‘I Know The Plans I Have For You... To Give You A Future And A Hope.’

Jeremiah 29:1-32
‘I know the plans I have for you... to give you a future and a hope’. This was God’s long-term purpose for His people. It was important that they did not lose sight of this. There would be ‘seventy years’ of captivity in Babylon (10-11). At times, they must have wondered, ‘Will this ever end? Is there really something better still to come?’. Our life on earth may sometimes seem like the ‘seventy years’ in Babylon: ‘The length of our days is seventy years... yet all they bring us is trouble and sorrow’! We wonder, ‘Is there a glorious future still to come?’. In our times of ‘suffering’ and ‘sorrow’, we draw our ‘strength’ from God’s Word. We look forward to ‘the Day’ when Christ ‘comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be admired in all who believe’(Psalms 90:10; 119:28; 2 Thessalonians 1:4-5,10).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Wait Upon The Lord And Receive His Strength.

Jeremiah 28:1-17
‘Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie’(15). What a difference there is between those who wait on the Lord for His strength and those who rush ahead in their own strength! The Word of God warns us against trying to serve God in our own strength: ‘Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted’. If we are to be true servants of the Lord, we must learn to wait upon the Lord and receive His strength: ‘Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength’. What a difference the strength of the Lord makes - ‘They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint’(Isaiah 40:30-31)! Let us exchange our weakness for God’s strength - then we will truly be ‘sent’ by the Lord and will speak His truth.
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

'I Will Come Again And Will Take You To Myself.'

Jeremiah 27:1-22
‘They will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them. Then I will bring them and restore them to this place’(22). God had a great purpose for His people - but they had to wait for His time. God has a great purpose for us. Christ is preparing a great ‘place’ for us: ‘In My Father’s House are many mansions... I am going there to prepare a place for you’. Christ has promised that He will return to take us to that great ‘place’: ‘I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also’(John 14:2-3). Christ is coming. We must wait for Him. We must be patient. We must wait for His time, the time of His Coming, the Day when He comes for us. The Lord has not forgotten His promise. He will come ‘to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him’(Hebrews 9:28).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Hearing, Reading And Sharing God's Word

Jeremiah 26:1-24
‘He has spoken to us in the Name of the Lord our God’(16). Jeremiah was a true servant of the Lord. We need people like him today. He was faithful. He was unashamed of his Lord. He was unafraid to speak up for his Lord. We see this same faithfulness in Christ’s apostles: ‘Day after day, in the temple and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and preaching the Good News that Jesus is the Christ’(Acts 5:42). We could do with people like that today, people who are enthusiastic about sharing the Gospel, people who are eager to win others for Christ. We can be people like that. God can make us like that - if we let Him! As you hear the Word of the Lord in Church, as you read His Word in your own home, pray that God will give you the strength to share with others the Word He has given to you.
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

With The Privilege Of Being The Lord’s People Comes The Responsibilty Of Living As His People.

Jeremiah 25:15-38
‘I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears My Name’(29). With the privilege of being the Lord’s people comes the responsibilty of living as the Lord’s people. We are not to be His people in name only. We are to live the life of the people of God. We must not imagine that we can enjoy the privilege of being God’s people if we are not prepared to bear the responsibility of living as His people. Privilege and resonsibility belong together: ‘You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; thereforeI will punish you for all your sins’(Amos 3:2). We cannot say, ‘I belong to the Lord’ and then live whatever way we like. To those who have been ‘raised with Christ’, receiving new life through faith in Him, God says, ‘Set your hearts and minds on things above, not on earthly things’(Colossians 3:1-2).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Can Our Lives Be Changed? Yes! They Can Be Changed By God.

Jeremiah 24:1-25:14
Can our lives be changed? Yes! They can be changed by God: ‘I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord’. This is no superficial change. This is real change, change which makes a difference. This is a change of heart: ‘they shall return to Me with their whole heart’(7). How are we changed? We are changed by God: ‘I will put My Spirit within you, and you shall live’(Ezekiel 37:14). We become new people - ‘alive to God in Christ Jesus’(Romans 6:11). This is the great change, the change that makes all the difference. It’s not just a little change here and there. It’s everywhere. No part of our life remains the same. Every part of life is changed. When there’s a real change of heart, everything changes - ‘all things have become new’(2 Corinthians 5:17). ‘Change my heart, O God...’(Mission Praise, 69).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Before We Can Speak For God, We Must Take Time To Listen To Him.

Jeremiah 23:21-40
‘I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied’(21). Before we can speak for God, we must take time to listen to Him. We dare not attempt to speak for God if we are not prepared to spend time listening to Him. Everything could have been so different - if ‘these prophets’ had taken time to listen to God: ‘If they had stood in My council, they would have proclaimed My words to My people and would have turned them from their evil ways’(22). ‘If’- God doesn’t force us to listen to His Word. He invites us to listen. The choice is ours. You can allow other things to become more important than spending time with God. Don’t be ‘too busy’ for the ‘one thing’ that is more important than anything else - listening to God’s Word (Luke 10:41-42).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Following Christ On ‘The Narrow Road Which Leads To Life’

Jeremiah 23:1-20
‘Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!’(1). We are not to be like the false ‘prophets’: ‘They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord’. What were the false ‘prophets’ saying? - ‘They keep saying to those who despise Me, “The Lord says: You will have peace”. To all those who follow the stubbornness of their hearts, they say, “No harm will come to you”’(16-17). God is calling us to be faithful. It will not be easy. Often, we will be tempted to ‘take the easy way out’. We will feel the pull of the world: ‘Just be the same as everybody else’. This may seem to be the ‘easy’ option. There is something else we must remember: It is also ‘the broad road that leads to destruction’. Let us follow Christ on ‘the narrow road which leads to life’(Matthew 7:13-14).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God Is Looking For People Who Will Listen To Him.

Jeremiah 22:1-30
Jeremiah was speaking to people who had given up on worshipping the Lord (9). His message was clear: ‘O land, land, land, hear the Word of the Lord?’(29). God is speaking His Word. Are we listening? God is looking for people who will listen to Him. He wants us to pay attention to His Word. God’s Word is like ‘the sound of a trumpet’. It demands our attention. Many people say, ‘We will not listen’. God’s Word shows us ‘the good way’ and calls us to ‘walk in it’. Many people say, ‘We will not walk in it’. What about you? What do you say? What is your response to the Word of the Lord? God is warning us: ‘I am bringing disaster on this people... because they have not listened to My Word’. Don’t bring this judgment on yourself. Listen to God’s Word. Walk in His way (6:16-19).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Don’t Take God’s Blessing For Granted.

