God's Arm Is Not Shortened

Isaiah 59:1-19

The cries of the distressed rise up, but they seem to land on deaf ears.  Is there a reason why they receive no response?  Is it because the one they cry to is not there?  Is it because that one is unable to bring them relief, or perhaps does not care?  These are some of the questions that some of the people of Judah asked both the prophet Isaiah and the Lord when it seemed their prayers were not being answered.  Many today ask the same questions.  What was the Lord’s response?  Our Scripture gives His answer.

Depending upon who the king was at the time, the Kingdom of Judah swayed back and forth in their allegiance to Yahweh.  Many of the people mixed the worship of the Lord with that of pagan gods and goddesses, with some completely abandoning Him.  Only a few were completely faithful to the Lord.  But when troubles arose, they would pray to Him for deliverance, and they wondered why God was not responding.   Some of them wondered out loud if perhaps Yahweh wasn’t strong enough, or had lost strength since the days of the past.  Maybe He just wasn’t listening, others said.

Yahweh answered through His prophet Isaiah, and told the people that it wasn’t that He wasn’t strong enough nor deaf (vs. 1).  His arms were just as long and strong as they always were.  The reason was that the people’s sins had come between them and Himself.  If there is repeated unconfessed and unrepentant sin in our life, God will not hear or answer our prayers (Psalm 66:18).  And God will never tolerate or excuse the worship of Him combined with that of false religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, or any neo-pagan religions.  This was what the people were involved in, along with unrepented sins (vs. 3-5).

The false religious leaders had led the people astray.  Isaiah compares them to people who hatch venomous snake’s eggs, which bring forth a baby snake who is ready to bite right from birth (vs. 5).  They are also compared to a spider weaving her web.  A spider’s web is a marvel of seduction.  With cunning the spider weaves the web to trap unsuspecting insects and small animals.  False religions are like a venomous snake’s egg or a spider’s web, equally seductive, but hiding potentially lethal danger.  The false leaders make their lies appear to be true, so we need to be on alert, aware, and wise.  Rather than being the truth, and being something that can clothe us with Godly wisdom and salvation, these false religions and philosophies are as worthless as trying to clothe oneself with a spider’s web, and their paths lead to evil and sin (vs. 6-8).

The Lord God tries to call the people back to Himself, and to get their attention.  He tries to get us to listen to Him.  However, all too often they are blind and deaf, or like dead men, like corpses (vs. 10).  They are seemingly trying to find the right way in life, but can’t find their way.  The justice and righteousness that they profess they want is far away (vs. 9, 11).  Why is that?  Isaiah answers that it is because they have multiplied sins which they refuse to let go of (vs. 12-13).  They have sinned against the Lord so justice, righteousness, and answered prayer will be far away.

This does not please the Lord.  He is not happy when people are lost in their sins.  Therefore, God Himself brought salvation to mankind by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, clothed with salvation and righteousness (vs. 15-19).  When we accept the Lord as our Savior, when we fear His Name, we can call upon Him, and He will hear us.  He will also protect us when the enemy comes in upon us like a flood (vs. 19).  When the presence of the Lord overshadows you, there is nothing that the enemy can do to harm you.  God will rise up and scatter him.  His presence covers and protects us on every side.  The Lord goes before us into every battle, and He is our rear-guard.  He is ever watchful.

In closing, let’s look back one more time at the opening verse of our Scripture passage.  When the people were wondering why God did not seem to hear or answer their prayers, rather than suspect that the fault would lie with themselves, they felt the fault lay with the Lord, that He was weak, His arms or hands were “too short”.  As we have seen, the Lord does hear and is attentive to the prayers and cries of His children, those who have a relationship with Him through the Blood of the Lord Jesus.  No disaster can put us beyond God’s help.  When we are frightened in the dark, trapped by poor choices, or over our heads in trouble, God’s arm is long enough to reach us.  He is not too weak, and we are never beyond His reach.  As the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:38-39, nothing can separate God’s Blood-bought children from Him!

