Arise, shine for your Light has Come!

"I praise you, God, because you are a personal God, who gives me the honor of knowing you personally, just like you did to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. . . ." (Matthew 8:11).

I awoke one morning hearing these words,  "Arise, shine; for your Light has Come".  Researching it I found the scripture and more info on the subject below.

THE GENTILES BLESS ZION

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. (Isaiah 60:1-3 KJV)

What is this light and from where does it spring? As Isaiah proclaims, The Lord shall arise upon thee, the glory of the Lord shall be seen upon thee. God is the Creator and Sustainer of the light, and it is in His light that we see the true light. The Lord has returned to us the light of His countenance that we may display it to others. In loneliness and solitude let us still shine for Jesus, like the stone-white steeple of a church, smitten by a searchlight in the night.

As we read these prophecies we long for their fulfillment. Verse one calls the redeemed of the Lord, to Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For too long the night had brooded on Mount Zion, but at last the watchers see the sky brightening into the splendor of dawn, and the cry goes forth that the day is at hand. Zion, the people of God, are called upon to arise from their lazy, lounging, sleeping state and embrace the glory that is theirs in the Messiah. For the Messiah is the light of the world who shines into the darkness of the human soul and situation. This arising is not deliverance from the captivity of Babylon or from the guilt of sin. This radiance is that deliverance from inaction that comes by the empowering of God’s Spirit (59:21). It is the light of God being reflected by the people of God. Like a city gleaming in the light of a newly risen sun, they that arise in the name of Jesus will shine with a beauty that is not their own.

The features of the extended context of our passage conveys the glory that God has in store for His people. With the eye of faith the prophet Isaiah sees the glory of the LORD as though it had already happened. He saw what others could not see. He understood what others could not understand. He was laying hold of the future with such a faith that he lived his present life in the light, strength, and joy of that future. We too need to let the certainty of our eternal future cause us to presently reflect the light of God’s glory to a world in darkness. The light you shine forth may be the only hope they have of knowing that there is a light that can reach them and dispel the deep darkness in which they are living.

Here it is predicted that the people of YAHWEH will be empowered by the Spirit of God to bring the good news of salvation to mankind. Because of the Messiah’s redeeming work (59:19a, 20-21), light (blessing) will fill His people, who in turn are to shine forth, as a spiritual light to the nations, revealing God’s Word and glory to them. In that way, the church will be instrumental in defeating the spiritual darkness that pervades the world (29:18; John 12:35; Acts 26:18; Rom. 2:19; Col. 1:13; 1 Peter 2:9).

When the Lord returns to live among His people the nations will be attracted to the light of His glory (vv.19-20) and will flock to Israel for the light (the blessings of salvation from spiritual darkness). This will occur in the Millennium. Though everyone entering the Millennium will be saved, people will be born during that 1,000-year period of time. Many of them will come to salvation because of God’s work on Israel’s behalf.

Verse 3 indicates what shall invite such multitudes to the church. And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. The nations will naturally gravitate from the darkness of their own experience to the light that is rising - dawning in the people of God. The brightness of the presence of God in His people will be irresistible. However far God’s people may fall short of all that God is, if they will only reflect the light of Christ in some part of its power, even kings will come and fall at Jesus’ blessed feet.

What multitudes shall come to the church. Great numbers shall come. Nations (or Gentiles) will be saved ( Rev. 21:24). 1st the nations will come because of the light that shines through us. The light of the glorious gospel, which the churches shine forth as the lamp-stands, that the light of Christ courses through to the peoples of the world. This light reflects, reveals much of God and His good will to man. It brings true life and immortality are to light. It invites-beckons all the seriously searching for love, for truth, for hope, for significance to come and join themselves to the church that they may have the benefit of this light to inform them concerning truth and duty.

Second the people will come because of type of light with which Christians shine. The purity and love of Christians, their heavenly-mindedness, uncorrupted by the world, and patient sufferings, are the brightness of individual Christians and the church’s rising, will draw many to Christ and into the church. The beauty of holiness in an evil world is the powerful attraction by which Christ will bring people to Himself in the day of His power (Ps. 110:3).

This prophecy was addressed to the faithful of God both at the time of Messiah’s first coming and at the time of His second coming. The coming of the light described here was ignited in the first coming of Christ and will be realized in its brilliance when He comes again to establish His reign on earth. His coming will be like the dawning of a new day to bring the healing, peace and righteousness that mankind cannot find in themselves.

Today people and nations wait in darkness. Today our great God waits for us to respond to the Spirit of Christ in us and ask for the nations. Will you ask — and keep on asking? Will you share and keep on sharing? God will answer and shine forth the light of His glorious gospel both through you and through the church.

PRAYER: Almighty God, You make Your people shine with the holy brightness of true light. Oh God of creation and recreation, we seek upon our everyday labor as Christians, as a church, and as a nation, Your glorious blessings. May the light and hope in our hearts fashion the deepest prayers for the people in darkness. May we pursue the right without self-righteousness. May we know unity without conformity. May we grow in strength without pride in self. May we, in our dealings with all people of the earth, ever speak truth and serve justice. Let the light of Your gospel shine ever brighter and brighter. Grant that here on earth we may walk in the light of Jesus’ presence and in our last day awaken to the brightness of Your glory because of Your only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

~Bits and pieces of Sermon shared by Dennis Davidson

FEAR NOT "TAKE MY HAND"

Isaiah 41:13 (CJB) For I, ADONAI, your God, say to you, as I hold your right hand, 'Have no fear; I will help you.

