Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Isaiah 52:13–15

- The Servant will be exalted because he will act wisely.

- The Servant will appear in the world as one whose “appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness,” and He will also appear as King of all kings.

Isaiah 50:6; 52:14

Matthew 27:28–31; 39–44

- The Servant suffered a humiliating death, mocked and insulted by those who killed him. However, such a death was part of God’s plan to redeem His people, and Jesus understood the importance of His sacrificial Death. Jesus therefore “offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my facefrom mocking and spitting.”

- Acts 2:32 tells us that God has raised Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of this. In Luke 24:51 and Acts 1:9, we are told that Jesus was taken up into the Heaven. And in Acts 2:33 and Philippians 2:9, we see that God exalts Jesus to His right hand and gives Him the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 53:1–3

- The Servant appeared to the people as an average person, someone who was not especially attractive. 

- The people despised and rejected Jesus.

- Jesus Christ had to suffer such a sacrificial death because only His blood could wash away our sins once and for all. And in order to fulfill what has been prophesied, Jesus therefore had to die the way it was foretold.

Isaiah 53:4–6

- Jesus suffered for us. “He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows… he was pierced for our transgressions… he was crushed for our iniquities.”

Psalm 22

- Jesus’ hands and feet were pierced through to hold up his body on the cross. He was “poured out like water” and all of His bones were “out of joint.” Jesus suffered so many beatings and flogging that by the time He was nailed to the cross, His heart had “turned to wax” and “melted away within” Jesus. His strength was all gone, and His tongue stuck to the roof of His mouth. 

- The suffering of Jesus frees us from our sins and brings us peace.

Isaiah 53:4–6

- This provides a good insight into the death of Jesus Christ:

http://www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm?AuthorID=3&contentID=3129&commInfo=8&topic=Crucifixion

Isaiah 53:7–12

Matthew 26:63; 27:12–14

Luke 23:8–9

John 19:8–9

- In Isaiah 53:7, Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would not open his mouth even though He would be oppressed and afflicted, led like a lamb to the slaughter. Matthew 26:63; 27:12–14; Luke 23:8–9 and John 19:8–9 all document how even though the Romans charged Jesus wrongly, Jesus gave no answer. Despite all the wrongful accusations that were brought against Jesus, Jesus “made no reply, not even to a single charge.”

John 1:29, 36; 10:18; 19:11

Acts 2:23

- Jesus did not defend Himself because He knew this was part of God’s set purpose, part of God’s plan to redeem His people. As Isaiah prophesied, “Though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth… yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand.” Jesus thus was not a helpless victim, for He said, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Matthew 27:38

John 19:38–42

- Jesus was “assigned a grave with the wicked” in His death and Matthew 27:38 documents how on the day of the Crucifixion, two robbers were crucified with Jesus, one on His right, and one on His left. Jesus was also assigned a grave “with the rich” in His death, for we see in John 19:38-42, Jesus was buried by His people, in accordance with Jewish burial customs, in a new tomb within a garden. Furthermore, as promised by God, the suffering of Jesus brings about the light of life, and Jesus will be risen as King of kings, to whom all will bow their heads.

- Upon suffering His death, Jesus will see the light of life and be satisfied. Jesus will justify many, and He will bear our iniquities. Because Jesus poured out His life unto death, Jesus took on our sins, transgressions, and iniquities and purified our souls.

- “Justify” means to show something/someone to be right, to be reasonable, or to provide adequate ground for; to absolve from wrong. Hence, when God promised that “my righteous servant will justify many,” God is telling us that the suffering and death of Jesus will cleanse us of our sins.

Luke: Do Not Quit

Sermon on Luke 14:25-35
by Pastor Mark Driscoll
http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/luke




NOTES


- Salvation costs us nothing. Discipleship costs us everything.
- Salvation is a moment. Discipleship is a lifetime.
- Between our Conversion to our Resurrection is our discipleship.


Do we truly want to live a life of discipleship? If so, ARE WE?

- Jesus stresses: If you are a disciple, DO NOT QUIT.



Luke 14:25-27
A disciple's first priority is to follow Jesus.


