The Generations

Isaiah 41:4 (ESV Strong's)

Who has performed and done this,

calling the generations from the beginning?

I, the LORD, the first,

and with the last; I am he.

The generations of the Lord are His people we have come to know as Israel, who trace their ancestry through their fathers. This gives them the context of who they are in life. They serve the one God Almighty by bringing His word into the world. 

The sons of God have one Father from above. We are the single generation of those who are in the kingdom of heaven. This is the context of who we are in the life of the Lord. We serve the one God by joining our lives with His word and worship in the Spirit. 

The last work of the Lord in creation is man made in the image of God. We first begin in the flesh of man, then enter the body of Christ, and are made in the exact image of God in creation who is Christ Jesus. 

Shall Renew Their Strength

Isaiah 40:30-31 (ESV Strong's)

30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,

and young men shall fall exhausted;

31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint.

The life of man is brief and troubled, destined to weary and fade away. But those who receive the life of the Lord will renew their strength with the abundance and blessings of heaven. 

They will rise up from the grave and receive new bodies to match their eternal spirits made alive in Christ. 

My Soul Delights

Isaiah 42:1 (ESV Strong's)

Behold my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights;

I have put my Spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations.

Israel was the first son who was bear the fruit of God into all the world. 

Jesus is the second Adam who brought the fruit of the Holy Spirit and delights the Father. 

The Hebrew word for “delights”, or rasa, refers specifically  to satisfying a debt. (Olive Tree Enhanced Strong’s Dictionary)

Not One Is Missing

Isaiah 40:26 (ESV Strong's)

Lift up your eyes on high and see:

who created these?

He who brings out their host by number,

calling them all by name;

by the greatness of his might

and because he is strong in power,

not one is missing.

There will be a multitude without number who will stand before the His throne who will sing of praise and glory to His name. 

Not one who comes to the Lord will be missing. Make every effort to finish strong in race before us. Persevere in the faith that brings salvation. 

To Dwell In

Isaiah 40:22 (ESV Strong's)

It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,

and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;

who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,

and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;

Creation is but a tent for the Lord. He has taken the form of man to establish His kingdom on earth. 

The Lord is Spirit who puts on creation as a garment. Those made alive by His Spirit put on the righteousness of Christ as a garment. When we see Him face to face, we will be like Him. 

What Likeness

Isaiah 40:18 (ESV Strong's)

To whom then will you liken God,

or what likeness compare with him?

Man cannot create a likeness of God, for He is living and Spirit. A likeness is only possible through the Spirit of God. By Him came Christ, the Son of Man. By Him, we come as sons of God made in His likeness. Heaven and earth are joined together and we will be like Him. 

Nothing And Emptiness

Isaiah 40:17 (ESV Strong's)

All the nations are as nothing before him,

they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

In the beginning the earth was without form and void. The light of the Lord would come to bring light and life into the darkness of man. He would then separate the light from the darkness and reveal a people who are no longer empty, but shaped in the body of Christ. 

He Will Carry Them

Isaiah 40:10-11 (ESV Strong's)

Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might,

and his arm rules for him;

behold, his reward is with him,

and his recompense before him.

He will tend his flock like a shepherd;

he will gather the lambs in his arms;

he will carry them in his bosom,

and gently lead those that are with young.

Jesus came to shepherd the lost, first to Israel, then to the world. They become as children in the kingdom of heaven. He leads them to where He is staying which is the life of God. 

All Flesh Is Grass

Isaiah 40:6-8 (ESV Strong's)

6 A voice says, “Cry!”

And I said, “What shall I cry?”

All flesh is grass,

and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.

7 The grass withers, the flower fades

when the breath of the LORD blows on it;

surely the people are grass.

8 The grass withers, the flower fades,

but the word of our God will stand forever.

The flesh of man will wither and fade unless the word of God gives it life that will stand forever. That life will never end and its beauty will shine like the morning star. 

Such People

John 4:23-24 (ESV Strong's)

23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The Spirit of God hovered over the beginning of man made in His image. He overshadowed Mary and took our image for Himself. When we accept the Spirit for our own, we enter the body of Christ and are made in His image. We will reach the perfection of His image when we see Him face to face. 

We Had To Know

We had to know the law before we could choose to fulfill the law. We had to know we could not fulfill the law before the need for Christ could be established. We had to know Christ before we could be made in His image. 

That is why both the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the garden. This allows for the separation of light and darkness. 

The word was spoken to prepare us for the word taking flesh so the word might dwell in our flesh through the Holy Spirit. We have partaken in the tree on the knowledge of good and evil. If we persevere in the faith and overcome the world, we will at last eat from the tree of life. 

Mercy Triumphs

James 2:12-13 (ESV Strong's)

12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

We will be judged according to the law of liberty. Mercy is the foundation of this law. Showing mercy is a sign of fully receiving the mercy of Christ. 

We are to forgive others as we have been forgiven. We share in the mercy have received, that changes our life accordingly. 

Boasts Of Great Things

James 3:5 (ESV Strong's)

So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!

A natural man may speak and boast of many things, but those in the body of Christ will boast of their Lord and Savior. 

Their words have become the word of God, who is our Father in heaven. 

Humble Yourselves

James 4:8-10 (ESV Strong's)

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

The light of the world reveals the nakedness of man. We may attempt to cover our shame and hide from the presence of the Lord as did Adam and Eve, but nothing will remain hidden. 

