All the Light You Need

 

Isa 2:5 O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the LORD. 6 For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with eastern ways; They are soothsayers like the Philistines, And they are pleased with the children of foreigners.

Isaiah graciously pleads with the people to walk in the light of the Lord as opposed to the darkness of the Gentiles.  And note that following eastern mystics and disregarding God’s opposition to marrying unbelievers (that’s what’s meant by, “being pleased with the children of foreigners”) is a formula for a people to be God-forsaken.

 

Today, let’s talk about the problem of dabbling with the occult. It is as if these dabblers don’t believe God’s Word has enough light and so they seek additional light and illumination with eastern religion practices and soothsayers. But God plainly says, “don’t go there!” De 18:14 "For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you. (Dt 18:14)

 

Understand the gravity of this sin! It’s not harmless fun when you seek guidance from a horoscope, or seek help from a psychic. If that’s what you want, how long before you think God will say, “Okay, if that’s the kind of help you want, from now on, you’re on your own.” In other words how long before God will forsake you! How long before he turns you over to the evil one who is using these diviners to lure you away from Him?

 

Dabbling in the occult? Stop it! Rather accept Isaiah’s invitation. Return to the Lord in repentance and walk again in His light. He is all the illumination you need!

 

 

 

Unequally Yoked

 

 

Isa 2:5 O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the LORD. 6 For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with eastern ways; They are soothsayers like the Philistines, And they are pleased with the children of foreigners.

Isaiah graciously pleads with the people to walk in the light of the Lord as opposed to the darkness of the Gentiles.  And note that following eastern mystics and disregarding God’s opposition to marrying unbelievers (that’s what’s meant by, “being pleased with the children of foreigners”) is a formula for a people to be God-forsaken.

 

Or do you think God has changed His mind about these things? Speaking of marrying outside the faith He says in De 7:3,4, "Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. 4 "For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.

The starting point for every good marriage begins with a man and woman committed to Christ, and consequently committed to each other, and their marriage. “A threefold cord is not easily broken” (Ec 4:12)

Let me interject here, that even though the Lord would have you marry a fellow believer, such marriages DO occur, but marriage to an unbeliever is not grounds for divorce.  1Co 7:13,and 16 reminds us: And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?

Understand the gravity of this sin! It’s not wise to disregard the faith of a future spouse, who, in the long run may cause you to compromise or even jettison your own faith.

Hear the gracious plea of Isaiah again as you contemplate your marriage and choose to walk in the light (the illumination) of the Lord

No More War

 

Isa 2:4 He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.

Before we begin here, let us remember that Isaiah is talking about the “latter days.” As we mentioned last time, these days have been upon us ever since Jesus ascended into heaven and gifted His church with the Holy Spirit before He sent them out with His message of peace….the Gospel.

 

This gospel “Word” is what He uses to judge the nations: Joh 12:48 says, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”

 

This Word of the kingdom is a rebuking call to repentance that was the clarion call of Jesus who said in  Mt 4:17, “"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Now please note, who are the ones that are beating their swords into plowshares? Who are the ones converting their spears into pruning hooks? Who are the ones who look for ways to bless rather than curse?” Agriculture over war. Feeding others with life giving food as opposed to starving and killing others through war!

 

The answer is, “those who have been rebuked.” Those who have acted on the call to repentance and received the gospel…..followers of Christ.

Think about the call to Christians to be agents of peace. The writer of Romans reminds us: “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. (Rom 12:18)

Jesus told us to love our enemies rather than go to war with them:  "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, (Mt 5:44)

 

Wars arise from the lust of the flesh, and only Jesus can change the object of our lusts to a lusting for the things of His kingdom, and if this were done perfectly, there would be no more wars, and one day, when He returns, there will be no more wars!!

Jas 4:1-3 reminds us: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?

 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Alas, we live in an imperfect world and Jesus has told us that there will always be wars until He returns, but let us. as Christians, seek to live by this rule: Mt 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

 

Seeking His kingdom first will put our lustings in their proper place and eliminate a major cause of wars between nations.

