As I study Isaiah again, over and over I've been shocked to see how closely it correlates with what's going on in the world today. In Isaiah 33, the prophet tells the Jews what's going to happen to them and why, and then comforts the remnant who will be left, telling them what they can look forward to in their future. Here and now, we are that remnant. No, not the Jewish remnant, I don't mean that. There will always be a Jewish Remnant and in the tribulation they will be kept safe and saved. I'm not talking about them, but rather I'm talking about the remnant of true believers that God always leaves for Himself in every generation.
Let me share with you the reason Isaiah gave for the disasters coming on the people and their land and you can tell me if you agree that it sounds just like what's going on right now.
There were a couple of specific types of people that were bringing this judgment on Israel then. The first group were the traitors who'd sold out to the enemy completely. The second group were the ambassadors and government officials who tried to manipulate things, and get help from other countries instead of seeking God's help. Basically they sold out Israel to other nations thinking that if they did, the other nations would help them. The third group were all the hypocrites who pretended to serve God but really didn't. They were the false prophets, and false teachers that were over running the land.
Just by looking at the news that's been posted here I see all three of those groups here and now, and I see them in an abundance. They've always been around, so it's certainly nothing new. What is new though is the abundance of them and the sheer numbers of their followers. Enough followers to elect Obama, not just once, but twice! And to elect congressmen, representatives, and state governors who are all saying and doing the same kind of things he does. We have more traitors in the government then those who are fighting for truth and justice and following the ways of the Lord.
Again, just looking at the news we can also see that there's an abundance of hypocrites, false teachers, and false prophets. Again, they've always been around, just not in the vast numbers with the vast number of followers they have now. There are more of them then there are of us.
Some people try to convince us nothing has really changed, that there have always been this huge number of hypocrites and traitors. They say the difference is that due to technology we can cover it all now where we couldn't before, so we just didn't know about it before. I don't believe that for a second. Why? Because if that were true, a majority of people's life styles would have looked like they do now, way back then too, and they didn't.
They say the same things about the judgments we see in so called natural disasters, bad weather, etc, but again, I don't believe them because it doesn't hold up to the way life was back then. Judgments that we've seen recently would have made it into people's life stories and been passed down through generations, so we'd know something about it even now, and it wasn't.
Isaiah speaks of the land itself wasting away saying it was happening because of God's judgment. Isn't that what we've been seeing more and more of here? Horrible storms, tornadoes, dust storms, hurricanes, blizzards, droughts etc. all have had devastating effects on our land and continue to. And once again the false teachers tell us that this has always happened and isn't anything new, that we shouldn't be alarmed about it... funny, that's what the false teachers said in Isaiah's time as well.
Crime has gotten out of hand all over and we're experiencing it in ways we haven't ever seen in this country, and that hasn't been seen in other civilized countries in a long time either. Disease has increased all over the world. More people are sick then ever before and more people are disabled then ever before. Everywhere we look there's a health crisis. The governments have tried to blame that health crisis on just about everything except what's really behind it - sin.
The remnant in Isaiah are distressed by it all and cry out to God, just as we do: Isaiah 33:2 —O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress. The Lord watches over them, but that doesn't mean that they didn't go through some very terrible times. We know in fact that they did. However, the Lord gave them the strength to make it through those times and they gained an ever more personal relationship with Him because of it.
Then, when things looked their worst, when there was absolutely no hope left because everyone knew that it was beyond human ability for Jerusalem to be saved, then, God stepped in and took over. That's what He often does, in all kinds of situations. He waits until we have to admit there is no possible way any human can change the course of events in whatever it is we've been begging Him for, and then He does the impossible for us.
Like many prophecies, Isaiah's had both a near and a far fulfillment. In the case of the near fulfillment, (near to Isaiah's time) God rescued them at the last second by killing the 185,000 Assyrian soldiers that were encamped around Jerusalem overnight. By doing that, He saved the faithful remnant and caused some of the hypocrites to turn back to Him and serve Him faithfully instead. The far fulfillment speaks of Armageddon, when the Lord will return and save the remnant of Jews from the Antichrist and his army.
