Generations: Valuing the legacy of a godly heritage

December may be the month we celebrate Jesus’ birth, but apparently it’s also the month of death.

The passing of four people in my life have warranted mention on my blog – all of them died during the month of December. Perhaps the glow of Christmas lights on homes and trees paled in comparison to the opportunity to experience the enveloping and penetrating light of the glory of God. Perhaps heartfelt tender Christmas carols dulled when given the chance to hear the angelic choir of heaven. I’ve shared the passing of all four with you because each one had a profound spiritual impact not only on my life but on the lives of hundreds around them.

Each one had a story – a reason for which I shared their life with you. For one, her life was a testament to Christ’s power in breaking us free from the confusion of abuse. For another, his story reminded us that the hope of heaven reunites us with loved ones. The third revealed lessons learned from one who lived life serving God.

Yesterday I attended the funeral of Jimmy’s granddad.

None of us are born holy; Granddad was no exception. In fact, quite a few of life’s years passed by for Granddad before the message of God’s salvation started to pierce his soul and transform his life. Somewhere, someone reached out to him as a young man and shared the message of hope.

 

Granddad later became a preacher himself; I would venture to guess that his fifty years behind the pulpit have changed thousands of lives. But even that isn’t the impact I want to share with you.

As I’m spending time with Jimmy and his family, I see a different kind of lasting impact – the impact of a godly heritage. It may not extend far but it runs deep. Granddad was already married when he humbled himself before God to receive forgiveness for his sins. He and Granny would have raised a family, worked their jobs, and lived their lives even if Granddad had never accepted Christ. It would have looked different but they would have made it happen.

But Granddad’s life changed when he accepted Christ. He studied God’s Word so he knew its message and power for his life. He shared God’s Word so others may know that same message and power. He prayed God’s Word because he knew therein is our power.

He studied for, shared with, and prayed for his children. His influence led them to accept Christ as their Savior. The transformation of this one man spread to the lives of his two children.

It led his children to find godly spouses when they grew up and create Christian homes of their own. Within time, four grandchildren were born and raised in godly homes. What was one became two and then doubled to four.

God decided one of the granddaughters could come to heaven early; her short life ended in her teens. Even in the midst of such a painful tragedy, however, the message of the gospel promised the hope of resurrection and eternal life for the young girl. Salvation was already a truth in her life, despite her young years.

The remaining grandchildren grew to adulthood, married Christian spouses, and started families of their own. One man’s influence became two, which doubled to four, and now has grown to ten great-grandchildren. All ten greats (as Granddad always called them), are being raised in three different godly homes where they also are hearing the message of salvation and the importance of a life transformed in service to God. One by one they are responding to that message. While some are still babies and toddlers, almost all of them have claimed the name of Christ and accepted His salvation in their own lives.

My oldest daughter was the first of that generation. Granny and Granddad drove halfway across the country to visit her when she was only a few weeks old. He held her in his arms and spoke that he never expected her to remember him. He thought God would call him home before she would form any memories. Yet, God blessed him with a long life. That same great-granddaughter is now 16. She wrote on her Facebook wall when she learned of his death, "Today my Great Granddad got to go to heaven. He was the one person who no matter how he felt would always have something to say about God's grace and how much he loved his family. Though I don't have many memories with him, because of long distances, I can't wait to make some with him in heaven. Have fun Great Granddaddy. Love you!"

If Christ waits a few more years before His return, who knows what might happen from those ten greats. Will they all accept Christ? Will they begin ten different Christian families of their own? What impact will they leave on the world? How will God answer the powerful prayers of the Great-Granddad who left a legacy of a Godly heritage for them?

In our instant society, we want to see results now. We want to see broad impact. But let us not forget, we do some of the most important ministry in the home to an audience of our children.

"Know that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands” (Deuteronomy 7:9).

Find Hope in the Midst of Sorrow

On the day this article publishes, I’ll be attending a funeral for a friend of mine, the mother of one of my spiritual sisters. It’s going to be kind of a sad day but not nearly as sad as the last few weeks have been as she lay in a hospital bed, sometimes incoherent, always in pain, her body weakening by the day.

But it’s also going to be kind of a happy day, as well. We’ll talk about that more later, though.

My friend’s mom passed away a few days ago. That night, I took dinner to my friend and her extended family who had gathered at her dad’s house. As we sat – looking through old pictures and telling stories of favorite memories – my friend said something that resonated in my ears.

“I don’t know how people who have no hope do this.”

I said almost the exact same words to my dad the day before we buried my mom.

We’ve all lost loved ones. Many of us have even done so prematurely. Sometimes death comes at the end of many years after a life fully lived. Sometimes the loss comes with the warning of disease and suffering; other times shock overwhelms us as accidents or tragic events cause the loss.

Early or late in life, with warning or sudden shock; such are only two examples of differences that define the last moments of our loved ones.

One more difference defines the passing of our loved ones. One more difference separates anguish from bittersweet sorrow. One more difference defines the moment as full or devoid of hope.

Jesus is that difference.

