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EBIs-12

201030AM

The deepest need we all have are concerns about our mortality.
Down deep we all know we are fragile, we need God.
So here’s the question—How can a sinner be right with God so as to escape hell and enter heaven?
How can we be right with God?
That’s the most important question.
Our world thinks it has the answer, actually, many answers—but none of them right.
There are 21 declared major religions if you search on Google. Those religions have branches or denominations that number about 300 subsets. Beyond these major declared religions are uncountable local worship systems and tribal deities worshipped. Plus, there are probably millions of personal belief systems that humans have devised in their minds around the world.
That’s a big number of religious answers—and sadly ALL of those religions are WRONG except for Christianity as defined by God’s Word. ALL are false, ONLY God is true as revealed in His Word.
As we will see so clearly and powerfully described in Isaiah 53, there is ONLY ONE—Gospel by God

Slides

Transcript

The deepest need we all have concerns our mortality down deep. We all know we’re fragile and we need something, we need God. So, here’s the question. How can we, who are sinners, be right with God and escape Hell and enter Heaven? How can we be right with God? That’s the ultimate most important question?

Our world thinks it has the answer. Actually, it has many answers but none of them are right. There are 21 declared major religions if you search on Google. Those religions all have branches, denominations, about 300 subsets of them. Beyond all that major declared religious system, there are just uncountable local worship systems, tribal deities, plus they’re probably millions of personal belief systems that people have devised in their minds around the world, as their way to get to God. That’s an awful lot of religious answers and sadly, all of those religions are wrong except for Christianity as defined by God’s word. All other religions, belief systems, and systems in general about getting to God are false. Only God is true, as revealed in His word and as we’ll see so clearly and powerfully described in Isaiah 53. There is only one gospel by God.

Welcome to the most important, perhaps, chapter in the whole Bible. As we see on the board, as we explore Isaiah, it’s the 12th class. The only gospel by God. There are not many ways to God. There are not many roads to God. There are not many avenues that people can work and earn and merit salvation. There’s only one revealed by God, and most clearly explained by God right here in Isaiah 53. Let’s turn there as we explore this book and see the wonders of what God will teach us about His gospel.

Verse 5, it says this, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” Verse 6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” That crystallizes the substitutionary death in the place of sinners, offered by the one and only sacrifice God Himself coming in human flesh, as the Christ. God the son. The Savior.

If you look at our slides, the emphasis of every part of this lesson is, that only gospel that is by God. It’s part of our entire Exploring Isaiah classwork and we’re in the 12th hour.

As you see on the chart, with just three more classes before we finished the book. The key chapters, we’ve bumped into another one, there are seven key chapters or passages. Isaiah 53 is one of them, it is about the Messiah, the Christ, the promised one and how God performs through Christ, the work of salvation, the atonement.

In the next slide, we see the outline of where we’re headed. We’re in the second section, the second half of Isaiah. As we look at the second half of Isaiah, we’re looking at this whole middle section. How God offers salvation through the Messiah, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The next slide is what we’re really needing to focus on. We want to talk about, from Isaiah… using the scriptures, the only true living God. Now, look up and think about what this means. When I say the only living and true God, what is that? There’s only one. God. He’s the creator. So, every human has this candle within them, that they’re born with and looking at the world. As soon as they come into consciousness, they realize that all this came from somewhere and that God is the creator and there’s only one savior and He’s named Jesus Christ. The only true God is the creator and the Redeemer. He’s introduced right here in the pages of scripture. The true savior came into the world as the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only savior. Biblical Christianity has the only God of all 21 of those declared major religions of the world, who died and who rose again. There is no other savior, substitute death, on behalf of sinners by a God of any of those religions. He died and rose again to give forgiveness and salvation to His people. That God who died for the sin of the world is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, think about how the progression of the gospel is. As soon as Adam and Eve fell into sin, God promises in Genesis 3:15, that hope was coming. There’s going to be someone that was going to crush Satan. Then during the Exodus Passover, God revealed that it was through a substitute. There was a lamb that was offered on behalf of each family. Then in Isaiah 53, we find out that this hope coming to substitute is a person because Isaiah 53, personifies this one who is the atoning sacrifice. Then in John 1:29, John the Baptist, the last Old Testament prophet points at Jesus Christ and says behold, He’s the Lamb of God. He is the hope. He’s the substitute. He’s the promised person, Jesus. He pointed to Him. Then finally in John 19:30, as Jesus hung on the cross, He said it is finished. The God who died for the sin of the world is Jesus Christ and only Christianity presents a savior. There’s only one way to God. There’s only one truth about God. There is only one life possible with God. That’s the truth revealed in the scriptures, Biblical Christianity. There’s only one savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the next slide, the only true and living God reminds us that there is only one hope of salvation. The only hope of salvation is presented by Christianity. Why? Because the Bible underscores underlines emphasizes the truth that no person can earn their way to God. The religions of the world all speak about human accomplishment and whether it’s by doing some special work or suffering or giving or attending or crawling on your knees or, going on a pilgrimage somewhere, it’s all about what humans can accomplish. Their works.

