Jesus Christ, the Lover of our souls!

Isaiah 52 verse 9, Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem. For the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations. What does it mean to make bare your holy arm? What is God saying here? He's saying, I'm going to roll up my sleeves. There's a work to be done. My people are destroyed and destroying themselves. My sheep are lost. There's a work to be done. I'm going to roll up my sleeve and make bare my holy arm in the sight of all the nations. And all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. What does the name Jesus mean? In Hebrew, the word, the name Yeshua means God is salvation. All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Jesus is called the arm of the Lord. God is going to roll up his sleeves. He said, he's going to make bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations. He's going to get to work. He's going to work for our salvation. There's a work that we could not do, that only he could do, and that is the salvation of our souls. Says depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence. Touch no unclean thing. Go ye out of the midst of her, be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. For you shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight. For the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your reward. Says behold, my servant shall deal prudently. This is talking about Jesus here. He shall deal prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. And then this next part, it's like the prophet is seeing this portrayed before his very eyes. Somehow God has opened, you know, the window of time to behold Christ, to behold the arm of the Lord, to behold the servant. And he's seeing this picture of Christ. And what does it look like? It says, as many as were astonished at thee. What he saw was something astonishing, something that made him speechless, something that, I get this picture of his jaw just dropping to the floor, and he's just like, God opened something up to this prophet, Isaiah, and enabled him to behold what he was going to do, this work that he was going to accomplish for the salvation of our souls. And it says, as many as were astonished at thee, seeing someone. It says, his visage, his appearance was so marred more than any man and his form more than the sons of men. It's talking about Jesus Christ, the salvation of God. It says, so shall he sprinkle many nations. The king shall shut their mouths at him, just be like, for that which had not been told them, they shall see and that which they had not heard, they shall consider. God opened up this vision to the prophet Isaiah about this work that he was going to do, that God, Emmanuel, like Jesus is our Emmanuel, which being interpreted according to Matthew 1, 23, means God with us, God with us, that which was in the beginning. It says, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God and that word was made flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth. He saw what God was going to do and what was going to happen to him, what he was going to allow to happen to the body that he prepared for himself. A body that was capable of feeling pain, that would bleed, that suffered need, that felt pain and rejection, that felt the hatred of cruel men. It says, who has believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground. He has no form nor comeliness and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. There was nothing beautiful about Jesus's outward appearance, no brute strength, no physical attraction, no comeliness, nothing outwardly that would draw us to him. It says, he is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Everything he suffered, everything he endured, the spit upon his face, the plucking out the hair from his cheeks, the stripes upon his back at the whipping post, being smitten by the servant of the high priest, being mocked and railed upon, his mother being insulted and accused of being a fornicator, needing help to carry his own cross up the hill. Everything he endured, everything he suffered was to carry our sorrows. It was to carry our sorrows, the injuries he received by faith. Bear the injuries we receive in this life. Just swallows up all the bitterness, all the guilt, all the unforgiveness, all the anguish in our souls, everything that would cause our love to cool, everything that would cause us to despair, everything that would cause us to just cease from just giving what we have, from just laying down our life. He carried our sorrows, that sorrow that would quench this kind of life, this type of love. Like he carried our sorrows, and those sorrows that he carried were eternal. Says, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. He's seeing the reaction like in time as he's seeing this suffering servant, the arm of the Lord Jesus Christ, his visage, his appearance marred more than any man beaten beyond recognition. As he's seeing this, he's also seeing a crowd of people that are just reacting to him. Some are astonished, some have shut their mouths in disbelief at the horror of his appearance because he was so mercilessly beaten and so cruelly hated and despised. And he sees the people's reaction. It says, yet we, speaking in the person of the first century Jews and those watching him suffer on his way to the cross, watching him. He sees them responding. It says, yet we did esteem him or consider him to be stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. They considered Jesus Christ, never sinned a day in his life, perfect, holy, only did good. Came to redeem our souls. Came to lay down his life, his first century Jews and the people that stood there beholding him. His appearance beaten beyond recognition. Esteemed him, considered him to be smitten and stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. That God had did this to him. This is what they thought. Like in Deuteronomy 25, it talks about justifying the righteous and condemning the wicked. It says, if a man be found to be guilty, he shall be beaten with stripes according to as his fault shall be. But you shall not exceed 40 lashes, lest your brothers just seem to be vile unto thee. In Jewish law, Deuteronomy 25, you could not give any Jew, regardless of his fault, more than 40 lashes. But