Month: December 2019

124. Not Ashamed, Confounded, Reproached

Isaiah 54:4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

God promises that we shall not be ashamed for believing in Jesus; we will be not confounded since we will not be put to shame while the shame of youth is forgotten; we will not remember the reproach of being left alone, unprotected, uncared for or abandoned. The rewards of grace will positively be there. Disappointment is impossible.

The argument for faith in God used to be thus: “If I believe in God and He turns to be nonexistent I have lost nothing; if you don’t believe in God and He turns out to be true you will lose everything.” Which would you choose? But neither an atheist nor a believer is convinced by logic. It is a matter of faith in the love and grace of God, which we know to be real because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The believer has no doubts: he knows he will not be let down. No amount of atheistic propaganda or derision could convince us otherwise. Equally, no amount of sound logic would convince the hardened atheist either.

Nevertheless, we shall not be ashamed or confounded for our faith. We are willing to face persecution, torture and death, and we would still not give up our faith in Christ. We can face life, death, the judgment and the future with confidence, joy and victory. We can be confident without being smug. We can be bold without being brash or rude. We can be humble without being crushed. We can be loving and kind with no thought of return, because we know God has His rewards waiting for us, for no one will lose his reward. Jesus says, “When you have a party, invite those who cannot invite you back or repay your kindness.” He can say this and we can believe it because we have this promise from the Lord.

The reproach and pain of widowhood will be forgotten since we will be wedded to another Groom. This Bridegroom loves us and cherishes us forever, for He will be with us always. Neither the Bride nor the Groom will ever die.

123. Intercessioin

Isaiah 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

By bearing our sin upon Himself, the Servant Messiah was able to make intercession for sinners. We are the transgressors, and Jesus interceded for the transgressors. In other words, Jesus died for me. Intercede means: “come between.” Jesus, the Son of God, came between God and sinners, two hostile parties at war with each other with no possibility of mediation. Sin, which inheres in every human being, separates from a holy God. It cannot be tolerated; reconciliation is impossible. Where there was no way, the Lord made a way: He gave His only Son, the second person of the Trinity, to come to earth as a human and as God to intercede for, come between, God and sinner. His “intercession” reconciled the two sides, brought them together, and united them as one.. He interceded by taking on our sin and suffering death, the just penalty for sin, in our place. Thus we become pleasing to God, He can love us completely, and give us His very eternal life for free. This is what intercession does for us.

The promise of intercession also includes intercessory prayer on our behalf. Hebrews 7:28: “He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” Christ has not only brought us together with God and granted access to the Throne Room, but also Jesus Christ Himself is pleading for us and bringing our prayers and requests before the Father. Jesus is praying for us. But Jesus also says in John 16:26, 27: “In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you.” Jesus does ask the Father, but He actually asks through our hearts and mouths. We have such intimate access to God the Father because of the intercession of Christ. So Jesus tells us: “Ask the Father in my name,” that is, pray in the faith that I have brought you clean and holy before God Almighty. Because of Jesus we are with God to ask ourselves. Jesus does not intercede by talking to God for us. You can do the asking, but now the Holy Spirit helps us do the asking because He promises: “The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, and the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Jesus interceded and made prayer possible; the Holy Spirit articulates the issues for which we can only groan. God promises prayer along with the desire and ability to do it. God promises intercession.

122. Justify Many

Isaiah 53:11 He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities..

We are justified by grace, through faith, for the sake of Christ. This is he core truth of all Scripture, of our faith, and of our life. Everything comes out of and leads to Justification by Faith. If this is not the source then there is no other place to turn; if this is not the end and purpose of every article of faith then there is no purpose to the thought or to life; if this is not the center then our life will be out of whack.

In this “Gospel of the Old Testament, Isaiah 53” is the center of the Word of God. The prophecy came true in the New Testament. God’s righteous servant, Jesus the Messiah, did indeed justify many. When His soul suffered He was satisfied with the result of His travail and the benefits of His suffering and death. We are the beneficiaries. He did bear our sins and our iniquities in His own body on the cross. Because He was willing out of love He was able to take our sin upon Himself and suffer the eternal death that we deserved. 