The Latter Days

 

Isa 2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

 2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD'S house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it.

 3 Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob”

In the next 3 chapters of Isaiah, we will see the Kingdom of Christ unfold through the pen of Isaiah. This particular prophecy concerns itself with the latter days. Here’s the thing I think we all need to understand about the latter days. The world has been living in the “latter” days ever since the Holy Spirit was handed out to the New Testament church on Pentecost. Jesus has been at the ready ever since, just waiting for the Father’s signal.

Since that time, His kingdom (His church) has gone forth with the Gospel from Judah and Jerusalem unto all nations in accordance with Ac 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Jew and Gentile have come to the mountain of God (Calvary) where Christ was lifted up for the salvation of men! He said in Joh 12:32 "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." 33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

Every generation from that time until today has felt that, “this is it, the Lord shall soon return for obviously we are in the latter days.” You can’t read the New Testament without catching this expectation from the writers: Even the Apostles assumed the Lord was returning soon.

 

Paul wrote in 1Co 7:29 that time was short, “But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none,”

The writer of Hebrews said, the Day was approaching,” “Heb 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Peter said, the “end of all things is at hand,” 1Pe 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.”

Were they all wrong on this? Was the church wrong in every succeeding generation to say the signs point to the soon return of our Lord? Are we wrong today, when all these terrible things going on in our world point to the end?

No! They and we understood that the time of our Lord’s return has been imminent ever since His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and the gifting of His church with the Holy Spirit. He’s just waiting for the permission of the Father, and only the Father knows the time of the end.

Take comfort from 2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

The bigger question for all is this: Knowing that the Lord’s return could come upon us as a  thief in the night, are we ready? Are we ready to meet the Judge of the Universe? The only way to safely meet Him is to be found in Christ. Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Immediate, Near, and Future Prophecy

 

Isa 1:23 Your princes are rebellious, And companions of thieves; Everyone loves bribes, And follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.

 24 Therefore the Lord says, The LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, "Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries, And take vengeance on My enemies.

 25 I will turn My hand against you, And thoroughly purge away your dross, And take away all your alloy.(Immediate prophecy)

 26 I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city."

 27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice, And her penitents with righteousness. (Near Future Prophecy - the Arrival of Jesus)

 28 The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together, And those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

 29 For they shall be ashamed of the terebinth trees Which you have desired; And you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens Which you have chosen.

 30 For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades, And as a garden that has no water.

 31 The strong shall be as tinder, And the work of it as a spark; Both will burn together, And no one shall quench them. (Far Future Prophecy...the End)

 

He’s not called a prophet for nothing! Here Isaiah speaks of immediate judgment of Judah, then he speaks of the era of the coming Christ, and finally of the end times!

The leaders of Isaiah’s day are running the government on a system of bribes, and the fatherless and the widow are left to fend for themselves. I don’t want to get political, but it seems very close to our present system of lobbyists in the United States. Money wags the tail of our government and since the widows and fatherless have none, they are left out in the cold. In verses 23-25, he speaks of the immediate judgment of these greedy leaders.

Then in verses 26 and 27 we read of a time of restoration. This would be the coming of Christ. He would set up judges (let’s call them the Apostles) and His church would be populated by the penitent redeemed and once again become a beacon of righteousness, justice, and faithfulness to God.

 

Then in verses 28 thru 31 we read of the final judgment when Jesus will return and exact judgment on all those who reject Him. (Those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed! Fire and eternal damnation awaits them. No one shall quench them.

 

Isaiah is a prophet and prophets both warn of judgment, and call people to repentance. He who has ears, let him hear. Turn to Jesus and escape the judgment to come! For He has said through His prophet Isaiah: And those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

 

Don't Gloss Over Dross

 

Isa 1:22 Your silver has become dross, Your wine mixed with water.

The Lord continues His charge against His church, but I wonder how many of us pay attention to the words he uses.

