Category Archives: Messiah

Person walking towards a wooden cross on a hill at sunset with mountains in background
Bible, Gospel, Isaiah, Messages, Messenger, Messiah, Romans, Scripture

THE MYSTERY OF THE MESSAGE

ROMANS 15:21

“but just as it is written: ‘THEY WHO HAVE NOT BEEN TOLD ABOUT HIM WILL SEE, AND THEY WHO HAVE NOT HEARD WILL UNDERSTAND.’”

Okay, be honest. How is today’s verse even possible? They will see what they have not been told about and will undertand what they have not heard about? Really? How is that even possible? Have you not heard about the dreams and visions that have been happening around the world where unbelievers are coming to Christ after seeing Him in a dream? It is happening a lot in the Muslim world, but it is not limited to that. God can speak in ways we cannot even begin to comprehend.

Paul is quoting (not exactly) Isaiah 52:15 which says, “So He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what they had not been told, they will see, and what they had not heard, they will understand.” You really need to read the preceding two verses in Isaiah 52. “13 Behold, My Servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. 14 Just as many were appalled at you, My people, So His appearance was marred beyond that of a man, and His form beyond the sons of mankind.”

APPLICATION

Who does that remind you of? That’s right! The crucified Christ. Jesus came to “sprinkle” many nations with the blood of the perfect Lamb of God. Through that all men may be saved. But don’t they have to hear? Paul even says back in Romans 10:14, “How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?” Paul is not contradicting himself. He knows God is able to do great and mighty things well beyond his comprehension.

One of the concerns I have today among some followers of Christ is they try to put God in a box. You have to say the magic words to be saved. God only chooses certain people. God requires us to do this or do that. Don’t limit the Almighty God. Remember the context of this verse. Paul is making sure everyone knows that he is not responsible for anything he has accomplished. He is just a vessel who has been willing to be used.

Have you written certain people off of ever being saved? We have probably all done that at some point in our lives. We hear of the death of someone we knew as an unbeliever and we automatically assume they are now lost for eternity. We don’t know what happened in those last minutes of their lives. There have been a lot of deathbed confessions. Just do your part to usher in as many as you can while you have breath. God will take care of the rest.

Lord, use me to do Your will however You choose.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Small green plant growing from center of old tree stump in forest
Bible, Hope, Isaiah, Messiah, Romans, Scripture

THE ROOT OF JESSE

ROMANS 15:12

“Again Isaiah says, ‘THERE SHALL COME THE ROOT OF JESSE, AND HE WHO ARISES TO RULE OVER THE GENTILES, IN HIM WILL THE GENTILES HOPE.’”

One thing I have learned about removing invasive plants is you must remove the root. Just snipping off the top won’t work. And if you want to transplant a tree or plant, you need to dig down deep enough to include the root. A tree or plant without a root won’t survive. Alright, that’s my gardening tip for the day.

Paul quotes from the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 11:1 says, “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.” And then Isaiah 11:10 reads, “Then on that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal flag for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious.” Who is this “root of Jesse”? Of course, it is Jesus, the Messiah. He rules over all and in Him there is hope.

APPLICATION

Jesse was the father of David. The people recognized Jesus as coming from the line of Judah which ran through Jesse and David. In Matthew 15:22, a Canaanite woman gave Jesus the title Son of David. “And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely demon-possessed.’”

In Luke 18:39, blind Bartimaeus uses the same title. “And he called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’” In fact, Jesus is called the “Son of David” seventeen times in the New Testament. Why is this significant? We have to go back to 
2 Samuel 7:12. This is the story of when Nathan, the prophet, delivers God’s message concerning building the temple to David. David was not allowed to build it, but God told him, “When your days are finished and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from you, and I will establish his kingdom.” Jesus was the fulfillment of that prophecy through Jesse and David. He was indeed the “Root of Jesse.”