Justification by Faith is not only the central doctrine of philosophical and theoretical theology, but it also the central factor in our regular earthly life. Everything for our life and joy and blessing and peace and hope flows from this Eternal Truth. And it applies to everything in our life every day. We need this promise to apply it to the needs and problems we face daily. We must not put it on the shelf, leave it in a book, or let it remain in the church; we must use it and apply it to ourselves for practical living. Justification sounds like theological jargon, but it has very practical applications to regular life. It is not old, tired, boring or clichéd; it is fresh and new and immediately useful. Try applying this doctrine to anything and see how it works out all things for good. Meditate on the Meaning: “Jesus justifies me.”

121. Carry Griefs and Sorrows

Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Jesus Christ, the Messiah has borne our griefs on Himself, and He has carried our sorrows to the cross. The cause of grief and sorrow is sin, sin in the world and sin in our own flesh. Adam’s sin and disobedience brought about the Fall and the Curse, and every descendant thereafter suffers grief and sorrow as a result. No one escapes the curse, but Jesus became a curse for us, by taking our sins to the cross and dying the penalty for them, thereby lifting the curse from us.

To all appearances, however, it looks to us humans like Jesus of Nazareth suffered the just punishment of God for his own sin. So we thought of Him as being smitten by God. Indeed, Jesus was stricken and smitten by the hand of God; the distinction, however, was that He was smitten for our sins. Our sins were laid upon Jesus; He bore them in His own body to the cross and died for them. Why was His suffering so terrible? It was because Jesus, the Son, was separated from the Father (death is separation). This would seem to be impossible, but it is possible with God and it is true. He did it; He died; He could take on our sin and guilt and remove the curse.

“What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Ev’rything to God in prayer!….Carry ev’rything to God in prayer!” Because Christ carried our griefs we may carry them to Jesus. This is how it works out in real life in our present sorrow. The Hymn asks: “Why would we forfeit peace and bear needless pain?” There are several answers: 1) we do not believe it; 2) we do not want it; 3) we are neglectful 4) we are forgetful. The latter is probably the most usual reason. The answer is simple: reminders! For this reason we read the Bible, go to church, hear the Gospel, and spend time in prayer. We may apply the truth and comfort of this promise to ourselves by faith at any time.

120. Rear Guard

Isaiah 52:12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.

God promises to have your back. When the Son died on the cross, the Lord said, “Go out. You are free.”Your “exodus” will not be quick or in a hurry. You may go out holding your head high and with confidence because the Lord will go before you and He will be your rear guard. With the Lord’s exodus and liberation on the cross and the empty tomb the Lord Himself will lead you out from the evil and dark kingdom, bring you into the kingdom of goodness and light, and He will march behind you to make sure you are not prevented from freedom by enemy attack.

This promise should be most comforting to us in our lives. God is with us, in front of us, and behind us. He delivers us from evil; He frees us from the entrapments of our own sins; He leads us not into temptation; He leads me beside still waters; He brings me from darkness into light; He takes me out from the stranglehold of death and grants eternal life. All of this and more is an Exodus. The first Exodus was the exodus of the people under Moses out of bondage in Egypt; the second Exodus was the return of the Jews from Exile in Babylon; the third Exodus is the setting free from Sin, Death and the Devil through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The prophecy, “Ye shall go out,” was directed to the exiles in Babylon. By extension, and by obvious inference, reference is made to Moses’ Exodus, and the prophecy concerns the Exodus bought by Jesus Christ for all believers. This is the promise that we can take hold of in our day. God Himself leads us out of evil and pushes us into the righteousness of God. And His power will protect us on the way from sin to grace, from darkness to light, from death to life. This means He will guide us and guard us on the Exodus journey He has placed us on. We may daily remind ourselves of this promise: “I got your back!”