Our love for Jesus must be on a different level than for all else, a higher level above all else. What is more important? Our devotion to Jesus or to our parents, siblings, children, work, life, etc.? Do not fear and cave into man-issues. Remember God's promises.



Luke 14:28-30
Before we commit to something, do our homework.


Make sure we make a plan. Do not raise our hands unless we are ready to see it to the end. It's better to finish one or two projects than to over-commit to ten projects.

Do not quit.


Otherwise, we would be just like a woman who loves a wedding but hates a marriage. Partying is easy. Saying yes to Jesus' salvation is easy. But 60 years of joyful marriage is hard. A life time's relationship, of discipleship with Jesus, is hard.




THOUGHTS


Why do we give so little to the One who gave us so much? As Christians, why do we so easily give up Jesus over earthly issues? Have we forgotten the Word, have we forgotten God's promises? Life is hard. Following Jesus is hard. But, Jesus walked that life perfectly to show us how we should live as Christians. He sacrificed so much for us. How could we give up so readily just because we meet a bit of resistance? If we have said yes to Jesus' salvation, if we have raised our hands to attend the ultimate wedding party of eternity, then we have begun our journey as Jesus' disciples.


Jesus warns us that this road is not easy.


And why should it be?


There is a spiritual war going on around us. Satan is constantly manipulating our minds and playing to our temptations so that he can steal more souls from God. As Jesus' disciples, if we give up, then Satan has won.


So, when we are at the verge of giving up, think instead of this: Are we ready to give Satan such an easy victory? Why should we give our souls to Satan who has done nothing for us, who has instead done everything he could to make sure we continue to die in our sins?


Following Jesus is hard because Satan and his legion are out there ruthlessly seducing us to sin. But that will soon end.


The Book of Revelation tells us very clearly that Jesus wins. Jesus wins! And when that day comes, following Jesus will be easy. Because the love of Jesus is easy. Because loving Jesus is easy.


So until that day comes, stay strong in fellowship, fellow Christians. Stay strong as Jesus' disciples and DO NOT EVER QUIT. Satan does not deserve such an easy victory!

Jesus' Kingdom is a PARTY!

Luke 14: The Parable of the Banquet


Sermon by Pastor Mark Driscoll
http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/luke

- Throw a party driven by generosity, not by greed: invite the poor, not just friends; be generous with the menu and the guest list!

- Fellowship is when we hang out with fellow Christians. Hospitality is when we invite strangers to join us.

- People come up with lame excuses to not go to the party, as told in Luke 14:18-20


This is Jesus explaining that not every Christian will enter Heaven.


Jesus died on the cross for us so that we may all be able to return to Heaven. Hence, Jesus has extended an invitation to ALL people to enter the greatest party of all times: Feast in Heaven. No matter how rich, how poor, how educated, how unintelligent--as long as we are human, Jesus died for us to offer this great invitation.


In this parable, Jesus says that many accepted His invitation, but on the day of the Feast, many find excuses not to attend. This is a frightening message. Jesus is saying, there are many people who claim to be Christians, who claim to know Christ (those who "accepted" the invitation), yet when the time comes to head for the Feast, not all those Christians will go. Why not? Pastor Mark sums it up as "lame excuses".


It may seem ridiculous how anyone would give up the biggest feast/party of the world over lame excuses, but it's not that hard to imagine how it happens. We may get caught up with our lives and neglect our growth as Christians. We may say to ourselves, I'm working hard for a promotion right now, so I don't have time for Jesus. Or, I need to cram for this very important exam; Jesus can wait. Or, I'm still single and want to enjoy all the fun while I can. This is my selfish time. Leave me alone for now.


Jesus has told us that only the Father knows the exact time that Jesus will return for His people. And if we want to be caught up with Jesus to Heaven, then we must be diligent Christians and continuously grow with our faith. Jesus also told us not to be tied down by worldly desires, because those who are will miss the entrance to Heaven. And so, no matter how important we may think of getting that promotion, or passing that exam, or getting that car/house/yacht/etc., continuing to culture our faith in Jesus must remain our top priority.


