Glory and Honour and Peace

Posted on by korgrocker

“There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. But there will be glory and honour and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favouritism.”
Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is a dichotomy between evil and good, as Paul explained in these verses from his letter to the Roman Christians, that we are considering today. Considering a person’s behaviour, there is “trouble and calamity” for doing evil, and “glory and honour and peace” for doing good. Black and white. No shades of grey. But what does “for all who do good” actually mean. What was in Paul’s thinking?

There are plenty of verses in the Bible about doing good. In Galatians 6:9-10 we read, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith“. Doing good to everyone is not a difficult concept to understand. We look out for our elderly neighbour, helping them with shopping or a task in their house. We use our resources to perhaps take someone to hospital when they visit the out-patients. We provide a meal for someone in need. we help our children with their homework. The list of possibilities for doing good is endless. Doing good within our societies, communities and families holds them together, as otherwise they would fall apart.

But these are all ways in which we do good to others. But what about doing good to ourselves? We read in Philippians 1:6, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns“. We must also consider doing good to ourselves. Now, this is far more contentious because it means we should perhaps be considering our inner persons, body, soul and spirit. Take our bodies, for instance. I think we will all agree that some foods are good for us, and others are not. Should we be considering doing good to ourselves by eating the right foods in the correct quantities? And are we engaged in practices that are harmful to our bodies? Enough said on that one! And then we have our spirits. They need feeding as well. A daily diet of Scripture and prayer can only do us good.

Paul said we will receive “glory and honour and peace” by doing good. Honour may happen in our lifetimes, recognised perhaps by an award of one kind or another. But most people who are doing good will not be recognised in this life. It’s the same with glory. Something that we are banking for the next life. However, we can experience peace in our lives today. That comfort we achieve in knowing that the life of someone around us has been made a bit easier. Peace, because we don’t have on our consciences something we should have done for someone else, but didn’t do it. Peace, in these troubling and challenging times is something that is invaluable.

We pilgrims are the glue that holds our societies and communities together. And we achieve that by doing good. Being examples to those around us. Doing good enables us to enjoy “glory and honour and peace from God” both is this life and in the life to come. 

Dear Father God. You have blessed us so much. We thank You and worship You today. Amen.

 

Trouble and Calamity

Posted on by korgrocker

“There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. But there will be glory and honour and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favouritism.”
Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul continues his letter to the Roman Christians about the dangers of sin, evil and wickedness. Words that really have the same connotations and, as we would expect, they will have the same consequences. Perhaps there are some today, reading these verses in Romans, who are getting the impression that in Paul’s day, life was riven with overt and disgraceful displays of pure evil. We would be misguided should we believe that, because, as we read Paul’s list of misdemeanours, we find that much of the evil he describes is hidden from public view. It applies to attitudes of heart, and deeds committed behind closed doors. 

In our society today, much of the evil Paul was so dismayed about has come out into the open, with, for example, marches and events promoting and celebrating evil behaviour, with legislation helping to ease restrictions on laws and precepts originally established by God, and pressure on society to conform to a new morality which has no place in the Kingdom of God.

Paul therefore warns his readers that for those who continue to practice evil acts will end up in bother, or, as he wrote, “trouble and calamity“. But why did Paul highlight that Jews would experience “trouble and calamity” in advance of the Gentiles? After all, as it says in Romans 2:11, “God does not show favouritism“. Paul himself was a Jew, so perhaps that influenced his thoughts. After all, his nation, the Jews, were God’s chosen people, so they should have been well aware of what constitutes evil behaviour.

Notice the words that Paul uses – “ keeps on doing”. Paul was highlighting constant bad behaviour. A lifestyle of evil. Paul wrote about the consequences of this in his letter to the Galatian church. We read in Galatians 6:8, “Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit“. “Trouble and calamity” and “decay and death” all result from sinful behaviour. Perhaps some have already made the connection between evil practices and avoidable diseases, or liver, heart or lung failure. But that will not be the only result of evil. Paul’s thoughts also extend into what is going on in people’s minds, and ultimately, what impact evil behaviour will have when people encounter that terrible day when they stand before God’s white throne?