Jesus Christ was beaten beyond recognition, more than any man. It says in Isaiah 52, more than any man. And those that saw Jesus beaten in this condition, thought that he deserved it. That this was the wrath of God that was upon him for his sin. That's what they saw. They thought that he was worthy of these stripes. It says that in Proverbs 19, 29, that stripes are for the backs of fools. Jesus had many stripes upon his body. Many stripes. It looked like he was the biggest fool. And that his fault was so great, he was beaten beyond recognition. Far more than 40 stripes. And the prophet is seeing all this take place. God has enabled him to see this taking place. And he's just astonished at what he's seeing. He sees these people reacting as though Jesus deserved it. As though it was for his own fault. For his own foolish ways that he was in this woeful condition. Then the prophet says in verse 5, But, but, he was wounded for our transgressions. Not for his own. It wasn't for his own sin. It wasn't for his own rebellion and stubbornness and idolatry. It was for ours. That he was wounded. He was bruised. But he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him. Why did he go through all this? Because by those stripes, we are healed. When we know who this was that suffered all these things. And who he did it for. And the condition that we were in because of our rebellion against God. And our worthiness of his wrath and punishment and death in hell. And we behold what he's doing for sinners like us. Through faith in that. We are healed. It says that the chastisement of our peace was upon him. What does this mean? Some people think that God somehow. Because of some reason that God chastised him. But that's not what happened. It says in Luke 23, 22. That Pilate, he was determined to let Jesus go. Because he found no fault in Jesus. And he thought to himself, I will chastise him. He's trying to please these wicked men. That want Jesus to be crucified and killed. And Pilate marvels at their hatred. And he knew that it was for envy. That they wished this of him. And he was determined to let him go. So Pilate said, I will therefore chastise him. God enabled the prophet to see what this chastisement looked like. The chastisement was for our peace. The chastisement that he received. By Pontius Pilate. Was for our peace. It was for our peace. It says, all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord laid on him. The iniquity of us all. The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. The work that Jesus was going to do. The work that this servant who Isaiah calls the servant was going to do. The arm of the Lord. Remember God rolled up his sleeves. Making bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations. This work that he was going to do. Was for the salvation of our race. As men. It was for the iniquity of all men. It was. It says for this very purpose was the son of God manifested. That he might destroy the works of the devil. Says Jesus by the grace of God tasted death. For every man. It says he died that he might bring many sons to glory. That's the glory that every man fell short of. Because of their own sin. We needed a savior to redeem us. To restore us to that glory we fell short of. And only one was fit to do that work. It says that behove Christ to suffer. That word behove means to be made for, to be fit for. He was the only one fit to do it. No one else could do it but him. And he came to do it. What does this mean? Everything we're reading about here. In Isaiah 52 and Isaiah 53. What is this telling us about God? What is this telling us about God? Everything that he's doing for us. It's telling us this right here. I want you to hear me really close. It's revealing this right here to us about God. Three words. God. Loves. Us. God loves us. He loves us. It says while we were yet sinners. While we were yet sinners, dead in sin. In open rebellion against the holiness and righteousness and the truth. We know about God. God demonstrated his love towards us. God demonstrated his love towards us. In that while we were yet sinners. Christ, this suffering servant. This arm of the Lord that's revealed in the sight of all the nations. Who's beaten beyond recognition. Who upon him, God laid the iniquity of us all. That is that the work that God sent him to do. Was for the iniquity of us all to redeem us all. God demonstrated his own love towards us. In that while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us. Christ. God in man. God was in Christ. Reconciling the world to himself. It is so important to behold. The lamb of God. Who takes away our sins. It's in beholding that we become changed. Whatever we behold in God's heart toward us. We become through faith. In our hearts towards him. When we behold. The great loving kindness. Of God our Savior. That we see in the face of Jesus Christ. In faith believing. Who he is and what he did and who he did it for. What we behold in his heart towards us. We become in our hearts towards him. God from the beginning. Could have created anything he wanted to. Except for a soul that loved him. God could not create a soul that loved him. Because love involves. A choice. A will. A free choice. A voluntary choice. That is what love requires. That is why it affects us. Whenever somebody does us good. Is because they had a choice to do it. Whenever somebody meets our needs. Or encourages us. Or helps us in some way. The kindness they show towards us. Was a choice. That is why it is meaningful. God could not create a soul that loved him in the beginning. What God did through Christ. He created. The opportunity. For us. To love him the way he wants. The way he is worthy of being loved. We love him because he first loved us. Had he not displayed so great. Of a love. Such an unreasonable love. That he the holy and just one. Was willing to lay down his life for us. Sinners and wicked and proud and arrogant and boastful. If it wasn't for him laying down his life for us. We would not be laying down our lives for him like we are today. We love him because he first loved us. God sought to be. What he wanted us to be. He became what he wanted us to become. He did what he wanted us to do. It says in Deuteronomy chapter 5 verse 29. Oh that there was such a heart in them. That they may fear