WHERE THE FIRE HAS BEEN

Morning Meditation 7/20/17

Scripture: Isaiah 53:4-8, "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken."

Dr. Harry Ironside often told the story of a group of pioneers who were traveling westward by covered wagon. One day they were horrified to see in the distance a long line of smoke and flame stretching for miles across the prairie. The dry grass was on fire, and the inferno was advancing upon them rapidly. The river they had crossed the day before would be of no help as they would not be able to return in time. One man, however, knew what to do. He gave the command to set fire to the grass behind them. Then, when the ground had cooled, the whole company moved back upon it. The people watched apprehensively as the blaze roared toward them. A little girl cried out in terror, "Are you sure we won't be burned up?" The leader replied "My child, we are absolutely safe, nothing can harm us here, for we are standing on the scorched area where the flames have already done their work." --Copied from a Daily Bread

When a person is saved, he is put into Christ. Just as he was in Adam before he was saved, and was in the same condition of spiritual death that Adam was, and under the same condemnation, the believer is put into Christ. In Christ he has the same birth, i.e., the new birth begotten of the Holy Spirit. He has the same righteousness imputed to him; Romans 8:2, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Notice where the Spirit of life is in this verse. It is in Christ. This place in Christ "hath made me free from the law of sin and death."

The reason is that we are where the wrath of God has already burned out against sin. Our sins were put on Him. Isaiah says, "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows . . ." Then again, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Over and over Isaiah 53 prophesies what He did in our place.

The words "substitutionary atonement" give us the idea of Jesus being substituted for us. And in the substitution the Father never sparred His Son the awful wrath that will be poured out on the ungodly. Isaiah 53:11 tells us, "He (The Father) shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.." (Parentheses mine).

On Him almighty vengeance fell,

Which would have sunk a world to Hell.

He bore it for a chosen race,

And thus becomes our Hiding place. --Anon.

Isaiah 32:2, "And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land."

Are you in that hiding place? It is the only place of safety from the coming wrath of God upon mankind when the time for judgment arrives. But if you are there, you have nothing to worry about. You are standing on the ground where the fires of God's judgment have already burned out.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White