You know those spaghetti diagrams where the weather people try to predict where the hurricane is going? Sometimes I feel like we are those multiple paths veering off to places unknown, moving away from God and His Son Jesus. In Bible Study we are studying Nehemiah, now there was a man on the right path. How are you feeling about your path, is it worn and familiar? God calls us to Him, into unfamiliar territory to help us grow into the people God has purpose for. Be willing to seek Him in those unfamiliar places, because Jesus is right there with you. I invite you to join us for Bible Study, Sundays at 8:45 AM. We want to hear your voices and understand your visions that God has brought to you. Join us and let’s grow together.
Isaiah 53:4-12 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. 7)He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. 8)By oppression and judgement He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? 9)His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. 10)But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. 11)As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. 12)Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and what numbered with the transgressors; Ye He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors. These verses are a nutshell of the foretelling of Christ crucifixion. It tells of the deep debt that Christ paid for us, the weight of the sin of ALL times, that isa mighty load from all of us that live day to day in sin. The sin of yesterday, today and tomorrow. I can’t even imagine how Christ felt.
Psalms 91:9-16 9)For you have made the LORD, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. 10)No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. 11)For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. 12)They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone. 13)You will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample down. 14)”Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. 15)”He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will rescue him and honor him. 16)”With a long life I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation.” Promised protection as one of God’s own. That is when we honor and make God number one in our lives.
Hebrews 5:1-10 1)For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; 2)he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness; 3)and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifice for sins, as for the people, so also for himself. 4)And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was. 5)So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, “YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU; 6)just as He says also in another passage, “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER MELCHIZEDEK.” 7)In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. 8)Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. 9)And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, 10)being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Again the fulfilling of prophecy, but more than that, all who are called by God to be in this priesthood have received a higher calling and are held accountable to God for us within our sin. Jesus knew the difficulty of this path, He Himself called out, cried out to God the Father.
Mark 10:35-45 35)James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” 36)And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37)They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” 38)But Jesus said to the, “You do not know what you are asking, Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39)They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40)Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 42)Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43)”But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44)and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be last of all. 45)”For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life a ransom for many.” So here arose a problem within the twelve. Imagine that the brothers approach and ask for this, ask Jesus to promise them this desire. Of course they probably don’t understand the gravity of what Jesus is talking about, still they say “Yes, we will endure it whatever it may be.” Then the others chime in and complain, Jesus says that we need a humble heart and serve. We are not so good and above others no matter what station in life we live at this time. What a perfect example for us to think and about and then move towards. Jesus gave to us what only He can give, He did it willingly. Praise Him.
I hope that you are still taking time to focus on God and His Son. That you are able to spent time in thoughtful prayer. Pray for all; those suffering, missing in church, in need great or small. God hears us, we offer ourselves to Him.
Through Christ, Seek God,
D.J. Schoneweis