The triune God is the God of Hope because Jesus' death and resurrection made hope possible. He is the God of Hope because the Holy Spirit empowers us to overflow with hope. Hope - made possible by Jesus, given by God, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

This was the difference in my mom’s death and the death of my friend’s mom. This was the difference for a couple who taught me about Him when I was a teenager. This was the difference for a man who lived a testimony of Him every day of his life. The rejection of the God of Hope has also made a difference for some I know who’ve passed on without Him.

There’s something you need to know about hope that comes from Christ. We use the word hope for an event or item that we wish or desire might happen. We hope to go on vacation this summer. Or, we hope doctors find a cure for heart disease. These things may or may not happen; we just hope they do. Scripture removes the uncertainty of hope, however.

Jesus never taught on hope because for Him the reality of the future is as certain as the reality of this present moment. He doesn’t wish He could return for us someday. He doesn’t aspire to offer us the same resurrection from the dead that He Himself experienced. He doesn’t dream of a kingdom on earth where He reigns in peace and righteousness. He is the reality and the surety of each of those coming events. His life and death guarantee their future fulfillment. So, in a relationship with Christ, hope is absolute and certain. It isn’t a wish, aspiration, or fanciful daydream.

My friend has the certainty of that hope for her mom just as I did years ago. The reason I spend hours writing my books and articles is so you also can know the certainty of the hope of a relationship with Jesus. Click here to read more about a relationship with Him. Use the comment section below or contact me on Facebook or Twitter if you’d like to talk even more.

Hope in the Battle

"One of the great themes of Christianity is triumphant hope. Not just hope as in a distant, vague dream, but TRIUMPHANT hope, the kind of hope where all things end right. In the midst of the struggles and the storms and suffering of life, we can advance our thoughts beyond today and see relief....triumph...victory. Because, in the end, God does indeed win" (Charles Swindoll).

I focused this month on prophecies of Jesus’ death and resurrection (Facebook, Twitter, Google+). As Passover and Resurrection Sunday ended, my focus shifted for the rest of the month. The fulfillment of prophecy didn’t end with Jesus’ resurrection; He has more to do. Here’s the connection – the fact that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of His death and resurrection are our guarantee that He will fulfill the prophecies of His second coming, millennial kingdom, and final judgment.

Jesus never taught on hope

Jesus’ fulfillment of these future prophecies completes our hope! And yet, Jesus never taught on hope. Does that surprise you? It did me.

Jesus – every part man and every part God – sees the whole picture without the limits of time. For Him, the certainty of the fulfillment of prophecy was as sure as the soil upon which His feet walked. As absolute as His role in the creation of that soil. Present, past, future – He sees them all.

Jesus’ teaching “is delivered in the language of One to whom the realities of the next world and of the future are perfectly familiar; the tone is not that of prediction so much as it is that of the statement of obvious facts. In other words, ‘hope’ to Christ is ‘certainty,’ and the word ‘hope’ is never on His lips” (ISBE).

Hope isn’t a distant, vague dream; through Jesus, hope is realized - completed - finished - fulfilled.

What is our hope?

Jesus' fulfilled prophecy at His first coming; this gives us an absolute hope for the fulfillment of still future prophecies. So, for what do we hope?

Our hope is…

• For God to be glorified (Romans 5:1-5)
• For creation and our own bodies to be set free from decay (Romans 8:20-24)
• To reflect the glory of God (2 Corinthians 3:7-18)
• A calling God wants us to know (Ephesians 1:18)
• Stored up for us in heaven (Colossians 1:5)
• The message of the gospel (Colossians 1:22-23)
• Salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:8)
• Eternal life (Titus 1:2-3)
• The second coming of Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13)
• Alive (1 Peter 1:3)
• Grace (1 Peter 1:13)
• In God (1 Peter 1:21)
• Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 1:1)

Hope in the Battle

From Jesus’ timeless perspective, it may have been easy to see the certainty of future hope. It’s not always so easy for us. Here are a few helps from Scripture to make hope a greater reality in your life.

Hope protects our mind & thoughts

“But since we belong to the day, we must be serious and put the armor of faith and love on our chests, and put on a helmet of the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8).

A helmet guards the head and the mind. Our mind is how we understand the world around us; with it, we utilize wisdom and discernment. Our mind helps us to make a judgment or maintain determination. Like a helmet, hope in Christ protects our understanding, thoughts, and purpose. Hope helps us to look at a battle, discern the truth, and see the victory. When we lose focus on the hope before us – the hope of His future fulfillment of prophecy – our thoughts steer us off course.

Hope is a requirement for action

“Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13).

We prepare our mind for action by remaining calm and collected (serious) and by focusing on our hope. Keep your thoughts focused on the hope of what lies ahead; doing so helps us keep the battles of this life in perspective. Then we can take effective action rather than lose control in a response based entirely on our emotions.

Hope can do the job

“But honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).

Once hope is protecting our mind, thoughts, and understanding… Once we have prepared our mind for action through our hope… Then, hope is ready to do its job in the battle. Hope doesn’t fly off on irrational, emotional appeals. A prepared mind provides a logical understanding for why we hope as we do although it does so with gentleness and respect.

