Behold, God is My Salvation

Isaiah 12:1-3 ESV

 

“You will say in that day:

‘I will give thanks to you, O Lord,

    for though you were angry with me,

your anger turned away,

    that you might comfort me.

 

“’Behold, God is my salvation;

    I will trust, and will not be afraid;

for the Lord God is my strength and my song,

    and he has become my salvation.’

 

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”

 

When we are born into this world we are born with sin natures in the image (likeness) of Adam. He was the first man God created who sinned against the Lord, and thus God banished him from the Garden of Eden. All humans have sinned and have come up short of attaining God’s divine approval and his righteousness and holiness. Not one of us can be saved from our sins by our own human effort. No amount of good deeds will ever outweigh our sins. And this is why God the Father sent Jesus Christ to die on a cross.

 

[Rom 3:9-26; Rom 5:12-19; 1 Co 15:21-22,42-49; Eph 2:8-10]

 

Jesus Christ, although he was God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – he left his throne in heaven, humbled himself, came to the earth, and was born of the Holy Spirit to a human mother. So when he walked this earth he was fully God and fully man, although he was not born with a sin nature like we are since God was his Father, not Joseph. And Jesus never sinned like we have sinned. So he was able to be our perfect Lamb sacrifice on that cross to take away our sins.

 

[Isaiah 53:1-12; Matt 26:26-29; Lu 9:23-26; Lu 17:25; Jn 1:1-36; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 8:24,58; Jn 10:30-33; Jn 20:28-29; Rom 5:8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 9:5; 1 Co 6:19-20; 1 Co 11:23-32; 1 Co 15:1-8; 2 Co 5:15,21; Eph 4:17-24; Php 2:5-11; Col 2:9; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 1:8-9; Heb 2:14-15; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Pet 1:1]  

 

Jesus Christ was about 30 years old when he called 12 men to be his disciples (followers) and to join him in the work of the ministry. And Jesus’ earthly ministry lasted about 3 years before he was put to death on that cross. And during his years of ministry he healed the sick and afflicted, raised the dead, delivered people from demons, fed the hungry, comforted the sorrowful, and he preached repentance (turning away from sin) and obedience to him for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God. 

 

[Matt 4:17; Matt 7:21-23; Matt 11:20-21; Matt 12:41; Matt 21:28-31; Mk 1:14-15; Lu 5:32; Lu 9:23-26; Lu 13:1-5; Lu 15:2-7; Lu 24:45-47; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 8:31-32,51; Jn 10:27-30; Jn 14:15-24; Jn 15:1-11]

 

So, when we believe in Jesus Christ with God-given faith, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, not like our old lives, but created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Our old self is crucified with Christ in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin, but to God and to his righteousness. So we are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

 

Therefore, we are to no longer let sin reign (be in control) in our mortal bodies, to make us obey its passions, for sin is to have no more dominion over our lives now that we are under God’s grace. For if sin is what we obey, it will end in death, not life everlasting. But if obedience to our Lord is what we obey, it leads to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God. For the wages of sin (in practice in our lives) is death, but the gift of God, his salvation, is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

[Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Rom 12:1-2; Heb 12:1-2; Lu 9:23-26; Matt 7:21-23]

 

Isaiah 12:4-6 ESV

 

“And you will say in that day:

 

“‘Give thanks to the Lord,

    call upon his name,

make known his deeds among the peoples,

    proclaim that his name is exalted.

 

“’Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;

    let this be made known in all the earth.

Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,

    for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.’”

 

Now when Jesus Christ delivers us from our slavery (addiction) to sin he also empowers us to live godly and holy lives to the praise and glory of God. For we are saved from our sins, not just so we can escape the punishment of sin in hell, and not just so we can be assured of heaven as our eternal home. So the essence of the gospel message is that Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died to deliver us out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so we would now obey him in practice.

 

[Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Rom 12:1-2; Heb 12:1-2; Lu 9:23-26; Matt 7:21-23]

 

And not only must we be living that truth of the gospel in our daily lives, but we are to be those who are sharing the truth of the gospel with other people we meet or know wherever and whenever possible, including on the internet. For we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. And we are to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. And we are to be his witnesses in our communities and across the world, and we are to make followers of Christ of people of all nations, teaching them to obey all that our Lord commanded us.

 

And we are also supposed to be those who are encouraging (exhorting, urging, instructing, counseling) our brothers and sisters in Christ on a daily basis so that none of us will be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness, and so we will grow to maturity in our walks of faith in Christ Jesus, and so we won’t be led astray by people who are teaching false doctrines and false gospels in their deceitful scheming. And we are to be speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to encourage and to help strengthen one another in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord Jesus.

 

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:42-47; Acts 26:18; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Rom. 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; 1 Co 12:1-31; Eph 1:22; Eph 2:19-22; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-30; Col 1:18; Col 2:19; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Pet. 2:4-9,21]    

 

Dwelling In Beulah Land

 

By Miles C Austin (1911)

 

Far away the noise of strife upon my ear is falling;

Then I know the sins of earth beset on every hand;

Doubt and fear and things of earth in vain to me are calling;

None of these shall move me from Beulah Land.

 

Far below the storm of doubt upon the world is beating,

Sons of men in battle long the enemy withstand;

Safe am I within the castle of God’s word retreating,

Nothing there can reach me, ’tis Beulah Land.

 

Let the stormy breezes blow, their cry cannot alarm me;

I am safely sheltered here, protected by God's hand;

Here the sun is always shining, nothing there can harm me;

I am safe forever in Beulah Land.

 

Viewing here the works of God, I sink in contemplation;

Hearing now His blessed voice, I see the way He planned;

Dwelling in the Spirit, here I learn of full salvation,

Gladly I will tarry in Beulah Land.

 

I'm living on the mountain, underneath a cloudless sky,

I'm drinking at the fountain that never shall run dry;

Oh, yes! I'm feasting on the manna from a bountiful supply,

For I am dwelling in Beulah Land.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mob1aWZfApo

Caution: This link may contain ads