The Coming Branch

“Then the Angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘If you will walk in My ways, And if you will keep My command, Then you shall also judge My house, And likewise have charge of My courts; I will give you places to walk Among these who stand here.
‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign;
For behold I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH. For behold, the stone That I have laid before Joshua: Upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ Says the Lord of hosts,
‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts,
‘Everyone will invite his neighbor Under his vine and under his fig tree.’”

Zechariah 3:6-10


Consider yourself blessed if you are able and willing to walk in the ways of the Lord. For walking in His ways are indeed, keeping His commands. By keeping His commands, you have proven to have passed from death to life. Thus, you have received an eternal inheritance, being grafted into the BRANCH.
Sinners are only willing and capable to walk in the ways of the Lord after being shown they are ‘grafted in’ and that their iniquity is removed. In that day, the sinner is shown the utter helplessness and hopelessness without the only HOPE presented before them. They are then forever grateful for the infinite forgiveness of that iniquity that would otherwise stand against them in complete justice.
There are no offerings and sacrifices that will suffice for the forgiveness of our sins. Infinite transgressors of the law in utter finitude are justly and only deserving of Infinite punishment, according to the Law. We are therefore only forgiven from the Infinite Servant, The Branch. His body and infinite greatness is the eternally decreed wondrous and beautiful perfect once and for all sacrifice for the iniquities of mankind. The Branch provides the eternally living water and the only peace and satisfaction to reconcile us to the Father. We are then granted access to boldly enter the throne of Grace as adopted sons and daughters.

Hallelujah.

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of the commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” Ephesians 2:13-17

The Comfort of the Holy Spirit

The epitome of the Christian life on earth rests in the Holy Spirit. Storms arrive at seemingly inopportune times as the sin nature rises up in angst against the Almighty Lord. Paul states, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:13, 14. This promise rests not on man’s abilities as he is the utmost inconsistent and rebellious creature. In a world saturated with sickness and death, the only sense of relief and eternal security is by the blessed indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a believer. The promise rests in the revelation of God’s word to the heart of a believer, filling him with everlasting fruit of the Spirit and knowledge of the Glory of Christ. A believer should rest as he puts on Christ and perseveres to mortify the flesh and put to death the sins of the body. We should take on sickness with gladness as we submit our requests before the infinitely Sovereign Lord to heal our already sin-sick bodies. May we see the promise of the sealing of the Holy Spirit as a merely passing through this life into transient glory, while preaching the glorious Gospel of Christ to those who are infinitely dead in sins. We are not citizens of earth, but citizens of heaven. We are sealed because we were purchased by the blood of Jesus, eternally delivered from sin, sickness and death. He receives us unto Himself because He has done it all.

Psalm 145

“The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.”

Psalm 145:8-9




In all eternity, the character of the Lord is immutable. He is therefore by nature, gracious, compassionate and slow to anger. These attributes of His nature cannot and will not change. The reflection of His eternal compassion subdues the hearts and natures of man in an instant. He draws near to the transgressors, bringing them in from a foreign land into the land of the living. He has sought out those who are dead and would otherwise be eternally forsaken and judged according to the strict righteousness of the Law and gives them life. Those who are willing and able to give grace to others are those who are shown great mercy by our Lord. Those who are compassionate upon the poor, naked and blind are those who see the eternal compassion of the Lord. Those who are becoming slow to anger as they are able display the love and mercy of our Creator, being changed from a hateful wretch by nature are those to whom the Lord is slow to anger. Each aspect of the complete character of God is indeed dependant upon those whom He has clothed in the righteousness of His Glorious Son.