Freedom is Good News Part 178

As a slight refresher, let me mention that we have been talking about God’s statement through the prophet Isaiah, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.  Behold, I am doing a new thing.  Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isa. 43:18-19)  And in our previous article we ended with the prophet Joel telling us that God would pour out His Spirit upon all people (Joel 2:28-29)

We also talked about Jesus equating the giving of the Holy Spirit with “rivers of living water”.  And yes, this giving of the Holy Spirit is to be considered a ‘new thing’.  But one thing that was never fully understood in ancient times, was that the Spirit of God was to be ‘poured out on all people’!!  This is why when Jesus is found speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:7-26, the disciples were surprised that He was speaking with her.  The woman herself was surprised that Jesus was talking with her; she said “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman …. For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.”

This is also why in Acts 10, Peter had to be compelled by the Spirit to go with some men to the gentile centurion’s house to teach Cornelius and his family concerning the gospel.  And when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon those who heard his message the Jews who accompanied Peter were astonished that these gentiles were included in God’s gift. (Acts 10:44-45)

Oh, my!!  “And of His kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:33).  God had plans for His ever expanding kingdom when He gave the blessing to His servant Abraham “And in you all families of the earth shall be blessed”.  According to Paul, Abraham understood this.  Check this out in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, chapter 3:6-9 “Consider Abraham, ‘he believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’?  Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’  So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”

Abraham was but one man and yet we read this in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews verse 12, “Therefore from one man (Abraham) and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. 

If you are looking for some good news, it does not get any better than this: to understand God’s love and mercy to every nation under heaven.  God promised a ‘new thing’ and had it proclaimed throughout the Old Testament.  We have seen it in Isaiah and in Joel; it is found in Jeremiah, Daniel, Zechariah, in Ezekiel and, yes, even in the book of Genesis!

God is our creator, sustainer, our provider; He has plans for all His children and like any good parent, He wants, even desires, for us to succeed.  What an awesome God we serve.

Freedom is Good News Part 177

In our previous article I initiated a couple of ideas that somehow seemed divergent.  I first mentioned that through Isaiah, God said He was doing a new thing; I then took us all the way back to Abraham to consider the sevenfold blessing that God gave to Abraham.  Does this ‘new thing’ involve Abraham? 

The blessing he received that ‘all families of the earth will be blessed’ through him was a statement that prophesied a Savior who would come from the lineage of Abraham.  In other words (as Paul put it), ‘God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’  

This Savior, from the lineage of Abraham is, of course Jesus Christ.  But that’s not really a new thing is it?  Let’s check back in with Isaiah (where we started this whole discussion), “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.  Behold, I am doing a new thing.  Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”  So this ‘new thing’ has to do with water?  Isaiah goes on to say “The wild animals will honor me … because I provide water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert to give drink to my chosen people, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.” (Isa. 43:19-21)

Water is not a ‘new thing’ so what is God trying to show us here?  In John Chapter 7 we find Jesus attending the Feast of Tabernacles.  John (in verse 14) tells us that He did not go up to the temple courts to teach until halfway through the feast.  And then in verse 37 John writes this, “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’  Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

We, who live in the United States today, tend to take water for granted.  A twist of the faucet handle and we have an abundant supply of water.  Water was precious in the ancient Middle East and so Jesus uses it as a metaphor for the precious Holy Spirit!  Could this be the ‘new thing’ Isaiah was talking about?

Well in a way, yes; but it goes much further than that.  Remember what the blessing to Abraham was?  ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’  

You see, God’s kingdom was prophesied to increase without end.  In Isaiah’s prophecy concerning Jesus Christ (Is. 9:7) we read this, “And of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom.”  The rulership of Jesus Christ will increase in number and remain forever. 

Joel put it this way, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophecy, your old men will dream dreams and your young men will see visions.”  Please stay tuned we are just getting started!!

