Thursday, February
20, 2014, 9:31 p.m. – I fell asleep at around 6:30 p.m. and woke up at approximately
9:30 p.m. The Lord Jesus put the song “He
Lifted Our Burdens” in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.
I read Isaiah 32:1-8 (ESV).
Behold, a King
Behold,
a king will reign in righteousness,
and princes will rule in justice.
Each
will be like a hiding place from the wind,
a shelter from the storm,
like
streams of water in a dry place,
like the shade of a great rock in a weary
land.
Jesus Christ is our righteous king. He is our God, and he is
our creator. He reigns supreme over all things, all things are under his feet, and
he is completely sovereign over all things. He holds all things together. He
rules with justice, virtue, uprightness, honesty, and integrity. His kingdom,
the kingdom of heaven (or of God), began with his first coming and will
ultimately be fulfilled (realized) in his second coming when he comes back to
judge, to gather his saints to him, and then to rule and to reign on the earth
for a predetermined period of time known as the millennium – his saints
reigning and ruling along with him.
The kingdom of heaven is Jesus Christ – his deity, his life,
ministry, death, resurrection, ascension into heaven, his second coming, his
millennial kingdom reign and rule on the earth, and him as forever King. In
other words, he is the embodiment of the kingdom. The kingdom is also his
salvation, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the saints of God (the body of Christ) -
heavenly Jerusalem, the City of God, and Mount Zion (the church), and eternity
with God in glory! Amen! So, his kingdom is not just something future, but it
existed in him and with him when he lived on the earth, it now lives in and out
through his church, and one day soon he will rule and reign on this earth in
place of the evil which now reigns.
So, when the prophets of old spoke of the Messiah, Jesus
Christ, and of his kingdom, and of his kingly rule and reign, what they spoke
of was not just concerning the time of the millennium, but of that which also
encompassed all of Jesus’ life and ministry, including in how he is presently
lived in and out through his church, i.e. through his true followers. So, not
only is Jesus Christ our shelter (refuge; protection) in, through or from the
storms (troubles; trials) of life, offering us his comfort, guidance, counsel,
love, grace, strength and support (encouragement), but we, as his body, should
also be sources of his love and grace to others who are also going through
difficult times (see 2 Co. 1). As well, just as Jesus Christ is the giver of
the living water (his Spirit; our salvation) welling up within us to eternal
life to all who would come to him, we, as his body, are to be ministers of this
living water, as well, through the sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ and
through being ministers of his grace, love, mercy, and kindness to the people
of this world around us.
Eyes Opened
Then
the eyes of those who see will not be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will give
attention.
The
heart of the hasty will understand and
know,
and the tongue of the stammerers will
hasten to speak distinctly.
When the Apostle Paul (then called Saul) received his
calling from Jesus Christ to be a minister of the New Covenant of grace, he was
told that he was being sent by God to open blinded eyes, to turn people from
the darkness of sin to the light of truth, i.e. to Jesus Christ, and away from
the power and control of Satan and sin over their lives to faith in Jesus
Christ (to God), so that they could receive forgiveness of sin and a place
among those who were being sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (See Ac.
26:16-18). This is why Jesus Christ came to earth, and it is why he died. He
died, not just so we could go to heaven one day, but so we could be set free
from the control of sin and Satan over our lives now, and so we could live and
walk in his righteousness in his power and strength within us.
The people of Isaiah’s day were hard of hearing when it came
to the truth of God’s word, they were dull in listening, and they closed both
their ears and their eyes to the light of truth which shines in the darkness. Many
today are in this same condition. Some are truly still walking in darkness and
have never truly entered into the light of the gospel. Among those still walking
in darkness are those who make professions of faith in Jesus Christ, but their
faith is surface (or shallow and superficial) only. It never really took root.
Yet, there are also those who are genuinely saved but have since wandered off
to follow after other gods and have thus closed their ears and their eyes to
what they know is the truth, in order to sear their own consciences and to
alleviate their own guilt because they know they are choosing to willfully walk
in disobedience to their Lord and to his word.
