Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. Hosea 2:14-15.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8.
Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. Romans 5:12. This is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light. John 3:19.
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33.
And continuing our 351 Old Testament prophecies, promises of God, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, we come to number 163: The altogether lovely One. Song of Solomon 5:16: His mouth is full of sweetness. And he is wholly desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. And, John 1:17: For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
Yesterday in the sermon we heard about two people of faith in Hebrews 11: Abraham and Rahab. Abraham whose faith in God was so absolute that he was able to trust God when He commanded Abraham to offer up his son Isaac in sacrifice. As was pointed out in the sermon, Abraham’s faith is a pinnacle so high we struggle to even imagine our faith could be so strong. And Rahab. A prostitute in the city of Jericho. Listen to the difference faith brings: By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. Hebrews 11:17-19. And Rahab speaking to the spies of Israel, said, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” Joshua 2:9-11.
Imagine the faith it took to follow Jesus, the Son, when the absolute authority of men around them at that time, both Roman and religious, were seeking to destroy all who followed Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, into the light of the truth Jesus the Son was bringing to all of us. As was pointed out in the sermon, in James, What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. James 2:14, 21-23. It began for Abraham and for Rahab – with trusting God. And for those who saw the miracles Jesus did and heard the truth and hope in the sermons He gave – they trusted God, more than men. And for the early church after Jesus ascended back to the Father, through every challenge and hardship and persecution, they trusted God through the Spirit He gave to them. What then shall we say? This is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the light. Why is this so important? Because we are living today in the darkness men choose when they glorify themselves and forget – the LORD your God – He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Trusting God and not men brings faith that manifests in being able to follow as Creator God leads. This is His work and He is able to help us as we follow Him because we trust Him. Our very lives become acts of faith trusting Him. Just like Abraham and just like Rahab and just like Jesus trusting the Father, every good and needed work springs from our faith and trust in God. And we begin to understand the wisdom of God. Sin entered through one man Adam, but – the gift of God is so much more! But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift, by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. Romans 5:15.
***HUNGER AND THIRST FOR GOD – O God of truth, grant me the happiness of heaven so that my joy may be full, in accord with Your promise. In the meantime, let my mind dwell on that happiness, my tongue speak of it, my heart pine for it, my mouth pronounce it, my soul hunger for it, my flesh thirst for it, and my entire being desire it until I enter through death into the joy of my LORD forever. Amen. Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430).***
