Title: LIFTED
Text: Job 22:29 (KJV), "When [men] are cast down, then thou shalt say, [There is] lifting up; and he shall save the humble person."
Truth: "When men act humbly, thou [LORD] commandest lifting up." i.e., thou liftest up modest, meek men__Gesenius's Lexicon
We may be cast down, imposed upon, and attacked by the schemes and devices of the enemy.
The saints can still hope in God. Believers can still place their hope in God. We can determinedly, devotedly, devoutly place our hope in God to lift us.
Isaiah 54:17 (KJV) addresses these negative circumstances: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue [that] shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This [is] the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness [is] of me, saith the LORD.
God is Moses I AM. He is Israel's YAHWEH and the Gentiles' SAVIOR!
This is He whom the Bible declares to be living, personal, faithful, good, holy, immutable, intelligent, just, knowledgeable, loving, merciful, moral, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, self-existent, and sovereign.
His hand is not shortened that it cannot save; we can confidently say, "There is Lifting Up!"
Let us observe a need, the Lifter, and the provision.
In Luke 13:11 (KJV) we see a bowed together woman with a specific and unmistakable need. Satan had afflicted her (v.16) for eighteen years with a spinal condition which kept her bowed together and not able to lift herself. Possibly it was curvature of the spine.
Job with his boils had a need. Paul with his thorn in the flesh had a need.
You, the reader, may have an infirmity, need, or crisis.
Help is available through the Lifter. Psalm 3:3 (NRSV), "But you, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head."
"When the head is lifted above the whelming flood, the life is saved."__James Smith
Self and selfish efforts cannot lift--God can!
Psalm 27:6 (NRSV), Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
Consideration has been give to the need and the Lifter. Now, please consider the provision. This Provision is not a what, but a who (Jesus the Christ).
Jesus lifts--John 12:32 (KJV), "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all [men] unto me."
He is now the Lifter up of His people because he was lifted on the cross. He was lifted from the grave. He was lifted to the Throne in Heaven.
The Almighty will lift the soul out of the pit or corruption as mentioned in Isaiah 38:17 (KJV).
In that pit of corruption was death (natural and spiritual), decay and degeneration, disease, disillusionment, distorted thinking, deluded and deceiving actions, and detrimental lifestyles.
Let me illustrate.
Babe Ruth had hit 714 home runs during his baseball career and was playing one of his last full major league games. It was the Braves versus the Reds in Cincinnati. But the great Ruth was no longer as agile as he had once been. He fumbled the ball and threw badly, and in one inning alone his errors were responsible for most of the five runs scored by Cincinnati. As the Babe walked off the field after the third out and headed toward the dugout, a crescendo of yelling and booing reached his ears. Just then a boy jumped over the railing onto the playing field. With tears streaming down his face, he threw his arms around the legs of his hero. Ruth didn't hesitate for one second. He picked up the boy, hugged him, and set him down on his feet, patting his head gently. The noise from the stands came to an abrupt halt. Suddenly there was no more booing. In fact, hush fell over the entire park. In those brief moments, the fans saw two heroes: Ruth, who in spite of his dismal day on the field could still care about a little boy; and the small lad, who cared about the feelings of another human being. Both had melted the hearts of the crowd.
Ted W. Engstrom, The Pursuit of Excellence, 1982, Zondervan Corporation, pp. 66-67.
Self-deception can be most hideous.
A school teacher lost her life savings in a business scheme that had been elaborately explained by a swindler. When her investment disappeared and her dream was shattered, she went to the Better Business Bureau. "Why on earth didn't you come to us first?" the official asked. "Didn't you know about the Better Business Bureau?" "Oh, yes," said the lady sadly. "I've always known about you. But I didn't come because I was afraid you'd tell me not to do it." The folly of human nature is that even though we know where the answers lie--God's Word--we don't turn there for fear of what it will say.
Jerry Lambert.
In conclusion, let it be noted that our Lord and Savior can lift us from:
the snare of Satan to the caress of Christ
the carnal to the spiritual
the prospect of everlasting destruction to the blessedness of everlasting life with Him
the casual contact with Christ to the dynamic manifestations of Holy Ghost power
