Sage Words

The Kingdom Is Coming

Refrain:
The kingdom is coming, O tell ye the story,
God’s banner exalted shall be!
The earth shall be full of His knowledge and glory,
As waters that cover the sea!

From all the dark places
Of earth’s heathen races,
O see how the thick shadows fly!
The voice of salvation
Awakes ev’ry nation,
“Come over and help us,” they cry.

The sunlight is glancing
O’er armies advancing
To conquer the kingdoms of sin;
Our Lord shall possess them,
His presence shall bless them,
His beauty shall enter them in. [Refrain]

With shouting and singing,
And jubilant ringing,
Their arms of rebellion cast down,
At last ev’ry nation
The Lord of salvation,
Their King and Redeemer, shall crown! [Refrain]

Mary Bridges Canady Slade, 1876
Read Isaiah 52:6-12

The Kingdom is coming. Sometimes it is difficult at best to grasp that when we look at the world around us. But make no mistake, everything is perfectly on schedule. God has not ceded one bit of His authority or oversight. We cannot comprehend how different things will be when Jesus Christ is ruling but let us pray for that day to come. Be encouraged!

Wounded for Our Transgressions

By Paula Wiseman Leave a Comment

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

The “He” is the Servant.
The Servant is Christ.
“Wounded” is the Hebrew word meaning “bore” or “pierce.”

For our transgressions.

He was bruised.
The word is often used for battle wounds
Crushed, oppressed.

For our iniquities.

The chastisement, the punishment
The penalty that sin against God deserved
But the Servant did not.

For our peace.

The scourging. The excess.
The cruelty. The humiliation.
The mocking. The contempt.

For our healing.

The prophet spoke the words seven hundred years
Before the events, but he speaks in past tense.
It was as good as done before the foundation of the world.

For our salvation.

I apologize things were a day late. It’s a long story involving things like nameservers and A records and DNS propagation, but everything is good to go now. I appreciate your patience.

Revival: Throw Out Your Idols

By Paula Wiseman Leave a Comment

A new year is a good time to take stock and evaluate where we are compared to where we need to be. Many people, unhappy with that evaluation will make resolutions, and it’s no secret most of those people will abandon those commitments within a few days. As believers, we may be less in need of a resolution and more in need of REVIVAL. We’re looking at some Biblical revivals to see what we may need in our lives. Last week we discussed the revival Israel experienced after their great sin in making the golden calf. This week, the prophet Samuel leads the nation to revival. His instructions begin with throw out your idols. Let’s set the scene.

Samuel was not just a prophet, but he was also the last judge over Israel. During the period of the judges, Israel fell into apostasy, then in judgment God allowed another nation to oppress Israel. The current oppressor was Philistia. They had a highly organized army and had iron implements of warfare, like shields and swords. This gave them a decided advantage.

In the opening chapters of 1 Samuel, the war with Philistia has heated up, with the loss of the Ark of the Covenant and the death of Eli, the priest. Because God is not like the pagan gods of the Philistines, He divinely protected His Ark and it wasn’t long before the Philistines returned it. When a group of men from Beth-Shemesh were killed for looking inside the Ark, the entire nation mourned that God had abandoned them.

That’s when the prophet speaks.

“If you return to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” (1 Samuel 7:3)

He gave them four things to do. 1. Repent. 2. Throw out your idols, your foreign gods. 3. Direct your hearts to the LORD. 4. Serve Him alone.

This list still holds today. If we want revival, we must repent and get rid of our idols. While I doubt any of us have statues in our homes, it is easy to become idolaters. Think about what gives you peace, identity, comfort, purpose. If it is anything besides Christ, idolatry may be an issue.

Israel rejected their idols.

So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only. (1 Samuel 7:4)

Repentance is more than simply identifying sin. It’s more than even asking for forgiveness and being sorry for our actions. Repentance requires action, a change of direction. Israel took the action Samuel recommended, by throwing out their idols. We may need to action, even drastic action, to cut the idols from our hearts. It will no doubt be hard, but totally worth it.

God defended Israel.

But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. (1 Samuel 7:10)

Samuel said the reason Israel’s enemies were victorious was Israel’s heart problem, specifically a worship disorder. Rather than indignation and dismissal of the prophet’s words, Israel threw out their idols, and God worked in their nation. If we see the enemy gaining ground, it could be an indication that we also have a worship disorder. Rather than dismiss the very idea, if we respond in humility and with action, God can work in us and through us.

Samuel set up a memorial.

Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12)

Samuel didn’t want Israel to forget their commitment to throw out the idols or God’s divine intervention. Likewise, we can memorialize milestones in our Christian life. They can encourage us to remain faithful. They can remind us that God does hear, He is with us, and He does act on our behalf. The name Ebenezer is probably best known from Dickens’s famous story, but it literally means “stone of the help.” The idea is that God had brought them that far, and would surely carry them forward. We have reminders, like our baptism, that confirm Christ has saved us and will bring us to eternity with Him.

Last week, Israel needed to recommit themselves to God’s Law. The first commandment in that Law is to have no other gods before the LORD. As we work toward our own revival, let’s make sure nothing has God’s spot in our hearts and lives. Next week we’ll see what David can teach us about revival.