The parable of the banquet, along with the parable of the ten virgins, are not a warning for the non-Christians. It is a warning to the Christians, to remind us that if we let our faith wither, we will not be ready when Jesus returns.


As Pastor Mark said, choosing to become a Christian is not a one-time decision. It's a lifetime pursuit. It's not just a decision. It's a decision that leads to a lifestyle.

And in closing, Pastor Mark asks us, are you walking toward the party or waiting for the party to come to you?


And my thought is, if we are just waiting for the party to come to us, we will for sure miss it, because we know not the time. And so, we must remain diligent and continue to walk and grow as Christians.

Isaiah 50:1–52:12

Isaiah 50:1–5

- Israel was sent into captivity because God was punishing Israel for its disobedience and pride.

- The Servant is Jesus Christ, the Messiah and the Son of the Sovereign Lord.

- The Lord is able to give us strength, “to know the word that sustains the weary.” Hence, it is important to give time each day to receive the Word of God. His Word will awaken our ears and open our eyes, so that we would be open to the teachings of the Lord and will not lose our Way.

Luke 2:40–52

- During the Feast of the Passover when Jesus was 12 years old, Jesus was found teaching the people in the temple courts of Jerusalem. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” To which Jesus responded, “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Jesus’ parents couldn’t understand what Jesus meant by that, but today, we know that Jesus is the Son of God, and that at that God had called upon Jesus to do His will.

Luke 4:14–21

- Jesus, with the Spirit of the Lord, preached the good news throughout Galilee and Nazareth. In Nazareth, Jesus read the scroll of Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” He then looked at the people and said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” This shows that blessed by the Lord, Jesus is the anointed Messiah, the one who would bring good news and great healing to the people by serving His people.

Matthew 11:28–30

- Jesus told the people who are weary and burdened to seek Him, for He can provide rest for our souls.

Matthew 14:23

Mark 1:35

- Just as we are servants of God and pray for His guidance, Jesus also prayed, and many times in solitude, to communicate with and to receive guidance from God.

John 12:49–50

- Jesus acts in accord with the will of God, the Father. Everything that Jesus has said and done is all done according to the guidance of God.

Isaiah 50:6–11

- As mentioned in Isaiah, Jesus talked about offering His back to those who beat Him, His cheeks to those who pulled out His beard, how He did not hide from mocking nor spitting. And with the Lord’s help, Jesus knew He would not be disgraced. Jesus knew God would vindicate Him and therefore asks those who challenge Him to face Him in person. Jesus knew with the support of God, no one will be able to condemn Him, and such people will wear away. Jesus therefore trusts and relies on the Lord and instructs us to do the same. 

Comparably, in Matthew 27:30–31, the people “spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again” before they took him away to crucify him.

In Luke 9:51, Jesus knew if He were to set foot in Jerusalem, He would be captured and killed. However, Jesus still went to Jerusalem, because He knew it was part of God’s plan for His return to Heaven and to provide man’s salvation. And as God’s servant, He therefore resolutely marched forward to His death.

Both Romans 8:33–34 and Acts 2:23 explain that God is our ultimate Judge, and He knew wicked men would crucify Jesus. However, this was part of God’s plan to redeem His children who remain loyal and faithful to Him, for it is only with Jesus’ blood that God can wash away our sins and grant us redemption.

- Those who fear the Lord will walk in the light and rely on the Lord. Those who walk in the dark and aggravate others, they will die in torment.

Isaiah 51:1–16

- To those who obey God to pursue righteousness, God first reminded them of how Abraham and Sarah started out as one and how He blessed them to father nations of nations. God then promised them that He will bring comfort to Zion and show compassion. The Lord will make the deserts like Eden and the wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will once again be found in Zion, with thanksgiving and singing. The Lord’s justice will be a light to the nations, bringing forth righteousness and salvation. God’s salvation will last forever; His righteousness will never fail.

- As we await for God’s deliverance of His justice, righteousness, and salvation, we should take comfort in knowing that the Lord is our Maker, who created the heavens and the earth. No matter what our circumstances are, we need not fear sons of men, for in comparison to God, they are nothing but grass.

Isaiah 51:17–52:12

- Jerusalem drank from the cup of the Lord’s wrath and thus had no sons to guide nor to support its way. Jerusalem rotted in ruin and destruction, famine and war, with no one to comfort or to support it. The descendent's of Jerusalem all fail, for they were all filled with the wrath and the rebuke of the Lord.

- God then intervened and removed the cup from the hands of Jerusalem to defend His people and promised them that they will never drink from that cup again. Instead, God will have Jerusalem’s enemies drink from that same cup, enemies who tormented Jerusalem and walked all over Jerusalem.

- God therefore encouraged Jerusalem with strength and glory and promised it will never be overtaken by its enemies. The people of Jerusalem will once again know the Lord, and God will take them out of captivity.

- It has been said, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14–15)

In saying this, Paul is telling us that we need to call on God (either for help or to just praise the Lord), to believe in Him, to hear the Gospel (the Good News!), and then preach the Gospel to others.

We should thus learn from the mistakes of the Israelites and realize that if we are to fear anyone or anything, we ought to fear only God, for He is our Maker, and there is none greater than He. God’s arms are open, encouraging us to take shelter under His righteousness and justice so that we may overcome the temptations of Satan.

The very basis of salvation is for us to realize just how imperfect we are. We may be “very nice people,” but this doesn’t—and will never—make up for the fact that we all falter one time or another. To not admit our imperfections, to only cite the things we are good at, that is pride. And pride, in itself, can be said to be the sin of all sins.

Once we make this realization, we can then fully understand the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He was a PERFECT man. And therefore, only His blood could wash away our sins. We can try as hard as we want to, to be good, to be nice! But no matter how hard we try, there is no way we can ever wash away the sins we have committed or the sins we will commit. The ultimate goal is for us to return to Heaven, to be with God, our Father! And therefore, it is not about being “good;” it is about becoming CLEAN, so that we can once again be in God’s presence! And how can we become clean? With Jesus Christ’s blood. And only with His blood, the blood of the Lamb.

And so, what Paul emphasizes is that before we can call on the Lord for help and salvation, we must first believe in Christ and the salvation that He offers. For if we do not believe in Him, why should we then believe that Christ will save us?

And for us to believe, we must first hear of Christ and of the Good News He brings. And thus, to those who bring such Good News (for example, preachers and missionaries), “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news!”

The greatest tragedy would be those who hear the Gospel reject it, and we see how this happened to the Israelites, and we see how they suffered from their decision, and how they are still suffering. Turn to the Lord and seek His shelter, and let us not repeat Israel’s fate!

Luke: Humility or Humiliation

Luke 14:7-11


Pastor Mark Driscoll discussed Luke 14:7-11 this morning, and the main message from this passage can be summed up as, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11).


We have only two paths to live. We either start out humble and have God exalt us or start out proud and be humiliated. Pastor Mark gave an example that really stuck with me: "Jesus has no problem with us sitting at high places. But the question is, did we take it by force (show of prideful sin) or was it given to us (exalted by God)?"


The whole sermon can be accessed here:
http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/luke

Isaiah 49

Foreword:
Upon starting Isaiah 50, I realized that the relationship between "the Servant" and "the Master" holds a much deeper meaning than I had originally understood it to be. I did a quick search and found this commentary, which I found to be much more insightful than my current understanding:
http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/2349.htm


I share still my original thoughts below, but please read on knowing that it was a very crude understanding of the text, which requires far more learning.


Isaiah 49:1–6.

- Israel is the Lord’s servant, and the Lord calls on His servant to display His splendor, to restore Israel, to return to God. Israel will be saved and protected by the Lord, and Israel will also be a light for the Gentiles, so that salvation may be offered to the entire world.

Isaiah 49:7–13

Jeremiah 31:31–34

Ezekiel 36:35–37

Luke 22:20

2 Corinthians 3:6

Hebrews 8:6–12

- The new covenant is made with Israel, and it is not like any other covenant made before, the covenant that was broken by the people of Israel. This new covenant will restore Israel and will be known to the entire world, not just to the Israelites.

- Non-Israelites are the Gentiles, and through this new covenant, the Gentiles are now granted salvation as well. That is, God’s love extends to all the people in the world.

- Israel will be blessed, through this new covenant, with God’s salvation. God will protect the Israelites and restore their land. Famine will end, and the people will no longer hunger nor thirst. God will show compassion and guide them through all difficulties.

Isaiah 49:14–21

- Israel said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” Israel would mutter such despair because it has been defeated and left desolate by their enemies. Their enemies showed no mercy and struck them down. Under such a massive attack, the Israelites cannot help but wonder if God has left them.

- However, God did not forget Israel. In response to Israel’s desperate cry, God reminded the Israelites that He will never forget them. In fact, God will bless them with a great number of descendants, to restore glory once again to Israel.

Isaiah 49:22–26

- When Jesus Christ returns, He will be the King of all Christians and the world, ruling for a thousand years in the city of Jerusalem. Israel will be restored to reflect the full glory of God (Revelation 20-21).

The nation of Israel has already been restored.

Today, Israel, is in fact, acknowledged as an independent nation. Hence, by definition, the broken and defeated Israel of Isaiah’s prophesy has been restored.

After World War II, the State of Israel was declared in 1948. And so, in name, the nation of Israel was restored. Between then and 1967, Israel continued to rebuild, and during the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel defeated a number of neighboring nations. At the end of this war, Israel’s territory expanded immensively and proved to all nations that Israel is a strong and formidable military power in the region that can threaten Damascus, Cairo, and Amman. The most important thing is, Israel obtained full control of Jerusalem, which is still its capitol city to this day.

Isaiah 46-48

Isaiah 46

- The relationship of the Babylonians and their false gods are “burdensome, a burden for the weary,” because these idols cannot rescue them from the burdens of their lives, and as prophesied, these idols “go off into captivity” because of their inability to save anyone, even themselves. “Though one cries out to it, it does not answer; it cannot save him from his troubles.”

In contrast, the relationship between Israel and God is encouraging and everlasting, because as God said, “I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs. I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

One, idols and false gods have never uttered such powerful promises. Two, God’s promises have been kept throughout time, which is why the Israelites can be certain that the words above aren’t just words. They are promises that God will fulfill. That is, God will sustain and rescue the Israelites.

- God admonishes Israel for being stubborn-hearted and for being far away from righteousness. However, God promises Israel the return of righteousness and salvation.

- The truth about God is that God is the one and only, “There is none like me.” God has revealed what is to come right from the start, and His purpose will be as He has decided. God will bring about righteousness and salvation to Israel.

Isaiah 47

- The people of Babylon will fall and be without a ruler. Their evil deeds will be exposed, and God will not spare any one of them.

- God will bring vengeance upon Babylon because the Babylonians showed God’s people no mercy. God punished the Israelites for their disobedience by delivering them into the hands of the Babylonians. Babylonians took advantage of it and spared no one, not even the aged. Furthermore, instead of recognizing the power of the Lord, the Babylonians declared that it will rule the earth for eternity. They boasted without giving any thought to the consequences of such prideful behavior.

- Babylon claimed that “I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children. No one sees me.” However, God sees them and punished them for their pride, and Babylon lost children and experienced widowhood all in a day.

- God foretold the Babylonians that “Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom.” Hence, when God’s judgment comes, no one can escape it, and there is nothing they can do to escape it. It is thus better to heed God’s warnings and never forget that God made us, God can also destroy us.

- According to Daniel 5, the vision revealed to Daniel by God was that God gave Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty, greatness, glory, and splendor. However, instead of remaining a humble servant of the Lord, Nebuchadnezzar became arrogant, and his heart hardened with pride. And so, such greatness was stripped from him by the Lord until he confessed that his success was built upon the glory of the Lord. Once he acknowledged the glory of God, Nebuchadnezzar once again returned to greatness.

Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar’s son and king of the Babylonians, did not learn from his father’s mistake. Despite knowing about what his father had lived through and the lessons he learned, Belshazzar continued on proudly and marched forward, opposing God. He disrespected all things of the Lord and chose to worship idols of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. And as prophesized by Daniel (Daniel 5:25-30), Belshazzar was killed and lost his kingdom.

Isaiah 48:1–11

- The Israelites come from a noble blood line, from Abraham to Jacob to David. And though they proclaim themselves citizens of Jerusalem, the holy city, they remained stubborn and could not see that they have strayed far away from the Lord, as it has been said, the Israelites “take oaths in the name of the Lord… but not in truth or righteousness.”

- God knew how stubborn the Israelites are for He prophesied about these events long before they happened. And when the Israelites continued down the wrong path despite warnings from God, God therefore chose to tell them about things that were not previously foretold.

- God has chosen to delay His wrath on the Israelites because He has promised a covenant with Israel and will not break such a promise. He therefore has delayed His wrath so that in the end, 144,000 Israelites can be saved (Revelation), along with the covenant.

Isaiah 48:12–22

- God often says, “I am the first and I am the last.” God made the Earth and Heaven and all the living creatures. He repeats this often especially to the Israelites to remind them that human pride measures up to nothing when compared to the greatness of God. That is, all the greatness that the Israelites are so proud of would amount to nothing if God hadn’t been there at the beginning to help them. God is also at the end to judge, and so if the Israelites continue stubbornly to discredit God, then all the success they have accumulated would also be diminished to nothing when they meet God on Judgment Day.

- God clearly tells Israel that the Lord is her God, a God who has always been open about His plans and has never spoken in secret. He is a God who teaches what is best, who directs where she should go. If Israel had listened to God’s Word, her peace would have flowed continuously like a river, her righteousness as strong and powerful as the waves of the sea. If Israel had followed God’s Way, no descendant would have been cut off, no descendant would have been destroyed; her children would have grown infinitely.

The Israelites should rejoice in how the Lord has redeemed Jacob and his descendents and remember that God quenched their thirst while they were being led through the deserts. Despite the hardships the people have had to endure to reach safety, God has always been there to provide for them, to provide food and water for not just the body but for the spirit as well.

-  In Isaiah 48, the most important verse for me is, “‘There is no peace,’ says the LORD, ‘for the wicked.’” This stresses that until we return to God’s side, we will never be at peace.

It is important to remember that Hell is the absence of God. Wicked thus means straying away from God and becoming easier to be seduced by Satan.

We may fret about things in life, from what clothes/cars/houses/boats/stocks/etc to buy to how to increase one’s own social status. Such are the earthly things that Jesus warned us not to get attached to, for becoming attached to such materialistic things is following the master of money/power (one of the forms of Satan’s seducing ploys). For it has been said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24).

Peace, therefore, has at least two levels of meaning.

In terms of the battle for human souls between God and Satan, God will bring peace to the souls who chose to return to Him because God has made a promise to protect all those who willingly live in the glory of God. Satan, on the other will never bring peace. By definition, he fell from Heaven because he chose to rage war against God. Satan stands for exactly the opposite of God’s will, and to those who side with Satan, they will thus share the fate of war and hate.

In terms of peace in the sense of peace for our internal soul, following God’s Way will allow us to realize that there is no need to fret over materialistic means of our earthly world. The two most important commandments are 1) to love God, our Lord, and 2) to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:28-31). And as long as we try to follow these two commandments to the best of our abilities, we will be walking the Way of the Lord, and there will be a sense of peace settling in our souls. Even if we lived on the streets with no shelter over our heads, we could still feel like the richest people in the world, because we would be blessed with God’s promise of a great Kingdom to come (Matthew 19:16-30).

Hence, “There is no peace for the wicked.”

If we fall away from God, we inch closer to Satan, and there will be no peace for our souls. If we hold on to earthly values and things, we stray away from God, and there will also be no peace for our souls. Only when our mind, body, and soul all are one with God would we then be in perfect harmony with God’s will. And when we are one with the Lord, we need not worry about simple things such as food, clothes, and shelters—For God is all powerful, has He not fed thousands of men with just a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish? And when we are one with the Lord, we need not worry about humanly power and social status—For God is the beginning and the end, how does humanly power and social status even compare to the glory that God has planned for us as heirs to His Kingdom?