Blog Archives - Created through Him

Created Through Him

The first and the last

8/21/2012

3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: 4 And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. 5 One shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel. 6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God (Isaiah 44:3-6).

God is a God of blessings and promises. The blessings and promises of God are irrevocable. They always come to pass in time. Notice too that in verse 6 there is a redeemer: This is Christ Himself. Christ is the first and the last and there is nothing and no one outside of His ability to redeem. God is totally sovereign and there is therefore nothing that cannot be accomplished through His will. Rest in the promises of God, in time, all God’s promises will come to fruition. This calls for patience and perseverance of the saints-wait upon the Lord, and peace be still and know that God is God.

By name

8/20/2012

43 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine (Isaiah 43:1).

God’s redemption of us is personal. He calls individuals and nations by name. This is very significant. God is not an impersonal unmoved-mover, but rather a personal, sovereign, gracious and holy God. The personal nature of God, in relationship, is the outline of the everlasting covenant. God shall be our God and we shall be His people. There is therefore a transaction that occurs between the Creator and the created that allows the created to be in God’s presence. This transaction means that we were literally paid for by God and therefore we are His. We know from the Gospels that it is God Himself in the person and work of Jesus Christ that paid the price of our redemption.

Open the blind eyes

8/19/2012

5 Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: 6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house (Isaiah 42:5-7).

Isaiah’s prophecies concerning Christ, given hundreds of years before Christ’s life, death and resurrection are an amazing reminder that God is in control. Christ came to open the eyes of the world to the love of God. The plan of redemption of the Creation was sovereignly planned from the beginning. The Creator is sovereign over creation and that sovereignty allows the salvation of multitudes from every nation, tongue and generation. Christ sets us free; free from the chains of our own actions; and free from total darkness.

Fear not

8/18/2012

10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness (Isaiah 41:10).

God is the source of our true strength. Unlike when we rely on our own strength, when we rely on the strength from God there is no way we can fail. God lifts His people up and provides what is needed. When you think about it, relying on God should remove all fear from life. When we are fearful or worried we should turn to God for strength. God promises that we will not be dismayed. God is our strength.

Every valley exalted

8/17/2012

3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it (Isaiah 40:3-5).

These verses are a prophecy of coming of a forerunner (John the Baptist) and coming of Christ. The prophecy was written nearly 700 hundred years before Christ. The impact of Christ on human history is immeasurable. God through Christ has changed everything-valleys exalted, crooked made straight. The entire frame of reference for mankind shifted as a result of the restoration of the relationship of God to Man through Christ. This is good news to the Glory of God.

Walk in His way

8/16/2012

21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left (Isaiah 30:21).

God does not leave us without direction. God, according to His gracious sovereignty, provides us with ample evidence of the path we should take in life. We need only listen to His word. It is not that God is a puppeteer, but rather God directs so that both His will and our good are accomplished. When we follow God’s lead we are on a path that will save us. This is the good news of the Gospel that God would not leave us to our own accord but interacts in the world to save us from ourselves.

Precept upon precept

8/15/2012

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little (Isaiah 28:10).

The knowledge and information concerning redemptive history is present throughout scripture. From beginning to end, scripture testifies concerning the actions of God and the responses of Man. God has decreed a plan of salvation that is consistent with the nature of God himself while accounting for the nature of Man. Scripture is an interrelated and integrated plan. Scripture tells a story. The story is human history in relation to the Creator. Each word and line of scripture has meaning and in concert tells the story of redemption of the Creation. We are to learn from each precept, each line, and the learning will be evident by how we live-precept upon percept, line upon line; here a little, there a little. In the end though, it is God that brings us to the place of understanding through His spirit and consistent with His word.

He will wipe away all tears

8/14/2012

8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. 9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation (Isaiah 25:8-9).

The victory of the cross is the victory over death. The victory over death is both physical and spiritual and leads to our salvation. Salvation then is total. There will be no more tears, no more sorrow, and no more death. This is the gift of a sovereign gracious God. In verse 9 there is an emphasis on waiting on the Lord. The point of this, I think, is to remind us that salvation is an act of God and that we are to respond to God. The response that we should have to God is to rejoice and to give Him praise.

So he shall open

8/13/2012

22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open (Isaiah 22:22).

This is one of the many messianic prophecies from Isaiah. The fulfillment of prophecy is a sure sign of the sovereignty of God. This prophecy was written hundreds of years before Christ was born. Additionally, this passage itself describes the authority and sovereignty of Christ. Christ’s reign is described here as permanent and total. His kingdom is without end and results from His work on the cross. Nothing can undo the work of Christ. The work is done once, for all, that calls upon the name of the Lord.

The Lord of hosts shall bless

8/12/2012

25 Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance (Isaiah 19:25).

God in His sovereignty continues to draw people to Himself and will one day in the future bring entire nations to salvation. The work of salvation by Christ is a finished work, but the effect on people is continuous. This verse from Isaiah clearly has had partial fulfillment with the spread of the Gospel across the world. However, there seems to be indication from the context of the passage that the verse also speaks of a future time when the reign of Christ will result from His return to earth. While there can be debate on the details of the earthly millennial reign of Christ, there should be no debate that the sovereign actions of God results in the salvation of multitudes of souls. Praise God.

Created Through Him