But it also can speak to us today as well if we apply what we've learned to our own lives. We can see that if a Godly remnant prays, that the Lord will save them. He won't necessarily save them from experiencing some of the troubled times, but He will enable them to get through those times and become even closer to Him and know Him better because of them. To those people Isaiah says, He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure. (Isaiah 33:6).
So the first result we see is that the trials we're going through in our time will drive us closer to the Lord, and into His Word for wisdom and knowledge, developing an ever deeper relationship with Him in each of us. It tells us that this will be our sure foundation so that we can't be shaken by fear or worry, or stress. That's always true of those who fear the Lord, for when we fear Him, we realize we have no reason to fear man or what man can do. Of course that doesn't happen automatically, instead, as we find ourselves driven to the Lord and His Word more and more, we find that our faith grows stronger and the more we grow, the more fear of the Lord we have and the less fear of man we have. The fear of the Lord isn't a cringing fear of someone who's afraid, but rather a respectful awe, reverence, and love, which always includes obedience. It's what we see in a young child toward their parents, if the parents are good ones anyway.
Lastly, I think we can also count on another fulfillment in our time too, and that is a supernatural rescue before God unleashes His final wrath on this world. The reason I believe this is true is because of why God says He does this. He says he rescues them at that last minute that way so that He is exalted. He wants it to happen in such a way that no one can figure out any way for it to have happened except for His supernatural intervention. I can't think of a better way of explaining the rapture, can you?
So how can we apply this to our lives? The same way the faithful remnant did in Isaiah's time. As this world continues to get darker, instead of allowing it to cause us to withdraw, we should listen to His Spirit and let it draw us closer to Him and into His Word for encouragement, strength, and hope. Knowing that our God always keeps His promises, we should wait expectantly for our Blessed Hope. And as we wait, we should do as they did, and warn others of what's to come, in hopes that they'll turn from the darkness and come into His light. We need to warn brothers and sisters from the false teachers, and warn them of the traitors and hypocrites that abound. We need to remind them that Satan goes around like a roaring lion, seeking those he can devour, and that he often masquerades as an angel of light. Remind them to be alert and to keep their guards up all the time, and stand firm in their faith, for we're in the last battle and can't afford to stop for even a moment right now. We also need to remind ourselves of all those things as well. Keep in mind too, that we can't and don't stand firm in our own strength, but rather it's God who will make us stand firm. (2 Cor 1:21) But again, in order to have that strength from Him, we need to stick close by His side and be in His Word daily! So let us encourage each other as James tells us, You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. (James 5:8)
Bible Studies, Friends and Fellowship
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Friday, February 13, 2015
Which one are you in the parable of the sower?
Do you ever read the parable of the sower and think about which one you are?
Matthew 13:18–23 —“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: *When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. *
The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. *But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.*
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. *
But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” *
What kind of hearer am I? Do we seek to really understand the gospel? When we hear it told again and again, does it merely lay on the surface as commonplace? When our faith is put to the test, do we find ourselves putting hope in everything else but the good news? Or, when we become anxious about the cares of this world, do we find ourselves grasping for a firm foundation that isn’t there? The seed that falls on the good soil describes a completely different reception. This hearer receives the word and “hears it and understands it.” It doesn’t stop there, however. The hearer is also known for his good works, which display a heart that has been changed. These hearers bear fruit according to what they have been given. Jesus emphasizes that the pursuit of Him isn’t lethargic, or merely emotional, and it isn’t cerebral. It involves pursuing Him with all of our being—in a posture of humility, with an ear that hears and a life that is changed. It involves complete surrender to His will. Connect the Testaments
Matthew 13:18–23 —“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: *When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. *
The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. *But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.*
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. *
But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” *
What kind of hearer am I? Do we seek to really understand the gospel? When we hear it told again and again, does it merely lay on the surface as commonplace? When our faith is put to the test, do we find ourselves putting hope in everything else but the good news? Or, when we become anxious about the cares of this world, do we find ourselves grasping for a firm foundation that isn’t there? The seed that falls on the good soil describes a completely different reception. This hearer receives the word and “hears it and understands it.” It doesn’t stop there, however. The hearer is also known for his good works, which display a heart that has been changed. These hearers bear fruit according to what they have been given. Jesus emphasizes that the pursuit of Him isn’t lethargic, or merely emotional, and it isn’t cerebral. It involves pursuing Him with all of our being—in a posture of humility, with an ear that hears and a life that is changed. It involves complete surrender to His will. Connect the Testaments
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Does God hear our prayers when we've sinned or continued to sin?
