Bible Pathway - Aug. 11, 2012
Highlights:
Christ to bear our grief, sufferings, and sins; everyone a sinner; a call to faith and repentance.
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? . . . He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed (Is. 53:1,5).
Thank God for His Word! It is His report to us. The suffering that the Messiah was to endure to redeem sinful man was foretold by Isaiah. Isaiah said: Who hath believed our report? After all, the report was given about 700 years before the birth of Christ. It is understandable people doubted his words. As we read the first four books of the New Testament, we realize that these “reports” of Isaiah were all fulfilled — from the naming of the place of Jesus' birth to the details of His sacrificial death.
Christ miraculously fed the multitudes, healed the sick, and raised the dead. But not one soul would ever have been saved if Christ had not suffered and died on the cross. It was there by His wonderful love and mercy, that He paid the supreme sacrifice so our sins could be forgiven. Isaiah, who wrote this prophecy, was included when he said that Christ was wounded for our transgressions. The salvation of those who lived before Christ's death was dependent on the forthcoming crucifixion and the resurrection of the Messiah. Christ Jesus alone was the perfect man who could offer Himself in our place.
Praise the Lord that He saw His mission through to the end. The Lord Jesus could have stopped short of the cross, but He knew it was all necessary for the salvation of all mankind, not just the generation in which He lived. The death of Christ on the cross paid the sin debt for all generations past, present, and future. And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven (Col. 1:20).
Let us earnestly endeavor to report faithfully His message of salvation to a lost and dying world. The only way the world will hear this message is from those who believe in Christ. As this report came to us, it is our responsibility to take it to all the world. The day will come when He will call us to make a report to Him.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad (II Cor. 5:10).
Thought for Today:
None of our ways are hidden from the Lord.
Christ Revealed:
As the One who was rejected by His own people (Is. 53:3; comp. Luke 23:18; John 1:11); remained silent when He was falsely accused (Is. 53:7; Mark 15:3-5); was buried with the rich (Is. 53:9; Matt. 27:57-60); and was crucified with sinners (Is. 53:12; Mark 15:27-28).
Word Studies:
52:1 uncircumcised = heathen (those without a covenant with God); 52:10 made bare His holy arm = revealed His power; 52:12 rereward = rear guard; 52:14 visage = appearance, countenance; 57:4 sport yourselves = ridicule; 57:17 frowardly = rebelliously.
Prayer Needs:
Pray for Government Official: Rep. Billy Long (MO) • Country: Philippines (76 million) in Southeast Asia • Major languages: Filipino and English • Religious persecution in some areas • 80% Catholic; 9% Protestant; 8% Muslim (mostly Sunni); 3% Other (Buddhist, Animist, non-Religious) • Prayer Suggestion: Confess your sins and ask the Lord to restore the joy of your salvation (Ps. 51:1-3,12).
Optional Reading: I Peter 1
Memory Verse for the Week: Habakkuk 3:18
