Fri.’s Devo - The Great News!

Read: Isaiah 1:1-2:22; 2 Corinthians 10:1-18; Psalm 52:1-9; Proverbs 22:26-27 I love Isaiah! Isaiah means “God has saved.” Isaiah tells us the good news of our salvation. Up until just this year I had a gloom and doom view of the world. I thought all this was going to end in the Anti-Christ taking over the earth and us being raptured out of here in the nick of time before the Great Tribulation came. I now see things totally different. We have been going through the Tribulation for years and we are at the part where the Anti-christ system comes down and they are taken out of this world and we set up God’s Kingdom here on earth like it is in heaven. Isaiah says it in what we read today. *** He describes the world we are living in. Israel doesn’t know its master or recognize his care for them. They don’t know who God is. I can say that is true of Israel today. They are a government but they don’t meet and cry out to God for help. They govern like politicians. They have been a hot bed of violence and war since I can remember. In Isaiah’s day, the leaders of Israel had become enemies of God like the leaders of our nation. They who were suppose to be the bearers of truth and justice had become unjust and like the leaders of Sodom. And, the people like the people of Gomorrah. (Sound familiar?) God was sick of their pretense to honor him. God tells them to wash themselves and give up their evil ways - help the oppressed, seek justice, defend the orphans and fight for the rights of the widows. *** He encourages them that if they repent, their sins that are like scarlet will be made white as snow. If they obey they will be blessed with plenty to eat but if they rebel they will die by the sword in war. *** He gives a good description of their leaders which sound just like ours. They love bribes, demand payoffs, refuse to help the orphans or widows. So, God will take revenge on them and remove them and put in good judges (Yay!) and wise counselors like we used to have. (Amen!) Then Jerusalem will be called the Home of Justice and the Faithful City! (It is good for us to remember that Israel and the United States are like brothers. They mirror one another. What happens to Israel happens to the USA. We were both created to bring light and glory to the earth.) This is all great news. *** Isaiah saw the day when they would be ashamed of their idol worship. The evil leaders will burn along with their deeds and no one would be able to put the fire out. No one can stop what is coming! We are going to see this happen soon! *** Chapter two is glorious! In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all - the most important place on the earth. It will be raised above all other hills and people will stream there to worship! Talk about a revival. We have been promised a billion soul harvest and this is what it is talking about. The Lord’s Church will become the center of importance. The Lord’s teaching will go out from the Church and his Word will go out from Jerusalem. (I can’t wait!) *** The Lord will mediate between nation and settle disputes. Weapons will be laid down and instead of war, we will work to rebuild. The evil people who relied on their wealth and power will run to the caves and hide in the dust. God will be exalted in that day. He will judge! He will level all the important people who ruled in pride and arrogance. *** We will get rid of all their idols and they will hid in fear because God will shake the earth. Isaiah warns them not to put their trust in humans who can’t save them. Only God can save them. *** Paul defends himself. The Corinthians said that Paul was bold in his writing but a wimp in person. He was assuring them that he was bold in person and away, but he is hoping that he won’t have to be bold in his discipline when he comes. He explains that the way they wage war is not like the way the world fights. They use God’s mighty weapons to knock down strongholds of human reasoning and destroy false arguments. God’s weapons destroy pride that keeps people from seeing and coming to the truth. *** Paul preached much about the authority of the believer which was available to all who believed. He compared his power not to man’s but to God’s. Christ died to pass his authority on to us. It is our inheritance. He encourages us to boast in what God had done and is doing. *** Lord, may we walk in the authority of Christ, doing the works he did on the earth to help, encourage and further your Kingdom on the earth. May we be your vessels of truth, honor and power.