NEWSLETTER 065 MESSAGE

Message: Unpopular Salvation

“For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.” Is. 30:15

Isaiah was prophesying God’s Word to a rebellious people. With their lips they served God, but in fact they were far from him. When trouble came they wanted to go down to Egypt and rely on Egypt to save them. The previous verses show their heart: “That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits...” [9-10] When they didn’t like what God was saying they would seek out people who would tell them what they wanted to hear.

God gave them instructions on what to do in order to see His salvation:
1. Return to Him,
2. Rest and be quiet,
3. Place confidence in God.

They would not do it.

How about us? When trouble hits is our first reaction to run to the world for help? Do we seek natural solutions and try to figure out things for ourselves? Are our hearts truly after God or do we only seek our own will in God’s name? Does this mean that we become so “super spiritual” that we don’t apply common sense natural solutions?

Let’s look at the situation. The Israelites were not wanting God and their “natural” solution was in direct disobedience to God’s Word both through Moses [who warned them not to return to Egypt] and through Isaiah. God’s salvation was not popular and so it was rejected by His own people.

If we want to avoid the same trap, we must make sure our hearts are right. We must learn and obey the Word of God, rejecting our own ways or ideas when they come in conflict with God’s ways. We must give serious attention to the men and women of God that He has placed in our lives. We must focus on God and wait quietly for Him. When we see the greatness of God and have our confidence in Him, nothing can shake us. A natural “common sense” approach that does not violate the Word of God may be the correct choice. On the other hand, maybe God has something more radical in mind. We have to quietly wait on Him and discover His salvation whether it be popular or not.

Announcements

We are getting close to having the Joshua Club back in operation. All the courses on the Free Bible Study Lessons site will be PDF format. Joshua Club members will be able to have as many complete courses [not samples] as they desire for only a small monthly fee. New courses will be added and current courses will be converted into workbooks. Workbooks - complete with tests and answer keys - are easier for personal study and may also be used in Christian High Schools or Bible Schools. Plus many of the Reports that are on the FBSL site are having study guides and answer keys developed for them. It will be exciting to have the Joshua Club up and running again for the benefit of all. Watch for further details.

If you have ideas, including report or course suggestions, for either Free Bible Study Lessons or The Joshua Club please e-mail us.

If you operate a web-site, you may link to as many of our pages as you wish.

God bless you,
Glenn Davis
Free Bible Study Lessons