Jeremiah 21:1-14
‘Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders for us as in times past...’(2). That was then. What about now? We must not assume that God will always bless us. Yesterday’s blessing belongs to the past. We must not live in the past. We must not say, ‘He has blessed us in the past. He will keep on blessing us’. Do you want to keep on enjoying God’s blessing? Keep on seeking His blessing. If we do not seek the Lord, there will be no promise of blessing. We will hear a very different Word from the Lord: ‘I have determined to do this city harm and not good... I will punish as your deeds deserve’(10,14). Don’t take God’s blessing for granted. You could be ‘in for a rude awakening’- if you do not start seeking the Lord. Start seeking Him today: ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart’(29:13).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God Hasn’t Given Up On Us. He Looks Beyond What We Are Now. He Sees What We Will Become.

Jeremiah 18:1-23
‘The pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands, so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him’(4). This is what the Lord is doing in our lives. He is ‘the Potter’. We are no more than ‘jars of clay’(6; Isaiah 64:8; 2 Corinthians 4:7). Our lives are ‘marred’ by sin. It would be very easy to give up on ourselves. God hasn’t given up on us. He looks beyond what we are now. He sees what we will become. He is preparing us for ‘eternal glory’. ‘We are being renewed day by day’. ‘We are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory’(2 Corinthians 4:16-17:3:18). ‘Jesus, You are changing me. By Your Spirit, You’re making me like You... You are the Potter and I am the clay. Help me to be willing to let You have Your way...’(Mission Praise, 389).

Jeremiah 19:1-20:6
‘Listen! I am going to bring on this city and the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stubborn and would not listen to My Word’(15). God is warning the people. He is calling them back from the way of sin and disobedience. He is calling them to return to Him. He is looking for people who will take Him seriously. He calls us to live in obedience to His Word. He calls us to worship Him with the dedication of our lives and not only the words of our lips. Sometimes, we wonder, ‘Will God’s blessing be lost forever? Is there a way of rediscovering His blessing in our lives?’. ‘There’s a way back to God from the dark paths of sin. There’s a door that is open and you may go in. At Calvary’s Cross is where you begin, when you come as a sinner to Jesus’(Mission Praise. 682).

Jeremiah 20:7-18
Jeremiah is deeply depressed - ‘Cursed be the day I was born!... Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?’(14-18). He has been preaching God’s Word. He’s getting nothing but abuse in return: ‘The Word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long’(8). Does he stop preaching ? No! He keeps on going. He feels like giving up: ‘If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His Name”’. There is, however, a greater Power which drives him on - ‘His Word is in my heart like a fire’. No matter how much Jeremiah tries to keep silent, he ‘cannot’do it (9). He moves forward in triumphant faith: ‘The Lord is with me like a mighty warrior’(11). He calls on the people to worship the Lord: ‘Sing to the Lord! Give praise to the Lord!’(13).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Faith Is To Be Personal - The Lord Is My Strength. It Is Not To Be Private - Don't Keep Your Faith To Yourself!

Jeremiah 16:1-21
‘O Lord, my Strength and my Stronghold, my Refuge in the day of trouble, to You the nations will come from the ends of the earth... They will know that My Name is the Lord’(19,21). Faith is to be personal- The Lord is my Strength, my Stronghold, my Refuge. Faith must not be private. It is not to be kept to ourselves. There is to be no ‘us and them’ attitude. We are not to have a ‘we are the people’ attitude. The Gospel is for the nations. We’re not to say, ‘I’m okay. That’s all that matters’. The Gospel is to be taken to the ends of the earth. We are to reach out to others. We must share the Gospel with the people we meet. Tell the people what the Lord has done for you. Tell them what He can do for them. Let them know how much the Lord loves them. Let them know that our God can be their God too.

Jeremiah 17:1-27
‘The Lord’ is ‘the Fountain of living water’(13). He says to us, ‘With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation’(Isaiah 12:3). We can be ‘like a tree planted by water’, a tree that ‘does not cease to bear fruit’(8; Psalm 1:3). God speaks His Word to us: ‘“Where is the Word of the Lord?”Let it come!’(15; Psalm 1:2) He brings His salvation to us: ‘Save me, and I will saved’(14; Psalm 1:6). He gives His blessing to us: ‘Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord’(7: Psalm 1:1). We rejoice in God’s ‘eternal love’, drinking from ‘the streams of living waters’ and discovering that ‘grace,... like the Lord the Giver, never fails from age to age’(Church Hymnary, 421). Let us press on to our heavenly and eternal glory: ‘In Your presence is fullness of joy. At Your right hand are pleasures for evermore’(Psalm 16:11).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

In Ourselves, There Is Sin. In The Lord, There Is Salvation.

Jeremiah 14:1-22
In ourselves, there is sin- ‘O Lord... we have sinned against You’. In the Lord, there is salvation- ‘O Lord our God... our hope is in You’(20,22). In the Lord, there is no sin - ‘You are too pure to look on evil’(Habakkuk 1:13). In ourselves , there is no salvation. We are ‘spiritually dead because of our disobedience and sins’. We need to be ‘made alive’. How can this happen? It is not something we can do for ourselves. The new birth can only be received as a gift from God. We must stop trying to save ourselves. It cannot be done. Salvation cannot be earned. It must be received as a gift from God. It must be received by ‘faith’. We must look away from ourselves to Christ. In Christ, we see ‘God’s great love for us’. Through receiving Christ as Saviour, we are ‘born of God’(Ephesians 2:1,4-5,8; John 1:12-13).

Jeremiah 15:1-21
Some of our problems come from outside of ourselves. Other people cause problems for us - ‘This people will fight against you’(20). Some of our problems come from within our own hearts. Our own sins cause problems for us - ‘Put to death what is earthly in you...’(Colossians 3:5). There are ‘fightings and fears within’. There are ‘fightings and fears without’. We are ‘tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt’. Tell the Lord all about it. Tell Him how it really is. ‘Just as I am’- This is how we must come to the Lord. Our ‘fightings and fears’ do not simply disappear the moment we pray, ‘O Lamb of God, I come’(Church Hymnary, 79). We do, however, have God’s promise: ‘They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you’(20). He will lead us in the way of victory (Colossians 2:8-10).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

We Can Be Changed By The Lord: ‘I Will Give You A New Heart.’

