God Our Creator and Redeemer

Isaiah 44:24 
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: “I am the Lord, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;"

Isaiah 45:2-3  I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.  3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. 

God is our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  He made everything, including each of us, so when He says that He makes straight paths and removes the prison bars to set us free, it is to show us great and wondrous things hidden for so long - but now revealed in Christ!  So we are set free and eyes opened to know and give all credit to God. 

One True God - First and Last, No Other

Isaiah 44:6, 8, 18, 22  
6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.  8 Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it?  You are My witnesses.  Is there a God besides Me?  Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’”  18 They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand.  22 I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins.  Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”

Because there is only one true God, The Lord and Redeemer, we would be foolish to not let Him open our blind eyes and our cold hearts to His love for us in Christ.  He took away our sins so completely so we can turn to Him forever.  This is knowing and understanding of the heart, mind, and soul.  He was the first and is the last; He also was the first to rise from death and has the last word as the one who will judge the living and the dead. 

Made to Praise our Creator

Isaiah 43:21 
This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.  24-25...But you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your iniquities.  25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.

Just as Israel, believers in Christ are made to praise God, to show Him great in our faith and obedience as we rely on Him and follow.  When we sin, it is grievous to God - but in Jesus we have forgiveness that is absolute!  So we must,

1 John 1:9 ...confess our sins, [because] He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

Witnesses that He Is, Our Savior

Isaiah 43:10-13 
“You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He.  Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. 11 I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior.

13 Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?”

We are witnesses that there is one God, and He is our Savior.  Nobody can take us away from Him, not even ourselves.  He came as both man and God to be God-among-us, Emmanuel.  His name is Jesus the Christ.  If you know him as the one who saved you, your Lord and God as Thomas the disciple said, then you have absolute assurance that the change is eternal.  He never lets us go.  

Chosen Called, and Redeemed

Isaiah 43:1, 4, 7  
1 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.  4 Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life.  7 Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

God called me by name and redeemed me!  I am His, valuable and loved - so He will use me to bring others to Himself for His glory.  I am made in His image, and that is what He wants, so I can pray confidently that He will hear the prayer in His will for others.  All who are His are because He chose us, called us, and redeemed us - He bought us back from His wrath on our sin against Him by His own hand of His Son's sacrifice! 

The Blind and Deaf not all Forsaken

Isaiah 42:20 
"Seeing many things, but you do not observe; Opening the ears, but he does not hear.”   

Isaiah 42:16  I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known.  I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight.  These things I will do for them, And not forsake them.

Jesus told the Scribes and Pharisees that they were blind because they said they could see, because they refused to see God's way.  So they turned a deaf ear to what God in Christ told them.  But He brought light to the darkness of those who knew they were blind, leading them to the straight and true way in Jesus.  Humility and brokenness over their helpless state led to salvation and hope that never dies.  So we who admit our sin, turn from it to Him, and trust Jesus as the only way - we see, and live forever!  

Resurrection Day

Luke 24:44-48  
44 Then He said to them, “ These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.  46 Then He said to them, “ Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things.

This is Easter - Resurrection Day.  All the Bible said about the Savior to come was seen in Jesus Christ, as promised.  So God opens our minds to understand deep within to make the Bible come alive, just as He rose from the grave - life from death!  Because He suffered and died for your and my sin, we tell others to turn (repent) from sin to believe and follow Him.  This we bear witness to. He is risen...He is risen indeed! 

Released from Captivity, Called and Kept

Isaiah 42:5-7
Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it:  6 “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, 7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.

God who made the universe and us put life in each one and His Spirit in those He gives new life to.  So called as His People, we are to be that light to the rest of the world, setting them free from darkness imprisoned in sin.  The door out of prison and into light is Jesus Christ - there is no other way of sin's penalty out nor into this wonderful grace.  The proof is Jesus raising Himself from death to life after the cross.  

Elect One Brings Justice in Truth

Isaiah 42:1-4.  
1 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights!  I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.  2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.  3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.  4 He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”

God sent His Son to bring justice in mercy, grace in truth and love - to the point of allowing us to nail Him to the cross to take away the just punishment for the sin a each one of us has in us.  He then took our sin on as His own to put it to death there, bringing hope of a new life to follow (the resurrection of Easter).  He endured all the hate of religious people set against Himself, all to bring forgiveness and life, to reconcile or make us right in standing with God as we were created to be in Eden.  Grace, mercy, and peace to us in Jesus Christ.  

The Lord's Sovereign Hand

Isaiah 41:20 
That they may see and know, And consider and understand together, That the hand of the Lord has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.

God creates wondrous things on earth and in the universe, put on display for all to see and consider that He has done all things.  He wants us to understand this clear reality instead of reasoning Him away as Creator, substituting dead, meaningless chance.  Seeing, understanding, and agreeing God is who He says and demonstrates in existence around us and taking His word as the source is faith.  Seeing and believing in His Son is faith that then changes us to see so much more.  

Predestined and Secure in Sovereign Grace

Isaiah 41:4, 10
"Who has performed and done it, Calling the generations from the beginning?  ‘I, the Lord, am the first; And with the last I am He.'”   10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'  13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘ Fear not, I will help you. ’

God is sovereign; nothing is out of His control.  Here is His predestined grace which holds us securely in His hand.  He always was and is.  So why fear or give up, when He tells us to not fear and that He will give the strength we need?  He takes us by the hand to lead us, to protect and comfort, and assure us He will help, over and over.  This is grace.  

Have You Not Heard and Known?

