Joy of the Redeemed

December 11, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

The words of the Messiah now begin to focus on Jesus’ time here on earth and what he accomplished. Isaiah 35:5-6a gives us a glimpse of the future of the babe that came that Christmas night.

“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
⁶Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.”

This prophecy appears in a chapter subtitled Joy of the Redeemed. These actions prophesied hundreds of years before Jesus came to earth speak of the people who encountered Jesus. They would see, hear, jump and shout for joy after their meeting with Jesus. This was fulfilled and recorded in the gospels. Matthew 15:31 “The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.” The direct fulfillment was in Matthew 12:22 “Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see.”

This prophecy of visible change either mentally or physically or both can also apply to us. When we have an encounter with Jesus our eyes are opened to His truth and we can hear and believe the gospel message. Romans 10:17 “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” When we hear and believe, we are transformed and our reaction is like those who saw Jesus. We shout His praises, leap for joy and see the reality of His truth. Ephesians 1:13-14 describes our transformation. “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” His indwelling Holy Spirit brings joy, peace, knowledge, wisdom, hope, and so much more into our lives when we accept Jesus as our Savior. I have a needle point on my wall reminding me of the truth of what I have in Christ. Psalm 107:1-2 “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble.”

May your day reflect His joy and may you shout out His praises. Let others know of your joy in the Savior that redeemed you.

Linda

Sorry no audio of these verses in the Messiah was available on the Internet.

1st Sunday of Advent

December 2, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

On this first Sunday of Advent, our scripture is Isaiah 40:5.

“And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

What is the glory of the Lord? God’s glory is the sum total of His attributes. We see His glory displayed in the beauty of the earth and His creatures. We have seen God reveal His power , mercy, grace, judgment, holiness, love and every other attribute in the Bible. However, the complete revelation of God’s glory is in His Son Jesus Christ. When Jesus came to earth, He revealed God’s great glory for all of mankind to see, touch, reason with, and behold in the flesh. God’s plan of redemption for man was to show His glory to us in His Son Jesus. John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Hebrews 1:3 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Jesus, the complete revelation of God’s glory, came to redeem us.

Let us praise and thank God for His glorious plan that sent Jesus to redeem and save us.

Blessings as you worship Him today.

Linda

Glorious Profit on the Blackest of Friday’s

November 23, 2018 nofearlinda3 Comments

I was thinking this morning about the designation ‘Black Friday’. It seems that since the 1950’s the day after Thanksgiving has been called ‘Black Friday’. It began as a term to describe the crowds, like the street was black with pedestrians. It then became a day to retailers signifying when they began to turn a profit and moved from the ‘red’ into the ‘black’ as the volume of their sales increased. In the Bible the blackest Friday would be the day of the crucifixion. It was the day when the skies turned black and darkness covered the land. “It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, ⁴⁵while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. ⁴⁶Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Luke 23:44-46 The blackness of that Friday is a picture of the sin that Jesus bore on the cross for you and me. His death was the darkest day that brought the greatest profit for us. John 12:46 puts it in perspective for us as to why that blackest of Friday’s had to happen. “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”

Even on that blackest of Fridays, the people were rushing around preparing for their Sabbath. Since they could do no work on the Sabbath, they rushed to get Jesus down from the cross, hastily buried and settled in a borrowed tomb. Mark 15:42-47 describes these events done in haste. After the Sabbath was over, several women came back to the tomb to anoint Jesus with spices as his burial had been done in such a hurry they felt they had not been able to treat his body properly on that Friday. “When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.” Mark 16:1 Their walk to the grave site was done in sadness but their return was joyous as the learned of Jesus’ resurrection and defeat of sin and death. An angel spoke to them when they got there, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” What joyous news they had to share!

That blackest of Friday bringing death to Jesus and a hasty burial brought the greatest profit to you and me. Colossians 1:21-22 explains where we were on the black Friday and where we are now because of it. “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²²he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,” That was the the biggest gain or profit for mankind ever in history. Christ reconciled us to God so that we can be in communion with Him and have our sin’s forgiven. We are free to live a life in Christ that is pleasing to God that is free from the penalty of death brought on by sin. That Black Friday was the best one in history for you and me.

As you venture out today to do some shopping, think about that blackest of Friday’s and how much you gained through Christ. Praise Him as you do.

Blessings,

Linda

Why the tears?

June 8, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Psalm 119:129-136 opens with praise and awe over the amazing depth of God’s Word.  Your laws are wonderful.
    No wonder I obey them!
¹³⁰The teaching of your word gives light,
    so even the simple can understand. So many times I have heard people say that the Bible is too hard to understand. Here the psalmist is declares that even the young or less trained can understand. How is that possible? Understanding comes from God, so with prayer, meditation, the right translation and through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit believers can read and understand that which God has for them in His Word.
¹³¹I pant with expectation,
    longing for your commands.
¹³²Come and show me your mercy,
    as you do for all who love your name. The psalmist looks with great expectation into God’s Word. He is looking for mercy and love. These are tangible confirmations of faith for him. When you read God’s Word, do you read with expectation? Do you look for His mercy and love? Think back, when you read the Bible do you find that you are filled with peace, understanding and hope? Have you ever opened its pages seeking advice or help or comfort? The psalmist has faith that God will answer his needs and then provide him with direction.
¹³³Guide my steps by your word,
    so I will not be overcome by evil.
¹³⁴Ransom me from the oppression of evil people;
    then I can obey your commandments. He trusts in the guidance of God and knows titus 2 14 that the Word will lead him to victory. He claims God as his guide and redeemer! He refers to being ransomed or bought back from evil. This is what Christ did for us. In Paul’s letter to Titus he puts it this way, “He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.” Titus 2:14
¹³⁵Look upon me with love;
    teach me your decrees. The psalmist trusts God to look upon him with love. He knows that God is immutable and will always be loving, slow to anger and filled with compassion. He looks for teaching from God as he trusts God.
¹³⁶Rivers of tears gush from my eyes
    because people disobey your instructions. The last lines of this section of Psalm 119 really spoke to me. The psalmist is proclaiming to God that he is distressed to the point of tears over those who disobey and reject God’s Word. I asked myself, does the rejection of the truth of God’s Word and His ways bring me to tears? Do I sorry for those that do not believe or those that profess to believe and do not live by the standards God desires? If I am brought to tears, then my response should be one of love and restoration not condemnation. Pray, pray, pray for the light of God to be made known to them. God has ways of reaching those who we consider unreachable. Look what He did to confront Saul, the chief persecutor of early Christians. He brought him to his knees and to faith in Jesus. Read his miraculous story in Acts 9. Lift your tears up to God and ask Him to work on the person who you are concerned about, to bring them to faith and change their life. Many times I have heard stories of people praying for individuals for years and years before they came to faith. God calls us to be persistent and filled with hope at their redemption.