Jeremiah 12:1-17
‘“If any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it”, declares the Lord’(17). We must not look out to the world and say, ‘That’s what’s happening “out there”’. We must look into our own hearts. We must ask, ‘What’s happening “in here”?’. We are to pray, ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart’(Psalm 139:23). When the searchlight of God’s Word begins to shine on our lives, it becomes clear that ‘all is not as it seems’: ‘They speak well of You with their lips, but their hearts are far from You’(2). Our situation seems hopeless. We cannot change ourselves: ‘Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil’(13:23). There is a Word of hope. We can be changed by the Lord: ‘I will give you a new heart’(Ezekiel 36:26).

Jeremiah 13:1-27
‘These wicked people, who refuse to listen to My words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them will be... completely useless’(10). Are you on the way to becoming ‘completely useless’? Each of us must think about what’s been happening in our lives? - ‘Where is the blessedness I knew when first I saw the Lord? Where is the soul-refreshing view of Jesus and His Word? What peaceful hours I once enjoyed! How sweet their memory still! But they have left an aching void the world can never fill’. We need to pray for real change. We need to pray for ‘a closer walk with God’: ‘Return, O Holy Dove!... The dearest idol I have known... Help me to tear it from Thy throne, and worship only Thee. So shall my walk be close with God...’(Church Hymnary, 663).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Can There Ever Be Anything More Important Than Worshipping The Lord? - We Know The Answer As Soon As We Ask The Question!

Jeremiah 9:1-26
Jeremiah speaks of those who are ‘circumcised only in the flesh’. They remain ‘uncircumcised in the heart’(25-26). Paul tells us that ‘not all who are descended from Israel are Israel’. Salvation is not a matter of outward conformity to religious rituals. What we need is ‘circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit’(Romans 9:6; 2:28-29). Jesus put it this way: ‘You must be born again’(John 3:7). Many people have been ‘brought up in the Church’, but they’ve never opened their hearts to Christ. They’ve heard the Word of God preached many times, but they haven’t been born again through the power of ‘the Spirit of the living God’(2 Corinthians 3:3). Our religious rituals mean nothing if, in our hearts, we remain unconverted: ‘Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation’(Galatians 6:15).

Jeremiah 10:1-25
‘The Lord is the true God; He is the living God, the eternal King’(10). Can there ever be anything more important than worshipping the Lord? We know the answer as soon as we ask the question! Very often, our lives gives a very different answer. We have taken our eyes off the Lord. We have forgotten that He is the true and living God. We sing the words, ‘O Lord, Thou art my God and King... Each day I rise, I will Thee bless...’- but they have a hollow ring about them! Here’s a prayer to help you to make a real commitment of your life to the Lord: ‘Teach me to live, day by day, in Your presence, Lord... Teach me to praise, day by day, in Your Spirit, Lord... Teach me to love, day by day, in Your power, Lord... Teach me to give, day by day, from my wealth, O Lord...’(Church Hymnary, 346; Mission Praise, 627).

Jeremiah 11:1-23
God speaks His Word to us. He calls us to obedience. He says to us, ‘Obey My voice’. Sadly, however, the story of our life is often summed up in the words: ‘They did not listen or pay attention. They did not obey’(7-8). God’s Word is not just ‘something to think about. When God calls us to obedience, we’re not to say, ‘I’ll think about that later’. ‘Now’ is the time for obedience to God’s Word: ‘Obey now the voice of the Lord’(38:20). We must not put this off until tomorrow. God is looking for our obedience today: ‘Today, when you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts’(Hebrews 4:7). To those who were deeply involved in religious ritual - ‘burnt offerings and sacrifices’- , God said this, ‘To obey is better than sacrifice’(1 Samuel 15:22). Obedience involves our whole life - not just ‘never missing a service’!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Let Christ Take The Place Of ‘I’: ‘It Is No Longer I Who Live, But Christ Who Lives In Me.’

Jeremiah 7:1-8:3
‘Stop believing these deceitful words, “We are safe! This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!”’(4). For many, the place of worship has become more important than the Person we worship. They talk a lot about ‘the Church’- but they never speak of Christ! They love to see ‘the Church’ looking good - but they’re not so concerned about what ‘the Lord sees’ when He ‘looks at the heart’(1 Samuel 16:7)! Their talk is so self-centred - ‘I love my Church. I never miss my Church. I always support my Church’. There is a great deal of ‘I’ in this kind of talk - but Christ is conspicuous by His absence! ‘Look at what I have done for my Church’- ‘Stop believing these deceitful words’. Let Christ take the place of ‘I’: ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me’(Galatians 2:20).

Jeremiah 8:4-22
‘Wise people are put to shame, confused, trapped. They have rejected the Word of the Lord. They don’t really have any wisdom’(9). Some people think they’re smart. They’re wise in their own eyes. They ‘know it all’- so they think! They’ve an answer for everything - except the most important question, the question of salvation: ‘What must I do to be saved?’. They know so much - yet they know so little that really matters! ‘The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved’(20) - Some people think they’re smart. They’re getting on in the world. They’ve no time for God. They’re too busy enjoying all the pleasures of this world. When this world is ‘past’ and its pleasures have ‘ended’, where will we be? - ‘What good will it do you if you gain the whole world - and lose eternal life?’(Matthew 16:22).

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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

We need 'Prophets' Who Will Keep On Challenging Us To ‘Get Real’ With God.

Jeremiah 5:10-6:8
‘A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and My people love it this way’(31)! The people were happy to listen to the ‘prophets’- so long as their preaching wasn’t too challenging. They were happy to attend the services conducted by the ‘priests’- so long as nobody expected them to change their way of life. The last thing they wanted was ‘prophets’ and ‘priests’ who took God’s Word seriously. Jeremiah was exactly what they didn’t want! He was serious about preaching the Word of God. He was serious about living in obedience to God’s Word. He wasn’t popular. He didn’t give the people what they wanted. Jeremiah was exactly what the people needed - a prophet who would keep on challenging them to ‘get real’ with God.

Jeremiah 6:9-30
‘Their ears are closed... The Word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it’(10). Jeremiah must have felt like he was ‘hitting his head off a brick wall’. So few people showed any real interest in hearing and obeying the Word of the Lord. It seemed like God’s Word was ‘going in one ear and out the other’. It would have been so easy for Jeremiah just to ‘settle down’, to start ‘taking it easy’. This was what so many of the ‘prophets’ and ‘priests’ had done: ‘They dress the wound of My people as though it were not serious. “Peace, peace”, they say, when there is no peace’(13-14). This was what Jeremiah refused to do. Jeremiah made his choice. We must make our choice. Will we choose to be faithful to God or will we settle for being popular with those whom ‘the Lord has rejected’(30)?
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Christ Has Given Us A Worldwide Mission. He Says To Us, ‘You Will Receive Power When The Holy Spirit Comes On You.’

