Posts

The Calling of David

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  Isaiah 53-56; 2 Peter 2 “Give ear and come to me; hear me that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader, and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not…because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.” Isaiah 55:3-5 Jesus fulfilled this prophetic reference to the coming of another “David-like” leader who would witness to the nations of God’s covenant and life-giving Word. Those who receive God’s Word are also filled with the same faithful love experienced by David, Jesus, and countless others who enter an everlasting covenant with God. We, too, are called to witness to the nations of God’s goodness and gospel. We, too, are filled with God’s glory and splendor as we live in his presence We, too, are fed and satisfied as we listen to the Word and then live and proclaim the Word to the nations. Have we
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Our Glory from God

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  Isaiah 50-52; Psalms 92; 2 Peter 1 “For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased.’” 2 Peter 1:17 Our honor and glory as sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty is that we, too, can regularly experience the Spirit speaking in our hearts, telling us that we are God’s children, known by him, loved by him, and pleasing to him. There is no greater honor than the King of Glory opening the ears of our heart so we can learn to listen and obey his voice. The Word of God lives within us and we are transformed from glory to glory in his presence. If we are still relating to the Lord like “outer court” worshipers, we, too, need to pass through the torn veil into the holy of holies. Our Father who is in heaven and whose name is holy has invited us to know him through Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit. He will share his honor and glory with us. “Father God, thank you f
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Grace to the Humble

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Isaiah 46-49; 1 Peter 5 “…All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:5-7 There are few more important principles in God’s Word than “humility attracts the grace of God”. When we humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand we take our focus off of ourselves and we fix our eyes on the Lord. We release, or cast, all our anxiety and worry about people, projects, and circumstances on the Lord. This surrender of our worries and anxieties to God is a practical demonstration of humility. Holding on to worry and anxiety says we think we can do a better job resolving the issues than God can. We desperately need the grace of God in every area of our lives. When we realize that simple truth, we will humble ourselves before God, each other, and we will pursue the
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The Suffering/Empowerment Cycle

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Isaiah 43-45; 1 Peter 4 “If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” 1 Peter 4:14 When we avoid giving witness to Christ, we miss the Spirit of glory and of God resting upon us. When we yield to fear rather than the Spirit of God, we not only miss the opportunity to point people to Christ, we also miss out on the blessing of the Spirit of glory resting on us. When the Spirit of glory rested on Jesus, he came as a dove. In gentleness and humility, God draws near to those who suffer for his name. In the west, where freedom of speech and religion are defended as hall marks of democracy, we are often less willing to share the gospel than in high cost gospel contexts. Why is that so? Interestingly, it is often through suffering that we cry out to God for his empowerment, courage, and the Spirit’s infilling which leads to bold witness, which can lead to more suffering. This suffering/ empowerment/suffering cycle was no
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New Things

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Isaiah 40-42; 1 Peter 3 “’I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.’” Isaiah 42:8, 9 One of the ways God brings glory to himself is by speaking prophetically and preparing his people for what is to come. John the Baptist was a voice calling, “In the desert, prepare the way for the Lord;…” (Isaiah 40:3) John’s life and ministry fulfilled prophesy. Similarly, Jesus’ life, ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection were prophesied. The former things took place because God spoke them into being. None of the disciples understood that the Messiah would suffer and die for the sins of the world before he would usher in the fulfillment of God’s kingdom reign on earth. However, we live in anticipation of Christ’s return despite the cataclysmic world events that precede his return. We believe God’s Word stands forever (Isaiah 4
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Being Built

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2 Kings 20; Isaiah 38,39; Psalms 75; 1 Peter 2 “As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:4, 5 Peter users the metaphor of masonry to describe God as a master mason, constructing a temple. Jesus was chosen as the capstone, or cornerstone, for the building. The capstone holds the weight of both sides of an archway, while the cornerstone sets the course of the whole building and its structural integrity. The Church is formed of many living stones placed in the hands of the “Master Mason”, and then fitted together to be a temple God indwells by his Spirit. The stone the builders rejected was usually because of the shape of the grain of the stone. We, too, as “aliens and strangers” in this world are rejected by men, yet chosen by God. This collective expression of t
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The Awesome Story of Salvation

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  Isaiah 36,37; Psalms 76; 1 Peter 1   “You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry? From heaven you pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet - when you, O God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land. Surely your wrath against men brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.” Psalm 76:7-10 The story of God prophesying the rise of Assyria as his instrument of judgment against Samaria and then God humbling and destroying Assyria’s army and king because of insolence and pride is an incredible story! It is one of two stories in the Bible that is repeated three times in three different places (Kings, Chronicles, and Isaiah).   Does God still judge and humble nations? John’s revelation reminds us that God does and he will rise up to judge the earth and save his afflicted ones. Peter reminds us that God’s call to be holy sets us apart in this world. We are to live our lives “as strangers here in reverent fear” (1
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