Saturday, June 28,
2014, 5:52 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “What the Lord Says.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Isaiah 6 (NIV).
Woe to Me!
In
the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a
throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim,
each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they
covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one
another:
“Holy,
holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
At
the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was
filled with smoke.
“Woe
to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among
a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
Isaiah was brought into the presence of Almighty God. He saw
him in all his awesomeness, power, majesty, glory, righteousness, holiness, supremacy
and sovereignty. And, he revered, honored, and respected him for the holy and
powerful God that he is. As well, he was humbled by being in the presence of
such a holy God, realizing that he was a sinful man who lived among a sinful
people. Not only did he recognize and acknowledge (confess) his own sinfulness,
and that of his people, but he had the fear of God instilled in him to where he
recognized that, in his sinful state, he was doomed, as we all are without
Christ.
I believe the people of America, for the most part, have
lost, or perhaps have never even known that fear (awe, reverence and respect)
of God, honoring him for the holy God that he is, and seeing themselves as
unworthy to even be in his presence, apart from his saving grace. God is
oftentimes mischaracterized, and Jesus is often too humanized to where they are
(he is) brought down to our level, as though God is altogether like us, or as
though God is like a doting grandfather in the sky just there to grant our
every wish. The love of God is taught, which is good, because he is a loving
God, and he is a gracious, merciful and a forgiving God, but he is also a God
of justice, righteousness, and holiness, as well as he is a jealous, wrathful
and vengeful God who will judge the people of this earth one day.
Because we have lost the awe, respect and reverence for
Almighty God here in this country, as is described for us in this passage, many
people have become too casual about God and his word, teaching that all we have
to do is just pray a prayer and that we have our ticket into heaven, but not
teaching his righteous requirements of true believing faith (See Ac. 26:16-18;
Ro. 6-8; 2 Co. 5:15; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-25; Tit. 2:11-14 & 1 Jn. 1-5). They
will often teach that these Biblical requirements for believing faith are
legalism and works-based salvation, and ignore the reality that the scriptures
teach that coming to faith in Jesus Christ means death to sin, spiritual
transformation, and new lives in Christ lived out in the power and working of
the Spirit, free now to walk in Christ’s righteousness and holiness.
Or many go so far as to not even require a personal faith in
Jesus Christ but assume that all the people of the earth are God’s children. Or
else they think that because Jesus died for the sins of the entire world, that it
means all people are saved. There are so many twists and manipulations of
scripture in what is being taught in the church, and so many deceptive spirits
among so many who call themselves teachers of the word, or ministers of the
gospel, or pastors or leaders within the church, so that much of what is being called
“truth” is really a lie, and so much of what is called “the gospel” is really
man-made, worldly and of Satan.
Sin Atoned For
Then
one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken
with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has
touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Notice with me here the sequence of these events. First off
God presented himself, Jesus Christ the Lord (Ref: Jn. 12:41), to Isaiah in all
his holiness and glory. Christ was high and exalted, seated on a throne. Then,
Isaiah feared God, humbled himself in his presence, and then confessed his
sinfulness and his unworthiness to even be in the presence of God. Then, God
sent a divine messenger to him to atone for his sin and to take away his guilt.
This is a prefiguring of our salvation. Jesus Christ died on
the cross to atone (pay) for our sin. He was buried, but he was resurrected
from the dead. In his death and resurrection he put our sin to death, as well
as he conquered sin so we would be set free from the penalty of sin (eternal
damnation), and so we would be set free from the control of sin over our lives.
Shortly after he was resurrected, he ascended to heaven where he is seated at
the right hand of God, and where God has exalted him to the highest place; “far
above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is
invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come” (See Ph.
2:8-10; Eph. 1:20-21).
After Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, he sent his Holy
Spirit to earth to indwell, fill and empower his followers, and to send them
forth with the gospel of salvation. When we hear the gospel message, and we
humble ourselves before God, repenting of (turning from) our sin, we die with
Christ to our old lives of living for sin and self, we are spiritually reborn
of God into new creatures in Christ Jesus, and we are now free to walk in his
holiness and righteousness in the power and working of the Spirit within us.
What Jesus Christ accomplished for us in his death on the cross and in his
resurrection is now applied to our lives. Christ’s righteousness is now
credited to our accounts so that we are set free – free of the control (power) of
sin, and free to live holy lives pleasing to God.
Send Me
Then
I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for
us?”
And
I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
It was only after Isaiah had been presented with the awe,
glory and righteousness of his holy God, had humbled himself before him,
acknowledged his sin, and had received his salvation from the guilt and penalty
of sin, applied to his life, that he heard the voice of the Lord calling him.
And, it was then that he accepted the call to go – for God to send him wherever
he would send him. We cannot serve God in our own strength. We cannot serve God
if we are still living sinful lifestyles. He cannot fill us with his Spirit to
do his work if we are still holding on to sinful attitudes and behaviors. We
must come humbly before God. We must repent of our sins. And, we must
experience the cleansing power of God and the empowering of the Holy Spirit if
we are to be effective witnesses for his kingdom work.
He
said, “Go and tell this people:
“‘Be
ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
Make
the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise
they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and
turn and be healed.”
Wouldn’t you welcome a call like that? - Maybe not. A call
like this does not fit with today’s church here in America. It is too
judgmental; too in-your-face; too confrontational; too uncomfortable; not
seeker-friendly; and doesn’t mix with (immerse itself in) the culture of the
day. Yet, that is exactly the message that is sometimes needed, and someone
needs to carry that message to the people. The message is unpopular, and thus
it will most likely be met with resistance, both to the message and to the
messenger. The messenger will probably face much rejection, hatred, disdain,
mockery, ridicule, misjudgments and abandonment for being the carrier of the
message, too. And, yet, I can’t find a more fitting message to describe the
condition of much of the church in America today. We have been given so much,
and many have heard the truth over and over again, and yet so many close their
ears to what is right because they don’t like the message.
Then
I said, “For how long, Lord?”
And
he answered:
“Until
the cities lie ruined
and without inhabitant,
until
the houses are left deserted
and the fields ruined and ravaged,
until
the Lord has sent everyone far away
and the land is utterly forsaken.
And
though a tenth remains in the land,
it will again be laid waste.
But
as the terebinth and oak
leave stumps when they are cut down,
so the holy seed will be the stump in the
land.”
I believe very much so that God is giving a similar message
to the church here in America, and perhaps in other nations, as well. He is
calling the church to repent of her sins of idolatry and spiritual adultery, to
forsake her “other gods/idols” and to follow him in obedience and surrender to
his will for their lives. He is chastising her for her stubbornness, rebellion
and her refusal to listen to what is true, and for her acceptance of a diluted
gospel message that is intended to tickle the itching ears of those who listen.
And, I believe, too, that he will judge America if she does not repent of her
sin, and maybe it is already too late.
Those who continue to hold to the truths of scripture, and
to the teachings of Christ and the apostles, are among the outcasts, and in
many countries throughout the world they are severely being persecuted for
their faith, and many are being put to death because they will not compromise
with the world, and because they will not bow to the “beast” (N.W.O.). This is
coming to America, too, and to some degree it is already here. Yet, we should
be encouraged! We have nothing to fear because our Lord is with us. He will
carry us, sustain us, strengthen us, and help us. He will lead, guide and
direct us in the right way, no matter what we must suffer for the sake of his
name, and the sake of the true gospel of our salvation. We just need to
continue to follow what is true, even if it costs us our lives.
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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