Another BOLD outreach promise from the book of Psalm.
"The Lord looks down from heaven on Adam's descendants to see if there is anyone who acts wisely, if there is anyone who seeks help from God.
Everyone has turned away.
Together they have become rotten to the core.
No one, not even one person, does good things.
Are all those troublemakers, ... so ignorant that they do not call on the Lord?
If only salvation for Israel would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice.
Israel will be glad." Psalm 14:2-7
(God’s Word, Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society, http://www.godsword.org/).
God sees that everyone is rotten to the core.
There is only one who is righteous.
God is with the person who is righteous.
The one who is righteous is our savior.
He is the one in whom we can take refuge.
He is our salvation. He comes out of Zion.
He restores the [eternal] fortunes of the people of God.
Fools deny God,
but the righteous are made righteous through the one who saves them.
Fools do not call on God,
but the righteous take refuge in God.
We are all corrupt.
We have all turned away.
No one does good things.
Our only help is in the Lord.
When we call on God for help He comes to our aid and provides us with salvation.
"When" is an affirmative, not an "if".
The Lord is the refuge.
The people will rejoice!!! (Joy in the journey!)
Only one is righteous – that is – Jesus Christ!
Those who call on Jesus the Lord will find refuge.
This is the message that we have to share. God will bring the repentant into His place of refuge and will forgive their sins. He will give them His robe of righteousness and the inheritance of eternal life.
David states that "No one, not even one person, does good things." vs. 3
Paul quotes these words in his letter to the Romans.
"No one searches for God. Everyone has turned away.
Together they have become rotten to the core.
No one does anything good, not even one person" Romans 3: 11-12.
This begs a question.
If no one is righteous, who is "the person" who is righteous? vs.5
"The person" who takes refuge in the Lord?
He is the one who ... will come from Zion
to provide salvation for God's chosen people.
He is the promised one! He is the Messiah!
The promise in this verse is meant as an affirmative.
"IF only salvation ... would come..." is followed by "When the Lord restores..."
It is a promise that will be fulfilled, not if, not might, not could come, but "When" God's timing is right.
And from our view looking back we can see how Christ come down from heaven (Zion) and lived as a righteous man before God. Unbelievers feared him, hated him and crucified him. Yet, He rose from the dead, conquered sin and death, and restored the inheritance of God's people. Salvation has come from Zion and as a result all of God's chosen ones will receive eternal life.
As you go, BOLDly proclaim Christ the righteous one, because He has saved us from the penalty of our sin.
