Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Fear Thou Not; For I Am With Thee: Be Not Dismayed For I Am Thy God, I Will Strengthen Thee - Part 1465

"I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud thy sins. Return unto Me for I have redeemed thee. Sing O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob and glorified Himself in Israel. 

Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb ...

"I am the Lord that makes all things; that stretches forth the heavens alone; that spreads abroad the earth by Myself; that frustrates the tokens of the liars and makes diviners mad; that turns wise men backward and makes their knowledge foolish; that confirms the Word of His servant, and performs the counsel of His messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, "Thou shalt be inhabited" and to the cities of Judah, "Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof, that saith to the deep, "Be dry and I will dry up thy rivers that saith of Cyprus, "He is my Shepherd and shall perform all my pleasure" even saying to Jerusalem,"Thou shalt be built" and to thy temple, "Thy foundation shall be laid." (Isaiah 44:22-28)

As believers in Jesus by faith, understanding that "there is none other beside Me, saith the Lord," we have nothing to fear, for He has taken the foolish things of the earth and made them wise. He has comforted the brokenhearted with His love and welcomed the down trodden into His fold. He willingly restores our soul.

"And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou may know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name ... I am the Lord, and there is none else: there is no God beside Me. I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me, that they may know from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I am the Lord, and there is none else." (Isaiah 45:1-6)

In the beginning, the Lord formed the light, and create darkness. Under the old covenant, He made peace and created calamity, saying, "I the Lord do all these [things]." (Isaiah 45:7) But after declaring peace and good will to all in this new testament dispensation, the angels sing, "Glory to God in the highest. Peace and good will to all [men]." (Luke 2:14) In other words, He Himself who knew no sin ushered in His righteousness for all who turn to Him.

Thus saith the Lord for this day - "Drop down ye heavens from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together. I the Lord have created it." (Isaiah 45:8)

Why would the God who created us in the beginning become as one of us? Because He loves His creation beyond measure, and as a consequence of His love, the same God who created us in the beginning willing paid the price for our sin on the cross. He became the perfect sacrifice so that our sins could be forgiven once and for all. Indeed, "as far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12)

This is why we are to look to the Lord for our daily sustenance. "Look unto Me and be ye saved," saith the Lord, "all the ends of the earth: for I AM God, and there is none else. I have sworn by Myself. The Word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return. That unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to Him shall men come; and all that are incensed against Him shall be ashamed. In the lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory." (Isaiah 45:21-25; Hebrews 14:11)

"For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, He sware by Himself, saying, "Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee ... and so, after He had patiently endured, he obtained the promise." (Hebrews 6:13-15)

The Word that was with God and was God was made flesh for you and I. "He was in the world and the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God [even] to them that believe on His Name." (John 1:10-12) 

God manifest in the flesh. (I Timothy 3:16) God became our Saviour. (Titus 3:4-7) The fullness of the Godhead dwelt bodily in Christ Jesus. (Colossians 1:17; Colossians 2:9) The Lord came forth as a mighty man. (Isaiah 42:13; Isaiah 9:6) And she will bring forth a son and thou shalt call His Name JESUS for He shall save His people from their sins ... Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us." (Matthew 1:21-23)

Jesus -- He is both Lord and Christ. The One and Only. The Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending. The King of kings and Lord of lords. Therefore, through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Hebrews 11:3) This is why we cry out in joy, "Abba, Father" because we have so very much to be thankful for. 

And now, my friend, the acceptable time has also come for you to ask Jesus to be both Lord and Christ in your life. The promise that was prophesied in the old has been glorified and made known for one and all to behold. He is the Light of the world. He is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep. He is saying, "Come!" 

"Come unto Me," Jesus said, "all ye who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

Be water baptized (buried and resurrected from the water) in the precious Name of the Lord Jesus (according to Acts 2:36-47) and receive ye the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 10:40-44; Romans 6:3-4; I Peter 3:21-22) Find a new testament Bible and begin to understand that everything that Jesus did (including shedding His precious holy blood for you and I on the cross) was done so that we might experience His mercy and grace. And, so that the scriptures of the prophets too might be fulfilled so that we know His Word is true. (Matthew 26:56) 

Yes, Jesus is the prophesied Christ, and in every situation that we might face in this life, Jesus never fails. He has called us to a higher calling "that they [we] might have My [His] joy fulfilled in themselves [us]." (John 17:13) And if you are able, commit the following passage from Psalm 23 to heart so that in times of trouble, illness, or temptation, He can bring to your remembrance His goodness and grace. 

"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anoints my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." (Psalm 23:1-6)

Stand in the offering plate.

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