Comfort, Comfort Ye My People

Comfort, Comfort Ye My People

Comfort, comfort ye My people, Speak ye peace, thus saith our God; Comfort those who sit in darkness, Mourning ’neath their sorrow’s load; Speak ye to Jerusalem Of the peace that waits for them; Tell her that her sins I cover, And her warfare now is over. For the herald’s voice is crying In the desert far and near, Bidding all men to repentance, Since the kingdom now is here. O that warning cry obey! Now prepare for God a way! Let the valleys rise to meet Him, And the hills bow down to greet Him.

Lyrics by Johannes Olearius (1611-1684)

The Bad News and The Good News

"Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions.  Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!"  Isaiah 30:10 - 11

Yes, that about sums up the response when the topic of Jesus is brought up.  I often hear, "Do you always have to bring it back to that?"  

I love to connect the Old Covenant with the fulfillment of scripture in the New Covenant. All of the Old was written to point to the coming Messiah.  All of the New was written to show that Messiah came - in Jesus.  A great footnote for Isaiah 30:10,11 in the New International version of the Bible reads, "Some people in Judah may have sought refuge in Egypt. In their desire to find security, they wanted to hear only good news.  They did not welcome the truth from God's prophets.  Often the truth makes us uncomfortable."  And the uncomfortable truth was that God was not happy with Judah's (aka - Israel's) departure from faith in Him.  He had chosen Israel to be the light to the world - bringing others to the way of salvation which was through the God of Israel.  As God promised, He still pointed all people to salvation through Israel - but through the Messiah of Israel; Jesus of Nazareth - son of David and Son of God.

So here is some good news found in Isaiah 29:19 for those who don't like to be confronted otherwise, "Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel."  When is that time?  Now.  As it is written, "For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of ALL people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." Luke 2:30-32  That  proclamation was spoken about Jesus by a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout in the Jewish faith.  It is said that Simeon was waiting for the Messiah to come.  And when he saw Jesus,  he was moved by the Holy Spirit to exclaim, "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed."  Simeon prophesied some bad news (the falling of many in Israel) and some good news (the rising of many in Israel). And he predicted that the life of Jesus would be like a sign that is spoken against - that sentiment is fulfilled all the time in today's day and age as even the mention of faith in Jesus alone rolls eyes or is labeled narrow minded and politically incorrect.


The thoughts of many hearts will be revealed by the life and testimony of Jesus.  What are your thoughts on the subject of Jesus?  What does your heart reveal as you read Jesus' words, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6  Go ahead and check your bible - any version, and you will find those words. It was a bold statement, but one that is backed up in over 300 fulfilled scriptures.  Google, "Jesus + Fulfilled + Prophecy" and see for yourself.  But better yet, read the scriptures.  Then you can answer the question if Jesus is either Lord, lunatic or liar.

For an extensive list of over 300 hundred Old Covenant fulfilled prophecies go to:

http://oneheartbeataway.blogspot.com/2007/04/324-messianic-prophecies.html

Love on Japan

My heart goes out to the people of Japan - may they earnestly seek God and may they rejoice when He hears from heaven.
 
Hebrews 11:6

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.'

American Idols

We have a television show called "American Idol" and it fascinates me.  The idea is to find a Superstar amongst the many obscure talented performers who audition to be on the show.  After culling through thousands of applicants, viewers of the show have the ability to vote for their favorite entertainer.  Over the series' season, the audience becomes more and more invested in their Superstar performer. It is a reality show where viewers take part in choosing an American Idol of pop culture. 

Unlike this show, we don't intend to make things our idols.  Over time we find the process just happens.   It could be people we start to admire.  It could be our health, our wealth, our beauty, our family, our cars, our homes or even worse, our animals. We start to give the object of our attention more and more of our thoughts and affection.  It no longer becomes a person or place in our lives...it becomes our life!

