October 24, 2020

 Happy Saturday

Rest from Labor.

Isaiah 51

The King James Version

Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.

Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

Abraham please God. God tells us to look to  Abraham..... the Father of Faith. Look to Sarah who bore children. He called him alone, he blessed him, he increased him.

For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.

My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.

The plan of Salvation is prepared. 

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?

Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?

Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;

And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?

1The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.

But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.

And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.

Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.

There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up.

These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?

Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God.

Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:

Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:

But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.

The people sinned against God and all sin must be punished. They were embarrassed, afflicted, and judged. However do you notice the affliction and the punishment did not change their hearts. You can beat a  person, talk about them, deny them, oppress them, hurt them, and guess what that person will never change. It is the goodness of God that changes a man or woman. If you believe punishment changes people than why are so many people still bad. If you believe using  words of death (telling every nasty thing, or exposing things helps) instead of speaking life than you noticed you have not changed the person. You changed the circumstances sometimes people will be humbled but it does not change their hearts. Isaiah tells us that the people were afflicted and they found themselves in a cycle. God says look to Abraham, he says I will help you. It does not mean we will never experience unpleasant circumstances but bad things do not change people. Good things change people. Affliction can humble us and In the midst of the affliction they had a temporal change but once they begin to experience good they went astray again. God's plan is good because it is filled with Jesus Christ and his way of doing things. Sin had to be punished and God did that on the cross; God's plan is beautiful....

HIS SALVATION

His plan takes the power away from the enemy. Don't feel bad. We don't deserve God's goodness however we don't deserve the devil's evil wicked plan. He is the father of lies and sin and he is also the accuser that goes to God against us. It is good that God sees and honors Jesus Christ. The devil is bad and he wants us punished and afflicted. If you did you best. He would work hard to trip you and then he would tell God you need to fall. His character is bad. God is the ultimate judge and he looks upon the heart and thankfully he is merciful. He has compassion. If the devil had his way we would never see blessings.  It not humble to say God is being too good. Accept it because we don't deserve what the devil does to us through others. He wants to hinder and hurt us. We need to take hold of God and believe...... and hold on for dear life. I will take his salvation. I know I don't deserve it but I don't deserve evil either we dont do evil all by ourselves just like we don't do good by ourselves. He sees how the devil sets us up. He sees the wicked so God made a plan and he has all power over the enemy. So if given the choice. I choose life. I choose Jesus.