The Anointing of Jesus

Luke 4:16-21

Jesus came to the synagogue on the Sabbath day as did every good Jew. On this particular day, He is in His hometown of Nazareth, and He is asked to read aloud from the book of Isaiah. He turns to what we refer to as the 61st chapter and He reads from verses 1 and 2, excluding the last half of that last verse. By claiming that “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21), Jesus is claiming to be the Anointed One, or, the Christ.

Each thing that Jesus was anointed to do is so important in all of our lives. Notice the six things that He came to do:

1. “Preach the gospel to the poor” – The “gospel” is “good news” or “good tidings”, and it goes forth first to the poor. God sends the good news of His covenant to the poor first, for they are in need of some good news the most! Isn’t it awesome that the God of glory would bother to make the recipients of His New Covenant those whom the world has cast off?

2. “Heal the brokenhearted” – A greater pain than physical pain is the hurt of a broken heart. Millions have been abandoned, or lost a loved one, and their hearts are shattered, seemingly beyond repair. The anointing that is in Jesus will bind up the wounds and take all of your sorrows, making them His. “Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4).

3. “Preach deliverance to the captives” – Jesus cannot make anyone go free, but He can offer freedom to anyone. Some remain slaves to their sins and their habits, in spite of the fact that Jesus has paid the price for their deliverance. Calvary unlocked the prison doors and man need only walk out by faith. Far too many remain enslaved in sin and are always “captives”.

4. “Recovering of sight to the blind” – Read Isaiah 61:1 carefully and you will notice that this one is not listed there. Jesus added this, and as author of the book He reserves that right. There was no record in the Old Testament of anyone ever being healed of blindness, but Jesus made it a staple of His ministry. More important than the physical healings is the fact that Jesus came to open spiritual eyes to the glorious light of the gospel of grace.

5. “To set at liberty them that are bruised” – Every person that is abused and hurt in any way not only has a broken heart but there is a bruising that occurs in their life that not even time can take away. We can easily become enslaved to these bruises, allowing past memories and events to cage us from living free. Jesus came to set us free from our past, and to take those bruises away.

6. “To preach the acceptable year of our Lord” – Where Jesus added something to the text earlier, here, He leaves something out. Isaiah writes that He will also preach the “day of vengeance of our God” (Isaiah 61:2). Jesus drops this portion because it does not reflect His earthly ministry, at least not yet. His first advent was the declaration that God was going to deal with mankind through His Son. The second advent of Christ will usher in the “day of vengeance”.

Whatever you need, the anointed Jesus has your answer. As the song says, Take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there. Be blessed today saint!

A Reasonable God

Isaiah 1:18-20

The great British pastor G. Campbell Morgan was fond of relating a story that happened to him when he had just begun in the ministry. He was witnessing to a man whose argument against Christianity was that Jesus was unreasonable. “Confucius said, ‘Be just to your enemies’”, the man said. “But Jesus said, ‘Love your enemies’. That is an unreasonable command”, the man concluded. Morgan replied, “What if you could learn to love them?” to which the man responded, “Then I suppose they wouldn’t be your enemies anymore”. Morgan said, “Exactly”.

God can never truly be accused of being unreasonable. It was God that gave only one law to Adam and Eve in the Garden, and provided them with everything else free of charge. It was God that sent His Son into the world to meet the many demands of the Mosaic Law, to free man from its obligation. It was God that killed His own Son, so that no man would ever have to be held guilty for his own breaking of God’s Law. It was God that made grace available to the entire world, and did not charge them with labor or works, but asks only for faith. Again, no one who knows of these things could ever call God unreasonable.

It is the words of God that Isaiah pens in this passage, when God invites man to the bargaining table, “Come now”. This same spirit of openness and willingness is displayed by Jesus, when speaking to Jews who were burdened down with the many demands of the Law, He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). God’s invitation to man includes, “let us reason together”. As any good deal-maker would do, God shows the benefits before listing demands.

He offers to cleanse the sins of man, though they are as scarlet. He furthers the promise by offering to make our sins, which are “red like crimson”, turn “as wool”. He is offering absolution; a chance to start fresh, with no marks against us. This is our chance to get rid of Adam’s mistake!

His conditions are listed in verses 19 and 20, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it”. Man is ordered to be willing and obedient; otherwise God promises poverty, famine and death. These are God’s terms.

When Jesus speaks His words of invitation in Matthew 11, there are no such demands. In fact, He calls His yoke, “easy” and His burden “light”. Where are the demands that are attached to the blessing of no sins counted against us? The answer is the key to the New Covenant.

The sword that will devour the disobedient has already been turned on Jesus (Zechariah 13:7), not because He was disobedient, but because he “bore our sins in His own body upon the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). He took the brunt of God’s fiery judgment, and now you and I get the blessings of having our sins washed away. Look at what the Psalmist says, as quoted by the Apostle Paul:

“Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” (Romans 4:8).

Just how reasonable is God? Even when He appears unfair in His justice, He is equally “unfair” in His redemption. All men are declared sinners because one man sinned, thus the sinner cries, “Unfair!” Due to Christ’s finished work, all men are declared righteous because one Man is righteous. Perhaps the saint should cry “Unfair!” as well. It is simply not fair that He sees me as righteous simply because I have placed my faith in Jesus. Now that is a reasonable God!

Filthy Rags

Isaiah 64:6

The believer has been made clean through the blood of Jesus Christ and His Word spoken into us and over us (John 15:3), but if you want to see what we look like without His finished work in our lives, then read this verse from Isaiah:

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). This does not paint us in a very good light, comparing us to a “thing”, which is nameless and without identity but most certainly “unclean”. All of our attempts at goodness and holiness are as “filthy rags”, meaning that there is nothing that we can do that is considered “godly” or “good”.

Note the author’s use of “righteousnesses” in the plural, as opposed to the singular form of the word “righteousness”. This denotes more than one deed, and in fact, encompasses all of our efforts at goodness. Every individual act of righteousness that we perform is seen as a filthy rag. Why is this?

Most believers would have no problem accepting that each of their sins were as filthy rags, but to see their righteous acts as filthy would offend their sensibilities. The filthy rag of Isaiah 64 has a much deeper meaning in Hebrew as it represents the used menstrual cloth of a woman. This cloth is good for nothing and should be discarded and destroyed. What a striking example of man’s attempts at goodness!