Jesus’ past fulfillment of prophecy guarantees His future fulfillment. That certainty is our hope! 

Living Life between the Cross and the Coming

Passover and Easter are over. What’s next?

My focus this Passover / Easter season has been Jesus’ fulfillment of prophecy through His death and resurrection. I shared many of those thoughts on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

But now Passover and Easter are over. Jesus fulfilled those prophecies; the resurrection has happened. What’s next?

Here’s what – more prophecy fulfillment. Jesus still has a few more things to do.

He has to retrieve His bride, the church.

“Go, my people, enter your rooms and close your doors behind you. Hide for a little while until the wrath has passed” (Isaiah 26:20).

He has to return to earth; He has to come a second time. 

“On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south” (Zechariah 14:4).

He has to judge the nations and establish His kingdom on Earth. 

“He will strike the land with discipline from His mouth, and He will kill the wicked with a command from His lips. … On that day the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His resting place will be glorious” (Isaiah 11:4, 10).

He has to defeat Satan once and for all. 

“I will put hostility between you [Satan] and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15).

He has to judge those who never chose to follow Him. 

“As they leave, they will see the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against Me; for their worm will never die, their fire will never go out, and they will be a horror to all mankind” (Isaiah 66:24).

He has to reward those who did choose to follow Him. 

“Look, the LORD has proclaimed to the ends of the earth, ‘Say to Daughter Zion: Look, your salvation is coming, His reward is with Him, and His gifts accompany Him.’ And they will be called the Holy People, the LORD’s Redeemed; and you will be called Cared For, A City Not Deserted” (Isaiah 62:11-12).

As you can see, Jesus has more to do – the fulfillment of prophecy isn’t over.

But what about now?

We’re living in the time period between the first and second coming. And in all honesty, we’re closer to that second coming than we are to the first. But how should we live during this time?

Awake & Serious

“For you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. So then, we must not sleep, like the rest, but we must stay awake and be serious” (1 Thessalonians 5:5-6).

I don’t have room to get into all of the day/night and wake/sleep imagery used here but let me boil it down… Live like the life Christ died to give you means something to you. Don’t spend your time and resources on your own satisfaction. God gave His life for you – spend your time and resources living your life for Him. Again I repeat, live like the life Christ died to give you means something to you.

Ready for action, Serious, & Hopeful

“Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13).

Get ready! Ready to fight, ready to serve, ready to love, ready to obey, ready to do whatever God calls you to do. You won’t ever be ready if you aren’t spending time now getting to know Him and know His Word.

Be Hopeful! This world is not the end game. We have more to come after this life – more than we can ever imagine. That’s the end game. That’s the goal. That’s the purpose. Yes, life here is hard but hold fast to the hope of what’s to come.

Be Serious, Pray, Love, & Play Nice

“Now the end of all things is near; therefore, be serious and disciplined for prayer. Above all, maintain an intense love for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining.” (1 Peter 4:7-9).

This is a different Greek word for serious than in the previous passages. This one means to stay in your right mind, exercise a little self control, and curb your passions. Life’s not all about making yourself feel good.

Pray through the hard stuff…and through the easy stuff. Pray through all of it. Do you really have a relationship with someone if you aren’t talking to them regularly? Go to God just like you would a friend – when someone makes you mad, when something great happens, when you don’t know what to do, when you need someone to listen.

Love each other even as we remember that biblical love is all about sacrifice. Biblical love doesn’t focus on how good the loved one makes us feel; biblical love focuses on how we can give ourselves to help them feel good. Kind of like Jesus did in the ultimate expression of love – His death on the cross.

Help others out whenever you can – with a kind word, a meal, a listening ear, a little extra cash. Don’t complain or pat yourself on the back later.

So there you have it – some good ideas for how to live in this time after the resurrection of Jesus as we wait for His second coming. I’m sure there’s more but this is a good amount to get us started.

Receive the Victory, Chosen of God

"Yet the Lord was pleased to crush Him severely" (Isaiah 53:10).

Ouch.

So begins the fifth and final stanza of Isaiah’s fourth song of the Servant (Isaiah 52:13-53:12).

• First stanza – Wake Up, City of God; the suffering of the Jews foreshadowed the Messiah’s suffering.
• Second stanza – Believe It, People of God; as hard as it might be to believe, the Messiah came as a man.
• Third stanza – Consider the Why, Rebels of God; the Servant’s suffering had purpose.
• Fourth stanza - Behold the Lamb, Children of God; the Servant was shorn and slaughtered as a lamb.

And all of this made God happy? It pleased Him?

The four previous stanzas described the sacrificial death of the Servant with awful terms.

• Disfigured, beaten to the point of being unrecognizable
• Despised, rejected, a man of suffering
• Stricken, struck down by God, afflicted
• Pierced, crushed, punished
• Oppressed, judged, cut off

Why on earth would God find pleasure in this?

