Tag: Isaiah

The Shack Downtown

James HoganLeave a comment

Hello friends! A few words this evening before I turn my eyes to better things. It is good to rest this Sunday and consider the works and words of God. I am grateful for days of rest such as this one and even more grateful for the true eternal rest that is mine in my Jesus forevermore. This morning before church was able to find a few minutes to enjoy my coffee and read in the Scripture and was most blessed by my reading as I stepped through some of my favourite passages. Firstly, as of today I have begun the epic trek through Isaiah. Truly one of my favourite books and I’m so excited to read it these coming weeks!! I say weeks as I doubt it will be days – at least it certainly shouldn’t be as that would mean I’m reading it much too quickly. And I also read a bit in Matthew – been lingering in Matthew 5 these past few days, wondrous words from Jesus that he preached oh so many years ago yet still they ring strong and echo throughout the world in their beauty and their truth. Reading Isaiah and Matthew together? Perfectly marvelous and I’m most eager to see their resonance. Today as I read, was particularly struck by the authority and majesty of Jesus as he said words that could only be said by one who in himself held sovereign power. His words rang with authority and people marveled at them. Take in these words which he said – “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” That verse hit me hard today. As I now read through Isaiah I should not consider it full of dusty dry words that are now of no account because of the coming of Jesus who has made all new. No, instead I should read the words of this prophet and consider that they are words that are fulfilled and made all the sweeter in the full light of the mystery unveiled in Christ – the divine plan of salvation that is now revealed for the world to see. And consider the authority in that statement – “I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” Not some wimpy statement indicating that perhaps some of his deeds would by chance fulfill a prophecy or two. No, Jesus came to fulfill in his very person and with full intentionality and in the fullness of his nature as God and in the fullness of his nature as man he came to bridge the gap that the grand story would come to its climactic moment in which God now offers full communion to fallen man. What a marvel, what a story!

And it is true and it is real. Jesus did not come to abolish all that has come before, even the words of God that rang throughout the millennia. Nay Jesus in and of himself came to fulfill. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises of all the ages going back to the first echoing of the gospel as the serpent’s death was prophesied at the the bruising of the conquering Seed. Consider how this Jesus was bruised for me, for you. He was beaten and bruised and even for us was pierced, crushed, chastened and scourged as laid upon him were the iniquities of us all. Consider the blood that ran fresh from the cursed tree as this Jesus died for you and for me. Consider Jesus, the one of whom that spear was run through swift and true and of which the water and the blood testified that it was finished true. Consider Jesus, the one who bore the sin of many and who even now intercedes for us. Consider Jesus who did not come to abolish but who came to fulfill and now that it is finished sits at the right hand of the Father, the work done now and for all time, no more need of any further sacrifice. Consider Jesus and his blood which was given for you and me, for all who in him alone would bow the knee and only in him rest and believe. Consider Jesus, whose yoke is easy and burden is light, the one who offers rest to us because he knows our toils and our pains. Consider Jesus, he who died and rose again to life victorious, conquering death and its train forever as he trampled upon that cursed serpent’s head. Consider Jesus, our only hope in life and death. Consider Jesus.

A Day Which Shall Live in Infamy

James HoganLeave a comment

A few random notes that I didn’t have time to write this morning (because I took all my time writing about my book!!)

Firstly – and I’m mostly sharing this so I can link it to Laura later, since she’s the only one who will appreciate! (Hi Laura!!) – last night had a dream about being at a Nightwish concert with Laura. It was a very weird concert apparently since…we were sitting somewhere up high and all the aisles sloped down to the stage at the bottom of the concert hall. Felt more like a concert hall for a symphony and not a metal show! And we were sitting, not rocking out in front. Terrible! As in the way of dreams, it started in the middle…at the point where we realized another singer was walking out for the next song and it turned out to be Tarja! We all started going crazy and chanting her name (or maybe I was the only one?) She sang one song with the band (and it apparently was a song that had been written after her departure, which I remember being slightly disappointed about…since she wasn’t singing a song that I knew with her voice!) and as soon as the song kicked into gear, I remember being simply thrilled. Just her voice made the song even more awesome than it already was. Hearing her sing a Nightwish song (even though I can’t remember which one?! I seem to remember it was one of their harder more recent songs…maybe Shudder Before the Beautiful?) was amazing and it was stunningly beautiful and I’m sad this can’t happen for real. After the song was over, the concert apparently had an intermission, which I didn’t know was a thing for metal shows. But again – dream! I decided I should walk down and say hi to Tarja, because. Laura and me walked down the sloping aisle to where she was chilling next to the stage, sitting on a monitor / speaker / box thing. Somehow no one else had the same idea to see her. It was just Tarja, Laura and I! I sheepishly said hello and she replied, “Hey you! Come here!” in that Tarja voice we all know and love. Gave me a hug and I asked her if I could get a picture with her. She of course said yes and I handed Laura my camera and we got a picture together…and then we went back to our seats to enjoy the rest of the show. Yes, that was literally my dream. It was a really fun dream. Pardon me sharing my dream here…but hey, couldn’t resist.

Secondly…I started reading Isaiah today. So excited!!! Simply love this book. It shall be truly wonderful these next weeks. Here are a few words that encouraged my soul this day:

“Come now, and let us reason together,”
says the Lord,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
they will be white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they will be like wool.
If you consent and obey,
you will eat the best of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”
Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

God speaks. Shall we listen? My heart is bound up in the love of my God.

Now it is lunch time…I shall write no more. Time to chomp down on some chicken and spinach wraps with my favorite Nando’s hot sauce. A wonderful lunch, yes? Yes.