GLIMPSES OF GOD'S GREATNESS THAT ISAIAH GIVES

Glimpse #1 

In Isaiah 41:1 God says, "Coastlands, listen to Me in silence, and let the peoples gain new strength; let them come forward, then let them speak; let us come together for judgment."

Here is a picture of God calling all the coastlands and all the peoples to gird up their strength and come before him for judgment. The God of Isaiah 41:10 is the judge of all the earth. He calls all nations to give an account of their lives and their religions and their thoughts. He is not called to account. He is not on trial. They are. They come into his courtroom. He is the judge of all and will pass sentence on every person. That's the God who is with you to strengthen and help.

Glimpse #2

In Isaiah 41:2-3 Isaiah asks, "Who has aroused one from the east [probably Cyrus the Persian king that God stirred up to come against Babylon] whom He [God] calls in righteousness to His feet? He delivers up nations before him, and subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, as the wind-driven chaff with his bow."

Here is a picture of God rousing a king and leading him in conquest and delivering up nations before him. So the God of Isaiah 41:10 is Ruler of the rulers of history. He controls the affairs of men and nations for his purposes. That's who gives the pillars for fearlessness in Isaiah 41:10.

Glimpse #3

In Isaiah 41:4 Isaiah asks, "Who has performed and accomplished it, calling forth the generations from the beginning? 'I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. I am He.'"

Here is a picture of God not only judging the nations and ruling the rulers of the earth but calling all the nations of the earth into being--"calling forth the generations from the beginning." God is the first--he is the absolute reality before all other reality and on which all other reality depends. He is the uncreated first. And he will be there with the last when all is accomplished according to his eternal purpose.

When God answers, "I, the Lord, am the first . . ." the word "Lord" is "Jehovah or Yahweh.  Franz Deilitzsch comments on this verse: "It is the full meaning of the name Jehovah which is unfolded here; for God is called Jehovah as the absolute I, the absolutely free Being, pervading all history, and yet above all history, as He who is Lord of His own absolute being, in revealing which He is purely self-determined; in a word, as the unconditionally free and unchangeably eternal personality" (cited in E.J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, vol. 3, p 76). That's the God of Isaiah 41:10 who strengthens and helps and upholds.

Glimpse #4

In verses 5-7 Isaiah shows us the desperate attempts of the nations to persuade themselves that they and their gods are strong. Verse 5: they are afraid and they come together. Verse 6: they try to encourage each other not to be afraid, and say, "Be strong!" Verse 7: the idol makers who smooth the metal and nail up the idols with nails try to encourage each other and say, "It is good."

In other words, there is a picture of the unrepentant nations desperately trying to convince themselves that their self-wrought gods, made with soldering and nails, are really adequate for their needs.

Over against this desperation of self-reliance and idolatry God says to his people in verses 8-9, "But you [are] Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend, you whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its remotest parts, and said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.'"

That is what God has done for us in Christ. He chose us before the foundation of the world. He called us out of darkness and death. And he took us for himself to be his. To make himself our God.

There are some truths in the Word of God that I want to give you. These truths will help us in these days of discouragement, dismay, despair, and disorientation so we can stay encouraged. I have determined that there are three things that will get us through the trials and discouragements of life.

The Five Pillars of Fearlessness
1.  "For I am with you"--"Do not fear, for I am with you."
2.  "I am your God"--"Do not look anxiously about you, for I am your God."
3.  "I will strengthen you."
4.  "surely I will help you."
5.  "Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

When God calls you to be free from fear as you do evangelism, as you take a test, as you face an interview, as you take a stand against an unjust business practice, as you confront someone with sin in their life, when you leave a secure position and take a risk in a new venture, when you face an operation or a treatment, when you lose a spouse or a friend--when God calls you to be free from fear (to overcome this natural emotion and have peace, he does not leave the command hanging in the air. He puts pillars under it. Five of them. That's the nature of all Biblical commands. They come with divine support.

Fear not . . . God is with you;

Fear not . . . God is your God;

Fear not . . . God will strengthen you;

Fear not . . . God will help you;

Fear not . . . God will uphold you.

The key to overcoming fear is resting on the pillars of the promises of God.  ~Bits and Pieces from the sermon by John Piper

Isaiah 41:10-13 (AMP) 10 Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice. 11 Behold, all they who are enraged and inflamed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; they who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. 12 You shall seek those who contend with you but shall not find them; they who war against you shall be as nothing, as nothing at all. 13 For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you!

Many things will discourage you in this life. When you see the world growing in power and wickedness, it will discourage you. When it seems that nothing is the same as before, it has the potential to discourage you. You would think that because of the wickedness of the world the church would fight harder than ever before. However, Jesus declared in Matthew 24:12, (KJV) “12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” God wants us to be an encouraged people!

When studying the Word and praying, I saw a vision of God's hand and he said, "Take My Hand."  ~Debi Webster Perry

From Genesis to Revelation, God has spoken to people through dreams and visions! We can choose to invite God's Spirit to speak to us in any way that He chooses. God has not limited us to know Him only with our minds and the written logos Word of God. We can invite Him to make Himself known to us through open spiritual eyes and ears. Praise God! He wants us to know Him intimately!

More Study on the Hand of God:  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10208488417788268&set=a.1394488662546.78714.1242077685&type=3&theater