“But now thus says the LORD who created you, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And [when you pass] through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.’” Isaiah 43:1-3a

Many would have us believe that the Christian’s life in this world will be one without trouble and suffering, but God never makes such a promise. In fact, God tells us that our lives in this sinful world will be full of suffering. Not only will we be hated and persecuted because of our faith, but we must also suffer pain, sorrow, and even temporal death because we are sinners living in a sin-filled world which is under God’s curse (cf. 2 Tim. 3:12; Gen. 3; Psalm 90)

But need we be afraid of the troubles of life? God’s Word tells us: “But now thus says the LORD who created you, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine.’” While God does not promise us a trouble-free life in this world, He does promise to be with us and keep us through all the sufferings of this life!

As Christians, we can draw on the comfort of Isaiah 43. Each of us has been created by the LORD God, and He has redeemed us with the holy and precious blood of Jesus, shed on the cross for our sins. Through the preaching of the Gospel, God’s Spirit calls us to faith in Christ Jesus and makes us the beloved children of God (cf. 2 Thess. 2:13-14; 1 John 3:1-2). We are God’s own special people (cf. 1 Pet. 2:9-10).

St. Paul wrote to the Galatians (Gal. 3:26-29): “You are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.”

God, who has both created and redeemed us, promises us: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And [when you pass] through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

We can think of the examples of Israel passing safely through the waters of the Red Sea and the flooded Jordan (Ex. 14; Josh. 3- 4); and we can think of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, whom God preserved in the fiery furnace (Dan. 3); but this promise of God’s Word applies to the troubles and problems we face in our lives as well. Our Savior, Jesus, is with us always as He promised in Matthew 28:20. He will never leave us, nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5).

Even though troubles may be all around us, God promises us that “there shall no evil befall you” (Psalm 91:10; cf. Ps. 121) and that all will work together for our good (Rom. 8:28).

Even in the valley of the shadow of death, we need not be afraid, for our God is with us and will bring us safely through it that we may dwell with Him in the house of the LORD forever (Psalm 23).

Why does God do this for us? He tells us: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine.” He is YAHWEH or JEHOVAH our God. He is the Holy One of Israel, and Israel includes all who share in the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And, He is our Savior. He has redeemed us from our sins and from everlasting death by His holy life and innocent sufferings and death for us on the cross, and He will return to take us to dwell with Him forever.

As we suffer in this world, we also remember “that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).

Dear LORD God, our Maker and Redeemer, we thank You for the comfort of Your Word and for the assurance that You will be with us and bring us safely through this vale of tears to Yourself in heaven. In the name of Jesus, our Savior, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

“‘Therefore, I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his ways,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so that iniquity is not your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions by which you have transgressed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘Therefore, turn, and live.’” Ezekiel 18:30-32

Ezekiel was a priest and a prophet sent by God during the years of the exile to call upon God’s people to repent of their wicked ways and look to God for mercy at a time when the judgment of God was falling upon His people for their turning aside from true worship and service to God into idolatry and disobedience. He warned of and illustrated the judgment of God which was coming upon the people for their evil doings – a judgment they would not escape unless they repented and returned to the Lord God!

So also, in chapter 18 of Ezekiel, he warns a people who considered God unfair in His judgments, saying they were suffering for the sins of their fathers and not for their own rebelliousness and sin. They accused God of injustice rather than acknowledging their own wickedness and evildoing.

Ezekiel’s message? “The soul who sins, he shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezek. 18:20). The father who rebels against the Lord and lives in disobedience and sin will die for his sin. So also the son. But those who repent of their wicked ways, whether father or son, will be pardoned and live!

And these words certainly apply to us today. Every one of us will be judged by God according to our ways. If we turn aside from the Lord God and His Word, we will die in our sins and be judged by God. Even if we have lived good Christian lives all our days but then turn aside and live in sin and disobedience, we will die in our sins. All the good we have done will be forgotten!

If, on the other hand, we see the error of our ways and the sin and disobedience in our lives and turn to the Lord God for mercy and forgiveness in Christ Jesus, and then, as a fruit of faith, seek to live for Him, all our sins will be forgiven of God and we will be counted righteous and holy in God’s eyes solely for Jesus’ sake.