 

Dross is not one of those words you hear in every day conversation. I worked in a foundry for two years and I know what dross is. It is the scum or unwanted material that forms on the surface of molten metal.  It is good for nothing but the slag pile. “What I have meant to be as precious as silver, (holy) you have turned into moral slag!

 

The Lord’s church, which was meant to be precious and rare and shiny like silver had become so morally debased that they were likened to scum. Their message of moral purity had become watered down like wine mixed with water.

 

These are strong (forever) words and the church today should not ignore them. They ought to serve as warnings to us as we seek to graciously work out our salvation.  Don’t water down the Word and don’t water down sanctified living! 1 Pet 2:9 reminds us:  ^“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

By grace, we’ve been called out of darkness into His marvelous light, let’s seek to live in a way that declares our praise of Him!

Let Us Reason Together

 

Isa 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool

This is one of the most revered passages in all of Christendom and rightly so. We find it unreasonable that God would be willing to forgive our sins through faith in the sacrificial death of His Son. We tend to think we have to do something on our own to earn it, but HE freely offers forgiveness through His loving sacrifice of His Son! Some of you will remember a praise chorus done by the Maranatha singers years ago that went like this:

White as snow, white as snow,

Though my sins were as scarlet,

Lord I know, Lord I know,

That I’m clean and forgiven.

Through the power of Your blood,

Through the wonder of Your love,

Through faith in You I know that I can be:

White as snow, white as snow, white as snow.

 

But why are sins colored red here? Why not black? Well for one thing, the sins of Judah at the time of Isaiah writing this included the brutal practice of child sacrifice. God wants us to be thinking blood here….innocent blood.

 

He “reasons” with us that even though we may be guilty of spilling innocent blood, (one of the things that He hates according to Prov Pr 6:16,17) the innocent blood of His Son Jesus will cover us. 1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

 

In the gloom and doom of the prophet Isaiah we often find these gospel gems, these beacons of light. Seek them out and cling to them for they are sure promises from a God who loves you so much that beyond our own human reason, He sacrificed His only Son to pay for our sins, that we may have eternal fellowship with Him in heaven.

White As Snow

 

 

Isa 1:15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. 16 "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. 18 "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; 20 But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword"; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. 21 How the faithful city has become a harlot! It was full of justice; Righteousness lodged in it, But now murderers.

This was not written on the heels of the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision of 1973 that legalized abortion in the United States. It was written during the reign of Ahaz, a wicked king of Judah who practiced and encouraged child sacrifice in the land. It was legal, and had the stamp of government approval.

 

I don’t think I have to point out the similarities. Wash your hands! Put away this evil doing! Defend and plead on behalf of the fatherless and the widow. And don’t miss the promise connected to repentance in this matter. "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.

Yes, even the sin of child sacrifice can be forgiven! Let us turn to Jesus and ask forgiveness for this atrocity in our land, and let us seek to defend the fatherless, help the widow, rebuke the oppressor so that the righteousness and justice of God, may reign once again in our hearts.

Cheap Grace

 

 

Isa 1:10 Hear the word of the LORD, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah: 11 "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" Says the LORD. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. 12 "When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? 13 Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies-I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. 14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them.

 

God has a message for the rulers and members of the church in the days of Isaiah, and if the sandal fits, we need to wear it today as well.

 

In this portion of Isaiah, the message is plain, God cannot bear hypocrisy. He abhors “cheap grace.” Today, He might say to us, “Why do you lead worship services and attend them on Sunday? Why do you bother with celebrations like  Easter and Christmas?” Your worship is futile, I will not listen to your prayers because I cannot bear iniquity in a sacred meeting. Stop living your life as if sin doesn’t matter! I cannot bear hypocrisy.” Ps 101:7 says, “He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence.”

