Sunday, August 31, 2014

SIGNS OF JUDGMENT (PART 3 – NEIGHBOR OPPRESSING NEIGHBOR)



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In Christ, Mark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor.

Isaiah 3:5a (ESV)

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Recent headlines have revealed something troubling:

“Man sentenced for theft of neighbor's wallet”

“Man admits sexual assaults on neighbor”

“Family's dog dies after alleged bat-beating from neighbor”

“Man convicted of beating, killing neighbor”

“Two women convicted of defrauding 84-year-old neighbor”

What in the world is going on when you can’t even trust your neighbor?

Perhaps it’s a sign of judgment coming upon your community or city or nation.

As we continue looking at the third chapter of Isaiah and the signs of judgment, we read these words:

And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor. (v5)

Jerusalem and Judah were on the brink of collapse at the hands of the Babylonians. Choosing to worship false idols and, in doing so, turn from God, the Israelites of the southern kingdom were going to suffer the consequences of their apostasy. They would lose supply and support. Young inexperienced leaders would rise to power, reinforcing the people’s evil ways instead of inspiring repentance and a turning from wicked, sinful ways. And as we look at the third sign today, we see where neighbors will turn on one another, oppressing one another in one way or another. It happened in Old Testament days and as we have seen by the headlines, it is happening today as neighbors commit every crime imaginable against the person next door.

Is it any wonder that Jesus had something to say to us about behavior toward our neighbors? Just as He did on every other matter of life we’ll deal with, He left us guidance on this subject. Look at His words from the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke:

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’”

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”  Luke 10:25-37

In this extraordinary passage, we find a man very well versed in the law of God asking about how to receive eternal life. Jesus, interested in finding out what the man already knew and possibly testing his validity as a teacher of law, asks him about how he interpreted God’s words as they apply to eternal life. The man replied that the law called for someone to love God wholeheartedly and then love their neighbor as themselves in order to live forever, an answer that Jesus confirmed as correct, directing the man to adopt that life attitude so he could live.

That probably should have been enough but the man had a secondary question, one that would clarify what Jesus called the second greatest commandment (Mark 12:28-31), to love your neighbor as yourself.

The teacher of the law wanted to know who would be considered a neighbor and to the people listening, they probably thought the question was rather simple. Some may have wondered why he would even waste Jesus’ time with such a question. I mean, everyone knew that your neighbor was someone who lived either next to you or adjacent to you, right?

Well, Jesus, as He did on so many occasions (refer to His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount regarding murder and adultery in Matthew 5) took a simple matter and expounded on it, throwing out a larger net of conviction while providing clarity on the behavior He expected from all those who placed their hope and trust in Him.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus tells of a man in need of help after a vicious attack by robbers left him along the road, badly injured and in need of medical attention. Three men come by, one at a time, the first two, the priest and Levite being people you would expect would show compassion and concern enough to help the man. But neither did, both passing on the other side of the road from the man, ignoring contact and essentially leaving the man for dead. Either could have had the chance to save him but both turned away from that opportunity.

The third man was the man in the story everyone would have expected to do what the priest and Levite had done, pass by the injured man. The Samaritans were despised by Jewish culture as they were Israelites who had intermarried with the Assyrians after the invasion and destruction of the northern kingdom. Considered half-breeds, their name came out of the place where they called home, the country of Samaria.  

Well, as we so often see with Jesus, the story didn’t quite go as people expected. For it was the Samaritan who stopped and helped the man, treating and bandaging his wounds before taking him to an inn, caring for him further, and then paying the innkeeper to watch over him until he was well. It was this display of love and concern and compassion and mercy, one person unto another, that shaped Jesus’ definition of a neighbor.

In other words, everyone can be a neighbor to another. We’re all in this thing called life together and need to support and love each other unconditionally, just as God the Father and Jesus, His Son, love us.

Turning away from God will unplug us from this kind of love and lead to us abusing the neighbors we are to care for, presenting yet another sign of God’s pending or current judgment. It’s happened in the past and it’s happening today.

