February 12, 2013

Posted on February 14, 2013 by jgarrott

Isaiah 59:15-16 The LORD looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no one,
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm worked salvation for him,
and his own righteousness sustained him.

It strikes me that the verses ahead of this passage could well be describing the situation in much of the world today! However, this says that such a situation pains God’s heart. We must never think that because God allows something, He desires it to be that way. That is something He pointed out to me personally one time, and it has really stuck in my mind and heart. However, we are not to be passive. Verse 16 says He was appalled (amazed in a bad way) that there was no one to intercede. (The NIV says “intervene.”) Even if we can see no way to influence bad situations directly, we can still pray! It still doesn’t depend on us, because the power is all in God’s hands, but we are called to be active channels of God’s will, His heart, to the world around us. If we will not participate, then God will still get the job done, but oh how much better, how much more blessed, how much more glorious, when we take part with Him as His instruments! God has given mankind the privilege of participating in what He does in two ways: either as pawns on the chessboard, or as active collaborat­ors. Which do you suppose is better? Paul used the expression, “God’s fellow workers.” (2 Corinthians 6:1) How do we get to be God’s fellow workers? By letting His Spirit pray His will through us, and then offering ourselves as His tools to accomplish what we have prayed. Some are called to a higher percentage of prayer (in time spent) and some are called to a higher percentage of activity, but every believer is called to both.

Prayer had always struck me as an incredible mystery: why would the words of such as we are influence the activity of the universe? But Scripture, and experience, are filled with practical examples that it is so. That’s why Jesus told us to ask, seek, and knock, (Matthew 7:7-8) but He also told us that the Father knows what we need before we ever open our mouths. (Matthew 6:32) It is when we learn to trust God totally with ourselves that we get to the place of true usefulness to Him in bringing His kingdom, His rule, to this earth. That’s what Matthew 6:33 is all about. Intercession is an incredible honor and privilege. I need to accept that honor and privilege more and more, and encourage others to do likewise.

Father, I’m still not sure why You chose to order the universe this way, but I thank and praise You for it. Help me not take intercession lightly, but make full use of it and train the believers to do likewise, so that together we may be Your instruments indeed, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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February 11, 2013

Posted on February 12, 2013 by jgarrott

Isaiah 58:9-10 “If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

In this whole chapter the Lord is taking His people to task for their hypocritical religiosity. Like so many people today, they were going through the motions in church and ignoring God and those in need the rest of the week. There are some marvelous promises here, but they are conditional on expressing God’s character toward those less fortunate. I have completely lost track of how many times I’ve heard people “claim promises” from the Bible while completely ignoring the conditions God sets for those promises. The first part of this passage, from the second half of verse 9, is certainly overlooked. We don’t have a clear image of “the yoke of oppression,” but it would be forcing others to do what you want, with no regard to their needs. That is hardly uncommon. And then there are pointing fingers and talking about people behind their backs. Many churches are hotbeds of that sort of thing! I don’t know the Hebrew here, but the Japanese uses what is a fairly common expression that literally means “giving out your heart,” where the NIV says “spend yourselves,” on behalf of the hungry. Your heart has to be in it! We’ve all seen entertainers and even preachers who say really nice things, but they really aren’t nice to the people around them. That doesn’t qualify anyone for the blessings promised here! The Bible consistently calls for us to live out the things we say we believe. Jesus, Paul, James, Peter, John, all touched on this very pointedly. Faith is essential, but if it doesn’t express itself in how we live, then it is just window dressing that cannot save.

This is something I have struggled with all my life. I have known the facts of the Gospel literally from infancy, but living out the truth of God is a different matter. However, “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) As I read the line which in Japanese says “satisfy the requests of the suffering,” I was reminded of my interaction with the patients in the mental hospital. They are suffering emotionally, and they make various requests of me. I am to exercise discernment and not give them something that would be detrimental, but I am not to resent the opportunity to serve Christ by serving these men. Today Cathy and I will be going to see a widow, and she is hungry for companionship and suffering in her grief and loneliness. We are to bless her and meet her needs as the Lord directs and gives opportunity, and we are certainly not to stop with her.

Father, thank You for the privilege of being a channel of Your love, grace, and blessing. Thank You for the new people You brought to the service yesterday. We know some of the needs of one and none of the needs of the other, but it was evident that they have needs. Help me lead the church in being a body of believers that really give our hearts to others, because it’s Your heart we are expressing. May people be touched by Your love through us and so brought to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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February 10, 2013

Posted on February 11, 2013 by jgarrott

Isaiah 56:6-7 “And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD
to serve him,
to love the name of the LORD,
and to worship him,
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
and who hold fast to my covenant –
these I will bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.”

