THE STANDARD AND THE STAND
Part One
So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west,
And His glory from the rising of the sun;
When the enemy comes in like a flood,
the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
The Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob.
Isaiah 59:19,20 NKJV
Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.
Let all you do be done with love. 1 Corinthians 16:13,14 NKJV
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you
may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having
done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:10,13 NKJV.
The book of the prophet Isaiah, in the Old Testament was written at about 700 BC. It is a book declaring God's displeasure with and judgment upon sin in Judah, Israel and the surrounding nations. Almost all the
Hebrew words for sin are employed by the prophet. It is also a book that seeks to lay a foundation of hope and promise to the faithful remnant of God's people.It is a book full of God's promises of restoration and redemption, of the certain coming of the Messiah, of salvation for all the nations, and of the triumph of God's purposes in spite of intervals of suffering. (Adapted from the introduction to the book of Isaiah in the New Spirit Filled Life Bible).
The Book Of Isaiah is probably my favourite of the Old Testament prophets, as it is so full of Messianic prophecies - those that speak of the coming Messiah, whom we know as the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, the eternal Son of God, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, make up the Trinity, the eternal Godhead. How exciting for the follower of Jesus Christ to be able to read "tomorrow's news", as it were, in the Old Testament prophets and to be living today in a personal relationship with the Messiah, the Hope of the Ages, the eternal Son of the Living God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Isaiah 7:14, the prophet says: "Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (meaning God with us....") clearly foretelling the birth of Jesus to the virgin Mary, as well as God's participation in the more immediate deliverance from the Syrian and Israelite coalition.
In Isaiah 9:6,7 it says:
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His Shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government
and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over
His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with
judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will
perform this.
Another year has almost gone, and Christmas (at the time of writing this), is just ten days away. As we plan to celebrate Christmas with family and friends, let us not forget the true meaning of Christmas. To quote from the song by Randy Stonehill, "Christmas Song for All Year Round":
"I wonder if this Christmas they'll begin to understand
The Jesus that they celebrate was much more than a man
'Cause the way the world is I don't see how people can deny
The only way to save us was for Jesus Christ to die
And I know that if St. Nicholas was here he would agree
That Jesus gave the greatest gift of all to you and me
They led him to the slaughter on a hill called Calvary
And mankind was forgiven when they nailed Him to the tree
But most of all the children they''re the ones I hope will learn
That Jesus is our savior and He's going to return
And Christmas isn't just a day and all days aren't the same
Perhaps they'll think about the word and see it spells His name
And I know that if St. Nicholas was here he would agree
That Jesus gave the greatest of all to you and me
They led Him to the slaughter on a hill called Calvary
And mankind was forgiven, mankind was forgiven
We were all forgiven when they nailed Him to the tree
So Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas
Hoo-hoo. Oooh-ooh
I wonder if this Christmas they'll begin to understand?
(Song featured on Randy Stonehill's album "Welcome To Paradise.")
If you would like to know more about how to become a Christian, go to www.vision.org.au - the home of Vision Christian Media in Australia. Click on the "Grow your faith" tab then "Looking for God."
End of Part 1
The Book Of Isaiah is probably my favourite of the Old Testament prophets, as it is so full of Messianic prophecies - those that speak of the coming Messiah, whom we know as the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, the eternal Son of God, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, make up the Trinity, the eternal Godhead. How exciting for the follower of Jesus Christ to be able to read "tomorrow's news", as it were, in the Old Testament prophets and to be living today in a personal relationship with the Messiah, the Hope of the Ages, the eternal Son of the Living God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Isaiah 7:14, the prophet says: "Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (meaning God with us....") clearly foretelling the birth of Jesus to the virgin Mary, as well as God's participation in the more immediate deliverance from the Syrian and Israelite coalition.
In Isaiah 9:6,7 it says:
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His Shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government
and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over
His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with
judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will
perform this.
Another year has almost gone, and Christmas (at the time of writing this), is just ten days away. As we plan to celebrate Christmas with family and friends, let us not forget the true meaning of Christmas. To quote from the song by Randy Stonehill, "Christmas Song for All Year Round":
"I wonder if this Christmas they'll begin to understand
The Jesus that they celebrate was much more than a man
'Cause the way the world is I don't see how people can deny
The only way to save us was for Jesus Christ to die
And I know that if St. Nicholas was here he would agree
That Jesus gave the greatest gift of all to you and me
They led him to the slaughter on a hill called Calvary
And mankind was forgiven when they nailed Him to the tree
But most of all the children they''re the ones I hope will learn
That Jesus is our savior and He's going to return
And Christmas isn't just a day and all days aren't the same
Perhaps they'll think about the word and see it spells His name
And I know that if St. Nicholas was here he would agree
That Jesus gave the greatest of all to you and me
They led Him to the slaughter on a hill called Calvary
And mankind was forgiven, mankind was forgiven
We were all forgiven when they nailed Him to the tree
So Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas
Hoo-hoo. Oooh-ooh
I wonder if this Christmas they'll begin to understand?
(Song featured on Randy Stonehill's album "Welcome To Paradise.")
If you would like to know more about how to become a Christian, go to www.vision.org.au - the home of Vision Christian Media in Australia. Click on the "Grow your faith" tab then "Looking for God."
End of Part 1
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