It’s time to get back to basics, loving the Lord with all our heart and mind and soul and strength so, in turn, we can love our neighbors the way God commands.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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Saturday, August 30, 2014

SIGNS OF JUDGMENT (PART 2 – YOUNG, INEXPERIENCED LEADERS)



Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk
** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“I will make mere youths their officials; children will rule over them.”

O my people! Can’t you see what fools your rulers are? Weak as women! Foolish as little children playing king.

Isaiah 3:4, 12a

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What signs will indicate when the Lord God Almighty is passing judgment on a city or nation?

God’s word from Isaiah, Chapter 3, is offering us answers.

In this series, “Signs of Judgment”, we have already seen how God will remove supply and support from any city or nation who chooses to disobey and disrespect Him in the way they carry out business. And although the text is talking about Jerusalem and Judah, the message is clear: God can (and will) send judgment on any city and nation who chooses sin and wickedness over His righteousness.

So what is the second sign we find in Isaiah?

It’s the sign of young and inexperienced leadership finding their way to the top.

Consider what happened to Judah, fulfilling the promise found in this verse, the focal point of this devotion today:

“I will make mere youths their officials; children will rule over them.” (v 4)

As the people of the southern kingdom continued their apostasy toward God, inclining themselves more and more to false worshipping of idols, the kings ascending to the throne became younger and younger, dragging Judah further and further onto the path of destruction. The evidence of this is striking.

For after Hezekiah, none of the kings Judah would be above the age of 23. They were as follows:

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 2 Kings 21:1-2

Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. 2 Kings 21:19-20

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. 2 Kings 22:1-2

Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his predecessors had done. 2 Kings 23:31-32

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father had done. 2 Kings 24:8-9

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence. 2 Kings 24:18-20

Six young rulers. Five of six did evil in the sight of the Lord. In the end, this is what incited the Lord’s anger and led to Jerusalem and Judah being “thrust from His presence.”

Is your nation approaching judgment?

Keep a lookout for the signs which include loss of supply and support as well as young leaders rising to power and doing evil in the sight of the Lord. God will not be mocked and no nation will be spared from the consequences of turning away from Him toward iniquity and malevolence. Trust and believe that.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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Friday, August 29, 2014

SIGNS OF JUDGMENT (PART 1 – LOSS OF SUPPLY AND SUPPORT)



Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk
** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn
** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

See now, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support:

all supplies of food and all supplies of water, the hero and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter.

Isaiah 3:1-3

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What signs will indicate when the Lord God Almighty is passing judgment on a city or nation?

Isaiah, Chapter 3, offers us answers as we will see in this series, “Signs of Judgment.”

Today, we’ll see where the Lord will remove supply and support from a nation. Specifically in this case, that nation is Judah but it could be any other nation that chooses to rebel against God and live in wickedness and sin vice the righteousness He expects.

Look again at our passage for today to see what the Lord would take from Jerusalem and Judah:

See now, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support:

all supplies of food and all supplies of water, the hero and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter.

We are looking at Israel after it has become divided. You’ll recall that after Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam ascended to the throne and when he rebuffed the people’s plea to relieve the oppression his father had instituted during his rule, the northern tribes of Israel rebelled and seceded from the south after declaring the following:

“What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse’s son? To your tents, Israel! Look after your own house, David!” 2 Chronicles 10:16

Rehoboam was left with only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to rule and his southern kingdom was Judah. Jeroboam was the first of the kings to rule over the northern kingdom of Israel.

Now you’ll recall that the northern kingdom was not much better than the south. All Israelites failed before God, adopting false worship practices and inciting His wrath and judgment upon them. The northern kingdom of Israel was attacked and annihilated by the Assyrians, never to be heard from again. The southern kingdom fell some time later at the hands of the Babylonians and were taken away into exile. It was this future event that the scriptures from Isaiah 3 are speaking about. For when the Babylonians attacked, plundered, and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, it was only a facet of the complete domination of the entire kingdom of Judah, a dominant victory that resulted in the following for the Israelites in the south:

- Loss of all food and supplies of water. Jerusalem and Judah would lose all sustenance for life.