Because of this…

The Servant’s death would make restitution for wrongs done against the holy name of God. Jesus gave Himself up as a restitution offering (aka, guilt offering in other translations). Jesus’ death created a way for the ultimate wrong to be made right – for God’s creation to be restored to their former position. God and people could dwell together once again.

The anguish of restitution
With restitution made, the Servant will see His spiritual offspring. Through resurrection, He will no longer experience death. He will accomplish the desire of God (Isaiah 53:10).

Yes, He will go through anguish to reach the end goal. God’s not pleased with that part. But sin’s entrance into the world brought with it the need for sacrifice. God is pleased that the Servant willingly offered Himself as the final sacrifice to permanently make right the wrong done by our choice to sin. And despite the anguish, Jesus will be satisfied because He knows the results (Isaiah 53:11).

He knows His anguish will make restitution to declare us righteous. He knows it will bear our distortion of truth (Isaiah 53:11); His resurrection will defeat our distortion of truth. He knows that He is the truth (John 14:6).

He knows His suffering will take us from co-conspirator to co-heir (Romans 8:17). From vile to victorious (1 John 5:4). From condemned to conqueror (1 John 4:4).

The victory of redemption
Jesus experienced anguish that none of us will ever know. But with that anguish came the victory of redemption. He died as our Passover lamb so that the death angel might pass over us.

He exposed His soul – the very part of Him that communed with God the Father – to death. Although He was sinless, He allowed Himself to be counted among those who have rebelled against God. He carried away our sin and caused the punishment for it to fall upon Himself (Isaiah 53:12).

Because He willingly did so, His is the greatest victory and the greatest reward. God will make Him chief or captain over all. That is why Paul later wrote, “Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death – even to death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow – of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth – and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:7-11).

Yes, God will make Him chief over all, but He won’t keep it all to Himself. That’s the part that knocks me to my knees every time. When final victory is His, He will assign the spoils among the mighty. In other words, there’s a part in there for us. We will be with Him. The fourth cup will be drank. The victory will be complete. In the midst of all that, He will say, “Come here, my beloved. Good job, my mighty one. I have a little something for you.” I can’t wait. How about you?

Believe It, People of God

Passover and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection will be here soon. We don’t mourn as a people who have no hope; we rejoice in this holy season. We celebrate freedom from slavery; we find joy in God’s provision of redemption for all people.

This season we’re reading through the last of four servant songs written by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). Written hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, they give detailed prophecies of the coming Messiah. Prophecies fulfilled in the life of Jesus. We read the first stanza last week – Wake Up, City of God.

Hard to Believe

“Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1 NIV). Sometimes we hear things – especially in this day of internet-based information overload – that don’t really seem possible. Sometimes a little tidbit of news seems a little too far out there – a little hard to believe. 

Or, maybe the news doesn’t quite fit with how we think the situation should play out. We expect one outcome of events and yet things appear to have happened a different way.

Kind of like the news Isaiah is about to share with his fellow Jews. Will anyone believe this message? Will anyone realize they have beheld the power of God, poetically referred to as the arm of the Lord? After all, it’s kind of a hard message to accept that the Messiah would… could lower to… could humiliate Himself to … come as a man.

Four Aspects of Jesus’ Humanity

• “He grew up before Him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground” (Isaiah 53:2).

Since Jesus came as a man, He had to grow up. He lay in a manger as a baby and learned in the Temple as a boy. He grew to manhood.

But He also grew before God the Father – connected to Him as a sapling tree connects to the original tree. Yes, He was a man but He came from God and was God.

He grew before God the Father – miraculously as a root that grows out of dry earth. Yes, He was a man but He was a source of life in a spiritually dry, desolate environment.

• “He didn’t have an impressive form or majesty that we should look at Him, no appearance that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2).

His body, His clothes, and His appearance were normal. 

He didn’t have the physique of Thor or Superman. He didn’t dress or have gadgetry like Iron Man or Batman. He didn’t have an intimidating appearance like the Incredible Hulk. He was a man.

• “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was” (Isaiah 53:3). 

His reputation was nothing special; He wasn’t immune from pain, sorrow, or suffering.

He didn’t focus on building a platform or deal with paparazzi. Most people who lived in the first century probably never even heard His name. He definitely didn’t break any retweet records.

He ached for His beloved city of Jerusalem, wanting to gather the people together under His protection (Luke 13:34). He wept over the death of a dear friend, Lazarus, and for the sisters who didn’t yet realize that only through Him was resurrection and life (John 11:35). He was troubled knowing that betrayal would come from a friend with whom He sat at the same table (John 13:21). In agony, He sweat drops of blood as His crucifixion drew near (Luke 22:44). He was a man.

• “He was like someone people turned away from; He was despised, and we didn’t value Him” (Isaiah 53:3). 

He had no special charm and no celebrity status.

Celebrity status has taken over the American church. People love pastors and teachers for their charisma, charm, dynamic delivery, and impressive buildings. Many of us would excitedly jump at the opportunity to meet Billy Graham, Francis Chan, John MacArthur, John Piper, or __________ (fill in the blank with your favorite celebrity pastor). Usually (unfortunately not always), the pastor or teacher isn’t after the celebrity status; it's a by-product of our culture. We are drawn to them because of their charisma and charm. We lift them up; we highly esteem them.