 

He accuses the people of “trampling His courts,” Trampling? Hmmm where have I heard that before. Heb 10:29 says, “Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”

It’s called cheap grace. It happens when we live our lives with no thought given to sin and ignoring the holiness of God. The grace of God is a marvelous thing and covers all the sins that have stricken us. But let’s not use that grace as a license to continue in our sins! The Holy Spirit had this to say about sin and grace in Ro 6:1,2, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

 

Age old advice from Isaiah and the Apostle Paul. Pray that God would grant us godly sorrow over our sins and restore the sacredness to our meetings.

Given Over To Wickedness

 

Isa 1:5 Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints. 6 From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment. 7 Your country is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire; Strangers devour your land in your presence; And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. 8 So the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, As a hut in a garden of cucumbers, As a besieged city. 9 Unless the LORD of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah.

The Lord speaking through the prophet Isaiah says, “Why should I inflict more punishment on you? It does no good! You just rebel more and more! Your land has been conquered by enemies, your cities destroyed by fire, your nation has been reduced to something resembling a dilapidated gardener’s shack, and yet you continue in your wicked ways! If I hadn’t have put a stop to it, you would have become like Sodom and Gomorrah!”

 

This punishment from the Lord came during the reign of Ahaz. This wicked king of Judah promoted Baal worship and child sacrifices, he “encouraged moral decline” in the nation (2 Chr 28:19) and God gave the land over to their enemies, but even in this time of distress, Ahaz “became increasingly unfaithful.” (2 Chr 28:22) He didn’t get it. He stepped up his rebellion.

It is as Jeremiah said in Jer 5:3, “You have stricken them, But they have not grieved; You have consumed them, But they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to return.”

Sometimes. You have to put the rod away and let the wayward child figure it out for themselves as it says in  Jer 2:19, “Your own wickedness will correct you, And your backslidings will rebuke you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing That you have forsaken the LORD your God, And the fear of Me is not in you," Says the Lord GOD of hosts.”

 

Personally, I think we have arrived at this point in our land. That point where the fear of the Lord is missing and God has “given us over to our own wickedness,”  until we at last figure it out, and turn back to Him! ” Ro 1:24,25 says, “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Thankfully God reserves a remnant, or we might end up like Sodom and Gomorrah!

Come Out! Come Out Wherever You Are

 

Isa 1:4 Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward.

Isaiah continues his charge against the children of God. These children are of course the children of Abraham, who from the eight day of birth are in a covenanted relationship with God through the gracious act of circumcision. But they have “turned away backward” from God and His ways, choosing rather to live lives laden (piled on) with iniquity. Iniquity defined here not only as sin, but including its effects, including stirring up the “anger of the Holy One of Israel.”

 

They have become a brood (a seed) of evildoers, bringing forth the fruit of rebellion against God. They are children who are corrupters. Children who through the instrument of peer pressure bring forth corruption (moral rottenness….perversity) They are the bad apple that spoils the whole bunch. They are that crowd of hooligans whom you chose to hang out with as a teen. The adolescents that have no moral compass but the standards of their world.

 

They are the people spoken of in Ro 1:29-32, “being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,  30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Don’t be like them! Purpose in your heart to seek to live as a friend and follower of Jesus rather than a friend and follower of the world. Jas 4:4 says, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Learn from Isaiah. Learn from James. Yield to the Holy Spirit and be set apart from the world. Hear one of the last pleas from heaven for the people of God as found in Re 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.

 

 

Biting the Hand That Feeds You

 

 

Isa 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: "I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me; 3 The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master's crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider."

Sense the frustration of the prophet Isaiah. He addresses the sky and the ground because he knows they will listen. The firmament and the earth from the very beginning have obeyed the commands of God!

Ge 1:6 Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.

9 Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

They still do. Open your eyes and see God’s hand at work in nature! Ps 19:1 reminds us: “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.” That the skies and earth obey God perfectly cannot be disputed. Jesus told the Sea of Galilee in the midst of a terrific storm, “Be still!”  and it was! Mr 4:39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.”

Another time HE assured His disciples that through faith in Him, mountains could even leap into the sea! Mt 21:21 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.