James And John's Request

Mark 10:35-45

You have probably heard of patronage jobs.  We see this a lot in bigger cities and many county governments.  Someone does a politician a favor, helps in his campaign, or contributes money, and they or someone in their family is then given a job.  Usually these are good jobs, often with a pension, sometimes even a “no show” or “no work” job.  This sometimes happens within big corporations, where favoritism and nepotism play a lot in who gets promoted or given certain jobs rather than the hard-working fellow.  There is the old saying “It’s not what you know, but who you know” in getting certain jobs.  In our Gospel passage today we see a couple of the disciples looking for some patronage positions.  Did they get their request?  Let’s take a look.

As our Scripture opens, the two brothers James and John came up to Jesus with a request.  They had something to ask Him, and they didn’t beat around the bush or hesitate, but came right to the point.  They believed that Jesus was going to come to Glory one day, and at that time they wanted the prized positions of sitting at His right and left hand (vs. 35-37).  There was no shyness or reticence with these two!

Historically, the positions of sitting at the right and left hand of a king, a pharaoh, or an emperor, were special positions.  It was a spot of power and of trust.  These mighty rulers would not just give them to anyone.  Instead they were usually given to good friends of the monarch, hopefully someone who was wise.  They might have a lot of money to help finance the monarch, and might also have some military power.  Just like with a political or corporate patronage job, these brothers James and John felt that they could get these two enviable positions.  After all, they were part of Jesus’ inner circle of closest disciples, which also included Peter, who witnessed the Transfiguration, and a few other private miracles, such as raising the daughter of Jairus.

Jesus questioned the two brothers.  Were they capable and willing to suffer and die for their faith, for their Lord?  Could they “drink the same cup” that Jesus was about to do?  They quickly stated that they could (vs. 38-39).  Jesus promised that they indeed would, but that those positions were not for Him to give out but instead were for those who the Father had prepared it for (vs. 39-40).  The other disciples were angry with the two for thinking they should be given special spots, possibly quietly thinking that instead they should get those spots (vs. 41).

The Lord used this opportunity to teach the twelve that, contrary to what the world thinks, if one wants to be great, they need to become a servant to others (vs. 42-45).  The world thinks that being great is having a lot of money, a lot of power, a lofty position.  However in God’s sight, the greatest are the least, those who are humble and lowly in spirit, those who are willing to take the lowliest spots, and are servants to others.

A popular philosophy and teaching is to think about yourself first and foremost - do something for yourself, or with yourself, or to yourself.  That is different from the model and message that Jesus gave us.  He said to be a servant, and give yourself to others.  Paul echoed that in Philippians 2:3-4.  Don’t let selfishness and conceit control you.  Instead, have humility of mind.

Jesus modeled that, by giving of Himself, both throughout His life, and then in His death for our salvation.  Salvation has three “s’s”.  Sacrifice - salvation comes through the death of Jesus.  Substitution - Jesus died instead of us.  Satisfaction - Jesus’ death fulfilled the justice of God, as God’s justice was “satisfied”.

Did the brothers James and John live up to their claim that they could drink the same cup that the Lord Jesus would?   Were they willing and able to suffer for their Savior?  As we read in the Book of Acts, aside from the betrayer Judas, James was the first of the apostles to die.  King Herod Agrippa had him put to death by a sword (Acts 12:1-2).  His brother John, on the other hand, was the only apostle besides the betrayer who did not suffer martyrdom.  After a lifetime of ministry and serving others, as Jesus had instructed His followers to do, John was banished to the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, which was used as a Roman penal colony at the time.  It is there that John is believed to have died.  Like these two brothers, are we willing and able to give our all for the Savior?