- Loss of captains, men of rank, heroic defenders and warriors. Jerusalem and Judah would be left defenseless.

- Loss of judges. Jerusalem and Judah would not have any more justice.

- Loss of prophets and diviners. Jerusalem and Judah had lost the favor of God who was turning away from them. There was no longer a need for messengers or visionaries for God was speaking loud and clear on His own.

- Loss of elders. What good did the senior religious leaders and mentors do anyways? The people were not faithful in their worship and obedience to God.

- Loss of counselors. The Israelites were so stiff-necked in their self-centeredness and blatant disregard for God that there was no need for a counselor and the people were not interested in what God had to say to them.

- Loss of skilled craftsmen. Jerusalem and Judah would lose all of their handymen.  

Through the scriptures, we see one of the signs of God’s judgment: a surgical dismantling of a city’s or nation’s key elements like provisions, advisors, military prowess, messengers, and adjudicators. In Jerusalem and Judah, all this and so much more was taken away. Don’t think it won’t (or can’t) happen again.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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Thursday, August 28, 2014

THE DAY OF THE LORD, A DAY OF HUMBLING



Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk
** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn
** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

You, Lord, have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob. They are full of superstitions from the East; they practice divination like the Philistines and embrace pagan customs. Their land is full of silver and gold; there is no end to their treasures. Their land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots. Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.

So people will be brought low and everyone humbled—do not forgive them. Go into the rocks, hide in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty! The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled), for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty, and all the oaks of Bashan, for all the towering mountains and all the high hills, for every lofty tower and every fortified wall, for every trading ship and every stately vessel. The arrogance of man will be brought low and human pride humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear. People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth. In that day people will throw away to the moles and bats their idols of silver and idols of gold, which they made to worship. They will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags
from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth. Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?

Isaiah 2:6-22

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

We will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. Romans 14:10b-12 (ESV)

For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Matthew 23:12

Everyone who exalts themselves will be humbled.

Jesus, the One who told us He is the Truth (and the Way and the Life) in John 14:6 spoke these words and in our prophetic scripture from the second chapter of Isaiah, we are told that there is a day coming when those words will come alive, a day of the Lord that will be humbling for the proud and the lofty, the ones who self elevate themselves above their brothers and sisters. This self centeredness is the polar opposite of what defined Jesus, His willingness to humble Himself all the way to the cross where He willingly died a criminal’s death by crucifixion in order to save mankind. The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the Son of God and as Christians, we are to model that same humility and selfless attitude.

If we do, then we will find ourselves in the favor of the Lord. If we opt not to and live full of conceit and arrogance, then God’s word promises the following will happen on the day of the Lord:

1. The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low. (v11a)

2. The arrogance of man will be brought low and human pride humbled (v17)

3. People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty. (v19)

4. People will throw away to the moles and bats their idols of silver and idols of gold, which they made to worship. (v20)

5. They will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty. (v21)

Picture this day of the Lord and what it’s going to be like.

The Lord alone will be exalted that day because there will be no greater power on display than His. On that day the Lord will enter into creation with an extraordinary, magnificent, majestic splendor signified by the shaking of the earth. This will be no ordinary earthquake for no tremor of this magnitude will have ever been experienced like it. It will not be localized but rather global. The whole earth will shake and when that happens, people will respond in fear, awestruck by the awesomeness of God’s amazing power.

Yes, every knee will humbly bow as people cower from the Lord and every tongue will be confessing on that day that there is a Lord God Almighty who reigns in supreme authority over everything He has made. On that day, they will know there is one God and one God only worthy of their worship, as God shows the people just how obsolete, worthless, and useless their idols were.

Friends, we had best heed the warning we find in this scripture passage today. For we can either humble ourselves before God, living a life of obedient service to God our Father just as Jesus did, or we can experience God’s forced humbling on the day when He shakes the earth and comes in power.

I suggest we all choose humility now rather than later.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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