THE BLESSED OUTCOME
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
Trees of Righteousness, the Planting of the Lord. The children of God are known for strength. They are strong in the strength of their Father’s might. They are firmly rooted and grounded. They are not moved away from the hope of the gospel or from obtaining their inheritance. They are trees! But not just any trees. They are trees of righteousness. They live unto God though their environment is cursed. They are productive. They bear the fruit of righteousness and do the work of the kingdom. Their existence and stability is actually contrary to their environment as perceived in the world but in accord with the spiritual environment that they have entered.
The power behind their efforts and stability is God Himself who ministers nourishment to them. And His benefits to them add to their strength. In fact, they go from strength to strength. The blessings spoken of in Isaiah 61 have utility toward the saving of the soul. The beauty exchanged for ashes enables them to adorn the doctrine of Christ. They aren’t governed by a list of rules but with the liberty wherewith Christ has set them free they find opportunity to adorn the gospel of Christ. As the psalmist has said, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning; Thou hast the dew of Thy youth" (Ps 110:3).
The power behind their efforts and stability is God Himself who ministers nourishment to them. And His benefits to them add to their strength. In fact, they go from strength to strength. The blessings spoken of in Isaiah 61 have utility toward the saving of the soul. The beauty exchanged for ashes enables them to adorn the doctrine of Christ. They aren’t governed by a list of rules but with the liberty wherewith Christ has set them free they find opportunity to adorn the gospel of Christ. As the psalmist has said, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning; Thou hast the dew of Thy youth" (Ps 110:3).
Though those the saints of God must endure much suffering and affliction they are covered with a garment of praise in exchange for their spirit of heaviness. While in the prison house they can sing "praises unto God" (Acts 16:25). And after being persecuted they can praise the Lord for being "counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:41).
Finally, the oil of joy flows over their mourning and becomes the strength of the people (Neh 8:10). They will make their pilgrimage from the enemies land to their home all the while singing with everlasting joy upon their heads (Isa 35:10; 51:11).
Their existence; the fact that they are overcoming the world is evidence of a Divine work being accomplished in them. They are strong but the strength is from the Lord. They are righteous! And their righteousness is not of them but of the Lord. The result of all of this is that God is glorified.
God is Glorified. All of heaven is engaged in expressions of glory to God. All of salvation is unto Him. Everyone present in the world to come is there because of God’s mercy, wisdom, grace, blessing, and goodness. The 144,000 know it. The great multitude of all the nations and kindreds and people and tongues know it. The angels and the elders and the four beasts know it.
“Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb…Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.” (Revelation 7:9-12)
Mourning Will Come but So Will Comfort. The way to endure hardship & heartache is not avoidance. It is not just pretending that everything is okay and staying “positive.” There is a time to mourn and blessed are they that mourn. Hardship is hard. Heartache aches. But these things are also productive. They are working for you are far greater and eternal weight in glory. The way to endure this world is to look for the world to come and partake of the abundance and overflow that has graciously been afforded to us by Christ. The day of acceptance is here. The day of salvation has dawned and high noon is coming.
Hope against hope! Believe to the end! Look unto Jesus, your Forerunner who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death but is now crowned with glory and honor and made higher than the heavens. Look to Him and see the fulness of your blessed appointment. For if you suffer with Him, you shall also reign with Him.
Hope against hope! Believe to the end! Look unto Jesus, your Forerunner who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death but is now crowned with glory and honor and made higher than the heavens. Look to Him and see the fulness of your blessed appointment. For if you suffer with Him, you shall also reign with Him.
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