Category Archives: Jesus Christ / Yeshua

How do I get started?, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Repenting from Sin

Repent of Your Sins and Turn to God

After successfully overcoming temptation by Satan, recorded in Matthew 4, Jesus began His public ministry.

Ever stop to think about what message was so fundamental and important that Jesus would speak about it first?  Matthew 4:17 gives that insight.

 17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.[g]”

Try not to read over it too quickly. Better to dwell on it.  Scripture does not say Jesus said this once, but rather “From then on…”. Jesus started with this key message and stayed on this point through His entire ministry.

We need to follow His example throughout our lives as well. God wants us first to repent, then to turn to Him humbly and seek Him wholeheartedly.

Some people struggle with the end of this verse, “… for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” since Jesus said it two thousand years ago. We could have a good debate on it and I look forward to sharing more on that topic another time.  However, here is practical way to consider application.

Approximately 148,000 people around the world die every day. That equates to a pace of over 50 million people a year. For each of those who perished, they no longer have a chance to repent and turn to Jesus. Those who accepted Jesus wholeheartedly before they died are with Him in heaven.  Those who did not are in hell, eternally separated from God.

The point is that time may be short for each of us. Now is the time to repent and turn to God. None of us are promised a tomorrow on this world.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Loving / Kind

Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

Understanding how much God loves us is best put in perspective in that Jesus Christ died for us, for our sin… so that we could be made right before God. Nothing can separate us from His love except if we choose to reject His offer of salvation through grace and therefore reject a right relationship with God.

Romans 8:31-39

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”[o]) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[p] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 Nothing can separate us from the overwhelming love God has for each of us, unless we turn our backs on God and choose not to accept Him. All we have to do is to come before God with humility, ask His forgiveness through grace, repent of our sinful nature, and seek God wholeheartedly as we ask Jesus to be lord of our life.

If you have not done this in your life… now is a great time to do it.  Take a few moments to come humbly before God. He is always available with no waiting required.

Read more about accepting Yeshua as LORD, The Message of the Cross. 

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Sin Nature

The Holy Spirit: An Advocate for Those Who Accept Jesus (Yeshua)

By accepting Jesus Christ (Yeshua in Hebrew) as our savior, we are washed clean of our sins by His death on the cross. He has paid our debt for us. Our decision to ask Him into our lives as our lord begins us on a journey that should transform our lives.  It is not an easy journey though, as we must overcome our own sinful nature and avoid the traps of Satan, who wishes to separate us from God.

In John 14:15-17 Jesus promises to send a helper.

15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

Paul wrote about how God sent Jesus to die for us and then how the Holy Spirit helps us overcome our sin nature in Romans 8:1-17.

8 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

I know accepting Jesus as my lord and savior did not instantly transform my life. I have been on a journey for >20 years to grow closer to God and overcome my sin life more and more. I am much closer than I was when I began the journey, though I will never complete the journey in this world. I am very glad for the advocate God sent to help me… to help us… The Holy Spirit.

Take a few minutes in prayer to thank God for Jesus and the Holy Spirit and their role in redeeming us and helping us to live righteously. Ask God to show you any areas you still need to change and surrender fully to Him.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Seeking God

Lifting the Veil that Separates Us from God

There is no more veil between us and God. The veil was removed with the death of Messiah. Scripture confirms this symbolically in the accounts of the tearing of the veil in the tabernacle when Yeshua breathed His last. Through Christ we are invited to have a direct relationship with our heavenly Father. The Spirit dwells within us as believers. This is something we can often take for granted. Think of what it was like for Moses when he looked upon the glory of God. It affected him physically so much that he needed to wear a veil to come before the people because his face literally glowed from the residual glory of God. We should take time to consider how much more so should we reflect the glory of God now that we have direct relationship with the Father.

2 Corinthians 3:7-18

      7But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, 8how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? 9For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. 10For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. 11For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

      12Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, 13and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. 14But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. 15But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; 16but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Take time for thoughtful reflection and prayer… when people look at you and how you are living your life… do they see the glory of God?

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Blessed, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Loving / Kind, Protector / Deliverer, Thankfulness

Embrace Redemption in the LORD; Give Him Thanks

We all have a past. We have made mistakes. We have been far from God and His ways at times. Perhaps we have even experienced consequences of our sin as a judgment from God. This is also true of Israel as described in Isaiah 62. However, we also see, how dramatic the turnaround is when God brings redemption. He does not hold a grudge. He does not keep you partially forgiven. When He redeems you, you are fully forgiven and fully His. Our slate is wiped clean and He holds us up for His glory.