What is your legacy? David was told his legacy was not in his son, Solomon, or any of his other sons. His legacy would be the Messiah. I know my children and my grandchildren are a part of my legacy. I also know, if the Lord tarries His return, my future descendants will be my legacy. My prayer is that the Christian foundation I have attempted to lay will stand the test of time. There is no greater legacy than to see you children, grandchildren and great grandchildren follow Jesus. Do your part by laying the foundation.

I am eternally grateful for the Root of Jesse who came to give me hope.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Wooden sign reading 'The Hope is Jesus' with a cross in a grassy rural area
Bible, Encouragement, Hope, Jesus, Messiah, Perseverance, Romans, Scripture

THE HOPE

ROMANS 15:4

“For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

I often read stories of persecuted saints and how they held on to their faith through their hope in Jesus Christ. They knew He would see them through, no matter how bad it got. The difference in their hope and the hope of the world was they had THE hope. Their hope was solely in Jesus, not the end of the persecution or their imprisonment. Their hope was the only true hope. Their hope was secure.

In today’s verse, we have a word missing in the translation. I looked at 26 different translations, and they all miss it. It’s an important word because it signifies something special. The word is “the.” That may seem to be a small, insignificant word, but here it means something. Paul says at the end of the verse, “we might have hope.” Actually, the Greek reads “the hope.” The definite article is there. That’s the difference between a general hope and the hope in a specific hope. That hope is Jesus, the Messiah.

APPLICATION

Looking at the verse as a whole, Barnes list three observations. “We may learn here, (1) That afflictions may prove to be a great blessing. (2) that their proper tendency is to produce ‘hope.’ (3) that the way to find support in afflictions is to go to the Bible.” I would differ with Barnes on that second point since he too leaves out referring to “the hope.” We don’t produce that hope. We have that hope in Christ Jesus. He gives it to us at Calvary. There is no greater hope than this.

Ellicott does bring this out in his commentary when he says, “Literally, the hope—i.e., the Messianic hope. The promises of Scripture centre in the hope of the future Messianic glory, and the fortitude with which the Christian endures his trials is to be sustained by that hope, and itself reacts upon the hope and makes it held with firmer tenacity.” I love that! Don’t you?

What are you “hoping” in? Do you say, “I sure hope I can get through this trial I am going through”? Perhaps you may have said that about someone else you see suffering. Listen carefully. You, as a follower of Christ have that hope. No matter what you or any other follower of Christ goes through, you have the hope. You have it because He gave it to you. You have it because He is returning one day. You have it because… Never doubt that. Don’t let Satan try to trick and deceive you into thinking all hope is gone. That’s a lie from the pit of hell. He knows “The Hope” is very much alive and active in the lives of His followers. Keep looking up!

Gracious Father, thank You for the hope of glory, Jesus Christ, Your Son.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Open book titled 'The Silent Echo' with readable story text and some distorted text on the left page
Bible, Cross, Deliverance, Isaiah, Jesus, Messiah, Romans, Scripture, Ungodly

AS IT IS WRITTEN

ROMANS 11:26

“and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written: ‘THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.”

I have been writing devotional blogs just about every day since January 2016. I just surpassed 3700 blogs. This was the result of having gone through the Every Man A Warrior study which taught me how to journal in my personal Quiet Time. It has become second nature now. I normally write the devotional and schedule it to post the next day on this blog site. Perhaps one day people will continue reading these short devotionals to encourage them in their walk with Christ and in their study of the Word.

Those little words, “as it is written,” are more powerful than you may first think. This particular quotation from Isaiah 59:20 is a prophetic statement pointing directly at Jesus. Zion was an area of Israel that became acquainted as Jerusalem, the city of David. Zion became a reference to Israel as a nation. Even today Jews are called Zionists by people who want to insult them. They don’t even realize that is a compliment. The point, though, of this passage was to point to the eventual arrival of the Messiah, which Jesus fulfilled.

