“The path of the righteous is level;
you make level the way of the righteous.
In the path of your judgments,
O LORD, we wait for you;
your name and remembrance
are the desire of our soul.
My soul yearns for you in the night;
my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
For when your judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
If favor is shown to the wicked,
he does not learn righteousness;
in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly
and does not see the majesty of the LORD.
O LORD, your hand is lifted up,
but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed.
Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.” [1]
God’s judgements compel the inhabitants of the world to learn righteousness! That is a piece of information that will undoubtedly be a shock for many people, though even a moment of contemplation will reveal the validity of the statement. By the same token, God’s goodness exposes a distinction between the righteous and the wicked. What you are is revealed by your response to God’s goodness. And make no mistake, though others may witness how you respond, God is the Judge. All mankind shall give an account before the Judge of all.
What is not always recognised is that God is not a distant Judge just waiting for a convenient day to hold all people to account. Even now, the LORD is guiding the righteous; and though He does not keep them from experiencing adversity, He is watching over His beloved child. In due time, the children of God will be justified before the wondering eyes of all people. Everyone shall see that the actions of the redeemed were correct and that they acted according to the will of the LORD Who redeemed them.
Waiting until God accomplishes justice for His beloved children is difficult—at times, waiting feels impossible! What we need is a strong dose of confidence, and that is what we are given in the words of our text. The court prophet Isaiah is presenting the words of a song that the righteous shall sing when the LORD has delivered them. The song that Isaiah presents is meant to encourage God’s holy people to trust in the LORD, to dare believe in the face of injustice that God cares for His own and that He will hold the wicked to account. The song Isaiah presents not only is meant to encourage the righteous, but it is designed to educate God’s people concerning what the LORD is doing.
Throughout the Word of God, I notice a recurring theme of commending righteousness and condemning wickedness. For instance, we see this theme presented in the first Psalm.
“Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.”
[PSALM 1:1-6]
The theme is evident when Jesus, delivering the Sermon on the Mount, teaches, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” [MATTHEW 7:13-14].
The theme is prominent when the Master speaks of the separation of sheep from goats following the Great Tribulation. You will recall how the Lord has stated, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left” [MATTHEW 25:31-33].
The distinction between the two groups will have been revealed through their actions during the trials that are coming upon the earth in those awful days. The goats, people that are more concerned with self-preservation than they are with doing what is right and just, will reveal their hearts through their actions, thus earning for themselves eternal condemnation. Likewise, those identified as sheep will have also revealed who they are and Who they serve through their actions demonstrating that they are more concerned with righteousness and with compassion than merely preserving themselves. The sheep will hear the Lord say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” [MATTHEW 25:34]. The goats will receive a dark sentence when the Master says, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” [MATTHEW 25:41].
Thus, the theme of commending righteousness while condemning wickedness will be revealed throughout the Word. At the last, the Son of God will have made the theme a reality as He ensures that the wicked will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life [see MATTHEW 25:46].
Throughout the Word, then, appears a theme that must not be ignored. God has His eye on the righteous, watching over them, guiding them by His counsel, and removing the hazards that would otherwise cause them to stumble. The wicked are left to their own devices, and their path often seems easy. This is as it is because they are part of this dying world. The wicked are at home now, so all appears to be easy for them.
THE PATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS LEVEL —
“The path of the righteous is level;
you make level the way of the righteous.”
[ISAIAH 26:7]
God blesses the righteous, guiding them along a level path. Unlike Sisyphus, condemned for all eternity to rolling a massive rock up a steep hill, we twice born children of the Living God tread a level path that leads to God Himself. The weight of glory that now rests upon the child of God is not heavy, and the path we walk is not torturous. Because He loves us, God makes the path level. This is, of course, verified by the words given to the Psalmist when he writes,
“I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD.”
[PSALM 40:1-3]
I sometimes feel as if I invest more time warning the wicked than I do encouraging the righteous. Therefore, I want to take time early in this message to point us to lift our eyes to the God Who saves us. The children of God need to know of God’s goodness, of His mercy to the godly, to learn of Him. Indulge me, therefore, as I take time to remind us of the mercies of our God.