 

God has put words in the mouth of a donkey: Nu 22:28 Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"

He turned a great fish into a Uber driver for Jonah, delivering him to Ninevah!

 

You’ve heard the expression, “dumb as an ox,” well at least the ox knows it’s owner and responds to commands given by the farmer as he plows his fields.

Or maybe you’ve heard of the stubbornness of donkey, but at least they know to go to the master’s crib to eat!

Don’t be like Isaiah’s audience. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Learn from the ox and the ass, and with all your heart:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Praise Him all creatures here below.

Praise Him above ye heavenly host.

Praise father Son and Holy Ghost.

Clergy Appreciation

 

October has been designated as “Clergy Appreciation Month” It’s a great idea, to show our appreciation for those who serve as our pastors and religious leaders. But you know, God has ALWAYS appreciated His “clergy.” In the Old Testament the role of clergy went to the Levites. This role carried with it tremendous responsibility, and God saw to it that their physical needs were well taken care of by the congregation. The same holds true for our clergy today. They too, have tremendous responsibilities in “rightly dividing the Word of truth,” and caring for the flock of God entrusted to their care.

 

They need our generous financial supply. They need us to step up in areas of ministry, where they are often overwhelmed, and they need our prayers. Let’s face it, they all have targets on their backs because the devil knows that he can cause major damage to the church, if he can get a pastor to fall.

 

I bring all this up today, because as I was reading about the reign of Hezekiah, I came across these verses in 2Ch 31:4,5 “Moreover he commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to contribute support for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to the Law of the LORD. 5 As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.

A couple of truths that carry over into the New Testament are worth mentioning here. The first comes from the Apostle Paul as he speaks to the duty to support those who feed us spiritually: 1Co 9:9 For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it oxen God is concerned about? 10 Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. 11 If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? 12 If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ.

 

Secondly, the congregation should look for ways to help the pastor, so he can be freed up for his most important work of prayer and ministering of the Word. This came to light early in the church, as we read in the Book of Acts:

 

Ac 6:2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3 "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 "but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

 

Ask yourself, what can our congregation do to please God in serving our pastor?

God certainly appreciates their calling, shouldn’t we?

He Blessed, and the Miracle Was On

 

“This IS my body,” or “this REPRESENTS My body.” Which is it? Are we to take the words of Jesus “literally,” or “figuratively?” This blog is not intended to settle the matter. Sadly, this divisive and often “hot” debate has raged for years in the church, and my little five minute devotion is not going to put an end to it today.

I will tell you that I am now of the “literal” crew, and I wanted to share with you some Scripture that helped me change my view.

First of all, I am a literalist when it comes to reading the Bible. Unless a passage is clearly intended by the writer as allegory, poetry, or some other form of writing, I take it literally. For some Lutherans, that’s enough to settle the debate. It never was for me. I could always see the possibility of Jesus speaking figuratively here, and so I wrestled.

 

But then one day when I was reading the account of the two disciples meeting Jesus on the road to Emmaus, I was struck by the miracle that occurred when Jesus blessed the bread: Lu 24:30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

I read that and thought, wow, something very special seems to happen when Jesus sits at table and blesses food.

That made me think of other times when He blessed food and a miracle followed. Specifically at the feeding of the 4000 and the feeding of the 5000.

 

When He fed the 5000, “He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.” (Mt 14:19)

 

5000 men were fed and who knows how many total were fed including women and children. A couple of questions came to my mind as I read this account. #1 What were the people eating? Was it actual fish or some sort of mock chemical concoction that tasted like bread and fish?

The answer to that question is obvious.

Secondly, how many more people could Jesus have fed that day? Again the answer is obvious…..”As many as would come.”

 

On the night that Jesus was betrayed, we read in Mt 26:26, “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."

He blessed the bread….the miracle was on! This bread literally became His Body, not some chemical representation of it, but the real deal, and it would be so as this meal is celebrated in His church until HE comes again.

 

How many will feed on the true body and blood of Jesus? The answer is the same as the feeding of the 5000, “as many as will come.”

