SATURDAY November 7, 2020

Destroying the Work of God

And again he says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!” And again: “Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!” And again, Isaiah says: “There shall be a root of Jesse; and He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope.” Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:10-13

The Lord desired that Israel would be a light to the other nations. They were to be a great influence among them in hope of bringing them to know Jehovah God. Israel turned their backs on God; they would not listen and obey Him. His chosen people reaped the judgment of God. The Babylonians and the Assyrians brought them into captivity. Yet God still loved His people, and, in the future, He will work among them again.

However, God always had a redemptive plan for the Gentiles! Paul quoted from Psalm 117:1. The Gentiles would rejoice in Christ. The words Laud Him are in reference to Christ. Then Paul quoted from Isaiah 11:10:

“And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious.”

Imagine, here in the Old Testament Scriptures, it is recorded that the Gentiles have hope! When you speak with a Jew about Isaiah 53, they believe that Isaiah is speaking about the nation of Israel––not so. It speaks about Christ! The Jews are blinded; they cannot see it. Jesus often said: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” The nation of Israel is both blind and deaf; they do not know Jesus as their Messiah.

When a person believes in Jesus Christ, what are they going to have? They are going to have joy and peace in the Holy Spirit (1 John 1:1-4). What does the Holy Spirit do? He teaches us, leads us and guides us into all truth. The Holy Spirit plays a major part in the life of the church today.

God does not bestow his Spirit on his people in order to set aside the use of his Word, but rather to render it fruitful.
~John Calvin~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!