Oaks of Righteousness
Photo: Oak Alley Plantation on Mississippi River near New Orleans.These oaks were planted at Oak Alley in the early 1700’s, which was before the United States became a country. They are almost four hundred years old and are indeed a magnificent example of the glory of God’s creation. God is also glorified by the following prophetic passage in Isaiah where he predicts the planting of God’s people by the LORD:
Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; (2) to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; (3) to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
Jesus began his ministry by quoting from this passage and proclaiming that, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” The planting of the LORD will be called oaks of righteousness seems to indicate that God’s glory will be shown by the redeemed who will make up His Church. Jesus came to bring the good news that, through His blood, He would purchase a people unto Himself. They would be called oaks of righteousness because the LORD would not only save his people, but he would change them from the inside out with the intervention and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. An Angel of the LORD told Joseph, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)
Praise God that His redeemed are like oaks of righteousness and not like willow trees blowing in the wind. The true Church of Jesus Christ still battles indwelling sin, but through their new nature and the indwelling spirit they will overcome and win the battle. Just as there are no willow trees along the rows of Oak Alley, there will be no tares in heaven when God separates the wheat from the tares. When the tares are bound and thrown into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, they will be in hell and not in some kind of free grace purgatory.
posted by jazzycat at 8:27 AM
5 Comments:
Believers do not be deceived. The Bible tells us in Romans 8:31-39:
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
and further......
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Who shall bring any charge against God's elect???????? Certainly not Zane Hodges or his distorted gospel!
December 17, 2007 9:07 AM
I enjoyed this post!
I'm starting now to revisit some of my considerations of back in the early '80's. Back then I looked at God's goals for the salvation experiences, things He stated that were His aims in saving people; even things intended to bring about in His people ON THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE.
1) To conform His people into the image of His Son.
2) That he might dwell in/among His people in a way superior to that way that He did in the Old Covenant - that being in Jerusalem, between the Cheribim in the Holy of Holies section of the Tabernacle/Temple.
3) That His New Covenant dwelling in/among His people, by His Spirit, would bring about a people who would worship Him in Spirit and truth. A people who walk in His ways, being led from within, by the Spirit in concert with His word (the Law of Christ).
The New Covenant was/is to be a witness to all of creation of "the can do's of God" as He displays His ability to takes those once lost, dead slaves of sin and of the devil, and transform them into temples of His Spirit who walk in His ways.
God now dwells within His people; and that will be evident through changed lives. These are the things that are lost when one issolates Justification and brings it alone into view apart from the whole of God's plan for His people.
December 17, 2007 11:09 AM
The promise of the indwelling Spirit is the focal point in so very many scriptures in the Gospels, Acts and the Epistals. We do well to consider these things; that and the fact that if we look at the propecies in the Old Testament of the New Covenant, the language is such that these WILL be accomplished, not merely spoken as possibilties.
December 17, 2007 11:17 AM
The New Covenant is presented as the "I wills" of God, not "I will possibly do".
December 17, 2007 11:21 AM
When Paul told the Corinthians to "examine yourselves" he did so with the full confidence that they would see evidences of God's work within, and so Paul's ministry would be obvious to those who questioned his apostleship, the authenticity of his apostleship is seen in the changed lives of the people.
Keep in mind that Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles; but he also said that he was a minister of the New Covenant. In 2 Cor. 3 he uses New Covenant language in describing the Corintian church - "leters of Christ written by the Sirit on the fleshly tables of the heart".
December 17, 2007 11:32 AM
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