Tuesday, March 04,
2014, 7:05 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “What the Lord Says.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Isaiah 56-57 (NIV).
“Have
I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be
discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua
1:9
Keep the Faith
“Maintain
justice
and do
what is right,
for
my salvation is close at hand
and my righteousness will soon be revealed.”
~ Is. 56:1
We are encouraged here to uphold, preserve, keep (follow;
obey) and continue in doing what is honest, truthful, upright, lawful, and in
that which shows integrity. We are to be in the daily practice of doing what is
right (correct; true; proper; and moral) – all in the Spirit of God within us. The
reason we should do this is because this is right, it is loving toward God and
our fellow humans, and because God’s word says we should do it - because, if we
are saved from our sins, we have the Spirit of God within us, who has
transformed our hearts away from lives given over to sinful desires, and we
have been given new lives, by God’s grace, to be lived in the power, strength
and working of the Holy Spirit within us. If Christ truly set us free from sin,
then how can we live in sin any longer (See Romans 6)?
We should also continue in walking in the Spirit of God and
in his ways because of the nearness of the Lord’s return, at which time our
salvation will be complete, and we shall be with him in glory forever (See Ro.
13:11-14; Jas. 5:8; 1 Pet. 4:7; & 2 Pet. 3:10-18).
The Outcasts
The
Sovereign Lord declares—
he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I
will gather still others to them
besides those already gathered.” ~ Is. 56:8
An exile is an outcast, someone who has been banished; sent
away and/or dismissed. Jesus Christ was an outcast. He was despised and
rejected of men (humans), a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. People
hid their faces from him. They mocked him, spat upon him, ridiculed him, and accused
him falsely, even of being of Satan. They also arrested him falsely, beat him
severely, and then crucified him unjustly.
Many who “keep the
faith” end up becoming outcasts, just like Jesus - unwanted, rejected,
despised and thrown away, discarded, and ostracized because they hold to the
truths of scripture, they do not deny Jesus Christ, and they continue to share
the true gospel of salvation despite all opposition against them. Even their
church and church leaders, their friends, family members, and/or even those
closest to them might consider them as outcasts to be put away. Jesus’ family
felt the same way about him. Ultimately, even his 12 disciples - who had been
with him for three years - betrayed, abandoned, deserted and/or denied him when
he was arrested and brought to trial.
I find a great encouragement in this 8th verse to
those who are “outcasts.” Others will be gathered to us, i.e. the Lord Jesus
will bring others along to comfort and encourage us, and/or he will bring many
more to faith in Jesus Christ who will then join us as outcasts.
Their Own Way
Israel’s
watchmen are blind,
they all lack knowledge;
they
are all mute dogs,
they cannot bark;
they
lie around and dream,
they love to sleep.
They
are dogs with mighty appetites;
they never have enough.
They
are shepherds who lack understanding;
they all turn to their own way,
they seek their own gain.
“Come,”
each one cries, “let me get wine!
Let us drink our fill of beer!
And
tomorrow will be like today,
or even far better.” ~ Is. 56:10-12
In direct contrast to the “outcasts” – those who “keep the
faith,” who choose what pleases God, who obey the word of the Lord (in the
power and strength and working of the Spirit within them), and who join themselves
to the Lord to minister to him, as his servants, and as those who love him and
his name; whom the Lord gathers to himself (See Is. 56:1-8) - are the “blind and
mute” spiritual (and political) leaders of the people. They are spiritually
blinded because they choose not to hear, see or accept the truth of the word of
God, or else they choose to believe in and accept only the parts that make them
and their followers “feel good.” They usually avoid such words as “sin,” “repentance,”
“hell,” “judgment,” and “obedience,” because these words make them and their adherents
uncomfortable. Yet, the message of the gospel is supposed to be an offense to
those who are perishing.
These blind watchmen (and women) of the people focus mainly
on what they consider to be the goodness of God and on what they interpret as
the meaning of the word “love.” Yet, they ignore the bulk of Christ’s and the
apostles’ teachings on righteousness, holiness, godly living, purity, integrity,
honesty, faithfulness, and obedience (keeping Christ’s commands). They ignore, as
well, the teachings in the NT on the subject of what constitutes genuine
believing faith, which gives a true promise and hope of eternal life with God in
heaven, and which surely delivers Christ’s followers from slavery and bondage
to (and the control of) sin in the here-and-now (See Lu. 9:23-25; Eph. 4:17-24;
Gal. 2:20; Ro. 6; Tit. 2:11-14; & 1 Jn. 1-5). They tend to say what tickles
the itching ears of the masses, as well, saying what makes people feel good
(See 2 Tim. 4:1-4; Rom. 16:17-19; 2 Pet. 2:17-22; and Jude 1).
