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6/23 Reading Portions: Deuteronomy 28:20-68; Psalm 119:25-48; Isaiah 55; Matthew 3
Isaiah 55:11
“…so shall My Word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
ART
Sinful man puts much unmerited stock in His own will. Fallen man does not know all things. He does not know the end from the beginning, as God does. Mankind surely has free will, in as much as he can choose to put ketchup on his hotdog instead of mustard (yuck!). Nevertheless, man is only free to follow the will of his nature. If his nature is corrupt and fallen, his will is corrupt and fallen. Period. We who are saved, on the other hand, have the ability to freely choose right from wrong because we’ve been graced with the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:16-17), as well as the promised presence of the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb 13:5); nevertheless, the corruptions of our mortal flesh which still remains can cause us to will what is inglorious (Rom 7:18-20; Gal 5:17). Contrariwise, what will ultimately come to pass is God’s Word. By its many names, as Psalm 119 expresses— statutes, precepts, law, rules, commandments, testimonies, ways, promises, etc. —God’s Word shall succeed in the thing for which [He] sent it. God’s every declaration, every jot and tittle of His Word from Genesis to Revelation, will be carried unto the exaltation of His Son, Jesus Messiah, and the glory of God’s gospel. Every decision and subsequent action by wicked souls will ultimately play into God’s gospel plan. Likewise, every faithful deed, as well as every faithless act, by believing saints will be, in the end, a testimony of God’s sovereign work to exalt Christ and glorify His gospel. Often, generally speaking, our vision is too narrow, our perception is too small, and God’s Word is confined to individual verses. Yet when we view eternal life from a heavenly perch and toward a holy panorama, the gospel is the canvas, the Lord Jesus Christ is the subject, and the will of the Father is colorfully and beautifully detailed through the Spirit, as the Great Artist and Master Painter. Hallelujah! What a Savior!