The encouragement here is two-fold, I believe. First of all,
when we come to Jesus Christ, by God’s grace, through faith, and we allow the
Spirit of God to transform our hearts and minds away from a life of sin to a
life given over to Christ, and indwelt and empowered by his Spirit to walk in
his righteousness and holiness, our spiritual eyes are opened to the light of
Christ, his truth and his gospel. Ears that were once deaf to hear the truth,
are also opened so that we now listen to what God’s word teaches us, and we
desire to and are active in putting his word into practice in our daily lives,
by God’s grace. As well, we now have spiritual insight, wisdom and
understanding into the truths of scripture and how they are to be applied to
and lived out in our daily lives. Yet, this also speaks of the time of the end
when Jesus Christ returns for his bride and he sets up his earthly kingdom
reign. Then we will see clearly and will have complete knowledge and
understanding (See 1 Co. 13).
Ungodliness Practiced
The
fool will no more be called noble,
nor the scoundrel said to be honorable.
For
the fool speaks folly,
and his heart is busy with iniquity,
to
practice ungodliness,
to utter error concerning the Lord,
to
leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied,
and to deprive the thirsty of drink.
As
for the scoundrel—his devices are evil;
he plans wicked schemes
to
ruin the poor with lying words,
even when the plea of the needy is right.
When Jesus Christ comes again to judge and to rule and to
reign on the earth, all things that are now hidden will be exposed. Those who
presently are living lifestyles of wickedness, but who may now be honored among
humans - perhaps because they have been able to fool people into believing that
they are righteous when in fact they are liars, deceivers, and those who plan
wicked schemes - will have the light of Christ shined on all their wicked and
evil deeds so that humankind will no longer give them honor and praise. Though
presently they may get away with hiding their wickedness, though not from God,
one day all will be revealed and the wicked will no longer be able to do their
evil deeds. Amen!
Among these who practice ungodliness are those who purport
to be ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but they spread error concerning
the Lord. There is much error being spread today here in America from the lips
of those who call themselves pastors, teachers and preachers of the word. So
many of them have become followers of mankind – of big business, marketing
schemes, and diluted gospel presentations designed to appeal to the flesh of
mankind and to tickle their ears with feel good messages which they long to
hear, but which are filled with lies, deception and false hope.
They give people the idea that faith in Jesus Christ is a
religious preference, joining a social club, some kind of euphoric feeling or
experience, or some type of intellectual or emotional assent to what Jesus
Christ did for us in dying on the cross for our sins, and a realization of our need
of him as Savior so we can go to heaven one day. And, yet they do not teach
that faith in Jesus Christ involves surrender and submission to the cross of
Christ in allowing the Spirit of God to transform our lives away from bondage
to sin and self, to a lifestyle given over to walking in Christ’s righteousness
and holiness, by his grace, through faith (See Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14; Ro.
6; 1 Jn. 1-5; Gal. 2:20). Thus, they are guilty of leaving the spiritually
hungry empty, and of withholding the living water from the spiritually thirsty.
Noble Plans
But
he who is noble plans noble things,
and on noble things he stands.
To be noble or to do what is noble means to be and to do
what is honorable, moral, decent, upright, gracious and righteous. So, a noble
person is one who walks in the Spirit of God and in his righteousness, and who
does not live to gratify the desires of the flesh. They are those who follow
Christ, who listen to what he says, and who put the word of Christ into
practice in their daily lives. What they do in the power, strength and wisdom
of the Spirit within them will stand for eternity, and on what is right, true,
honorable, just, pure and godly they take their stand. They are able to walk in
freedom, for sin no longer has dominion over their lives. Amen! They will reign
with Christ for eternity. His love and joy will overflow in their hearts and
lives, because Jesus lifted their burden of sin and set them free!
He Lifted Our Burdens
/ An Original Work / February 15, 2014
Based off Isaiah 9:2-7
People walk in
darkness.
They abide in their
sin.
It has power o’er
them.
True belief escapes
them.
Jesus Christ came to
save them.
He gave His life up
for them;
Crucified; died for
our sin,
So we might be
forgiven,
And have life up in
heaven.
Many come to know Him.
God’s love now
o’erflows them.
They rejoice in vict’ry.
Their sin is but
hist’ry.
We were once bound in
slav’ry.
Jesus lifted our
burdens;
Set us now free from
Satan,
So we now walk in
freedom.
Sin has no more
dominion.
Praise be to our
Savior!
He showed us His
favor.
He took all our
burdens;
Cast them all upon
Him.
He is our mediator;
The Light which shines
in darkness.
Counselor in our
troubles;
He gives peace now in
our hearts;
Joy which is
everlasting.
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