When the woman with the issue of blood came to Jesus, she had already tried everything the world had to offer and “was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse” (Mark 5:26). Her constant bleeding meant that she had produced many “filthy rags” which sets her as a type of the believer living in self-righteousness. One touch of the Master and her bleeding stopped, freeing her from her works. One encounter with God’s grace (Jesus Christ) will make all attempts at self-righteousness seem silly and wasteful.

Another example of our righteousness is brought out in Isaiah 64:6, where we see that “we all do fade as a leaf”. Again, the Bible has already set the precedent for the leaf earlier in Genesis, when Adam clothed himself in an apron of fig leaves after he ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3:7). This usage of fig leaves to cover nakedness makes the mention of leaves throughout the word represent man’s efforts at clothing over his sinful state. Any act of righteousness on our part that we do to get God’s approval, anointing, blessing, etc, is an “apron of fig leaves”.

The fig leaf is huge when it is on the tree, which is probably why Adam chose that particular leaf, but once it is disconnected from the branch it begins to lose moisture, eventually shrinking in the hot sun. As the day progressed, that which Adam had put on to cover his sin began to shrink in the light of the Sun of Righteousness; just as all of our righteousnesses will always do.

Remove the works of righteousness that you have added to your life to try and get God’s attention. He is already paying attention to you through the finished work of Jesus. His righteousness is in you, producing out of you, righteous acts. He took your sin so you can take His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21); don’t mess it up by offering Him your righteousness instead of your sin.

Dressed In Our Best

Isaiah 61:10

Every little girl dreams about her wedding day. She fantasizes about her wedding party, her bridesmaids, the church, and the guests and of course, that perfect groom. Of all of her intricate details that she works out in her head, probably none are as important to her as finding and wearing that perfect wedding dress. The dress represents the culmination of the entire day; beautiful, pure and perfect.

When God clothes His saints, He does so with the very best garments, not unlike our wedding day attire. In Isaiah 61:10, we find what we are covered over with and the comparisons to brides and grooms are fitting due to the fact that all of us dress our very best on our wedding day. As God looks at us, He sees us in the best garments which are given to us by the righteousness that is in Jesus Christ. Let’s look closer at these garments as Isaiah lists them:

“Clothed me with garments of salvation” – It’s Hebrew meaning is closer to “He has covered me over with deliverance and victory”. The believer is literally dressed up in the delivering power of the cross.

“Covered me with the robe of righteousness” – Singular “righteousness”, not plural “righteousness’s” as in Isaiah 64:6. It is not indicating that we are covered over when we DO righteousness, but rather that we are always covered over by a robe of HIS righteousness. This is the same garment that the Father has placed upon the prodigal son when he returns home (Luke 15:22), identifying him as his Father’s son.

“As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments” – The Hebrew word for “decks” is the same word used to describe the ministry of a priest. This illustration shows us the seriousness that is in this attire. The “ornaments” are better translated “beauty”, as it is the same word used earlier in the chapter to show what Jesus came to do: “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes…” (Isaiah 61:3).

“As a bride adorns herself with her jewels” – Did you know that there is no Hebrew word for “wife”? This is due to the fact that God always views the woman as a “bride”, for this is when she is at her loveliest. You are the “bride of Christ”, not the “wife of Christ”, for Jesus sees you in your best every moment of every day. Even when you know that you are not at your best, no worries, He still sees you as a bride on her wedding day. Hallelujah!

Believer, be blessed today with the knowledge that your Heavenly Father has clothed you over with deliverance and victory and that when He sees you, He sees the very best thing about you: Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

The Standard Lifted Up

Isaiah 59:19

I recall hearing several sermons on the lifting up of the standard when I was growing up in the church. It was often a rallying cry in a revival to bring holiness and sanctification back to the church that was drifting into worldliness and apathy. “Lift up the standard” came to be known as changing the shows that you watched; the way that you dressed; the words that you used and the people that you were associated with. “Our standards are too low” meant that we had lowered our convictions and sin was in the camp.

Having grown older both in years and in the wisdom of the Word, I have found that some of those commonly preached ideas were based on Bible verses, but the context was missing that would have given clarity to the scripture. The “standard” that Isaiah 59:19 tells us will be lifted up has nothing whatsoever to do with our works of righteousness, for the verse clearly states “the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him”. It is the role of the Holy Spirit to lift this “standard”; not mine! That is good news, but what is the “standard”?

In this particular verse, the standard is translated as “being taken away by flight”, meaning that the Spirit of the Lord takes us to safety. Other Hebrew translations of the standard have it as a large military banner which was held at the front of a column of troops or dwellings. In Israel, the tribes encamped 3 tribes deep on each of the four sides of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, using the standard as their plumb line so to speak. The standard would be on a long pole so that it could be hoisted high above the crowds.

Hebrew Rabbinical tradition says that the four large standards that were held up to mark the four segments of tents had different pictures on each standard. One had a picture of an eagle; one an ox; one a man and one a lion. This makes sense as these four pictures make up the four faces of the creature in heaven that Ezekiel saw in his vision (Ezekiel 1:10), and the one that John saw on Patmos (Revelation 4:7). In truth, these were not four distinct beasts, but they were the embodiment of Jesus Christ, whose character is each of these four representations.

When the enemy comes at you like a flood, the Holy Spirit, who is your rear guard (Isaiah 52:12) will lift up the standard against him. The standard shows forth the nature and character of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit knows nothing but to glorify Christ (John 16:14). As the face of Jesus is raised in front of the enemy, he must back away due to the finished work of the cross.

The standard that is raised will always warm and comfort you; not condemn and vilify you. If the message of “lift the standard” that you are hearing involves your works, and it condemns you and makes you feel inferior, then it is most assuredly not the workings of the Holy Spirit. The first mention of the Holy Spirit in Paul’s great letter to the church at Rome finds Him spreading the love of God in our hearts (Romans 5:5). If He spreads love and He lifts up the standard of Jesus in the face of the enemy, it stands to reason that this standard must be one of great love, right?

