Isaiah 33:13-16, 21, 22 says, "'You who are far away, hear what I have done; and you who are near, acknowledge My might.'  Sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling has seized the godless.  'Who among us can live with the consuming fire?  Who among us can live with continual burning?'  He who walks in righteously and speaks with sincerity, he who rejects unjust gain and shakes his hand so that they hold no bribe; he who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking upo evil; he will dwell on the heights, his refuge will be the impregnable rock; his bread will be given him, his water will be sure.... But there the majestic One, the LORD, will be for us a place of rivers and wide canals on which no boat with oars will go, and on which the mighty ship will pass--for the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; He will save us--" (NASB)

This passage is very powerful to the people who seek to walk uprightly with God.  God speaks through Isaiah about what He expects out of His people to walk uprightly.  Rewards are given to His people who seek to walk in righteousness.   In verse 15, we are told that we need to keep bloodshed out of our hearing, evil out of our vision, to speak with sincerity, and to receive no bribes.  God definitely rewards those who genuinely love Him and want to do what is right in His sight.  This person is promised a place of refuge in an impregnable rock, the provisions he needs will be provided and he will be kept from all enemies.  This person will never be destroyed because God promises to save him, to provide for him, and be his King.  What a great and loving God we serve!  Let us seek to live our lives in such a way that brings glory to God.  I pray that all of us will walk humbly and seek to serve others in their need.  We need to submit to God as our King and recognize that those who follow Him will be rewarded.  Praise God!

"When the blessed Polycarp sojourned at Rome in the days of Anicetus, and they had some little difference of opinion likewise with regard to other points, they forthwith came to a peaceable understanding on this head [the observance of Easter], having no love for mutual disputes.  For neithe could Anicetus persuade Polycarp not to observe, inasmuch as he [Polycarp] had always observed with John, the disciple of our Lord, and the other apostles, with whom he had associated; nor did Polycarp persuade Anicetus to observe, who said that he was bound to maintain the custom of the presbyters (=bishops) before him.  These things being so, they communed together; and in the church Anicetus yielded to Polycarp, out of respect no doubt, the celebration of the eucharist, and they separated from each other in peace, all the church being at peace, both those that observed and those that did not observe (the fourteenth of Nisan), maintaining peace."

Quote from the Second Volume of Phillip Schaff's The History of the Christian Church on page 213.  This quote is talking about a dispute that two areas of the Church were having over the celebration of Christ's death and resurrection.  Polycarp of the Asiatic Church celebrated this festive season of the Church one way and Anicetus of the Roman Church celebrated another way.  The point I want to make is that even though they had their differences they were able to maintain the peace and continue serving the Lord together.  Hope this encourages all of us to maintain peace between brothers and sisters in Christ.  God Bless!

Isaiah 31:4, 5, 9c says, "For thus says the LORD to me, 'as the lion or the young lion growls over his prey, against which a band of shepherds is called out, and he will not be terrified at their voice nor disturbed at their noise, so will the LORD of hosts come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill.'  Like flying birds so the LORD of hosts will protect Jerusalem.  He will protect and deliver it; He will pass over and rescue it.... Declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem." (NASB)

This passage seems to indicate that God has a deep, deep passion for His people Israel.  It appears that this love and passion has not stopped even today.  Israel is the apple in God's eye and He will do anything within His character to protect and deliver His people.  Even though much of Israel is blinded to this, God is still gracious and wonderful to His people.  One thing that is so amazing is that much of Israel thinks that God protects them because of how great they are; how wrong can they be.  This thought is so far from the truth that we must help them by praying and speaking the truth to them in sensitivity and love; if you know any Jews please pray for them.  Psalm 122:6 says, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem."  I think that this means both physical and spiritual peace.  We need to pray that their eyes are opened to the truth of God's love and grace for them.  Open their eyes to the greatness of our God; our lives, and words need to demonstrate this truth.  II Corinthians 4:7 says, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;" (NASB).  Pray for the people of Israel, witness to them if you come across any and use sensitivity and patience when you do witness.  Be a friend to the people of Israel so that they may see the light of the gospel being lived out in you.  God Bless!

