Dear Church,
We've been looking each week at some unlikely heroes of the Christian faith (and I have a couple more planned before moving on to other themes) but as helpful as it is to learn from these servants of God, we must always remember to look beyond them to their God, our God.
In Isaiah 59 you have YHWH, the LORD God looking upon Judah's wickedness, looking around at the injustice in Israel and "He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; THEN HIS OWN ARM BROUGHT HIM SALVATION and His righteousness upheld Him" (Is. 59:16).
The prophets couldn't save Israel, the priests themselves became corrupt, the kings (for the most part) led their own people down the path of folly and sin. BUT the LORD Himself came and won victory and brought justice and peace. He did this most fully and completely in the person of Jesus Christ the God-Man who now rules in the hearts of His people by His Spirit (see God's promise in Isaiah 59:21 and Jesus' promise in John 14:26).
The Lord Jesus told the Samaritan woman what this would look like. He said that those who truly worship God will worship the Father "neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem... but the hour is coming and is now here, when the true worshipers with worship the Father in spirit and truth" (John 4:21-23) and he continued "God is spirit and those who worship Him MUST worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).
This is important. Jesus didn't say "we must worship in spirit and in truth" for no reason. He said this because the only other options are to worship a false God (an idol of our own making) or to worship the true God in a false way (like the Pharisees who knew the revelation of the true and living God given in the Law, but their 'worship' was only a pretty picture, a show that hid hearts that did not love or trust God). Both forms of idolatry are a false worship that deserves everlasting condemnation (Revelation 21:8).
Prone as we are to worship idols, we need the LORD to reveal Himself to us. And praise God He has given us His word that we may know Him and he gives His Spirit to us enabling us to repent and believe so that we might be in a restored relationship with Him.
So let me encourage you to think daily about who God is. What has He revealed about Himself? What is He like and what has He done? Is the God of the Bible the God you know and worship?
Take time DAILY in God's word, getting to know Him. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you. And as you come to know Him through His word, remember that true worship is not simply 'knowing truths about God,' but to honor and thank the true and living God from the heart, serving Him with love in everything we do.
"Hear O Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, mind, and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you rise and when you lie down." (Deuteronomy 6:4-7).
Grace & Peace,
Matt
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