Monday, March 18, 2024

Isaiah 5:20-21 God is the righteous judge


Scripture warns us about those without moral character. God judges those who are arrogant and proud of their sins. 


Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.


Jesus always cared for the marginalized of the society that he lived in. The poor, the immigrant, the orphans and women He valued in a society that said otherwise.


Isaiah 5:20-21

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; 

Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; 

Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 


21  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, 

And prudent in their own sight! 


22 Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, 

Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink, 


23 Who justify the wicked for a bribe, 

And take away justice from the righteous man!

The New King James Version


Those who pervert God’s evaluation of what is good by calling evil good are heading down a dangerous path—one that leads to judgment. 


At the root of the moral, social, and theological corruption denounced in this prophecy is being wise in one’s own eyes—an insensitive, arrogant egotism.


The perversion of justice by bribery is a serious evil that undermines society. The NKJV Study Bible


Relying on our own wisdom leads to a distorted view of the world and a skewed perspective on right and wrong. The imagery contrasts what heroes and valiant men should be with what they actually are—not able leaders.  Faithlife Study Bible


The fruit of these judgments shall be, that God will be glorified as a God of power. Also, as a God that is holy; he shall be owned and declared to be so, in the righteous punishment of proud men. Those are in a woful condition who set up sin, and who exert themselves to gratify their base lusts. They are daring in sin, and walk after their own lusts; it is in scorn that they call God the Holy One of Israel. They confound and overthrow distinctions between good and evil. They prefer their own reasonings to Divine revelations; their own devices to the counsels and commands of God. They deem it prudent and politic to continue profitable sins, and to neglect self-denying duties. Also, how light soever men make of drunkenness, it is a sin which lays open to the wrath and curse of God. Their judges perverted justice. Every sin needs some other to conceal it. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary


Lamentations 3:33 (ESV) "for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men."


God is filled with compassion and love.


God sent His Son, Jesus, through the line of David to save His people. Jesus put on flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Out of God's great compassion, He made a way for us to come near to Him. "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:6-8).


For all who trust in Him, Jesus has saved us from the penalty of sin, which is eternal death. He is saving us from the power of sin by enabling us to resist temptation. One day He will save us from the presence of sin by taking us to heaven. Until then, we can submit ourselves fully to God's loving discipline, knowing He can use even the pain in our lives to bring us closer to Him. First5


When we buy any label, or any script, we forget our song. We forget that music (the gift of grace) unlocks the heart, and we are restored (take a step) to our self.


I cannot tell you your song. But I can tell you this: you have one.

 
Count on it. And if you sit still, you may hear it.


It is the song that reminds us we are beautiful, when we feel ugly.
It is the song that tells us we are whole, when we feel broken.
It is the song that gives us the power to dance, even when we feel shattered.
It is the song that allows us to take a step when we feel stuck, or shut down.

Sabbath Moments 


“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31 NKJV). If God is for you, shouldn’t you be for you? So how do you begin to see yourself as God does?


First, remember that your words matter. You are either your worst critic or greatest cheerleader.


Hold fast to the promise of scripture. The apostle Paul models this for us. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37 NIV).


Personalize Romans 8:38-39. “For I am convinced that neither poor health, neither college debt nor pink slips, neither today’s deadline or tomorrow’s diagnosis, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Be for you – God is. Max Lucado


Proverbs 3:7 

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the LORD and depart from evil.


1 Corinthians 3:18–20 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”…


Amos 5:7 

You who turn justice to wormwood,

And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!”


Friday, March 15, 2024

Acts 9:20–22 Jesus...all God all man


Paul tried to convince the Jews of the deity of  Jesus Christ. Jesus was their Messiah but they refused to accept Him as the suffering servant choosing to believe instead that He would come as a powerful King.


Their Old Testament Covenant Law and all its traditions, power and control that came with it, were of more importance to the Scribes and Pharisees  than the truth of Jesus Christ.


 All scriptures is the inspired word of God and profitable for learning.


Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.


The intent of Paul was to prove to the Jews that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Steeped in Judaism and the law they found it hard to accept the Gospel of grace only found in Him. 


Hebrews 1:1010 And: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.


In the beginning Christ laid the foundations of the world. Everything made is the works of His hands.


Everything is provided by God for mankind’s good. Psalm 104


When we start to doubt whether God cares about the hard circumstances in our lives, we can remember that Jesus understands our suffering (Hebrews 4:14-16). Because of His death and resurrection, we have hope (Lamentations 3:29). Even when waiting feels impossible, we can be confident in His promise: "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). 


Jesus also demonstrated this truth when He said, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:29-30). First 5 


I was so grateful to receive this affirmation of the gift of grace and restoration, from The Retired Reverend Steven Charleston’s reminder, “Anytime, night or day, happy or sad, safe or scared, you can be in touch with the holy. Heaven is open all night. It is available 24/7. The Spirit never sleeps. To make contact all you have to do is open your heart, reach out with your mind, and send a signal to the universe: I am here. Please hear me. Please help me. Please listen to my story. And in the silence that follows, coming from all four directions at once, you will feel a hand touch your shoulder: I am here. I hear you. Let me help. Tell me your story. Anytime.”  Sabbath Moments 


Acts 9:20–22

20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. 21 Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?” 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. The New King James Version


Saul has been radically transformed; he now uses his extensive training and zeal to build up and defend the gospel rather than to attack it. In the Old Testament, being a son of God usually belongs either to Israel in general or to the Davidic line in particular. 


The ultimate Israelite and descendant of David, the Messiah, is identified as God’s Son (Psalm 2:7). Faithlife Study Bible


Psalm 2:7 “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.