This was a massively important passage for the early Church, and it took them a while to get its truth through their heads. Jesus quoted the last part of this when He cleared the merchants from the Court of the Gentiles in the temple. (Mark 11:17) Human beings have a strong tendency to insularity, to shutting out “outsiders,” and the Jewish nation has been a prime example of that. Differences are real and are not necessarily to be ignored, but they are not to be denigrated, and they do not exclude any people group from God’s grace. Acts 10 and 11 record the dramatic lesson the Lord taught Peter on this subject, but that didn’t settle the issue for the whole Church, and they had a major Church Council to codify it once and for all, as recorded in Acts 15. When the early Church had such trouble understanding this point, it’s no wonder many people have trouble with it today, but that is no excuse for ignoring the issue. Every Christian needs a revelation from God that the person next to them, or across the street, or around the world, is just as valuable to God as they are. We don’t like to admit that, really. However, failure to grasp this point will leave us unable to receive many of the blessings God desires and intends for us.

This has always been an acute point for me, being a Caucasian in Japan, where the proper term for “foreigner” is more commonly ren­dered “outsider.” Being what is called a “third culture kid,” or TCK, (someone raised in a culture different from their parents’ culture, who synthesizes their own from the two) I have felt excluded for much of my life, so this is not only acute, but sore! I’ve experienced a lot of healing in this area, but my experience makes me very aware of how so many limit their appreciation of God’s grace to their own immediate circle. This limits participation not just in missions, but in simple evangelism of neighbors. Even in the 1st Century, some Christians wanted Christ to return immediately and zap all those who were persecuting them, and Peter had to deliver a fairly strong word of correction. In 2 Peter 3:8-9 he explicitly says that God wants everyone to come to repentance. That includes our family members, and it includes the terrorists on the other side of the globe. Everyone is in equal need of God’s grace! That’s a truth I am to communicate to believers and non-believers alike, so that the believers may learn to reach out and the non-believers may learn that they too are included in God’s love, and repent and believe.

Father, thank You for Your grace, and for making me aware of how much I need it. Help me be an open channel of that grace indeed, to those close, those far away, and to everyone to whom You would send me, so that as many as will may receive it, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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February 9, 2013

Posted on February 11, 2013 by jgarrott

Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

The 55th chapter of Isaiah is so rich that it almost seems wrong to write on just part of it! For now, however, I will focus on the message of the evangelist. This is a wonderfully balanced presentation in these two verses. It starts by pointing out that the opportunity for salvation is a “limited time offer.” We only have the time that we are alive on this earth to respond to God’s invitation and receive His grace. It goes from there to the necessity of repentance. We must acknowledge that our actions and our thoughts are wrong, in rebellion against God, and turn away from them. It’s not enough to say, I am in the wrong, if you aren’t going to get right! This is where some churches today seem to really miss the boat. They focus so much on “God’s best for you” that they gloss over the fact that sin is sin, and God can’t tolerate it, so we can’t stay in it. Only with the call to repentance does Isaiah move on to God’s mercy and forgiveness. We do no one a favor if we talk about salvation without the context of sin and repentance. Even Christians are prone to enjoy worship and then live just like the unsaved people around them, excusing instead of hating sin. If we are to abide in Christ and His Word, we must indeed forsake unrighteousness. Such unrighteousness begins in our minds and hearts, which is why Paul spoke of “taking every thought captive.” (2 Corinthians 10:5) It is when we do that, that we walk in the abundant victory that God intends for us.

I’m as much at risk here as anyone, and my record is hardly spotless. Jesus made it clear that sins of the mind and heart are very real, using the specific examples of immorality (Matthew 5:28) and murder (Matthew 5:22). I must not indulge in thoughts that are less than Christlike! As a pastor, I am called to help others in their struggles as well. The advice of D. L. Moody is very helpful here. When a young man protested to him the impossibility of avoiding lustful thoughts, Moody said, “You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” For myself and for those to whom I minister, I must remember that the world and the devil throw impure thoughts at us all the time, but we are not to savor them. Some of them are very tasty to our flesh, but they are poisonous, and I must both remember that and help others understand it as well.

