Loyal
Sunday, November 12, 2017, 4:47 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “I’ll Walk with God.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Isaiah 3 (Quoting select vv. NASB).
Who is This For?
Again, the nation of Israel, from the times of the Old Testament up to Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, were in a unique position to be unequalled by any other physical nation on this earth. They were both a self-governed nation as well as they were the people of God. No other nation has been or will be both one physical nation and the people of God, collectively, at the same time. For, God’s nation, his holy people, is now the church, the body of Christ, and physical Jerusalem is now of Hagar, the slave woman, who is still in slavery with her children (See: Gal. 4:21-31). Thus, the Holy City now is the body of Christ, the church, the heavenly Jerusalem, which is spread throughout the world. So, in making application of this passage to today, again, we have to look at where “the shoe fits,” and then “wear it.”
I live in America, so it is the only nation I really know and can speak about with any kind of real knowledge and experience. I have not ever visited a nation outside the USA, although I have read much about other nations. But, even there, I don’t know how much of what I have read is true. So, I can only speak for my nation, but if you live in another nation, and you see parallels to what I am sharing with you in your nation, then by all means, make the application to your situations, too. God knows who this is for.
They Have Fallen (vv. 8-9)
America, as a nation, has turned itself into Sodom and Gomorrah. These two cities, known in the Bible for their wickedness, vice and corruption, were nicknamed “sin cities.” They were, as well, known for engaging in much sexual immorality and perversion, including the practice of homosexuality. The people’s sins were pervasive throughout the land, which is why God destroyed them. They were haughty, idle, and did not care for the poor and needy. They fed only themselves. Their eyes were full of adultery, and they walked in dishonest ways. And, they gave their support to evildoers, too. Also, to make matters even worse, they were unashamed of their sins. And, this describes much of what is going on in America now, today, and includes much of what our nation is doing to other nations throughout the world, too.
The sad reality of this all, though, is that this is not just speaking about the people of this sinful world, but this is pervasive throughout God’s church, too. I read somewhere that as many as 75% of pastors have dabbled in or are addicted to pornography. I know the percentage is high, and it is reflected in so many pastors in our nation turning to a false grace gospel which does not teach repentance or obedience, but which teaches that God is pleased with you, no matter what you do. So, they have turned our Lord’s gospel into a license for lasciviousness. They teach that all you have to do to have eternal life with God is to believe that Jesus is who he said he was and that he died for our sins, and was resurrected from the dead, and then just accept his forgiveness for your sins, as though forgiveness is guaranteed without repentance or walks of obedience. Wrong! (See: Rom. 8:1-17).
The US government is an evil entity, which is not our real government, for they bow to the Elite and wealthy of this world, who are the de facto government of these United States, also known as “the shadow government,” which, in reality, is no longer in the shadows, but is running our nation now outwardly. It just hasn’t yet become apparent to everyone that we are under the rule of the New World Order, but we are. Donald Trump is not who he says he is. He is not an outsider, but an insider. He is not against this global government, but he is following in the footsteps of his predecessors in leading this nation down the toilet and under the authority of “the beast.” He is also a skilled actor, as are many of the world’s leaders, on the world stage, who are just playing roles, and who are following a script. So much of what they present as real is just play acting for our distraction and in order to deceive the public, and this includes our president’s antics which he regularly displays in his Twitter posts, too.
Righteous and Wicked (vv. 10-11)
God divides the people of this world into two groups. One is the righteous and one is the wicked. The righteous, nonetheless, are not the self-righteous who think they deserve heaven because of their good deeds. No one is righteous in and of himself, the Bible teaches, for all have sinned and have come up short of attaining God’s approval, in our own flesh. We are only made righteous through the blood of Jesus, shed on a cross for our sins, and through genuine faith in him. And, this faith includes repentance and walks of obedience, or it is not believing faith, the Bible teaches (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Jn. 1:5-9). So, it is not the self-righteous whom God approves, but the ones he has made righteous by God’s grace, through believing faith in Jesus Christ.
