News From Heaven
Isaiah 53:1-2
1. Who has believed our report? And to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed?
2. For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground: He has no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.
John 1:14
14. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.
News Worth Listening To
Can you imagine the change in our lives if we got our information from the Throne of God rather than from the media or from this world? What do you think would change in our lives, the way we live, and the way we express our faith in God? If we got our news out of Heaven, what would we give up and what would we keep? If we got our news out of Heaven, would we abandon our plans to build empires for the glory of man and would rather, live our lives believing the truth, practicing righteousness, and loving our neighbor – if we got our news out of Heaven. The sad reality is that we rarely turn our attention to Heavens news, but rather to this fallen and wicked world. Sometimes the news comes from our own twisted imagination.
Why don’t we listen more to the message of God? Why is the lie more appealing than the truth? Why are we so gullible in our thinking? The short answer would be that there is something inside of us that delights in the wrong and that celebrates compromise; that something is called sin. The Apostle Paul summarized its effects by saying, “when I want to do good, evil is at hand, so the result is that I end up doing what I don’t want to do and not doing what I want to do.” See Romans 7:19. This internal message of sin dominates our thinking and ultimately our actions. This message comes from the news of this world. All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not from The Father, but from this world … and the world is passing away. 1 John 2:16-17. This worldly message is not wanted, but it seems there is no turning it off, or is there?
Here are three bold claims that if heeded, will revolutionize your life. First, God is constantly communicating the truth, clearly and boldly. Second, those who listen to the truth are radically changed for good. Third, these changed people are radically transforming the world by the Power of God.
Some Don’t Get It
If God is constantly communicating the truth, clearly and boldly, why aren’t more people responding to the Truth. The sad reality is that some, and I would venture to say most, simply don’t get it. First, let us set the facts straight. Jesus Christ came to reveal this truth and to communicate it to mankind clearly and boldly. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth. This is Jesus. Even though He is not physically in this world now, He did come to this world to reveal the Truth of God. As a matter of fact, He is the Truth, the Way, and the Life. John 14:6. Many did not want to believe that Jesus was the Son of God and the Savior of the world. They rejected it. My argument is this, “why reject something if you have not tried it.” It is very easy to discern whether something is true or false. It is called application. When you apply something and it doesn’t work, then you know it is false. But if you have not tried something, you are acting on a false assumption.
Some reject Jesus because others have rejected Him. Some reject Jesus because they are not ready for the radical change that He will bring. Some reject Jesus out of fear of what might happen. They turn from the Truth to their own way knowing that their own way leads them into darkness. Isaiah the Prophet witnessed beforehand the rejection of the Truth. Here’s what he wrote, Who has believed our report? And to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed? Isaiah 53:1.
Some didn’t get the Truth because the Truth did not have worldly appeal. It did not come with a sleek marketing attraction that appealed to the flesh. Isaiah went on to add that there was nothing attractive about this Savior that we would desire Him.
Isn’t it amazing how Truth does not grab the eye and yet it transforms the life of those who receive it? As we observe from the original transgression in the Garden, truth gets distorted and even turned into a lie. The serpent had Eve believing the lie that the forbidden fruit was appealing to the eye and something to be desired. Genesis 3:6. Yet Isaiah presents the Truth and it is not appealing to the eye and when observed, there is nothing that makes it appealing to the flesh. For that reason, many don’t get it.
But why do some accept it? What was it about Jesus and His truth that captured you? Was it not that God’s Love was wrapped up in the message? You did not see it with the natural eye, but you believed it with your heart. That’s when you got the message that God loved you and had come to save you. John 1:11-12, He came to His own and they did not receive Him … but as many as received Him, He gave power to become the children of God, even those who believe on His Name.
We conclude that God constantly communicates the truth. There is no failure or obscurity about the message of the Truth. It is powerful and it is clearly given to all who will listen. We also conclude that the Truth radically transforms the lives of those who receive it.
They Got the Word
When the message of the Emancipation Proclamation reached some of the slaves in June of 1865 they celebrated the message. Even though the message arrived two years and six months after the Executive Order by President Abraham Lincoln (January 1, 1863), the people celebrated. They got the word late in Texas. But when they did get the word, they rejoiced over this new freedom and new identity. Juneteenth is now celebrated as a day of Freedom and a day of change for African Americans. They got the word.
Some have not yet responded to God’s Word that they are free. But those that know the Truth are celebrating this new life. We have been ‘emancipated’ from slavery of sin and failure. We are now set free by the Power of God. John 1:14 brings out something wonderful in the parenthetical phrase, we beheld His glory. When we gaze upon the Glory of Jesus Christ, our lives are made to shine with that same glory. When we gaze upon the Truth of Who He is, it radically changes our character. When we gaze upon the Glory of Jesus Christ, we become mighty missionaries.
Recall when Moses gazed upon the Glory of God in the burning bush. Prior to that encounter with God, Moses was a wanted felon that fled to the backside of the desert in fear. When Moses saw the Glory of God, he went back to face the same Egyptian Government as a mighty prophet of God. What gave him that boldness? Was it not the Truth of God that changed him? Not only had God changed Moses, God was also with Moses. That same change takes place in the life of all who will believe the Truth. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation, the old has passed away, and behold all things are made new. 2 Corinthians 5:17. The change is the proof that the Word has been received.
Changed People Change the World
Lastly, we consider the impact of changed people. It is one thing to bear witness of the Truth by acceptance, but the Power of the Truth does not end there. Changed people radically transform the world by the Power of God.
Consider the Bible accounts of two Sauls. Both were from the same family line; both were anointed by God. Yet one excelled while the other was tragically driven off course by listening to the wrong news. Saul of old, was energetic and chosen by God as the first king of Israel. Taller than average men, a strong warrior, and one who accepted the position with great humility. Then something happened. Saul stopped listening to God and started listening to others and to his own ego. Eventually, this led to disobedience, then rebellion, and finally tragedy. At the end of his life, Saul of old said, “I have played the fool.” 1 Samuel 26:21. A short time later, he was killed in battle.
Consider Saul of the New Testament. He started his life in rebellion against the work of God but was later confronted by Jesus on the Damascus Road. There, Saul of Tarsus not only encountered a change of mind, but a change of heart. His changed life led him on missionary journeys far and near. Though some would consider his life to have ended in tragedy at the hands of the Romans, that was not his personal testimony. Because Saul of Tarsus was committed to the truth of God, his noted words were, “I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7.
What will be said of your life. How will you complete the sentence of your life? I have? Allow God’s Truth to so impact your life to the point that you will change the world.