Jeremiah 4:1-18
‘If you will return, O Israel,... then the nations will be blessed...’(1-2). We are not only to seek blessing for ourselves. We are to pray that others will be blessed also. The blessing of God is not to be kept to ourselves. It is to be shared. We are not to be small-minded people - ‘What will Iget out of it?’. Jesus said to His first disciples, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations’. This is still His Word to us today. We cannot rest content with being an inward-looking Church. Christ has given us a worldwide mission: ‘You will be My witnesses... to the ends of the earth’. We are not left to face this great task on our own. Christ says, ‘I am with you always’. We do not take up this great challenge in our own strength. Christ says to us, ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you’(Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).

Jeremiah 4:19-5:9
‘One disaster follows another. The whole land is ruined... My people are fools. They don’t know Me... They are experts in doing wrong, and they don’t know how to do good’(20,22). We read the daily news. We wonder, ‘What’s going to happen next?’. We ask, ‘Where will it all end?’. Are we to give up hope? No! We must learn to look beyond the things that are happening in our world today. We must learn to look to the Lord - ‘the God of hope’. He says to us, ‘There is hope for your future’. Do you feel like things are just going from bad to worse? Remember God’s Word: ‘I know the plans I have for you... to give you a future and a hope’. ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit’(29:11; 31:17; Romans 15:13).

‘Saved By The Lord With An Everlasting Salvation.’

Jeremiah 2:20-37
‘Where then are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble!’(28). The man-made ‘gods’ cannot ‘save’. They cannot even begin to compare with ‘the Lord’- ‘the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth’(Isaiah 40:28). There is no comparison between God and the gods - ‘I am God, and there is no other’. The outcome of the conflict between God and the gods is never in doubt. For ‘all the makers of idols’, the future holds nothing but ‘shame’ and ‘disgrace’. God calls us to a much better and brighter future. ‘Saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation’- This is the great and glorious future which awaits all who obey God’s call to salvation: ‘Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth’(Isaiah 45:15-17,22).

Jeremiah 3:1-25
God calls us to ‘return’ to Him (14,22). He calls us to make our response to Him. He invites us to say, ‘Yes, we will come to You, for You are the Lord our God’(22). How are we to come to the Lord? We are to come to Him, confessing our sins - ‘We have sinned against the Lord our God’(25). We are to come to Him, trusting Him to save us - ‘Surely in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel’(23). ‘Return’ to the Lord - There is nothing more than important than this. Think of the blessings the Lord gives to those who return to Him - (a) He is ‘merciful’ to us - ‘He does not treat us as our sins deserve’(12, Psalm 103:10); (b) We become His children, calling Him ‘Father’(19; Galatians 4:6); (c) He ‘cures us of our backsliding’ - ‘In Christ’, we become ‘a new creation’(22; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Catching A Glimpse Of The Eternal God And His Eternal Purpose For Our Lives.

Jeremiah 1:1-19
To understand Jeremiah’s story, we must look ‘behind the scenes’: ‘The Word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations”’(4-5). To understand our own story, we must go even further back - ‘The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight’. We must never forget the words of Jesus: ‘You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last’(Ephesians 1:3-4; John 15:16). We’re not to be ‘on the surface’ people. We’re to be people who have seen ‘behind the scenes’, people who have caught a glimpse of the eternal God and His eternal purpose for our lives.

Jeremiah 2:1-19
Jeremiah’s message was not popular. He spoke to the people about their ‘sins’. They had turned away from the Lord. They had chosen to go their own way (13). He invited them to think about what their wrong choices were doing to them: ‘Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the Lord your God when He led you in the way?’(17). Jeremiah left the people in no doubt about where their wrong choices were leading them - ‘“Your own evil will punish you, and your turning from Me will condemn you. You will learn how bitter and wrong it is to abandon Me, the Lord your God, and no longer to remain faithful to Me”, I, the Sovereign Lord Almighty, have spoken’(19). This was not what the people wanted to hear. It was what they needed to hear. It’s still what we need to hear today!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

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Godi Is Preparing A Great Future ‘For Those Who Love Him.’

Isaiah 65:13-66:4
What a contrast there is between those who belong to Christ - ‘My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts’- and those who have refused to come to Christ for salvation - ‘You will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit’(14)! God is preparing a great future ‘for those who love Him’- ‘I will create a new heaven and a new earth’. He is calling us away from our sins - ‘Past things will not be remembered. They will not come to mind’. He is calling us to His ‘holy mountain’. How can we enter into our full enjoyment of God’s eternal salvation? God’s Word tells us: ‘I will pay attention to those who are humble and sorry for their sins and who tremble at My Word’(65:17,25; 66:2; 1 Corinthians 2:9). Make sure that you belong to Christ. Put your faith in Him (John 3:18,36).

Isaiah 66:5-24
‘Hear the Word of the Lord’. How are we to listen to God’s Word? We are to ‘tremble at His Word’. We are to ‘drink deeply with delight’(5,10-11). There is to be the fear of the Lord. There is to be joy in the Lord. These are not opposites. They belong together - ‘Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling... Rejoice in the Lord’(Philippians 2:12; 3:1). We hear God’s warning, and we ‘tremble’. To those who ‘sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth’, God says this: ‘It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God’(Hebrews 10:26,31). We hear God’s promise, and we ‘rejoice’: ‘The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms’(Deuteronomy 33:27). Let us ‘hear the Word of the Lord’- the warning as well as the promise!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Jesus Christ Is God’s Answer To Our Prayer.