Again, the Word of God tells us: “‘Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so that iniquity is not your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions by which you have transgressed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘Therefore, turn, and live.’”

God also calls out to us, warning us that God will judge each of us according to our ways and there will be no escaping His judgment. But God also tells us that He does not desire to condemn us to eternal death and suffering in hell. Rather, He desires that we repent of our sinful and rebellious ways and look to Him for mercy and forgiveness for the sake of Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world! God grant that we heed His voice!

You are holy and just, O God. We have sinned and gone astray. Forgive our sins for Jesus’ sake and move us to walk in Your way. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

“God, who at many times and in diverse manners spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom he also made the universe.” Hebrews 1:1-2 (Read all of Hebrews 1)

According to both Stephen and the Apostle Paul, God spoke to Moses on Mt. Sinai and gave His law through “the disposition of angels.”

In Acts 7:38, we read: “This is he who was in the church in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on the mount Sinai and with our fathers, who received the living oracles to give to us …” And, in verse 53, Stephen said the Jewish people “received the law by the disposition of angels and have not kept it.” St. Paul, in Galatians 3:19, says of the law that “it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.”

But God has spoken to us, not by the disposition of angels but by His Son – the eternal Son of God, the Creator of all things.

We read in Hebrews 1:1-4: “God, who at many times and in diverse manners spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom he also made the universe. He is the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself made purification of our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they have.”

Not only do we have the Word of God revealed to us by God’s angels and by the prophets of God; we have the very Word of God the Son, who came into this world a true man that He might redeem us and bring us back into fellowship with God.

St. Paul wrote to the Galatians in Galatians 4:4-5: “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

We have the very words of Jesus, the Word made flesh, who dwelt among us (cf. John 1:1-5, 14, 17-18).

Jesus told Nicodemus: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only-begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him, should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him may be saved. He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God” (John 3:14-18).

Jesus also said, “For if you do not believe that I am he [the Son of God, the Messiah and Savior promised of old], you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).

He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

The question for us to consider is this: If as it says, “He who despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses,” “How much more severe a punishment do you suppose he shall be thought worthy of who has trodden under foot the Son of God, has counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has done an indignity to the Spirit of grace?” (Heb. 10:28,29).

How important is it to hear and learn the words – the teaching – of the Lord Jesus? If neglecting or despising the Word of God revealed by the disposition of angels or through the preaching and writing of the ancient prophets brings death and judgment, what will happen to us if we neglect to hear and heed the very words of God’s own dear Son, our Maker and Redeemer? We remember that there is salvation in no other (cf. Acts 4:12) and that those who do not believe are condemned already for not believing “in the name of the only-begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

This, of course, reveals the seriousness and importance of hearing and heeding God’s Word. Jesus suffered and died on the cross for the sins of the world and is risen again and ascended to the right hand of God the Father, where He intercedes for us. As we read in the opening verses of Hebrews, chapter one, Jesus “made purification of our sins” and “sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

Jesus called His apostles, and He still calls pastors and teachers today, to proclaim His Word, to preach that “it behooved [it was necessary for] Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46-47).

Jesus, by means of the Holy Spirit’s working through the Word, still calls each of us to repent of our sinful ways and to look to Him and His cross for pardon, forgiveness and life everlasting. And He promises that all who believe will “not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Do you hear and heed the words of the Son of God?

O gracious and merciful God, grant us Your Holy Spirit that we would hear and believe the Word of Your Son, repent of our sins and look to Him and His cross for mercy and forgiveness that we may be pardoned and receive the everlasting joys of heaven. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

“Who will lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, or rather who is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” Romans 8:33-34 (Read verses 18-39)

Have you ever been afraid that you would come short on Judgment Day – that instead of being welcomed into heaven, you would be condemned to eternal suffering in hell because of your sins and shortcomings?

Those who continue on in their sinful ways and do not repent and look to Christ Jesus for pardon and forgiveness should be afraid because, apart from repentance and faith in Christ, they stand condemned to the eternal torments of hell. The Bible plainly says that “he who does not believe shall be condemned” (Mark 16:16; cf. John 3:18, 36).