Let’s let the Bible answer the question for us. The Hebrew word for “standard” is ‘degel’ and it is found 14 times in the Old Testament. Thirteen times it is translated “standard”, but there is one time where it is uniquely translated as “banner”. Notice how the Holy Spirit glorifies the standard of Jesus and protects you with love both at the same time:

“He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love” (Song of Solomon 2:4).

Our Rear Guard

Isaiah 58:8

When Israel encamped in the wilderness, they were to position their tents facing the tabernacle. Four straight lines pointed out from each direction on the compass from the tabernacle, with 3 tribes lined up single file on each side, all twelve in total. Considering the largeness of the tribe of Judah, one side of the tabernacle tended to run longer than the other three sides, giving the encampment of Israel the appearance of a massive cross sprawled across the valley.

Each tent flap opened facing the back of the tent in front of it with all of them pointing toward the centerpiece which was the Tabernacle of Moses. Ascending from the back of the tabernacle would be a cloud by day and a fire by night, marking the position of the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place at the rear of the tabernacle. The cloud and the fire were types and shadows of God the Father and God the Son, providing shelter and direction for the Children of Israel.

The tabernacle itself was also an Old Testament type of our Lord Jesus Christ. His outer appearance was nothing special, just as the skins of badgers and goats held no appeal. But on the inside was shining gold and the light of heaven. The blood on the altar typified Christ’s death at the cross, while the showbread was His body; the candlestick is His light and the incense is Christ as a sweet smelling savor before the Lord. All things speak of Jesus, thus all eyes were to face Jesus. As Israel looked to the center, they were “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

Strangely enough, there was never a record of Israel being attacked by an enemy while they were encamped around the Tabernacle. It would have made perfect military sense to combat them while they were encamped, for their backs were facing their enemies and they never put sentries or guards to warn them of coming danger. Only a foolish army would camp facing away from their enemy and have no way of knowing when or if that enemy was marching against them. Rest assured Israel was no foolish army!

As Israel faced inward towards the Tabernacle, God worked a mighty miracle behind them. Isaiah 52:12 promised that the Lord would both go before Israel and be their “rereward”. That old English word is better translated “rear-guard”, and it shows us how God provided for Israel’s safety from every direction. As the Lord is out in front of us, drawing our eyes towards His beauty and loveliness, He is acting as our rear-guard, ensuring us safety from the attacks that we do not even see coming.

A wonderful promise of the New Covenant, following the death of Christ on Calvary is that our “health shall spring forth speedily” and that our “righteousness” will go out before us (Isaiah 58:8). As the New Covenant believer sees the beauty of Jesus, His health and righteousness spring out of us and go before us. We begin to be defined by the very righteousness that Jesus carried while on this earth due to the fact that at the cross He traded that righteousness to us for all of our sins.

See your Savior in this manner and you are promised that “the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward” (Isaiah 58:8). The more that you see Jesus as your provision, the more that the Lord protects you from the attack that you didn’t even know was there. Thank Him today for all of the things that He has held back; things that you never even saw coming.

Just Like the Rainbow

Isaiah 54:7-10

Take a moment and concentrate on the words of this passage. Remember the placement of the text, conveniently nestled in behind the horrific and promising 53^rd chapter, which describe what Jesus went through on the cross. Now, God is speaking to us in light of what His Son has just paid for at Calvary, and the implications are staggering and telling of what God’s New Covenant is all about.

This passage is a promise from God to His people. He told us to “Sing” in the first verse of the chapter, and then promised us that we would have more children (fruit). We are told to enlarge our tents in verse 2 and then guaranteed that we will break forth on the right hand and the left (verse 3). “Fear not” is the command of verse 4, and our “Maker is our husband” is given to us in verse 5.

When we arrive at verse 7, we are given the blessed assurance that any forsaking of God’s people that occurred prior to Calvary was “for a small moment”. God’s anger was “a little wrath”, but now “with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer” (Isaiah 54:8). God is now speaking to us in gentle terms, and calling Himself ‘Redeemer’. That 53^rd chapter must have really made a difference!

The time of God’s anger and wrath against man and sin has been expired in Jesus at the cross. Just to solidify this assurance, God tells us that He will no longer be angry with us or rebuke us; and this promise is as iron-clad as the one that He made to Noah regarding flooding the earth. When Noah landed the ark, God made him a promise, sealed with the sign of the rainbow that He would never cover the whole earth over with water again. When God sees the rainbow, He is reminded of His covenant. Regarding His wrath against man, God views the cross with as much intensity as He does that rainbow.

We are now under a “covenant of peace” (Isaiah 54:10), which will never be removed from us. Due to Christ paying for our peace, we have perfect peace in Christ. God now deals with us based upon our acceptance or rejection of the finished work of Jesus. This is why no one goes to hell for sins that they have committed, but rather for rejecting the light of Jesus Christ (John 3:17, 18). God is operating under a covenant of peace that signifies that the war is over between God and sin. Jesus has conquered all, and if we are in His love, we too are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).

Just how serious is this rainbow business when it comes to reminding God of His covenant? When John had his revelation of Jesus Christ, he saw into heaven and witnessed God sitting on the throne. He saw, “a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald” (Revelation 4:3). There is no need for a rainbow in heaven after all of that time to remind God not to flood the earth; but it does stand as a shining reminder that God is now operating under a covenant of peace. Notice that there is an emerald or green glow about the rainbow. Green is the color of freshness, or newborn. In God’s eyes, the covenant of peace is perpetually young and fresh!

Take a deep breath and relax…God is not mad.

Surely, He Did It All For You

Isaiah 53:4, 5

I love how this 4th verse opens, “Surely”; as if God is saying that there was such an awesome reason for all of the sufferings of the cross that it should be obvious as to whom it was for. We were on His mind and His heart when He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows. Ours sins were the reason that He was wounded and our iniquities are why He was bruised. We have peace because Jesus was chastised; we have healing because Jesus was striped! (Isaiah 53:5)

Let’s put into perspective for a moment what Jesus accomplished at the cross; and let’s get quite simple. Based upon the knowledge that Jesus suffered so that we would not have to, let’s see exactly what He took so that we can know what we should stop carrying on our own.

“Surely He hath borne our griefs” (verse 4) – The Hebrew phrase here is “He has lifted our sicknesses”. Matthew saw this when he quotes this in Matthew 8:17, changing the phrase to “Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses”. When you see Jesus, see your sickness as having been lifted.