The people in Damascus were amazed that Saul was preaching, because Saul had come to kill Christians, not defend their faith. 


Saul’s fame as a persecutor of Christians was well known to the Jews in Damascus. The leaders of the synagogues were probably notified of his coming and instructed by the high priest to welcome this zealous defender of Judaism. They seem to have been unnerved at first, not only by the fact that Saul had become a Christian, but by the strength of his faith and of his argument from Scripture that Jesus was indeed the promised Savior of Israel, the Messiah. So powerful was Saul’s argument from Scripture that Jesus is the Christ that the Jews plotted to kill him. They even enlisted the cooperation of the governor of Damascus under King Aretas IV of Arabia, who reigned from 9 b.c. to a.d. 40.. The NKJV Study Bible



Acts 8:3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.


Acts 9:13–14 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”


Galatians 1:13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.


Thursday, March 14, 2024

Zechariah 12:10–11 The Spirit of grace freely given for redemption


We will mourn Him as an only Son, begotten by the Father. Jesus Christ is the  visible person of the invisible Godhead.


Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.


Grace beautiful grace, unmerited and undeserved, the grace of God given to mankind as an invaluable gift…We only need to acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior. The working of the Holy Spirit leads us to conviction and repentance. 


Jesus is the brightness of the glory of God and the express image of Him. 


All things are held up by Him and He purged our sin and tore the veil that separates us from God by His death on the  Cross and His Resurrection. He now sits at the right hand of the Father. His work for mankind was finished. 


Ephesians 1:19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe according to the working of his mighty power. Which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and set Him at His right hand. Power over all principalities and dominions and every name named not only in this world but also in the world to come.


in Lamentations 3:21-24, it's like hope emerged for the first time: "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him. '" 


Hope. Love. Mercy. Faithfulness. Thinking on these things helps align our thoughts with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 


It's crucial for us, too, to remember that the Lord alone is our portion and inheritance today. Not answered prayers or financial provision or perfect circumstances. No other security in this world is sure like the Lord Himself. Knowing, believing and living like the Lord is our portion is the beginning of where hope will flow.


Charles Spurgeon says it this way: "We had new mercies this morning, and we will have fresh mercies this evening. God has not forgotten us. The very breath in our nostrils is a proof of his goodness to us; let us, therefore, dear friends, still hope for yet further favors from him." First 5


Yes. Life hurts. And all of us can see, or name, broken places.
Even so. In all of us, even the broken places, there is still a yearning.

 A hunger.
A need to know that we count.
That we matter.
That someone knows us, and sees us, and is willing to open their arms, wide no matter what.


And here’s the deal: “You can't get away from a love that won't let you go.” Robert Capon. The reality of true Grace is that it does not waiver or diminish. It does not depend upon our response, performance, attitude, faith or checkered past. It just is.


Why? Because Grace heals not by taking shame away, but by removing the one thing our shame makes us fear the most: rejection.
In my experience, it is easier to talk about grace, than it is to embrace it.
Just as it is easier to talk about God, than to experience God.


You want certainty?
Okay. Here's what I know for certain:
We will not always learn from our mistakes.
We will check our phone messages even while on a silent retreat.
We will never fully understand the opposite sex, even if we compare them to planets.
Dancing is always good for whatever ails us.
Regardless of our best intentions, we will hurt the people we love.
Regardless of our pain, spring will always give us irises.
And. It is not easy to fall into the open arms of love.
However.
This I do know: we will only know grace through the open arms of one another. Sabbath Moments 


Zechariah 12:10–11

10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The New King James Version


Grace is special favor freely given by God to the nation, whereas pleas for mercy represent Yahweh’s response to the nation’s petitions. The two together portray the vast extent of divine providence. The change in pronoun is done for stylistic reasons; the subject is still God. 


This phrase refers to the heartbreaking effect the nation’s idolatry has on God. John’s Gospel uses this phrase at the end of a sequence of old testament allusions and quotations designed to show how the details of Jesus’ crucifixion aligned with biblical prophecy. 


The great mourning will resemble the laments that accompanying the loss of an only child. Faithlife Study Bible


This metaphor is derived from the deluge of winter rains and speaks of abundant provision (Job 36:28 Lamentations.2:19). 


Spirit of grace refers to the gracious working of the Holy Spirit that leads to conviction and repentance. The Spirit will stimulate an attitude of repentance and prayer for God’s mercy. There are many significant ministries of the Holy Spirit in the period of the Hebrew kingdom. 


Me whom they pierced is viewed in the Jewish Talmud text as referring to the Messiah who will be pierced in battle. The messianic view is favored by the fact that Jesus was pierced with a spear after His death on the Cross (John 19:34). The NKJV Study Bible


The day here spoken of, is the day of Jerusalem’s defence and deliverance, that glorious day when God will appear for the salvation of his people. 


In Christ’s first coming he bruised the serpent’s head, and broke all the powers of darkness that fought against God’s kingdom among men. In his second coming he will complete their destruction, when he shall put down all opposing rule, principality, and power; and death itself shall be swallowed up in that victory. 


The Holy Spirit is gracious and merciful, and is the Author of all grace or holiness. He, also, is the Spirit of supplications, and shows men their ignorance, want, guilt, misery, and danger. 


At the time here foretold, the Jews will know who the crucified Jesus was; then they shall look by faith to him, and mourn with the deepest sorrow. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary


John 19:37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”


Ezekiel 39:29 And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord GOD.”


Joel 2:28–29 

“And it shall come to pass afterward

That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

Your old men shall dream dreams,

Your young men shall see visions.

And also on My menservants and on My maidservants

I will pour out My Spirit in those days.