Promises Kept

More Than One Isaiah?

Ken

Doubting the authorship of the OT Book of Isaiah produces a nagging doubt that we cannot simply trust the declarations of the writer about the future, if we are not even sure he is who he says he is. “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah” (Isaiah 1:1 KJV). Does the following represent the views of your minister? Liberal scholarship has separated the Book of Isaiah into three parts, representing three different Isaiah authors: Proto-Isaiah (chapters 1-39), Deutero-Isaiah (chapters 40-55), and Trito-Isaiah (chapters 56-66). In response, without consulting the differing language styles employed in each of the three sections, none other than the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, asserted the authorship of the 53rd chapter of Isaiah to be “Isaiah the son of Amoz” (1:1). Jesus quoted Isaiah 53:1: “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed” in John 12:38: “That the saying of Esaias [Isaiah] the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed.” Jesus further asserted Isaiah to be the author of Isaiah 6:10: “Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.” Liberal scholarship does “greatly err” (Mark 12:27). 

Why not let them differ and be quiet? “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). We need all the confidence possible to wage war against the devil, and we cannot afford to allow nagging doubts to rob us of our offensive power against the real enemy. Jesus is coming soon, and we need everyone who names the name of Christ fully engaged with all offensive power to support the prophetic message of the Book of Isaiah. Between the declarations of the Suffering Messiah on the Cross in Psalm 22, especially verse 16, “For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet” (Psalm 22:16); and, the prophecy concerning the Messiah’s atonement for our sins, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5), we have a clear declaration of the NT Gospel in the OT. If our confidence is shaken in the authorship of the last chapters of Isaiah, how can we have confidence in the integrity of the first chapters? “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it” (Isaiah 2:2). 

May God give confidence to all readers of the Book of Isaiah, that He will as surely perform His saving work (Chapter 53) as He will fulfill His prophecies to build His actual Kingdom as foretold (2:2). Father, may Your will be done and Your Kingdom come. Grant to us knowledge and understanding that we may have renewed power. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Unto Us A Child Is Born

Ken

Christmas is a special time of caring because God set the example. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 KJV). Jesus is that child born in a Bethlehem manger, God’s One and Only Son. He came the First Time as a lowly Savior, but He will return the Second Time as conquering king and judge to rule an earthly, millenial kingdom. The actions of the Messiah are wonderful and marvelous. His words are that of a counselor. Christ Jesus is The Mighty God to the consternation of His enemies. He is one with the Father. And, to our great joy, He is our Prince of Peace. Hallelujah! “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Father, all praise to You for sending us Your Son. Forever thank you! May the gladness You put in our heart translate into the caring we give one another. You are the founder of the feast and reason for this season. We gratefully praise You! In Jesus’ name, amen.

Finish the Job!

Ken

“Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 KJV). God does not expect from us, what He does not expect from Himself — Finish the job! How can we expect to enter into Heaven, if we do not persevere to the end (Matthew 24:13; Romans 2:7; Revelation 3:11)? Do you say, it will happen anyway? But, if it took your cooperation and agreement for Him to begin the good work in you, why wouldn’t it take that cooperation to the end? It was never that we loved Him, but “He first loved us” (1John 4:19). Finishing the job and making it home to Heaven — sure, you must persevere — but, all the credit will be placed at the feet of our Lord, when we come into His heavenly presence. LORD, You were our help in ages past, and are our hope for years to come. Your Spirit working in us caused us to will and to do of Your good pleasure. Magnify Your name for every right hearted action of Your children. And, may every child of Yours justify the wisdom of Your decision to require us to persevere to the end, when we cross the Finish Line into Heaven. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and amen. 

Punished for Our Great Grandparents’ Sin?

Ken

Great grandparents can live long enough to see the results of their sin upon their great grandchildren. “Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them [idols], nor serve them [false elohim]: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me” (Exodus 20:5 KJV). Though a just God punishes us for our own sins and not our parents’ sins — “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father” (Ezekiel 18:20) — the evil example of the parents most likely will continue to the children. Generational curses like generational blessings are not easily lifted, for they are enforced by an Unseen Realm of demons and angels. Understanding of the Almighty must be elevated for the Rahabs and Ruths to be raised to the congregation of the righteous. “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29). LORD, be merciful to us in learning about You. Teach us Your ways, and let not any evil way be named among us. Return quickly and deliver us. In Jesus’ name, amen and amen. 