The Lord offers to clothe us with the righteousness of Christ. Our mourning will turn to joy in the brilliance of the morning star whose light we share. Let us humble ourselves as the children of the light we’ve become in His presence. 

Stand Forever

Isaiah 40:8 (ESV Strong's)

The grass withers, the flower fades,

but the word of our God will stand forever.

The life of man is fleeting, but those who through the word enter the body of Christ will stand forever. 

Faith By Itself

James 2:17 (ESV Strong's)

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

True faith will reveal itself. The fruit of the Spirit will appear on the branch which is truly attached to the vine of life, who is Christ. 

A Sondial

James 1:17 (ESV Strong's)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

The light of the world cannot be tracked by a moving shadow on a sundial because with God there is no variation or change. 

The heart of man becomes a Sondial for the light of the world which brings change to the receiving heart. The light causes one to be made in the image of God. 

Earthen Pots

Isaiah 45:9-10 (ESV Strong's)

9 “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him,

a pot among earthen pots!

Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’

or ‘Your work has no handles’?

10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’

or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’”

We are earthen ware made from the dust of the earth. Without God we are empty vessels capable of being filled His light and life. We are made for His use and pleasure. To realize this will bring untold joy and the riches of heaven. Our cups will fill to overflowing. 

Who Remains Steadfast

James 1:12 (ESV Strong's)

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Being attached to the vine of life is the way of salvation, but eating from the tree of life is reserved for the ones who overcome the world. 

Without Breath

James 2:26 (ESV Strong's)

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

A body that does not breathe is not alive. Life is indicated by activity and movement. Faith without the activity and movement that signifies the Holy Spirit, the breath of the life of God, indicates the life of God is not present. 

To Open Doors

Isaiah 45:1 (ESV Strong's)

Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus,

whose right hand I have grasped,

to subdue nations before him

and to loose the belts of kings,

to open doors before him

that gates may not be closed:

God uses all sorts of people to accomplish His will. Cyrus to restore the Jews, Paul to spread the gospel, and even Satan to provide mankind the choice between light and darkness that is used to gather those who would choose Him for love and life. 

He uses all things that the children of light might find their way to His love and life. 

The Children Of Light

God chose Israel to bring the light and word of God into the world, who eventually took the flesh of Jesus Christ. He made the way for man the receive the Spirit of God. He then takes our image of all who come to Him and molds us into His image. 

The word spoken in the beginning, “Let there be light,” is fulfilled in the incorruptible flesh of the children of the light. It is there God will rest, in the New Jerusalem- the Bride of Christ. 

Because

First came God who is being from everlasting to everlasting. He is present before and outside creation, and every moment within creation. His essence of timeless being is expressed in the name “I AM” He revealed to Moses. 

He was the cause of creation through His word spoken in the beginning. The word rose from the life and being of God and was manifest in creation as the image of God who is Christ Jesus. 

“Just because” may be a profound answer for why we are here and why we believe. 

All These Things

Isaiah 45:7 (ESV Strong's)

I form light and create darkness,

I make well-being and create calamity,

I am the LORD, who does all these things.

The light has always existed because the Lord is light. Darkness is a characteristic of creation, apart from God. Calamity did not exist before the creation of heaven and earth. 

Why would the Lord do this? To create the body of Christ through a new creation in the image of our Lord, fashioned out of our flesh and the light of the Lord. Our flesh is made one with the Trinity of the one God, entering His eternal life and fellowship. 

We put on the righteousness of Christ and He takes the flesh of man to join heaven and earth before His work is done and His word fulfilled. 

The Impossible

How is it that the infinite can commune with the finite?

Jesus. 

The True Word

1 Corinthians 1:18

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

There is one word, but two ways to take it. Both have eternal consequences, though with different outcomes. There is truth in the world that was embodied by Jesus. There is truth in the world by those embodied by the Spirit of truth. It shapes us into the image of God. 

The word of the cross is the same today as yesterday, and will never change. The grass withers and the flower will fade, but the word of the Lord endures forever. 

Your Offspring

1 Chronicles 17:11-14 (ESV Strong's)

11 When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, 14 but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.’”

The offspring is Jesus. The house He built is the temple raised in three days with His resurrection. His house is in the hearts of the body of Christ. There will be His throne forever. 

Without Which

Hebrews 12:14 (NASB Strong's)

Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

Sanctification is the the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives in concert with our receptivity and obedience to His leading. It is an ongoing way of life in Christ as we strive to be made in His image. We are a new creation in Christ and the transformation takes place during our time on earth with the presence and revelation of the Holy Spirit. 

He will take us to the Lord if we are willing to go. 

God Is

God is life beyond our comprehension, our Creator outside of creation. He becomes our Father. 

Jesus is God with us in our flesh, manifest in creation, the word of God given that we might know Him and be united with Him as the Bride of Christ. 

The Holy Spirit is God in us, the author and presence of our salvation. He unites us as one, as Father and son. 

Kingdom Of Heaven

We walk towards the kingdom of heaven, even as the kingdom of heaven is within us. We meet in the middle, for He is always with us, even unto the end. 

A House

1 Chronicles 17:11-14 (ESV Strong's)

11 When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, 14 but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.’”

The offspring is Jesus. The house He built is the temple raised in three days with His resurrection. His house is in the hearts of the body of Christ. There will be His throne forever.