Let Them See Your Zeal for Your People

Isaiah 26:9-11 ESV

“My soul yearns for you in the night;

    my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.

For when your judgments are in the earth,

    the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

If favor is shown to the wicked,

    he does not learn righteousness;

in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly

    and does not see the majesty of the Lord.

O Lord, your hand is lifted up,

    but they do not see it.

Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed.”

If we are true followers of Jesus Christ, and not in name only, we should be those who yearn for the Lord, day or night. We should be those who hunger and thirst after righteousness and who long to walk in the ways of the Lord and in his truth and righteousness, and who no longer long (yearn) after the sinful pleasures this world has to offer. We should want to obey our Lord and not be looking for loopholes to get out of obeying him.

Nevertheless, many people in America who are professing faith in Jesus Christ are following after and promoting a diluted and altered gospel message which is telling them that they can “believe” (not usually defined) in Jesus Christ, have all their sins forgiven, have heaven guaranteed them, and be guaranteed that nothing can take that away from them, but regardless of how they live. And so they are being given free license to continue in deliberate sin.

And many of them will defend their altered gospel message strongly in defense of their belief that they can still walk (in conduct, in practice) in sinful rebellion against the Lord because they made some profession of faith in Jesus Christ. And this is based off teachings of the Scriptures which are pulled out of their context, and which are being twisted and altered to say what the Scriptures, in context, do not teach.

Many people are believing that a one-time profession of faith in Jesus Christ is enough to secure them heaven when they die, but while they continue in deliberate and habitual sin against God and against other humans. And this is so contrary to the character of God and to his gospel of salvation. For Jesus died on that cross to free us from our slavery to sin so that we will now become slaves of God and of his righteousness (Romans 6:1-23).

So, those who are buying into this diluted and altered and cheapened “gospel” message are being shown favor, but not the favor of God, but the favor of man in his deceitful scheming who is lying to the people and who is telling them that God will not judge them for their sin, and that they don’t have to repent of their sins, and that they don’t have to submit to Christ as Lord, and that they don’t have to obey our Lord’s commandments.

And so they give their lip service to the Lord and they go on living however they want. And many are living just like the ungodly of this world, and some of them are living far worse than many who make no profession of faith in Jesus Christ. For they are being given permission to keep living in sin. And many of them are addicted to sinful practices, including some pastors of “churches,” especially in the area of sexual immorality and adultery.

And perhaps the not so encouraging thing with this is what it says in verse 9, that when the Lord’s judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. For when things are going well for people they are more apt, by nature, to become slothful and complacent and to assume that life is just going to go on as usual and that how they live is not going to affect what they believe is their eternal security.

So, the Lord sends judgments on the earth in order to turn his people and the people of the world back to him and to him in surrender of their wills to the will of the Lord, and in repentance and submission and humility and in obedience to the Lord and to his commands (New Covenant). For example, I believe that what happened on 9/11/01 in America was a judgment of God on our nation intended to turn people’s hearts back to the Lord.

Nonetheless, it appears that not many turned back to the Lord, but once the main tragedy was past, the many went back to business as usual. So, for God to bring true revival to America, I personally believe something more drastic than that is going to have to take place. For my nation, overall, but not including everyone, is so far from God and from who he wants us all to become that it is going to take something severe to bring revival here.

And so the prayer here is this, “O Lord, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people and be ashamed.” And let them humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways and turn back to you or to you for the first time in true repentance, and in true submission to you as Lord (Owner-Master) of their lives. Bring revival to my nation, I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen! 

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Seek the Lord  

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him. 

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you, 

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

https://vimeo.com/379408296