In the text for this day, you will have already noted the statement concerning the grace of God for the righteous. The prophet states an observation concerning the path of the righteous. Then, he speaks of why the path of the righteous is level. Under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, the prophet says that the level path we walk is neither an accident nor mere happenstance; he says that the path along which we travel is by design. The Lord is working to ensure that the path is level.
When challenged to identify himself, the Baptist quoted Isaiah’s prophecy. Here’s the passage in question. “This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ And he answered, ‘No.’ So they said to him, ‘Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself’” [JOHN 1:19-22]? John testified: “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said” [JOHN 1:23].
Beyond this, even before the religious leaders became sufficiently curious to inquire, we read the Lord’s view of the Baptist. And what is written cites Isaiah and expands on what John said of himself. Take a moment and you will discover that when speaking of the ministry God had given John, he was identified by quoting Isaiah.
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
[LUKE 3:4-6]
What we read in these Gospel accounts was quoting from the early words found in the fortieth chapter of Isaiah. John applied what had been written to his own ministry, and in turn he was but agreeing with what God Himself said about the forerunner. Isaiah had penned these words some seven hundred fifty years before John was ever born. Nevertheless, they had been written of the one who would be the forerunner heralding the coming of God’s Anointed One, the Messiah.
What is important for the purpose of the message delivered this day is to note that according to the prophecy the Lord would be working to make the path of the redeemed level. The Baptist was to ensure that the presentation of the Messiah was unhindered, easily grasped by those who heard of Him.
What is said of the ministry of the Baptist anticipates what we witness the LORD saying as He speaks through Isaiah in another passage. Listen as I read a portion of the forty-second chapter.
“I will lead the blind
in a way that they do not know,
in paths that they have not known
I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I do,
and I do not forsake them.”
[ISAIAH 42:16]
This prophecy is especially heartening for all who follow Jesus the Messiah, because in this particular prophecy, God is promising to remove stumbling blocks and to make progress not just achievable but easily accomplished for those who receive the Messiah. Not even the blind will be disadvantaged, for the LORD will personally intervene to ensure there is not possibility of being tripped up. The prophecy is a promise for each one who follows the Son of God. The Father is at work ensuring that there is no cause for stumbling as you walk with the Lord. He will ensure that you will not be tripped up.
God does not say the path the righteous follow will be easy, but He does promise that He is with the righteous, guiding them and lighting the way. Moreover, he will have already gone before them to remove anything that could cause them to stumble.
At one time or another you may have heard someone complain that it is hard to do what is right and good. Of course, any such assertion is false. It will often require courage to choose to do what is right, but if you are a follower of the Risen Lord of Glory, He ensures that the path on which He guides your steps is level. God removes the stumbling blocks, the hazards that threaten to trip you up, and He directs your steps. Has not the LORD promised,
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
[PSALM 32:8]
This promise is either true or it is false. We who are known by the Lord must learn to walk boldly since He is directing our steps and clear every potential stumbling block to ensure that we shall never stumble or fall.
What a marvellous affirmation the Psalmist makes when he writes,
“As for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
My foot stands on level ground;
in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.”
[PSALM 26:11-12]
This is the promise of the righteous. Elsewhere among the Psalms, we witness how the LORD protects His own even when they imagine they are about to slip and fall. The Psalmist testifies,
“When I thought, ‘My foot slips,’
your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.”
[PSALM 94:18]
Years ago, when our children were little, during our family devotions we each memorised the fifteen Psalms of Ascent. We would recite these Psalms as a family during our evening devotions. Among these beautiful Psalms that pilgrims were wont to recite as they trekked toward Jerusalem is one that became a favourite for my wife. Listen as I recite the opening verses of that beautiful Psalm.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
“He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.”
[PSALM 121:1-4]
The LORD, God Who made heaven and earth, keeps His child. We can be confident that nothing comes into the life of the beloved child of God except what the Father has permitted. The Father is too wise to make a mistake and too good to needlessly hurt His child. And God does not slumber! He will not permit your foot to slip or be turned out of joint. So, not only does He keep your foot from slipping, but He is removing every hazard and object that could potentially cause you to stumble and fall. The LORD does this because He loves you.