 

Again, I am not saying these things to settle the debate, I’m only sharing with you that which was helpful to me. And every time I come to the Lord’s table, I think of that night that Jesus was betrayed, and the miracle unfolds before my very eyes as I partake of the Body and Blood of my Lord, who in this meal, promises me that my sins are remitted.

 Mt 26:28 "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

“Shed for many,” as many as will come, including this sinner, who is eternally grateful for this grace filled gift.

Flippant and Disinterested

 

One of the reforms that Hezekiah enacted during his reign was the reinstitution of the Passover….but there was a problem. Some of the people who participated had not properly prepared themselves. We read about it in 2Ch 30:18-20,

 

“For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the good LORD provide atonement for everyone 19 who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary." 20 And the LORD listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

This was a serious offense and required the forgiveness of the Lord. So Hezekiah prayed for them, the Lord heard his prayer and healed them.

 

In the New Testament, we no longer observe the Passover, rather we observe what is called the Lord’s Supper. This Sacrament was instituted by Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed, and the Holy Spirit speaking through the Apostle Paul gave us these instructions concerning this Sacrament.

 

1Co 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.

Somehow the Lord’s Supper had morphed into a mere pot luck at the church in Corinth and the people needed to be corrected. Isn’t it interesting that when the Passover meal instructions were misapplied in Hezekiah’s day, he prayed and the Lord HEALED them? Here in Corinth, people were, physically, weak, sick, and some were even dying. They too were need in need of HEALING!

 

Paul gives us the remedy for proper preparation of the Lord’s Supper and the remedy boiled down to simplicity is this: Don’t be flippant or disinterested in what is taking place at the Lord’s Table. Rightly discern the Lord’s Body. He is present in a very real way during this meal.

In the Lord’s Supper, we proclaim the Lord’s death. We remember His pain, His suffering, His shed blood for the forgiveness of our sins.

In a miraculous fashion, this meal is not mere physical sustenance, but rather the body and blood of our Lord. Of the bread, Jesus said, “ This is My body,” and of the wine He said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood.”

 

To be flippant or disinterested in this Holy Meal is to take it in an unworthy manner, and note such sin does not make one guilty of bread and wine, but of the body and blood of our Lord.

 

I’ll be honest, for years I struggled with the possibility that the bread and the wine were the body and blood of Christ. It seemed “unreasonable” to me. Surely He meant it represents His body and blood right? But then one day, I read an account in Scripture which the Holy Spirit used to help me understand. I’ll share that with you next time on Today’s Living Word.

Yield and Serve

 

Continuing today with a look at the reign of the good King Hezekiah who was the fourth and final king of Judah during the days of Isaiah. One of the things Hezekiah did was send out runners throughout the kingdom with a challenge to the people to “return to the Lord.” Beginning at 2Ch 30:6 we read, “Then the runners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king and his leaders, and spoke according to the command of the king: "Children of Israel, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; then He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 "And do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you see. 8 "Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you.

 

As I read this portion of 2 Chronicles, I can’t help but think of how applicable it is for us today! We are experiencing God’s judgment in much the same way. Whereas God gave them “up to desolation, as they could plainly see” we have been given up in the fashion of Ro 1:24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, as we should also be able to plainly see! Look around! See the prevalence of sin spoken of in Rom 1:26-32, “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

 

What to do?

 

The remedy is the same! Stop being stiff-necked! Rather YIELD YOURSELF TO THE LORD and SERVE! (v8) And it starts with individuals, like you and I. I’ve always loved what Corrie Ten Boom has said about spiritual revival. She said “if you want revival in the land. Draw a circle in the dirt. Then step inside that circle and pray, “Lord bring revival to whatever is in this circle.”

A revived soul will yield to the Lord and serve Him, trusting the Lord for any and all results.

 

You may be mocked for your faith, just as Hezekiah’s messengers were mocked, but some, through the grace of God,  responded to the message in a positive way, and revival began!