 

A Two-Edged Sword

Hebrews 4:12-16

Have you heard temptation calling your name lately?  All of us will face different temptations on a regular basis, and we have various levels of success in fighting them off.  For some it’s the lure of watching something on TV or the internet that we shouldn’t.  For others it’s something in the refrigerator calling our name, that we know we shouldn’t eat.  Or the lure of illicit drugs, or having a violent temper.  Whatever our temptations are, we have various ways of trying to fight it off.  Our Scripture today gives us one sure way to fight these.  Let’s look into what the Lord can teach us.

When we have temptations it is often helpful to talk with someone who has gone through the same thing we are going through.  That is part of the basis for the success of groups like Alcoholics Anonymous.  For us believers, the best way to overcome temptation is to look at the One who has dealt with every temptation successfully and consistently, and that would be the Lord Jesus Christ.  How did He deal with the temptations He was faced with, temptations that Satan threw in His path?  Jesus was tempted in every way that we are today.  However, the big difference is that He never succumbed to those temptations (vs. 15).  Jesus used Scripture and only Scripture to resist Satan’s temptations.  He didn’t use His own wit or His own power.

When one country seeks to fight off an enemy who is attacking them, they want to use powerful weapons.  We have an enemy to fight, and that is Satan and all the temptations he brings.  The best weapon to use is the same one that Jesus used, the Word of God.  We read here that God’s Word is powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword (vs. 12).  A two-edged sword is sharp on both sides, and will cut in any direction you use it.  God’s Word, when properly applied, can cut off any temptation that comes.

It always helps to have our weapons prepared and ready when we need them.  The best way to have God’s Word, our spiritual sword, ready when temptations come is to have appropriate verses and passages memorized.  Memorizing Scripture can transform our life.  It doesn’t necessarily change circumstances, but it will give us something to hold on to when the storms come.  God’s Word is our sword to fight back Satan’s lies.  If we believe that the Bible is the living Word of the One True God, we won’t just read it, we’ll obey it and let it change our life.

Being in prayer is also a weapon that we can use.  God doesn’t care if our prayers are poetic or intellectual, or even grammatically correct.  He listens to our heart.  However, when we pray using Scripture that we’ve read and even memorized, we can pray God’s Words right back to Him.  There is something special about praying Scripture.  These are God’s Words, and we can pray them back to Him.  Through our belief and faith in the death of the Lord Jesus as payment for our sins, we can approach the throne of Almighty God (vs. 16).

The author of Hebrews instructs us to hold fast to our confession (vs. 14).  Whatever we talk about is our confession.  If we are continually confessing how much trouble the devil is causing, our words will ring true.  When the Bible tells us to hold fast our profession we are being told to hold on with faith to what the Bible says about our situation - the kind of faith that does not let go!

When we feel alone and that no one understands, we forget that Jesus became fully human, and experienced life as we do.  He was tempted as we are.  He dealt with grief, sadness, had joy and happiness.  The only thing Jesus didn’t experience was sin.  However, because He paid the price of sin, He knew the suffering of sin’s consequences.

No matter what we are facing, Jesus identifies with our circumstance, and He feels every single thing we’re experiencing.  He is our Great High Priest.

Under His Wings

Psalm 91

In many parts of my country there are various severe storms that can pop up.  The southeastern coastal area has hurricanes.  Recently they had two major-strength hurricanes that left devastation in their path.  In the central and southeastern part of the country there are also strong and deadly tornadoes.  In the north there can be dangerous blizzards in the winter.  All of these storms require one thing in common, and that is that people in the path need to seek shelter, and not just any shelter, but one that is strong, secure, and safe.  In life we face storms, as well.  Sometimes they can be just as devastating.  We need to seek a safe shelter, but where can we find one?  That is the theme of our psalm for today.

Have you ever had to seek shelter from something severe, like a storm?  Due to where I live, I have gone through several tornadoes that came fairly close, and a few strong blizzards, as well.  I was thankful that I had a good shelter to be in.  There are other things people need shelter from, such as in a time of war, or when you are hiding from a criminal or someone who seeks to harm you.  During the pandemic, people sought shelter in their homes from disease.  However, our shelters don’t always help.  Tornadoes and hurricanes can still knock buildings down.  Criminals can break into homes and harm us.  And diseases can still manage to creep in.  Where can we find a sure shelter?

