True Rest

This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture that reject fear. Fear is a spiritual force used by Satan to keep people down. Instead, faith in God is championed, as well as the acceptance of His word as truth. The transcription references prophecies in Isaiah and the fulfillment of those prophecies, as well as the life of Jesus. It emphasizes the victory and freedom found in Jesus and encourages obedience and trust in Him. It also reminds listeners of God's love and the importance of resting in Him. Welcome to Fear No Fear. Grace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit embrace you today. This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture. We reject fear in any and all forms. Fear is a spiritual force, the currency of darkness and ignorance. It's what we inherited when Adam gave up his faith and Satan uses it to keep people down. His only weapon is words. If he can get you believing or looking at words of fear, he's got you. Instead, we champion faith as an allegiance to God, as a belief and trust and loyalty to the Lord God Almighty. We accept the evidence of his word as unvarnished truth, as is, just as it's written. We get close to his perfect love through the word, and perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4.18 All scripture is taken from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Visit eBible.org Isaiah 14.3 It will happen in the day that Yahweh will give you rest from your sorrow, from your trouble, and from the hard service in which you were made to serve. The context of this verse has to do with decrying the ruler of Babylon, seeing that tyrant fall and Israel regain peace in their land as they go back to lives that are free. Years before Babylon became a world power, God prophesied through Isaiah about the failure of that dictator nation. More than that, there is symbolic and literal prophecy about the failure of the devil. Messianic future prophecy wrapped in current prophecy. Peter confirms this in 1 Peter 1.10-12. Concerning this salvation, the prophets sought and searched diligently. They prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching for who or what kind of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them pointed to when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow them. To them it was revealed that they served not themselves, but you in these things, which now have been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent out from heaven, which things angels desire to look into. The Lord prophesied to His people that the natural king of Babylon would be mighty and terrible, full of himself and all the riches of the world. He would take them captive. He would dominate them. His morals and ideals would infect them, creating struggle within them and their culture. God promised He would keep a remnant faithful, pure, that they would survive the tyrant, that they would be returned to their land, that they would see the downfall of that ruler and their sorrow would be eased. They would go out free and live in the promised land with security, worshiping the Lord. It happened. The nation was dragged to Babylon. We have the accounts of Daniel there. Esther happened during this time. Eventually Cyrus let them return to rebuild Jerusalem. That's in Nehemiah and Ezra. They got to return to their nation and worship the Lord there, free and enjoying peace. It was confirmation that Isaiah spoke truth, which is important because of everything else that Isaiah prophesied. The book is a very messianic book. There is a lot of the life of Jesus in there. That also came to pass. Jesus was born of a young girl, who was also a virgin, Luke 1.34. Jesus took our infirmities and healed us, Matthew 8.16-17. Jesus suffered and died being hung on a cross as a disgrace, an object of scorn, Mark 15.29-32. Jesus was resurrected to life again, seeing his offspring also rise and be prospered, John 20.17 and Acts 2.1-4. Isaiah was accurate about all of that. We should take great joy in this because of the prophecy about the spiritual ruler of Babylon, that terrible foe of the believer, full of himself and all the riches of the earth. He took us captive. He dominated us. His morals and ideas infected us, creating struggle within us and within our culture. But though in his angelic stature he is mightier than us in our fallen flesh bodies, he was unable to stop the miracle. He was unable to stop Jesus. He was unable to prevent our salvation, our deliverance, our renewal into Jesus, our abiding in him and the return of our dominion and the authority to wield it that we have in and through Jesus. He fell from heaven. He fell from his position as ruler over us. And he will continue to experience all the falls prophesied by Isaiah and the other prophets. He is broken, the mighty tyrant thrown down. We have victory over our condition in this world by, through, and in Jesus. We have been granted rest in God. We are redeemed from the sufferings of the body. We are redeemed from the troubles of the heart. We have rest from our sorrow. We have rest from our fear. The trouble of our heart and our soul is over, finished. Now this isn't name it, claim it, word of faith mumbo-jumbo as some would have it. This isn't a new concept some human mind thought of to fleece the sheep. Jewish rabbis teach this. The early church taught this. Jesus taught this. I have told you these things that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble, but cheer up. I have overcome the world. John 16, 33 Remember that we are in the hand of Jesus. The hand of the Father. John 10, 25-30 If the enemy wants victory over