I know I quote Jonathan Edwards a lot on my blogs, but I find his sermons to hit me between the eyes.  It convicted me that I need to think about what I'm doing in ministry and make sure that I am serving God for the right reasons.  I need to let go of my pride and serve my Savior in humility; to do everything I can to bring glory to the Lord.  Jonathan Edwards talks about the usefulness of a human being and how as believers we need to be people who bear fruit for God.  He says,

There is no fruit brought forth to God, where there is nothing done in any wise from love to God, or from any true respect to him.  God looketh at the heart.  He doth not stand in need of our services, neither is he benefitted by anything that we can do.  He doth not receive anything of us, because it benefits him, but only as a suitable testimony of our love and respect to him.  This is the fruit that he seeks.  Men themselves will not accept of those shows of friendship, which they think are hypocritical, and come not from the heart.  How much less should God, who searcheth the heart and trieth the reins (mind) of the children of men!  John 4:23, "God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."  Inquire, therefore, whether you ever in your lives did the least thing out of love to God.  Have you not done all for yourselves?  Zechariah 7:5,6:  When ye have fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all feast unto me, even unto me?  And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did ye not eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves.  (Jonathan Edwards from Wicked Men Useful in Their Destruction Only in Sermons of Jonathan Edwards, p. 80)

WHATEVER YOU DO, DO IT OUT OF LOVE AND RESPECT FOR GOD!

Isaiah 30:18-22 says, "Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.  For the LORD is a God of justice; how blessed are all those who long for Him.  O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.  Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher.  Your ears will hear a word behind you, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right or to the left.  And you will defile your graven images overlaid with silver, and your molten images plated with gold you will scatter them as an impure thing, and say to them, 'Be gone!'" (NASB)

The LORD our God is a very gracious Teacher.  Even though the Israelites were given bread of privation and water of oppression by their Teacher, He is still in their midst.  He is their to pick them up when they fall and show them the right way to walk.  It is the same for all of us today whether you are lost are in Christ.  God wants us to listen to our Teacher.  Our Teacher will guide us in our walk and show us what we need to do to keep our walk good in His sight.  The LORD our God, our Teacher longs to be gracious to us and sits in heaven waiting for us to come to Him so that He can show compassion.  According to Isaiah, if we are long for Him our Teacher then surely we are blessed for His mercy and grace will be poured out on us.  When we cry in our desperation and trouble He never fails in hearing or answering us.  This is how great our Teacher is; He loves us so much that He doesn't want us to fail in our walk before Him.  So, instead of just leaving us just the way we are, He helps us by guiding our steps ("Your ears will hear a word behind you, 'This is the way, walk in it' whenevery you turn to the right or to the left.") and keeping us from defiling ourselves; He does this by showing us where our priorities are not right and straigtening up those priorities ("And you will defile your graven images overlaid with silver, and your molten images plated with gold you will scatter them as an impure thing, and say to them, 'Be gone!'").

TRUST IN YOUR GRACIOUS TEACHER TO HELP YOU TO WALK THE WALK!

Isaiah 29:13, 14 says, "Then the Lord said, 'Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed." (NASB)

As Christians, how are we doing in how we treat our God in our relationship with Him?  Are we just giving Him the outward appearance of service or a true, genuine, reverent heart of service?  God can see through the outward veneer of religiousity.  He doesn't want it; I'm reminded of another passage in Revelation.  Revelation 3:15, 16 says, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.  So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth." (NASB)  God wants us, individually, to be passionate and hot for God.  We need to be actively serving God with everything we have for it is the least we can do. Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present you bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual (or reasonable) service of worship." (NASB)  To give our very lives in service to God is reasonable because He has given His all for our salvation; so that we could be counted as children of God.  Our lives of service is the very least we can do for Him.