Jesus had none of that. Nothing drew people to Him. Very few jumped at the chance to meet Him – usually only those hoping for a healing. Most turned away from Him. He wasn’t the Christian celebrity we know today full of charisma and charm. He was a man.

It’s kind of hard to believe, isn’t it? The Savior of the world, the awaited Messiah, wouldn’t supernaturally appear as a conquering hero. He wouldn’t come with beauty and majesty. He wouldn’t be overwhelmingly popular and loved by all.

But don’t worry, that day is coming. The Messiah came the first time as Isaiah’s prophesied Servant but a second coming awaits us in the future. At that time, He will supernaturally appear as the conquering hero. The whole world will behold His beauty, power, and majesty. The whole world will worship Him as King of Kings. Amen to that.

Read about the third stanza, Isaiah 53:4-6, by clicking here: Consider the Why, Rebels of God.

Read about the fourth stanza, Isaiah 53:7-9, by clicking here: Behold the Lamb, Children of God.

Read about the fifth stanza, Isaiah 53:10-12, by clicking here: Receive the Victory, Chosen of God

Wake Up, City of God

Do you ever have one of those times when you hear a Bible passage repeated over and over in your life? Church, online, devotional reading, wherever.

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 has been that way for me over the last few weeks. Even more, I felt God prompt me to study it in depth each time I heard it. I couldn’t let it merely go in one ear and out the other.

Passover and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection approach with each passing day. These words from Isaiah are the last of four passages referred to as the “Servant Songs.” They all prophesy the suffering of the coming Jewish Messiah. So with that divinely orchestrated coincidence, this post begins a series building up to Passover and the Resurrection in which we’ll consider this song of the servant. Today, let's only focus on the first stanza.

The Servant Jesus

When I first read through these verses something odd jumped out at me. I immediately circled it in my notes. As it turns out, the oddity would be the key to understanding this passage.

The oddity is this – the word “You.” Do you see it right there in the third line? Who is the “You” referring to since the Servant throughout the passage is referred to as “He” or “Him?”

As a Christian, I see Jesus throughout this passage – He is the Servant who will act wisely. Who else’s appearance would appall many? Could anything be as horrific as Jesus’ disfigured, mutilated body hanging on a Roman crucifixion stake?

The context for these verses helped enlighten me to whom the “You” refers. Back up to verses 1-12 of this chapter. “Wake up, wake up; put on your strength, Zion! Put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the Holy City! For the uncircumcised and the unclean will no longer enter you” (Isaiah 52:1). And so it continues throughout the chapter. “You” refers to Zion, the beautiful city of Jerusalem.

Why are many appalled at Jerusalem?
After all, Israel is God’s “treasured possession” (Psalm 135:4). Jerusalem is “the city of our God” (Psalm 48:1) and “the perfection of beauty” (Psalm 50:2). This is only a very brief, quick sampling of how God feels about Zion, Jerusalem, and Israel.

However, despite all of that, the first part of Isaiah 52 reminds us His treasured possession was enslaved in Egypt and oppressed by the Assyrians (Isaiah 52:4). The rulers of Jerusalem wail and men blaspheme the name of the Lord within her (Isaiah 52:5).

How could this happen to the city – the people – that the Lord loves?
Perhaps one reason God allowed it was to serve as a picture for how His Holy Servant would also be mistreated and reviled by the world. He also would endure the extreme of separation from God before the time of His exaltation.

Despite the slavery, oppression, and groaning, God exalts His holy city. “Remove the bonds from your neck, captive Daughter Zion” (Isaiah 52:2). God redeems her (verse 3), her watchman and her ruins will both shout for joy once again (verses 8-9), and God will reveal His salvation for all nations within her (verse 10).

God will do likewise for His Servant, the Messiah. Jesus also was disfigured and beyond human recognition, but “He will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted” (Isaiah 52:13).

Just like people were appalled with “You,” Israel, they also will be appalled with God’s Servant.

Just like God will restore and exalt His Holy City, He will restore and exalt His Servant.

And you know what? These two things are going to happen at the same time – when Jesus returns a second time.

In that moment, “all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God” (Isaiah 52:10).

In that moment, “He will startle many nations” (Isaiah 52:15).

In that moment, “Kings will shut their mouths because of Him” (Isaiah 52:15).

Because they will see and understand what didn’t previously seem possible – that Jesus, the Servant, the Messiah, is the salvation of the world.

Read about the second stanza, Isaiah 53:1-3, by clicking here: Believe It, People of God.

Read about the third stanza, Isaiah 53:4-6, by clicking here: Consider the Why, Rebels of God.

Read about the fourth stanza, Isaiah 53:7-9, by clicking here: Behold the Lamb, Children of God.

Read about the fifth stanza, Isaiah 53:10-12, by clicking here: Receive the Victory, Chosen of God

Easter Dresses: What will you wear when the resurrection comes?