We know that the Lord loves us, and since we're saved, we've become His children and heirs with Jesus to all that is His. It's an even more drastic change then a pauper becoming a King! It's truly amazing! This is why Jesus tells us that we can now call God, "Abba", or Father, or as it literally translates, "Daddy."
The problem for many of us begins when we sin, or when we know we're not living the way the Lord wants us to. We become convicted by the Holy Spirit. That's good! That's what's supposed to happen and shows that we're hearing from the Holy Spirit. Our job then is to confess our sin and repent. That phrase simply means that we're to agree with God that what we're doing is a sin, ask His forgiveness and then turn away from the sin and not repeat it again. No problem, right? I think we're all used to doing that.
The problem can come though when we do repeat the sin, whether it's right away, or a year later. We again are convicted, but often Satan will join the fight at this point and tell us we can't be forgiven, or that God doesn't love us anymore, or that we can't be saved because if we were, we wouldn't do such a thing, and of course, he usually throws in that God won't hear our prayers any longer because we've sinned. Every single one of those statements is an outright lie from Satan. But he often manages to take our feelings of guilt, and mix it with some scriptures taken out of context or misunderstood, and pulls it off. He causes God's child to stop praying and causes them to believe that God won't listen to their prayers any more. So while Satan rejoices, God and His child are weeping, and the child is feeling lost without their father.
If we think about this logically though, we can easily see through his lies. If you're a parent, and your child disobeys you, what happens? Do you throw your child out of the house, and disown them, or refuse to hear anything they say, refuse to provide for their needs, letting them go hungry until they behave? Of course not! And neither does God. Basically, parents attempt to get their child to admit what they did, they dish out discipline if needed, and let their child know they're forgiven. Before that happens, there's a separation between the parent and child. The child is uncomfortable in the parents presence because they know they've done wrong, even if the parent has discovered it yet. That puts a wall up between them because the child can't be comfortable with the parents love until they come clean. Once they have though, then once again the parent and child can be comfortable together.
And that's pretty much how it is between us and God too. He first convicts us of our sin, so that we will come to Him and tell Him about it. He already knows about it but wants us to tell Him so we can get it off our conscience and know without any doubts, that He's forgiven us. When we don't talk to Him about it, it eats at us and causes us all kinds of problems emotionally.
David tells us how he felt when he didn't go and confess his sin to the Lord in Psalm 32:3–4. He said the longer he went without talking to the Lord about it, the worse he felt. We know that because he wouldn't admit to his sin with Bathsheba and her husband, the Lord had to send a prophet to him, to tell him that the Lord knew about what he'd done with Bathsheba and how he'd killed her husband. Finally then David confessed to the Lord, (psalm 51) and of course, since David was His child, the Lord heard his prayer and forgave him. We know that due to the seriousness of the sin, that David was also disciplined for it and suffered some serious consequences from it as well. The consequences were not the Lord's discipline, they were simply the consequence of sin in his life and that's true for all of us when we sin.
But what about all those scriptures that say that God doesn't hear the prayers of sinners, we ask when we're confused and ashamed of ourselves. Again, we need to really think about what they're saying. God doesn't hear the prayers of the wicked, and sinners are wicked in His eyes. But my dear friend, remember, we are not sinners any longer! We're saints, His children, and there is NO condemnation for those who belong to Christ! God does not stop listening to our prayers when we sin. If He did, I'm afraid that He wouldn't have very many prayers to listen to.
In psalm 51, David asks the Lord not to cast him from His presence or take the Holy Spirit from him. He doesn't ask that because that's what God normally does. He asks that because he knew that because of Saul's great sins, God removed His Spirit from him. The Holy Spirits role in the Old Testament was different then it is now. Having the Holy Spirit didn't have anything to do with salvation then, instead it was given as an enabling presence. The loss of the Spirit then didn't mean loss of salvation, but loss of enablement for whatever ministry the Lord had wanted them to do. God rejected Saul as King and removed His Spirit from him, and David was asking God not to do that to him. And of course, we know He didn't.
