Run With It: This Heart Adores Him

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

This Heart Adores Him

Isaiah 53:1-3 ESV

“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 only begotten Son of our living God, is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He left his throne in heaven, came to earth, and was born as a baby to a human mother, conceived of the Holy Spirit. So, when he walked this earth he was fully God yet fully man. He was not born in the image of Adam, as we are, though, so he was not born into sin like we are, and he never sinned, although he was tempted to sin in like manner as we are because he lived in a flesh body.

During his time of ministry on the earth he healed the sick and afflicted, raised the dead, gave sight to the blind, delivered people from demons, fed the hungry, comforted the sorrowful, and performed many miracles in the sight of many people. And he also preached repentance and obedience to him for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God. For he said that if anyone would come after him he must deny self, take up his cross daily (daily die to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him (Luke 9:23-26).

The crowds followed him because of his miracles and because he fed them food and because he was healing their ailments. And the rulers and teachers of the Scriptures in the temple of God were jealous of him and his popularity among the people, which was short lived. And they hated him because he claimed to be God (which is the truth) and because of the things that he taught and because he confronted them in their sins and he did not follow after their customs and traditions. And so they persecuted him.

Isaiah 53:4-6 ESV

“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.”

And the crowds thinned out when Jesus’ messages got harder and harder for them to accept. And eventually most everyone turned against him, and his disciples deserted him and one of them betrayed him and another denied him three times. And he was falsely arrested and given a mock trial, and he was beaten and spat upon and mocked and then he was hung on a cross to die as though he was a common criminal. But it was in God’s plan that Jesus should die on that cross in order to take away our sins.

For in Jesus’ death on that cross, he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God. So, when he died our sins died with him that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. For Jesus put our sins to death with him in order that we might be crucified with Christ in death to sin and be raised with Christ, who rose from the dead, to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Romans 6:1-23; Ephesians 4:17-24).

Through God-given faith in Jesus Christ we can die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands. For the Scriptures teach repentance and obedience as necessary components of believing faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. For Jesus said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. And many are going to hear him say, “I never knew you” (1 Peter 2:24; Matthew 7:21-23).

So, believing in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives is not just lip service. For Jesus died on that cross so that our old self would be crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin but to God and to his righteousness. Thus, by faith in him, we die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. Therefore, we are to no longer let sin reign in our bodies, to make us obey its passions, for Jesus set us free (Romans 6:1-23).

[Isaiah 53:1-12; Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Lu 17:25; Jn 1:1-36; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 8:24,58; Jn 10:30-33; Jn 15:1-11; Jn 20:28-29; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 5:8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 9:5; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 15:1-8; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Php 2:5-11; Col 1:21-23; Col 2:9; Col 3:5-11; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 1:8-9; Heb 4:15; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Pet 1:17-21; 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Pet 1:1; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Here I Am To Worship

Songwriter: Tim Hughes

Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness.
Opened my eyes, let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore You
Hope of a life spent with You

I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross

Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.