There is another truth concerning the righteous that is revealed in the text when we read,
“The way of the righteous is level,
the path of the righteous that you prepare is straight.
Yes, as your judgments unfold,
O LORD, we wait for you.
We desire your fame and reputation to grow.”
[ISAIAH 26:7-8 NET BIBLE 2nd]
Focus, especially, on THE EIGHTH VERSE. There we discover that as the judgements of God unfold, as He announces His judgements one-by-one, we who are known by Him wait, anticipating that He will do what is right. We do this because we want the LORD’s fame and the reputation of His righteousness to grow. We want others to witness that God is just, that He is good, that He is gracious.
We who know the LORD, we who are His redeemed people, long for God’s judgements to be revealed because His Spirit lives in us, and the Spirit of God yearns for righteousness to prevail in the earth. Therefore, the redeemed of God yearn to see justice accomplished. This is the reason we support justice even in the affairs of mankind, because we long for justice to be done. There is, however, yet another reason we long for God’s judgements to be seen in the earth, and that is seen in THE NINTH VERSE of our text.
“My soul yearns for you in the night;
my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
For when your judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.”
[ISAIAH 26:9]
THE WICKED SEE GOD’S WAY AND THEY KNOW HIS WAY IS RIGHT — Did you pick up on what God has said concerning those who dwell on the earth? The Lord said that those living in the world learn righteousness when God’s judgements are displayed in the earth. The righteous see God’s judgements and they see that He is just; seeing His justice, they rejoice. His judgements serve to vindicate their faith. Their faith in the unseen God is strengthened and their confidence in His justice grows stronger. However, the wicked witness the same judgements and they can dismiss the evidence that they witness, attributing what they see to chance or mere serendipity.
The wicked are not blind, they simply don’t care. They have already convinced themselves that they are all that matters since they have established themselves at the centre of their universe. For the wicked, God has never been a matter of concern, and that is why they are wicked. Living as they do for the moment, they give no thought to what lies beyond this moment we know as “now.” For the wicked, there is no heaven, just as there is no hell. All they have is this moment, and they seek only to give themselves what gives them pleasure now. This accounts for the reason the wicked are intent on building paradise on earth, or if they are not actively engaged in imposing their opinions on others to create what they imagine will be an earthly paradise, they are at least unconcerned about those who are actively engaged in destroying society to recreate it in an image that they envision as paradise. Whether they can admit the reality of their existence, they are unidimensional and able to live only for the moment.
The Spirit of God, speaking through Isaiah, says of those living for the moment,
“If favor is shown to the wicked,
he does not learn righteousness;
in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly
and does not see the majesty of the LORD.
O LORD, your hand is lifted up,
but they do not see it.”
[ISAIAH 26:10-11a]
Imagine! Two people witness the same event and draw conclusions diametrically opposite of each other. One sees a divine intervention and praises God for His mercy and for His justice. Another sees the same divine intervention and dismisses what is seen as inconsequential, as meaningless, as mere chance.
The LORD points out that those who are determined not to see His righteousness will not see God’s hand at work even when judgements fall. Elsewhere, we read a similar censure of the lost as the Spirit of God speaks through this same court prophet. Speaking of those who disregard the Living God, Isaiah writes,
“They have lyre and harp,
tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts,
but they do not regard the deeds of the LORD,
or see the work of his hands.”
[ISAIAH 5:12]
A significant truth that must be acknowledged as true is that God is good. As He was teaching while seated on the side of a mountain, you will recall that Jesus taught His followers, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” [MATTHEW 5:43-48].
Jesus says in explaining God’s grace displayed in all the world, “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” [MATTHEW 5:45b]. Those whom God identifies as evil enjoy the sunshine and the rain the same as the just. And yet, the mercies showered on the wicked do not cause them either to reflect on God’s goodness or to glorify Him for His goodness; they assume it is their right to have the sun shine on them and to have the rain refresh their fields. Because he is uncaring, the wicked does not learn righteousness because God is good.