You know, we often think about how God chose David to be King of Israel, and then David went and disappointed Him. But the truth of the matter is that God knew what David was going to do, long before He ever told David that He'd chosen him to be King. It's the same with us too. He knows about all our sins. He knows what we're going to do today, next year and every day after that. He knew it when He chose us to be His child and called us to Himself. He knew when He hung on the cross for us. And you know what? He didn't change His mind! He still loved us then, and He still loves us now!
So what happen when we repeat a sin? God wants to hear from us, and He still hears our prayers. When we repeat a sin later, that doesn't mean that we didn't really repent before, it simply means we sinned again. God knows we're not perfect and He knows we will make the same mistakes over and over at times. He doesn't have a set limit for us that once we cross then it's all over. What matters to Him is what's in our hearts. If an alcoholic confesses his drinking and is truly sorry for his sin, repenting of it, promising he won't do it again, then he's forgiven, period. If he turns around an hour later and drinks again, and again confesses his sin, truly repenting of it, he is again forgiven. And he will be forgiven again, and again, and again, and again, as often as it takes until he learns how to overcome it with God's help. The same is true of any other sin as well.
Sadly, it's at times like this that Satan often comes in and convinces the person that God won't listen to them anymore.
But God loves us and will always listen to our prayers and answer us. Yes, we may be disciplined for our sin, but that's simply more proof that we're his beloved children, and He loves us!
What happens when we've fallen for Satan's lies and we're too afraid, ashamed or embarrassed to pray and ask His forgiveness? God doesn't leave us. He is always with us and always will be. He will continue to take care of us, and continue to love us, and He will continue to convict us of our sin and constantly try to draw us to Him in prayer and draw us into His Word so He can show us the Truth. Think how you would feel and what you'd do if your child had done something wrong and was too afraid, ashamed or embarrassed to come and talk to you about it... it would break your heart, wouldn't it? And so it breaks our Father's heart too. Hear the heart of our Father: Isaiah 49:15–16 —“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! *See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. * And again when He had to discipline His children: Jeremiah 31:20 —Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the LORD. *
Let's make sure we remember this the next time Satan tries to convince us otherwise, and go running to the Father who loves us and wants only the very best for us!
The problem for many of us begins when we sin, or when we know we're not living the way the Lord wants us to. We become convicted by the Holy Spirit. That's good! That's what's supposed to happen and shows that we're hearing from the Holy Spirit. Our job then is to confess our sin and repent. That phrase simply means that we're to agree with God that what we're doing is a sin, ask His forgiveness and then turn away from the sin and not repeat it again. No problem, right? I think we're all used to doing that.
The problem can come though when we do repeat the sin, whether it's right away, or a year later. We again are convicted, but often Satan will join the fight at this point and tell us we can't be forgiven, or that God doesn't love us anymore, or that we can't be saved because if we were, we wouldn't do such a thing, and of course, he usually throws in that God won't hear our prayers any longer because we've sinned. Every single one of those statements is an outright lie from Satan. But he often manages to take our feelings of guilt, and mix it with some scriptures taken out of context or misunderstood, and pulls it off. He causes God's child to stop praying and causes them to believe that God won't listen to their prayers any more. So while Satan rejoices, God and His child are weeping, and the child is feeling lost without their father.
If we think about this logically though, we can easily see through his lies. If you're a parent, and your child disobeys you, what happens? Do you throw your child out of the house, and disown them, or refuse to hear anything they say, refuse to provide for their needs, letting them go hungry until they behave? Of course not! And neither does God. Basically, parents attempt to get their child to admit what they did, they dish out discipline if needed, and let their child know they're forgiven. Before that happens, there's a separation between the parent and child. The child is uncomfortable in the parents presence because they know they've done wrong, even if the parent has discovered it yet. That puts a wall up between them because the child can't be comfortable with the parents love until they come clean. Once they have though, then once again the parent and child can be comfortable together.