What is the remedy for an evil lifestyle? We read in 1 John 1:9, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness“. But that was a Scripture written for the benefit of Christians, so it is unlikely that people who live in an ungodly way would read it and make the connection. God in His wisdom has given us some guidelines for drawing people away from a life of sin. People preached a tremendous sermon on the Day of Pentecost. We read in Acts 2:37-38, “Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit“”. But how did Peter’s words “pierce their hearts”? I’m sure the people who heard his sermon could have let his words flow over their heads. It is the Holy Spirit who brings conviction of sin, as we read in John 16:8, “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment“. As believers, we only have to deliver the message of the Good News. The Holy Spirit will do the rest.

Notice that Peter’s sermon included the message of repentance and turning to God. Sometimes I think we evangelical pilgrims forget that message when we are talking to people about God’s love and grace. The only remedy for an evil lifestyle is repentance, turning away from their evil behaviour and instead towards a life living God’s way. Confessing sins on their own, important though that is, is not enough. 

We pilgrims continue to preach the Gospel at every opportunity. Spreading the word of God’s love and kindness. Telling people that the time is short. And praying that God will touch them and draw them into His eternal presence.

Dear Father God. We are so grateful for Your words of instruction. Please help us to heed them ourselves, as well as share them with others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Grace

Posted on by korgrocker

“Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?”
Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT

How do we know that God is “kind, tolerant, and patient” with us? We sometimes joke about a bolt of lightning from Heaven zapping an outrageously-behaving person, who is blatantly engaged in some sin or other. And on many occasions, such an event would be well deserved. But Paul reminded the Roman Christians that such divine kindness should be turning them from their sins, even though they deserve judgement.

To turn this around to our own lives, how does God’s patience make us change? Through honest self-examination we can discover many a sinful thought that deserves punishment. There is, of course, a response that says something like, “I’ll sort out my life before I die, so I’ll be ok”, hoping, or assuming, that we will have control over such an event one day. Jesus warned against such an attitude with His parable about “the Rich Fool”. I know it applies to the folly of accumulating wealth, but the principle is the same. We read in Luke 12:20-21, ““But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”” We don’t know when we will pass from this life, but once we do, the option to turn from our sins dies with us. God’s grace comes to an end at the grave or crematorium. We also don’t know when the end of the world will come. The last question put to Jesus by the disciples, before He ascended into Heaven was recorded in Acts 1:6, with Jesus’ reply in the following verse, “So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.”

Another response is to try and rationalise our moral and sinful lapses. Perhaps we say that they aren’t really all that bad – in fact they are nowhere near as bad as the behaviour of that man or woman down the road, we say to ourselves. But the fact remains – we only have a limited opportunity to respond to God’s grace-infused, divine kindness and patience.

God’s kind and tolerant response to our many sins is summed up by one word – grace. We read in Ephesians 1:7-8, “He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding”. If there is anyone who can lay claim to God’s grace, it was the Apostle Paul. He was a walking, talking example and testimony to the grace of God. There Paul was, persecuting the early church with a zeal that, if he failed to have that encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road, would have inflicted significant damage on those young Christians, but the grace of God was so powerful that he found it irresistible, and we must pray the same grace, which is still available today, will come and infuse our families and communities. The grace of God knocked Paul off his horse. We pray that it will knock down the arguments and excuses offered by those around us, that they too will find a way into the presence of God.

Dear Father God. We can say or do nothing without kneeling in worship before You, deeply grateful for your kindness, tolerance and patience. Deeply grateful for Your grace. Amen.

Living For Themselves

Posted on by korgrocker

“He will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honour and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness.“
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT

There was no doubts in Paul’s mind when he penned that God will “pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves”. He was convinced that selfish living will not end well, when eternity life after death is taken into account. But is such a response from God a bit unfair? After all, in today’s society, just as much as it must have been in Paul’s, a failure to look out for our own interests will have disadvantaging consequences. 