APPLICATION

Great history lesson, Carl, but how does this apply to me? Glad you asked. Look at a couple of words Paul uses to quote Isaiah – deliverer and ungodliness. Has Christ delivered you? I hope so. I pray you have been rescued from the consequences of your sin. I pray you have been delivered from the wrath of God through the shed blood of Christ. This Messiah that was sent over 2000 years ago is our deliverer just like He was and is the deliverer for Israel.

And the verse says He will remove all ungodliness from Jacob. The purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection was so that we too could walk godly before the Father. Ungodliness simply means the absence of what is godly. The Topical Lexicon gives us this statement about the Greek word used here. “Asebeia denotes the absence of reverence toward God that inevitably issues in conduct contrary to His character and commands. It is not merely irreligion but an active, willful disregard for divine majesty.”

When we come to Christ, all that disregard vanishes. We recognize all He has done for us and bow before His majesty. Instead of disregard we show an awe and reverence for His glory. Our Messiah came centuries ago for us. He had you in mind when He hung on that cross. His blood washed your sins away. It has been written! God loves you. Now, go spread the news. 

Thank You, Father, for delivering me from my life of ungodliness. You have cleansed me for eternity.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Manifested, Messiah, Prophecy, Revelation, Righteousness, Salvation, Scripture

MANIFESTED RIGHTEOUSNESS

ROMANS 3:21

“But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,”

Have you ever witnessed an incredible sunrise? I love sunrises. I am usually out walking in the mornings as the sun rises, so I get to see a lot of them. Now, I know the sun is going to rise. I expect it to rise in the eastern sky, but I can’t make it appear. No amount of begging and cajoling will make it appear one second sooner than it’s supposed to appear. But when it does appear and blows up the sky with the colors of the day, it has manifested what I knew to be true all along – that it would appear.

Oh, listen! That is what Paul is saying in today’s verse as he prepares us for the next couple of verses. He says God’s righteousness “has been revealed.” The Greek word there is phaneroó, meaning to “make manifest, show.” It’s in the Perfect tense which means it happened at a time in the past but has lasting results. Don’t miss that. God did this back then so that we could see it today. Wow! We are so blessed to see that even now in the 21st century.

APPLICATION

All through the Law and prophets, the righteousness of God through the promise of a Messiah is talked about. I have a book on my bookshelf entitled, All the Messianic Prophecies of the Bible, by Herbert Lockyer. It shows how Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies which the Law and the prophets foretold. God chose to manifest His righteousness through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus was always the Father’s plan for us. As mentioned in an earlier blog, the law wasn’t plan A that failed thus rendering Jesus’ death as a backup plan. No, God laid out in Scripture our need for a Savior, One Who was and is worthy of our praise. Jesus’ righteousness became our available righteousness when He died and rose again. All we have to do is claim that and follow Him.

That’s where the problem is. We want the salvation and the righteousness without the obedience. Christ’s righteousness may be free, but it’s not cheap. It will cost you everything. You have to abandon your old way of thinking and living and strive to live holy before Him. You can never “earn” this righteousness. It is truly freely given. But you do have to surrender to His will. I read the other day a quote by Spurgeon which said, “When you make His will your will, you will always get your will.” Try it.

Father God, I praise You for the manifestation of Your righteousness through Jesus Christ, Your Son.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Eternity, Foundation, Messiah, Purpose, Scripture, Strength

THE CORNERSTONE

EPHESIANS 2:20

“having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone,”

Just what is a cornerstone? Well, it is a stone placed at the corner of a building. Thanks a lot, Carl. You are so smart. I’m not trying to be funny, but that is what it is. It is used to connect two walls and is used by the mason to make sure the walls are plumb. That cornerstone may be square or another shape but is still a very important foundational stone for any building.

Christ is the cornerstone. It says so right here in today’s verse. What does that mean. He is the stone that holds the two walls of the Gentiles and the Jews together. Together they make one building for God’s kingdom. Our people are connected through Jesus. As Paul says “the foundation” is important. Without that firm foundation, the building will crumble. All will fall. That is not possible with Jesus as our cornerstone.

