Rev. Roman & Pat Kozak
Pastors of Church in the Park
White Rock, BC
Office Telephone: 778-294-4040
Email: info@churchinthepark.ca
DEVOTIONAL CORNER
Each month Pastor Roman Kozak provides Sunday Line & World Ministries supporters with a short devotional. Pastors Roman and Pat Kozak lead the congregatin of Church in the Park in White Rock, BC. The church holds Sunday Services at 10 am at White Rock Community Centre, 15154 Russell Avenue, White Rock, BC. Church in the Park is affiliated with Sunday Line Communications Society. Pastors Roman and Pat serve as Vice President/Treasurer and Director on the Sunday Line & World Ministries Board.
November 2017
Whom Shall I Send?
Key Scripture: Isaiah 6:8
In the Book of Isaiah, the prophet Isaiah records a vision of the throne room of heaven where he tells us in chapter 6 and verse 5 that he saw the King, the Lord of Hosts. In the vision Isaiah is given a commission to go and speak to his own people: "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Isaiah responds: "Then said I, here am I; send me."
Isaiah 6:9-10 then continues to tell us what happened next: "And he said, go, and tell this people, hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed."
As we read this statement we must ask, who is the voice of the Lord speaking in this verse? It is not Jesus...but it is the Voice of the Holy Spirit. How do we know that it is not Jesus speaking? The apostle Paul affirms that it was the voice of the Holy Spirit in Acts 28:25-26 as he quotes Isaiah's passage by saying: "The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, 'Go to this people and say, you will keep on hearing, but will not understand, and you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive.'"
It would appear that it is the Holy Spirit who is the person of the Godhead who does the sending... declaring "Whom shall I send" - not whom shall WE send - and "Who will go for US". From the Isaiah passage we see that it is the person of the Holy Spirit who did the sending.
Throughout the Old Testament we see that, prior to His incarnation when Jesus appeared to men, He was called "The Angel of The Lord". He appeared to Abraham. He appeared to Jacob and He wrestled with Jacob. He is referred to as "The Angel of the Lord" that brought Israel out of Egypt, however, it is the third person of the Trinity that has the title strictly applicable to Him as "The Voice of The Lord".
Psalm 95:6-10 and Hebrews 3: 7-10 both declare the same message: "O come let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His Hand. Today if you will hear His voice do not harden your heart as your forefathers did in the wilderness."
It was the voice and person of the Holy Spirit that the people had grieved for 40 years and were hardened against. The message given to the Hebrews then is also the message to the world. It is the altar call of salvation which comes from and through the Voice of The Lord. It is the still small Voice of the Lord which draws an unbeliever to Christ as no one can call Jesus "Lord" except through the working of the Holy Spirit.
God works in mysterious ways to accomplish His purposes. But as we know, not everyone is receptive to the Voice of the Lord in the message of salvation, and the biggest reason is that by nature people are just like the Hebrews were - prideful, stubborn and rebellious despite having witnessed God's mighty act of deliverance out of Egypt.
The reason why people refuse to listen to God's call is because the gospel message always challenges man's pride and stubbornness. Pride is sin, and all sin causes a hardening of our heart toward God, which causes us to become less sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Walking in humility and purity of heart causes us to hear God's voice more clearly by being more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way." Psalm 25:9
Through God's Holy Spirit we have constant communion and communication with God. We have not just received the written instructions of God through the Holy Bible, but we also receive instructions directly from the Holy Spirit. He communicates the deep things of God to us. "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." (1 Corinthians 2:9-12)
When we accept Christ and His sacrifice His Spirit resides in us so that we can have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:13-16: "For who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him? But we have the "mind" of Christ."
There are times when the Holy Spirit communicates to us things that are too deep for human language. Fortunately, God gives us the power to become spiritually minded through the Holy Spirit so that Christ's life can be manifested in us and through us.
There are several things that we can count on from the Holy Spirit.
The first thing we can count on when we listen to the Voice of the Lord is that the Holy Spirit will be with us forever: "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." John 14:16-17
The Holy Spirit will be with us forever, in this life, through death, and in the life to come.
Secondly, we also receive wisdom and understanding from the Holy Spirit. We receive counsel, which are words from God, and power, which is faith that comes through hearing God's word. We also receive the knowledge of God, which causes us to have a holy reverent fear of God which helps us to experience the joy of a clean heart before God.
Thirdly, listening to God's voice gives us peace. Isaiah 55:12 "For you will go out with joy, And be led forth with peace."
If you feel that God is speaking a message to you but you are not really sure if it is from God here are some good questions to ask yourself about the message.
- Does it line up with the Bible?
- Does it lead you into a closer relationship with God?
- Does it lead you into expressing love, which is putting God's benefit and the benefit of others before your own benefit?
- Does it lead to a dying of yourself and a greater manifestation of Christ life in you?
- Does it cause greater humility in you, and a greater dependence upon God?
- Does it cause greater love, joy, and peace from God in you?
Once again, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your continued financial support as we send out God's message of love to the needy children in this world.
Blessings and love . . . Pastor Roman & Pat Kozak