I walked into an elegant, chic clothing store, circa 1950. Plush carpet, elaborate lighting; tufted round benches and armchairs awaited the shopper while attendants brought the latest in fashion and design. Taken back and overwhelmed by the glitz and glam of the store, I focused on my purpose for being there. I had to make a decision; Easter was only a few days away and I needed a dress.

Dreams have a powerful effect on us. These early moments of a dream I had a week ago – a few weeks after Easter this year – have stayed with me. Many times I have reflected on this dream and pondered its significance. As you continue to read it, you may think I’m crazy but I can’t shake the feeling that I need to share it with you.

As I ascended the few steps into the store, an older couple passed as they strolled to the exit. The man looked quite sophisticated in his tailor-made Frank Sinatra suit, a Fedora angled ever so slightly on his head. His wife’s style coordinated with sophistication. Her fitted suit was the same hue as her polished pumps and tilt hat. Pure white gloves completed the ensemble.

A Voice spoke, “Remember that couple; notice their clothes. That’s going to be significant later. They’ve already made their choice; they’re ready for Easter.”

I selected a few dresses to try on in the dressing room. Consistent with the aura of 1950’s chic, a variety of people waited in a lounge area of couches and armchairs outside the dressing rooms.

The Voice spoke again, “Look at these people – each of them. Think about them before you enter the fitting room and make your choice.”

I first noticed a young man on the couch; he leaned forward, his focus on a young woman in the chair sitting perpendicular to the couch. They appeared to have just met as they joked and flirted with one another. They didn’t care about Easter; they didn’t care about new clothes. Their concerns didn’t exceed what was going on in the moment. And for right now, the moment was each other.

A young man waiting with his older parents next drew my attention. The older man’s beard and the yarmulke upon his head revealed them to be Jewish. The parents were pleading with their son; they wanted him to celebrate Passover with them. More secular than his religious parents, the son had never grown a beard. According to the traditions, this refusal prevented him from joining the celebration. The father tried to convince the young man to wear a beard-looking mask crocheted by the mother. The parents hoped the young man would appear to believe on the outside, even if his heart didn’t believe.*

A man lounging in the corner to my left was the final person in the room. I turned my focus to him and saw his focus was on his iPod. (A man can have an iPod in the 1950’s in a dream.) Although he wore earbuds to listen to the music, I realized his song selection also played through the store intercom. I stopped to listen to the music and heard the chorus to, “Do You Hear the People Sing?” I instantly recognized the popular song from the musical Les Miserables; a song of freedom, of refusal to succumb to slavery, of a battle fought with martyr’s blood, a song of hope. Hope that comes not in the horrors of this life but shines through the promise of life after our time on earth.

The Voice said of the man in the chair, the man listening to music, “He represents grace.”

I had taken in my surroundings; I had seen what I needed to see. I proceeded into the fitting room to try on my Easter dress choices.

Alone in my fitting room, I listened to the Voice speak a final time, “Those are the four choices. You can be like the first couple whose life focuses entirely on outward appearances. Yes, they’ll be at church on Easter morning and they will look splendid. But the Message will never penetrate past their outer sophistication.

Or, you can be like the second couple who will never see beyond this moment. They will have fun now but that will be all. They won’t even realize Easter is here until it has passed.

Or, you can be like the Jewish family. They’ll spend their lives so wrapped up in ancient traditions that they’ll miss the beautiful, personal fulfillment of those traditions.*

Or, you can be like the final man. Grace can pour into your life as the music flowed through the earbuds into his mind; grace can pour out of your life as the music poured out through the intercom system for anyone who would stop to listen.

Which is it? What’s your choice? What will you wear when resurrection morning comes?

"I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness" (Isaiah 61:10).

* The requirement of a beard for Jewish men varies between different sects of Judaism based on their varying interpretations of Leviticus 19:27. The Jewish family in this dream isn't a criticism of Judaism or Jews, a belief system and people group I care about passionately. The representation in the dream is against the practice of rituals and traditions that have lost meaning to those who perform them - a phenomenon experienced throughout Christianity as well.

Because He Lives

I've sang this old hymn many times in my life; today I started really thinking about the words. 

Because He lives

Jesus not only loved enough to give His life to atone for our sin but He also had the power to resurrect from the dead (1 John 4:10, Ephesians 1:18-20, respectively). Not only is the tomb empty but Jesus is alive. Because He lives, everything we know has been changed.

I can face tomorrow - Hope

"He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers" (2 Corinthians 1:10-11). I have hope for what might come despite the darkness of the world. I have hope for the eternity I face after my physical body reaches its end.

All fear is gone - Confidence

"Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). Those who know Christ live in confidence; they have no fear of what might happen.

He holds the future - Trust

"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" (Romans 15:13). We don't have to worry; it doesn't matter how things play out. We can trust the one who holds the future.

Life is worth the living - Purpose

"Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come" (2 Corinthians 5:5). A relationship with God gives our lives purpose. We have a reason to be - to bring Him glory. We have the privilege of being used by Him to build His kingdom.

We have hope.

We have confidence.

