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They That Wait Upon the Lord

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by John Doyle “They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31) The name Isaiah means “The Lord is salvation,” and this theme resonates through all of the prophet’s book. The writing reflects an acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty over His people and all nations, as well as a reminder that no one can be holy in their own strength and that we must *wait on the Lord* for Him to provide this through His Word and by His Spirit, in His time. In these days of the Covid Pandemic and Lockdown we do need to be reminded that we serve a Sovereign God Who Created the earth and gave us life and He knows the exact time when the Lockdown will be over. In the meantime lets apply Gods word and "Wait upon the Lord". Along with these difficult passages, the book of Isaiah offers a glimpse of God’s amazing plan to reclaim His people through the arrival of a Deliverer. In the meantime, passages like chapter 40 declare God’s promise of provision and victory for those who rely on Him as they WAIT upon the Lord. Isaiah pronounced in Chapter 39 that the Babylonians would invade Jerusalem, leading to a period of captivity for God’s people. This was a frightening prospect, especially following all the messages of judgement and condemnation Isaiah had already brought to the nations. God’s faithful needed reassurance, and He graciously shifts the tone of Isaiah’s words to encourage them. Starting in Chapter 40, wonderful prophetic words tells of the comfort, forgiveness and incredible blessings God has in store for those who Love and Obey Him. The glory of God is a theme that runs throughout the whole book of Isaiah. But rather than keeping the focus on the fearful aspect of oncoming invasion, Chapter 40 jumps ahead to a time after God’s people have been in captivity in a foreign land. Now comes a touch of consolation and anticipation of a new thing that God will be doing. It starts with the voice of a loving Father to his children who have just been released from Babylon to return home. “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins” (Isaiah 40:1-2) Then comes the start of joyful proclamations for those that *WAIT upon the Lord* Isaiah leads up to his promise in verse 31 with many other beautiful verses: 1. “And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together” Isaiah 40:5. 2. “You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Zion lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up,…

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All Things to All People

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by Graham MolIn Paul's first letter to the Church at Corinth he makes an interesting statement about how he uses his freedom in Christ. The following passage comes from 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.Someone might say that Paul was being two-faced or hypocritical or inconsistent. They might say that he became a different person depending on who he was around. For example, Paul would be the guy "drinking tea" with the teetotallers one day and having a pint with the guys the next. Or eating kosher with the Rabbinovitz's last night and having a cheese and bacon burger for lunch with the Joneses today. At first glance it may seem that Paul is inconsistent, "I have become all things to all people..." but that would be to ignore his reason for doing so."...so that by all possible means I might save some." Paul was deeply committed to sharing the Gospel. He was one hundred percent devoted to winning souls for Christ. In this quest he was unwavering. Although he could act differently around different people, Paul always knew who he was, a child of God and a servant of Christ. And as Christ's servant he was always trying to reach the lost with the Gospel message.Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it! (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of Paul's words really captures that heart of what Paul was saying. "I kept my bearings in Christ - but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view." In this Paul was a pioneer of missionary work. Those who go as evangelists on missions…

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The Lord is Near the Brokenhearted

https://youtu.be/dzMA8mtvGaY?t=1374 Audio Recording Jesus’ presence in our times of broken heartedness and crushed spirits is like a healing balm that soothes the pain. A balm is a sweet-smelling oil used to make creams that heal wounds and reduce pain. Jesus is that balm to us in these moments. We know that trials produce in us character and perseverance but that knowledge doesn’t change the fact that sometimes it hurts so much. That is why we need the healing balm of His presence. Sermon by Graham Mol Download the Summary

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In, But Not Of

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by Calven CelliersI was recently introduced to the amazing work and talent of Liu Bolin, a Chinese performance artist known for using chameleon-like methods to immerse himself in environments, earning him the nickname “The Invisible Man”. To do this, he covers his entire body in paint which perfectly matches his chosen backdrop, painting himself into real-life scenes. As I ‘paged’ through the online images of Liu’s fascinating work, I started pondering the call on us as Christians to be in this world but not of this world. As Christians, we sometimes try to walk the fine line between blending in with the world around us and standing out as citizens of God’s Kingdom. Becoming worldly may make us ineffective witnesses for Christ, while preaching from a holier-than-thou standpoint can isolate us from the very people God has called us to impact.In the Gospel of Luke 19 we read about the life changing, destiny altering encounter that a certain tax collector, by the name of Zacchaeus, had with Jesus as He passed through Jericho.“1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”” (Luke 19: 1 – 8NIV)The conviction of Zacchaeus’ heart was not the result of any lecture or religious finger wagging from Christ. As a result of Jesus’ tender compassion Zacchaeus was open to the working of God’s Spirit in his heart and as a result volunteered to “give [the people] back four times as much” as he had wrongly taken from them. Jesus celebrated this change of heart. What we learn from Christ’s example is that although there is a time to confront sinful behaviour, we must be gentle and gracious with people who may, or may not, see their need for God. Although Jesus regularly engaged with sinful people, after all He reminds us in the Gospel of Mark that “17It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17NIV), it’s important to note that He never participated in their sin. He visited Zacchaeus’ home, but He didn’t go into business with him or accept shady money from the “notorious sinner”. When (not if) we befriend unbelievers, we should…

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