Isaiah 62

Zion’s Glory and New Name

1For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet,
Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness,
And her salvation like a torch that is burning.

      2The nations will see your righteousness,
And all kings your glory;
And you will be called by a new name
Which the mouth of the LORD will designate.

      3You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD,
And a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

      4It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,”
Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”;
But you will be called, “My delight is in her,”
And your land, “Married”;
For the LORD delights in you,
And to Him your land will be married.

      5For as a young man marries a virgin,
So your sons will marry you;
And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
So your God will rejoice over you.

      6On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen;
All day and all night they will never keep silent.
You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves;

      7And give Him no rest until He establishes
And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

      8The LORD has sworn by His right hand and by His strong arm,
“I will never again give your grain as food for your enemies;
Nor will foreigners drink your new wine for which you have labored.”

      9But those who garner it will eat it and praise the LORD;
And those who gather it will drink it in the courts of My sanctuary.

      10Go through, go through the gates,
Clear the way for the people;
Build up, build up the highway,
Remove the stones, lift up a standard over the peoples.

      11Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth,
Say to the daughter of Zion, “Lo, your salvation comes;
Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.”

      12And they will call them, “The holy people,
The redeemed of the LORD”;
And you will be called, “Sought out, a city not forsaken.”

Think of this passage not only as a message for Israel, but also one for each of us individually when we submit ourselves to God and pursue Him. He can restore each of us to a place of honor and purpose to bring Him glory.

Take a few minutes to reflect on where you are in your life on this journey to pursue God. Give Him thanks that He has made a way for us to be fully redeemed through Jesus.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Lying / Deceiving, Wickedness / Evil

Sin Separates Us from God; We Are Reconciled through Jesus

When we feel separated from God, it is not because He can not hear us or because He can not reach us. It is because we have allowed our sins to create separation between us and God. Be thankful that Yeshua came as our Redeemer so we could be reconciled with God and receive justice and righteousness.

Isaiah 59

Separation from God

1Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short
That it cannot save;
Nor is His ear so dull
That it cannot hear.

      2But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,
And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

      3For your hands are defiled with blood
And your fingers with iniquity;
Your lips have spoken falsehood,
Your tongue mutters wickedness.

      4No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly.
They trust in confusion and speak lies;
They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.

      5They hatch adders’ eggs and weave the spider’s web;
He who eats of their eggs dies,
And from that which is crushed a snake breaks forth.

      6Their webs will not become clothing,
Nor will they cover themselves with their works;
Their works are works of iniquity,
And an act of violence is in their hands.

      7Their feet run to evil,
And they hasten to shed innocent blood;
Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity,
Devastation and destruction are in their highways.

      8They do not know the way of peace,
And there is no justice in their tracks;
They have made their paths crooked,
Whoever treads on them does not know peace.

A Confession of Wickedness

9Therefore justice is far from us,
And righteousness does not overtake us;
We hope for light, but behold, darkness,
For brightness, but we walk in gloom.

      10We grope along the wall like blind men,
We grope like those who have no eyes;
We stumble at midday as in the twilight,
Among those who are vigorous we are like dead men.

      11All of us growl like bears,
And moan sadly like doves;
We hope for justice, but there is none,
For salvation, but it is far from us.

      12For our transgressions are multiplied before You,
And our sins testify against us;
For our transgressions are with us,
And we know our iniquities:

      13Transgressing and denying the LORD,
And turning away from our God,
Speaking oppression and revolt,
Conceiving in and uttering from the heart lying words.

      14Justice is turned back,
And righteousness stands far away;
For truth has stumbled in the street,
And uprightness cannot enter.

      15Yes, truth is lacking;
And he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey.
Now the LORD saw,
And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice.

      16And He saw that there was no man,
And was astonished that there was no one to intercede;
Then His own arm brought salvation to Him,
And His righteousness upheld Him.

      17He put on righteousness like a breastplate,
And a helmet of salvation on His head;
And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing
And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.

      18According to their deeds, so He will repay,
Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies;
To the coastlands He will make recompense.

