GOD'S DELIVERANCE (PART 2)

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.

A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:

I said, “In the prime of my life must I go through the gates of death and be robbed of the rest of my years?” I said, “I will not again see the Lord Himself in the land of the living; no longer will I look on my fellow man, or be with those who now dwell in this world. Like a shepherd’s tent my house has been pulled down and taken from me. Like a weaver I have rolled up my life, and He has cut me off from the loom; day and night, You made an end of me. I waited patiently till dawn, but like a lion He broke all my bones; day and night, You made an end of me. I cried like a swift or thrush, I moaned like a mourning dove. My eyes grew weak as I looked to the heavens. I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!”

But what can I say? He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done this. I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul. Lord, by such things people live; and my spirit finds life in them too. You have put all my sins behind your back.

Isaiah 38:9-16a, 17b

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

Yesterday, we saw how God’s deliverance can come to us when we are going through times of trouble. This is because we are in the hands of the One, the only one, who has the power and might to help us through whatever might come against us in life. The Lord God Almighty is our great Deliverer who brings out from hardship and liberates us to carry out His will and way, our Strong Tower that we can always run to for rescue and refuge.

This was certainly true for Hezekiah as his petition for deliverance from the pending assault of the Assyrians was answered and he and Jerusalem spared.

But threats from external enemy forces weren't the only thing that Hezekiah, or anyone for that matter, has to worry about. Sin, illness, and eventually death also pose as challenges for anyone in life and as we will see over the next three days, God is there to deliver us from each, just as He delivers us from our enemies.

Today, we look at God’s deliverance from sin. As we look at the writing of Hezekiah in Isaiah, Chapter 38, we find him writing these words:

He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done this. I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul. Lord, by such things people live; and my spirit finds life in them too. You have put all my sins behind your back. vv. 15-17

Indeed, because of the salvation God offers to His people through Jesus Christ, people can truly live, not just carrying out a mundane every day existence but living in excitement and zest and zeal through the knowledge that this life is not all that there is. There is a much better life ahead, a life full of light and love and minus any of the things that afflict us in this worldly existence. Through Jesus, the way and truth and life as well as the only way to the Father (john 14:6), we find our sin debt paid in full as He covered the cost through His willing sacrifice, crucified on Calvary’s cross. His crucifixion brought us our justification before God the Father who offered us the chance for eternal life through His Son out of His deep love for His people (John 3:16). This justification basically says that when we stand before God to be judged, it will be as if we had never sinned, ever. Our sin conviction record will be completely cleared as God, our great Deliverer, will put them behind His back. They will not be in plain sight and He will only see us as we will truly be at the day of judgment, forgiven and heirs of the eternal inheritance as we inhabit the mansion prepared for us to dwell with God and Jesus forever (John 14:2).

Friends, we have so much to be thankful for as we look toward the God who made us and reigns over us in power. He is our Deliverer from trouble and He is our Deliverer from sin. No one else can bring us this except God through His Son Jesus.

Do you know you have been delivered today?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com