We who are known by God sometimes slip into a funk because we allow ourselves to become focused on those benighted souls who have no time for God. When we allow this to happen, we question why we continue to serve God. One Psalmist addressed this dreadful state of existence for the people of God. Asaph has written,
“Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them as a garment.
Their eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find no fault in them.
And they say, ‘How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?’”
[PSALM 73:1-11]
The Psalmist in this Psalm is acknowledging that we see injustice in this life and he acknowledges how we interpret life when we have taken our eyes off the LORD. We begin viewing matters as we did when we were intimately associated with this dying world. We live as though this life is all there is. Because we have stifled the pleas of the Spirit of Christ, we cease thinking rightly. We have turned our eyes from Christ and we are no longer able to see with eyes of faith. We can see no farther than the moment, and this moment is always changing. What is worse is that the change that is taking place around us is not always for the better. What he saw through his unfocused eyes led the Psalmist to draw an errant conclusion. He decided,
“All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
For all the day long I have been stricken
and rebuked every morning.”
[PSALM 73:13-14]
The Psalmist decided, “Serving God is worthless.” Asaph didn’t say it, but it is evident that he thought, “The wicked have life better than me—and I am a servant of the LORD!”
Tragically, each of us has likely been there—perhaps we are there now! In such a state, we are in need of regaining our eternal focus. That is what the Psalmist needed, and he lifted his gaze from the moment to see Who was in control of life and what the conclusion for life would be. Here is what happened in the experience of the Psalmist.
“When I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.
Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.”
[PSALM 73:16-20]
Let the experience of Asaph guide you as you regain your focus and again look on this earth with divinely given sight. Asaph looks back on the unhappy time when he looked away from the LORD and focused on this world, concluding,
“When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.”
[PSALM 73:21-22]
Brutish and ignorant is what you and I become whenever we begin to focus on those identified with this world, shifting our gaze from the Lord Who redeems us to complain because we don’t compare well with those of this dying world as they accumulate the things that must be destroyed as they are used. Because we are no longer looking at matters from an eternal perspective, we will never compare favourably with those living solely for this moment. Because we are born from above and into the Family of God, we are no longer suited to compete for life in this world. What is worse still is the knowledge that we will never be content with what this world can give. We are in the process of being transformed into the image of God’s own Son, and we can no longer be content with the things of this life.
Like Solomon reveals in the Book of Ecclesiastes, what we might obtain from this life thinking it will satisfy is folly-wide-the-mark. Trying to gain satisfaction from the elements of this life is futile. Wisdom, wonderful though it is, cannot satisfy. Indulging our desires and our fantasies leads only to disappointment. Even attempting to live life according to God’s plan without God’s power will prove unsatisfying. Toil so that you can acquire more things leads to frustration. Filling your life with things, even filling your life with people, will at last fail to bring satisfaction.
You see, there is a God sized hole in the heart of every person living in this world, and that hole can never be filled with the finite elements of this fallen world. Augustine was correct when he wrote, “Thou, [God], awakest us to delight in Thy praise; for Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it repose in Thee.” [2]
Ultimately, the wise man concluded the Book of Ecclesiastes, “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, ‘I have no pleasure in them;’ before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low—they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets—before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” [ECCLESIASTES 12:1-7].
Moses came to that point when the lives of the wicked within the nation, lives marked by rebellion and self-promotion, appeared superior to life as a humble follower of the Living God. I’ve often looked at the assessment provided as one writer speaks of Moses’ life and the choices he made. That writer reminds us, “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible” [HEBREWS 11:24-27].
Moses avoided cratering, turned from becoming a mere statistic composed of servants of God who ended their days of this life in failure. He avoided this dismal conclusion by refusing to continue to focus on those of this lost and dying world, focusing instead on Him Who is Invisible. Moses focused on the unseen God, seeing His mighty arm at work for His people. Thus, we speak of Moses as great in the sight of God. The wicked see God’s judgements displayed, and they cannot understand what they are seeing. We become indistinguishable from those of this world when we turn our eyes from the Lord and His mighty judgements. Though we are saved by grace, we must look to Him Who has redeemed us if we would see His power displayed through us.
