Tag: Salvation

13.p. “Surely his salvation is near to those who fear Him”

Zachariah 9:9  Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Matthew 21:4-5   This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,  “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

John 12:13-15  So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”  And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,  “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

Psalms 85:9-12    Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.  Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.  Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky.

Sometimes the darkness of this world makes it appear that evil is winning over good — but be encouraged: There is no alternate ending to the Bible! There is no scenario … not in politics, not in this pandemic, not in your personal battles … where the devil wins.  Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, was sent to redeem those, who by faith, rely on, cling to, and trust in Him alone for forgiveness, redemption, and salvation.  There is no other way by which man can be saved.  There is no other way to heave but through Jesus Christ.  It is through is sacrifice on the cross for our sin that we have hope, faith, and reliance on eternity in heaven.

12.d. “but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.”

Zechariah 2:3  While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel came to meet him and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within.’

Psalms 46:7-11   The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah  Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.  He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.  “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Isaiah 60:18-19   Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.  The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

Revelation 21:23   And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

This world can give no peace and therefore can not take it away. Peace the world offers is tied to that which cannot satisfy the heart and soul.  Searching for peace outside of God is like chasing the wind – (never caught – only a temporary sensory feeling – always changing direction).   “Peace” that comes from God, “Peace” that passes all understanding, is comforting and encouraging to the soul.  It strengthens us against the trials and troubles faced this side of eternity.  It gives us the courage to face each day with hope, trust, faith, and reliance in our Heavenly Father.

Oh that we would choose to live in the presence of the Glory of God and find our strength each day in the fortress of His grace, mercy, and love found in and through Jesus Christ.  Our days would be filled with the light of His glory and the things of this world would become less and less and He would become more and more.

12.c. “It will surely come; it will not delay.”

Habakkuk 2:2   “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.

Daniel 8:19     He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end.

Acts 1:7     He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.

2 Thessalonians 2:6-8    And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.  For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.  And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

Daniel 11:27   And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed.

Psalms 27:14    Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

Isaiah 30:18     Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

Micah 7:7    But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

James 5:7-8    Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.  You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

2 Peter 2:3    Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

The news these days seems to relish in digging up as much mud as they can.  They throw it on the clear water of life and then continue to stir it up, mix it up, and cloud it up to the point where it is impossible to see worth in anything at all.  The muddy waters are a mixture of half-truths and sometimes lies.  It is hard to tell their intent or to what purpose they are focused on.  Much of the mud they cloud the waters of life with, most hearers would never have heard of unless these pessimistic and “the sky is falling” proclaimers had told them.  We do well to keep the likes of them out of our heads.

Habakkuk is told to make the vision plain and understandable.  Make it so plain that the people who read it will run away/turn away from that which is causing what is proclaimed to be coming.  Even so, there are many who read and hear it and give it no continued thought.  It is as though they don’t believe it at all or say it will never happen in my lifetime so why think about it.  Or, they may think that they have time for doing something about it later.  All of these lead to a life that forfeits the grace, mercy, and love of God.  It allows a person to think there is no danger in waiting and there is no consequence for waiting, and no worry in waiting.  All of which is false.  The time of salvation is NOW.  The time of God’s grace, mercy, and love are NOW.  Jesus Christ is coming again, soon.  No one knows when death will knock on their door.  No one knows when their end will come.  It could be today, tomorrow, or years from now.  Trust me, many people have waited for another time to trust in Jesus Christ and have died before they thought they would.  The day of salvation is NOW.  Right NOW.  Just because you see no imminent danger does not mean it is not there.  Don’t allow the things and news of this world to muddy up your vision of the need for Jesus Christ.  Do not allow this muddiness to rob you of purpose in this life and eternal life in heaven.

11.r. “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Nahum 1:15   Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows, for never again shall the worthless pass through you; he is utterly cut off.

Isaiah 40:9-10     Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”  Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.