Psalm 91 gives us the answer, and tells us Who will protect us, no matter what our storm in life is.  This unknown psalmist sought his help from Elyon, or God Most High.  El Shaddai, or God Almighty, will protect him (vs. 1).   He is the psalmist’s refuge and fortress, and he trusts in Him.  When storms come in our life, to calm our fears we can cling to faith in who Yahweh is, and what He can do.  We can take shelter in Him.  He is with us in the storm, and will cradle us through that storm.

Several times throughout Scripture God uses a picture of a mother bird protecting her chicks from storms and danger by hiding them under her wings.  He uses this picture to show how He also cares for those who have put their trust in Him.  We see this analogy here in our psalm (vs. 4).  For chicks, the safest place to be is enfolded inside their mother’s wing.  Jesus gave a similar statement that He wanted to gather Jerusalem as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but they refused Him (Matthew 23:37).  We live in a stressful world filled with problems.  Jesus calls us to trust Him and run for protection within His arms.

When we trust in the Lord, He puts us in a place where we are protected, where we rest in His presence and power.  Believers can live in the shelter and safety of God’s magnificent wings.  Nothing can harm us there.  We are completely safe and secure.  When God covers us He puts insulation between us and the hand of our adversary.  The Lord is covering us to survive the perils of perilous times.  We can survive anything if we trust in Yahweh and hold steadfast to His Word.

When we are feeling anxious, worried, or fearful of the “terrors of the night” (vs. 5), remember in Whom we dwell, and the promises and truth of God’s Word.  Whatever the terror - fire, thieves, sickness, death, we do not need to be afraid.  We can find refuge and comfort under His wings.

During those times when we are in danger, God is ready and waiting to help us, as He promises at the end of our psalm (vs. 15-16).  We don’t have to try and convince Him to come to our aid, for that is what good father’s do for their children, and Yahweh is the best of Fathers.  He is ready, willing, and able to be with us in our time of trouble, and to rescue us when we need to be saved.  We have a sleepless Guardian watching over us through the night.  God’s love for us will never change.  He is a faithful Friend!

 

The Silent Lamb

Isaiah 53

When someone has done you wrong, do you just take it?  Most of us would have to say that no, we don’t.  Or at least we don’t want to.  Society tells us to stand up for our rights, and don’t let anyone walk all over us.  Perhaps if we know that we’ve done something to deserve what we’re getting, we might grudgingly take it, but not likely if we’ve done nothing wrong.  That would make us look weak and like a loser.   No one wants to be considered a loser, especially if nothing is their fault.  Our Scripture today describes someone who is grossly mistreated, and not for anything they have done wrong themselves, and yet they endure that treatment.  Are they weak and a loser?  Let’s look and see.

In this 53rd chapter of Isaiah, the prophet gives us an account of a person who is going through some terrible treatment at the hands of others, and yet he is enduring it meekly, without any sign of fighting back, even though, as we read, it was not treatment that he deserved. We know through reading and studying Scripture that this account is a description of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the suffering He endured to obtain salvation for mankind.  As the prophet brought his message, he relates that many refuse to believe him (vs. 1).  So many times when we tell others about Jesus, and the sacrifice He paid for our sins to bring us salvation, we are not believed, either.  Yet, like Isaiah, we need to keep telling the message.

What kind of abuse did the Messiah, the Lord Jesus suffer for us?  Have you ever seen someone after they have been severely beaten?  I’ve only seen depictions in movies or TV, not in real life.  But it’s safe to assume it’s not a pleasant sight!  Isaiah tells us the same, that there was no beauty or glory in how He looked throughout this ordeal.  He was despised, and people didn’t even want to look at Him (vs. 2-3).   I’m sure those hours were very gruesome to behold!