The Sovereignty of the Lord

James HoganLeave a comment

Happy Tuesday, friends!! This morning I enjoyed a nice drive to work as the sky slowly lightened. And as I drove, was being mightily blessed by listening to an old Dominic message from Isaiah 36-37. It’s too long to go into depth here(although if you want to listen as well, just let me know and I’m sure I can find the link somewhere). But in brief – too often do we grow anxious over some difficult situation in our life and we just fall to pieces. Why? Because our faith is small. Because we don’t understand the sovereignty of God. Here in Isaiah 36 – the kingdom of Judah, ruled by Hezekiah, is threatened by one of the largest and most brutal empires the world had ever seen. The Assyrian empire has turned its eyes on Jerusalem and threatened to bring down divine judgment upon her. We think we have big problems? I think Hezekiah has you beat. But what does Hezekiah do? Does he just fall apart and crumple under the weight of this severe threat? No. He does what all of us should do when our spirits are in distress. He repents in sackcloth and ashes and enters the house of the Lord. He recognizes that this threat from Assyria isn’t so terrible because it threatens him. The real sin of the Assyrian king Sennacherib was that he blasphemed God. And so Hezekiah pleads for the help of the living God, for the salvation of the remnant and for the glory of His own Name. Might we all remember to pray as such! Pray for yourself, yes. Pray for mercy, pray for salvation from evil. But never forget to pray that the name of the Lord be glorified, for it is He who is truly the target of all the attacks of the forces of evil in this world. Our Lord is sovereign, seated above the heavens. Our God is oh so loving and compassionate to us His children. Our God is glorious and worthy of all praise and honour from all the heavens and all the earth. May the mountains clap their hands and may the seas sing the praises of our God. Someday indeed all flesh shall join the chorus of worship to the Lord God Almighty.

So I’m going to close by just quoting the words of the prayer of Hezekiah. I urge that you pray as such today…

Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it,
and he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.
Hezekiah prayed to the Lord saying,
“O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim,
You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have
made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes,
O Lord, and see; and listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to
reproach the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have devastated
all the countries and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire, for
they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have
destroyed them. Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand that all the
kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, Lord, are God.”

The Potter King

James HoganLeave a comment

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former things will not be remembered
or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing
And her people for gladness.
I will also rejoice in Jerusalem
and be glad in My people;
And there will no longer be heard in her
The voice of weeping and the sound of crying.
No longer will there be in it an
infant who lives but a few days,
Or an old man who does not live out his days;
For the youth will die at the age of one hundred
And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred
will be thought accursed.
They will build houses and inhabit them;
They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They will not build and another inhabit,
They will not plant and another eat;
For as the lifetime of a tree,
so will be the days of My people,
And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands.
They will not labor in vain,
Or bear children for calamity;
For they are the offspring of
those blessed by the Lord,
And their descendants with them.
It will also come to pass that before they call,
I will answer; and while they are still speaking,
I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb will graze together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox;
and dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will do no evil
or harm
in all My holy mountain,” says the Lord.

-Isaiah 65:17-25 Oh what glorious words.

Comfort Ye

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Get yourself up on a high mountain,
O Zion, bearer of good news,
Lift up your voice mightily,
O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;
Lift it up, do not fear.
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”

Behold, the Lord God will come with might,
With His arm ruling for Him.
Behold, His reward is with Him.
And His recompense before Him.
Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

This passage from Isaiah 40 – is it not beautiful? I wish I could write the whole chapter of Isaiah 40 – truly one of the most stunningly magnificent chapters in Scripture. But for now, just read the verses from above and meditate on the glorious attributes of our Lord. He is one who is mighty and all powerful. He is one who reigns and deals swift justice. And this same God is also one who is tender and gentle. He is one who has compassion on the fainthearted and deals kindly with the weak. Look at the above verses – the arm of God that rules is the same arm that gathers the lambs and carries them in His bosom. This God we serve is mighty and able to do all things, sovereign in power and perfect in justice. This God we serve is merciful and compassionate beyond measure, perfect in love and sovereign in grace. How precious is it to know that we can trust this God to lead and care for us, even when we know not the way? He is sovereign and He cares for us. He chooses to care for us. Our God will one day come and rule perfectly upon this earth. He will pour out wrath upon the wicked yet He will lift up the flock that is His. The flock that our God has chosen for His own. Is that not a wonderful thought? Here is your God! So think on that, this day – we serve a mighty God. We serve a sovereign God. And this God deeply cares for us. He holds us in His bosom. Be at rest this day, my friends. Meditate on the grand compassion and mercies of our God. Rest in His arms. Think on His love. Rest.

Lamb of God

James HoganLeave a comment

Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
For He grew up before Him
like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
that we should look upon Him,
nor appearance that we should be
attracted to Him.
He was despised and forsaken of men,
a man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief;
and like one from whom men
hide their face
He was despised, and we
did not esteem Him.

Surely our griefs He himself bore,
and our sorrows He carried;
yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
the chastening for our well-being
fell upon Him,
and by His scourging we are healed.
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
each of us have turned to his own way;
but the LORD has caused
the iniquity
of us all
to fall
on Him.
-Isaiah 53:1-6

My heart is saddened as I think of the suffering of Christ Jesus, yet I rejoice. Because truly – through the sacrifice of Jesus, God’s own Son and God Himself – I am counted as righteous in the sight of the Lord God. And the fact that I am righteous and pure before God…how can I not sing to the God who made it so? Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. Slain for me. Filthy ungodly unworthy me. And so, some two thousand years ago, God the Father poured out the full and righteous cup of His wrath upon God the Son. And I am now a child of God – countless songs and boundless bliss – how can I not sing for this?? God loved me first, now I love Him – oh those glorious words – He loves me!!!