Besides God, There is No Savior

Isaiah 43:10-13 ESV

“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,

    “and my servant whom I have chosen,

that you may know and believe me

    and understand that I am he.

Before me no god was formed,

    nor shall there be any after me.

I, I am the Lord,

    and besides me there is no savior.

I declared and saved and proclaimed,

    when there was no strange god among you;

    and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.

Also henceforth I am he;

    there is none who can deliver from my hand;

    I work, and who can turn it back?”

My intention today with this passage of Scripture is not to go into all the history behind what was going on then, and then to teach a lesson on what was happening with those people at that day and time. My intention here is to make practical application of these words to our lives and to our world and to the church today. 

And this is based on the fact that "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)

For what these specific verses are about are to teach us the character of God Almighty, who he is, what he is capable of, how far his power extends, and what our relationship with him should look like if we are true followers of Jesus Christ by God-given and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ.

If our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine biblical faith, that means we have been crucified and buried with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. Sin no longer has mastery over our lives to where we are obeying its sinful desires. But now we are walking (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. For our will is to obey the will of God (Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14).

So, we are now the Lord’s servants and messengers whose lives are surrendered to his will, who are living in submission to Christ as Lord (Owner-Master) of our lives, and who are walking in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), in practice, according to the will of God, and in his power, strength, and wisdom, and to the glory and praise of God.

We who are in this relationship with the Lord are those who are listening to our Lord, and who are following him in obedience, and who are being taught by him about who he is and what he is about (John 10:27). And we are those who believe him, and who put our trust in him and in his sovereign will over our lives. And so when the world is crashing down all around us, we are at peace, because we know that God is in control, and that nothing can happen unless God allows it, and he allows it for a purpose.

But what else is he teaching us here? One of the big things that is standing out to me is that he is telling us that he is the ONLY SAVIOR of the world, and there is no other. It grieves me, I will tell you, when I hear and see so many professers of faith in Christ, and many who do not profess faith in Jesus Christ, hold our former US president, Donald Trump, up to “God status.” So many are looking to this man (or others) to save our nation from what ails us. But these are just men (or women, as the case may be).

We should not be looking to human beings to save us – not to our governments, and not to our military forces, etc. For human beings are flesh and blood, and they are fallible, and many of them are not who they claim to be. And everything we hear and see and read is not what it appears to be, either. We can’t just listen to or read or watch the news and expect that what we are receiving is the truth. Liars and deceivers abound everywhere! So we must not make other humans our gods and our saviors.

We also need to be looking at our present world through a spiritual lens and not through a natural lens. We need to be viewing what we think is going on in the world through the teachings and the prophecies of Scripture regarding the end times in which we now live. But we must interpret what we read in light of the Messianic age, and not in light of the Old Covenant, which we are not under. 

For example, the Israel that is of God is spiritual Israel, which is comprised of all who believe in Jesus Christ, regardless of what we were by physical birth (Jew or Gentile). For if we believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, in truth, and in righteousness, and in obedience to our Lord, then we are the heirs of God’s promises to his people Israel, but not to the physical nation of Israel which is of Hagar and which denies Jesus Christ as Lord, but only to those who believe in Jesus Christ.

[John 8:18-19,38-47; Romans 9:4-8; Romans 11:17-25; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-18; Ephesians 3:6; 1 John 2:22]

And please know that we live in an age of massive deception where anything can be faked, altered, distorted, and made to look real when it isn’t, or made to look as though one thing is happening, when the opposite may be true. So we have to stop believing the news, and then take everything to the Lord in prayer and in the study of the Scriptures, inquiring of him with regard to what is really going on. For if we don’t, we are ripe for deception and for supporting the enemy while rejecting those truly on the Lord’s side.

So, let God be your only God. Do not idolize any human beings, no matter who they are. For we are all human. And not everyone is who he/she claims to be. And please don’t trust the news media to tell you the truth. Please pray through everything and let God show you what is truth and what are lies and let his word (in context) teach you what is truth and reveal to you what are lies. Don’t let humans alone direct you in this, for not everyone is who he claims to be. There are many wolves in sheep’s clothing among us. 

Liars and Deceivers: [Matthew 7:15-23; Matthew 24:11-14; John 10:1-15; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Philippians 3:2; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 1 Timothy 6:3-10; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 1 John 4:1-6; Jude 1:1-25] 

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

https://vimeo.com/379406352