us, he has to defeat the hand that holds us. That he cannot do. That he was told he could never do. Jesus said in Luke 10, 18, I saw Satan having fallen like lightning from heaven. More than that, in the next verse Jesus said, Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you. The enemy cannot touch what is in the hand of Yahweh God Almighty. Oh, he can roar like a lion. He can try and get us to walk out from under the blessing and protection of the Lord. He can buffet us and storm around us. He can attack our flesh and get us persecuted for following Jesus. But he cannot touch the us that is us. He cannot touch our spirit. He cannot hurt us. He has no power. Jesus has the victory. In Jesus we share it. We are the preserved remnant that will live free, worshiping the Lord forever. Do you understand the freedom that we should be walking in? Do you understand it? We should all be praying that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him having the eyes of our hearts enlightened, that we may know what is the hope of His calling and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe according to that working of the strength of His might which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and made Him to sit at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, authority, power, dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but in that which is to come. Ephesians 1, 17-21 We should all be praying as we kneel before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named, that He would grant us, according to the riches of His glory, that we may be strengthened with power through His Spirit in our inner person, that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith to the end, that we, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth and to know Christ's love which surpasses knowledge that we may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3, 14-19 We do not have to submit to the enemy. We do not need to submit to the spiritual ruler of this age. We do not have to be bound. We do not have to be sick. We do not have to be infirm. We do not have to be proud. We do not have to be hoarders. We do not have to be jealous. We do not have to be anxious. We do not have to be troubled. We do not have to be worried. We do not have to be stressed. We do not need to be fearful. We do not need to be retreating before the principalities, powers, and authorities of this world. This is the natural place of those under the curse of the law. But we have been redeemed from the curse of the law. Galatians 3, 13-14 We are nothing on the spiritual plane. We lost our place when we chose sin. Sin is everything and anything that is contrary to the will and character of Yahweh Most High. That's why we need the Word. First, to reveal the will and character of the Lord. Second, to strengthen our faith in the Lord. Third, to renew ourselves to the will and character of the Lord. And fourth, to help us identify and stand against sin. Faith is everything and anything that corresponds to the will and the character of Yahweh Most High. Without faith, we cannot please the Father. Hebrews 11-6 Everything that isn't faith is sin. Romans 14-26 We need to be in partnership with the Lord so that we can stand against the enemy. So that we can stand against the world. So that we can stand against all that comes against us to rob us of our God-mandated freedom. This is why we have the armor of God. Ephesians 6, 10-18 What is something that gives us hope? The sovereignty of the Lord. Behold, I have created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon for his work. Isaiah 14-16a All the weapons that exist were created through the only power that exists, the Lord. The enemy can't create anything, but the verse doesn't stop there. It continues. And I have created the destroyer to destroy. That's verse 16b All weapons come from the power of the Lord, but the Lord can destroy all weapons. He has created the destroyer to destroy weapons. Jesus has overcome the world. What is our promise? By declaration of Yahweh Most High, our legal right of inheritance is this. No weapon that is formed against you will prevail, and you will condemn every tongue that rises against you in judgment. We will stand and defeat them in the courts of heaven because Jesus is our mediator. He is our counsel. He is the one who defends us, having paid the price for us, having redeemed us, having granted us by grace, through faith, His eternal righteous spirit. Isaiah 54-17 in the Lexham English Bible reads, Every weapon formed against you shall not succeed, and you shall declare guilty every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the inheritance of the servants of Yahweh and their legal right from Me. The literal translation of legal right is justice. Justice is the maintenance or administration of what is just, especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims. It is the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law. It is the quality of conforming to law, the conformity to truth. There is a court of heaven, and in that court God has established rights and freedoms. As servants of the Lord, we are heirs to the promise, holders of legal rights, victors in Jesus, for Jesus has been set above all. Philippians 2-9 Can you see this? Can you see the ground that you were called to walk on? Can you see the place in Jesus that you were called to abide? We are redeemed by the blood of Jesus. But Christ, having come as a high priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of heifers sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify to the cleanness