One Sweetly Solemn Thought

By Paula Wiseman Leave a Comment

One sweetly solemn tho’t
Comes to me o’er and o’er,
I’m nearer home today
Than I have been before.

Nearer my Father’s house,
Where many mansions be;
Nearer the great white throne,
Nearer the crystal sea. [Refrain]

For even now my feet
May stand upon its brink;
I may be nearer home,
Nearer than now I think. [Refrain]

O let me ready be
Whene’er the call shall come
To bid the world farewell
And gladly leave for home. [Refrain]

My heart is over there,
I often long for rest,
And there to join my voice
With all the pure and blest. [Refrain]

Refrain:
Nearer my home, (Beautiful home,)
Nearer my home, (Heavenly home,)
Soon will my work be done,
Then I shall rest at home.

Phoebe Cary, 1852
Read Philippians 1:20-30

“One Sweetly Solemn Thought” gives us an instructive perspective. Rather than bemoan the passage of time, we should see it as that much closer to our ultimate goal. Of course, Scripture doesn’t encourage us to live with a death wish or to recklessly put ourselves in harm’s way. Our life is an eternal one, and really that life hasn’t begun. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Each day brings us one step closer.

My Close Friend

By Paula Wiseman Leave a Comment

Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me. Psalm 41:9

David writes:
My close friend
In whom I trusted
Who ate my bread
Has lifted his heel against me

David was king.
He had friends and enemies.
He knew betrayal
Even from his own son.

But David was led by the Holy Spirit
To write something
Far greater than his own experience.
The One who would sit on David’s throne.

His close friend
One of the chosen Twelve.
Trusted with the money
But also with the teaching, with the fellowship, with the miracles.

Who shared His bread.
Not only the miraculous feeding, and daily meals
But that one frozen moment at the Supper.
“What you do, do quickly.”

Judas lifted a heel against Christ.
Our culture and language struggle to convey
The depths of betrayal.
But Jesus knew.

He gave Judas every chance to
Change his mind.
Back out of the deal.
Confess and ask for forgiveness.

In spite of the betrayal
David knew God would vindicate him.
Jesus was even more confident.

Revival After Sin

By Paula Wiseman Leave a Comment

A new year is a good time to take stock and evaluate where we are compared to where we need to be. Many people, unhappy with that evaluation will make resolutions, and it’s no secret most of those people will abandon those commitments within a few days. As believers, we may be less in need of a resolution and more in need of REVIVAL. Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at some Biblical revivals to see what we may need. The first revival we’ll look at happened after a great sin committed by the people of Israel.

In Exodus 32, the people of Israel commit one of their gravest sins and enlist Aaron to make a golden calf for them to worship. Judgment falls. Moses intercedes for them, and there is repentance. God reaffirms His covenant with the people in Exodus 34:10-11, then goes on to reiterate the responsibilities on the people. The people’s heart and spirits are stirred, and they respond with great offerings and a commitment to build and furnish the tabernacle. They also re-committed themselves to following God’s law.

Then near the end of Exodus, we read: “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” Exodus 40:34-35.

This is a very brief overview, and I definitely recommend reading the details in chapters 32-34 and 40, but even in this quick look, it’s clear the people needed a revival after their sin. Now, let’s consider the takeaways for us.

Revival is needed after sin.

Even if the sin wasn’t as egregious as Israel’s idolatry, we damage our relationship with God when we sin. Israel renewed their commitment to God by reviewing His laws and dedicating themselves to obeying everything God said. We too can review what God requires of us and rededicate ourselves to those standards. (Ephesians 4-6 can be a good place to start if you want to see how believers should behave in the world.)

Revival should be followed by action.

The people of Israel didn’t just talk about their failure and how things were going to be different. They generously offered all the materials to construct the Tabernacle. They diligently applied themselves to the task in whatever ways they could. In the same way, it does us no good to talk about how horribly we failed or the changes we’re going to make. We need to get to work. Change the habits that need changing. Take on the ministries God has been nudging us about. Commit to the spiritual disciplines. Lists of disciplines vary, but they include things like prayer, study, memorizing Scripture, fasting, and evangelism.) If we don’t follow through, then maybe our repentance and revival weren’t as sincere as we thought. If that’s the case, we need to start over.

Revival is honored by God.

When the people of Israel follow all of Moses’s instructions and properly set up the Tabernacle God’s Spirit fills up the space. The majesty of presence is overwhelming, to the point that Moses can’t even go inside. Since the moment of salvation, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit already living in us. In revival we experience more of His work and less of our own. Paul explained it to the Colossians this way: “[Y]ou have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator (Colossians 3:9-10).

When we sin, repentance and then revival help get us back on track. Next week we’ll look at the revival that happened during the prophet Samuel’s ministry.

The Kingdom Is Coming

Wounded for Our Transgressions

Revival: Throw Out Your Idols

That’s when the prophet speaks.

Israel rejected their idols.

God defended Israel.

Samuel set up a memorial.

One Sweetly Solemn Thought

My Close Friend

Revival After Sin

Revival is needed after sin.

Revival should be followed by action.

Revival is honored by God.

Encounters Series

Covenant of Trust Series

Foundations Series