“Carried our sorrows” (verse 4) – meaning, “to bear the load of our pain”. Again, Matthew saw this as our sicknesses and our infirmities. When you see Jesus, see your pain as having already been carried.

“Stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” (verse 4) – God hit Jesus with your sickness; God smote and killed His own Son; God afflicted Him with rejection and sorrow. When you see Jesus, see that God’s anger has been exhausted in the body of His Son.

“He was wounded for our transgressions” (verse 5) – A transgression is a breaking of the Law. We sin when we break the Law of God, and all of us have done that more times than we can count. Jesus was “pierced through” for all of our law-breaking. When you see Jesus, see that your sins have been paid for.

“He was bruised for our iniquities” (verse 5) – Jesus was crushed at the cross for all of our iniquities. Iniquities speak of the sins of the fathers, passed down to the children, for God used it at Sinai when He promised to visit the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 20:5). When you live beneath the actions of your predecessors, you live in a cage of bruising. This is why Jesus said that He was anointed to “set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18). When you see Jesus, see Him as bruised so that you don’t have to be.

“The chastisement of our peace was upon Him” (verse 5) – Jesus was disciplined at the cross so that we could have peace with God. Paul said that we are justified by faith, and because of that faith we have “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). When you see Jesus, see yourself at perfect peace because Jesus was disciplined for it.

“With His stripes we are healed” (verse 5) – Jesus was striped by the Roman lash; each stripe being a different strain of virus or sickness that might befall the human race. Peter viewed this act as a “done deal” so to speak when he wrote, “by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). When you see Jesus, see your sickness in His body so that you won’t see it in yours.
Rejoice, for surely He did all of this for you!

The Gates Are Broken

Isaiah 45:2-3

God promised to “break in pieces the gates of brass”, using His anointed one Cyrus. Cyrus was a Gentile king, and the first non-Jew to be referred to as anointed. The usage of this king to make crooked paths straight and cut bars of iron is the biblical “Law of Double Reference”, where one character is addressed, but a deeper meaning is implied.

The anointed one Cyrus is a type of the anointed one, Jesus. The Double Reference first occurs in Eden when God speaks to the serpent, cursing him to exist on his belly and promising that the woman’s seed will bruise his head (Genesis 3:14, 15). The serpent did not have his head bruised at Calvary but Satan did; thus God was speaking in part to the snake and in part to the devil. In Isaiah 44:28 and in the 45th chapter, God is doing the same thing in reference to Cyrus, while giving us promises that only Jesus could fulfill.

Why would we need gates to be broken in pieces? Jesus told Peter in Matthew 16:18 that the gates of hell would not prevail against the church. Common sense tells us that gates are not used as offensive weapons but rather are closed to keep invaders out. Referring to the gates of hell as being powerless to stop the church infers that we will be going against hell in some capacity and that hell itself will not be able to stop us because Jesus has broken the staying power of its gates.

Gates are not only used to keep invaders out, they are also used to keep people in. Hell has thrown various strongholds against the believer from the very beginning; intent on keeping God’s people down, depressed, miserable and defeated. What Satan has done is not so much throw things at the believer as much as he has hid awesome truths from the believer. These truths have been shut up by strongholds of the enemy so that saints never see the truths for themselves; and what the believer does not know certainly hurts him.

Paul said that if the good news is hid, “it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4). Satan has worked for 2000 years to deny mankind the light of the good news. Every sermon that emphasizes man’s works or glorifies God’s law as the source of redemption takes the light off of the loveliness of Jesus. This traps the message of grace and favor behind the gates of hell, so that people cannot be exposed to the glory of the image of Jesus.

We are never changed by seeing how bad that we are and then working to improve. Instead, we are changed into His image as we behold His face, and this change is not by our works but from “glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Let’s not hold this glorious good news back one more day from one more person. Let that light shine to all who are in darkness.

The Rest and the Refreshing

Isaiah 28:11, 12

This marks the first prophecy in the Bible regarding speaking with other tongues. We know that the “stammering lips and another tongue” refer to this beautiful gift because Paul quotes this passage in 1 Corinthians 14:21, “In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord”. The translators added the words “men of”, taking the original meaning away from the text, but Paul is referring to men speaking with unknown tongues (1 Corinthians 14:1-22).

When a believer speaks with other tongues, they are not speaking to someone else, for no one else would understand what they are saying. They are speaking things that are mysteries to themselves, but they are being directed at God (1 Corinthians 14:2). This speaking can be done as prayer or even as a song (14:14, 15), and it is always done to edify the speaker (14:4). To edify means “to build or repair or to grow in wisdom”, so by speaking with other tongues, the believer is building up themselves.

The Apostle Jude instructed us to do as much, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost” (Jude 1:20). How do we “build up” or “edify” ourselves? We do this by praying in the Holy Ghost which is praying in tongues. Paul told young Timothy to “stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6). The gift that is inside of us that we can stir up at will is the unknown tongue. It is ours, so let’s use it!

Isaiah tells us that speaking with other tongues will be both a rest and a refreshing, but that many people “would not hear” (Isaiah 28:12). Paul envisioned as much when he said, regarding spiritual gifts, “But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant” (1 Corinthians 14:38). Let us that have ears to hear pay close attention to what the Spirit is saying to us as He gives us instructions for our rest.

Each believer can walk in and function in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. You received the Comforter when you invited Jesus into your heart, but there is always more fullness to be had. Paul told the church at Ephesus to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), denoting that there is more filling to be done, even after we are saved. Even the disciples and apostles, who had been present out the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, needed a re-filling of the Spirit from time-to-time, as Acts 4:31 bears out.

Don’t let detractors discourage you from using your prayer language. If you wish to use tongues as edification and you are not sure about it, ask the Father and He will freely give the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13), but don’t shy away because you think that it is not for you or even that it is off-limits for the church in general. Some site Acts 2 as evidence that tongues is only to be used to preach to people of other languages, but a close examination of that chapter will show that when the strangers in Jerusalem heard tongues they heard of “the wonderful works of God” (Acts 2:11). When it came time to hear the gospel message, which led 3000 to salvation, they heard Peter preach a message to them; with no indication that he preached in tongues (Acts 2:14).

You have instant rest and constant refreshing at your disposal; believe it or not.