of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without defect to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, since a death has occurred for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, that those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. Hebrews 9, 11-15 Jesus' blood is quite literally on the mercy seat in heaven. Hebrews 9, 21-22 Now we are all on the journey of sanctification. We are all in the process of being renewed into the things of God by the Word of God. We are called to pray, worship, and abide in Jesus. We are all seizing the victory of Jesus over the world and its rulers, powers, and people. We have victory. We are blessed in the city and the country, blessed in every place that we walk, blessed spiritually and from there to every other part of our lives. We submit ourselves to the will and the character of the Lord God Almighty. We kneel, broken and humble, realizing that without Him we are nothing. John 15 Realizing that He did it all for us. John 3, 16-17 That in Him we have victory. We have redemption. We have renewal. We have it all because Jesus, the Anointed One, is the all in all. Alpha Omega Savior Lord and Granter of rest True rest Put the Lord first in your life. Serve Him through obedience, listening to His voice, actively listening, hearing and acting on what we hear, having sought to understand the motivation and values behind what we hear, yoked to Jesus, abiding in Him, studying the Word, seeking Jesus in every verse, every chapter, and every book. We no longer serve the enemy with hard service. We serve the Lord. We serve Jesus. In rest and ease, because His yoke is easy and His burden light. Matthew 11, 28-30 Be a servant to the Lord. Submit to Him. It isn't loss of freedom. It is discovery of true freedom. It isn't the burden of restriction. It is the freedom to put away unprofitable things. Release worry. Release fear. Release anxiety. Cast your cares on Him. Enter the rest we have in Jesus. We don't deserve it. We can't earn it. We cannot justify it by our behavior. We can only accept His grace through the faith He gives us. We can only strengthen our faith with His Word. We can only be humble and tell Him that though we are dirt, in Him we have become more. We have become heirs. We have become beloved children. Thank God today and every day for being our good Father. Thank Him for what He is and what He has done. Worship Him and rest on Jesus. Rest in Jesus. No sorrow. No trouble. No heavy burden. Rest. Trust. And a Lord and Savior who does it all. Believe it. Receive it. Walk in it. Our daily affirmation of God's love is Psalm 62, 5-8. There is a terrible strength to the silent voice, to the raw scraping of a throat unable to produce sound. It is the cry of a broken heart, of one who has nothing left. No strength. No air. No anything. Broken. This is where we start. Are you hearing me? This is where we start. Broken before the throne. No ego. No ability. No strength. No breath left. This is where the foot of the cross rests. Now will you stay there? Or will you accept the hand of Jesus? It is being held out to you. Take it and stand in Him. He is immovable. A rock larger than creation. The rope on which the universe hangs. The word that is the seed of all life. The walls within we shelter. The balm of souls. The rest of the weary. You had nothing. Nothing. He is everything. How can you fear when something comes against you? How can you worry if the world whines and moans? Remember where you started. Broken. Nothing left. Everything you have, you have from Him. Everything you are, you are in Him. Tell me in truth. Who do you think He is? Because if He is anything at all, then you have something. If He is everything, you have it too. Because you are in Him. Whatever He is, you abide in that. It isn't yours, but it is you. You have been remade into Him. We have been renewed, restored, and redeemed. Recast into His mold. Again, who is He? By the word and declaration of God Most High, He is our expectation. He is the rock we stand on. The fortress around us. We cannot be shaken. Your honor is safe in Him. Your life is safe in Him. Trust Him. Remember where you started. Pour your heart out right there. Let Him fill you. Let Him sustain you. Let Him carry you. Let Him be your refuge. Nothing can touch you. Nothing can worry you. Nothing can make you fear. He is all, and you are in Him. Make your silence sing of the glory of the Lord. For the Lord, your all in all, is the boat that you rest in amid storm, strife, and strikes. Rest in His stillness while the world around you shakes. You will be a witness so bright, they will be banging down your door to discover your secrets, to be introduced to your Lord, to give you the opportunity to introduce them to the God who loves them. As we close, remember that you have earth. You are precious and valuable. Declare this. Today, God loves that I, now you, fill in the blank. Was it a meal you made? A smile you gave? Did you get out of bed? Read? Put on socks? There's no wrong answers here. There is no end to God's love and no end to the things about you that He loves each and every day. Pick one. And remember, the Lord loves you just because you're you. 1 John 4, 9-10 tells us, By this, God's love was revealed in us, that God has sent His only-born Son into the world, that we might live through Him. And this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. His perfect love turned away God's wrath because of sin, and it casts out our fear too. See verses 18 and 19. We love because He first loved us. He just loves us. Can't get enough of us. And that is wonderful. See you next time.