So God is saying through Isaiah that, I don't want just words or just rote tradition.  I don't want cheap reverence or outward reverence.  I want your heart and I want your very soul to worship and serve Me.  I'm not saying this; it's God.  Please recognize that our outward appearance of spirituality is not enough; God see right through it.  So stop pretending, stop being lukewarm and be on fire and passionate for God.  Do His will and service with all your heart and you will be rewarded with a contented life and the privilege to "sit down with Me on My throne" (Rev. 3:21 NASB).  God will grant us the privilege of sitting with Him on the throne in heaven.  I believe this to say that one day we will reign with Him in the new heavens and new earth.

CHRISTIANS, SERVE GOD WITH ALL THAT YOU HAVE!

I want to take a break, today, from Isaiah and quote a statement from Jonathan Edwards.  This quote is from one of his sermons called Wicked Men Useful in Their Destruction Only.  I want to make it absolutely clear that heaven has never and will never be about bringing all people to God.  The purpose of heaven was to be a haven or rest and paridise for those who love God and worship Him because of the salvation He has provided.  This is what Jonathan Edwards says,

"If men do not bring forth fruit to God, they are not fit to be disposed of in heaven.  Heaven, above all others, is the most improper place for them.  Everything appertaining to that state is unsuitable for them.  The company is most unsuitable.  The original inhabitants of that world are the angels.  But what a disagreeable union would that be, to unite wicked men and angels in the same society?  The employments of heaven are unsuitable.  The enjoyments are holy and spiritual enjoyments, the happiness of beholding the glory of God, and praising His name, and the like.  But these enjoyments are as unsuitable as can be to the carnal earthly minds of wicked men.  They would be no enjoyments to them; but on the contrary would be most disagreeable, and what they cannot relish, but entirely nauseate."

"The design of heaven is unsuitable to them.  The design of God in making heaven was, that it might be a place of holy habitation, for the reward of the righteous, and not an habitation for wicked men.  It would greatly reflect on the wisdom of God to dispose of wicked men there, for it would be the greatest confusion.  But God is not the author of confusion, 1 Corinthians 14:33.  It would be contrary to the holiness of God, to take wicked men so near to himself into his glorious presence, to dwell forever in that part of the creation which is, as it were, his own palace, and to sit at his table.  We read in Psalm 5:4, 'Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with thee.'  Therefore it would doubtless be impossible that the end of the existence of wicked men should be in any wise answered by the placing of them in heaven."  (Sermons of Jonathan Edwards, p. 75)

I hope you will read the whole quote because today's popular thought is everyone will get to heaven because God is love.  Well, it is true God is love but He is also the God of justice and holiness.  He will never allow wickedness to be disposed in His palace.  Heaven is a place of holy habitation, it is for those who are in Christ to worship and reign with Him forever and ever.  I hope that those who are not in Christ will recognize that they need that relationship with Christ because without it you are destined to spend an eternity separate from God.  God loves you and does want you with Him; but you must recognize that you need Him.  If you continually reject Him, God will judge.  Please accept His gift and belong to Him; it is the greatest thing you could ever do.  Please, if you have questions, ask them and I will answer them.  I plead with you and consider you condition in Christ.  God Bless!

REJOICE IN THE HOPE WE HAVE AS BELIEVERS OF PARADISE WITH GOD!

Isaiah 27:2-6 says, "In that day, 'A vineyard of wine, sing of it!  I, the LORD, am its keeper; I water it every moment.  So that no one will damage it, I guard it night and day.  I have no wrath.  Should someone give me briars and thorns in battle, then I would step on them, I would burn them completely.  Or let him rely on My protection, let him make peace with Me, let him make peace with Me.'  In the days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and uproot, and they will fill the whole world with their fruit."  (NASB)

I just want to start out by saying, HOW AWESOME IS OUR GOD!  He is always on the job of caring and protecting His people Israel.  In this passage, Isaiah makes it clear that God takes care of His vineyard (Israel) by watering and defending it from its enemies by "stepping on them and burning them completely."  Throughout history, many nations have tried to exterminate Israel but always have not succeeded.  They have not succeeded because Israel is still the people of God.  This is how patient and gracious God is with His people; that even though His people continually reject Him He still holds them in high regard.