me always. That they may fear me always. Oh that there was such a heart in them. And obey me that it may be well with them and with their children forever. God is telling Moses. His dear friend Moses. Oh that there was such a heart in them. That they may fear me always. What does this mean to fear him always? Does this mean that we just live in terror of the Lord? Oh. God is somehow. Wanting a relationship with man. Where somehow he is pleased or satisfied. Because men are just terrified of him. No. That is not what God is looking for. What does it mean to fear him always? It means that God is everything to us. And if he is everything to us. Then we don't want to do anything. That would grieve him or come between us and him. Anything that would separate us from him. Anything that would set our souls. At a distance from the lover of our souls. Jesus Christ. A heart that would fear him always. What it means to fear the Lord always. It means that you've been swept off your feet. By a kindness and a love and a humility. That you see in God. And you tremble in fear of doing anything. Oh Lord I don't want to do anything to grieve you. I don't want to do anything to lose your anointing. The sweetness of your presence. I don't want to distance you in any way. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. That's the fear that he is looking for. That is the fear that he is looking for. That fear that lives in constant awareness. Of his presence. A constant knowing. That God is in us. That he is with us. That he is near us. That he is not some far off God. But that he is right here in our midst. That's the fear that God is looking for. That is the heart that God is looking for. So ultimately that fear. That he is looking for. Is an expression of love. For him. And so God could not create a soul that loved him. All he could do. Is just humble himself. And just demonstrate his love. And take our beatings. Our shame. Our railings. Our curse. And all the mockings of men. All the people spitting upon him. Abusing him. Laughing him to scorn while he is bleeding on the cross. Dying for our sins. All he could do is just. Endure all the humiliation. That he received with joy. For the joy that was set before him. Which was our souls. To win our hearts. To win our affections. To win all of our desires. He wanted to produce what we needed. He wanted to produce in us what we need. To love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. He couldn't just create a man. That would love God. A woman that would love God. With all of their heart, soul, mind and strength. All he could do is just humble himself. And just take our sin. Take our shame. Take our cross. And just endure it all. To produce in us something. Through faith. Something. That we needed to love that way. That's how he takes out the heart of stone. And he creates a heart of flesh. It's through the preaching of Christ. And him crucified. That heart of stone upon hearing that on the day of Pentecost. When Peter lifted up his voice. And preached in the face of these rebel sinners. That crucified the prince of peace. Upon hearing these things it says they were cut to the heart. It's like God. God through the foolishness of preaching through Peter's words. Cut to the very thoughts and intents of their hearts. And just manifested what they were. And what they deserved. And they were cut to the heart and they said men and brethren. What must we do? It was at that point that Peter said repent. I know that you thought you were doing good. When you crucified the Christ. When you crucified Jesus but he was the Christ. The son of the living God. And he knelt under the tree. Repent. Be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ. For the remission of your sins. That's what he told them to do. In the process of all this. Through their faith God was taken out that heart of stone. And he put within them a heart of flesh. And you see that beautifully lived out in the book of Acts. All who believed were together had all things in common. They didn't call anything that they possessed their own. They lived with simplicity of heart. Singleness of heart. They had one cause worth living for. One king worth dying for. They were striving together daily for the faith of the gospel. To the end that God would be glorified. That the lamb that was slain might receive the reward of his suffering. That is what God produces. That was the heart that he was looking for. That's what you see in the book of Acts. It was actually prophesied in Ezekiel chapter 11 and Jeremiah 32. God says I will give them one heart. It says in Acts chapter 4 verse 32. That all who believed were of one heart. One heart. What is that one heart? What is the heart that God creates in us through the power of the gospel? It's his own heart. That we see beating in Jesus Christ. When he walked this earth. When he was on the cross. When he was raised from the dead. And he preached with his disciples. He was with his disciples in all these different details. The gospels teach us. The one heart. Is Jesus Christ. Is this heart in you? Is this heart. Is this heart beating on the inside of you? Is your heart beat with Christ? Do you feel the impulses of his love? Flowing from his heart through your veins. Going into your hands to reach. Lost souls that he bled and died for. Do you feel it flowing down into your feet? Taking you to those people down the street. At the grocery store. At the park. Maybe at your church. Or at the club. To share his words of life with them. Do you have the heart of Christ? Have you experienced the new birth? Has your cold icy stony. Calloused heart been. Removed. Through the faith in Christ and him crucified. Have you been cut to the heart? Has your stony heart been removed? Have you received a heart of flesh? Even the heart of Christ. The Lord says I will give him one heart. One heart. Is the one we see in Jesus Christ. It is Christ in you the hope of glory. It is his heart. That is the heart. Paul said I labor in birth pains. Until Christ be formed within you. The apostle was laboring with the church. He equated it to giving birth. There was some burden and pain. Something he was literally experiencing. In the spirit for their souls. The heart of God. That Christ might be formed within them. May the Lord bless you.