Isaiah´s prophesy of God's offer of grace in the New Covenant, and of His forming of the Christian Church

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1. God's offer of grace in the New Covenant.

Isaiah 40:1-2 "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins."
Isaiah prophesied here more than 700 years before the New Bloodcovenant began about God's giving of grace in New Testament time. This promise of God is only fulfilled after the death on the cross and the resurrection of the Lamb of God on Golgotha, where the unrighteousness, caused by the sins of man, is reconciled, and satan[1] is defeated and conquered by the death and resurrection of the Lamb of God.
Pardoned man then is doubly pardoned by YaHWeH after his repentance unto God: His sins are forgiven, and he is delivered from them; He receives from God's hand the new Christ-life, the divine nature.
2 Peter 1:3-4 "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
This prophecy then shows the way to how this divine gift of mercy is given to the sinner.
Isaiah 40:3 "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."
This divine voice tells us that we are to prepare the way to and in our heart for YaHWeH, that we are to open the wilderness of sin in our heart unto Him, and make a straight path, a road, to the wilderness of our thinking and heart. Then He shall come in unto us in forgiveness of our sins, washing us in His blood.
Psalm 24:7-10 says the same:
"Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah."
We must open unto Him the eternal gates of our body (our ears), of our soul (our will), and of our spirit (the love for God). Then He shall bring His victory over satan and sin into our thinking, heart and life (verse 8), and He shall let us partake in the Body of Christ, in so doing making us part of His divine army, of which He is the divine General; an army that will fight and win the victory over satan, and that will take from him his spoils, the sinners who are in his power.
We also read this in Luke 11:21-22:
"When a strong man armed (satan) keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he (God's anointed servant in the power of God's Holy Spirit) shall come upon him (satan), and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armor (destroys all his power) wherein he (satan) trusted, and divideth his spoils (takes the redeemed souls into God's kingdom)."
Let us return to Isaiah 40:4-5:
"Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."
We see here Jesus Christ's work of mercy in the thinking, heart and life of redeemed, repentant man. Verse 4 tells of His work of salvation. All that sin worked in our thinking, heart and life, will be removed by Him: the valleys and mountains of committed unrighteousness, even all that is crooked and rough (the small sins). In the place thereof He shall make a valley, a paradise.
In Isaiah 40:5 we read that He shall clothe us, inwardly and outwardly, with His own glory, the glory of YaHWeH, and all people shall see this glory in the nature and the life of the Bride of the Lamb of God.
Isaiah 60:1-3 "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising."
Isaiah 61:10 "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."
Revelation 21:11 "(The Bride of the Lamb) Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone (a diamond), clear as crystal."
We see here that this prophecy of Isaiah's will only be fully fulfilled in the end-time.
Isaiah 40:6-8 "The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever."
Here God's prophecy warns us that we cannot receive this deliverance from sin and satan, and the renewal in Christ, in our own, human strength or by doing our best, but that this must happen by His redeeming and healing Word, which He will speak through His called, anointed servants.
All that man does, however beautiful in men's eyes, will have no eternal value. His Spirit must Itself implant this Word in our spirit, our soul, and in our body.

2. The forming of the Christian Church.
Isaiah 40:9-10 "O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid, say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rulefor him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him."
He shall also form workers from among the people He shall call and anoint hereto, who will proclaim His redeeming and creating Word. These must thereto climb upon a high mountain. This mountain is the great power of the Holy Spirit, of His anointing unto the labor, His clothing with divine power; which, by His Word as a two-edged sharp sword, through His servants, will defeat satan's power; and will destroy satan's power in the body, soul and spirit of the people who will repent, taking them into God's Kingdom.
Isaiah 40:11 "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead them that are with young."
Then YaHWeH Himself shall through His eternal Son build His Church and make her into the New Jerusalem.
Matthew 16:16-19 "And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock (petra) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Here, Peter stands for all His servants, that He called hereto, and whom He shall strengthen with the keys to His kingdom to open the doors thereof for the converts, and to lead them further inwards into His Holy Place.

Amen.

By E. van den Worm

[1] We write the word satan not with a capital, as it is not a name, but a word meaning opponent or adversary, accuser.

Isaiah´s prophesy of God's offer of grace in the New Covenant, and of His forming of the Christian Church.

LUKE (Chapter 3) - Wanting to live in a continuing disposition of repentance

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The active effect of the Word unto repentance.