The two thousand years between Paul’s times and today have seen enormous changes to our societies. Today, we see huge technological changes, a much enhanced standard of living (at least in Western countries). Better education and health. Our human rights, though not perfect, are much improved when compared with Paul’s day. But there is one thing that has not changed since the days of Adam, and that is man’s propensity to selfishness and sin. And another thing that hasn’t changed is that God is righteous and holy, meaning that there is no home for sin anywhere near Him. In fact, He deals with sin and wickedness by ultimately ensuring it is contained in a place called the Lake of Fire.

So what does “liv[ing] for themselves” look like? Obviously, it is a lifestyle that promotes a person’s own needs above the needs of those around us. The Bible recorded an episode that took place between Ahab, Israel’s king, and Naboth, the owner of a vineyard that Ahab wanted. Naboth refused to sell it to Ahab, so the king had a strop and we read about it in 1 Kings 21:4, “So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat!” It’s a fascinating story of someone who lived for himself, and you can read it in the rest of 1 Kings 21. Selfishness ruled the day. 

But the Bible has some helpful Scriptures, detailing how we should live, rather than how we shouldn’t. We have 1 Corinthians 10:24, “Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others“. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:3-4, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too“. And one more from 1 John 3:17, “If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?”

These helpful verses, showing the right way to live, are the truth. If we obey, then we are not living for ourselves. If we don’t obey then we are. And rejecting the truth leads to a life of wickedness. It takes a lifetime of living God’s way to reduce the selfishness within us and replace it with the truth of God’s ways. Sometimes we reflect on our lives and wonder if we’ll ever get anywhere near God’s standards. Following our justification through the blood of Jesus, we embark on a journey of sanctification. In Jesus’ wonderful prayer in John 17, we read in verse 17, “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth”. Through Jesus we started the process of being made holy at the Cross, and He will never give up on us.  In 1 Corinthians 1:30, we read, “God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin“. 

No longer do we pilgrims “live for ourselves“. We look out for our friends and neighbours. Our families. Even strangers in difficulties. And by so doing we are being obedient to the truth. And sparing ourselves from the wrath and anger of God. 

Dear Father. Your Words are the truth and we pray for more of You in our lives, helping us to become more and more like Jesus. We are so grateful. Amen.

‭‭

Reward or Penalty?

Posted on by korgrocker

“He will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honour and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness.”
Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT

Paul said that God will judge everyone “according to what they have done”. But when will this happen? There is an argument that says God’s courtroom is active continually, justice administered through our courts. But that was not what Paul was referring to. We must look to a passage of Scripture in Revelation to find out the background to his thinking. We read in Revelation 20:11-12, “And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books”. There are four things we learn from these verses. Firstly, the act of God’s judgement won’t take place until after we have died. Secondly, there is a reward for those who have done well when they were alive. Thirdly, He will be very angry with those “who live for themselves”, and, fourthly, and perhaps most worryingly, everything we have ever done will have been written down. 

Paul said that God will give “eternal life to those who keep on doing good”. This could be rather contentious for some Christians, because they imply that if we once were doing good, but then stopped, God’s offer of eternal life might be jeopardised. The phrase, “keep on” is in the same tense as in 1 Corinthians 1:19, “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God”. We are “being saved” – present continuous tense. Salvation didn’t happen once and then all was ok for evermore. Salvation is a continuous process, and it won’t be completed until the day we are welcomed into Heaven. In Philippians 2:12b, Paul wrote, “… continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling”. 

Jesus told the story of the sheep and the goats, which we can read in Matthew 25. The parable starts off with a picture of the “Son of Man”, who we know is Jesus, sitting on a throne. The story continues,, “All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left”. (Matthew 25:32-33). This event happens after the Second Coming of Jesus, so it must have taken place at the start of the Millennium, as described in Revelation 20. But who are the sheep and the goats? We read that those who, because of their relationship with Jesus, went about their lives helping others, particularly those disadvantaged in life, were designated as “sheep”, and those who claimed to have a relationship with Jesus, or no relationship at all, but lived a selfish, unhelpful life, were called the “goats”. 

