Tag: Redeemer
The Holy One, Your Savior!
Scripture reading for July 9: Isaiah 43: 1-3 “But now thus says the Lord, He Who created you, O Jacob, He Who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, the flame shall not consume you. For I Am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.””
As we continue to explore Scriptures in Isaiah where God declares His “I Am” Name to encourage His people, we come to His declaration that He is the “Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” The Holy One declares God’s perfection in every way. He created the universe and man in particular. He formed the nation of Israel from Abraham, His friend. He called them all by name. “Jacob” was originally a cheat and one who wrestled with God. God changed his name to “Israel” meaning subdued by God. The Holy One of Israel was with them to help even in their weakness.
God redeemed His people from slavery in Egypt. He called them out of Egypt and lead them through the rivers and waters and the fiery desert. He proved His holiness and love through becoming their Savior and Redeemer. He tested their faith through their deliverance. They learned through the experience of going through the deep waters and the fire that God’s presence would sustain them and save them. He truly was their Holy One and Savior present with them on their journey to their eternal home.
These precious Scriptures remind us today that God is our “Holy One” and our “Savior” in whatever trial we are encountering on our journey through life’s wilderness. There are no waters to deep to walk through with Him nor is there a fire too hot that the flames will hurt us. We have His Holy Word and He is with us through His Holy Spirit!
Prayer: Father God, thank You for encouraging us with these “I Am” reminders. As I walk through life, empower me to declare by faith my identity as Your child, called by name. Make me holy as You are Holy! Amen.
I know my Redeemer lives!
Scripture reading for May 23: Job 18-19
The attack on Job’s character by his friends continues with Bildad the Shuhite in Job 18. Bildad harshly accused Job of being wicked, evil and not knowing God. (Job 18:21) He told Job of the destruction that awaited him if he didn’t come to his senses and deal with his problem of sin. These statements are very presumptive and go against all that Job has tried to tell him. They certainly did not give Job any comfort and brought further suffering his way. (Job 19:2-3)
Job was being attacked and it forced him to evaluate his beliefs. He went to God for answers, but even God seemed to be against him. (Job 19:8) He was opposed by his own friends and his wife. He looked at his own body, which was skin and bones and knew that he might not be long for this earth. He asked for pity from his friends and began to state his true feelings! (Job 19:21-22)
Job wished that his words would be recorded! He stated a belief that his Redeemer was alive–that he would see Him one day, even if he died. This foundational belief in resurrection brings hope to us. It is what Christ gives each one of His followers! We know that we will suffer and eventually die while in this life, but that isn’t the end! We have a permanent dwelling place with the Lord to look forward to! (2nd Corinthians 5:1-2) To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord! (2nd Corinthians 5:8) There is the “Blessed Hope” as well, the soon appearing of Jesus Christ for His people! (Titus 2:13) There will be a sudden appearing of Jesus to take His people who are ready to be with Him! (1st Thessalonians 4:13-18) With Job we can say “For I know that my Redeemer lives. . .Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” (Job 19:25, 27)
Do you live with the assurance that your Redeemer is alive and watching over you? Do you have the assurance of eternal life? How does Job’s statement of faith match with your personal testimony?
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son as life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.“ 1st John 5:11-13
Conquerors of the beast!
Scripture reading for December 21st: Job 18-20, Psalm 141, Revelation 15
Key Scriptures: Revelation 15:1-4 “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire–and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are Your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord and glorify Your Name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.””
John’s visit to heaven brought revelations of the future final judgment of the beast and those who received his mark. The seven angels with the final seven plagues appeared as a sign in heaven that was “great and amazing!” Then John saw a sea of glass mingled with fire and a great company of those who had conquered the beast by the “blood of the Lamb and Word of their testimony.” (Rev. 12:11) This company was standing by the sea of glass with harps and they began to sing the ancient song of Moses, now known as the song of the Lamb! Worship of God flowed for His amazing deeds of justice and holiness that were soon to be displayed on earth and in heaven. Amen! Amen!
Psalm 141:8 “But my eyes are toward You, O God, my Lord; in You I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless.”
Faith confession and prayer: Lord Jesus, King of the nations, You alone are holy and are worthy of praise and worship! My overcoming testimony is in Your sacrifice as the Lamb of God for my sins and the sins of the world. Empower me today to snatch from the fire those still under Your wrath.
Job 19:25-27 “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My hearts faints within me!”
Grace for the humble!
Scripture reading for April 3rd: Ruth 3-4, 1st Sam. 1-2, Luke 23
Key Scriptures: Luke 23:39-43 “One of the criminals who were hanged railed at Him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And He said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.””
Luke records a conversation between those crucified on Calvary that day. One thief mocked Jesus and His claim to be the Christ. The other pleaded with Jesus for mercy. One got no reply, but Jesus promised the second a trip to Paradise. Ruth, appealed to Boaz, and received her eternal reward!
Ruth 3:8-9 “At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.”
Jesus is the Christ, Son of God!
Scripture reading for April 20th: John 11
Key scriptures for over-comers: John 11:25-27 “Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told Him, “I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was come into the world.””
Jesus tried to console Martha with promise of resurrection for her brother, who had been in the tomb for four days. Martha stated she believed in resurrection and then Jesus made an amazing promise. He stated one of the “I AM” promises recorded by the Apostle John, “I Am the Resurrection and the Life.” He stated that anyone who lived and believed in Him would never die and if you died believing you would live again. Mary told Jesus that she believed this too, because she believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God! Jesus then proved He had power to raise the dead by calling Lazarus from the grave!
Observations for over-comers: Faith in Jesus Christ, Son of God is the bedrock of resurrection life for each person. This truth is echoed by Job in the Old Testament! “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes, I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me.” (Job 19:25-27)
I Know My Redeemer Lives!
Scripture reading for May 24th: Job 18-19
The attack on Job’s character by his friends continued with Bildad the Shuhite. Bildad harshly accused Job of being wicked and not knowing God. (Job 18:21) He told Job of the destruction that awaited him if he didn’t deal with his problem of sin. These statements were very presumptive and showed that he had not listened to Job. They certainly did not give Job any comfort and brought further suffering his way. (Job 19:2-3)
As Job was being attacked and it forced him to evaluate his beliefs. He went to God for answers, but even God seemed to be against him. (Job 19:8) He was opposed by his own friends and even his wife. He looked at his own body, which was skin and bones and knew that he might not be long for this earth. He asked for pity from his friends and began to state his true feelings! (Job 19:21-22)
Job wished that his words would be recorded! He stated a belief that his redeemer lived and that he would see him one day, even if he died. This belief in resurrection is what Christ gives each one of His followers! We have a permanent dwelling place with the Lord to look forward to! (2nd Corinthians 5:1-2) To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord! (2nd Corinthians 5:8) The “blessed hope” is the soon appearing of Jesus Christ for His people! (Titus 2:13) We are watching for this event as we walk through each day. For those who are ready, there will be a sudden appearing of Jesus to take His people to be with Him! (1st Thessalonians 4:13-18) This will be a glorious day for each of us!
If you lack the understanding of a living redeemer and your personal redemption, today is a good day to do something about that. Ask the Lord for mercy and place your trust in Jesus Christ, His Son. Whoever calls on the Lord, will be saved!
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son as life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.“ 1st John 5:11-13