Posts Tagged ‘Cornerstone’

Dear “People of Zion”,

As I look back on the week’s reading in Isaiah, God’s great understanding of individuals and nations and His control of history amazes me!  God is on a throne, high and lifted up!  He is worthy of worship and adoration!  He has plans that He has brought to pass and others that await fulfillment.  He raises up nations and leaders and brings them down just as easily.  He is just and righteous in all He does and is always merciful to those who trust in Him and walk by faith.

Those who trust in Him are often call by the name: “People of Zion”.  (Isaiah 12:6)  Mt. Zion was the city stronghold of the Jebusites that was captured by King David.  It became the “city of David”.  It was here that God had  His Temple built by Solomon and had His dwelling place among the Israelites in the promised land.  Zion was a place that the Lord loved.  (Psalm 78:68)  It is the city chosen by God to install His King!  (Psalm 2:6)   The Lord’s blessing flows out of Zion to His people.  (Psalm 128:5)  God is laying a cornerstone in Zion that will be precious for His people!  (Isaiah 28:16)  It is a place that is loved by those who love the Lord!  He is there and His presence makes that place more special than any other on earth!

In Isaiah 12, God is telling His people that they will be comforted from all their troubles and afflictions one day.  They can trust in God and not be afraid.  He is their strength and song, and has become their salvation. (Isaiah 12:2-3)  With joy they will draw water from the wells of salvation in Zion.  From Zion, they will make known what The Lord has done to save them.  They will exalt His name among the nations.  God’s program has always been world-wide in scope.  They can sing and shout for joy because of God in their midst.

Wow!  We are now people of Zion too!  We can publish to the nations that our God saves.  He is our strength and song.  We have drunk the water from the well that never runs dry.  God has done glorious things for us!  He is great among the “people of Zion” because He lives in us today and forever!

Take time to reflect on Isaiah 12 and this city of Zion. What a way to find rest and confidence in our great God and the Cornerstone He has laid for us in Zion!  (Isaiah 28:16)

In His Love, Pastor John

Scripture reading for July 25th: Isaiah 28-30

Beer and alcoholic beverages have been a source of trouble from ancient times.  Noah planted a vineyard after the flood and then proceeded to get drunk and exposed his nakedness.  (Genesis 9:20-24)  In today’s reading, the officials of Ephraim and Israel had a drinking problem. (Isaiah 28:1, 7) They were proud and thought they knew more than God.  They were under a delusion and lie of the devil, which was likened to drunkenness.  (Isaiah 28:15)  They thought that their “religion” had made them immune to any foreign invasion or even correction and teaching from God. They were “good people” who were a part of “God’s chosen” and they had Abraham as their father!  What more could God want?

Part of the delusion was false religion.  The priest and prophets were “blinded” and “drunken” by their refusal to truly love and obey God from their hearts.  They were honoring God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him! (Isaiah 29:13)   Their worship of Him was merely rules taught by men, not in Spirit and truth!  When we engage in false religion, we become drunk and delusional, but not with wine or beer!  They thought that they were doing fine but were really lost and heading for judgment!  (Isaiah 29:9-10)  They could not understand God’s Word and His commands because their attitude of pride and self-sufficiency made their hearts hard!  What a terrible condition to be in!  In this state, they were worse off than an unbeliever because they were deceived!

God has strength for His people who are by faith trusting in Him.  He has a solid Cornerstone that He has placed in Zion.   It is a tested Stone that is precious and those who trust in this Stone will never be deceived or dismayed! (Isaiah 28:16)   This Stone is a living Stone.  (1st Peter 2:4)  This Stone is none other than Jesus Christ who has become the living Cornerstone of the New Temple.  We who trust and believe are resting on this Cornerstone and become living stones in His temple!  Those who reject this Stone and stumble over Him do so because they disobey the message of God because of their pride and arrogance and hard hearts! (1st Peter 2:7, Isaiah 8:14)  In repentance and rest on this Stone will be salvation for all who will trust in Him! (Isaiah 30:15)

The only sure foundation for our life today is to repent and rest on Jesus Christ and His finished work!  False religion keeps us doing and trying to work our way into God’s favor.  This is a lie and delusion that results in drunken deception!  When we rest in Christ’s sacrifice, by faith through grace we are saved from false religion and the lie of trusting in our own work.  What a place of quietness and confidence we have in Christ!  Take time today and thank Him for His gift to you! (1st Peter 2:9-11)

Greetings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ!  Wow, another day of rest in a long week of activities!  We so need the reminder to rest and be refreshed!  I pray that you enjoy the best day of the week today!

As I reflect on the readings of this past week, one of the psalms comes immediately to mind.  I wanted to write on it, but found nuggets in two other psalms for that day’s reading.  The psalm is 118.  The very center of the Bible, as far as number of verses, is Psalm 118:8: “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man”. This really mirrors the theme of the entire Bible.  This chapter occurs between the shortest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 117, and the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119.

This chapter is also the last of a series of psalms called the “Hallel”, which is the Hebrew word for “praise the Lord”!  This series from Psalm 111-118 was read during Passover week and Psalm 118 concluded the Passover meal as the final cup was taken and the coming Messiah was anticipated.  Jesus most likely would have read this psalm at the last supper with His disciples before He led them out to the Garden of Gethsemane.  Let’s think about the words of this prophetic psalm in light of where Jesus would have read it.

The psalm begins with thanks to the Lord for His goodness and love.  The psalmist records his anguish of crying out to the Lord and the Lord setting him free. (Psalm 118:5-6)   He was convinced that the Lord was with him and that was all the help he would need in this painful situation.   The psalmist is surrounded by the nations on every side, but in the name of the Lord he cuts them off.  They swarmed around him like bees, but he cut them off again. (Psalm 118:10-12)  He was about to fall, but the Lord helped him.  He became his strength and song, and ultimately his salvation.  The Lord’s right hand is lifted high and does mighty things!  (Psalm 118:15-16)

The psalmist next proclaims that he will live and not die, but proclaim what the Lord has done!  God had chastened him severely, but not given him over to death.  He would proclaim what the Lord had done for him!  He cries out to open the gates of righteousness which the righteous may enter and thank the Lord for His goodness and salvation.  God, Himself, had become his salvation!  The Lord, Himself had done this–what a marvelous sight!  (Psalm 118:17-23)  The cornerstone that the builders had rejected had become the chief cornerstone!

Psalm 118:24 declares that: “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!” The day was that day, beginning with sundown passover until the next evening.  That day was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ for our sins!  He was not given over to death, only chastened severely by the Lord!  The gate of righteousness was opened for all who would believe!  The Lord did it all!  It is marvelous in our eyes!  Hallelujah!