Isaiah 63:1-19
The Lord our God is ‘mighty to save’. He has shown His ‘steadfast love’ to us. He has become our ‘Saviour’. ‘In His love’, He has ‘redeemed’ us (1,7-9). We read here about the power of God - He is ‘mighty to save’- and the love of God - ‘In His love’, He has ‘redeemed’ us. What love the Lord has for us - ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only Son...’(John 3:16)! What power there is in the Gospel of love - ‘The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes’(Romans 1:16)! What a ‘Saviour’ we have - Our Lord Jesus Christ is ‘able to save to the uttermost all who come to God through Him’(Hebrews 7:25)! Think of Jesus Christ. Think of His love, His power, His salvation. Thank Him for all He has done for you - ‘Alleluia! What a Saviour!’(Church Hymnary, 380)

Isaiah 64:1-65:12
We confess our sins to God - ‘We sinned... All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags’. We look to God for forgiveness - ‘Do not remember our sins for ever’(64:5-6,9). We know that God hears and answers our prayer. Jesus Christ is God’s Answer to our prayer. He has ‘come down’ from heaven to earth. ‘The Son of the Most High’ has been ‘born’ into our world. Jesus Christ is God’s way of saying ‘Here am I! Here am I!’. He is ‘God with us’(64:1; 65:1; Luke 1:32,35; Matthew 1:23). ‘The blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin’. Let us ‘confess our sins’. ‘The blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin’- Let us come to God with faith, believing that He ‘will forgive our sins’. (1 John 1:7,9). Let us rejoice in Jesus, our Saviour!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

"The Spirit Of The Lord God Is Upon Me... "

Isaiah 61:1-11
‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me... to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour’ (1-2). Jesus has fulfilled these words (Luke 4:18-21). Jesus has come, ‘proclaiming the Good News of God’. He tells us that ‘the time has come’. This is the time of opportunity, the time for making our response to Jesus Christ. He calls for our response - ‘Repent and believe the Good News!’. He calls us to make our response now- ‘now is the acceptable time... now is the day of salvation’(Mark 1:14-15; 2 Corinthians 6:2). There will come a time when the time of opportunity comes to an end. When Christ returns ‘with power and great glory’, it will be ‘the Day of vengeance of our God’. We do not know when Christ will return. Get ‘ready’ for His Return. Put your ‘faith’ in Him (2; Matthew 24:30,36,44; 25:13; Luke 18:8).

Isaiah 62:1-12
God has given us ‘a new Name’. It is ‘the Name which is above every name’, the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ (2; Philippians 2:9-11). Christ loves us. He has given Himself for us. He calls us His ‘Bride’(Ephesians 5:25-27; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 21:2,9). Through faith in Christ, we have become ‘the Holy People’. Through Him, we are ‘the Redeemed of the Lord’. We have been ‘Sought After’by the Lord. In Him, we are ‘the City No Longer Deserted’(12; 1 Peter 2:9-9-10; 1:18-19; Luke 19:10; John 14:18). ‘There is a Name I love to hear... It tells me of a Saviour’s love, who died to set me free. It tells me of His precious blood, the sinner’s perfect plea... Jesus, the Name I love so well, the Name I love to hear!... O how I love the Saviour’s Name, the sweetest Name on earth!’(Mission Praise, 672).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

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What Are We To Do ‘When The Enemy Comes In Like A Flood’? We Must Look Away From Ourselves To Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 59:1-21
What are we to do ‘when the enemy comes in like a flood’? We must look away from ourselves to Jesus Christ. He has ‘come’ as our ‘Redeemer’. Trusting in Jesus Christ, we must pray that ‘the Spirit of the the Lord will come like a rushing stream’. We must pray that ‘the wind of the Lord’ will come sweeping through us with much blessing (19-20). In ourselves, there is no blessing - ‘salvation... is far from us’. ‘Our sins have separated us from God’. We need to receive ‘salvation’ from the Lord (11,2,17). We must not delude ourselves. Satan is stronger than we are. We have no hope of victory over Satan - until we put our trust in Jesus Christ. Without Christ, we are helpless and hopeless. With Him, we shall be victorious. He is ‘the Rock of our salvation’(Matthew 7:24-27; 2 Samuel 22:47; 1 Corinthians 10:4).

Isaiah 60:1-22
‘Arise, shine; for your Light has come... the Lord will be your everlasting Light’(1,19-20). Jesus Christ is ‘the Light of the world’. When we ‘follow Him’, we ‘will not walk in darkness’. We ‘will have the light of life’(John 8:12). We are living in difficult times. We are surrounded by much darkness. We must not be discouraged - ‘the lamp of God has not yet gone out’(1 Samuel 3:3). When the darkness threatens to overcome the Light, we must take encouragement from God’s Word - ‘The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it’(John 1:5). When the darkness seems to be everywhere, put your trust in the Lord - The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?’- and let ‘His Word’ be ‘a lamp to your feet and a light to your path’(Psalms 27:1; 119:105).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

‘My House Will Be Called A House Of Prayer For All Nations.’

Isaiah 56:1-57:10
‘My House will be called a House of prayer for all nations’(56:7). God is gathering His people together ‘from every tribe and language and people and nation’(Revelation 5:9). ‘Salvation comes from the Jews’, but it doesn’t end there - ‘The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile (the rest of the world)’(John 4:22; Romans 1:16). We were ‘foreigners’. Now, we are ‘no longer foreigners...’(56:6; Ephesians 2:19). Christ has ‘broken down the dividing wall of hostility’. ‘We are no longer Jews or Gentiles’. ‘We are one in Christ Jesus’. Christ has ‘made the two one’. We ‘have been brought near through the blood of Christ’. We are ‘one body’- Jews and Gentiles brought together ‘through the Cross’ of Christ (Ephesians 2:13-16; Galatians 3:28).

Isaiah 57:11-58:14
‘To the far and to the near’, God speaks His Word of ‘peace’(57:19). Christ is God’s Word of ‘peace’(Ephesians 2:13-14). Christ is for ‘the Jews’. Christ is for ‘the Gentiles’. There is one way of salvation. Jesus Christ is our Saviour. We must put our ‘faith’ in Him. Through Him, we have ‘peace with God’(Romans 3:29-30; 5:1). God’s Word invites us to ‘call upon the Name of the Lord and be saved’(58:9; Acts 2:21). In Christ, there is true ‘joy’- ‘I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation...’(58:14; 61:10). We rejoice in Jesus Christ. He is ‘the High and Exalted One’. He has come from His ‘high and holy place’. He has become ‘Emmanuel’, ‘God with us’. He is our peace and joy, our Saviour and our God’(57:15; Matthew 1:21, 23; John 20:28).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

‘Seek The Lord While He May Be Found...’

Isaiah 54:1-17
‘The Lord’ is not only ‘the Holy One of Israel’. He is ‘the God of the whole earth’(5). The Gospel is for ‘all nations’. The ministry of Christ’s apostles began in ‘Jerusalem’, but it did not end there. The Gospel was to be taken ‘to the ends of the earth’(Luke 24:46-47; Acts 1:8). Taking the Gospel out from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth was not easy. The apostles faced much opposition. They stood upon God’s promise: ‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper’(17). When we face opposition, we must take our stand on the Word of God: ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’(Romans 8:31). Even when our words seem to fall on stony ground, we must keep on speaking the Word of God’s love: ‘With everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer’(8).

