Paid In Full
This pic is from our final night in Cabo last week.
Paid In Full
Isaiah 53, post 9
I ended last time with the following statement,
Why? Why all the suffering? Why all the pain; physically, emotionally and spiritually, leading up to His last breath?
You may think that I only ask questions that I have a good answer for. That’s not always true. This is one of those cases. I’m hoping to gain some clarity as I study, reflect and write this morning.Read more
He Gave More
We left Cabo Wednesday and arrived in Tahoe, CA for a few more days of R&R. This is a pic of my study spot for the next few days.
He Gave More
Isaiah 53, post #8
Suffering goes way beyond physical pain.
I have often wondered why Jesus had to suffer so much. Couldn’t He had just died for our sins? What we usually say is ‘I’m saved because Jesus died for me.’ Yes, He died for us but why all the suffering? The physical suffering was unfathomable and to add to that, His emotional suffering was so significant as well. Read more
Despised and Forsaken!
Despised and Forsaken!
Isaiah 53, Post 7
The last post, we considered Jesus’ origins; his childhood and youth. The servant of God was under the close eye of His Father in heaven, but no one else noticed Him. Humble beginnings with a shade of blue collar, working with his hands and building things alongside his father, the carpenter. Just as Moses put a veil over his face to dim the brightness of the Glory of God on his face, the radiant Deity of Jesus was hidden by a human body of flesh, blood and bone. He had no form, no appearance and no persona of greatness. There was no indication that He would ever amount to much beyond a good man in his home town of Nazareth.
Everything changed when he turned 30. John the Baptist was causing quite a stir out in the desert region, near the Jordan river. Isaiah prophesied about John in 40:3ff, A voice is calling, clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God...then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Read more
Israel, Did You Know?
Nate in Greece
Israel, Did You Know?
Isaiah, Post # 6
Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised and we did not esteem Him.
Isaiah 53:1-3
Impact and achievement in life is often difficult to imagine when one currently lives in utter obscurity. Read more
Engage Thy Mind!
This is a picture my daughter Beri took on a recent trip to Greece. Stunning! More Greece pics to come.
Engage Thy Mind!
Isaiah 53, post # 5
I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, (this will happen as the events of the second coming of Christ take place), so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. Zechariah 12:10
This verse is often correlated with Isaiah 53. It describes the realization of the Jewish nation that they have rejected Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah for several millennium. They will realize what they have done and weep and mourn bitterly. Read more
Epiphany
Got you to look, now don't miss this post. Please!
This is my favorite "I can't believe you did that" picture from our wedding!
Epiphany
Isaiah 53, post # 4
I woke up with an epiphany this morning. Clarity and insight ran through my head. It was so enlightening to me that I rose from bed at 4:45am with a sense of excitement. I’ll try to explain it, but epiphanies are difficult to convey at the depth that they are felt by their fortunate recipients. I was a fortunate recipient this morning.
It’s very cool the way the brain works. It’s actually somewhat predictably but we don’t activate it in the way we should. We should be more diligent than anyone to activate our brains because as Christians, we have even greater possibilities with the value of our brains because we have the power of the Holy Spirit’s promises to enlighten our brains not only with earthly insight but spiritual insight as well. Read more
Help Please!
Leigh and I are heading to Cabo today for some R&R!
Help Please!
Isaiah 53, post # 3
2000 years ago, there was a man who needed some help reading Isaiah 53. Just like us today!
Our current scenario of considering Isaiah 53 is a little like the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8...except we’re not from Ethiopia and we’re not eunuchs. Besides this small point of distinction, we are in the same situation as him as we sit before Isaiah 53 today.
But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, ‘Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza. So, he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he came to Jerusalem to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, ‘Do you understanding what you are reading?’
And he said, ‘How could I unless someone guides me?’ and he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of scripture which he was reading was this:
He was led as a sheep to slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He does not open His mouth. In humiliation His judgment was taken away; who will relate His generation? For His life is removed from the earth. (Isaiah 53:8) Read more
A Coincidence?
A Coincidence?
Isaiah 53, post # 2
Here’s some cool Bible Trivia:
- The Bible has 66 books
- The Old has 39 books and the New has 27 books
- Isaiah has 66 chapters
- Isaiah has two sections.
- The first section of Isaiah, 39 chapters, similar to the Old Testament, it documents the Israelites breaking God’s laws and suffering consequences and judgment
- The second section of Isaiah has 27 chapters, begins and ends just like the New Testament and focuses on salvation and the Messiah
- The second section of Isaiah begins with the foretelling of John the Baptist and Isaiah ends with the new heaven and new earth. Just the way the New Testament begins and ends.
- Even though Isaiah was written 700 years before Christ, Isaiah 53 is written as if its written at the foot of the cross.
- Of the entire 66 books of the Bible, the very center of the Bible is Isaiah 53:5
But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him. 53:5. Read more
In Awe
In Awe
Isaiah 53, post # 1
Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Isaiah 53:1-4
In May 1995, the Mel Gibson movie Braveheart was released. I didn’t really know the historical aspects or details of the story but the movie trailer was very intriguing to me. I had one problem, though; Leigh doesn’t like movies with warfare and bloodshed, especially hand-to-hand battles that accentuate the blood. Yuke! So, I went by myself one night and sat in the back row.
As I sat down, I had no idea that I was about to watch the most amazing movie ever produced. It would have a life-long effect upon my life. Read more