Father, You are bringing non-Christians to us, and I thank and praise You for that. Help us as a church body to welcome them indeed and communicate Your full Gospel to them, not glossing over the need for repentance out of a fear of losing them, but helping them be born again indeed, by repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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February 8, 2013

Posted on February 9, 2013 by jgarrott

Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon forged against you will prevail,
and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
and this is their vindication from me,”
declares the LORD.

Wow! The line, “no weapon formed against you will prosper,” is in a song I’ve sung for a long time, but the verse as a whole goes much further than that. I like the way the Japanese puts it: “In the time of judgment, you will convict of sin every tongue that accuses you.” The NIV just says, “refute,” but the Japanese says that the tables will be turned completely! That should be a great comfort to those believers who are under verbal attack. There is a great deal of that going on in the US today, so this is an important verse to keep in mind. The last part of the verse makes it clear that the promise is for those who serve the Lord, and the Japanese says, “This is their righteousness that they receive from me.” That of course brings to mind several New Testament passages, like 1 Corinthians 1:30: “It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” If we fail to understand what God has done for us in Christ, we will be less than bold, because the devil will constantly accuse us of things we have already repented of, or which we never really did in the first place. When we are secure in Christ, we turn the tables on the devil and those who serve him, just as this verse says. This of course brings to mind Romans 8:37: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors.” When we abide in Christ, the devil might seem to get the advantage at times, but the outcome will always be glorious victory for us.

I’ve certainly experienced quite a few “accusing tongues,” and it’s no fun. It’s especially painful when the the one wagging that tongue is a brother or sister in Christ! That’s certainly not to say that I’m not to accept correction; that would be setting myself up for disaster. However, I am to submit every accusation to the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to show me anything of which I need to repent. That done, I need to rise in the strength of one who is righteous in Christ, and give the devil no foothold. I am to be gracious and forgiving toward those who have let the devil use their tongues. I’ve learned that Proverbs 25:21-22 is very true! I’ve even had people lash out in anger at being forgiven, because they insist the wrong is all mine. That is sad indeed, and I can only yield it to the Lord. I am not to be anxious about any attacks that God allows, but rather seek His purpose in them, for my blessing and His glory.

Father, You know the attacks I’ve experienced better than I do, and You certainly know those I will experience in the future better than I do, because I have no idea what they will be. Help me rest in You in whatever You allow to come my way, so that the devil’s schemes may be defeated and the Body of Christ built up, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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February 7, 2013

Posted on February 9, 2013 by jgarrott

Isaiah 53:11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

This is a deeply meaningful verse, echoed with different words in Hebrews 12:2: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorn­ing its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The point is, Jesus knew what His cross would accomplish, and He was willing to go through it to achieve that. The Japanese for this verse specifies “the intense suffering of his life.” I don’t know the Hebrew, but this certainly paints a vivid picture. The NIV gives a footnote for “by his knowledge” to indicate that it could be “by knowledge of him.” (The Japanese could be taken either way.) It is when we know what Christ has done for us, bearing our sins, that we can be justified by faith, as Paul expounded on at great length to the Romans.

What the Lord showed me a few days ago, that we progress from knowledge to faith to trust, has really been impressed on my mind and heart. Our task as Christians, and very specifically my task as a pastor, is to give people knowledge of Christ, so that they may accept the faith that God offers them as a gift, (Ephesians 2:8) and then move on to trust God to be true to His Word. We can’t convince people to trust God by the force of our intellect, any more than we can force them to accept God’s gift of faith, but we can lovingly give them the information they need to proceed along that path. As I seek to help others do that, I must remember that I need to do it as much as anyone else. The fact that I have more knowledge of Christ and His Word than most makes it all the more imperative that I operate in the full flow of the faith He provides, trusting Him for things small and large. I’m far more likely to trip up on the small things, but He wants me to operate in perfect peace, and for that I’ve got to trust Him. (Isaiah 26:3, Philippians 4:7)

Father, thank You for this reminder. The pace of events certainly seems to be picking up, and there is a real risk of losing my peace when that happens. Knowing what I do of You, help me trust You with my schedule, short and long term, so that I will be quiet enough to hear what You are saying to me at all times, and thus accomplish Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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February 6, 2013

Posted on February 7, 2013 by jgarrott

Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”