Isaiah 55:1-13
The Word of God is spoken - ‘Seek the Lord while He may be found...’(6-7). No one seems to be listening. What are we to do? We must remember God’s promise: ‘My Word will not return to Me empty’(11). We do not see all that God is doing. He is doing much more than we realize - ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts...’(8-9). We may be feeling very despondent - ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything’(Luke 5:5). The Lord still comes to us with His Word of encouragement: ‘You shall go out with joy...’(12). Before there is joy, there may be many tears. When there seems to be nothing but disappointments, we must remember the Lord’s promise: ‘Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy...’(Psalm 126:5-6). We must not ‘judge before the time...’(1 Corinthians 4:5).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Don't Let The Good News Be Drowned Out By The Bad News..

Isaiah 52:1-12
‘Good News’- Let us ‘shout for joy’. ‘Good News’- Let us sing ‘songs of joy’. There is the Good News of God’s reign - ‘Your God reigns’. There is the Good News of our redemption - ‘The Lord has redeemed’ us. We are not to keep the Good News to ourselves. This ‘news of happiness’ is to be shared with everyone. We must let ‘all the ends of the earth see the salvation of our God’. ‘Christ died for our sins’- This is Good News. Christ was ‘raised on the third day’- This is Good News. ‘Jesus is Lord’- This is Good News. This is the Good News we must ‘pass on’ to others. In our world, there is so much bad news. We must not let the Good News be drowned out by the bad news. We must make sure that the people hear the Good News - loud and clear (7-10; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Mission Praise, 249).

Isaiah 52:13-53:12
In this remarkable prophecy,.we see Jesus Christ, crucified for us - ‘the Lord has laid all our sins on Him’- and risen from the dead - ‘After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life’(6,11). ‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord?’(Mission Praise, 745). We might put this question to Isaiah. In one sense, he wasn’t there. He lived long before the time of Christ. In another sense, he was there. God opened his eyes. God gave him a glimpse of what was going to happen in the future. ‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord?’. In one sense, we weren’t there. These things happened long before we were even born. In another sense, we were there. It was our sins which Christ took with Him to the Cross. It was our sins which He left behind Him when He rose from the dead (Romans 4:25).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Where Will Revival Come From? It Comes From The Lord.

Isaiah 50:1-51:8
‘The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught’(50:4). We are to listen to God. We are to speak for God. We cannot speak for God unless we are listening to Him. Before we can speak for God, we must speak to Him. We must pray, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening’(1 Samuel 3:9-10). Listening to God comes before speaking for God. First, we wait on the Lord - ‘I waited patiently for the Lord’. Then, we witness for the Lord - ‘He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God’. Waiting on the Lord and witnessing for Him, we will win others for Him - ‘Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord’(Psalm 40:1-3).

Isaiah 51:9-23
‘Awake, awake!... O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days gone by... The ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them... I am the Lord your God... I have put My words in your mouth...’ (9,11,15-16). We must pray for revival in this generation. Pray for a revival of joyful worship. Pray for a revival of powerful preaching. Where will revival come from? It comes from the Lord. God hears the prayers of His people - ‘Awake, awake!... O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days gone by’. God answers the prayers of His people - ‘The ransomed of the Lord will return... Gladness and joy will overtake them’. Revival comes when God sends His Word of power - ‘I am the Lord your God... I have put My words in your mouth’.
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Oh, That The World Might Taste And See The Riches Of Christ's Grace!

Isaiah 49:1-26
‘I, the Lord, am your Saviour, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob’. We are not to keep this to ourselves. God wants ‘all mankind’ to ‘know’(26). ‘Jesus, the Name to sinners dear, the Name to sinners given, it scatters all their guilty fear, it turns their hell to heaven’- This is not something to keep to ourselves. We must make Christ known to others - ‘Oh, that the world might taste and see the riches of His grace! The arms of love that compass me, would all mankind embrace. His only righteousness I show, His saving truth proclaim: ‘tis all my business here below to cry: “Behold the Lamb!”. Happy, if with my latest breath I may but gasp His Name: preach Him to all, and cry in death: “Behold, behold the Lamb!”’(Mission Praise, 385). ‘Go into all the world and preach the Good News’(Mark 16:15).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

He Who Has An Ear, Let Him Hear

Do we listen, when others speak? Or do we only want to hear, what we want to hear?



In His Glorious Name Ministries Online

God Calls Us To Come To Him And Receive Salvation.

Isaiah 45:1-25
‘I am the Lord... I will strengthen you’(5). How does the Lord strengthen us? He strengthens us with salvation. He comes to us as our ‘God and Saviour’. He calls us to come to Him and receive salvation: ‘Turn to Me and be saved...’. Through faith in Christ, we are ‘saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation’(15,17,21-22). We are strengthened with ‘everlasting salvation’. We look ahead to Christ’s Return ‘in power and great glory’(Matthew 24:30). On that Day, the glory of our Saviour will be fully revealed: ‘At the Name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father’. Jesus is our Saviour. His ‘Name is above every name’. Our ‘strength’ comes from Him (23-24; Philippians 2:10-11).

Isaiah 46:1-47:15
‘I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me... I am bringing My righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed’(46:9,13). God does not keep His distance from us. He comes near to us - ‘The Word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the Word of faith which we preach). God does not delay His salvation. He comes to us with His promise: ‘If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved’(Romans 10:8-9). Jesus is the Word of God. He is our Saviour. He is our Lord (John 1:1,14; 20:28,31). Let us worship Jesus. He is ‘the Holy One of Israel’. He is ‘our Redeemer’. ‘The Lord Almighty is His Name’(47:4). ‘O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord’(Church Hymnary, 191).

Isaiah 48:1-22
‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go’(17). God knows what is best for us. He helps us to say, ‘As for God, His way is perfect’(Job 23:10; 2 Samuel 22:31).How does God help us to see that His way is best? He invites us to consider His love. We are to think about all that He has done for us - ‘the mercies of God’. He calls us to dedicate our lives to Him - ‘present your bodies, as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God’. Dedicating our lives to the Lord - This is ‘our ‘spiritual worship’. We are not to live for this world - ‘Do not be conformed to this world’. We are to live for the Lord - ‘be transformed by the renewal of your mind’. ‘God’s will is good, pleasing and perfect’. Learn this for yourself. Dedicate your life to Him (Romans 12:1-2).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

The Name Of Jesus Is The Name Of Our Salvation.

