LEARN MORE – GROW MORE – BE MORE – IN CHRIST JESUS

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness  mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11

A Prophet of God

Prophets are generally spoken of as a spokesman who speaks on the behalf on God. God in his infinite wisdom chose men, ordinary men to speak to people his diving direction and plan for them. God also selected a few women to proclaim his word as a meant to demonstrate his sovereignty to the world as well as his love. (For additional information on Prophets click the link here Prophets)

April 4 – The Suffering Sacrifice – Isaiah 53:4–11a This week’s lesson is taken form the prophecy of Isaiah. Isaiah is considered one of the “major” prophets for the comprehensive message recorded of God’s grace and judgement towards Israel. Here is chapter 53 and in parallel with the death of the Lord Jesus, we see the message of the Redeemer and the extent of God’s love.

• “Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him” v 4 – The process leading up to the execution and crucifixion of the Lamb of God, we see His care in exonerating and relieving those depleted spiritually because of sin. Sin is corrosive and cankerous. There is no good thing at the end of sin but death. In his death, he bears the weight, the eternal weight of the sin of the world, the wrath of God is laid upon him and him alone. Jesus spoke of this purpose when he spoke in the Temple, reference Luke 4:18
• “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed“, v5 – The wages or consequences of wrong doing against God is death (Rom. 3:23). Adam and Eve experience death when they disobeyed God’s order in the Gardeen.is The brutality of his beating, and physical depravation was fitting to the crime. The crime of sin against God from the beginning of time weighed is what the Lamb experienced. He experienced all aspects of the judgement and wrath so we would never have to. His wounds exposed his flesh and his flesh opened the opportunity for our transgressions to healed. Our iniquities were consumed in the bruises from the punches, slaps and scourging from the Romans soldiers overseeing the events on Golgotha.
• “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.” v6 The Holy and Righteous God declares all have sinned (Rom. 3;10, 23, by way of the first man Adam Rom. 5:12) ref. I Peter 3:18 and that sin debt needed to be paid. The ONLY way it could be paid was for the Lamb, chosen by God without spot or blemish to be offered. Since disobeying and disrespecting the word of God in the Garden, the fallen mankind has chosen to established his own set of standards apart from the righteousness of God. As a result, mankind has gone astray and unbridled in life to do as they choose and thus bringing righteous justice to themselves. God chose his son as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29)
• “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” v7 The night before his death, he had supper with his disciples. He told of his betrayal by one in his company and then he was sold out. Peter attempted to defend the Master but Jesus rebuked him. Jesus refused to disrupt God’s eternal plan of redemption and reconciliation. He remained silent even in his own defense for he came “to do the will of Him, who sent (him) John 4:34:
• He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken” v8 Prison is literally confinement. Confinement which results from righteous judgement he was freed . In context with this prophecy, the suffering Savior experience the righteous judgement for the transgressions and sins of Israel and not his own. He was declared the substitutionary One suitable for God.
• And they made His grave with the wicked—But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. v9 – In his death, which was reserved only for the vilest offender, Christ intentionally and willfully identified with those of us who deserved everything he experienced. Although he was charged with a crime, he was not found guilty. Pilate stated, I find no fault this man) Luke 23:4.
• Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. when You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. v10 – The Lord God was satisfied with the death and sacrificial offering of his son instead of and on behalf of a sinful people, The Judge was completely just and righteous.
• He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. v11 – God declares through his Prophet that many will be made just through his death. Jehovah had literally forsaken his only begotten son (Matt. 27:46, Mark 15:34) yet was pleased him as many were set free.

The death, burial and subsequent resurrection of Jesus Christ as prophesied by Isaiah, is the reason many of us are free, spiritually healed. God was righteous in offering up his son and total and complete payment for the sin of all mankind. The events that took place over two-thousand years ago was the beginning of the new life we are now able to live freely. God’s word states, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1. Easter as it is commonly called, takes on a whole new look and calls for celebration by those who are cleared of all charges. “It is finished” John 18:30

April 11 – The Faith-in-Action Preacher – Ezra 10:1–12

April 18 – The Restoring Builder – Nehemiah 2:11–20

April 25 – The Nation’s Plea – Lamentations 5