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Isaiah 60 DirectoryText |
Purpose
To open our eyes and make necessary changes in our hearts and lives to enable God's glorious light to brightly shine in and through our lives to those around us.
Prayer
Dear Father in Heaven, we have the light but those around us are in the darkness. We have resources but no understanding how to distribute those resources. We are accountable but often live irresponsibly. Lord, now is the time for your light to shine. Now is the time for You to shine brightly into our lives. Rid our hearts of every dark blot. Remove all those things that are used to block your light from shining in our souls in its full glory. Now is the time for the light to shine forth in tremendous glaring light into the dark world. We must wait no longer. We must take responsibility that we have failed the world in bringing the light to them. We must now arise and shine. In Christ's glorious Name we pray, Amen.
Discussion
A) Instilling the Mission (Isaiah 60:1a)
“Arise, shine;"
The two commands are to arise and shine. We are not allowed to live passive lives. This is why entertainment and other such activities, though not wrong in themselves, easily become moral issues. We need to think concretely what the Lord would have us do: Arise and Shine.
Arise. We need to cease walking with the world. This might not be comfortable or easy. The world might even demand that we live with them. But we must refuse. We are mission oriented. No matter what the costs, we must step out of line from the world and live by God's heartbeat. We need to arise from compromises of the world where we become indebted and strive for the glory of God's kingdom.
Shine. It is not good enough if we only arise. We must shine. We must get involved. We must become active. I recently heard Paul who was urged to sign up for two professional baseball teams. Instead he chose to work bringing the gospel to the Chinese getting by on a bare minimum of subsistent. We must refuse to be those who sift through their treasures and then put them away. We must consider it sin to be easily offended and give up on the task God has set us to. We must shine at all costs.
What then is this great occasion that calls us to sacrifice all? What is this call that demands us to drop all for the sake of all?!
The dawn disturbs the darkness from its solemn slumber;the golden light crowns the world with its glory. |
B) Clarifying Our Orders (Isaiah 60:1b)
"For your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you."
Life change is demanded because of God's revelation of His glory in our lives. Our focus once upon the earth is now turned to the heavens. Light has come. No matter how dark or dim our circumstances might be, our light has come. This light is nothing less than the great and glorious presence of Jehovah.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14, NASB).
Indeed we confess with John the Baptist that we are not that light. Christ Jesus is the light of the world. We are not boasting about our own lives but of the glorious presence of the Lord.
“And while John was completing his course, he kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’ (Acts 13:25, NASB).
The clarity and power of our mission will come as we remember the source from which we gain our light and are not confused by the presence of the darkness.
Many others have through the ages suggested political, legal, economic or religious agendas. They have fought for them and even died for them in some cases. They have all drastically failed us. Instead we need to stand up and let God's light shine through our lives. Only then will light shine in the darkness, order overcome chaos, and clarity rule over confusion. How much more time will we waste through our self-efforts?!
Not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:9,10, NASB).
Our call is to learn more about this Light. He is our hope. In Christ, the Light of the world, we will fully discover the glory of God. We must insist on knowing Christ and none other. We have nothing unless we have Christ.
C) Transforming Our Lives (Isaiah 60:2)
For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you, And His glory will appear upon you. (Isaiah 60:1,2, NASB).
Living in God's presence will change our lives. Either we will turn from Him or flee from our sin and turn to Him. Each of us are born into this world full of darkness. It is so deep that we cannot see our way out of it. We are saved by grace. Jehovah rises upon us much as the sun arises in the sky. And we can then see how everything is made for His glorious purposes.
We are not to gain our identity, purpose or strength from those around us. The Cambridge Seven gave up their wealth and fame for the sake of bringing this Light to those in far and distant darkness. In this sense we need to clarify our mission to let God's light shine in our lives.
The Lord is not at all troubled by the darkness. In His own time He carries out His plan for distributing His Light throughout the world. He is not at all threatened by the Enlightened Age. He waits and shows the results of their so-called knowledge and expertise. Man's problems are not solved but compounded.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:4,5, NASB).