119. Power unto Salvation

Isaiah 52:10 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. The promise of God is that His power will be made evident in all the earth, and all will see the salvation of God. This promise was fulfilled in the coming of the Messiah. Jesus’ Coming is an invasion of the Kingdom of God into the kingdoms of the earth. The God-man came in power, the power of love and the power of the gospel, to bring salvation to all the earth. 

This power of God unto salvation (the Gospel) was evident to the eyes of all, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of God. The truth of this promise is that all people everywhere can see and hear the gospel of salvation for every person. It is not that some have never heard it; it is that some have rejected it. No one can make the excuse that he has never heard or seen. Romans 1:20: “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever sin the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

It is a made-up fiction to say, “What about those who have never heard?” The arm and the salvation of God is laid bare for all to see. A better question to ask, “What did you do with the revelation you have been given?” They rejected God in unbelief. Nevertheless, we have heard and seen and the Spirit has given the faith to receive the Gospel. We have seen the power of God unto salvation and we have believed it. The holy arm of the Lord was exercised in power, the power of love, at the cross where the Son of God utterly defeated Sin and Evil. He was resurrected in a violent overthrow of Sin, Death, and Satan.The holy arm of the Lord is the power of love that defeats all sin and crushes the devil and overthrows death forever. Love is violent power against evil, death, harm and danger. This power is evident for all to see and believe and be saved.

118. Comfort and Redeem

Isaiah 52:9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

The Lord has comforted and redeemed His people, the Church. And the Lord promises to comfort and redeem each of us in our time of need and trouble. This promise came true in real life when the Son of God entered the world in the human birth of the Messiah. He came with this purpose and fulfilled this promise for us who will believe in Him. The Lord Jesus has brought comfort and redemption into our hearts, and we can rely on this promise every day. We mourn but we are comforted; we are enslaved but we are redeemed.

When we need comfort we have it. The Holy Spirit comes into the heart and comforts with the Gospel. When He convinces us of the love of God and the forgiveness of our sins we are comforted. It is our own sin and the sins of others that cause discomfort. It is death around us and the sure prospect of death within us that brings discomfort to the heart and soul. It is the devil and his lies that shoot the lying arrows of hurt and harm, guilt and shame, doubt and despair into the heart, which cause fear and anxiety. The Lord Jesus has defeated and wiped out these causes of discomfort. God loves us, cares for us, and wants us comfortable inside. And He has provided only one way to comfort His people: the Father sent the Son and the Spirit to comfort us.

Whenever we need redemption, which is always, we have it solid and sure. We need to be redeemed continually because we can touch our body to see if we are flesh and blood, we can look around and see that we are still in the world, and can be sure that the devil will always be lurking about lying and murdering. Sin, Satan and Death are constantly using the world and our own flesh to tempt us into sin and its harmful consequences. We never outgrow the need for redeeming, and, thank God for His promise, we always have it available. We are redeemed, presently, now, today, always, and forever.

117. Good News, Peace, Salvation

Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publlisheth salvation,: that said unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

Good News is beautiful. The messengers that bring good news look beautiful because they are bringing good news, good news of good. Everyone loves good news, and everyone needs good news. Everyone needs The Good News of Jesus Christ. The messengers that bring good news publish peace and salvation. The good news messengers of God published peace and salvation to the shepherds on the night Jesus was born on earth. All who publish peace are beautiful people. World War II veterans tell us no one will ever understand the joy and celebration that flowed through the troops and the country when peace was published.

God promises the Gospel of peace and salvation for all who will receive it. Gospel preachers are beautiful people, not because they are beautiful in themselves but because they bring a beautiful message that is meant for all people. And each Gospel preacher is beautiful to me. The further truth of this promise is that we may announce and publish this wonderful news to anyone at any time. Even, and especially, we may publish the good news to ourselves by ourselves. This happens when we read and hear the Bible. The Bible is full of good news that brings peace and salvation. The Holy Spirit uses the message of Scripture to give and grow faith. Very seldom will we walk away from large group Bible study, small group Bible study, or personal devotions without feeling better, because of the beautiful peace and salvation we have received.