      19So they will fear the name of the LORD from the west
And His glory from the rising of the sun,
For He will come like a rushing stream
Which the wind of the LORD drives.

      20“A Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares the LORD.

      21“As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from now and forever.”

We are all sinners. If you have not given your life to Yeshua (Hebrew name of Jesus), do so now. Admit you are a sinner in need of salvation. Believe Yeshua is your redeemer,  God Himself, who died for your sins. Confess Yeshua is LORD and follow Him. Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Grace / Forgiveness, Heaven and Hell, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Miracles

Resurrection Is Not “Fair”, But Rather It Abounds In Grace

What a marvelous passage of scripture to explore in 1 Corinthians 15, as Paul teaches the Corinthian church about resurrection. I can’t help but appreciate the time he spends on Adam and Christ. Many may feel it is “unfair” that sin entered the human race through one man. They act as if we are not all subject to making the same type of sinful mistake as Adam. But for those who are looking for “fair”, take heed, it is not fair that Christ died and through Him, we all will be made alive through resurrection… but it is glorious and abounding in grace.  It is more than we deserve by a standard of “fair”.  Praise God that He is not “fair” in our eyes.  Everything will be in subjection to Christ, including death itself.

Resurrection is fundamental to the Christian faith. Without the resurrection, we would not have the hope of eternal life with the Father. It should affect our whole worldview in terms of living for the short term of this earthly life or living with eternity in mind… which I admit is hard for me to do in my day-to-day activities.

How interesting for Paul to explore what the heavenly body will be like. People can get distracted by some things which are not of primary importance. Do we need to know what kind of heavenly body we will receive to know we should follow and obey the Father? No. But some can get so distracted they miss the point. Paul highlights the expectation that when it is time, at Christ’s second coming, those that are His will be raised into heavenly bodies. The bodies are different from our earthly bodies and glorious reflecting heaven rather than earth.

1 Corinthians 15:20-49

The Order of Resurrection

     20But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, 24then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. 28When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

      29Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them? 30Why are we also in danger every hour? 31I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 32If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, LET US EAT AND DRINK, FOR TOMORROW WE DIE. 33Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

      35But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?” 36You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; 37and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. 39All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. 40There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. 41There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

      42So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. 48As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

Praise the Father that He is not “fair”! Praise Him that we are raised through Christ who was first raised. Praise Him that we can look forward with eternity and heaven in mind and new heavenly bodies once the old ones have gone and Christ returns.

As a side note, when we perish we go to be with the Lord immediately (assuming a true believer and follower of Christ). Scripture indicates we get our heavenly bodies when Christ returns. In the meanwhile I suppose we are with Him in spirit alone and without body. I don’t claim to have it all figured out, but I know the One who does and I choose to follow Him.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Grace / Forgiveness, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Prophecy, Through Prophets

Yeshua Suffered for Our Sins; Let Us Be Grateful!

As you read the prophecy about our Messiah, Yeshua, in Isaiah 53, Do not rush through it. Let each verse sink in and experience the fullness of meaning therein. It was for our sins that He suffered. Personalize it. He suffered so we could be reconciled to the Father. We did not deserve it or earn it!

Isaiah 53

The Suffering Servant

1Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

      2For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

      3He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

      4Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.

      5But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.

      6All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.

      7He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.

      8By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

      9His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

      10But the LORD was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

      11As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.

      12Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.

Take a few minutes right now in prayer and give God thanks for making a way for our sins to be forgiven and for us to be reconciled to Him based solely on His grace and mercy. It is totally undeserved on our parts!

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Grace / Forgiveness, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Protector / Deliverer

The Lord Redeems and Restores His People

As I read Isaiah 52, I see two parallel stories being proclaimed. The first is a tie to Israel and them being set free again from bondage to other nations by God’s power. The second is God’s people being set free from bondage to sin through Messiah.

We are redeemed without money. How lovely are the feet of those who bring the good news of happiness and salvation! The Lord restores and redeems His people. Rejoice!

Isaiah 52

Cheer for Prostrate Zion

1Awake, awake,
Clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion;
Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city;
For the uncircumcised and the unclean
Will no longer come into you.

      2Shake yourself from the dust, rise up,
O captive Jerusalem;
Loose yourself from the chains around your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion.