Early on He decided on the means He will dissolve the darkness. He could have shown forth His light and awed all. Instead, however, the Lord chose to have His light shine through vessels that will reveal His light. The degree that the vessel's reception of the light be clear and the windows that open to the world clean, God's own light will shine into the world.
D) Transforming Our Societies (Isaiah 60:3-5)
And nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about, and see; They all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, And your daughters will be carried in the arms. Then you will see and be radiant, And your heart will thrill and rejoice; Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, The wealth of the nations will come to you." (Isaiah 60:1-5).
The change we should look for is when people come and request our help in improving their lives and society. They will be able to see that they can do nothing but will see that God in us can do something for them.
We usually spend our money, time and effort on our agendas and solutions instead of waiting for the Lord. We need to get to the point of letting God first transform us and those around us and then let God's Spirit do His work around us.
We will see that nations will come to our light which is really God's light in us. Our rising will really be God's rising in us. Although there are not a few who decry spiritual lives as too heavenly to be of any earthly good, we challenge them with God's model:
God's light is the only real hope for the world.
Don't force the governments and organizations. Focus on living righteous lives where you are. As people are touched by God's work in our lives, then we must in turn introduce them to the Lord Himself. There will be those who reject God's light just as they rejected Jesus' miracles. But our duty is to have a genuine hope for the worst of societies that if they see the Lord's light, they will change.
The problem is with us. We do not show forth God's light. We are carrying out our agendas rather than God's. Our light is our wisdom, knowledge and experience, rather than the presence of God.
Questions for Transformation
A) Instilling the Mission (Isaiah 60:1a)
What things do we treasure most in life? What would we give them up for? We see the disciples forsook all to follow Jesus Christ? Have you taken up this road? What challenges hold you back? What have you given up for the Lord?
B) Clarifying Our Orders (Isaiah 60:1b)
Where is this light to be found? Have you met Him? Why is 'light' used to describe Him? Has He become 'your light?' What books do you use to receive counsel? How is the light connected to the glory of God? How does God's light and glory dwell in your lives?
C) Transforming Our Lives (Isaiah 60:2)
In what ways have you taken to allow His Light to shine in you more? How do the spiritual disciplines of fasting, praying and meditating on God's Word maximize this purpose? How does the flames in Pentecost help us understand how God means for His disciples to be His light?
D) Transforming Our Societies (Isaiah 60:3-5)
What changes are said to take place when the light arises? Where have you seen this in your personal life? What about in those around you? How would you define what this light is? How do governments and other organizations like religions simulate this light? Does it work? Why or why not? What should we do in response to our ailing society around us despite in many cases millions of dollars be spent to help?