We can trust.

We have purpose.

All because He lives.

What do you have because Jesus Christ lives? Leave a word or phrase in the comments below.

Never Perfect: Finding hope in Jesus' grace

I worshipped God while knelt down on my knees for hours the other day. It’s true; does that make me sound like a highly spiritual person? I also had a can of Pledge furniture polish in one hand and a dust rag in the other hand.

We had a spring cleaning day at church. People volunteered their time on Saturday morning to deep clean inside and outside the church building. I spent my morning scrubbing windows and base boards.

The coordinators didn’t know they scheduled it for three days before Passover. That’s a significant piece of information, though.

Jewish tradition requires a thorough searching and scrubbing of the entire house before the feast of Passover. They remove all products containing yeast; then clean the entire house to remove all crumbs of food products containing yeast. So, although our spring cleaning day at church wasn’t intended as such, it became the required cleaning of the house before the celebration of Passover.

The removal of yeast is important because yeast symbolizes sin in the Bible.

Back to my hours cleaning the church. I fight perfectionist tendencies - I’m kind of OCD. If I’m going to clean a church, I want to clean the whole thing. I don’t want dust left on any surface, cobwebs in any corners, or smudges on any glass. If I’m going to clean my home, even my church home, for Passover, I want it to be perfect. But here’s the thing – it never will be. No matter how many volunteers we have, how organized the cleaning day is, or how many hours we invest, we will never be able to perfectly clean the entire church building.

We will never remove all the yeast from our homes.

We will never remove all the sin from our lives.

So as I scrubbed the baseboard, recognizing my inadequacy to do the job as thoroughly and perfectly as it needed, I found myself thankful to my Savior.

No number of perfect Passover lambs could ever completely remove my sin, nor could an infinite amount of unleavened bread redeem me. That’s why Jesus gave His life as the final, ultimate, perfect Passover Lamb. “For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7). That’s why His body was the bread broken for our redemption. “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24).

The Bible Series - Mission

As it has been with the previous three, the fourth episode of The Bible series didn't disappoint. Seeing the familiar stories acted out made me think some new thoughts. For example,

• Can you imagine sitting down around Jesus to listen to Him teach?
• What kind of conversations transpired between Jesus and the disciples around the fire each night?
• The Word Made Flesh read the words of Isaiah, the prophet. Yet He didn't need to read it as He knew every mark, every meaning, every word because He is the Word Made Flesh.
• Also, in this scene, the Word Made Flesh asked us to accept the Word of God. Such a holy irony exists in that statement.
• Would I have climbed out of the boat to walk on the water to Jesus as did Peter?
• I was inspired and motivated as the disciples talked among themselves; they were trying to figure out what the whole plan with Jesus was going to include. One of them asked the others, "Why are we here? To take the easy path?" I think us modern-day disciples could ask each other the same question.
• In the movie, Judas asked Caiaphas as they arranged to arrest Jesus, "What's in it for me?" These words echo the halls and sanctuaries of many of our churches today. We don't have a relationship with Jesus while we ask, "What's in it for me?" That is how we betray Jesus.

True to its name, the fourth episode of The Bible on The History Channel showed us much of the mission of Jesus.

Jesus' Mission - Grace and Forgiveness

Jesus forgave the sins of an invalid, denied judgment on a woman caught in adultery, and called the tax collector to follow Him. God's grace extends to all.

Jesus' Mission - Trust God

The movie reminded us that "Our Father in heaven feeds the birds in the air, how much more will He give you?"

Jesus walking on water was epic in the movie. But I found myself thinking as Peter crawled out of the boat to join Him, "Don't look down, Peter! Don't take your eyes off Jesus!"

Jesus fed 5,000 and then proclaimed, "Put God first and everything else will follow. Hunger for righteousness and be filled through Him." As Jimmy wrote on our Facebook page, "People are hungry for hope. Hungry to be fed... spiritual food."

Jesus' Mission - Show Compassion

Jesus healed the ear of the soldier which Peter had removed with his sword. Jesus' compassion is available for all - even the soldier who came to arrest Him. Would I extend compassion to such a one as that?

Jesus' Mission - He is God

"I am the way, the truth , and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6 NIV).

"I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25 NIV).

Jesus asked Peter, "Who do you think I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God" (Matthew 16:16 NIV).

This is why I laughed when they said the line, "Nothing good ever comes from Galilee." I don't know if more incorrect words have ever been spoken; the Savior of the world came from Galilee.

Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey; He then proceeded to clean out the temple as it had become a den of thieves. He's going to do this again at the Second Coming - what a day that will be! The next days of Jesus' life He taught in Jerusalem - He was questioned and inspected. The people may not have known it but they were inspecting their Passover Lamb to make sure He was free from defect.

This week's episode was a little different than the rest as it all focused on the mission of Christ. Therefore, this article has been a little different as well. But I'd still love to discuss it with you. Leave your thoughts and questions below.

