Newsletter #396 - October 2011 - By Shepherds Chapel - http://www.shepherdschapel.com/
Isaiah 41:8 But thou, Israel, art My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham My friend.
We do not rule over God, nor are we His equal. We are His servants. Iy you want His blessings, you had better remember this verse and serve Him well.
Isaiah 41:9 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, "Thou art My servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
When you hunger and thirst for truth, He will give you divine help. If you seek wisdom and understanding, He will help you. That is a promise you can claim.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.
We are living in troubled times. Things become a little wishy-washy in this world. But nothing is wishy-washy with God. When you try to do right in serving Him, you can claim Father's promises of help and strength.
Isaiah 41:11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.
Christians have enemies in this world. You don't have to worry about them. God is on the throne, and He is in control. Our enemies don't have a chance, because they are God's enemies, as well.
Isaiah 41:12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. 13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, 'Fear not;' I will help thee.
You have a promise of divine help, if you are a servant of the Lord.
Isaiah 41:14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee," saith the LORD, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
To be a worm means to be weak. Do you have any weaknesses? Don't worry about your weaknesses, if God is helping you. Your Father is your kinsman Redeemer.
Isaiah 41:15 "Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.
Father has given us a platform that threshes the nations of the world with His truth. Why? Because we are hungry and thirsty for His Word. His truth cuts both ways like a two-edged sword.
Isaiah 41:16 Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel. 17 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
Why thirst? God is able to provide for your physical and spiritual thirst. Seek knowledge and wisdom from Him.
Isaiah 41:18 I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. 19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: 20 That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.
Why would you ever worry? You have divine help, if you will hunger and thirst for His Word. God call the enemy nothing. Don't ever shake and tremble. When you serve God, He hears you. He helps you. God has a purpose for you. You have a destiny that is ever so important to your Father. Turn with me to Chapter 43.
Isaiah 43:13 Yea, before the day was I am He; and there is none that can deliver out of My hand: I will work, and who shall let it?
Who has the authority to permit God to do His work? Who has the power to prohibit God from doing His work? The answer is no one in heaven or on earth.
Isaiah 43:14 Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; "For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.
The enemy is as nothing.
Isaiah 43:15 I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King." 16 Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; 17 Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; "they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.
Tow is what is left of a wick after it has burned. It is ash. Tow has no real substance. Neither does the enemy.
Isaiah 43:18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
Do you remember the Books of Moses? Do you remember how God delivered His children out of Egypt with a mighty hand? Do you remember those words always came to pass? It is your Father. He also tells us of future things.
Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
The water of truth is going to flow. Why thirst?
Isaiah 43:20 The beast of the field shall honour Me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen.
On a spiritual level, God also provides water. If you are ever having trouble understanding a Scripture, ask for His help. He will help you understand. Seek truth.
Isaiah 43:21 This people have I formed for Myself; they shall shew forth My praise. 22 But thou hast not called upon Me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of Me, O Israel.
You can't expect God's help, if you never ask for it.
Isaiah 43:23 Thou hast not brought Me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured Me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense. 24 Thou hast bought Me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled Me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made Me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied Me with thine iniquities.
Unfortunately, many today do not have time for God. God is ready to forgive their sins; however, they never ask Him for forgiveness.
Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. 26 Put Me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.
I want you to absorb every last word in this verse. God wants you to remind Him of His promises. Why? He wants to know whether you are familiar with His promises, or not. He wants you to reason with Him, so that He can justify, or cleanse, yu. Skip ahead to Chapter 44 with me.
Isaiah 44:1 Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:" 2 Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; "Fear not, O Jacob, My servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.
Are you beginning to get the idea that we have nothing to fear? Jesurun is a name God uses of Israel when they are fat, dumb and happy. When things are going well, Israel tends to forget God (Deut. 32:15-17).
Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring:
That is a promise from God. Do you thirst? Do you hunger? God will pour His Spirit upon those who do. He will help you. He will intercede on your behalf. He loves you. Turn with me to Chapter 25, as we continue.
Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Why hunger? Why thirst? His Word is free. You can eat and drink, until you are well satisfied.
Isaiah 55:2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
That is God's promise. If you will hunger and thirst for His Word, He will fill you. You will be satisfied.
Isaiah 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
God makes the same promises to you that He made to His servant David. Claim those promises.
Isaiah 55:4 Behold, I have given Him for a witness to the people, a Leader and Commander to the people.
Now we switch to David's Son and David's Lord. The previous verse refers to Messiah.
Isaiah 55:5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for He hath glorified thee. 6 Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near:
Seek the Lord, and you will find Him. Ask for His help, and He will answer. God's elect have some potentially hard times ahead. There is no need for you to suffer those hard times, when you have Father. When you thirst and hunger for truth, you know what is going on in this world. Prophecy is being fulfilled almost every day. In conclusion, turn with me to the great Book of Matthew.
Matthew 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: 2 And He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying,
Now listen carefully. These are the beatitudes, and they apply to God's election. The word blessed means happy.
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
This is not poor as in lacking material possessions. Poor means humble in this verse. The humble inherit the King and His dominion. And, He owns everything.
Matthew 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Those with eyes to see and ears to hear mourn for those that can't see the truth. Christ will comfort them.
Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Righteousness is what is right. God's Word is what is right. If you hunger and thirst for His Word, you will be filled. That is a promise from your Father. Why hunger? Why thirst?
In His service,
Arnold Murray