      3For thus says the LORD, “You were sold for nothing and you will be redeemed without money.” 4For thus says the Lord GOD, “My people went down at the first into Egypt to reside there; then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. 5“Now therefore, what do I have here,” declares the LORD, “seeing that My people have been taken away without cause?” Again the LORD declares, “Those who rule over them howl, and My name is continually blasphemed all day long. 6“Therefore My people shall know My name; therefore in that day I am the one who is speaking, ‘Here I am.’”

      7How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace
And brings good news of happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

      8Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices,
They shout joyfully together;
For they will see with their own eyes
When the LORD restores Zion.

      9Break forth, shout joyfully together,
You waste places of Jerusalem;
For the LORD has comforted His people,
He has redeemed Jerusalem.

      10The LORD has bared His holy arm
In the sight of all the nations,
That all the ends of the earth may see
The salvation of our God.

      11Depart, depart, go out from there,
Touch nothing unclean;
Go out of the midst of her, purify yourselves,
You who carry the vessels of the LORD.

      12But you will not go out in haste,
Nor will you go as fugitives;
For the LORD will go before you,
And the God of Israel will be your rear guard.


The Exalted Servant

13Behold, My servant will prosper,
He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.

      14Just as many were astonished at you, My people,
So His appearance was marred more than any man
And His form more than the sons of men.

      15Thus He will sprinkle many nations,
Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him;
For what had not been told them they will see,
And what they had not heard they will understand.

The last few verses point to Yeshua, our Messiah. We are reminded that it is He who was key in setting us free from bondage to sin.

Take a few minutes and give thanks to God for restoring and redeeming us even when we are not worthy. It is grace and mercy! “Deserve” has nothing to do with it!

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Through Prophets

God Helps His Servant

We are reading from Isaiah 50 today. If you find it difficult to digest, consider Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary. I have summarized a few key points here before you get started:

Verses:

  • 1-3: At times, God’s people have a tendency to complain if they feel they have been dealt with harshly. We should caution ourselves against viewing God as unfair. He is just and righteous. Instead, focus on our own sin which led to God’s correction. That is the root of the issue. In fact, often when God calls, His people do not answer. Prophets and Jesus Himself are examples where people rejected God as He came to reach out and help His people. We should keep our eyes open to any situation in which we may be resisting God’s call in our own lives.
  • 4-9: We see the obedience of God’s servant highlighted through obedience even at the expense of pain and humiliation. This appears to point to Jesus, but in many ways others similarly suffer difficulty and humiliation at the expense of those who come against the LORD and His servants. God will help us to do what He calls us to do, even when it is hard. Trust in Him.
  • 10-11: Fear the LORD, obey His servant, and trust in His name.

As you read, think about these key points and how the core message applies in your life.

Isaiah 50

God Helps His Servant

      1Thus says the LORD,
“Where is the certificate of divorce
By which I have sent your mother away?
Or to whom of My creditors did I sell you?
Behold, you were sold for your iniquities,
And for your transgressions your mother was sent away.

      2“Why was there no man when I came?
When I called, why was there none to answer?
Is My hand so short that it cannot ransom?
Or have I no power to deliver?
Behold, I dry up the sea with My rebuke,
I make the rivers a wilderness;
Their fish stink for lack of water
And die of thirst.

      3“I clothe the heavens with blackness
And make sackcloth their covering.”

      4The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples,
That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.

      5The Lord GOD has opened My ear;
And I was not disobedient
Nor did I turn back.

      6I gave My back to those who strike Me,
And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard;
I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.

      7For the Lord GOD helps Me,
Therefore, I am not disgraced;
Therefore, I have set My face like flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.

      8He who vindicates Me is near;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us stand up to each other;
Who has a case against Me?
Let him draw near to Me.

      9Behold, the Lord GOD helps Me;
Who is he who condemns Me?
Behold, they will all wear out like a garment;
The moth will eat them.

      10Who is among you that fears the LORD,
That obeys the voice of His servant,
That walks in darkness and has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.

      11Behold, all you who kindle a fire,
Who encircle yourselves with firebrands,
Walk in the light of your fire
And among the brands you have set ablaze.
This you will have from My hand:
You will lie down in torment.

Spend time in prayer. Ask God to reveal to you how this applies in your life today.  Reread the summary points at the beginning. Do not move on too quickly or you may miss what God has to say to you through this scripture.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.