Hold this thought firmly in mind—as a twice born child of the Living God, you see His judgements and you understand that He is righteous in what He does. You find yourself lifting your heart in praise because you are again reminded that God will do right. You are fully aware, however, that all about us are wicked people who see the same judgements, and they curse God, never understanding that He is righteous.
It is an extreme example of the wicked cursing God that is provided in the pages of the Apocalypse that the Revelator has provided. God will at last pour out His judgements on the earth, holding the world to account for its wickedness. Even during these days of judgement, many will turn to Christ for mercy and redemption. God will accept all who turn to Him, even during those days of judgement. However, it is shocking to read of most people who curse God because He is just and righteous.
As the Bowl Judgements are meted out, we read, “The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory” [REVELATION 16:8-9].
Again, we read “The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds” [REVELATION 16:10-11].
As the seventh Bowl Judgement is poured out, we read, “Great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe” [REVELATION 16:21].
Rather than repent, rather than turn from their wickedness to seek mercy, people will curse God. Then, as now, the wicked will not recognise God’s righteousness because they are focused on their own exaltation.
THE WICKED MISCONSTRUE GOD’S FAVOUR — Isaiah writes in our text,
“O LORD, your hand is lifted up,
but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed.
Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.”
[ISAIAH 26:11]
Not only are the wicked willfully ignorant of God’s righteousness, but they refuse to see that it is His hand meting out justice. Even when God’s righteous hand of justice is about to smite them, they are wilfully blind. They refuse to see their own peril.
And it is because we who are saved know the peril in which the lost now stand that we grieve for them. Their jeopardy impels us to pray for them to see the light and to turn to the Lord that He may give them life. We are not arrogant in asking our lost family members to be saved; we are humbled in the knowledge that God has shown us mercy. We could never think of ourselves as superior to friends who are still in the world. We understand that in the eyes of the Lord they are wicked because they have no hope. They are lost and now stand under sentence of eternal death.
We seldom fully grasp the awful condition that is described by the word “lost.” We were once lost ourselves, but God in mercy drew us with His love to see the awful cost of our sin. And we witnessed the Son of God giving His life as a sacrifice because of our sinful condition. No, we are not superior to others, just saved by the grace of God. We cannot be arrogant in the salvation we have received; we are humble in the knowledge that we could do nothing to merit this free gift offered in Christ the Lord.
I almost hesitate to speak of salvation since those who are lost and in the world may see this as an instance when the hand of God is lifted up, and they fail to see it. However, if I do not speak up, who will? It is possible that some someone is listening to this message even as the Spirit of God is working in that someone’s heart. If that is the case, know that the goodness of God is being extended to you even now. Scripture is pointed in stating, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” [2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-21].
Shortly after presenting this plea, Paul grows more urgent still as he pleads with all who would read his words. “Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says,
‘In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’”
[2 CORINTHIANS 5:1-2b]
Having established this truth, the Apostle pleads still more urgently, “Listen, now is really the ‘right time!’ Now is the ‘day of salvation’” [2 CORINTHIANS 5: 2a ISV]! And I would that this is truly the “day of salvation” for you.
And it can be the “day of salvation” if you will now receive the Risen Son of God as Master over your life. God invites you even now, saying, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation” [ROMANS 10:9-10 NET BIBLE 2nd]. The message is simplified when God says, “Everyone who calls on the Name of the lord will be saved” [ROMANS 10:13]. Salvation! Righteousness! God is reaching out to someone through this message, even this day. This is the offer of life—real life—that is extended to all who will receive it. We pray that this includes you.
To reject the offer of life in the Beloved Son of God is to position yourself as one who is wicked. To refuse this offer of grace is to defy the Living God. To turn away from His gracious offer is to say that the sacrifice of God’s Son was worthless in your estimate. Surely that is not what you wish to say! Surely that is not your intention!
There are followers of the Christ who even during this time your heart is weighed down with the burden of a family member, or with the weight of a friend, a neighbour, or a colleague. Before the Father, silently name that person, asking for God’s mercy and salvation for that one. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] Saint Augustine Bishop of Hippo, The Confessions of St. Augustine, Book 1, Chapter 1, E. B. Pusey (trans.), (Logos Research Systems, Inc. 1996)
