Abundant Grace

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Woe to those who call evil good

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” Isaiah 5:20

It doesn’t matter how prestigious the person is, it matters whether he acknowledges God’s gift of Jesus Christ or not. Prestigious people mock God every day. They say that genocide of the preborn is OK or even a good idea. They say that sexual morality is what we want, not what God has said. They say the Law of God is irrelevant for today’s society. They call evil good and good evil. Whether they are prestigious people in government, religion, science, education, or celebrities, they have no standing with God when they call evil good and good evil.

How then should the believer in Christ react in such a sinful environment? We must continue to call evil evil and good good. We must continue to live in obedience to what God says and not what clever or prestigious people want to us to believe. God is on His throne whether the most notable people on earth want to acknowledge it or not. God calls His own people to hear Him and obey.

Dear Father, Help us not to be persuaded by evil men with evil thoughts. Amen.

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Monday, October 19, 2015

The Great Liar's Request

“Woe to those who say, ‘Let God make speed and hasten His work that we may see it’.” Isaiah 5:18-19

We have all heard someone say, “If God is real why doesn’t He show Himself?” Duh! He did and sinful man crucified Him. “Well, why doesn’t He show Himself again so that we can see Him?” Our response is simple; He does every day. Look at an atom and how intricate it is. Look at the universe and how vast it is. Look at the complexity of all creation and marvel. All these things are the demonstration of God, but we hear people say, “Oh, no. This is all by chance. We can’t believe an omniscient mind with omnipotent power could have done this.”

Mankind always has the same lame excuse and the same empty request. “Just let God show Himself and we will believe.” God’s answer to that old litany is the same. “Woe to you.” Jesus Christ is the full manifestation of God and God says to all who reject Him, “Woe to you.”

Dear Father, Don’t let us be fooled by silly questions. Amen

Friday, October 16, 2015

Law and Gospel

“They declare their sin as Sodom; they do not hide it!” Isaiah 3:9

While Isaiah is the prophet of promise and hope, he does not hold back on God’s message that sin is rampant and that repentance is absent. There are two messages we need to hear. The first message is the Law. We are sinners and we are offensive to God, more offensive than a person with running leprous sores would be to us. The second message is the Gospel. “The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” (I John 4:14)

Our society today is as proud of its sinfulness as was ancient Sodom, or Greece, or Rome. There seems to be no more shame in sin. That God will judge that sin by the standard of his holy and righteous law is still true. That God will forgive all who will repent and believe in Christ is also still totally true. While the world more aggressively and openly exposes their sin, we must likewise be more open and persistent in declaring the Gospel message.

Dear Father, Let us not run from sinners but carry the Gospel to them. Amen.

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend. Amen

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Stepping in the Light

“Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” Isaiah 2:5

This is the simple call that goes out to all God’s people wherever they might be. This call has a threefold image in Scripture. In the wilderness, the Israelites were covered by a pillar of fire by night. Any night journeys were led by the light of God. In the psalms we are told that God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. To know where to go and how to safely get there we need God’s written Word,

In the New Testament Jesus said that He is the Light of the world. We will get nowhere unless we are in Him. All other ways are darkness and end in death and ruin. Mankind is in the darkness of sin and we need a light, a true and guiding light, to find our way in this life and to find the way to the life to come. God has not left us without light, but we must answer His call to come and walk in it.

Dear Father, Thank You for the true light that guides our way. Amen.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Christ Will Reign on Earth

“The Lord’s house shall be established and all nations shall flow to it.” Isaiah 2:2

As Isaiah moves into chapter two he moves from the present to seeing the future. In that future God will reign on earth and all the nations will seek Him. This is the promise of the New Testament – God in the flesh shall reign and be exalted as King of kings. At that time, and only at that time, men shall beat their swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. (Is. 2:4) Universal peace will finally be a reality for there will be only one King – the Prince of Peace.

Until then Isaiah moves back into the present and calls people to walk in the light of the Lord. That light is God’s word, the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God – the Bible. From that word we will learn how to have inner peace, know the way of God, and live lives that are full of God’s grace. The future will be wonderful, but the present is also greatly blessed for the children of God.

Dear Father, Help us to live in Your joy now and wait patiently for the future. Amen.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Learn to do Good

“Cease to do evil; learn to do good.” Isaiah 1:16-17

Isaiah chapter one is like an indictment against the modern church – too much sound, too little substance. Many churches have nearly abandoned the concept of sin which was exactly what Judah had done 2600 years ago. They thought that because they were God’s people they could get away with just about anything they wanted. They were reminded by God, however, that they were very wrong in that supposition.

God compared their thinking to that of rebellious children, to being like the immoral cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and a people more interested in form than content. How much of American Christianity is standing on the sidelines of the moral chaos around them? How many saying, “Since I am a Christian, it doesn’t matter what I do?” God says, “Yes it does.” He told Israel to learn to do good, and He still sends that message to us today. We are not to hate the refugee, ignore the plight of the elderly, or take God’s laws lightly. We are to learn to do good.

Dear Father, Forgive us our insensitivity and lead us in the path of love and truth. Amen.

Monday, October 12, 2015

God's Reasoning

“Come now and let us reason together,” says the Lord. Isaiah 1:18

This part of this verse in Isaiah seems today to be taken out of context. Many would suggest that we can reason with God, as if we were equals with God. For the theological liberal this verse means that since we created the idea of God, we are free to assume that we can reason with our creation. This verse doesn’t say that. We are not equal with God and cannot reason on His level.

What God is saying is that have a need and if we will listen to His wisdom we will know His grace. His wisdom knows and declares that we are sinners for He adds, “Though your sins be as scarlet.” Then He gives His gracious promise, “They shall be white as snow.” Repentance and faith will bring cleansing from sin. That is God’s message and He is simply declaring that He knows what we need and will provide it. That is reasoning on God’s terms. He is in control and He alone can make the offer in this arrangement.

Dear Father, Help us to listen to Your wise reasoning and obey. Amen.