Isaiah 55:6-12
Have you ever wondered about the new earth that is foretold in scripture? What will it be like? I took the liberty (since He has given me so much of it) and used my imagination to fast forward to that first day our senses are entirely awakened to newness…..
Imagine that day. You will awaken in your new home in your new body. I have a feeling that our fuzzy morning first-thoughts will be displaced with something like, “Whoa, something is up! I don’t know what is going to happen but something is telling me this is going to be an amazingly wonderful day!” The next thing we hear is a rap on the door. When we answer we are greeted by the Good Shepherd Himself. After a long warm embrace, He wipes away our tears as He looks us in the eye and with a wink says, “You are right; something is up….. and you are also correct that this is going to be an amazingly wonderful day. Let’s go. I died that I could show this to you. And see….. you can hear My voice can’t you?”
After this day (if you could even call it a day) we will write in our journals. (Yes, journals will be be kept by all those who forsook this discipline in the old earth. Several years of purgatorial writing will be required as part of a kind of remedial sainthood class.) Our entry will read……
Date: Day #1 of the New Creation
I went out today with joy and was led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills broke into shouts of joy before me, and all the trees of the field clapped their hands. It was awesome!!!
It was so true that the Shepherd’s thoughts were not my thoughts, nor were His ways my ways. None of this newness was even on my radar! I thought He was going to destroy this place! I see it now; for as the rain and the snow came down from heaven, and did not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so was His Word which God spoke; It did not return to Him empty, without accomplishing what He desired, or without succeeding in the matter for which He sent it.”
Oh how glad I am that I sought the Lord while He could still be found; that I called upon Him while He was near. I am so extremely grateful that He enabled me to forsake my ways and my thoughts! How can I ever say thank you to the Shepherd for drawing me back to Himself, showing me His compassion and offering me such an abundant pardon? I don’t know but I’m certainly going to try.
Many are using their knowledge of God and His kingdom to make the following appraisal; the kingdom of God has come and the kingdom is coming. This could also be stated, the new creation has come and the new creation has already come. It would be even more accurate to say that the new kingdom is coming because the new kingdom has already come. Let me briefly explain;
Jesus Himself was the Word that God spoke and He did not return to His Father empty handed. He accomplished the matter for which He sent Him. (Recall: He led captive a host of captives!) Jesus is the new creation. In HIm is Life. He was and is the Life. There is no newness of Life outside of Him.
The new creation begins and the kingdom of God begins when we are born again. That is why Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born anew.” Must! Must!! Must!! Are you born again? On this subject all I can say, is that if you cannot answer this question with an emphatic “Yes”, then “You must be born anew! Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Go straight to the Lord and seek Him while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Forsake all thoughts that you might be a child of God because you have given mental assent to a creed and live, what you think is, a morally responsible life. Forsake this self-righteous idea and the Lord will have compassion on you and He will abundantly pardon you.
Christ came as the Word Incarnate – the only Seed that can grow into kingdom newness. Truly Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. If you cannot identify newness of life in yourself and you profess to being a Christian, this particular post may be rankling to you. Just keep in mind; God’s thoughts are not your thoughts. His ways are not your ways. Anyway, being rankled is an excellent sign that the Lord is near and that this is an opportune moment to find Him. When you think about it, what could be more natural than being rankled as His truthful ways are confronting our not-as-truthful ways and His pure thoughts our not-nearly-so-pure thoughts? Humble yourself. Invite the Seed into your heart soil. Tell Him you want Him to grow there and take precedence in all matters and that your are willing to forsake your rights to nurture your old previous life.
Then wait in His presence. (Its easy since He’s always present) and simply do the things in scripture God instructs all good stewards to do. You, as well as all the kingdom’s children have discovered, will find that His Word was not sent in vain; It indeed accomplished the mission for which it was sent; the complete redemption of our lives. As His life takes root, and you are a good steward you will find that very soon you too will, even now, go out with joy and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Father, may the gospel of your Son be spoken anew into all the traditions and institutions of this earth with kingdom authority. May prophets and teachers arise with the clarion message that we must be born again. May their razor sharpened words distinguish between sentiment, tradition, human goodness, correct doctrine and Life Eternal, complete with its inevitable transformative expressions.
Heavenly Father, Your name is holy and sacred beyond human knowing. May Your kingdom flourish! May Your Word succeed in every way for which It was sent. We confess to You our sins. Forgive us Father and we shall certainly forgive those who have sinned against us. Help us to recognize temptation in its early stages and its withering effects on the implanted Seed. Deliver us from the evil of religion that would suggest there are other ways into the kingdom than by way of the implanted Seed. And may that Seed find good soil. The emerging Life will testify of of the power, and the glory of Your kingdom forever and ever. Amen.