Acts 10:36    As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all),

Romans 10:15   And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Isaiah 52:7    How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

The good news of Jesus Christ is what brings peace to our souls.  What is in this good news that brings peace?  Jesus Christ came to save sinners from their sin, destruction, purposeless lives, fear, anxiousness, unhappiness, loneliness, hopeless lives, meaningless existence, and self-centered reliance.  Nothing in this world has to offer will bring eternal lasting peace.  Nothing, and yet we chase after these false hopes day after day after day.  We chase after peace, hope, happiness, and purpose but we avoid the very person in Jesus Christ that will bring it to our souls.  We seem to avoid what the good news is – Forgiveness of Sin.  Redemption. Salvation.  The good news is not about health, wealth, prosperity, power, strength, or inner peace when sin is not addressed in our lives.  The good news is unwarranted and underserved abounding grace and merciful forgiveness.  When we are not actively conscious of our sinful nature or what is considered sinful in the eyes of God, we will not have a heart that is truly thankful or that is truly seeking to humbly honor, praise, serve, follow, trust, and obey.  The blessings God gives to us as His children are after we experience the life-changing effects of the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Praise God, He enlightens our souls to sin and brings the news of Jesus Christ to our hearts and minds.  In this Good News, we will find what our soul longs for, peace.  Inner peace with our Heavenly Father.  If there is no speaking of sin or our sinful nature then there is no need for the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Psalms 139:23  Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

11.o. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you”

Nahum 1:7  The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

Psalms 18:1-2    I love you, O LORD, my strength.  The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Isaiah 26:1-4     You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.  Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

Psalms 144:1-2    Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;  he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge,

Proverbs 18:10    The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

Psalms 71:3    Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

Where do you find peace for your troubles and trials?  Where do you go to find rest for your anxious and worried soul?  Where do you go to when confusion and fear are tearing at your mind?  God gave us many great and precious promises.  “I will never leave you or forsake you”, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”, “I, I am he who comforts you”, “I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  When we run to Him and place our trust in Him we will find peace and rest for our soul.  It is in Him alone where trails, trouble, and shadows of darkness fade away in the light of His glory and grace.  We don’t have to look very deep to see what people will do when trials and troubles come their way.  Why is it we always seem to shut God out and do things on our own rather than laying the burdens that hurt our hearts and keep us worried, angered, and upset at His feet?  In Him alone will we find peace and rest that passes all understanding.

11.f. “To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God”

Micah 7:8  Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication. Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will look upon her; now she will be trampled down like the mire of the streets.

Isaiah 60:19-20    The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.  Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.

Psalms 97:11    Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.

Psalms 112:4     Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.

Psalms 27:1   The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Malachi 4:2   But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

John 8:12    Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Acts 26:18    to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Revelation 21:23    And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Talk about faith and power through Jesus Christ – “when I fall, I shall rise, when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me”!!  How many times have you been in darkness?  Not the light associated with light and dark but darkness in your soul.  I am sure you can relate to this type of darkness when your heartaches, your mind can’t seem to get out of the rut of some rejecting or negative thought, and no matter how hard your try the light of resolve for the darkness seems out of reach.  Days seem to drag on and you hope tomorrow is better somehow.  this is how it goes when we are looking from within our own self-reliance to overcome the darkness that is robbing light from our days.  Maybe we could learn to trust Jesus Christ more.  Maybe we could rely on Him more.  Maybe we could call out to Him more.  Maybe we could believe in Him more.  Maybe we could claim His promises more.  I am confident that if we did we too could say, “when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.”

11.e. “The prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.”

Micah 7:1  Woe is me! For I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the grapes have been gleaned: there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig that my soul desires. The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net. Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together. The best of them is like a brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand. Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms; for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Psalms 12:1    Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.

Psalms 14:1-3    The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.  The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.  They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

Romans 3:10-18     as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;  no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”  “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.”  “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”  “Their feet are swift to shed blood;  in their paths are ruin and misery,  and the way of peace they have not known.”  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

We look at the times we are in and have to wonder what it will be like in the future when those who love Jesus Christ are gone.  It will be a time when the anger and wrath of God are not withheld.  It will be a time of punishment and a time of confusion.  It will be a time when trust is no longer a virtue.  We want to trust words that people speak and write.  We want to believe they are speaking the truth.  Even now we find it hard to believe anything that is reported.  News has become a political tool for the narratives the various media outlets determine to be important.  There is little news that is not tainted with bias or lies.  There is, however, a mountain of confusion from our elected officials and media outlets.  There are lies and more lies. They utter evil desires of their heart and it is weaved together through their intents.  The best of them is like a thorn.  They have turned aside and together they have become corrupt.  They are full of bitterness. The way of peace they have not known.  There is no fear of God before their eyes.  Ruin and misery follow them.