Isaiah 43:1-28
‘I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour... I am the Lord, apart from Me there is no saviour’(3,11). Isaiah’s words turn our thoughts towards Jesus our Saviour. The Name of Jesus is the Name of our salvation: ‘Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved’(Acts 4:12). ‘How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear’; ‘There is a Name I love to hear... It tells me of a Saviour’s love, who died to set me free; it tells me of His precious blood, the sinner’s perfect plea. O how I love the Saviour’s Name, the sweetest Name on earth’; ‘Name of all majesty... See now what God has done, sending His only Son, Christ the beloved One, Jesus is Lord!’(Church Hymnary, 376; Mission Praise, 672,481).

Isaiah 44:1-28
‘I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring, and My blessing on your descendants’(3). Here, Isaiah is looking forward to the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost - ‘They were all filled with the Holy Spirit...’(Acts 2:4). It is ‘the Spirit’ who brings ‘streams of living water’ into our lives. It is ‘the Spirit’ who sends ‘streams of living water’, flowing out from us to others (John 7:37-39). We are to ‘be filled with the Spirit’. ‘Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ’- Let your life be full of praise to God: ‘filled with the Spirit’(Ephesians 5:18-20).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

"I Am The Lord Your God ... I Will Help You."

Isaiah 41:1-29
‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you... I am the Lord your God who... says to you, Do not fear; I will help you... I Myself will help you, declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel’(10-14). When we have something important to say, we repeat ourselves. We want to make sure that our message gets across. We say, ‘Do you get the point? Do you see what I mean?’. This is what God is doing here. Three times, He says, ‘I will help you’. He wants us to get the point. He wants to leave us in no doubt. He wants us to be sure of this: ‘I will help you’. He doesn’t want us to go around thinking, ‘I wonder if God will help me?’. He really does want to help us. He says it once. He says it twice. He says it three times: ‘I will help you’.

Isaiah 42:1-25
‘Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, my Chosen One in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations’(1). These words turn our thoughts towards the Lord Jesus Christ. At His baptism, we hear the voice of the Father - ‘This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased’. At His baptism, we see ‘the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on Him’. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s Word of prophecy: ‘All mankind shall see the Saviour sent from God’. After His resurrection, we hear Jesus Himself speaking. He says, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit...’(Matthew 12:15-21; 3:16-17; 28:18-20; Luke 3:6). Let us bring Christ to the nations. Let us serve the Lord in the power of the Spirit.
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Those Who Wait Upon The Lord Shall Renew Their Strength.

Isaiah 38:9-39:8
‘The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our life in the House of the Lord’(20). Some people say, ‘I can be a Christian without going to Church’. Here, we have something very different. Believing in the Lord leads to worshipping the Lord. It doesn’t make sense to say, ‘I believe in the Lord but I’m not interested in worshipping Him’. We believe in Christ. We are saved by Him. We receive a new Spirit of worship: ‘God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Father, my Father!”’(Galatians 4:4). Let’s have none of this ‘believing without worshipping’- ‘Abba Father, let me be Yours and Your alone. May my will for ever be evermore Your own. Never let my heart grow cold, never let me go. Abba Father, let me be Yours and Yours alone’(Mission Praise, 3).

Isaiah 40:1-31
‘The Lord is the everlasting God... He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak... those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength...’(28-31). Far too often, we say, ‘I can’t’ when we really mean ‘I won’t’. ‘I can’t’- This is an insult to the power of God. The Lord calls us to do something special for Him. We say, ‘I can’t’. What are we really saying? This is what we are saying - ‘Lord, I don’t believe Your promise - “Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength”’. Don’t say, ‘I can’t’. Don’t get so busy with other things that you fail to wait upon the Lord and renew your strength. When the Lord calls you to serve Him, say, ‘Yes, Lord, I will wait upon You. I will renew my strength. I will do Your will’.
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

When Jesus Was ‘Lifted Up From The Earth’(Crucified), He Won A Mighty Victory Over Satan.

Isaiah 36:1-37:20
Hezekiah is facing a very powerful enemy - ‘Sennacherib, king of Assyria’(36:1). Hezekiah prays for deliverance - ‘O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand’. He prays for salvation - ‘O Lord our God, save us...’(37:20). We face an even more powerful enemy - Satan, ‘the ruler of this world’, ‘the god of this world’. We must pray for deliverance. We must look to the Lord for salvation. We must pray with faith in Jesus Christ. Satan ‘has no power over’ Jesus. When Jesus was ‘lifted up from the earth’(crucified), He won a mighty victory over Satan. Jesus died for us so that Satan, ‘the ruler of this world’ might be ‘cast out’. Satan’s power is broken when ‘the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ’ shines ‘in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ’(John 14:30;12:31-33; 2 Corinthians 4:4-6).

Isaiah 37:21-38:8
Sennacherib has no power over God’s people. They are protected by a superior power, the power of God - ‘This is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria: “He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here... By the way that he came he will return...”’. This is God’s answer to Hezekiah’s prayer for salvation - ‘I will defend this city to save it’(33-35). What a great God we have! He is the God of our salvation. He will answer our prayer for salvation. God loves us: ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only Son...’. Christ died for us: ‘God made Him who knew no sin (Christ) to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God’. Christ promises to receive all who come to Him for salvation: ‘I will never turn away anyone who comes to Me’(John 3:16; 6:37; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God’s Word Is Not Always What We Want To Hear. It Will Always Be What We Need To Hear.

Isaiah 34:1-17
God calls us to ‘draw near’ to Him. He wants us to ‘pay attention’ to Him. We must ‘listen’ to His Word (1). God’s Word is not always what we want to hear. It will always be what we need to hear. ‘The Lord is angry with all nations’(2). We don’t like to hear about God’s anger. We prefer to be told ‘You’re doing fine’. We need to hear about God’s anger. We need to hear about how far we have wandered away from God - ‘We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us turned to his own way’. We are sinners. We have turned away from the Lord. We have chosen our own way rather than His way. We must hear this ‘bad news’ before we can really appreciate the ‘Good News’- ‘the Lord has laid all our sins on Jesus’, ‘Christ died for us while we were still sinners’, ‘Christ died for our sins’(53:6; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3).