In our verses from Romans today, we have the same division of people – those who “keep on doing good” and those who “live for themselves”. Paul’s equivalent of the sheep and goats. The outcome is the same as it was in Jesus’ story. We read about the sheep in Matthew 25:34-36, “Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was ill and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me””. Jesus then continued to describe the goats, those standing to His left. In Matthew 25:41-43 we read, “Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was ill and in prison and you did not look after me””. Jesus finished His story with the warning that the sheep, the righteous ones, will end up enjoying eternal life, but the goats will sadly find themselves eternally punished. 

As an aside, we should note that those who kept on doing good were not saved by their good works, but did them because of their relationship with Jesus. An important distinction because we know we are saved by grace, not by works. We read in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no-one can boast”. 

We have a choice in life. It’s black and white. Heaven or hell. I know what I want, and, through faith in God, I know where I am heading. We Christian pilgrims with the same conviction must tell others around us about the choice they have, and particularly that if they don’t make a choice, the default is hell. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:11, “Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too”. We might not be the most popular down the pub, but one day, those who make the right choice will be eternally grateful. 

Dear Father God. Please lead us to those who are at the point of making the choice between life and death. And we pray for those who we are already reaching out to, that Your Spirit will touch them with Your love, drawing them to Yourself. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Ruler

Posted on by korgrocker

“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”
“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.”
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”
Isaiah‬ ‭7:14, 9‬:‭2‬, ‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We read the Son’s assignment in Isaiah 9:6-7, and it quickly becomes clear that this did not happen while He walked the highways and byways of Palestine, as we read in the Gospels. Jesus wasn’t present on this earth as a Ruler, but as a Prince of Peace. There were three prophecies in these verses penned by Isaiah. They all referred to the coming of God’s Son, Jesus. Isaiah prophesied about how He would come, the impact of His coming, and His eternal reign. All in a few short verses. We have considered the first two and, with the benefit of hindsight, we see how remarkably accurate Isaiah’s prophecies were. But we have yet to see Jesus ruling “from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity”. 

In a few words, Isaiah gave us a hint that the Son’s first coming was going to transition to His second through the Holy Spirit’s presence on the earth. He was going to act as the Son’s representative, maintaining the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, inviting all who desired a relationship with Him to become citizens. But then we see a new Jesus. Not the Man of peace, riding a donkey, but a Man of authority, riding a white horse and ruling for all eternity. We don’t have the benefit of hindsight for this part of Isaiah’s prophecy so we, in faith, must accept it and watch out for it. It has still to happen.

Nowhere in these verses in Isaiah does it say when these prophecies would come to pass. We know that Jesus will return to this planet, because the angels at His ascension told the disciples so. We read in Acts 1:10-11, “As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!””. There are several Scriptures that give us some clues as to how Jesus will return to this earth. The Apostle John, in his vision, wrote in Revelation 19:11, “Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war“. I Thessalonians 4:16-17 reads, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever”. When Jesus returns to this earth, He will fulfil the last part of Isaiah’s prophecy. No returning as a helpless and insignificant baby – He will return as the Ruler, the Lord of lords and King of kings. 

In this season of Christmas, we pilgrims celebrate the birth of Jesus. We trace His steps through the dark paths of a people needing a Saviour. We see how His light has illuminated the world for the past two thousand years, and we have been given a preview of His impending return as the triumphant Mighty God. All from a few verses written by a Jewish prophet nearly three thousand years ago. The penultimate verse in the Bible records the last words of Jesus. We read in Revelation 22:20, “He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” Sentiments I am sure we echo and share.

Dear Lord. We are so grateful for Your willingness to come to earth, showing us a way to eternal life with You. We worship You today. Amen.

‭‭‭‭‭‭

Light of the World

Posted on by korgrocker

“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”
“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.”
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”
Isaiah‬ ‭7:14, 9‬:‭2‬, ‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

On this Christmas Day we continue to look at Isaiah’s prophecy. When the Son walked the highways and byways of Palestine, He found a people who were indeed living in a time of great darkness. There had not been a prophetic word for over four hundred years, and, worse, the land was occupied by a cruel army who severely suppressed the fiercely independent Jewish nation. But into this “deep darkness” came a “great light”. The Light of the World had arrived. Jesus said as much, in John 8:12, “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life””. He couldn’t have been clearer of His mission as He walked out the Isaiah prophecy amongst His people. 