As well, the wicked are not just those who are doing grossly evil deeds. There are many “good people” among the wicked who do good deeds, and some of these, in fact, put many Christians to shame. Some of them act with more kindness and generosity than many who say they believe in Jesus Christ, but who are living for self-pleasure, and who are still giving themselves over to the sins of the flesh on a consistent basis. So, what is the dividing factor between the wicked and the righteous? It is faith in Jesus Christ, i.e. whether or not you have genuinely trusted in Jesus Christ as Lord (owner-master) and as Savior of your life, by faith, via death to sin and being resurrected with Christ Jesus to new life in him; being born again of the Spirit of God to live to Christ and to his righteousness, all in the power of God’s Spirit now living within us, and not of our own flesh.
The Right Path (vv. 12b, 14-15)
We, as Americans, have leaders or rulers in our government, which, again, is not our real government, and we have leaders or rulers (shepherds) within our churches (or institutional churches), some of whom are wolves in sheep’s clothing, who are guiding the people of this nation in the wrong direction. They are leading God’s people to abandon their pure faith in Jesus Christ, as taught by Jesus and his NT apostles, in order to accept an ecumenical faith which embraces many religions and many lifestyle choices. They are guiding them through the means of deception to follow after a false grace gospel which does not put sin to death, but which embraces it and which coddles it. They have the appearance of godliness, but they deny the power thereof, and the same is true of the gospel which they preach. We are to have nothing to do with them or their false grace teaching (2 Tim. 3:1-5).
These leaders are also leading the people to follow the wide road that leads to destruction, rather than the narrow road, which few find, which leads to eternal life with God. They are leading them by example, as well, that we can kind of meander our way into the right path while we are still walking in the flesh and traveling this wide road to destruction, but that is not how it works. Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. When we believe in Jesus, we die to our old lives of living for sin and self, and we are born again of the Spirit of God to new lives in Christ Jesus, created to be like God (in his likeness) in true righteousness and holiness. For, if we walk (in lifestyle, in sinful practice) according to the flesh, we will die in our sins, not live with Christ for eternity, as some would have you to believe.
Another thing these leaders (guides, shepherds, rulers) have done is to join Christ’s body with this evil US government in a partnership relationship and to turn it into a business, to be run just like any other business, and to be marketed as such, too. Many of them are trying to conform everyone to their likeness, not to the likeness of Christ. In fact, from my own experience, I have found that many of these modern-day pastors are being trained in how to “weed out” the undesirables, which actually includes Christians who are serious about their walks of faith, and to invite them to leave if they do not unite with man’s teachings, goals and purposes. Many of these churches are being set up like dictatorships, with the pastors as the dictators, and with a few faithful staff members who will do whatever he asks of them, including ratting on anyone in the “church” who does conform to “its” image.
So, the Lord is calling out to his people to come out from among those who have partnered with this evil government, and to follow him and his ways and his truth, rather than buying into the lies of these shepherds of the people who are leading them astray. This will take courage, though, to go against the flow, and to not follow the business model for how to do church. And, you may find yourself, in some cases, standing alone against the masses who are still following these evil (or false) shepherds of the people, and you may be met with a lot of rejection and ridicule, even from others who call themselves Christians. And, in the Facebook world, they may even “defriend” you because you have taken a stand for truth and righteousness.
But, this is to encourage you that you are not alone if you are truly walking with God, for he is with you all the way. He will not abandon you ever!
I’ll Walk with God
Nikolaus Brodszky / Paul Francis Webster
I'll walk with God
From this day on
His helping hand I'll lean upon…
And I'll never walk alone
While I walk with God
Who is This For?
Again, the nation of Israel, from the times of the Old Testament up to Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, were in a unique position to be unequalled by any other physical nation on this earth. They were both a self-governed nation as well as they were the people of God. No other nation has been or will be both one physical nation and the people of God, collectively, at the same time. For, God’s nation, his holy people, is now the church, the body of Christ, and physical Jerusalem is now of Hagar, the slave woman, who is still in slavery with her children (See: Gal. 4:21-31). Thus, the Holy City now is the body of Christ, the church, the heavenly Jerusalem, which is spread throughout the world. So, in making application of this passage to today, again, we have to look at where “the shoe fits,” and then “wear it.”