The Anointing of Jesus

Luke 4:16-21

Jesus came to the synagogue on the Sabbath day as did every good Jew. On this particular day, He is in His hometown of Nazareth, and He is asked to read aloud from the book of Isaiah. He turns to what we refer to as the 61st chapter and He reads from verses 1 and 2, excluding the last half of that last verse. By claiming that “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21), Jesus is claiming to be the Anointed One, or, the Christ.

Each thing that Jesus was anointed to do is so important in all of our lives. Notice the six things that He came to do:

1. “Preach the gospel to the poor” – The “gospel” is “good news” or “good tidings”, and it goes forth first to the poor. God sends the good news of His covenant to the poor first, for they are in need of some good news the most! Isn’t it awesome that the God of glory would bother to make the recipients of His New Covenant those whom the world has cast off?

2. “Heal the brokenhearted” – A greater pain than physical pain is the hurt of a broken heart. Millions have been abandoned, or lost a loved one, and their hearts are shattered, seemingly beyond repair. The anointing that is in Jesus will bind up the wounds and take all of your sorrows, making them His. “Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4).

3. “Preach deliverance to the captives” – Jesus cannot make anyone go free, but He can offer freedom to anyone. Some remain slaves to their sins and their habits, in spite of the fact that Jesus has paid the price for their deliverance. Calvary unlocked the prison doors and man need only walk out by faith. Far too many remain enslaved in sin and are always “captives”.

4. “Recovering of sight to the blind” – Read Isaiah 61:1 carefully and you will notice that this one is not listed there. Jesus added this, and as author of the book He reserves that right. There was no record in the Old Testament of anyone ever being healed of blindness, but Jesus made it a staple of His ministry. More important than the physical healings is the fact that Jesus came to open spiritual eyes to the glorious light of the gospel of grace.

5. “To set at liberty them that are bruised” – Every person that is abused and hurt in any way not only has a broken heart but there is a bruising that occurs in their life that not even time can take away. We can easily become enslaved to these bruises, allowing past memories and events to cage us from living free. Jesus came to set us free from our past, and to take those bruises away.

6. “To preach the acceptable year of our Lord” – Where Jesus added something to the text earlier, here, He leaves something out. Isaiah writes that He will also preach the “day of vengeance of our God” (Isaiah 61:2). Jesus drops this portion because it does not reflect His earthly ministry, at least not yet. His first advent was the declaration that God was going to deal with mankind through His Son. The second advent of Christ will usher in the “day of vengeance”.

Whatever you need, the anointed Jesus has your answer. As the song says, Take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there. Be blessed today saint!

A Reasonable God

Isaiah 1:18-20

The great British pastor G. Campbell Morgan was fond of relating a story that happened to him when he had just begun in the ministry. He was witnessing to a man whose argument against Christianity was that Jesus was unreasonable. “Confucius said, ‘Be just to your enemies’”, the man said. “But Jesus said, ‘Love your enemies’. That is an unreasonable command”, the man concluded. Morgan replied, “What if you could learn to love them?” to which the man responded, “Then I suppose they wouldn’t be your enemies anymore”. Morgan said, “Exactly”.

God can never truly be accused of being unreasonable. It was God that gave only one law to Adam and Eve in the Garden, and provided them with everything else free of charge. It was God that sent His Son into the world to meet the many demands of the Mosaic Law, to free man from its obligation. It was God that killed His own Son, so that no man would ever have to be held guilty for his own breaking of God’s Law. It was God that made grace available to the entire world, and did not charge them with labor or works, but asks only for faith. Again, no one who knows of these things could ever call God unreasonable.

It is the words of God that Isaiah pens in this passage, when God invites man to the bargaining table, “Come now”. This same spirit of openness and willingness is displayed by Jesus, when speaking to Jews who were burdened down with the many demands of the Law, He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). God’s invitation to man includes, “let us reason together”. As any good deal-maker would do, God shows the benefits before listing demands.

He offers to cleanse the sins of man, though they are as scarlet. He furthers the promise by offering to make our sins, which are “red like crimson”, turn “as wool”. He is offering absolution; a chance to start fresh, with no marks against us. This is our chance to get rid of Adam’s mistake!

His conditions are listed in verses 19 and 20, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it”. Man is ordered to be willing and obedient; otherwise God promises poverty, famine and death. These are God’s terms.

When Jesus speaks His words of invitation in Matthew 11, there are no such demands. In fact, He calls His yoke, “easy” and His burden “light”. Where are the demands that are attached to the blessing of no sins counted against us? The answer is the key to the New Covenant.

The sword that will devour the disobedient has already been turned on Jesus (Zechariah 13:7), not because He was disobedient, but because he “bore our sins in His own body upon the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). He took the brunt of God’s fiery judgment, and now you and I get the blessings of having our sins washed away. Look at what the Psalmist says, as quoted by the Apostle Paul:

“Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” (Romans 4:8).

Just how reasonable is God? Even when He appears unfair in His justice, He is equally “unfair” in His redemption. All men are declared sinners because one man sinned, thus the sinner cries, “Unfair!” Due to Christ’s finished work, all men are declared righteous because one Man is righteous. Perhaps the saint should cry “Unfair!” as well. It is simply not fair that He sees me as righteous simply because I have placed my faith in Jesus. Now that is a reasonable God!

Filthy Rags

Isaiah 64:6

The believer has been made clean through the blood of Jesus Christ and His Word spoken into us and over us (John 15:3), but if you want to see what we look like without His finished work in our lives, then read this verse from Isaiah:

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). This does not paint us in a very good light, comparing us to a “thing”, which is nameless and without identity but most certainly “unclean”. All of our attempts at goodness and holiness are as “filthy rags”, meaning that there is nothing that we can do that is considered “godly” or “good”.

Note the author’s use of “righteousnesses” in the plural, as opposed to the singular form of the word “righteousness”. This denotes more than one deed, and in fact, encompasses all of our efforts at goodness. Every individual act of righteousness that we perform is seen as a filthy rag. Why is this?

Most believers would have no problem accepting that each of their sins were as filthy rags, but to see their righteous acts as filthy would offend their sensibilities. The filthy rag of Isaiah 64 has a much deeper meaning in Hebrew as it represents the used menstrual cloth of a woman. This cloth is good for nothing and should be discarded and destroyed. What a striking example of man’s attempts at goodness!