How amazing it is that we who are Gentiles are given the same consideration as Israel.  Romans 11 talks about the wild branch being grafted into the olive tree (verse 17).  The wild branch represents the Gentiles and the olive tree represents the Salvation given through Jesus Christ.  Gentiles are now given the privilege of receiving some of the same blessings that were and are given to Israel.  Rejoice for God has regarded us, who were unclean and heathen people, to be on the same level as Israel.  We are given the same benefits when we accept the precious gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

If you have any questions about this salvation through Jesus Christ, please feel free to ask me I'll be happy to answer any questions.  God Bless!

Isaiah 25:6-9 says, "The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine.  And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations.  He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken.  And it will be said in that day, 'Behold, this is our Godfor whom we have waited that He might save us.  This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.'" (NASB)

Are you rejoicing over the wonders of our Great God?!  What a great God we serve?  For those who are in Christ; rejoice, for one day there will be a great banquet prepared for you and you will have a party with God!  There will be no more tears for it will be eradicated from all faces.  We will be celebrating the wonders of the salvation that God has given us.  Our spirits should be lifted up because of the grace of God.  One day, we will be free from the wretchedness of this fallen world; we will be free from the bondage of sin because we will experience the glorification of Christ in our bodies, minds, and souls.  Please recognize that we have a great God; recognize and worship Him!

For those who don't know our great God, please receive the gift that is freely offered to you through His son Jesus Christ.  All you have to do is recognize that you are a sinner under the wrath of God, and that your only hope is Jesus' life and death on the cross.  Then after you trust in this you will truly know the greatness of God!  If you have any questions about this gift of God, please feel free to ask them.

REJOICE MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST;  FOR INDEED, WE HAVE A WONDERFULLY MAGNIFICIENT GOD!

In the twenty-fourth chapter of Isaiah, we see a very detailed description of the future of the world.  In verses 3-5 it says, "The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the LORD has spoken this word.  The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away.  The earth is polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant." (NASB)  This passage is full of God's wrath displayed on the earth.  It is all because of the deceitfulness and wickedness of man.  Now this passage also gives us some hope about those who are in Christ, it says in verse 6 that, "...Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left."  I believe that these few that are left have been preserved by Christ.  I believe that this passage is talking about the apocolyptic destruction of the world.  This passage also says that while the world is destroyed our God is glorified.  God's glory will be displayed and worshipped by His people and His elders.  In verse 14 it says, "They raise their voices, they shout for joy; they cry out from the west concerning the majesty of the LORD."  In verse 23 it says, "...for the LORD of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and His glory will be before His elders."

I hope that my words will do two things to the people who read this blog.  One, I hope that those who are not in Christ will realize the terribleness of their fate.  You only have so many opportunities to receive the grace and gift of God, please receive it and live for Him.  If you keep on rejecting Him and refusing His gift, then one day you will face judgement for your wickedness.  Please recognize that you are lost without Christ and it is Christ alone who brings you home; it is His death that sets you free from the wrath and judgment of God.  Two, I hope that those who are in Christ will recognize the greatness and glory of God.  Let us bask and worship in the glory of our God; let us recognize that one day He will reign on this earth and all that is evil will be done away with.  We will rest in the arms of our Savior and reign with Him forever and ever.  Rejoice my brothers in the glory of the LORD!  I pray for those who are not yet apart of the Family of God, please come and join.  See what God can do for you; see what God has given you through the Son.

Rejoice in the glory of God!  God Bless!