I live in America, so it is the only nation I really know and can speak about with any kind of real knowledge and experience. I have not ever visited a nation outside the USA, although I have read much about other nations. But, even there, I don’t know how much of what I have read is true. So, I can only speak for my nation, but if you live in another nation, and you see parallels to what I am sharing with you in your nation, then by all means, make the application to your situations, too. God knows who this is for.
They Have Fallen (vv. 8-9)
For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen,
Because their speech and their actions are against the Lord,
To rebel against His glorious presence.
The expression of their faces bears witness against them,
And they display their sin like Sodom;
They do not even conceal it.
Woe to them!
For they have brought evil on themselves.
Because their speech and their actions are against the Lord,
To rebel against His glorious presence.
The expression of their faces bears witness against them,
And they display their sin like Sodom;
They do not even conceal it.
Woe to them!
For they have brought evil on themselves.
America, as a nation, has turned itself into Sodom and Gomorrah. These two cities, known in the Bible for their wickedness, vice and corruption, were nicknamed “sin cities.” They were, as well, known for engaging in much sexual immorality and perversion, including the practice of homosexuality. The people’s sins were pervasive throughout the land, which is why God destroyed them. They were haughty, idle, and did not care for the poor and needy. They fed only themselves. Their eyes were full of adultery, and they walked in dishonest ways. And, they gave their support to evildoers, too. Also, to make matters even worse, they were unashamed of their sins. And, this describes much of what is going on in America now, today, and includes much of what our nation is doing to other nations throughout the world, too.
The sad reality of this all, though, is that this is not just speaking about the people of this sinful world, but this is pervasive throughout God’s church, too. I read somewhere that as many as 75% of pastors have dabbled in or are addicted to pornography. I know the percentage is high, and it is reflected in so many pastors in our nation turning to a false grace gospel which does not teach repentance or obedience, but which teaches that God is pleased with you, no matter what you do. So, they have turned our Lord’s gospel into a license for lasciviousness. They teach that all you have to do to have eternal life with God is to believe that Jesus is who he said he was and that he died for our sins, and was resurrected from the dead, and then just accept his forgiveness for your sins, as though forgiveness is guaranteed without repentance or walks of obedience. Wrong! (See: Rom. 8:1-17).
The US government is an evil entity, which is not our real government, for they bow to the Elite and wealthy of this world, who are the de facto government of these United States, also known as “the shadow government,” which, in reality, is no longer in the shadows, but is running our nation now outwardly. It just hasn’t yet become apparent to everyone that we are under the rule of the New World Order, but we are. Donald Trump is not who he says he is. He is not an outsider, but an insider. He is not against this global government, but he is following in the footsteps of his predecessors in leading this nation down the toilet and under the authority of “the beast.” He is also a skilled actor, as are many of the world’s leaders, on the world stage, who are just playing roles, and who are following a script. So much of what they present as real is just play acting for our distraction and in order to deceive the public, and this includes our president’s antics which he regularly displays in his Twitter posts, too.
Righteous and Wicked (vv. 10-11)
Say to the righteous that it will go well with them,
For they will eat the fruit of their actions.
Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him,
For what he deserves will be done to him.
For they will eat the fruit of their actions.
Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him,
For what he deserves will be done to him.
God divides the people of this world into two groups. One is the righteous and one is the wicked. The righteous, nonetheless, are not the self-righteous who think they deserve heaven because of their good deeds. No one is righteous in and of himself, the Bible teaches, for all have sinned and have come up short of attaining God’s approval, in our own flesh. We are only made righteous through the blood of Jesus, shed on a cross for our sins, and through genuine faith in him. And, this faith includes repentance and walks of obedience, or it is not believing faith, the Bible teaches (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Jn. 1:5-9). So, it is not the self-righteous whom God approves, but the ones he has made righteous by God’s grace, through believing faith in Jesus Christ.