In this chapter we will study the Word of repentance active in us. We have looked at it in its "before-state"; we have studied it in its birth, and now in its active working in the life of the person who is willing to open up to this purifying and justifying power which is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The power of repentance must first of all be active in our personal life, and then also in the Church for it to be effective outside; for it to bring this word of repentance to outsiders.

It goes without saying that there has to be an interaction: We must be willing to repent, to accept Him as the Prince of our further life; We must be willing to conform to the word of repentance; We must be willing to turn our back to the powers of sin; We must be willing to resist the urge of worldly lusts in our flesh and the worldly standards and requirements; We must now turn more to God and His Word; We must now ask: "Lord, what are your standards, what do you want me to do?" Then He will give us the strength to actual repentance which is in Jesus Christ.

This word is directed to all, but in particular to the young people of these last days wherein satan works in an extraordinary measure. In our days the (strong) inclination is seen to shake off standards of life, while these standards have mostly come from the Holy Scriptures. One regards as hypocrisy the keeping of these standards. One wants "the truth", and in the case of sinful man: letting oneself go in sinful lusts and desires, while man should comply to the will of his Creator instead. Let us realize the situation, especially the young ones among us. It is only when man is willing to comply to God's standards, that God can give him what He wants to give him: strength to continue to choose His will, and above all a sharing of Himself!

Luke 3 verse 1-2: "Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tuberous Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch (prince over one quarter of the Roman province of Palestine) of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness."

Here we get to know a working of the Word of God. Precisely determined, measured in time, the Word of God came to John. John had already been called by God, but... had not yet been sent out on an actual ministry. Now, at that exact point in time, the power of God's Word came over and in John, and took control of him, because he was a spiritual channel, which had been fully prepared to receive this divine Word; to be taken over by this Word. John then became the personification of that "living word unto repentance!" Glory to God! And if this Word of repentance has completely "taken over", filled us completely; when we have become the personification of this Word, then, it is true, we have become insufferable for the world, but irresistible for those who are willing to repent. Then we will pull them out of the world's pool of sin, out of God's fiery judgment! To God be the glory!

Luke 3 verse 3-6: "And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; As is written in the book of the words of Esaias, the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

Here we see the divine working of the Word to repentance. Once it is in us, it is irresistible, and it does not need any propaganda. For this divine Word then is like a light in the darkness, as a fire which consumes the dry wood. The appearance of John, in the valley of the Jordan, worked like a bright flash of lightning in those areas. It was seen by everyone, everyone came to him; drawn as it were by a magnet.

No propaganda is necessary for the Spirit of God if He is active. A true Holy-Ghost revival was going on here, which was powerfully effective in that area. Without any "propaganda" the whole country knew John the Baptist in no time at all. So was the Lord Jesus Christ's action too. Therefore, beloved, if you want a Holy-Spirit revival, pray and beg for it, and be willing to be cleansed, sanctified and used by Him yourself. Seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and offer yourself to become His instrument; let Him be, and remain, your Master so that God's anointing work through you. Pray earnestly about this. It may cost you everything; you must dare to pay the price for it. Let God work, give Him a free hand and you will see that the anointing of God will make an instrument of you and me which will bring many out of this world unto voluntary repentance and subjection to God. Beloved, let us seek this, for the end-time (= the end of times or the last days) requires such laborers; laborers who allow God's anointing to work through them. Then you will see that, in a short time, the work will surpass that of many years. Be sanctified in Him that the anointing can work freely through you; that the anointing will not be hindered by our hobbies, pet subjects, habits (good and bad). If we then have allowed this Word of repentance to work in us, we will see that God's power in us, as an introduction to His full grace, will prepare the way hereto: namely to the union with His anointing, with the full Word of God, with the living God Himself, Who is a consuming Fire, but also an enchanting Love-fire. Then all valleys – the sinful pits in our being – will be made smooth; all mountains and hills – all stubbornness and proud desires – will be made low by God's powerful and recreating Word. Then the crooked ways in our life will be made straight. Let Him do all this in your being; long for it. However strange this may sound, but in this light it is understandable: Long for the cross...; love your cross... Long for it, that all works of the flesh, which, naturally, are always sinful, be killed by the works of the Spirit (Romans 8:13); also praying for His strength to undergo all this. This "Way of sorrows", it is true, is a painful affair for our flesh, but He will be with us, and will make this sacrifice of our flesh a joyful, holy feast after our spirit. Remember, that the Israelites had to travel three days out of Egypt to offer the Lord a sacrificial feast there (Exodus 5:1-3). For us, too, this sacrifice of self will be a spiritual feast of joy and peace and justice in Christ Jesus!