Acting on Faith
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The Bible calls the devil a thief; one who steals. Thieves do not just walk around looking at things. Neither do they usually bother with low-end goods. No! They steal things that are valuable to you. John 10:10 paints a clear picture of this: "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." God is a giver, and Satan is a taker. God restores, and Satan steals. God recovers, and Satan removes. In fact, God gives so much life, that it is not just life, it is abundant life or life that is so great that it flows out of you to touch others. Abundant life can be described like a cup that runs over with life so much so that you have to drink from your saucer because your cup is overflowing. David experienced the loss of a thief and the goodness of God's promises. I Samuel 30:10 says, "David pursued." He sought out the enemy and persisted in God's word. Many Christians do not know how to pursue, and become fearful at the thought of going into battle. God girds His people with "strength unto the battle" and He will subdue those that rise up against you (Psalms 18:39). In order to recover all, you must be willing to put your faith in God's Word, as David did, and to pursue your enemy. It is up to you to aggressively go after everything that God promised to you in His Word. The deeper you go in the Spirit, the more you find out that your still on the surface. God wants you to reach great depth in Him. Psalms 42:7 says, "Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts." There is a place, in the Spirit, where your very being cries out to the Lord in prayer, but you can not know that place if you do not pursue God's promises with intensity. Every miracle that took place in God's Word happened with action on the part of the individual who was in need. Exodus 14:15-16 says, "And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea." God asked Moses, "Why are you still crying to me?" Then the Lord said, "speak" or act upon your faith in me. God told Moses to lift up the rod, stretch his hand out over the sea and go forth. Moses instruction from the Lord was to march on and keep going. As he did, the Red Sea split before him. Moses witnessed the miraculous as he acted upon his faith in God. Then God gave the Promised Land to possess: "And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land"(Deuteronomy 2:31). God said, "I have begun to give." He doesn't give until people start moving and acting upon faith. He will take care of the enemy in your way, but once He gives you the land, you must go and possess it. He often leaves it up to you to overcome the obstacles. Most importantly, you can not inherit until you take ownership-until you receive what God has promised to you. Move forward into the New Testament. Think about the faith that it took for Bartimaeus to cry out to the Lord, "Have mercy on me" (Mark 10:47). Those around him were most likely discomforted by his yelling, and they may have even said, "Be quiet." Nevertheless, he kept shouting out, "Lord, have mercy on me, Son of David, have mercy on me." Bartemaeus was acting upon his faith. The result-he got his answer! We find the same scenario in the story of the woman with the issue of blood. She also acted upon her faith, she said, "If I may but touch Him, I'll be made whole" (Mark 5:28). She reached out for her answer, the Lord Jesus, and He healed her. The early church is another example of faith in action. On the Day of Pentecost, "They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4). Believers prayed and then began to speak; acting upon the revelation and infilling that God had given them. As with the early church, we must not wait and then react, but rather act first in faith and then see God move. You see, pursuit is faith in action: "It is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him' (Hebrews 11:6). Pursuit, active faith, brings victory! The more you come to know the Lord, the more you find out that He has so much more waiting for you to receive, yet nothing miraculous happens without faith. Until Moses stretched the rod over the Red Sea, the water stayed intact. Until the Children of Israel were ready to possess the Promised Land, they wandered forty years in the wilderness. Until David unleashed the small stone from his sling, Goliath towered over him, sneering at the young man's God. Until Bartimaeus and the woman with the issue of bless acted in faith, their miracle remained unfulfilled. This is true even of salvation. Forgiveness is a free gift, bought by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yet God does not force you to accept the Savior into your heart. Only you can do that. Pursuit is the key! |
Pursue after your enemies... for the Lord your God hath delivered them into your hand (Joshua 10:19).God Wants You Out of Debt!
Everyday we are bombarded with debt—canceling methods. TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines all offer a host of ways to quickly eliminate debt; however, the best way to eliminate debt is God's way. Yes, God is a debt—canceling God! This is why the Believer is better equipped than those who don't know the Lord.
God loves you, and He does not want you to carry the burden of debt. Of course, having debt is not a sin; however, it's not God's best. Debt has wreaked havoc in many lives. It can be linked to divorce and other failed relationships, and it causes stress, which can lead to serious health problems.
God is able to help you live a debt—free life. In 2 Kings 6, a man was cutting down a tree, when his ax head fell into the water. The man shouted "… Alas, master! for it was borrowed" (2 Kings 6:5). To keep the man out of debt, God performed a miracle and made the ax head swim. God would not waste His power if He didn't think canceling this man's debt was indeed necessary. God wanted this man released from debt, so He performed a miracle on his behalf; and He will do the same for you!
Although, God is a debt—canceling God, it's important to understand that this doesn't mean He will cancel everyone's debt in the same manner. There are spiritual and practical laws that govern debt cancellation. God has His part, and we have ours. For example, we must pay our bills on time, and be people of integrity and character who are diligent, hard workers, not swindlers. We also have to avoid sin, and obey God's Word; doing this will ensure that God is on our side. Sin will separate you from God, and when you are in debt, you cannot afford to be separated from God!