Jesus, the Son of God, was faultless in implementing His mission. But, sadly, He was largely rejected by the very people who so desperately needed Him. We read in Luke 17:25, “But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation“. His own people ended up calling for His execution as a criminal. But they weren’t to know that this was all part of God’s plan. If it wasn’t through God’s plan with the sacrifice of Jesus at Calvary, through His birth, death and resurrection, we would never have found a way to be with God, to experience eternal life. The Apostle Paul referred to this as the mystery of God, and he wrote in Ephesians 3:3-4, “As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ“. 

Jesus was and is God’s Light to the world. He is so desperately needed in our current generation, as He has been in all previous generations. But once again we have a generation of people who reject Him. However, we pilgrims have a golden opportunity, while there is still time, while God’s unlimited grace is still available, to tell the world around us about God’s mysterious plan. We tell the people in our families and communities about the Baby who came two thousand years ago, and who we celebrate in this season of Christmas. We tell everyone about the Baby’s journey into being an itinerant preacher, but with a difference – He was, and is, God’s Son. We tell everyone we can about His sinless life and death for our sins. And we tell everyone He is still alive today, present here on Planet Earth through His Spirit.

The Son of God, the Light of the World, can illuminate our lives, our world. If we let Him. There is no longer a mystery. God’s unlimited love and grace is available for all to access. This season of celebration, the Christmas period, can be full of misery, or it can be full of hope. The best gift this world has ever seen is in God’s hands, and if we look closely, He is holding it out to us. All we have to do is look up out of our circumstances and take it. And as we unwrap it, the Light of the World will burst into a glorious vista, bringing a shining light into our deep darkness.

Dear Father God. I pray today for all those in my family and community who don’t know You, that they too will look up and see Your wonderful gift there for the taking. Amen.

‭‭

Immanuel

Posted on by korgrocker

“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”
“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.”
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”
Isaiah‬ ‭7:14, 9‬:‭2‬, ‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Immanuel. The Hebrew word meaning “God is with us”. Way back in the early chapters of Genesis God was so close to mankind that He walked and talked with the first man, Adam. At that time, Heaven and Earth were in contact, with God passing freely between them. God was with us. In those days, Planet Earth had not been corrupted by sin. But after the Fall, that desperately sad moment when sin entered the world, Heaven recoiled from Earth, in horror that sin had made such a liaison impossible and no longer viable. There is no place for sin and wickedness in Heaven. The only time that sin did in fact erupt in Heaven was when Lucifer decided to rebel against God, and he ended up being cast down to Earth, along with a third of the angels who rebelled with him. God still yearned for the opportunity to be with His creation, human beings, but had to be content with the occasional contact through His Spirit and via angels. But God had a plan.

Isaiah prophesied that there will come a time when God will be with us once again here on Earth. Look at the sequence of events. It starts with a virgin conceiving. How can that happen? It was obviously not a natural event – even in today’s medically-enlightened times it can only happen with a manual intervention. In Isaiah’s prophecy such an event was nothing short of miraculous, and could only have taken place with God’s involvement. The sign continued with the birth of a Son. A Son who was both human and divine. The theologians call this the Incarnation. John wrote about this event – we read it in John 1:14, “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son”. The miraculous sign continues with the declaration that the Son will be called Immanuel, “God is with us“. Once again God was walking on Planet Earth.

Thankfully, God’s liaison with Planet Earth didn’t end with the Ascension. Jesus left the Earth, knowing it was in good hands. We read in John 14:16 (AMP), “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counsellor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever—”. The Holy Spirit has been with us ever since, acting as Jesus’ representative, and doing those things that Jesus would have done, had He been with us.

We pilgrims are deeply grateful for God’s plan, that is still being outworked with us today. God is still with us.

Immanuel, we praise and worship You today.