I have sung this verse so many times that it had almost lost its impact for me, and that’s not a good thing. The thrust of the verse is something Christians can tend to forget, and that is that the Gospel is indeed really good news. That is of course what “gospel” means, or at any rate the Greek evangelion from which it is translated. This news is so good that it makes even the feet of those who proclaim it seem beautiful! The road walked by such people isn’t necessarily easy; here it says “on the mountains.” However, news so good is worth going to some trouble to share. It is news of peace and salvation, but those come about because God reigns, He is the King and ruler. Those who will receive the good news must do so in submission and obedience to God. This is a stumbling block for many, because they don’t even like the sound of the word, submission. We want to be saved, to enjoy the blessings reserved for God’s children, but we don’t want to submit to anyone or anything. Sorry, it doesn’t work like that. God desires good things for His children, but rebellion against Him has unpleasant consequences. God isn’t mean to us, that’s just the way the universe operates, just like there are physical laws such as Newton discovered. For someone stuck in those unpleasant consequences, the Gospel should be good news indeed! Jesus said, “Repent (of rebellion, of unbelief) and believe the good news.” (Mark 1:15) It’s interesting to think of how Jesus’ feet were treated: washed with tears and anointed with perfume, (Luke 7) nailed to a cross, and then grabbed (Matthew 28:9, John 20:17). They were beautiful indeed!

I have committed myself to be a bearer of the good news of the kingdom of God, and it is a truly blessed profession. However, if I am to be effective in transmitting the good news, I must apply it fully in my own life. That is, I must choose to obey God in all He says to me, trusting that He knows what is best for me and that He desires it for me as well. I desire that those around me receive the Gospel for the good news that it is, so my life should reflect how good it is. My focus is to be on Christ and His kingdom, which means giving Him priority in everything. Only then will my feet start to look good!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the joy of seeing people receive the Gospel in truth. I’d like to have that joy a bit more often! I pray that I would never give up, but rather meet all of the appointments You set up for me, knowing that Your plans are good, and that You will use even such a person as I am for Your purposes and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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February 5, 2013

Posted on February 7, 2013 by jgarrott

Isiah 51:7-8 “Hear me, you who know what is right,
you people who have my law in your hearts:
Do not fear the reproach of men
or be terrified by their insults.
For the moth will eat them up like a garment;
the worm will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever,
my salvation through all generations.”

The world can be a very scary place, especially when society as a whole has turned its back on God and is reaping the consequences. That was certainly the case in Isaiah’s day, but then, just as now, God did not forget those who were true to Him, and He gave them this word of encouragement. A day does not pass that I don’t hear of the downright vile things people are saying about those who indeed have God’s law in their hearts. Sadly, the people saying such things are not infrequently in positions of authority, either in government or in civil (I use the term loosely) society. (Such people are hardly acting with true civility!) We shouldn’t allow them to bother us! In these days of synthetic fibers we aren’t as aware of clothing being eaten up by insects, but it certainly happens with natural fibers, and the image is pretty graphic. A moth-eaten garment can look pretty good on the hanger, but the minute you try to put it on you can see it’s full of holes, and sometimes falls apart completely. That’s the fate of those who are making fun of Bible-believing people today. God wants us to remember that His righteousness is eternal, in direct contrast to the licentiousness of those who oppose the Bible, and His salvation lasts through all generations. That last bit is particularly encouraging for those of us who are concerned for our children and grandchildren. Each person is responsible individually before God, but for those who love God and seek to obey Him, the benefits persist “for a thousand generations.” (Deuteronomy 5:10)

I have certainly reaped, and continue to reap, the benefits of several generations of ancestors who loved God and were totally committed to following Him. I have also seen the sad results in the children of those who were actively rebellious against God. That said, I have also seen people in the latter category who made clear commitments to God and completely changed the generational flow. The point of this passage is that God is faithful, whatever man might be doing, so we should relax, trusting Him. Of course, “relaxing” doesn’t mean taking things for granted; we are to keep actively pressing in for more of God. That’s what it means to “have His law in our hearts,” rather than just in a book on the shelf. If that is our attitude and lifestyle, we have nothing to fear!

Father, I think I’m mostly past being concerned about what people say to and about me for being a Christian, but I deal with several believers who aren’t quite there yet. I ask for wisdom and anointing to strengthen and encourage them, to help them keep their eyes on Jesus, (Hebrews 12:2) so that they may be able to get through whatever they are experiencing and give You the praise and glory You deserve. Thank You. Praise God!