Ordinary People

Ken

What does “ordinary people” mean? We want the happiness of people needing people, but we fall prey to enshrining the needs of someone other than God as the bedrock of our happiness. “Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD” (Psalm 144:15 KJV). We live in exceptional times, or as Charles Dickens wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” in A Tale of Two Cities (1859). Our sense of “happiness” and “ordinary people” must be tied to the LORD, for Hollywood’s “Ordinary People” (1980) or Broadway’s “People” (1964) [“needing people”] are only a facsimile of the truly blessed people Jesus described. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). These are the ordinary people, who are the happiest people on earth. Only when our heartfelt sympathy is defined by the LORD, then Charles Dickens’ Sydney Carton’s sacrifice for the happiness of another becomes at all significant. “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done.” LORD, may our motivation and aspiration be of Thee, and may the world receive the benefit. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

No Fear of Death

Ken

Having no fear of death is not simply doctrinal certainty making us children of God, but the Good Shepherd’s presence leading us. If He is truly leading us now, then He can be trusted to safely lead us in the end. The 23rd Psalm teaches us how to walk Home with God, beginning with a declaration of His possession and caring for us: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want [literally, suffer need]” (Psalm 23:1 KJV). Both compelling and guiding, He determines the best place for us: “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters” (23:2). Our strength is renewed, both for us and His reputation: “He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (23:3). In dangerous and life ending circumstances, He comforts us. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me” (23:4). As a token of His favor in front of the enemy: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over” (23:5). The LORD watches our back and provides us forever a dwelling place with Him: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (23:6). LORD, You are the Good Shepherd. We have no one but You to conduct us through life. May our certainty about You now lead us into Your joyful presence then, when You call us Home. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and amen. 

Born At The Right Time

Ken

You and I were born “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14 KJV). Our various backgrounds demand we take what we know and work toward where God is directing us. What do we know? “That He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Would we seek Him, if we did not think Him to be good? What has God done? (1) God has spoken to us in the Old Covenant “unto the fathers by the prophets” (Hebrews 1:1). (2) God has further “spoken unto us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:2) in the New Covenant. (3) Christ has “purged our sins” (Hebrews 1:3), which we accept by faith. (4) “But unto the Son He [the Father] saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever” (Hebrews 1:8), establishing Christ’s preeminence over us. (5) God has made and will “make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 13:21). LORD, we thank You for Your wisdom in placing us in our circumstances. May we magnify You as we respond with understanding to our responsibilities and opportunities. May we embrace You as our perfection that ultimately “shall we ever be with the Lord” (1Thessalonians 4:17). In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Firstfruits of All Thine Increase

Ken

The Law of Firstfruits is directed from the Unseen Realm of God upon all who honor the LORD with their substance and the beginning of their increase. “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10 KJV). Our “substance” (3:9) is whatever we already possess. The “firstfruits of all thine increase” (3:9) is the beginning of our income flow or material enlargement, but not all our future profit or increase. God seeks to promote our prosperity, not consume it. He seeks to take away the sickness of heart that is afraid to trust Him because of repeated past disappointments. “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12). The LORD desires a mindset and heart attitude excited and expectant of blessing to rest upon our home and offspring, because we understand and trust Him, when we give the firstfruits offering. “And the first of all the firstfruits of all things, and every oblation of all, of every sort of your oblations, shall be the priest’s: ye shall also give unto the priest the first of your dough [for bread baking], that He may cause the blessing to rest in thine house” (Ezekiel 44:30). We do not give to the Kingdom of God from OT legalism or to manipulate God, but He desires us to have a holy expectation of material blessing with His signature approval. Father, teach us the joy of giving the firstfruits of our increase that Your blessing may rest upon our house. May we walk as Your blessed ones prospering in whatever we do. May our preservation and blessing testify of Your goodness to the Church, the world, and all the Unseen Realm. In Jesus’ name, we ask it. Amen and amen. 

Come Out From Among Them

Ken

Where does God draw the line for you? When you make a decision to move away from a circumstance, which would cause you to compromise truth you have received, then the LORD will receive you. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (2Corinthians 6:17 KJV). Holiness unto the LORD is our set apartness unto God. The Holy Spirit gives us our guidance. How close can we get to God? The question is never how close to the world can you get and still be a Christian? Unless God has your whole heart, you are none of His. “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways” (Proverbs 23:26). Remember the warning to the Professed Christians at Laodicea. “Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:16). Profession is not possession, unless there is heart obedience. LORD, make us to be holy for You are holy. Cause us to see how close we can draw to You, and not the world. Return quickly, and deliver us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. 

Awakening the Church

Ken

The Holy Spirit has always been the Church’s greatest secret, but especially for the fragmented Church, its greatest mystery. Our most valuable connections are not man’s devices, such as the internet or social media — which have their place — but the Holy Spirit. We are accustomed to other means because of their obvious utility. What has the Church always had as both its Source and resource, but the Holy Spirit? How did the Early Church achieve such incomprehensible results without our modern devices, but through the Holy Spirit?  “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13 KJV). Disconnected from man’s devices, God is able to replicate and communicate His intentions and movement through the Holy Spirit. His Word is used to communicate to us by His Spirit. And, prayer is used to communicate with Him — and, to the rest of the Body of Christ. When His Spirit is moving upon us, then we can believe and pray He is similarly moving upon others. Use the assembling of the local church and the fellowship of disciples and believers, where possible and available, but do not neglect the Holy Spirit and prayer. Naturally, the enemy does not want us to fully appreciate our advantage. We neglect prayer because we do not well understand nor control it. “Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies” (Psalm 60:12). LORD, inspire us to pray like we believe prayer is more effective and valuable than man’s devices. In Jesus’ name, we ask it. Amen.