When the woman with the issue of blood came to Jesus, she had already tried everything the world had to offer and “was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse” (Mark 5:26). Her constant bleeding meant that she had produced many “filthy rags” which sets her as a type of the believer living in self-righteousness. One touch of the Master and her bleeding stopped, freeing her from her works. One encounter with God’s grace (Jesus Christ) will make all attempts at self-righteousness seem silly and wasteful.

Another example of our righteousness is brought out in Isaiah 64:6, where we see that “we all do fade as a leaf”. Again, the Bible has already set the precedent for the leaf earlier in Genesis, when Adam clothed himself in an apron of fig leaves after he ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3:7). This usage of fig leaves to cover nakedness makes the mention of leaves throughout the word represent man’s efforts at clothing over his sinful state. Any act of righteousness on our part that we do to get God’s approval, anointing, blessing, etc, is an “apron of fig leaves”.

The fig leaf is huge when it is on the tree, which is probably why Adam chose that particular leaf, but once it is disconnected from the branch it begins to lose moisture, eventually shrinking in the hot sun. As the day progressed, that which Adam had put on to cover his sin began to shrink in the light of the Sun of Righteousness; just as all of our righteousnesses will always do.

Remove the works of righteousness that you have added to your life to try and get God’s attention. He is already paying attention to you through the finished work of Jesus. His righteousness is in you, producing out of you, righteous acts. He took your sin so you can take His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21); don’t mess it up by offering Him your righteousness instead of your sin.

Dressed In Our Best

Isaiah 61:10

Every little girl dreams about her wedding day. She fantasizes about her wedding party, her bridesmaids, the church, and the guests and of course, that perfect groom. Of all of her intricate details that she works out in her head, probably none are as important to her as finding and wearing that perfect wedding dress. The dress represents the culmination of the entire day; beautiful, pure and perfect.

When God clothes His saints, He does so with the very best garments, not unlike our wedding day attire. In Isaiah 61:10, we find what we are covered over with and the comparisons to brides and grooms are fitting due to the fact that all of us dress our very best on our wedding day. As God looks at us, He sees us in the best garments which are given to us by the righteousness that is in Jesus Christ. Let’s look closer at these garments as Isaiah lists them:

“Clothed me with garments of salvation” – It’s Hebrew meaning is closer to “He has covered me over with deliverance and victory”. The believer is literally dressed up in the delivering power of the cross.

“Covered me with the robe of righteousness” – Singular “righteousness”, not plural “righteousness’s” as in Isaiah 64:6. It is not indicating that we are covered over when we DO righteousness, but rather that we are always covered over by a robe of HIS righteousness. This is the same garment that the Father has placed upon the prodigal son when he returns home (Luke 15:22), identifying him as his Father’s son.

“As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments” – The Hebrew word for “decks” is the same word used to describe the ministry of a priest. This illustration shows us the seriousness that is in this attire. The “ornaments” are better translated “beauty”, as it is the same word used earlier in the chapter to show what Jesus came to do: “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes…” (Isaiah 61:3).

“As a bride adorns herself with her jewels” – Did you know that there is no Hebrew word for “wife”? This is due to the fact that God always views the woman as a “bride”, for this is when she is at her loveliest. You are the “bride of Christ”, not the “wife of Christ”, for Jesus sees you in your best every moment of every day. Even when you know that you are not at your best, no worries, He still sees you as a bride on her wedding day. Hallelujah!

Believer, be blessed today with the knowledge that your Heavenly Father has clothed you over with deliverance and victory and that when He sees you, He sees the very best thing about you: Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

The Standard Lifted Up

Isaiah 59:19

I recall hearing several sermons on the lifting up of the standard when I was growing up in the church. It was often a rallying cry in a revival to bring holiness and sanctification back to the church that was drifting into worldliness and apathy. “Lift up the standard” came to be known as changing the shows that you watched; the way that you dressed; the words that you used and the people that you were associated with. “Our standards are too low” meant that we had lowered our convictions and sin was in the camp.

Having grown older both in years and in the wisdom of the Word, I have found that some of those commonly preached ideas were based on Bible verses, but the context was missing that would have given clarity to the scripture. The “standard” that Isaiah 59:19 tells us will be lifted up has nothing whatsoever to do with our works of righteousness, for the verse clearly states “the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him”. It is the role of the Holy Spirit to lift this “standard”; not mine! That is good news, but what is the “standard”?

In this particular verse, the standard is translated as “being taken away by flight”, meaning that the Spirit of the Lord takes us to safety. Other Hebrew translations of the standard have it as a large military banner which was held at the front of a column of troops or dwellings. In Israel, the tribes encamped 3 tribes deep on each of the four sides of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, using the standard as their plumb line so to speak. The standard would be on a long pole so that it could be hoisted high above the crowds.

Hebrew Rabbinical tradition says that the four large standards that were held up to mark the four segments of tents had different pictures on each standard. One had a picture of an eagle; one an ox; one a man and one a lion. This makes sense as these four pictures make up the four faces of the creature in heaven that Ezekiel saw in his vision (Ezekiel 1:10), and the one that John saw on Patmos (Revelation 4:7). In truth, these were not four distinct beasts, but they were the embodiment of Jesus Christ, whose character is each of these four representations.

When the enemy comes at you like a flood, the Holy Spirit, who is your rear guard (Isaiah 52:12) will lift up the standard against him. The standard shows forth the nature and character of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit knows nothing but to glorify Christ (John 16:14). As the face of Jesus is raised in front of the enemy, he must back away due to the finished work of the cross.

The standard that is raised will always warm and comfort you; not condemn and vilify you. If the message of “lift the standard” that you are hearing involves your works, and it condemns you and makes you feel inferior, then it is most assuredly not the workings of the Holy Spirit. The first mention of the Holy Spirit in Paul’s great letter to the church at Rome finds Him spreading the love of God in our hearts (Romans 5:5). If He spreads love and He lifts up the standard of Jesus in the face of the enemy, it stands to reason that this standard must be one of great love, right?

Let’s let the Bible answer the question for us. The Hebrew word for “standard” is ‘degel’ and it is found 14 times in the Old Testament. Thirteen times it is translated “standard”, but there is one time where it is uniquely translated as “banner”. Notice how the Holy Spirit glorifies the standard of Jesus and protects you with love both at the same time:

“He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love” (Song of Solomon 2:4).