As we continue reading the account of Isaiah, we see that all that the Messiah went through was not because of anything that He did, and it was not somehow for His benefit.  The Lord God tells us that it was for our transgressions and iniquities, our sins that Jesus suffered this (vs. 4-6).  Verse 5 speaks it all - “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”  All that Jesus suffered was for us!

Now if you were suffering all this excruciating, abusive treatment, especially if there was no fault of your own to merit such treatment, would you take this quietly?  Most of us could honestly say that we would lash out at whoever was doing this to us.  We would be shouting at them, and possibly even be trying to fight them off.  However, that is not what the Lord Jesus did.  Our Scripture says that just as a lamb or sheep being led to the slaughter is quiet, so He was, as well (vs. 7).

Sheep do not typically struggle and fight when they are being sheared, and they are compliant and easily led when they are taken to the slaughter.  Jesus didn’t try to escape from the agony and shame that faced Him when He was led to the cross.  He went willingly, silently, and with no verbal retorts to those who mocked and jeered while He was nailed to the cross.  Jesus, the Son of God, sacrificed all He had for us.  He took our place so that we could be forgiven and have a restored relationship with God.

So how would the world look at someone like this, someone who took all that abuse and didn’t fight back, someone who was executed with criminals (vs. 9, 12) ?  They would call them weak losers.  Yet that is not how God viewed Jesus.  God was pleased with the sacrifice of Jesus.  His sacrifice satisfied the justice that the Lord demanded for sin (vs. 10-12).  On the third day Jesus rose from the dead, and several weeks later He ascended into heaven where He is seated upon His heavenly throne.  As Isaiah said, He was given a portion with the great, and divided the spoil with the strong (vs. 12).  That is not a picture of a weak loser!  No, the Lord Jesus reigns as King forever more!

What Has Ahold Of Your Heart?

Mark 10:17-31

Is there some belongings of yours that you could never part with, no matter what?  Do you have some treasured object that nothing could force you to give up?  Just a couple of months ago I had to move several hundred miles away, and I had to give up a lot of my belongings.  I was not able to take them with me.  I had a lot of books, and there was no way I was able to keep them all, so I had to make the difficult decision of which to take, and which to give up.  The same with the many knick-knacks I had collected over the years, along with a lot of dishes.  Thankfully, over the years, the Lord had taught me that “things” do not matter so much, so this wasn’t as hard as it would have been a number of years ago.  In our Scripture today from the Gospel of Mark, we read of a young man who was asked to voluntarily give up his belongings for something infinitely better.  Let’s look at what his decision was.

Word of Jesus’ ministry had spread far and wide around Galilee and Judah, and many people sought to see Him.  Among them was one young man in particular.  This young man came running up to Jesus, as he had a very important question he wished answered.  This man wanted to know what he would need to do to receive eternal life.  In light of this question we can be fairly certain that he was religious and spiritual.  He also had great respect for Jesus, as he knelt before Him (vs. 17).

Jesus proceeded to review the Law, the Ten Commandments with this fellow (vs. 18-20).  It is not that the Savior was saying that keeping the Law will earn someone heaven, because that won’t (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).  Jesus was digging deeper, to show this man what exactly was standing in the way of him and salvation.  He then pointed out to this man in a kind and loving way that what is standing between him and a true relationship with God was material belongings and things, so He proceeded to tell him to get rid of them all (vs. 21-22).  Unfortunately he could not do that.  His wealth, his material things, were too tightly wrapped around his heart, and the young man left in the same spiritual condition he came in.

When Jesus proceeded to tell the disciples that it is difficult for the rich to find eternal life, they were surprised (vs. 23-26).  At this time most Jews believed that riches were a sign of God’s blessing.  Peter pointed out how he and the others had given up everything for Jesus, and He reassured him that they would receive God’s blessing (vs. 28-31).