APPLICATION

The Greek word that is used for “cornerstone” is used here and just once more over in 1 Peter 2:6. “For this is contained in Scripture: ‘BEHOLD, I AM LAYING IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNERSTONE, AND THE ONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.’”

This quote comes from Isaiah 28:16. “For this is contained in Scripture: ‘BEHOLD, I AM LAYING IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNERSTONE, AND THE ONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.’” This forthtelling of Jesus is just one of the over 300 Messianic prophecies. Jesus was always God’s Plan A.

How does this apply to us? We must place our trust in Jesus and then trust He is able to handle anything. That cornerstone has been established for eternity. That cornerstone can withstand any storm that comes against it. That cornerstone cannot be removed. It is permanent! Believe that! Trust that! Amen?

How firm a foundation is our Lord. Thank You, Father, for laying that cornerstone.

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Abiding, Belief, Bible, Choices, Decisions, God's Will, Hope, Messiah, Promises, Scripture, Trust

FIRST TO HOPE

EPHESIANS 1:12

“to the end that we who were the first to hope in the Christ would be to the praise of His glory.”

Some people are eternal optimists. They have hope when all else fails. They seem to look at the world through rose-colored glasses, as the saying goes. It seems nothing gets them down. When things are at their lowest, they will say, “Well, it could be worse.” Don’t you just hate those people, lol? Seriously, we could use more people like that in the world, couldn’t we?

Paul uses a phrase in today’s verse which has many scholars disagreeing. “We who were the first to hope in the Christ” could refer to the Jews, who first hoped in a Messiah. It could refer to the first Christians, Jews and Gentiles. No one is sure who Paul was referring to here. We’ll have to ask him one day, won’t we? However he meant it, these people “would be to the praise of His glory.”

APPLICATION

The Greek word for “first to hope” is proelpizó, which comes from two Greek words, pro, meaning before, and elpizo, which means “actively waiting for God’s fulfillment about the faith He has inbirthed through the power of His love.” (HELPS Word-studies). Are you still with me? This word is only used right here in Ephesians 1:12. From the definition, I personally believe he is referring to the Jewish believers who had held a hope for the Messiah and then responded when He arrived.

But how does this apply to us today? Jesus has already come and gone. He came to give us access to the Father (John 14:6). Now we hope in His return. When will that be? Nobody knows. But we have been told how. Acts 1:9-11 says, “9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were watching, and a cloud took Him up, out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, then behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them, 11 and they said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.’”

Are you gazing intently? Are you watching for His return? It could be any day. Prophecies have been fulfilled. We are at the threshold of heaven. Are you ready? He is coming. We can hope in that. Give someone else that hope today. Share the good news of Jesus with a lost friend or family member. Then they too can hope in Christ.

Lord, You are returning. I stand today gazing at the sky hoping it is today.

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Bible, Heirs, Inheritance, Messiah, Promises, Scripture

HEIRS TO THE PROMISE

GALATIANS 3:29

“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

I am my father’s heir. When he passed away, he left his estate to me and my three siblings. All that my dad possessed was promised to us in his will. My younger sister is the executor of the estate and was responsible for dividing it according to the will. She was to ensure my dad’s “promises” to us were fulfilled. But they were not her promises. They were my dad’s.

In today’s verse, Paul tells us that Abraham was given a promise – that through him all the world would be blessed. Jesus was the fulfillment of that promise. Abraham was not the promise, nor did he control the promise. He was simply an instrument God chose to use to deliver the promise of the Messiah. And now, as believers in Christ, we are heirs to that same promise.

APPLICATION

What do you do with an inheritance? Some people blow it within days or weeks. Others stash it away for a rainy day. The inheritance we receive through Jesus is eternal. You can’t much better than that. In Romans 8:16-17, Paul gives us a great glimpse at this. “16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

Colossians 3:24 also gives us a word on this inheritance. “…knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” So, the question has to be asked. What will you do with your inheritance? You have been promised eternal life through Jesus. Are you going to squirrel that promise away and hide it or are you going to share it?

