All Glory to God our Father
Let us turn to Isaiah 49 and go through this wonderful message of hope and affirmation to the people of Israel, from their Creator and God.
Salvation Reaches to the End of the Earth
1 Listen to Me, O islands,
And pay attention, you peoples from afar.
The Lord called Me from the womb;
From the body of My mother He named Me.
It was a Hebrew custom back in that day to call people from beyond the sea islands, for obvious reasons. Elohim (Hebrew for God) is bringing up 2 points here. He is not just talking to Israel here but to us Gentiles, in fact the whole world. And the Jews would wonder at this. We talked about this last week. Gentiles were not included in the Jews’ spiritual world view. They thought their Messiah would come and smash the Gentiles and they, the Jews, would then have the entire world as a “Promised Land”. They were so convinced of their Christ, which is a title not a name, as Christ is a Greek translation of Messiah. He would come as a King and military commander that would throw off the heavy hand of Rome and continue on from there. We are talking still about 600 years into the future so most of this message and what Isaiah had spoken of in the past, I am pretty sure went right over their heads. They had eyes to see, but did not, ears to hear, but would not. It is ever the same, then as now.
The second point is that our Messiah will be born of a woman, indicating that he would be born human. John 1:13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
2 He has made My mouth like a sharp sword,
In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me;
And He has also made Me a select arrow,
He has hidden Me in His quiver.
We find another reference to this sharp sword in Revelation 19:15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
God has given power to His Servant (Christ) to speak effectively and thereby to conquer His enemies.
I do love how this is stated “In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me”. Meaning that Christ was held hidden until the time He was needed. This is still the case, as with the first coming and now the second. We have prophecy pointing to about when, but not precisely so. The books of Daniel and Revelation give us clues but no one knows but the Father. That is found in quite a few places in the New Testament. We will use this one. Mark 13:32 But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
And yet, we argue about this endlessly. The hubris of Man.
3 He said to Me, “You are My Servant, Israel,
In Whom I will show My glory.”
4 But I said, “I have toiled in vain,
I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity;
Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the Lord,
And My reward with My God.”
This Servant, Israel, is still Christ. Verse 4 is referring to the first coming in which the Servant was met with rejection by his nation. It must have seemed to some as a failure because of his crucifixion and death on the cross. Only criminals died like that. But Christ defeated death, “and rose again on the third day, He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.”
We know this as the Apostles Creed.
The Lutheran Church always says it and the Baptist Church never does. You can add the Lord’s Prayer to that list also. And I believe it comes down to the idea that if you repeat something, so often, that it becomes something less than it was. It is no longer relevant, just part of the service. I would agree to that in regards to those “Christians” that go to Church because that’s what “good people” do. If the only reason you go to Church is to be seen and then go home and continue life without any evidence of Jesus in your actions, and there are many of these, well, REPENT SINNER! THE END IS NIGH!
Sorry, I couldn’t resist that. It seems everyday is just one day closer to me standing on the corner with a cardboard sign, shouting at cars.
5 And now says the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
And My God is My strength),
It is the Servant’s mission to bring Israel back into the fold, where they will finally look up and see their Messiah, their King and think to themselves, OH! What have we done?
6 He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also make You a light of the nations
So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
Let’s go to Luke 2 and read this wonderful prophecy when Jesus was but a wee lad.
Luke 2:25-32
25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 A Light of revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
There will be people, those who have not been snatched up in the Rapture, they will still come to Christ and it will be through the Remnant of those Jews that are left, after they have been winnowed down. 144,000 Jews will fulfill the role they were destined to have and be effective evangelists to the rest of the world.
7 Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One,
To the despised One,
To the One abhorred by the nation,
To the Servant of rulers,
“Kings will see and arise,
Princes will also bow down,
Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”
Christ was the Suffering Servant, as found in Isaiah 53, despised by all in power. That day will come when every knee will bow. Philippians 2:10 So that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth.
8 Thus says the Lord,
“In a favorable time I have answered You,
And in a day of salvation I have helped You;
And I will keep You and give You for a covenant of the people,
To restore the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages;
The Grace of God had been bestowed upon sinners and in that day to come, His Servant will accomplish the final deliverance of Israel.
Paul used the context of verse 8 to the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain— 2 for He says,
“At the acceptable time I listened to you,
And on the day of salvation I helped you.”
Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”
Truly, now is the acceptable time for your salvation. If you have not accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, repented your sins, GET ON IT! God is waiting, with his hand held out toward you. And He knows absolutely everything of your life. Come to your Father, your life awaits you, not here, but in Heaven.
9 Saying to those who are bound, ‘Go forth,’
To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
Along the roads they will feed,
And their pasture will be on all bare heights.
10 “They will not hunger or thirst,
Nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down;
For He who has compassion on them will lead them
And will guide them to springs of water.
11 “I will make all My mountains a road,
And My highways will be raised up.
12 “Behold, these will come from afar;
And lo, these will come from the north and from the west,
And these from the land of Sinim.”
13 Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth!
Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted His people
And will have compassion on His afflicted.
Those who are bound, those who are dwelling in darkness, and there are many of us afflicted.
Depression, pain from the body breaking down, yoked to whatever you have yoked yourself to.
Revelation 7:16-17 16 They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Just a few more weary days and then, I’ll fly away.
Promise to Zion
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me,
And the Lord has forgotten me.”
We are ever ungrateful, God doesn’t listen to my prayers. Hmm. Have you repented your sins to Him, really? Is there something that you’ve done that you know is wrong, for we all know the right and wrong of things, that you’ve hidden from Him? Hidden? Did you miss the part where it is said that He knows the count of the hairs of your head. Luke 12:7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
To which God responds in the next verse.
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.
Because I’ve become sensitive to this, it caused me to do a search of which denominations or churches support Planned Parenthood, which is is a polite way of saying, which churches support abortion.
I was horrified at the result. It would have been better to have asked which churches don’t support abortion. Google has an interesting algorithm that even if you asked the negative of that question, you get the positive first and foremost. I ask all of you to investigate on your own to find out what your church does and does not support. If you don’t know where to start, I would ask the Pastor what they believe in. But you might say to yourself, “Well my church might support that stuff, but I don’t and never would”. Well done stalwart defender of the Faith (I say in my ironic voice). Did you know, that if a church or denomination supports Planned Parenthood, some of the money you give to the collection plate goes to Planned Parenthood.
Even if you don’t support what the church supports, and I would wonder why you would go to a church like that, your money is sent in support of whatever the church supports. Many of these churches have people that just can’t be bothered to cause a fuss, Swedes are like that, you know. They just want to go, have coffee with men or ladies, chat and laugh, sit through the sermon, sing a few songs and go home.
Jesus doesn’t want to cause a fuss at Judgement time either. He’ll just say, “I never knew you” and that’s that.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Remember last week when I asked how much satan in your life is too much? It’s up to you and God.
16 “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your walls are continually before Me.
There is Jewish custom, referred to in Exodus 13:9 And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt.
So they would puncture their hands with a symbol of their city as a sign of devotion.
17 “Your builders hurry;
Your destroyers and devastators
Will depart from you.
18 “Lift up your eyes and look around;
All of them gather together, they come to you.
As I live,” declares the Lord,
“You will surely put on all of them as jewels and bind them on as a bride.
19 “For your waste and desolate places and your destroyed land—
Surely now you will be too cramped for the inhabitants,
And those who swallowed you will be far away.
20 “The children of whom you were bereaved will yet say in your ears,
‘The place is too cramped for me;
Make room for me that I may live here.’
After the faithful remnant is gathered in salvation and the Gentiles are brought to faith in the Kingdom through Jewish witnesses, millennial Jerusalem will not be large enough to contain all its inhabitants.
21 “Then you will say in your heart,
‘Who has begotten these for me,
Since I have been bereaved of my children
And am barren, an exile and a wanderer?
And who has reared these?
Behold, I was left alone;
From where did these come?’”
The Jewish perspective is too narrow and always has been. She has seen herself as a widow, abandoned by her true Husband, the Lord. God has not forgotten or abandoned her. While the symbolic Jewish widow was weeping and feeling sorry for herself, the Lord was preparing lasting legacy for her, preserving her remnant and bringing her back safely from Babylon.
22 Thus says the Lord God,
“Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations
And set up My standard to the peoples;
And they will bring your sons in their bosom,
And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
23 “Kings will be your guardians,
And their princesses your nurses.
They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth
And lick the dust of your feet;
And you will know that I am the Lord;
Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame.
Those mighty men, Rulers and Princes that oppressed them will now serve and care for them.
Lick the dust from your feet and know that I am the Lord. And keep in mind that our Lord is judge over all. We have no part in that judgment. Sometimes we suffer to the Glory of the Lord.
1 Peter 5:10 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
24 “Can the prey be taken from the mighty man,
Or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?”
25 Surely, thus says the Lord,
“Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away,
And the prey of the tyrant will be rescued;
For I will contend with the one who contends with you,
And I will save your sons.
26 “I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh,
And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine;
And all flesh will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
God’s deliverance of Israel will be so dramatic that the world will recognize that the Lord, the Savior, the Redeemer and Mighty One of Israel is the true God.
Ezekiel 39:7 My holy name I will make known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.
Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea.
Let us end with Psalm 115
Glory to God Alone
1 Not to us, Yahweh, not to us,
but to Your name give glory
because of Your faithful love, because of Your truth.
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven
and does whatever He pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
5 They have mouths but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk.
They cannot make a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.
9 Israel, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and shield.
10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and shield.
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and shield.
12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us.
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron;
13 He will bless those who fear the Lord—
small and great alike.
14 May the Lord add to your numbers,
both yours and your children’s.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
16 The heavens are the Lord’s,
but the earth He has given to the human race.
17 It is not the dead who praise the Lord,
nor any of those descending into the silence of death.
18 But we will praise the Lord,
both now and forever.
Hallelujah!