There are other things besides literal money that can keep us from fully following Jesus, such as career, some treasured possession, family, friends, reputation, prestige, or power.  Suppose you felt a very distinct call from the Lord to go into full-time Christian work of one type or another, would there be something that would hold you back?  Perhaps you know that it would upset your parents because you might be called to move far away.  Maybe you hold back because it would mean giving up that rather prestigious and lucrative job you have or wanted.  Maybe it means selling the family home.  If you knew that God wanted you to leave for the mission field or some other work for Him, and you didn’t because of some reason, then that thing has your heart and not Him.  In our Scripture, this man’s riches had become more important to him than anything, even God.

Being rich in and of itself, is not wrong or sinful.  Rich people do have some advantages for God that the poor do not have.  They are able to spend more time in Bible study because they wouldn’t have to work that second job.  They can give more money to the Lord.  However, they are very likely to overlook their own need for God.  They are tempted to replace God with any number of idols of their own making.

Faith in Jesus means following Him in this life, and giving our all to His Kingdom.  For this rich young man, Jesus’ advice to sell everything and give away the proceeds and then follow Him, was a deal-breaker.  He could not do that.  Several centuries later, a similarly rich man heard God calling him to a life dedicated to His service.  This man also came from a very wealthy family.  However, he gave away his share of the family’s wealth and inheritance, and gave his life fully to the Lord Jesus.  His name was St. Francis of Assisi.  He did what this other man would not do.  Let us ask ourselves if there is anything that we can’t bear to give up, whether money, possessions, or even people, in order to fully follow Jesus.

Greater Than Moses

Hebrews 3:1-6

For many years I lived right near Oak Park, Illinois, a prominent suburb of Chicago, and also the home for many years of the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.  I have seen many of the world-famous houses he designed, along with his famous studio and home.  His style of design was so admired that many other architects tried to copy it.  What made his houses and designs so admired and famous?  Was it because of who lived in them, or was it because they were designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright?  It was his name that mattered, not that of the tenant.  As we look into our Scripture for today, we see that same idea - which is more important, the one who built the house or the tenant or caregiver of the building.  Let’s see what the Lord teaches in this passage.

As our Scripture opens, the author urges us to consider the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession (vs. 1).  To consider Jesus is to fully observe Him, what He said and what He did, which is recorded in the Gospels.  Even though we may desire to follow Jesus, our life can get off track if we are not careful.  We need to constantly fix our eyes upon Jesus, to consider and follow His path (Hebrews 12:2), following Him every step of our life.

Our Scripture now brings to our consideration the great Old Testament leader, Moses.  Moses was one of the most important people in Israelite history.  He was the faithful messenger of God, the instrument through which the Law was given, and the one who established the Levitical priesthood.

As important as Moses was, Jesus is superior.  Moses was faithful as a servant (vs. 5).  Jesus was faithful as a Son (vs. 6).  Moses was a witness to what God would speak in the future (vs. 5).  Jesus was the message (Hebrews 1:1-2).   Moses was faithful in God’s house (vs. 2).  Jesus was the Builder of the house, and faithful as Son over God’s house (vs. 6).

While being the caretaker of a building can be very important, the builder of the building has greater honor.  Without the builder, there would be no building to take care of.  Moses was the caretaker.  Jesus was the Builder.

This is not to denigrate Moses.  He was a very faithful and devout servant of God, and the Lord used him in a mighty way.  However, he cannot even approach the majesty of Jesus, the Son of God.   Moses was the servant, Jesus is the Son.

The houses and other buildings that Frank Lloyd Wright built aren’t famous because of who lived in them.  For some of these buildings, only real Frank Lloyd Wright experts even know who they were.  Others might have been well-known in their day, especially since one had to be rather wealthy to afford a Wright-designed house, but now they are forgotten to history except for the fact that they once had or lived in one of his houses.  It was the designer and builder of the house that was important, not the caretaker or tenant.

Let us devote ourselves to following the Builder, the Lord Jesus Christ, and not anyone else.  Let us fix our eyes on Him alone, considering Him and following the path that He has laid out.