 

2 Chr 30:10, “So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they laughed at them and mocked them.  11 Nevertheless some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, at the word of the LORD.

Good King Hezekiah

 

The fourth and final king of Judah during the days of Isaiah was King Hezekiah. He took over at the age of 25 and reigned for 29 years and he “did what was right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father David did,”

 

He didn’t make reforms based on the temporary mistakes of his predecessors, he went back to the beginning, back to the way things were when David reigned. The first thing he did was clean house. He cleaned out the temple. He removed all the abuses that had crept in through the years. He once again made the temple a “house of prayer,” as it was always meant to be. It’s the same thing Jesus did when He cleansed the temple and said in Mt 21:13 "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,'

Further, he restored music and singing to the worship practices. 2Ch 29:27 Then Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD also began, with the trumpets and with the instruments of David king of Israel.  28 So all the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.

 By the way, let me just say here that if you are involved in the worship service at your local congregation, via playing an instrument or being part of a choir, or a soloist, or a contemporary worship team. You are doing a good and vital service to the church. Never underestimate the importance of your role! And (you worship leaders will understand this) Keep it vertical and the rest of us will follow!

Hezekiah also restored the proper observance of the Passover meal, and that should serve as a reminder to us today, of the importance of participating in the Lord’s Supper.

 

We’ll continue looking at the reign of Hezekiah next time, but for today, let us remember that the church is to primarily be a house of prayer. A place of two way communication with God. He speaks to us through the declaration of His Word and we respond in worship to Him.

In addition remember the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins as proclaimed at the Lord’s table and do this on a regular basis.

Post Abortion Syndrome

I want to spend one more day on King Ahaz because I think there is a connection between the sacrificing of his children and his increasing unfaithfulness.

We are told in 2 Chr. 28:3 that he “burned his children in the fire,” and in 2 chr 28:22 that he “became increasingly unfaithful.”

 

In this day and age, this “increasing unfaithfulness” is a common response to those who abort their children. It’s the result of what is called post abortion syndrome and it breaks out in many different ways. Here is a partial list of symptoms for those who have participated in the act of aborting their child.

• Bouts of crying
• Depression
• Guilt
• Inability to forgive yourself
• Intense grief / sadness
• Anger / rage
• Emotional numbness
• Sexual problems or promiscuity
• Eating disorders
• Lowered self esteem
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• Nightmares and sleep disturbances
• Suicidal urges
• Difficulty with relationships
• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Flashbacks
• Multiple abortions
• Pattern of repeat crisis pregnancy
• Discomfort around babies or pregnant women
• Fear/ambivalence of pregnancy

 

Some of these symptoms are behaviors that are contrary to God’s Word. (rage, sexual promiscuity, drug and alcohol abuse, for example) These behaviors  are manifestations of “increasing unfaithfulness.” They are symptoms of someone who is trying to deal with intense emotional pain, rather than turning the burden over to Jesus and the cross.

 

We, in the church, don’t help the situation by ignoring the subject. It needs to be talked about! The sanctity of life needs to be taught  in our churches today: The sin of abortion needs to be exposed and the remedy  (the gospel) made clear. For the most part, this is just not happening in our churches today!

A recent survey found that 76% of women who aborted a child indicated that their local congregation had no influence on their decision to terminate their pregnancy! NO INFLUENCE? That tells me that the message of right and wrong never got through.

In addition, a Pew Research study revealed that 46%  of Missouri Synod Lutherans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

These are just numbers, but I have personally counseled men and women who have struggled with the aftermath of their decision to abort their child. The struggle is intense and very real, but so is the release when the gospel of forgiveness through confession and absolution hits home.

Preach and teach sin! Preach and teach forgiveness! Rightly divide the word of truth! It is our only hope to set people free! And as always, remember, there is no sin that Christ did not pay for on the cross…..even the sin of abortion!

If you need help in this area, contact Lutherans For Life, they can steer you to the many resources that are available to help those wrestling with “life” decisions past and present.