“Our Intended Life”

            Isaiah 57:15 ¹⁵For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:

“I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

            Contrite is another word for one who is repentant.  Surely when one is in the mode of repentance they are spiritually saddened by the fact that they sinned and therefore need to repent.  God, the One who is lifted up, knows this.  So we can know that we have a God who is compassionate and understanding, to those whom He has called to believe in Him and be His children. 

            Though God calls us all to be His sadly there are those who will turn away.    Though some are wicked and do not believe in Christ as their savior and our savior there is still hope for them too.   It is only the one who stays wicked that has no peace, the great news is the new believer is always revived.

            Isaiah 57:20–21²⁰But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt.  ²¹There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

            The wicked are those again who do not believe in Christ as their savior and our savior, as well as being a sinner.  We are all sinners even those who believe in Christ.  In fact, those who believe in Christ know that they are sinners and need a savior to enable them to live the life God intended us to live.  Our sin separates us from God and threatens to take our intended life from us.  Yet, we still go on sinning disappointing God and wondering if He will stop loving us.

            Like Adam and Eve we sin and try to hide it from God.  Adam and Eve thought that the knowledge of all good and evil would help them.  Knowledge, like a new tool doesn’t do you as much good in the beginning as you do not have all the experience to use it 100%.  Knowledge is like this, have you ever watch “Under Cover Boss,” where the CEO dresses up like a worker and goes out to try to learn one of the jobs that is expected of their employees?  The CEO most of the time can’t perform the task given to them or they lack efficiency to do it well.  The CEO sees that it takes time and a special knowledge to complete the task correctly and they do not have this knowledge or talent.

            Knowledge, like that of God’s, takes a special talent and experience that only God has, and only God can have.  We might know a lot, but even the smartest and wisest of our human kind can’t wield the knowledge of God.  We can’t hide our sin, even from ourselves though we might try hard to do so.  We need help, we need healing from our iniquities, we need forgiveness, and we need a savior.

            Isaiah 57:16–19 ¹⁶For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made.  ¹⁷Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry, I struck him; I hid my face and was angry, but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart. ¹⁸I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, ¹⁹creating the fruit of the lips.

Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the Lord,

“and I will heal him.

            Yes one in true repentance mode is low in spirit, because we know that we sinned and have been a disappointment to God to those around us, and even to ourselves.  But the good news is that our God knows this, and even says He will revive our heart regardless of our sin and all of our backsliding and He will heal us. 

            What you ask is the healing we need?  It is that our God knows that even with all of the knowledge we might have at our disposal we cannot on our own defeat our sinful nature.   We cannot defeat death and stay the punishment that the law demands for our sin.  But Christ can!  And He has already done this.  Jesus Christ has healed us through forgiveness.

            John 3:16–18a ¹⁶[Jesus said:] “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.   ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned,

            Isn’t it great!  We get to worship a God who loves us all, who does not want to condemn us but actually wants to save us.  What manmade god loves those who worship them, and how can a manmade god love?  Our God the Alpha and the Omega, the eternal One lifted high, and the creator of all things creating everything with His spoken Word where there was nothing is truly the only real God who has chosen to be a God of love.  This is great!  This is Awesome!

            God the Father gave up His Son to suffer and die to prove His love for all of whom He created.  He sent His Son to heal us from our sin, forgive us for the sins committed, and to assure us that our intended life eternal is saved through Him.  This is great!  We get to worship a real God who loves us so dearly that He even sacrifices so we can live an eternal relationship with Him, this our intended life!  Amen.