Our Rear Guard

Isaiah 58:8

When Israel encamped in the wilderness, they were to position their tents facing the tabernacle. Four straight lines pointed out from each direction on the compass from the tabernacle, with 3 tribes lined up single file on each side, all twelve in total. Considering the largeness of the tribe of Judah, one side of the tabernacle tended to run longer than the other three sides, giving the encampment of Israel the appearance of a massive cross sprawled across the valley.

Each tent flap opened facing the back of the tent in front of it with all of them pointing toward the centerpiece which was the Tabernacle of Moses. Ascending from the back of the tabernacle would be a cloud by day and a fire by night, marking the position of the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place at the rear of the tabernacle. The cloud and the fire were types and shadows of God the Father and God the Son, providing shelter and direction for the Children of Israel.

The tabernacle itself was also an Old Testament type of our Lord Jesus Christ. His outer appearance was nothing special, just as the skins of badgers and goats held no appeal. But on the inside was shining gold and the light of heaven. The blood on the altar typified Christ’s death at the cross, while the showbread was His body; the candlestick is His light and the incense is Christ as a sweet smelling savor before the Lord. All things speak of Jesus, thus all eyes were to face Jesus. As Israel looked to the center, they were “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

Strangely enough, there was never a record of Israel being attacked by an enemy while they were encamped around the Tabernacle. It would have made perfect military sense to combat them while they were encamped, for their backs were facing their enemies and they never put sentries or guards to warn them of coming danger. Only a foolish army would camp facing away from their enemy and have no way of knowing when or if that enemy was marching against them. Rest assured Israel was no foolish army!

As Israel faced inward towards the Tabernacle, God worked a mighty miracle behind them. Isaiah 52:12 promised that the Lord would both go before Israel and be their “rereward”. That old English word is better translated “rear-guard”, and it shows us how God provided for Israel’s safety from every direction. As the Lord is out in front of us, drawing our eyes towards His beauty and loveliness, He is acting as our rear-guard, ensuring us safety from the attacks that we do not even see coming.

A wonderful promise of the New Covenant, following the death of Christ on Calvary is that our “health shall spring forth speedily” and that our “righteousness” will go out before us (Isaiah 58:8). As the New Covenant believer sees the beauty of Jesus, His health and righteousness spring out of us and go before us. We begin to be defined by the very righteousness that Jesus carried while on this earth due to the fact that at the cross He traded that righteousness to us for all of our sins.

See your Savior in this manner and you are promised that “the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward” (Isaiah 58:8). The more that you see Jesus as your provision, the more that the Lord protects you from the attack that you didn’t even know was there. Thank Him today for all of the things that He has held back; things that you never even saw coming.

Just Like the Rainbow

Isaiah 54:7-10

Take a moment and concentrate on the words of this passage. Remember the placement of the text, conveniently nestled in behind the horrific and promising 53rd chapter, which describe what Jesus went through on the cross. Now, God is speaking to us in light of what His Son has just paid for at Calvary, and the implications are staggering and telling of what God’s New Covenant is all about.

This passage is a promise from God to His people. He told us to “Sing” in the first verse of the chapter, and then promised us that we would have more children (fruit). We are told to enlarge our tents in verse 2 and then guaranteed that we will break forth on the right hand and they left (verse 3). “Fear not” is the command of verse 4, and our ‘Maker is our husband’ is given to us in verse 5.

When we arrive at verse 7, we are given the blessed assurance that any forsaking of God’s people that occurred prior to Calvary was “for a small moment”. God’s anger was “a little wrath”, but now “with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer” (Isaiah 54:8). God is now speaking to us in gentle terms, and calling Himself ‘Redeemer’. That 53rd chapter must have really made a difference!

The time of God’s anger and wrath against man and sin has been expired in Jesus at the cross. Just to solidify this assurance, God tells us that He will no longer be angry with us or rebuke us; and this promise is as iron-clad as the one that He made to Noah regarding flooding the earth. When Noah landed the ark, God made him a promise, sealed with the sign of the rainbow that He would never cover the whole earth over with water again. When God sees the rainbow, He is reminded of His covenant. Regarding His wrath against man, God views the cross with as much intensity as He does that rainbow.

We are now under a “covenant of peace” (Isaiah 54:10), which will never be removed from us. Due to Christ paying for our peace, we have perfect peace in Christ. God now deals with us based upon our acceptance or rejection of the finished work of Jesus. This is why no one goes to hell for sins that they have committed, but rather for rejecting the light of Jesus Christ (John 3:17, 18). God is operating under a covenant of peace that signifies that the war is over between God and sin. Jesus has conquered all, and if we are in His love, we too are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).

Just how serious is this rainbow business when it comes to reminding God of His covenant? When John had his revelation of Jesus Christ, he saw into heaven and witness God sitting on the throne. Surrounding the throne, “was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald” (Revelation 4:3). There is no need for a rainbow in heaven after all of that time to remind God not to flood the earth; but it does stand as a shining reminder that God is now operating under a covenant of peace. Notice that there is an emerald or green glow about the rainbow. Green is the color of freshness, or newborn. In God’s eyes, the covenant of peace is perpetually young and fresh!

Take a deep breath and relax…God is not mad.

Surely, He Did It All For You

Isaiah 53:4, 5

I love how this 4th verse opens, “Surely”; as if God is saying that there was such an awesome reason for all of the sufferings of the cross that it should be obvious as to whom it was for. We were on His mind and His heart when He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows. Ours sins were the reason that He was wounded and our iniquities are why He was bruised. We have peace because Jesus was chastised; we have healing because Jesus was striped! (Isaiah 53:5)

Let’s put into perspective for a moment what Jesus accomplished at the cross; and let’s get quite simple. Based upon the knowledge that Jesus suffered so that we would not have to, let’s see exactly what He took so that we can know what we should stop carrying on our own.

“Surely He hath borne our griefs” (verse 4) – The Hebrew phrase here is “He has lifted our sicknesses”. Matthew saw this when he quotes this in Matthew 8:17, changing the phrase to “Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses”. When you see Jesus, see your sickness as having been lifted.