This is the world we live in but is not our home.  We have our eyes on our Savior, Redeemer, and  Son of God, Jesus Christ.  We can see the lies, bias, and half-truths.  We understand the way of the world and it should draw us closer to Jesus Christ.  Our hope is built on Him and not the things of this world.  I wonder if the best thing we could do right now is to turn off all news and social media outlets for 10 days.  I am certain our lives would not be as helpless or hopeless as they try to convince us it is.

10.o. “I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.”

Jonah 2:1  Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!” And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

Psalms 50:15    and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Psalms 91:15    When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

Isaiah 26:16     O LORD, in distress they sought you; they poured out a whispered prayer when your discipline was upon them.

James 5:13    Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.

Hosea 6:1-3    “Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.  After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.  Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

Hosea 5:15     I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.

Idle ineffectiveness for eternal things has a way of gaining our attention on our own comfort, enjoyment, self-worth, self-reliance, and self-satisfaction.  Troubles, trials, and distress in our lives, on the other hand, have a way of resetting out wayward inner self-reliant beliefs.  Well, that is true for some.  Others harden their hearts and will not even give God a second glance for help.  For those who are humbled and realize their only hope in the situation is from the Mighty Hand Of God, and when they call out to Him, their prayer will be answered and they will be rescued and delivered.  Why is it so hard t repent and turn back to God?  Why do we choose to neglect His word and applying it in our lives?  Are we not blessed and find joy, hope, rest, peace, and strength when we are always desiring and seeking to be nearer to Him?  And yet, we seem to find time after time neglect and complacency creep in.  I can tell you this with 100% assurance when God’s Word is not hungered and thirsted for our natural default is neglect, complacency, and worldly contentment.  Spend time in His Word and intentionally choose to grow closer and closer to Him.

9.s. “The hour has come for you to wake from sleep”

Romans 13:11  Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.  The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.  Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Today a bit of change from minor prophets.  This verse has struck me as a wake-up call. “Wake from sleep” “Nearer to us now than when we first believed “the day is at hand” and “let us walk properly as in the daytime”  When we allow the world to influence us and cast a shadow over our walk with Christ, we walk in darkness.  We are not exposing ourselves to His Word and we are hiding from the light.  When we walk in the light we are able to more clearly see and navigate this world appropriately.  Our conduct is exposed to His Word because we are seeking to be in the light of it.  We begin and continue to mature and understand what it means to live in this world as a light for others to see Jesus Christ.

9.e. “When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.”

Joel 1:19  To you, O Lord, I call. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field. Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Psalms 50:15    and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Psalms 91:15   When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

Micah 7:7    But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Habakkuk 3:17-18     Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,  yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

Luke 18:1     And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart

Luke 18:7   And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?

Philippians 4:6-7     do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The people of Judah are going through trouble, granted it is a consequence of their unrepentant hearts, but they are truly going through something terrible.  We go through trials and troubles.  Some of these are a result of the consequences of our doing and others because of the consequences of others.  These all are known by God.  There is no surprise to God and all of these trials and troubles should bring us humbly before God, calling on His name, expect deliverance, and glorify Him.  What really happens and how do we react in times of trials and troubles?  Do we run to Jesus Christ first or to something / somewhere else? Are you able to say in the midst of trials and troubles “yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation?”  When things are going well are we rejoicing and glorifying Jesus?  Or are we just living in the moment of the ease of life, not giving much thought or care to live humble serving, following, trusting, and obeying Jesus Christ?  Do we need trials and troubles to bring us back to Jesus Christ?  Do we need trials and troubles to reset our focus on what is truly important in life this side of eternity?  Think about it.  Do we seek and desire Jesus Christ’s influence and leading in our life more when things are going well or when things are upended?  We do well to set Jesus Christ first in all things and at all times.