Isaiah 40:28-31
Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary.  His understanding is unsearchable.  29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.  30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,  31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

God is not like us; He never is tired or wants to give up.  Armed with that truth, I look at myself in Christ who gives me His strength and wonder why I give up.  He gives strength to persevere, to endure, and allows me to run the race with Him beside me... Let me then choose to soar with Jesus Christ in all the trials and tribulations that weary me.  

Who is Like Our God?

Isaiah 40:25-26 
“To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.  26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.

God is not like anything we would make or like Him to be.  He is so much more!  The Creator of the universe, from the largest galaxy down to the spinning pieces of atoms, holds all together by His word, His Son.  The greatness of His power allows each star in the heavens and each person on earth to be personally known by Him - everyone matters.  He is not a God far off, but near.  Who is like our God? 

The World has Gone After Him!

John 12:17-19 
Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”

Because people heard and saw Jesus raise the dead man Lazarus, that hope of the resurrection for all in Christ made them go after Him.  If the whole world saw Who He is and all He did from miraculous birth to bringing wholeness of healed body and soul to life after death, they would also join the "whole world" in going after Him.  But blindness, self serving and pride keep most it the grave till judgment.  

One Way from the Beginning

Isaiah 40:18, 21
To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him?  21 Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  Has it not been told you from the beginning?  Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

Isaiah 40:25-26  “To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.  26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.

God is the only one; many claim to be divine, but only Jesus did what God alone can do, giving blind sight, lame the ability to walk, deaf to hear - even dying and taking His own life back up again. Buddha is still dead.  Muhammad is dead.  Many others have claims, only God shows Himself as proof.  So let us honor Him for who He is, not substituting anyone or anything for Him.  

Behold, the Good News!

Isaiah 40:9-10 
O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”  10 Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.

... Isaiah 52:7.   How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

The greatest beauty is the good news told simply and confidently out loud, for we need to tell all who will hear, "here is your God in the person and work of Jesus Christ, and His reward for turning from sin to Him in believing Him is life unending!"  He reigns as Lord and King, the sovereign God of all, visible and invisible, and must be shown to the world.  

God's Eternal Word of the Gospel

Isaiah 40:5-8
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”  6 The voice said, “ Cry out!” And he said, “ What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.  7 The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass.  8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

1 Peter 1:23-25.  having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 24 because “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.  The grass withers, And its flower falls away, 25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

God's word shows us how glorious He is and how easily we wither away by the breath that made us, for we are both mortal and sinful.  Yet the good news in Christ is the word given to give us a new birth, breathing unending life into those who so believe and receive Jesus Christ!  

Speak Comfort of Salvation to God's People

Isaiah 40:1-5 
1 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God.  2 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the Lord's hand Double for all her sins.”  3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.  5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

We have all sinned, falling short of God's perfect standard of righteousness.  The price we have paid in this life and into forever was too great, so God made a way - Jesus Christ is that way in the wilderness of sin we are all lost in.  This is what we were told long ago that we would see God's glory in Jesus when He came, and why this comforting Good News was given in advance.  We are therefore to speak comfort of salvation to God's people. 

Live by the Word of God

1 John 2:16 

For all that is in the world —the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world.

Genesis 3:6.  So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

...1. Good for food - lust of the flesh

...2. Pleasant to the eyes - lust of the eyes

...3. Desirable to make one wise - pride of life (I know it, all)

1 John 2:17.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Prov.22:4  By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.

.....Doing God's will in humility and fear lasts forever and brings:

1. Riches (flesh's true riches are only found in doing His will)

2. Honor (eyes pleasing God do and gain what honors only Him)

3. Life  (flesh's knowledge in Christ exalts The Lord and not self in pride) 

Care about the Consequences

Isaiah 39:6-8 
‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,' says the Lord. 7 ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.'"  8 So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “At least there will be peace and truth in my days.”

Hezekiah bragged on wealth and did not consider the consequences for others.  Instead, he was only glad that he would not be carried off nor see the riches go either.  He was content to say God was good and right because it did not affect him.  We who know Christ must instead know His merciful and grace-driven love, doing no harm to others (Rom.13:10).  True peace and truth is in Christ, following and imitating Him.   We must care about the consequences for others, not just for ourselves. 

The Living Praise God for Deliverance

Isaiah 38:17-19
Indeed it was for my own peace That I had great bitterness; But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.  18 For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth. 19 The living, the living man, he shall praise You, As I do this day; The father shall make known Your truth to the children.

God delivers from sin and its due reward of death, taking away sin and putting it behind us - not because we are doing enough good, but only because He is good, merciful, and gracious.  So should those bought back by Jesus Christ tell God and others how thankful we are and how great He is!  Because we have life in the God who is not dead but is life itself, so we need to pass this on.  

Roots Downward and Fruit Upward

Isaiah 37:31 
And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah Shall again take root downward, And bear fruit upward.

Just as God showed fruitfulness for those of Judah He delivered (saved) from their enemies, so He intends us as reborn creations to take root in Christ to grow in fruitful faith as we walk with Him.  We put roots down into Christ and His word to bear fruit by His Spirit up to God! 

Ephesians 3:17.  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Colossians 2:7.  rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 

O Lord, Hear and See!

Isaiah 37:16-17 
“O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.

When we are attacked or faced with an impossible situation, do we go immediately before God with praise - and then ask for His name to be honored.  Or do we only seek our own well-being?  The examples in Scripture continually point to God and not to us. 

Highway Out of Hell

Isaiah 35:8-10 
A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there, Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; It shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, 10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

God calls us to be holy as He is - but this is only possible if He lives in us.  We choose to do right, but without His Spirit strengthening us, it cannot go far.  Even though we are as fools to the world, yet we walk this road, redeemed and ransomed from our helpless state of sin.  So we sing for joy forever as the final tear and sadness fall away in His presence to come!