By Pastor John Culbertson
It’s the grace of God that allows us to serve and lay our lives down for others. It’s God’s relentless grace poured out on us that – when we put action to it (faith to His grace) – is ignited.
I want to share with you an Old Testament prophecy about Jesus found in Isaiah 54. The prophecy is spoken to all the lands of the earth, to the nations who were outside of God’s covenant at the time. We’ll be starting in verse 1 and continuing through the chapter.
“Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not labored with child!”
This is not crying in pain; it’s crying in excitement.
“For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.
God is acknowledging there were more people outside the Abrahamic covenant than in it. And He’s telling those people to get excited. As Christians, we fall into that category.
“Enlarge the place of your tent and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.”
What’s being said? Get ready…God’s going to move; God’s going to release His Spirit on the earth and you’re going to see the impact and you’re going to need a bigger tent. You’re going to need more room for the blessing that’s coming upon you. Good news!
Because of that, don’t be stingy; be prepared. Go out and serve; give what you need to. Bless somebody who needs help!
“Lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.”
I’m strengthening my stakes in Christ. My cords are lengthened and staked down. I’m ready. “God, whatever you need to do in this tent (in me), let me know because I want to do it.”
“For you shall expand to the right and to the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities inhabited.”
God’s not talking about abandoned cities; He’s talking about places that had been unable to be in covenant with Him. Because of Jesus, they are going to be able to be brought into the Kingdom of God.
“Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;”
How many people walk around in their lives, ashamed of what they’ve done or who they’ve become? But later in Isaiah, he describes the coming Redeemer, Jesus, who took on all mankind’s guilt and shame. All the things that hold us back – all our sins – He took on Himself. That’s relentless grace!
Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. We don’t deserve the love, mercy and peace of God, but guess what? We’ve got it and I won’t let it be taken from me! How about you?
We’ve been deceived to think we have to get it from God, but His grace has already been given.
“For you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name;”
We are the bride of Christ; we are married to our Maker, the Creator of the universe! He is looking at us with so much affection that we will forget our past shame. Jesus sees us no other way than as a beautiful bride.
“Jesus sees us no other way than as a beautiful bride.”
“And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.”
God is prophesying about Jesus, the God of everyone (not just those under Abraham’s covenant). Abraham was the father of many nations; we are linked to him by faith, not by our works.
“’For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused,’ says your God. ‘For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you.’”
God said this because it appeared that the Gentile nations had been forsaken.
Can you imagine a Gentile living before Jesus came? They would have conversations with Jews about their covenant – that God heals them and cares for them and takes care of them – and go, “I’d like to be part of that” but the response was “nope” because they weren’t Jewish.
But thanks to Jesus, that all changed.
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