A Brood of Rebels
“But
you—come here, you children of a sorceress,
you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!
Who are you mocking?
At whom do you sneer
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not a brood of rebels,
the offspring of liars?” ~ Is. 57:3-4
you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!
Who are you mocking?
At whom do you sneer
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not a brood of rebels,
the offspring of liars?” ~ Is. 57:3-4
If
we become followers of humankind, of “blind watchmen,” of idolatrous ways, and/or
of humanistic, paganistic and/or syncretistic philosophies and value systems
being taught by these “mute dogs” of the people, then we are in grave danger of
becoming their “spiritual” offspring, i.e. we may begin to think, believe and
act just like them.
We
may end up going the way of the world, following after the lusts and desires of
our own flesh, living in idolatry and spiritual adultery, and given over to
sexual promiscuity, greed, envy, rage, dishonesty and/or whatever vice (sin)
may catch our fancy (See Is. 57:5-13); forsaking our one and only true God and
Lord, Jesus Christ, who saved us from our sins and who set us free from all
that we may now engage ourselves in while making claim to God’s grace, thinking
his grace gives us that freedom. It does not (See Tit. 2:11-14). So, there are
many warnings in scripture concerning these false teachers and their teachings,
and many cautions for us to test everything that we hear against the word of
truth – God’s Word, the Holy Bible.
One
of the most striking of these warnings, I believe, is the one where the Apostle
Paul expressed concern for the believers in Corinth (See 2 Co. 11). He was
jealous for them with a godly jealousy. He had promised them to one husband,
namely Christ Jesus, so that he might present them as a pure virgin to him.
Yet, he was deeply concerned that they were being led astray from their sincere
and pure devotion to Jesus Christ. There were those who had come in among them
who were teaching a Jesus other than the one taught by the apostles. It was not
as though they were speaking about a different person, but that they had
created a persona for Jesus Christ other than who he truly was, and they were
teaching a gospel other than the one he and the apostles had taught the
believers. And, this is happening today in vast and numerous ways within the
evangelical church, particularly here in America. The indictment here is that
the people are putting up with it easily enough.
Many
of these who are teaching “another Jesus” are giving people false messages of
hope - feel-good messages that lie to them – and the people are loving it that
way. So the people join these false teachers in their hypocrisy, often adopting
their same attitudes about those who “keep the faith,” i.e. concerning those who
are deemed as “outcasts” because they continue to teach the true gospel of
salvation. And, so they join them in their mocking, sneering and the sticking
out of their tongues at the “outcasts.” Not only that, but many of them are culpable
for the deaths of numerous of these true servants of the Lord, either directly
or indirectly (via their worship and support of those who are guilty of murdering
the righteous servants of the Lord). Yet, God has offered us encouraging words
for those who die in Christ. They are taken away to be spared from evil, and
those who walk uprightly enter into peace when they die (Is. 57:1-2). Amen!
Build up, Build up!
The
encouragement here, though, is that we serve a merciful, loving, compassionate
and forgiving God. Amen! He may discipline us severely if we continue in our
rebellious ways, and if we refuse to repent and to follow him and his ways, but
he is always there to revive our hearts if we humble ourselves in repentance,
turning from our sin, and we turn to walk in his righteousness and holiness in
the power, strength and wisdom of the Spirit within us (See Rev. 2-3). He will
bring peace to our hearts and he will heal us. Amen! I can attest to my Lord’s
saving and reviving and healing power in the life of one who wandered away but
was brought back. So, if you are among the rebellious, I pray you will repent
today.
What the Lord Says
/ An Original Work
February 24, 2014 /
Based off Isaiah 43:1-44:5
This is what the Lord
says to you:
Fear not, for I have
chosen you.
I have summoned you by
your name.
You are mine. I died,
you to save.
When you go through
your trials, so deep,
I will be with you;
you will not sink.
You are so precious
always to me.
Trust in your Lord,
Savior and King.
This is what the Lord
says to you:
He who gave salvation
to you;
Who delivered you from
your sin;
Takes your burdens now
upon Him:
Forget the former
things of your life.
Give of your heart not
now up to strife.
See all the new things
I have for you.
Walk in vict’ry. Trust
in what’s true.
This is what the Lord
says to you:
He who made you; who
will help you:
Do not fear what
humans may do.
Walk in freedom.
Follow what’s true.
Drink of my Spirit
given for you.
Trust in my mercy, for
I love you.
I have a plan for all
of your life.
Follow my ways. Do
what is right.
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