The specific message to the Church is: “Your God reigns!” Both John the Baptist and Jesus announce the same message: “The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel.” The kingdom of God is the reign of God. The good and kind Lord has taken charge of our lives and hearts.  God is taking over. He drives out sin and evil, death and the devil, self and all self-destructive self-centeredness. God is good and Jesus is King. This is really good news.

116. Know the Lord

Isaiah 52:6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.

We shall know the Lord; we shall know His name; we shall know His voice; we shall know He speaks, “it is I.” When the disciples were tossed about and sore afraid in the storm, wind and waves on the lake they saw Jesus walking on the water. He said, “Fear not, it is I.” Jesus will speak these most comforting and reassuring words in the midst of every storm of life. We know Him; we know His name, we know His voice; we know His presence. He speaks to us the same words: “Be not afraid; it is I.” 

When Jesus speaks, what is there to be afraid of? For we have the promise that we shall know Him. God shows up in our lives all the time, especially in times of trouble and fear. When He shows up it is unexpected and surprising. He answers prayers in ways we could never have imagined. We recognize Him because we know Him. We hear Him and we are immediately comforted, and love and peace floods over the soul and washes away the fear and worry. All this is true because God promises that we will know His name. In response to the Gospel we speak the name of Jesus, because the Spirit has given us faith to know Him.

In this verse, the words “in that day” is code for “the days of the Messiah, or the days of the New Testament,” the very day in which we are living today. Today is “that day.” It is also especially the day we need Him. “Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee. [Psalm 50:15].” We may “call upon the Lord in every trouble, pray, praise and give thanks, “ because we know His name: it is Jesus. Hear the voice of Jesus: It is I. The Lord is always present to us, and we know it, but know that in the day of trouble He will be present in a powerful way to deliver. 

Use this promise to see and hear the Lord and to recognize and know Him. He will show up at unexpected times and unusual ways. You have the promise: you know Him. Learn to watch for “God sightings.”

115. Redeemed without Money

Isaiah 52:3 For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.

Many are the promises of redemption. Here the promise is that we shall be redeemed without money, because we are redeemed with blood, the blood of Jesus, the Son of God. This redemption is free to us. We did not pay for redemption, but Christ did, and fully so; He paid the full redemption price. On earth one may pay a ransom price for a person kidnapped or in slavery. But we were redeemed from both legal kidnapping and slavery. Our sin and guilt has legally put us into slavery and ownership to the devil. As long as we have sin we are legally bound to and owned by Satan and we are rightfully his slaves. But once the blood of Jesus forgives our sin we are free; we are returned to the original and rightful owner, God the Father: we are redeemed; and that without money, but with blood.

Original Sin was the price for which we were sold in the first place. Once Adam sinned Satan had a legal claim and a lawful right to his life, and all his descendants; and he subsequently enslaved us to Sin, to Death and to himself. Sin sold us for nought, that is, for nothing, for no money. The forgiveness of sin bought us back again, also without money. All the money in the world could not purchase the soul of one person; each soul is worth much more than that. The precious blood of Christ was the redemption price, and it is paid in full.

Whenever we are depressed; whenever we feel down and out; whenever we feel guilty, ashamed and worthless failures; whenever are fearful and worried about anything, then we turn to the cross and see the blood of the Loving Savior being shed for our sin. What we see is the redemption price, costly beyond measure. So high and deep and wide and long is the love of Christ that we cannot comprehend it with our minds; we need the revelation of the Holy Spirit. This revelation, this vision, this understanding comes by the Spirit through the power of the Gospel. Sometimes we need to say these words in faith: “I have been redeemed.” In this way, the promise is repeatable, undeniable, uplifting and powerful. Say it, take it, use it, and claim it: by faith it is yours.