So all flesh shall see "the salvation of God". If we are prepared to bring this sacrifice, then we will receive this promise we have read about in verse 6. All flesh that had "itself crucified" will see and taste the salvation, the glory of God. Let us be willing to be purified from al the old and sinful in us by the Word of repentance, so that we will be different people, NEW CREATIONS of God, new men, new women, Jesus-men and Jesus-women, who have truly and completely given up the old life, who have been found willing by God to pay this price. Glory to God!

CLICK HERE if you want to read this study (Chapter 3) – that is to long for the Blog – further.[1]

By E. van den Worm

[1] For Chapter 1 and 2, see our Blog at 10 November and 10 December 2009.

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?

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Psalm 24 verses 1-10:
"The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory."

Here the psalmist asks: "Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?" The answer is: "He that has clean hands, and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." (verse 4)
The Lord created the earth and man, but unfortunately man has fallen into sin. Satan planted the cancer of sin into the nature of man and made him a lost creature. Without the redeeming help from the Almighty all of manhood is lost.
We need the redeeming help from the Saviour; we must allow Him to do His work of salvation in us. We must let Him into our heart and being in order for Him to do this work in us. If we do this in faith satan has to let go of us, because the Lord won the victory over him and the power of sin on Calvary. This victory must be proclaimed/broadcast to all people in order that they, after letting Him realize their personal conversion in their heart and life, through faith in the power of His victory, will themselves become victors/conquerors over the sin in their heart, thinking and life.In this way the whole of mankind must be delivered from Satan’s claws for God created the world and it belongs to Him only.
Let us have another look at above question: “Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?”

Whoever

1. is clean of hands;
2. is pure of heart;
3. does not lift up his soul unto vanity;
4. does not swear deceitfully.

Thus: only they that are

• clean of hands,
• pure of heart,
• pure of soul, and
• pure of tongue;

In other words, they that live a pure life inwardly and outwardly. Thus no one among men, for we all sin. We do need the salvation of God's Saviour. This salvation, however, does not happen automatically after we have believed in Him and go to church; we are to cooperate in this salvation!
Verse 6 mentions, that we must ask Him, seek His face in prayer. This means, that we must be willing to leave behind our sinful life and convert to Him in willing surrender, if we are to be saved by Him.Thus, we have to meet Him in prayer. In this way He can heal us, body, soul and spirit; quicken us and make us healthy.
Isaiah 1:18 says:

1. “Then come,
2. let us reason together.”

Thus He requires from us a voluntary act: we are to come to Him, seek Him and confess our sins. But this is not enough either. In verse 7 (Psalm 24) it is written: "Lift up your heads, ye gates (gates of our body, soul and spirit)... that the King of glory may come in."
In days of old the hinges of the gates were underneath and the gates had to be lifted up by means of chains: thus, their heads had to be lifted up, that the Saviour/Redeemer could come in. Man consists of body, soul and spirit. So the gate of the body must be opened first: we must be willing to hear the redeeming Word of the Cross, of the shed blood of God's Lamb.
Then, the gate of our soul has to be opened. We are to be willing to accept Him and His salvation of our own free will; we must be willing to be saved.
Finally, the gate of our spirit must be opened. We have to let Him into our heart; we must love Him and His salvation, for the Redeemer must personally bring into effect the work He fulfilled on Calvary in our willing heart and life.
He must be allowed to burn away the sins of our body (flesh), our lusts; and wash them off in His shed blood. We also have to be delivered from the sins of our soul: sinful desires of the eyes for material goods and property, for riches and luxuries. Finally also the sins of our spirit have to be burned away: pride of self, lust for power and haughtiness.
Let this King of glory in, that He deliver you from all these sins; let Him share His victory over all these sins with you. "For," says the Word in this psalm: "He is strong and mighty in battle (namely the battle against sin)." (verse 8)
For this purpose he worked on Calvary an eternal salvation! (Hebrews 9:12). We have to want this, for we have a free will, and He will not torpedo this free will.
John 8:36 says: "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
This is the highway of salvation that the Lamb of God has paved/cleared for us.
Hereafter He will also share His Divine life with us and will pour out His peace, joy and love in our redeemed heart and life, and will make us sons and daughters of God.
This divine life shares with us the struggle against Satan and the salvation of our fellow-man.
That is why this psalm ends with: "Who is the King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory."
Then all of us, whom He thus saved, will form His hosts, God's army, that will fight satan's power and annihilate it.

To God be all glory!! Amen.

by E. van den Worm

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord - About holiness and purification