Freedom is Good News Part 139

Breaking news!!  We interrupt this series of articles concerning the “worthy walk with God” to bring you an important message.  Wow!  That sounded pretty interesting, didn’t it?  But I do have a couple of comments to make about this up-coming weekend.  Do you know that there is a very special Sunday coming?  One that is a very special and unique day in the year.  And all of us who are striving to understand the “good news” of God’s word should pay close attention to it.

There are many groups, churches and organizations that may mention this day but the bible would say, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Matthew 15:8)  Let us get our hearts into God’s truth!

What is this special day?  Most of us will know the day as Pentecost and in the bible we will find this day to be of extreme importance as we consider God’s “good news”. 

The word Pentecost, in our English, is taken from a Greek word that means “fiftieth”.  That in itself should cause a series of questions in many minds, “fiftieth what”; or “fiftieth from when”?  So let’s take this from the beginning.  We are introduced to this particular day in the book of Leviticus 23:15-22, “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering.  You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath.” 

There is much to say concerning God’s festival day, but today we have only one column to look at, so we will move a little quickly.  But remember this; God the Father is always painting pictures of His Son, through symbols and types in the Old Testament.

If you were to consider the gifts that God has given to His people, what would you say was the greatest?  I am going to imagine your answer might be, “God gave His only begotten Son to be the Savior of mankind.”  And I cannot argue with that.  But concerning fifty days after the resurrection of our Savior, we read this in the book of Acts 2:1-4, “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.  And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.  Divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”

The crowd that gathered to see this sight wondered greatly.  Peter stood up and spoke (See Acts 2:13-36).  As he finished his message the crowd asked, “What shall we do?”  Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

This day of Pentecost, the fiftieth day, for everything else that it signifies, stands out as the day the Church received this great gift of God’s Holy Spirit.  Many have called it the birthday of the Church.  God promises a gift in the Old Testament (see Joel 2:28) and then provides it in the New!  Oh yes, this is good news.

Freedom is Good News Part 123

In our last article we talked a little about the Godly concepts of justice and mercy.  You see, if God were not a God of justice He could not show forth His mercy.  For mercy does not, yea cannot, exist where there is no justice.  How can someone show forgiveness if there is nothing to be forgiven of? 

There is a third aspect of God’s character that must be introduced at this point: grace!  May I give you a succinct definition of these three aspects of God’s character?  Justice is getting what you deserve; mercy is not getting what you deserve; and grace is getting something that you do not deserve. 

And so, we are sinners – what is the result of sin?  “For the wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23)  You and I as unrepentant sinners will find, in the justice system of God, the verdict of “death”.  We cannot complain for God has spelled it out for us.  But God has provided a way out and lets us know that He has sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice to take away our sin.  1 John 4:10, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”  WOW – now that is mercy, tremendous mercy.  But wait!  God does not stop there.  He goes on to express unto us the third element of who He is – grace!

What is this grace that God showers upon His children?  What is this gift of God that goes beyond what we deserve?  Let’s go back to finish the scripture quote in Rom. 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the grace of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  So does this ‘three part trail’ go from: 1) we are sinners worthy of death to; 2) we accept the mercy God has provided through the blood of His Son to; 3) eternal life in our Savior?  If that were so, then once we repented and received baptism we would be whisked away into the kingdom of God to be with Him forever – no more sorrow, no more crying, no more pain, just joy and bliss with God.  Guess what, that did not happen.  Not even with the Apostles!  In March of 1979 after I came up out of the waters of baptism, the same people were in the room, the same snowstorm was happening outside.  That was almost 40 years ago and this physical life is still all I see around me.

God is good!  Remember, Jesus said, “No one is good except God alone”.  And so God in His goodness provides for the repentant sinner in many ways.  Acts 2:36-39 says, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”  Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”  And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

The gift of the Holy Spirit!  To have a piece of God in-dwell the new child of God is an amazing concept – so let’s take a look at that next time, God willing.