But, to be honest, I think all Christians are troubled by such fears. After all, we know that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23); and, “If you, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” (Psalm 130:3). The obvious answer is no one, not a single one of us!

But need we as believers in Christ be afraid of God’s judgment? Need we fear that we will be found wanting and condemned to the torments of hell? What does God’s Word say?

“Who will lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, or rather who is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us” (Rom. 8:33-34).

Who is going to charge us with sin and condemn us? God chose us and all true believers to be His own from before the foundation of the world and, after bringing us to faith through the hearing of His life-giving Word, declared us just and righteous through faith in the sinless life and innocent sufferings and death of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, in our stead.

Who will be our judge on the Last Day? It is Christ Jesus, who died for our sins and rose again and is even now interceding for us with His blood at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. Will He condemn those who look to Him in faith for mercy and forgiveness? Certainly not! He died to redeem us and save us from eternal death and damnation. He now pleads for us with His blood, which was shed to atone for the sins of the world.

Need we then be afraid of God’s judgment? Not at all! Through faith in Christ we have been “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood” (Rom. 3:24-25). Or, as Psalm 130:4 says of God: “There is forgiveness with you so that you may be feared.”

Jesus, Himself, said: “For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only-begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him, should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16); and, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

When we look to Jesus and His cross in faith, we need not be afraid!

O gracious and merciful Savior, thank You for dying in my stead and rising again, for choosing me to be Your own and bringing me to trust in the Gospel promises, for granting me pardon and forgiveness through faith in Your shed blood, and for interceding for Me before the Father’s throne. Grant that I hold fast to You in faith for life everlasting. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

We read in Isaiah 6:1-7: In the year that king Uzziah died I also saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and elevated, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim. Each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory.” And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him who cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me! For I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. And he laid it upon my mouth and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips, and your iniquity is taken away and your sin purged.”

Wouldn’t we also, if we found ourselves standing in the presence of the Lord God, like Isaiah, say, “Woe is me! For I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts”?

The truth is, though we may not see Him with our earthly eyes, we do stand in the presence of the LORD of hosts – He is everywhere and the whole earth is filled with His glory! His angels are around us, not only watching over us and all believers but also uttering the praises of the Almighty.

And in our humble church building, the crucified, risen and exalted Christ comes to us offering us His Word of forgiveness, as well as giving us to eat and to drink of His body and blood shed for the remission of all our sins. And, of course, lest we forget, our bodies are His temple. He dwells in us by His Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19).

The words translated from the ancient Greek text by Gerard Moultrie say it so well:

Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly-minded, for with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descending, comes with homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary, as of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture, in the body and the blood,
He will give to all the faithful His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven spreads its vanguard on the way
As the Light of light descending from the realms of endless day,
Comes the powers of hell to vanquish as the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six-winged seraph, cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence, as with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Lord Most High!

The theme of this ancient hymn is based on the words of Habakkuk 2:20: “But the LORD is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him.” It is echoed in Zechariah 2:13: “Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.”

As we ponder God’s majesty and holiness, the words of Isaiah come to our lips as well: “Woe is me! For I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts”

How unworthy we are – and deserving of God’s wrath and judgment – to stand in His very presence! In fact, the more we see His glory, majesty and holiness from His revelation of Himself in the pages of our Bibles, the more we are struck with our unworthiness to stand in His presence. Even our best worship of Him is from unclean lips and comes so far short – it is filthiness in His eyes (cf. Isaiah 64:6). And the people around us – even in our congregation – have unclean lips too!

But, as one of the seraphim took a live coal from the altar – where sacrifices were offered up that sinners trusting in God’s promise of a better Sacrifice for all sin might be forgiven and walk in God’s presence – so Christ Himself, the almighty and everlasting God in human flesh, our redeeming Sacrifice, comes to us with His word of forgiveness and His body and blood given and shed for us on the cross for the remission of all sins. He touches our lips and our hearts, cleanses away all our sins, and opens our mouths to worship Him and sing His praises.

“If you, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with you so that you may be feared” (Psalm 130:3-4). In Christ Jesus and His cross, God has redeemed us from all our “iniquities” and provided for us “plenteous redemption” (Psalm 130:7,8). Look to Him in faith!

Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]