Immanuel

Posted on by korgrocker

“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”
“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.”
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”
Isaiah‬ ‭7:14, 9‬:‭2‬, ‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Immanuel. The Hebrew word meaning “God is with us”. Way back in the early chapters of Genesis God was so close to mankind that He walked and talked with the first man, Adam. At that time, Heaven and Earth were in contact, with God passing freely between them. God was with us. In those days, Planet Earth had not been corrupted by sin. But after the Fall, that desperately sad moment when sin entered the world, Heaven recoiled from Earth, in horror that sin had made such a liaison impossible and no longer viable. There is no place for sin and wickedness in Heaven. The only time that sin did in fact erupt in Heaven was when Lucifer decided to rebel against God, and he ended up being cast down to Earth, along with a third of the angels who rebelled with him. God still yearned for the opportunity to be with His creation, human beings, but had to be content with the occasional contact through His Spirit and via angels. But God had a plan.

Isaiah prophesied that there will come a time when God will be with us once again here on Earth. Look at the sequence of events. It starts with a virgin conceiving. How can that happen? It was obviously not a natural event – even in today’s medically-enlightened times it can only happen with a manual intervention. In Isaiah’s prophecy such an event was nothing short of miraculous, and could only have taken place with God’s involvement. The sign continued with the birth of a Son. A Son who was both human and divine. The theologians call this the Incarnation. John wrote about this event – we read it in John 1:14, “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son”. The miraculous sign continues with the declaration that the Son will be called Immanuel, “God is with us“. Once again God was walking on Planet Earth.

Thankfully, God’s liaison with Planet Earth didn’t end with the Ascension. Jesus left the Earth, knowing it was in good hands. We read in John 14:16 (AMP), “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counsellor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever—”. The Holy Spirit has been with us ever since, acting as Jesus would have done, had He still been with us.

We pilgrims are deeply grateful for God’s plan, that is still being outworked with us today. God is still with us.

Immanuel, we praise and worship You today. Amen.

The Sign

Posted on by korgrocker

“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”
“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.”
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”
Isaiah‬ ‭7:14, 9‬:‭2‬, ‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If we were going to write about a sign of something coming, we would relate it to the world around us. As a small boy I learned to look for the mechanical railway signal changing, because then I knew a train was coming. And it did, soon enough, a great fiery snorting beast puffing clouds of smoke and steam on its way at speed through the station near where I lived. We receive an indication, a sign, of the next day’s weather by the sunset the previous evening. A doctor checks a patient’s blood pressure, looking for signs of heart-related and other types of illness. Signals and trains, sunsets and weather, blood pressure and illness. All related indicators and signs helping to foresee an event that may or may not be coming. 

But here we have a crisis in Judah’s history. The king of Israel had joined forces with the king of Syria to capture Judah, and in Isaiah 7:23 we read that “…the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, like trees shaking in a storm“. Through Isaiah, God told Judah’s king, Ahaz, that the expected invasion would never happen. To reassure Ahaz further, we read in Isaiah 7:10-11, “Later, the Lord sent this message to King Ahaz: “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead””. But because Ahaz refused to do as God suggested, God Himself gave him a sign. And what a sign it was! Perhaps the people would have expected some mighty warrior to come and rally their demoralised troops, as a sign of victory ahead. Or perhaps they expected some astrological sign in the heavens giving them a hint. And I’m sure signs were looked for everywhere. Who would ever expected, though, the sign to be sent through a virgin. A young woman not yet betrothed. I’m sure no-one saw that coming!

In hindsight, we pilgrims can only be amazed and astounded by this prophetic word delivered through Isaiah hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus. Its accuracy can only mean that God was at work. That God had a plan for the salvation of mankind, an infinitely bigger issue than a comparatively-minor fracas between local nations in Palestine. The accuracy of Biblical prophecy is beyond question, and we worship and praise our wonderful God, who has given us access to His thoughts. His precepts. His loving care. May we pilgrims celebrate afresh, worshipping the Saviour of the World.

Dear Lord Jesus. We thank You that You came to Planet Earth so willingly, to come and get us, a rescue mission like no others. We worship You today. Amen.