And that's pretty much how it is between us and God too. He first convicts us of our sin, so that we will come to Him and tell Him about it. He already knows about it but wants us to tell Him so we can get it off our conscience and know without any doubts, that He's forgiven us. When we don't talk to Him about it, it eats at us and causes us all kinds of problems emotionally.
David tells us how he felt when he didn't go and confess his sin to the Lord in Psalm 32:3–4. He said the longer he went without talking to the Lord about it, the worse he felt. We know that because he wouldn't admit to his sin with Bathsheba and her husband, the Lord had to send a prophet to him, to tell him that the Lord knew about what he'd done with Bathsheba and how he'd killed her husband. Finally then David confessed to the Lord, (psalm 51) and of course, since David was His child, the Lord heard his prayer and forgave him. We know that due to the seriousness of the sin, that David was also disciplined for it and suffered some serious consequences from it as well. The consequences were not the Lord's discipline, they were simply the consequence of sin in his life and that's true for all of us when we sin.
But what about all those scriptures that say that God doesn't hear the prayers of sinners, we ask when we're confused and ashamed of ourselves. Again, we need to really think about what they're saying. God doesn't hear the prayers of the wicked, and sinners are wicked in His eyes. But my dear friend, remember, we are not sinners any longer! We're saints, His children, and there is NO condemnation for those who belong to Christ! God does not stop listening to our prayers when we sin. If He did, I'm afraid that He wouldn't have very many prayers to listen to.
In psalm 51, David asks the Lord not to cast him from His presence or take the Holy Spirit from him. He doesn't ask that because that's what God normally does. He asks that because he knew that because of Saul's great sins, God removed His Spirit from him. The Holy Spirits role in the Old Testament was different then it is now. Having the Holy Spirit didn't have anything to do with salvation then, instead it was given as an enabling presence. The loss of the Spirit then didn't mean loss of salvation, but loss of enablement for whatever ministry the Lord had wanted them to do. God rejected Saul as King and removed His Spirit from him, and David was asking God not to do that to him. And of course, we know He didn't.
You know, we often think about how God chose David to be King of Israel, and then David went and disappointed Him. But the truth of the matter is that God knew what David was going to do, long before He ever told David that He'd chosen him to be King. It's the same with us too. He knows about all our sins. He knows what we're going to do today, next year and every day after that. He knew it when He chose us to be His child and called us to Himself. He knew when He hung on the cross for us. And you know what? He didn't change His mind! He still loved us then, and He still loves us now!
So what happen when we repeat a sin? God wants to hear from us, and He still hears our prayers. When we repeat a sin later, that doesn't mean that we didn't really repent before, it simply means we sinned again. God knows we're not perfect and He knows we will make the same mistakes over and over at times. He doesn't have a set limit for us that once we cross then it's all over. What matters to Him is what's in our hearts. If an alcoholic confesses his drinking and is truly sorry for his sin, repenting of it, promising he won't do it again, then he's forgiven, period. If he turns around an hour later and drinks again, and again confesses his sin, truly repenting of it, he is again forgiven. And he will be forgiven again, and again, and again, and again, as often as it takes until he learns how to overcome it with God's help. The same is true of any other sin as well.
Sadly, it's at times like this that Satan often comes in and convinces the person that God won't listen to them anymore.
But God loves us and will always listen to our prayers and answer us. Yes, we may be disciplined for our sin, but that's simply more proof that we're his beloved children, and He loves us! What happens when we've fallen for Satan's lies and we're too afraid, ashamed or embarrassed to pray and ask His forgiveness? God doesn't leave us. He is always with us and always will be. He will continue to take care of us, and continue to love us, and He will continue to convict us of our sin and constantly try to draw us to Him in prayer and draw us into His Word so He can show us the Truth. Think how you would feel and what you'd do if your child had done something wrong and was too afraid, ashamed or embarrassed to come and talk to you about it... it would break your heart, wouldn't it? And so it breaks our Father's heart too. Hear the heart of our Father: Isaiah 49:15–16 —“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! *See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. * And again when He had to discipline His children: Jeremiah 31:20 —Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the LORD. *
Let's make sure we remember this the next time Satan tries to convince us otherwise, and go running to the Father who loves us and wants only the very best for us!
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