Article for November 24, 2024
Isaiah 51:6 6Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.”
Yes, this world will come to an end with nothing left standing, and no person remembered. We were but a fleeting moment compared to eternity. In a word we were here and in the blink of an eye we will be gone and no wind on our backs. Sounds bleak for those who are perishing, and it should.
Take heed all who are in the book of life for your life will exist in the eternal kingdom of God. God’s salvation is forever, and this cannot be taken away by anyone or anything. And God’s righteousness? Jesus Christ is the righteousness of God and He will not be disappointed as He has already fulfilled the will of His Father. Jesus won all. Jesus battled through and defeated death, sin, and the evil one. Jesus won for us our salvation forever. A hero some have forgotten, and some never knew.
Isaiah 51:4 4“Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.
Let us give our undivided attention to God for we are His people, that is, we who believe in God and those yet to believe. Israel is God’s nation, and they have received God’s law. As we are God’s people so are the people of Israel. And as Israel is God’s nation, we to are God’s nation. Through Christ we were awarded full adoption.
We should be praying for each other and sharing in the good news of God’s justice. God gave us His law to aid us in growing into spiritual maturity. Though we are not saved by God’s law we follow it out of reverence to God. We are saved by God’s grace and mercy through Jesus Christ.
Some fear God’s justice because as some do not know the gospel of God. God’s true justice comes from the gospel which is the light of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the light of life and His light shines forever and ever.
The law shows us that we are not worthy of God’s grace and mercy. But Jesus Christ through His death and resurrection shows us that God has made us worthy to be His forever and ever. We are the children of God and God means to save us.
Isaiah 51:5 5My righteousness draws near, my salvation has gone out, and my arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands hope for me, and for my arm they wait.
The arm, again, is Jesus Christ and He will come again to judge the living and the dead. The living is those who believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. The dead are those who do not believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.
When Jesus comes again, He will send His angels to collect all who believe, and we will ascend as Jesus Himself ascended. Not because we earned our life to warrant eternity, but because we believe. And we who believe know our belief did not come from our choice but that the Holy Spirit worked God’s choice in us.
It is hard to believe that there might be those who do not hope for salvation. And there are also those who hope for salvation with no real understanding of salvation. Salvation is not about eternal life as I think some believe. Salvation is life with God which has an eternal worshipping relationship with Him.
We wait for the arm of God to come and collect us who believe. And we who believe will worship through praise and thanksgiving, because our salvation will compel us to do so. How great, how wonderful that we would give God the glory He deserves as we realize He created us to keep with Him forever and ever.
Jude 20–21 20But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; 21keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
This is not a time to boast in ourselves, but a time to boast in our Lord. We, who are sinners, we will receive God’s greatest gift of grace and mercy. As we deserve death and punishment, we will instead receive the reward of living forever with our Lord Jesus Christ.
We were washed clean through our baptism. We were forgiven through the body and blood of our Lord Jesus. We are being blessed through the resurrection of our Lord, and we will live with our Lord as we ascend with our Lord into everlasting life and relationship with Him.
Jude 22–23 22And have mercy on those who doubt; 23save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
Not for works righteousness, but through the compelling gifts from God, let us spread this good news and encourage those who feel weak in their faith. Let’s help each other by lifting each other up to see salvation is for the weak and the strong.
Jude 24–25 24Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Written by Pastor Curtis A. May
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