Bourland Family Blog

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” Hebrews 3:12-14 ->me: Today I was blessed to talk to my brother in Christ and we were able to encourage one another and commit to standing by each other’s side on our roads to sanctification. Here are my takeaway’s from the verses above. ‘lest there be’ -> direct translation is ‘lest there shall be’ so a better English translation may be “lest there be, as I fear there is”. ‘leading you to fall away’ -> desert, or stand aloof form the Living God; to leave Christ is to depart the Living God (Heb 2:3). ‘as long as it is called “today”‘ -> While to-day lasts (the day of grace, before the coming of the day of glory and judgement at Christ’s coming). To-morrow is the day when idle men work and fools repent; meaning idle men are always putting off work until tomorrow and fools save repenting until tomorrow. To-morrow is satan’s to-day; he doesn’t care what good resolutions you form, if only you fix them for to-morrow. ‘Fellows with Christ’ -> partakers in the Holy Ghost. ‘Our original confidence’ -> The confidence of faith we have begun (Heb 6:11 and Heb 12:2). A Christian, so long as he is not made perfect, considers himself a beginner. [Another great message from John Piper on this topic]

“You must know (recognize) that you were redeemed (ransomed) from the useless (fruitless) way of living inherited by tradition from [your] forefathers, not with corruptible things [such as] silver and gold, but [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot.” 1 Peter 1:18-19  ->me:  In reading Isaiah 52:3 this evening which says “For thus says the Lord: You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.” – ‘redeemed’ is a price paying concept, so the children of Israel will be redeemed with something other than money and of course we know what that is.  Notice it doesn’t reference sin here – it references being redeemed FROM a way of living which is inherited.  That way of living produces sin.  When I accept the Salvation I have been given through the blood of Christ I then MUST never turn back to that old life which produces sin.  What a great interleaving message into what Pastor Steve preached on this morning! – [Here is a link to his message]

“Arouse yourself, awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of His wrath, you who have drunk the cup of staggering and intoxication to the dregs.” Isaiah 51:17 ->me: When God pours out His wrath there is no HELP, no COMFORT, and no FUTURE. God in His absolute holiness has no room for unbelief (unbelief is why the cup of wrath was poured out on the children of Israel). This is the root of why I am called to become a disciple and spread the good news. To let the world know that God has given them the ultimate gift in His Son to offer the removal of sins, and all it takes is one thing…BELIEF.

“I, even I, am He Who comforts you. Who are you, that you should be afraid of man, who shall die, and of a son of man, who shall be made [as destructible] as grass, that you should forget the Lord your Maker, Who stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and fear continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he makes ready to destroy or even though he did so? And where is the fury of the oppressor?” Isaiah 51:12-13  ->me:  I love the possessive nouns Isaiah uses – ‘your Maker’.  This passage carries through from the last few days of quiet times: That I should not fear, that God is my comforter, God is all that I need, in Him can I trust, and when I know Him I can stand tall.  To forget Him – to live without consciously holding in mind and memory Who He is, what He has done, and what He promises – is to live in defeat and disobedience.

“[Zion now cries to the Lord, the God of Israel] Awake, awake, put on strength and might, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, as in the generations of long ago. Was it not You Who cut Rahab [Egypt] in pieces, Who pierced the dragon [symbol of Egypt]?” Isaiah 51:9 ->me: God’s people cry out to their God – and their God responds. All God desires is that we depend on Him as our God. The children of Israel had this impression that God had gone to sleep on His promises to them while they were in Babylonian captivity. Through my reading I get the sense that God is somewhat angered and overjoyed at the same time when His children cry out to Him in desperation. Angry because He knows that if they just followed and sought Him for everything everyday, they would have all that they need…He knows that He is what is best for them. If I only committed myself to God as much as He has committed Himself to me I might see what it is like to live with an almighty God sitting right by my side, acting proactively because we are connected through my dedication and daily dependence on Him. When I fall into only the scope of my own life, it will seem that God will pull away into the shadows waiting for me to realize I need Him. The Lord allows me to go through trials to chasten me to Him. He is always there to receive me when I come to Him. If I really want blessing then I will work to glorify Him and seek Him in all that I do.

“Listen to Me, you who know rightness and justice and right standing with God, the people in whose heart is My law and My instruction: fear not the reproach of men, neither be afraid nor dismayed at their revilings.” Isaiah 51:7 ->me: Those who KNOW, need not fear and rest assured that all will be well. The righteousness I pursue is the indwelling reality of my mind (know) and heart; it is at the center of my identity. However, God warns that what I am in knowing righteousness, will incite hostility, bringing reproach or taunting and insults. The verb used for reproach is ‘gadap’. It is only used once (here) as verbal hostility towards people. All seven other instances concern blasphemy against God. This indicates the strength of the word Isaiah chose. However, even with the all the insults that could be hurtled my way, the Lord reminds me that man is morally frail, which is what human opponents ultimately amount to.

“My rightness and justice are near, My salvation is going forth, and My arms shall rule the peoples; the islands shall wait for and expect Me, and on My arm shall they trust and wait with hope.” Isaiah 51:5 ->me: On the human side – righteousness is the conformity to the revealed character and claims of the Lord; the mark of His genuine people. On the divine side – righteousness is the quality and standard of all that the Lord does, for His Servant (Jesus), or what the Servant does. Salvation is what the Lord does and righteousness is the quality which infuses it…His saving work satisfies His righteous requirements. Through the Servant (Jesus) – My [the Lord’s] Arm – life will become life indeed (John 10:10). I wait for and expect the Father; in the mean time I trust in and wait with hope in the strength of Jesus.

“Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for I called him when he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many. For the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song or instrument of praise.” Isaiah 51:2-3 ->me: As a follower of Jesus, God asks me to look back at what He has accomplished in fulfilling His promise to Abraham in making one into many. Interesting how Isaiah does not focus on the miracle of birth from barrenness in Sarah (or old age in Abraham) but on the fulfillment of the promise of a great and mighty nation. Because I see what the Lord has done in this, I can trust that He will comfort me in trial – He will make even the most foreboding circumstances a place of joy and gladness.