But, the thing that rattles my heart and mind is what God said about idols in the Ten Commandments, "I am the Lord your God...you shall have no other gods before me.  You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  You shall not bow down to them or worship them..."  IF we take those words to heart, we must decide what 'worship them' means.  In order to worship something, the worshiper must give the object an elevated status. It must be worthy to adore, honor and praise.  And when we have found something or someone to put that amount of effort into, we have given 'it' our heart.  We have heard it said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  And though some of the things we give our attention to are good things, we are prone to put too much of our heart into their outcome.

What consumes most of your thoughts?  What do you find yourself serving? Is it your lifestyle, your bank account, your family prodigy, your self?   God's word says 'you shall not' because His desire is that you love Him first.  No one can serve two masters.  When you do try to serve both, you find yourself divided...you are loyal to one and despise the other.  I found a great commentary on Israel's role to God in www.enduringword.com while studying Isaiah 41:8-16:


"But you, Israel, are My servant," In contrast to the God-rejecting and idol-making people in distant lands, Israel - remember the name means, “Governed by God” - Israel is the servant of the LORD. A servant of God would never make God into his own image, his own idea of what God should be. Servants don’t tell their masters what to do, or what to be. Servants know who the master is and who the servant is."

The television show is an excellent example of how slippery the slope can be when we begin to travel down the wrong path in our journey of faith with the God of Israel.  What is starting to take up your attention lately?  How difficult is it for you to turn away from it, put it down, shut if off, not pick it up, or even stop? There is a fine line between what is good and what is not.  We are warned to be mindful of this trajectory toward idolatry. The attention we want to pour into serving others can even become tainted with self-promotion.  Would you consider the First Commandment of God as His way of speaking to you today?  If so, you will find Him able to help you turn away from that which wants to steal your attention from Him.

"They turned from idols to serve the living and true God." (1 Thessalonians 1:9)

Read and Pray.

Perfect Covering

It is cold where I live.  There is a covering of ice and snow over the land.  But, God is faithful, He gave us the knowledge to design outerwear.  A friend of mine who is rather new to the area from sunny California told me a story about waiting for the bus the first winter she spent here.   She stood with her husband outside in the 15 degree temperature and started to panic because she could no longer feel her ears!  Then her face started to tingle.  She said, "Something weird is happening to my face!  I think I am starting to get frost bite!" It's true - she was!  She said after six years she has figured out how to dress for the occasion of winter in this new place she calls home.  And it no longer feels as cold.  But, of course we all know it is still cold in Chicago - but now she has the proper covering.

It doesn't take much for my thoughts to travel... to wondering how we have the choice to wear the proper garments for the climate we are living. Her illustration reminded me of Adam and Eve in the garden.  As a consequence of the fall of man to the temptation to eat of the fruit of the tree that they were told not to eat (Genesis 2:17), they felt they needed to make their own garments to hide themselves from God. Apparently, they too felt the coolness of the air on their skin and did the best they could do to cover up!  But, as my friend figured out, the proper covering would come a bit later.   First, Adam and Eve had to recognize they were no longer in sunny California - oops, I mean in the state of innocence for which they were first created.  They chose to leave their place of rest in the Sovereignty of God who gave His instruction regarding from what tree to eat.  They had a choice. They chose to depart from His covering.  In doing this, they would eventually answer to God  who in turn would make them a new type of covering.  They would now be wearing garments of 'skin' and not the inadequate fig leaf.

You see, God has always been in the clothing industry.

Noah was told to make a covering.  It was a boat or more specifically, an ark.  And God told him how to build it, why he's building it, who to put in it, and how long it would take to make it - 120 years (Genesis 6:3) .  Noah did everything just as God commanded him.  And sure enough, it happened just as God said it would - and only those who received the direction from the Lord on getting into or under His covering would be saved from the oncoming flood.  God runs a tight ship and His covering was adequate to salvation.