God is merciful, and always ready to help you end the destructive cycle of debt. However, He won't do all the work. You must make a quality decision to apply the practical principles that govern debt cancellation. For example, avoid being involved in hyper consumption. God expects you to be a good steward, and manage your money wisely. Develop a budget. This will not only help you manage your money better, it will also help you pay your bills, save money, and track your spending down to the dollar. These are some practical steps that will help you get out of debt God's way.
Tithing is a spiritual principle you must apply if you expect to see God's supernatural blessing on your finances. Malachi 3 describes how the windows of Heaven will open up and pour you out a blessing when you bring your tithes into God's house. Once you have the blessing, or an empowerment to prosper, debt can't wreak havoc in your life.
Many years ago, God revealed to me that Satan wants Christians to remain heavily burdened by debt because it hinders their ability to finance the Kingdom of God. Think about it, if all your money is tied into bills, it will be difficult to support the church!
God wants you out of debt, so declare war on debt starting today! Make a quality decision to get out of debt God's way by applying the spiritual and practical laws necessary for supernatural debt cancellation. Use the Word of God as a weapon against the spirit of debt, and refuse to be weighed down by debt another day.
Trust God
Sometimes it may seem hard to trust God, especially when the bills are due, debt is staring you in the face, and you don't know how your provision is going to come into your hands. Or, your situation may not even be a financial challenge. Perhaps people are saying negative things about you or trying to come against you in some way. Though these things may be frustrating and even disheartening at times, hold on to God's Word. He will help you when you put your trust in Him.
Isaiah 50:7 in The Amplified Bible says, "For the Lord God helps Me; therefore have I not been ashamed or confounded. Therefore have I set My face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame." I really want to break this scripture down so you get the full meaning of it.
First, the Word of God says here that the Lord God helps us. This is a promise from God! If He said it, it's the absolute, final truth of the matter. Therefore, when thoughts of doubt or worry about how you will get out of a situation try to invade your mind, refer to what God has already said.
The next part of the verse declares that because God will help, there is no need to be ashamed or overwhelmed by your situation or circumstance. Worrying, becoming anxious, and getting stressed out because of your challenges will not help the situation. In fact, when you do these things, it demonstrates you don't really trust the Lord.
In the last part of the scripture, it talks about "setting your face like a flint." This implies a sense of "doggonedness." In other words, you grab on to the Word of God, and like a bulldog that won't let go of a bone, you don't let go of it. No matter what is going on around you, you remain fixed on the truth of God's promises to you.
Proverbs 3:5, 6 says to trust in the Lord and not lean to your own understanding. Trust is not the same as belief. You can believe God's Word, yet not trust that God will perform His Word in your life. When you trust God, you have an unwavering commitment to lean on Him, no matter what it looks like. When you get to a place in your life where you know everything is going to be alright, you are truly trusting God.
Another indicator that you are trusting God is that you will have peace. Frustration indicates that doubt and fear are present. However, the peace of God will overshadow you when you are anchored in God's Word. Your part is to keep your mind focused on Him instead of the problem.
When you trust God, you are empowered to prosper. Jeremiah 17:7 says, "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is." Trusting God brings with it a guaranteed blessing! On the other hand, when you trust in man or your own abilities and resources more than you do God, you are guaranteed to fail (Jeremiah 17:5). I don't know about you, but I want to succeed in everything I set out to do. Since that's my goal, I know I'm going to have to trust God; there simply is no other option.
I want to encourage you today, that no matter what you're going through or facing, God knows your situation. He is willing and able to provide for you, protect you, and bring you to an expected end. All you have to do is take refuge in Him and trust Him (Psalm 34:8). Settle the truth that the Word of God is your final authority, and that you are going to walk by faith and not by sight. You may not know exactly how God is going to solve your problem, just know that He will do it His way. Trust God and watch Him make a way.