Take your promise and give it away. When you do you will notice your promise is still there. Sharing the promise of eternal life that you possess does not diminish it one bit. In fact, I think it makes it more. By doing that you are helping to build the kingdom. You are offering that precious promise so that others can join God’s family. Share yours today.

Father, give me opportunities today to share Your promise with someone. 

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Belief, Bible, God's Will, Looking, Messiah, Prophesy, Return, Scripture

LOOK WHO’S BACK

MALACHI 4:5

“‘Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.’”

Isn’t it exciting when you are told someone you know and love is coming to see you? I can remember as a child being told that my favorite uncle (Uncle Don) or my Grandma Carter was coming to see us. All us kids would get so excited. We would ask all kinds of questions: When are they coming? What time will they be here? Are they bringing us anything? (that was the important one, lol).

Elijah is going to return. The Lord said so right here. There are so many sources to read on this. Most, if not all, of the early church fathers (Tertullian, Cyril of Alexandria, etc.) spoke at length about this verse. We know John the Baptist came in the “spirt and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17). But we are also told Elijah will return again “before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” No one knows when, but he’s coming.

APPLICATION

In two separate occasions, Jesus spoke of John the Baptist as having come as Elijah. I encourage you to read Matthew 11:7-15. Jesus is pretty clear there to the people in speaking about John. And over in Matthew 17:11-13 we read these words from Jesus about John and the second coming of Elijah. “11 And He answered and said, ‘Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.’ 13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.”

That’s a lot to grasp, isn’t it? Who and what is Malachi referring to as he gives us the Lord’s words in today’s verse? Well, this is probably one of the clearest prophecies we have from Malachi, in my opinion. Elijah will return before the Lord returns to judge the earth. This will be a post-rapture event.

You and I will not be here to see his return. We will be either already passed into glory or will have been raptured. Let me be blunt – you don’t want to see Elijah return. That will mean you will face this great and terrible day of the Lord. No one wants that. Come to Jesus now and meet Elijah in glory, not here.

I am thankful, Lord, for the promises of Scripture and the clarity of it.

P.S. For my frequent followers, I will be taking a short break when we finish Malachi after tomorrow’s blog. I will pick back up on January 1. Pray that the Lord shows me where to go to next in our daily study.

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Bible, End Times, Messiah, Righteousness, Scripture, Sunrise

A WINGED SUN

MALACHI 4:2

“‘But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and frolic like calves from the stall.’”

One thing I like about hunting early in the morning is watching the sun rise. Depending on where I am hunting, I can usually watch the sun creep up and then burst onto the landscape around me. Recently I was watching that on a frosty morning. As the sun touched the frosted ground and grasses, the frost melted away. The heat, that I could not detect yet, evaporated the ice.

Many scholars say Malachi is referencing the coming of the Messiah in this verse. He is called “the sun of righteousness.” And I especially like the next phrase – “with healing in its wings.” The winged solar disc was a common symbol then for the sun god. Perhaps Malachi borrowed from that image for this phrase. We do know that Jesus will come quickly and will bring the heat of judgment or the warmth of His love, depending on the person’s decision whether or not to follow Him.

APPLICATION

Just as the sun gives warmth and light to the world to allow it to grow and prosper, the Son brings the same to us. He calls Himself the light of the world in John 8:12. “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’” Don’t you want that?

This Son, unlike the celestial sun, never sets. He is always present in your life once you accept Him as Savior and Lord. Isaiah 60:19 says, “No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor will the moon give you light for brightness; But you will have the LORD as an everlasting light, And your God as your glory.” That’s pretty amazing.

The choice is yours. You can either continue to walk in darkness and incur the wrath of God through the Son of righteousness or you can embrace His love and receive the warmth of His rays. I need that embrace every day. I am sure you do too.

Father, send down Your beams of light and fill our hearts with Your love.

P.S. For my frequent followers, I will be taking a short break when we finish Malachi in four days. I will pick back up on January 1. Pray that the Lord shows me where to go to next in our daily study.

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