Tuesday, August 8, 2017, 3:34 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Tell Me the Story of Jesus.” Speak,
Lord, your words to my heart. I read Isaiah
53 (Select vv. ESV).
Who Has Believed? (vv. 1-3; cf. Rom. 10:16)
Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom
has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a
root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no
beauty that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was
despised, and we esteemed him not.
Jesus Christ, the promised
Messiah of Israel, our God and Lord, came to earth and took on human form, begotten
of God the Father, and born as a baby to a human mother. He suffered as we
suffer, and he was tempted in like manner as we are also tempted, yet without
sin. There was nothing about his physical appearance that anyone should be
attracted to him. He did have some true followers (disciples), though. And, crowds
did follow him, for he healed many, he drove out evil spirits, he performed many
miracles, and he fed the hungry. But, when he spoke of the cost of following
him, many who had been following him deserted him, never to return.
Many of the religious leaders
within the Jewish temple did not like Jesus, and they made it their mission to
destroy him. They hated him because he dared to be different, because he did
not follow their human rules and traditions, because he healed people on the
Sabbath, and he claimed to be God; and because he confronted sinful humans with
their sinful conditions, warned of divine judgment and called for repentance
and faith in himself. They were jealous of him because of his temporary and short-lived
popularity among the people, and because they felt their own positions of power
were being threatened by him. So, they plotted his death, and he was crucified
on a cross for our sins (See: Jn. 1:1-34; Jn. 6:35-66; Phil. 2:1-11; 1 Co. 5:21).
We Are Healed
(vv. 4-6)
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried
our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by
God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his
wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have
turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity
of us all.
When Jesus died on that
cross, he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the
righteousness of God. He died that we might die to sin and live to
righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him
who gave his life up for us. In his death, he put sin to death, and when he was
resurrected from the grave, he rose victorious over sin, hell, Satan and death
for our sake. By God’s grace, through faith in him, via death to sin and resurrection
to new life in Christ, we can be forgiven our sins, released from the ultimate
punishment of sin (eternal damnation), delivered out of slavery to sin, and
released to walk in the Spirit and in Christ’s righteousness and holiness, and be
given eternal life with God.
When we are born into this
world, we are born with sin natures, separate from God and unable to attain God’s
divine approval through human effort. So, that is why Jesus gave his life up
for us, that we might be saved from our sins, walk in the Spirit, and have
eternal life with God. Because he died, we are able to die to sin, and because
he lives, we can live with him and for him for eternity. Yet, he did not come
to earth, take on human flesh, and suffer for our sake just so we can escape
hell and have the promise of heaven when we die. He died that we might live for
him, and he suffered that he might be our compassionate and merciful high
priest in taking our sorrows upon himself that he might also comfort us in our
sorrows.
The Will of God
(vv. 10-12)
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put
him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see
his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be
satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to
be accounted righteous,
and he shall
bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall
divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was
numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes
intercession for the transgressors.
It was God the Father’s will
that his Son should suffer and die for our sins. This was planned for us even
before the creation of the world, and that many of us would believe on him as
our Savior and would become children of God, and followers of Christ. Through faith
in Jesus Christ we are not only made righteous in God’s sight, but we are able
to live righteously for Him and for his will for our lives, for this is why he
died. Jesus “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to
purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good
works” (Tit. 2:14).
So, we must walk (in lifestyle)
according to the Spirit of God, and no longer according to our sinful flesh. For,
if we walk according to the flesh, we will die in our sins, even if we have
made a profession of faith in Christ Jesus. If we hold on to our old lives (of
living for sin and self), we will lose them for eternity. But, if we lose our
lives (die with Christ to sin), for His sake, we will gain eternal life with God
(See: Lu. 9:23-25; Ro. 8:1-14). If we claim to have fellowship with God, but we
still walk (conduct our lives) in darkness (sin), we are liars (1 Jn. 1:6). The
true story of Jesus (the gospel) is not just that Jesus died to forgive us our
sins, but he died to deliver us out of slavery to sin, and to give us new lives
in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph.
4:17-24; Ro. 6:1-23; Gal. 2:20). Amen!
Tell Me the Story of Jesus
Fanny J. Crosby / John R. Sweney
Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word;
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
Tell how the angels in chorus,
Sang as they welcomed His birth,
“Glory to God in the highest!
Peace and good tidings to earth.”
Fasting alone in the desert,
Tell of the days that are past,
How for our sins He was tempted,
Yet was triumphant at last.
Tell of the years of His labor,
Tell of the sorrow He bore;
He was despised and afflicted,
Homeless, rejected and poor.
Tell of the cross where they nailed
Him,
Writhing in anguish and pain;
Tell of the grave where they laid Him,
Tell how He liveth again.
Love in that story so tender,
Clearer than ever I see;
Stay, let me weep while you whisper,
“Love paid the ransom for me.”
Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word;
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
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