S) " 4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him."
Isaiah 53:4-6 (NASB)
O) This passage is the beautiful Gospel, more that 600 years before Jesus came. It is THE Good News. Jesus bore my grief and sorrows. He was pierced because of my sins. He was crushed for what I did wrong. The chastening that was meant for me, was upon Him instead and He was severely beaten so that I could be made whole. I went astray from God, trying to make life work on my own. My Father in heaven knew it wouldn't work, and knew I would need help. He knew that I could only get help if I was righteous and sinless. He also knew that I was doomed to fail. So, He asked Jesus to take on my iniquities upon Himself. What a beautiful sacrifice. I deserved death, but was given life.
A) I need to honor this in my own actions and remind myself day-by-day, moment-by-moment that God redeemed me. I need to remember the great cost there was for my purchase from death. God has given me life and freedom and I need to live my life according to the grace and mercies He gave me. His great compassion and loving-kindness give me a desire to serve Him. I cannot repay Him for the grace and mercy given to me, but I can honor Him with my life. It starts by sharing this beautiful Good News: You don't have to be guilty of your sins. Ask and you will be forgiven. Serve Him and you will be given new life.
P) Father, there are not enough thanks to give. You knew the fall of mankind was coming when you created us. You knew that my downfall was coming when I was yet to be born. Even while I was destined to sin, You created a plan of reconciliation and Your son, the Messiah, offered Himself in my place. Jesus, I cannot thank You enough - but then, You already knew that. Holy Spirit, continually remind me of the beauty of this redemption. Soften my heart over and over to the purpose of the cross, so that I am never callous to the grace and mercy of God. Help me be bold in my testimony and in the preaching of the Gospel, to honor this redemption. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
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