Moses preached about the God of Israel, and God instructed Moses on how to bring Israel to safety.  He told the community of Israel to take blood of a lamb and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of their houses.  On that same night,  God would pass through Egypt and see the blood as a sign where His people lived.  And when God saw the blood, He would pass over them. (Exodus 12:6-13)  That was God's perfect way to cover His believing people - the shed blood of a lamb without defect.  And there were numerous ways God protected His people through 40 years of wandering in the desert...covering them with a cloud by day and light by night.  Covering them with His protection in the wilderness - all to protect the promised One to come through a protected people.  When sin abounded in the camp of Israel, God sent the Law to keep them from harming themselves and His future Messiah.  Israel needed to exist, not for Israel's sake, but for the sake of God's Holy Name.  Though I never forget that God loves Israel and so do I.   First of all, that she was entrusted with the very oracles of God.  And through Israel's obedience and trials, and God's faithfulness, His Word was protected by those people so we can read them today.  Secondly, theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

And then Jesus comes to earth - protected and Protector.  And in Him, through Him, and by Him, all Righteous clothing is received.  In us there is no good thing, though we may try to be good.  But, our good seems to fall short.  Almost like a jacket that doesn't keep us warm enough.  The works we do don't last - the good thoughts we have don't stick around - and the surrender to God is only in moments.   But now apart from the law -  the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets of the Tanakh testify.  This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus the Messiah to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile (though we tend to struggle with that fact),  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and yet all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus the Messiah - for all who believe.  Clothed in His Righteousness - perfect covering for sin. Try it on -  I would be very surprised if it isn't the Perfect fit.
 
"I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my G-d.  For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." Isaiah 61:10

"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from G-d, prepared as a bride beautifully clothed for her husband." Revelation 21:2

Denying

http://www.givesmehope.com/view/GMH/50245

Why would any human being want to deny that the events of the Holocaust happened? For what reason would you want to deny the testimony of these children in this film?  Or the people who still live today to tell their painful story.  It is like denying the testimony of the peoples who witnessed the events of the Bible.  

I believe the reason for denying the facts of the Holocaust are for the same reason people want to deny the events of the Bible.  In doing so, we choose to dismiss the Sovereignty of the God of Israel,  His Promises,  His Righteousness,  His Judgement of what we are doing compared to His Standard. 

And then the trajectory begins ... we deny that He has chosen a people.  And that through those chosen people that we deny,  we also deny His chosen Messiah. We then deny that He would come, and has come, and will come again.  We often dismiss the Truth when it means we have to adjust our own thinking. 

"The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped"

The prophet Isaiah says in chapter 35:1-6, "They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God....Behold, your God ...Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy." 

There was another prophet some 800 years later, John the Baptist, who was the first to point to Jesus as the Messiah of Israel.  Jesus said of him, "Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist." If Jesus is the Messiah, then that is a high honor to be called the greatest among men.  And, John the Baptist was a man and like all humans, we can have a crisis of faith.  We can be raised with faith, we can come upon it later in life, we can even dip our toes in the water of it and not jump in fully.  But, at some point we are faced with the decision about what we believe, and no matter what the outcome or circumstance, we are going to stand in the stand we have taken.  That is true for an atheist or person of faith.  We die in the stand we've taken. 

So, doubt brought John to ask of Jesus, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"  And Jesus sent back an important response.  He said, "Go and tell John what you hear and see; the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." (see Matthew 11:2-7) The response is so important because Jesus used the words Isaiah prophesied.  And John had to either believe (again!) or not.  Isaiah's words told us that when we behold our God, He will come and save you (Is 35:4).   And Jesus is saying that He himself, is opening the eyes of the blind, unstopping the ears of the deaf, and the lame man can now leap like a deer because they can walk!  John would receive this message while in prison - and would know the Word of God as spoken through the Torah and the prophets before him that Jesus was quoting Isaiah.  He still had to line it all up and decide for himself.  And, he had to do so in a hurry, because what we know from scripture is that John was beheaded shortly after that while in prison.

Jesus also added something to his response, "Blessed is the one who is not offended by me."  I believe He said that because either you are so grateful for what He did - 'save you' as Isaiah prophesied, or you are completely offended by the idea that you need saving.