To read more in this series:

The Bible Series - Beginnings (Episode 1)

The Bible Series - Homeland (Episode 2)

The Bible Series - Hope (Episode 3)
The Bible Series - Passion (Episode 5)

A New Heaven; A New Earth

Life in Christ is all about new stuff. We looked at some of it in my previous article.

Grow Barefoot is also getting ready to release a new book, “Everything We Need: God's Path to Know Him Better.” I know many of you are looking forward to this release; please bear with us (and pray for us) as we work through some technical difficulties that are holding back the release.

In light of our focus on all things new, below are excerpts from the study where we discuss the new heaven and earth of eternity. Let your imagination wander and enjoy…

New Heaven and New Earth

Let’s enter the new heaven and the new earth together and see what awaits us in eternity. Other than some final closing remarks, the last two chapters of the Bible are dedicated to its description. The current heaven and earth may be good reference points for our imaginings of the new heaven and earth but we can’t limit ourselves to the nature of the current system. For example, we will read about a tree in these chapters. I see no reason to think the tree isn’t like a tree we have now. I also see no reason to limit its size, the intricacy of the leaves, the grandeur of its shape, or the vividness of its colors. We can’t know any of these things for sure, but we are free to imagine!

HOLY CITY

To get our imagination started, please read Revelation 21. A city may seem out of place in eternity but that is exactly where the description of the new earth begins. The Holy City, the new Jerusalem, is “prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (21:2). Scripture first mentions the current city of Jerusalem in Genesis 14:18 by the name Salem. Later, the name changed to Jerusalem. God dwelt in the temple in Jerusalem. The city itself was also the home of the kings of Israel, the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, and the capital of the modern-day country of Israel. Hopefully you can see that God didn’t randomly select Jerusalem as the name for the Holy City. The new Jerusalem will be the dwelling place of the final King of Israel, the resurrected Jesus Christ. Indeed, John, the author of Revelation, records a voice from the throne in heaven saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3).

GOD'S DWELLING

The new Jerusalem is also the place where God will once again dwell among His people. He did so in the Garden of Eden; after He restores all things, He will do so again. The Garden of Eden was a place of paradise before the curse of sin, death, pain, oppression, thorns, and unfruitful labor. Likewise, in the new heaven and the new earth, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

INHERITANCE

We studied several verses in this book which refer to our inheritance as believers in Christ. Even one of our key verses says that we “may know…the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18). The inheritance promised Abraham in the book of Genesis, which we share in as his spiritual children, finally comes to fruition in the new heaven and new earth. John was inspired to write, “He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son” (Revelation 21:7).

END OF THE PATH

The outcome of the two paths we have studied throughout this book is also completed. A few verses earlier, in Revelation 20:15, the lake of fire awaits those who chose not to follow God’s path. Therefore we read in Revelation 21:8 that “the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars” have no place in the new heaven and earth. God created the lake of fire “for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Satan attempted to exalt himself above God, and thereby lower God’s position. Neither angel nor man will lower God; therefore, He condemned Satan and the angels who followed him to the lake of fire. Every man since who, in effect, does the same thing by rejecting His need for a Savior, receives the same destiny. Those who reject are those who have no place in eternity with God. Those who believe and follow have a place in the new heaven and earth. Later, in Revelation 21:27, John reiterates again, “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

THE BRIDE

I’m sure many of us, if not all, have attended a wedding ceremony. In many cultures around the world, nothing compares with the beauty and elegance of a wedding. In an American wedding, the tension and excitement mount when the music shifts to Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.” Heads tilt and necks stretch as attendees strain to catch a glimpse of the bride as she enters the room. Adorned in the most beautiful gown she will probably ever wear, she is stunning as she slowly proceeds down the aisle to her waiting groom. In this passage, one of God’s angels says to John as part of his revelation, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:9). John describes what the angel showed him, “It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal” (Revelation 21:11). If you skipped the reading of Revelation 21 earlier, you’ve got to go back and read this part now. Verses 11-21 describe the bride in all her beauty; you’re missing out if you don’t stretch your neck so you might also catch a glimpse of the bride.

THE TEMPLE

Throughout history, the temple has dominated Jerusalem’s skyline. Virtually nothing surpassed the grandeur and beauty of the temples built by Solomon and Herod. Even now, with no Jewish temple, we recognize the city by the Temple Mount. Yet we read in Revelation 21:22, “I did not see a temple in the city.” The lack of the temple must have surprised John’s first-century mindset. Earlier I wrote that God allowed the Romans to destroy the temple in AD 70 because Jesus’ crucifixion was the final sacrifice and God the Spirit now dwells within man. Likewise, in the new heaven and earth, the temple is non-essential; God Himself is the temple.

THE LIGHT

Many of us are probably used to a city with no temple. However, I guarantee this next omission will be new and amazing for all of us. The city has no need of a sun or a moon to light the way. “The glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp” (Revelation 21:23). God created light and darkness, day and night, on the first day of creation. He didn’t create the sun, moon, and stars until the fourth day. Similarly, John separated the sun and moon from day and night in this passage. Later, in verse 25, he wrote, “On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.”

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this excerpt from “Everything We Need: God's Path to Know Him Better."