“Carried our sorrows” (verse 4) – meaning, “to bear the load of our pain”. Again, Matthew saw this as our sicknesses and our infirmities. When you see Jesus, see your pain as having already been carried.

“Stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” (verse 4) – God hit Jesus with your sickness; God smote and killed His own Son; God afflicted Him with rejection and sorrow. When you see Jesus, see that God’s anger has been exhausted in the body of His Son.

“He was wounded for our transgressions” (verse 5) – A transgression is a breaking of the Law. We sin when we break the Law of God, and all of us have done that more times than we can count. Jesus was “pierced through” for all of our law-breaking. When you see Jesus, see that your sins have been paid for.

“He was bruised for our iniquities” (verse 5) – Jesus was crushed at the cross for all of our iniquities. Iniquities speak of the sins of the fathers, passed down to the children, for God used it at Sinai when He promised to visit the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 20:5). When you live beneath the actions of your predecessors, you live in a cage of bruising. This is why Jesus said that He was anointed to “set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18). When you see Jesus, see Him as bruised so that you don’t have to be.

“The chastisement of our peace was upon Him” (verse 5) – Jesus was disciplined at the cross so that we could have peace with God. Paul said that we are justified by faith, and because of that faith we have “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). When you see Jesus, see yourself at perfect peace because Jesus was disciplined for it.

“With His stripes we are healed” (verse 5) – Jesus was striped by the Roman lash; each stripe being a different strain of virus or sickness that might befall the human race. Peter viewed this act as a “done deal” so to speak when he wrote, “by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). When you see Jesus, see your sickness in His body so that you won’t see it in yours.
Rejoice, for surely He did all of this for you!

The Gates Are Broken

Isaiah 45:2-3

God promised to “break in pieces the gates of brass”, using His anointed one Cyrus. Cyrus was a Gentile king, and the first non-Jew to be referred to as anointed. The usage of this king to make crooked paths straight and cut bars of iron is the biblical “Law of Double Reference”, where one character is addressed, but a deeper meaning is implied.

The anointed one Cyrus is a type of the anointed one, Jesus. The Double Reference first occurs in Eden when God speaks to the serpent, cursing him to exist on his belly and promising that the woman’s seed will bruise his head (Genesis 3:14, 15). The serpent did not have his head bruised at Calvary but Satan did; thus God was speaking in part to the snake and in part to the devil. In Isaiah 44:28 and in the 45th chapter, God is doing the same thing in reference to Cyrus, while giving us promises that only Jesus could fulfill.

Why would we need gates to be broken in pieces? Jesus told Peter in Matthew 16:18 that the gates of hell would not prevail against the church. Common sense tells us that gates are not used as offensive weapons but rather are closed to keep invaders out. Referring to the gates of hell as being powerless to stop the church infers that we will be going against hell in some capacity and that hell itself will not be able to stop us because Jesus has broken the staying power of its gates.

Gates are not only used to keep invaders out, they are also used to keep people in. Hell has thrown various strongholds against the believer from the very beginning; intent on keeping God’s people down, depressed, miserable and defeated. What Satan has done is not so much throw things at the believer as much as he has hid awesome truths from the believer. These truths have been shut up by strongholds of the enemy so that saints never see the truths for themselves; and what the believer does not know certainly hurts him.

Paul said that if the good news is hid, “it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4). Satan has worked for 2000 years to deny mankind the light of the good news. Every sermon that emphasizes man’s works or glorifies God’s law as the source of redemption takes the light off of the loveliness of Jesus. This traps the message of grace and favor behind the gates of hell, so that people cannot be exposed to the glory of the image of Jesus.

We are never changed by seeing how bad that we are and then working to improve. Instead, we are changed into His image as we behold His face, and this change is not by our works but from “glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Let’s not hold this glorious good news back one more day from one more person. Let that light shine to all who are in darkness.

The Rest and the Refreshing

Isaiah 28:11, 12

This marks the first prophecy in the Bible regarding speaking with other tongues. We know that the “stammering lips and another tongue” refer to this beautiful gift because Paul quotes this passage in 1 Corinthians 14:21, “In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord”. The translators added the words “men of”, taking the original meaning away from the text, but Paul is referring to men speaking with unknown tongues (1 Corinthians 14:1-22).

When a believer speaks with other tongues, they are not speaking to someone else, for no one else would understand what they are saying. They are speaking things that are mysteries to themselves, but they are being directed at God (1 Corinthians 14:2). This speaking can be done as prayer or even as a song (14:14, 15), and it is always done to edify the speaker (14:4). To edify means “to build or repair or to grow in wisdom”, so by speaking with other tongues, the believer is building up themselves.

The Apostle Jude instructed us to do as much, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost” (Jude 1:20). How do we “build up” or “edify” ourselves? We do this by praying in the Holy Ghost which is praying in tongues. Paul told young Timothy to “stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6). The gift that is inside of us that we can stir up at will is the unknown tongue. It is ours, so let’s use it!

Isaiah tells us that speaking with other tongues will be both a rest and a refreshing, but that many people “would not hear” (Isaiah 28:12). Paul envisioned as much when he said, regarding spiritual gifts, “But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant” (1 Corinthians 14:38). Let us that have ears to hear pay close attention to what the Spirit is saying to us as He gives us instructions for our rest.

Each believer can walk in and function in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. You received the Comforter when you invited Jesus into your heart, but there is always more fullness to be had. Paul told the church at Ephesus to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), denoting that there is more filling to be done, even after we are saved. Even the disciples and apostles, who had been present out the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, needed a re-filling of the Spirit from time-to-time, as Acts 4:31 bears out.

Don’t let detractors discourage you from using your prayer language. If you wish to use tongues as edification and you are not sure about it, ask the Father and He will freely give the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13), but don’t shy away because you think that it is not for you or even that it is off-limits for the church in general. Some site Acts 2 as evidence that tongues is only to be used to preach to people of other languages, but a close examination of that chapter will show that when the strangers in Jerusalem heard tongues they heard of “the wonderful works of God” (Acts 2:11). When it came time to hear the gospel message, which led 3000 to salvation, they heard Peter preach a message to them; with no indication that he preached in tongues (Acts 2:14).

You have instant rest and constant refreshing at your disposal; believe it or not.