was obedient even unto the point of death! Through it all He obtained a perfection as a man, the God-man, but a man nonetheless. Therefore, all who are in Christ have this perfect righteousness bestowed upon them in response to their faith and are enabled to stand before God.
Notice though that verse nine describes those who have eternal salvation as those who obey Christ! It is not those who simply “ask” Him into their hearts. It is not those who merely just pray a prayer. It is those who follow Him! Followers of Christ are the ones who truly believe in Him! His perfection is our perfection!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Take Care - Heb 1-4
Hebrews is full of discomforting theology, and it would do our faith well to wrestle through it! One of those passages is 3:12-14. “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you and evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.”
Let’s begin with v14 and work backwards embracing the writer’s theology and not our own! Verse 14 is clear that perseverance in the faith is proof of the authenticity of our faith! We share in Christ IF we hold firm to the end. By implication, those who do not hold firm to the end are not sharing in Christ! Perseverance is proof of and part of true faith, or sharing in Christ!
So what is the writer’s means of helping us to persevere and therefore affirm that our faith is real and genuine? Verse 13 answers, “Fellowship with the saints!” The purpose of Christian fellowship is not sanctified gluttony, but rather holding one another accountable, lovingly confronting one another, and spurring one another on in the faith.
What happens if we do not help one another along in the faith? Verse 12 answers, “Our sin will deceive us and in our hearts we will not truly believe while we profess to believe, and as a result, we will fall away from the living God!” So we will lose our salvation? No. We will never obtain true salvation because our fellowship with other believers never past the level of surface, meaningless chatter! Take care, brothers! That is, get involved in one another’s life. It is a crucial means of affirming and sustaining true faith!
Let’s begin with v14 and work backwards embracing the writer’s theology and not our own! Verse 14 is clear that perseverance in the faith is proof of the authenticity of our faith! We share in Christ IF we hold firm to the end. By implication, those who do not hold firm to the end are not sharing in Christ! Perseverance is proof of and part of true faith, or sharing in Christ!
So what is the writer’s means of helping us to persevere and therefore affirm that our faith is real and genuine? Verse 13 answers, “Fellowship with the saints!” The purpose of Christian fellowship is not sanctified gluttony, but rather holding one another accountable, lovingly confronting one another, and spurring one another on in the faith.
What happens if we do not help one another along in the faith? Verse 12 answers, “Our sin will deceive us and in our hearts we will not truly believe while we profess to believe, and as a result, we will fall away from the living God!” So we will lose our salvation? No. We will never obtain true salvation because our fellowship with other believers never past the level of surface, meaningless chatter! Take care, brothers! That is, get involved in one another’s life. It is a crucial means of affirming and sustaining true faith!
Redemptive Judgment - Isa 17-20
The judgment of the Lord is not restricted to any class or segment for all who are not in Christ are His enemies. He judges cities (Damascus, ch 17), peoples (Cush, ch 18), and nations (Egypt, ch 19).
The judgment of the Lord falls upon Damascus because they have forgotten the God of their salvation and have not remembered the Rock of their refuge (17:10). Neglect. Existing every day as if God does not exist is a dreadful sin against the Living Lord!
The judgment of the Lord falls upon Cush because their military might has deceived them into thinking that they are unconquerable (18:2,7). Pride. Existing every day as if you have no need of God is a dreadful sin against the One who sustains every atom!
The judgment of the Lord falls upon Egypt because their religion is based upon satanic activity and man-made gods (19:3). Idolatry and witchcraft. Existing every day in open rebellion against God. Denying His authority and worth by appealing to Satan and fabricating a god to receive the worship that is due Him is a dreadful sin against the the glorious, true God!
There is no doubt these three groups deserve judgment, and there is no doubt that we deserve judgment. Furious, righteous judgment. But until the Final Judgment, the judgments of God contain a redemptive element. He does not just purpose to prove Himself and punish sinners. He purposes to prove Himself in order to save sinners! Therefore, Damascus will look to his Maker (17:7), Cush will bring tribute to the Lord of hosts (18:7), and Egyptians will know the Lord (19:21). Judgment is redemptive!
The judgment of the Lord falls upon Damascus because they have forgotten the God of their salvation and have not remembered the Rock of their refuge (17:10). Neglect. Existing every day as if God does not exist is a dreadful sin against the Living Lord!
The judgment of the Lord falls upon Cush because their military might has deceived them into thinking that they are unconquerable (18:2,7). Pride. Existing every day as if you have no need of God is a dreadful sin against the One who sustains every atom!
The judgment of the Lord falls upon Egypt because their religion is based upon satanic activity and man-made gods (19:3). Idolatry and witchcraft. Existing every day in open rebellion against God. Denying His authority and worth by appealing to Satan and fabricating a god to receive the worship that is due Him is a dreadful sin against the the glorious, true God!
There is no doubt these three groups deserve judgment, and there is no doubt that we deserve judgment. Furious, righteous judgment. But until the Final Judgment, the judgments of God contain a redemptive element. He does not just purpose to prove Himself and punish sinners. He purposes to prove Himself in order to save sinners! Therefore, Damascus will look to his Maker (17:7), Cush will bring tribute to the Lord of hosts (18:7), and Egyptians will know the Lord (19:21). Judgment is redemptive!
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