As well, the wicked are not just those who are doing grossly evil deeds. There are many “good people” among the wicked who do good deeds, and some of these, in fact, put many Christians to shame. Some of them act with more kindness and generosity than many who say they believe in Jesus Christ, but who are living for self-pleasure, and who are still giving themselves over to the sins of the flesh on a consistent basis. So, what is the dividing factor between the wicked and the righteous? It is faith in Jesus Christ, i.e. whether or not you have genuinely trusted in Jesus Christ as Lord (owner-master) and as Savior of your life, by faith, via death to sin and being resurrected with Christ Jesus to new life in him; being born again of the Spirit of God to live to Christ and to his righteousness, all in the power of God’s Spirit now living within us, and not of our own flesh.
The Right Path (vv. 12b, 14-15)
O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray
And confuse the direction of your paths…
The Lord enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people,
“It is you who have devoured the vineyard;
The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
“What do you mean by crushing My people
And grinding the face of the poor?”
Declares the Lord God of hosts.
And confuse the direction of your paths…
The Lord enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people,
“It is you who have devoured the vineyard;
The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
“What do you mean by crushing My people
And grinding the face of the poor?”
Declares the Lord God of hosts.
We, as Americans, have leaders or rulers in our government, which, again, is not our real government, and we have leaders or rulers (shepherds) within our churches (or institutional churches), some of whom are wolves in sheep’s clothing, who are guiding the people of this nation in the wrong direction. They are leading God’s people to abandon their pure faith in Jesus Christ, as taught by Jesus and his NT apostles, in order to accept an ecumenical faith which embraces many religions and many lifestyle choices. They are guiding them through the means of deception to follow after a false grace gospel which does not put sin to death, but which embraces it and which coddles it. They have the appearance of godliness, but they deny the power thereof, and the same is true of the gospel which they preach. We are to have nothing to do with them or their false grace teaching (2 Tim. 3:1-5).
These leaders are also leading the people to follow the wide road that leads to destruction, rather than the narrow road, which few find, which leads to eternal life with God. They are leading them by example, as well, that we can kind of meander our way into the right path while we are still walking in the flesh and traveling this wide road to destruction, but that is not how it works. Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. When we believe in Jesus, we die to our old lives of living for sin and self, and we are born again of the Spirit of God to new lives in Christ Jesus, created to be like God (in his likeness) in true righteousness and holiness. For, if we walk (in lifestyle, in sinful practice) according to the flesh, we will die in our sins, not live with Christ for eternity, as some would have you to believe.
Another thing these leaders (guides, shepherds, rulers) have done is to join Christ’s body with this evil US government in a partnership relationship and to turn it into a business, to be run just like any other business, and to be marketed as such, too. Many of them are trying to conform everyone to their likeness, not to the likeness of Christ. In fact, from my own experience, I have found that many of these modern-day pastors are being trained in how to “weed out” the undesirables, which actually includes Christians who are serious about their walks of faith, and to invite them to leave if they do not unite with man’s teachings, goals and purposes. Many of these churches are being set up like dictatorships, with the pastors as the dictators, and with a few faithful staff members who will do whatever he asks of them, including ratting on anyone in the “church” who does conform to “its” image.
So, the Lord is calling out to his people to come out from among those who have partnered with this evil government, and to follow him and his ways and his truth, rather than buying into the lies of these shepherds of the people who are leading them astray. This will take courage, though, to go against the flow, and to not follow the business model for how to do church. And, you may find yourself, in some cases, standing alone against the masses who are still following these evil (or false) shepherds of the people, and you may be met with a lot of rejection and ridicule, even from others who call themselves Christians. And, in the Facebook world, they may even “defriend” you because you have taken a stand for truth and righteousness.
But, this is to encourage you that you are not alone if you are truly walking with God, for he is with you all the way. He will not abandon you ever!
I’ll Walk with God
Nikolaus Brodszky / Paul Francis Webster
I'll walk with God
From this day on
His helping hand I'll lean upon…
And I'll never walk alone
While I walk with God
