Isaiah 53; Psalm 22; John 3:16
How much do you think about what Jesus, as God’s Son, went through just to atone for our sins? Have you ever considered the wonderful blessing that we have because of His sacrifice?
The scriptures that I read for this sermon are well known to some but some people only know a few lines of them. In Psalm 22 the opening line is what Jesus said when He felt His father turn away from Him while He was on the cross. Isaiah 53 is a description of God’s Suffering Servant, pointing to Jesus’ coming as the Savior but many Jewish people don’t read it that way. They see it as a description of the suffering of Israel.
Then there is the familiar scripture that all Christians know, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son; that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life”. All of these scriptures express God’s love and compassion toward each of us but do we really appreciate His love for us?
God loves each of us so completely and individually until He knows the number of hairs on your head and the color of your eyes and even your personality. He has known these characteristics of each of us from before Eden was created. God knew each of those He would call in the future, all of us, intimately. Every detail of yourself even before Moses was born.
Every spot on your skin, every freckle and every detail of your life before He called you and since then is known by God. Nothing happens by “accident”, He has a plan and a purpose for every part of your life. A word here or an action that you take may make the difference in someone coming to know Jesus.
Every action can make a difference, which is why we must be careful in our Christian life. You have no idea how many people watch or listen to what you say or write on Facebook or in the grocery store. When people know you are a Christian, your life is scrutinized very closely. Just as the Pharisees watched everything that Jesus did during His ministry. Even more today because of our phones and all of the social media that many of us are a part of every day.
We have a responsibility to be on guard about everything that we do. I know that is a hard thing to ask of everyone because it is not easy to guard your thoughts and your words every day, all day. The best way that I can think about it is to imagine your grandchild being near you. What would you say or do in front of them? Imagine Jesus being in your home. How would you act or talk around Him? As Christians, He is in our hearts and in our home and our cars every day so we can’t sneak a thought or a word by Him. He knows your thoughts and your intentions, so be thankful for your blessings all day, every day and make sure to start your day by thanking Him for giving you another day to live for Him.
What’s something you believe everyone should know.
Regardless of the hype about religion and its benefits, a relationship with Jesus is the only way to gain your salvation from the punishment that is in store for the devil and his demons. I know many people might say they don’t worship the devil but not believing in Jesus Christ still places you in hell.
If you have given your heart and your life to Jesus, you should be going to church to learn more about your Savior and your part in His Kingdom. Does a preacher tell you these things? No, but studying the Bible does and you usually do that from listening to a preacher’s sermon from a scripture in the Bible that God has placed in his heart to preach from. If you are trying to learn your place in God’s Kingdom, that is the place to start. Whether you hear it from a “TV preacher” or from a local church doesn’t matter but you can ask questions when you are at a local church.
The Bible says that we should not “forsake the gathering of the saints” and if you are a born-again Christian then you are a saint of God’s Kingdom. Many people seem to think that they can worship from a boat while fishing or from a tree-stand while hunting and in some small way you can appreciate God’s Creation while doing these things but it is not true worship.
Worship is a state of mind and heart that you cannot achieve while hunting or fishing. You can be in a prayerful state of mind while driving down the highway because I do this every time I’m on the road but that isn’t the same as worshiping the Lord while learning from His Word. As His adopted children, we are supposed to learn as much as possible about Him as we can and the only way to do this is by studying the Bible and most of us need a Bible-study leader to help us to do this. It isn’t a skill that we are given when we become believers. Growing in your life as a Christian, deepening the relationship with your Savior can only be done by studying the Bible.
Get into it a chapter at a time. Pray about what you have read and if you have questions, find a pastor or a friend who knows Jesus and ask them to help you understand. The Bible is a book that can teach you and me so much about God and about Jesus and what our responsibility is in our walk with Jesus every day. Even if you have read the Bible all the way through, read it again because the Holy Spirit will teach you even more about what you have already read. Each verse will show you something that you didn’t see or understand before and you will grow in your walk as you learn more from Him each day.
God says, “I am here, seek Me and you will find Me!” You are loved by the Creator so don’t turn away from Him when you feel His call on your life. Believe in Him for your salvation and you will be saved!