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February 4, 2013

Posted on February 5, 2013 by jgarrott

Isaiah 48:17-18 This is what the LORD says–
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the LORD your God,
who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go.
If only you had paid attention to my commands,
your peace would have been like a river,
your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”

It is interesting what trouble we have believing that God only commands what is best for us. However, any parent has experienced the same thing with their children, so it should come as no surprise. The difference is that we do what we think is best for our children, but we are highly imperfect, whereas God is the definition of perfection. (Hebrews 12:10) It is interesting to note one difference between the English and Japanese translations here. Whereas the English says “peace… like a river,” the Japanese says “happiness/blessedness… like a river.” With what little I know of Hebrew, I’m sure the word in question is shalom. It does carry all of those meanings in context, and we miss out if we limit it to “peace.” For example, many young people are more interested in excitement than in peace! God is speaking through Isaiah here to people who are in pretty dire straits, who are far from being in a “river of delight.” It is important to note that God is not saying “If you had obeyed my commands perfectly,” He is saying “If you had just listened/paid attention to my commands.” We often don’t get quiet enough to really hear what God is saying, and we misinterpret it into something entirely different. God is indeed a God of absolute holiness, who calls us to be holy as He is holy. (1 Peter 1:15-16) However, He is is also a God of love and mercy, so much so that He sent His Son to die as the penalty for our sins. If we mishear the call to holiness, then we will see God as a merciless tyrant and will seek to get away from Him. However, if we mishear the message of grace, then we will see Him as an indulgent Santa, and will fail to repent of the sins that destroy us. It is when we trust that God really desires the very best for us that we listen obediently, and then indeed walk in that very best.

This is a message I’ve known for a long time, but haven’t always walked in myself. As a pastor, it’s certainly a message I seek to get across to the believers. The depth of misunderstanding of the Gospel is amazing at times. We recently found out about a woman who is interested in becoming a Christian, but is afraid she doesn’t have enough money for the “entry fee!” That’s a misconception we will delight to remove! However, that lady has one thing right: God does ask everything of us. Whether we think that is much or little is beside the point; there are problems when we hold anything back from God. He doesn’t tell us to give everything to some church, or particularly to some preacher, but He does tell us to release ownership of everything we have to Him, since He gave it to us in the first place. That is where real trust comes in. When we do that, trusting Him to desire and provide the very best for us, then we discover limitless peace and blessing, not to mention provision.

Father, thank You for the awesome day of ministry yesterday. Thank You for each person You brought here, and for speaking through us to them. I pray that each one would really hear what You said, and open their hearts to receive Your comfort, Your strength, Your encouragement, Your salvation. May everyone in this church indeed pay attention to You, so that we may all walk in the best that You have for us, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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February 3, 2013

Posted on February 5, 2013 by jgarrott

Isaiah 48:1 “Listen to this, O house of Jacob,
you who are called by the name of Israel
and come from the line of Judah,
you who take oaths in the name of the LORD
and invoke the God of Israel –
but not in truth or righteousness…”

This certainly sounds to me like it’s talking about America today. The word “God” is almost always presumed to refer to the God of Israel, the God of the Bible, and in courts and swearing-in ceremonies across the nation people say, “So help me God,” yet the Name of the Lord is far more often used in profanity. There seems to be little if any fear of God, of eternal consequences, especially in the “upper circles” of the nation. (That is, those who are considered by themselves and others to be the “movers and shakers.”) Many would agree that America is in increasingly dire straits, but too few recognize that it is a spiritual problem. Many people seem to want a political solution, or at least an economic one, but the problem is much deeper than that. Over the past half century or more there has been a con­certed push to get God and the Bible out of the public square, and that has been the source of the current crisis. People have been lulled, or rather numbed, by modern entertainment, particularly movies and television, into accepting the worst of society as the norm, rather than a sad aberration. Consequently, society as a whole has taken a steep downward slide, and we are seeing the consequences. There are still many in America who do love God, even if they tend to relegate Him to a corner of their lives. America needs a revival indeed, a bringing back to life that which is moribund. (Japan also needs a massive move of the Holy Spirit, but it’s a misnomer to call it revival when Japan hasn’t been alive spiritually for over 400 years.) Those who name the Name of God need to start doing so in truth and righteous­ness, fearing Him instead of treating Him as a societal superstition. That one change would mark a tectonic shift in the right direction.

It’s perhaps easier for me to see the changes in America because I’ve lived outside of it for most of my life, but that gives me no room to be complacent about myself. I need to be sure my words are backed up by my life, that I don’t say one thing and do another. I am not to draw back from using the Name of the Lord, but I am to be sure I do so in truth and righteousness. I am to fear God more than the opinions of men. Only if I do so will I be fully available to God for Him to use me in accomplishing His will, drawing others to Him for their salvation and His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me follow through, to live out the truth I know, so that I may not deceive myself but rather be powerfully effective in Your kingdom, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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