2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
The story that we have been examining in the last couple of messages from JER 32: 6-15, 44 about Jeremiah buying a field from his cousin just before Judah is taken captive by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar reveals God’s will that Israel will once again occupy the Promised Land given to her by God. The hindsight of history lets us know that both Jeremiah and Isaiah’s prophecies [IS 23: 15; JER 25: 11-13] would come true. God was punishing His people for their iniquity, but had no plan to destroy them [JER 29: 11-13]. Otherwise, Israel wouldn’t still exist or have achieved nationhood as it has, despite 3000 years of persecution. There is more than God’s will involved here, however. There is also the foreshadowing of crucial events to take place in our future. I refer to Christ’s wresting of dominion over the earth from Satan and Satan’s destruction. These events are seen in the visions of John in the book of Revelation. We must remember that as Satan’s accused, we have a Blood Avenger, Jesus Christ, Who is going to see to it that the murder of men’s souls is avenged.
The moment that Christ died on the cross, He made true the Protevangelium, the very first announcement of the conflict between mankind and evil that was to ensue after the original sin was committed and God pronounced judgment on the parties involved. GN 3: 15, [God speaking to the serpent] “I will make you and the woman [Eve] hate each other; her offspring [mankind] and yours will always be enemies. Her offspring will crush your head, and you will bite their heel.” We all know now what that means. Satan will be destroyed, and mankind will suffer pain but will be given the change to survive. The moment that Christ died on the cross as the perfect sin-sacrifice for mankind, Satan’s fate was sealed, and he knew it. REV 5: 5 announcing Christ’s qualification to open the scroll, the mortgage to dominion over earth, supports this assertion. Further illumination on this fact is given to us by the Song of Redemption found in REV 5: 9-10 to be sung in heaven by it’s inhabitants to Christ, the Lamb Who was slain for us. “You are worthy to take the scroll and to break open its seals. For You were killed, and by Your death You bought for God people from every tribe, language, nation, and race. You have made them a kingdom of priests to serve our God, and they shall rule on earth.”
As individuals living in a cruel and unrighteous world, we are made to suffer greatly. We ask: When will this ever end? Why must we suffer? If we take the time to dwell in the Scriptures daily, God gives us His perspective, helping us to see that all this suffering is worth it. I visited with a new friend the other day who has been told she has a recurrence of cancer. She showed me what real faith can do in the face of suffering. She was calm and ready for what lies ahead. She knows the Lord will carry her through this suffering, just as Christ did in the Garden of Gethsemane. She and Christ set a wonderful example for people like me of the power that real faith has. Let’s look at a passage that helps us to see God’s perspective a little better, 2 THESS 1: 5-10. “All of this proves that God’s judgment is just and as a result you will become worthy of His Kingdom for which you are suffering. God will do what is right: He will bring suffering on those who make you suffer, and He will give relief to you who suffer and to us as well. He will do this when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven with His mighty angels, with a flaming fire, to punish those who reject God and who do not obey the Good News about our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from His glorious might, when He comes on that Day to receive glory from all His people and honor from all who believe. You too will be among them, because you have believed the message that we told you.”
I find this signal motivation to endure in faith and hope you do too. It never hurts for us to be reminded of God’s will for us, His compassion, and His perspective on our suffering. He is not insensitive to our pain and loss, nor is He lacking in compassion for us. He tells us to spend time with Him every day in study of His word and prayer, because that is His way of communicating with us through the Holy Spirit and being there to encourage us when we are hurting. God inspired Peter to say in 1 PET 4: 12-13, “My dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful test you are suffering, as though something unusual were happening to you. Rather be glad that you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may be full of joy when His glory is revealed.”
PRAYER: O Lord, despite Your omniscience which means that You already know every need we have, You are delighted when we turn to You in prayer. You find joy when we acknowledge Your wonderful attributes and what You do for us. You want us to turn to You in honest confession of our sin, so that we have given heed to Your teaching and recognize You as our Healer. Our pledges of loyalty, diligence, trust, and obedience when given in sincerity are treasured by You. Christ was made not only our Savior, but Advocate and Intercessor in the heavenly Holy of Holies, so that You could bring us salvation and supply a direct conduit for our prayers [JN 3: 16; HE 8: 1-2]. The words of PS 124: 6-8 reveal the contents of our hearts. “Let us thank the Lord , Who has not let our enemies destroy us. We have escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap; the trap is broken, and we are free! Our help comes from the Lord Who made heaven and earth.” These words are supported by those of Christ and of Peter. JN 8: 32, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you fee,” Christ taught. Peter reminded us that Satan was like a roaring lion roaming about looking for someone to devour in 1 PET 5: 8. Who is easier for this “lion” to devour than one who Satan has caught in his ugly snares? The belief in Your truths, Dearest Abba, gives us the discernment not to be caught in such a trap. What better reason to be diligent in spending time with You and trusting of Your teaching? David utters in PS 34: 3-5, “You are my Refuge and Defense; guide me and lead me as You have promised. Keep me safe from the trap that has been set for me; shelter me from danger. I place myself in Your care. You will save me, Lord; You are a faithful God.” We echo his words and offer You our adoration, worship, obedience, trust, honor, glory, praise, and thanksgiving for always being there for us. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
I am led to write about MT 4: 1-11 and to take a deeper look into the remarkable truths and lessons to be learned from this story of Christ’s temptation in the wilderness. Remember that each time we return to territory we’ve covered before, it is in a new context, and the Lord has more of His treasure there for us to mine. So, we don’t waste our time. God’s love for us is called agape love, meaning unconditional love. Only a Being so magnificent and superior to mankind could set such a wonderful standard for how we should love as this. I questioned Christ’s teaching about loving one’s enemies [found in MT 5: 44-45] as something almost too hard to do at first. It still isn’t easy, because it goes against one’s grain. And yet, when we take the time to know God, we can discover how logical it is for our always-righteous God to take this approach. He really does love all His children. But as a righteous God, He will not allow unchecked injustice to go on indefinitely, nor will He allow it to go unpunished. Our job is to know God well enough to recognize His remarkable nature and to see the wisdom in obeying His commands, even the hard ones. His eagerness to bless us is nothing short of amazing. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn