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3-19-2023 Sunday Sermon Message

Meditations of the Week: Psalm 91:1-16

Text: Isaiah 51:4-6

Speech title: God who regenerates man and earth

         Through the prophet Isaiah, God spoke to the Israelites who would inherit the land in the future and become the priestly nation:

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished. (Isaiah 51:6 KJV)

         The Apostle Paul testified of this to the Hebrews:

And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. (Hebrews 1:10-12 KJV)

        Ever since Satan brought sin, death, and the curse into the world, people who were created in God’s image and likeness became cursed in spirit, soul, and body. The perfect body became a mortal body that would age and die, the spirit died because God’s breath of life was removed, and the living souls lost salvation by being cut off from God. Not only that, but the earth was also cursed to wither away:

¶ And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. (Genesis 3:17-19 KJV)

         However, since it was His purpose to send His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus, to destroy the devil, God planned to restore man and the earth He created to their original appearance. The apostle Paul and the apostle John testified about God’s purpose of destroying the devil and the works of the devil through his only begotten Son, Christ Jesus:

¶ Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:14-15 KJV) He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8 KJV)

        Regarding this, the Bible says about the work of restoring a person, “the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” Regarding the work of renewing the cursed land due to man’s sins, the Bible calls it (Regeneration). In other words, God renews both man and the earth.

          Apostle Paul testified of the renewing of man:

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, (Titus 2:3-7 KJV)

        When Jesus spoke to his disciples who followed him, he promised them the reward they would receive in the coming “regeneration” of the earth:

Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:27-28 KJV)

         The Millennial Kingdom of Christ is when God renews the earth, the rebirth. The reward you will receive then will be sovereignty. After speaking to them, Jesus also spoke of rewards for those who were not his disciples:

And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. (Matthew 19:29-30 KJV)

          The apostle Paul sent a message of consolation to the saints in Rome who were in great distress:

¶ And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:17-18 KJV)

       He also testified of the glory that all creation, which currently suffers together because of man’s sins, will share in the regeneration where Christ Jesus reigns:

For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:19-23 KJV)

         The children of God, whose spirits and souls have been restored to the image of God through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit by believing in the blood of Christ Jesus, are living in hope of the day of Christ, that is, the day of the rapture, when even their bodies are renewed. Only when you take off your mortal body and put on an immortal and incorruptible body will your spirit, soul, and body be restored to the image of God, as you will enjoy the blessing of being adopted as God’s adopted children.

        The apostle Paul testified a message of hope to Christians who were willing to have this hope:

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. ¶ Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ¶ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8:24-30 KJV)

Amen! Hallelujah!