Isaiah 35:1-10
What blessings are given to those who draw near to God - ‘Your God... will come and save you’(4). The Good News of Christ comes to us as a call to faith - ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved’(Acts 16:31). We have been saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot remain the same. We are called to live a new life. We must travel on the Lord’s ‘highway’- ‘the Way of Holiness’(8). This is ‘the Way’ which leads to ‘everlasting joy’(10). This ‘Way’ is so different from the world’s way. The world has no time for those who seek to live a holy life. This is what Jesus says about the world’s way of life: ‘the gate is wide and the way is wide that leads to destruction’(Matthew 7:13). Whatever the world may say, we must never forget this: ‘Without holiness, no-one will see the Lord’(Hebrews 12:14)
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

When ‘The Spirit Is Poured Upon Us From On High... The Wilderness Becomes A Fruitful Field.’

Isaiah 32:1-20
‘Abandoned... deserted... a wasteland...’(14). Can such a desperate situation be turned around? Yes! When ‘the Spirit is poured upon us from on high... the wilderness becomes a fruitful field’(15). We must not lose heart. We must keep on calling upon the Lord. We must believe that God is able to turn things around. When the situation seems hopeless, we must put our trust in ‘the God of hope’. We must pray that God will send His blessing: ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope’(Romans 15:13). ‘Restore, O Lord, the honour of Your Name! In works of sovereign power, come, shake the earth again... Restore, O Lord, in all the earth Your fame, and in our time revive the Church that bears Your Name’(Mission Praise, 579).

Isaiah 33:1-24
‘O Lord...Be our strength every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble’(2). We are not to pray to the Lord only ‘in the time of trouble’. We are to pray to Him ‘every morning’. We are not to keep God at a distance, calling on Him only when things are going badly. When we keep God at a distance, our life tells its own sad story - ‘O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear - all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer’. When we draw near to God, He draws near to us, and everything becomes very different - ‘What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!’(James 4:8; Mission Praise, 746). Let God’s ‘love’ come to you ‘new every morning’- ‘fresh as the morning , as sure as the sunrise’(Lamentations 3:22-23).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

‘Yes, Lord! I Want You To Be My 'Salvation.' I Want You To Be My 'Strength'."

Isaiah 29:17-30:17
In returning and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, “No!”’(15-16). God wants to bless us. He wants to be our ‘salvation’. He wants to be our ‘strength’. How does God bless us? How does He become our ‘salvation’? How does He become our ‘strength’? We must want His blessing. We must want His ‘salvation’. We must want His ‘strength’. We must return to Him and rest in Him. We must quietly listen to His Word, putting our trust in Him. There is no ‘salvation’ without ‘returning and rest’. There is no ‘strength’ without ‘quietness and trust’. God does not force Himself upon us. We can say, ‘No! I will have none of it’. God wants to bless you. Will you say, ‘Yes, Lord! I want You to be my “salvation”. I want You to be my “strength”’?

Isaiah 30:18-31:9
‘Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord!’(1). It is so easy to forget the Lord. We try to go it alone, and we forget to look to Him for help. Even when we forget Him, He does not forget us. When we turn our backs on Him, He calls us to ‘return to Him’(6). He reminds us that our true help is found in Him: ‘Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth’(Psalm 124:8). We need not look around here, there and everywhere for an answer to the question, ‘Where does my help come from?’. There is only one true answer to this question: ‘My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth’(Psalm 121:1-2).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

On Christ, The Solid Rock I Stand.

Isaiah 28:1-22
Jesus Christ is ‘the precious Cornerstone’. He is ‘the sure Foundation’(16). Jesus is the Name of our salvation - ‘Salvation is found in no-one else... there is no other name... by which we must be saved’(Acts 4:10-12). There is only one ‘Foundation’ for our faith - ‘Jesus Christ’(1 Corinthians 3:11). He is the ‘chosen and precious Cornerstone’- ‘to you who believe, this Stone is precious’(1 Peter 2:6-7). Build your life on Christ, ‘the solid Rock’- ‘My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; no merit of my own I claim, but wholly trust in Jesus’ Name. When weary in this earthly race, I rest on His unchanging grace... When earthly hopes are swept away, He will uphold me on that Day. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand. All other ground is sinking sand’(Matthew 7:24-27; Mission Praise, 473).

Isaiah 28:23-29:16
‘The wisdom of the wise will perish’(29:14). There is another ‘wisdom’, a ‘wisdom’ which shall not perish, a ‘wisdom’ which is ‘wiser than man’s wisdom’. Christ is ‘the Wisdom of God’(1 Corinthians 1:24-25). With Christ as our Saviour, we ‘shall not perish’. Through faith in Him, we receive the ‘wisdom’ which brings ‘salvation’(John 3:16; 2 Timothy 3:15). Jesus Christ is ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life’(John14:6). He is the Way to true wisdom. He is the Truth upon which true wisdom is based. He is the Life which is based on true wisdom. He is true Wisdom. We must not seek wisdom apart from faith in Jesus Christ - ‘the world did not know God through wisdom’. There is one true wisdom which does ‘not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God’- faith in ‘Christ crucified’(1 Corinthians 1:21-23; 2:1-5).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Looking Forward To The Return Of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Isaiah 25:1-26:9
‘O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your Name... You have done marvellous things’(25:1). We remember what God has done for us. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour. We rejoice in Jesus Christ who died for us. We rejoice in Jesus Christ who rose again for us. We look forward to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We look forward to the Day when ‘He will swallow up death for ever’. On that Day, ‘the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces’. On that Day, we will look back and say, ‘Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us’. On that Day, we will ‘rejoice and be glad in His salvation’(25:8-9). Here and now, let us learn to ‘trust in the Lord’. We can trust in Him ‘for ever’. He is ‘the everlasting Rock’- ‘the Rock of our salvation’(4; Psalm 95:1).

Isaiah 26:10-27:13
Jesus is our Saviour- ‘Lord, You establish peace for us’; ‘We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ’. We cannot save ourselves. We can only look away from ourselves to Jesus - and be saved by Him: ‘all that we have accomplished You have done for us’; ‘By grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God’(26:12; Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:8). Jesus is our Lord- ‘Lord, our God... You alone are our Lord’. How are we to live once we have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ? - ‘Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him’. We are not to ‘keep on sinning so that God can keep on showing us more and more kindness and forgiveness’. We are to live a life of ‘good works’(26:13; Colossians 2:6; Romans 6:1; Ephesians 2:10).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com