Salvation is by divine achievement, that Jesus by one sacrifice paid the price as a substitute. We can’t accomplish work harder, try harder, be better, all the things’ people say. Have you ever shared the gospel with someone, and they say, I’m going to try a little harder, I’m going to be a little better, I’m going to turn over a new leaf, I’m going to hope that my good works outweigh my bad works. No. Human accomplishment the way it works, is the way of destruction. The divine achievement, that by one sacrifice, look, the one that would come as a substitute, the person; the perfect person was Jesus, and He finished the work of salvation. The only hope of salvation is, no person can earn their way. No person can earn forgiveness. No person can merit salvation by goodness, by morality, by endless religious activity, by ceremony, by ritual. When you find out what someone is holding onto, that’s how we share the gospel. You ask people what do you hope is the way that you’re going to get to Heaven? The doorway, the pathway, the ticket, and most of them say, that I’ve bumped into, I was baptized, or I joined the church. I was confirmed. I’ve tried really hard. Some of them even say, I’ve prayed that prayer. That’s even a very dangerous one because all of them are things that they have accomplished. They have been baptized. They have prayed. They have done this, instead of saying there’s nothing I can do. Jesus did it all and I have come to Him helpless, hopeless, and just cried out to Him. Like I was drowning and say, I can’t make it, I’m going down. Save me. There is nothing I can do. Only you can save me. The Bible is very clear, that salvation is a gift for those who know they can’t earn it and they cry for mercy to the one and only savior. They put their trust in the forgiveness, and salvation, and Heaven, that’s in Christ. That is through Him, that He achieved on the cross and finished the work. He died for our sins. He died in their place. If they call upon Him. He Rose triumphantly from the dead. He confirmed, He fully satisfied the justice and the wrath of God. People are sinners, I am a sinner, you are a sinner, and all sinners, everyone who’s ever lived are unable to save themselves. We all need a savior. Look back at the slides. That’s the only hope of salvation, it’s in Christ.

Next, we see that the only savior is Jesus Christ. The Bible says there’s only one savior. There’s no other name under Heaven given among men. I can’t save myself. Only a substitute can save me. That’s the message of the holy scriptures. Jesus died and rose again to save His people and He brings them to Heaven. I’m not left with hoping that I’ve done enough, that I can try harder. I’m not left with wondering if I’m balancing the scales, I know that Jesus did everything. It’s amazing, in life, we don’t have problems with this. If someone we love and trust and we believe has the means, tells us that they have paid for something, that they bought us something, that they’ve subscribed or enrolled or purchased or whatever, something for us we just at least say, wow, thank you and we accept it. That’s what salvation is, believing that Jesus Christ is the only savior. That’s the message of scriptures. That’s why the death and resurrection of Christ are celebrated by us who know Him, as the greatest event in the world. Look back at your slides.

So, the only savior is Jesus Christ and Isaiah 53 is the greatest introduction to Jesus Christ the Savior. Now look up, why would I say that it’s the greatest introduction to Him? Prove that God is the author of scripture, and all the way through Isaiah I’ve over and over shared archeological proof and the historic proof and just all these amazing scientific proofs. Everything we went through, the reasons we know that it’s true. One of the clear demonstrations that God inspired this book is what we see in Isaiah 53, what we see in the detail, let me share that. Proof that God is the author of scriptures and Jesus is a fulfillment is found in Isaiah 53, where? The minute, essential details. Isaiah 53, much like Psalm 22 was written like you’re standing at the foot of the cross and noting the details. And that you’re like a drone going around and getting this big picture view that no one else had. That’s what Isaiah 53 is about. What we see, Isaiah 53, has details that are exactly fulfilled in Christ death, His burial, His resurrection, His ascension, His intercessory ministry right now, His coronation and the salvation He provides. That’s all in Isaiah 53, all of it and that’s what we’re looking at.

In fact, Jesus Himself and the apostles of the New Testament and even the writers that weren’t apostles in the New Testament, proclaimed the gospel as they pointed back to Isaiah 53. Now, here’s just a summary. There are references to Isaiah 53 in 15 books. That’s more than half of the 27 books of the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, 1 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews. 1 Peter, 1 John. All of them use Isaiah 53 to explain the gospel. So, Jesus, the apostles, and the New Testament writers all went back to this source.

Now I would say that Isaiah 53 is like the book of Romans, in the Old Testament. Romans is the greatest New Testament treatment of how a sinner can be made right with God. How a sinner escapes eternal Hell and how a sinner gets to have the greatest treatment. Romans. Isaiah 53 is the greatest Old Testament revelation of the same question.

Back to your slides. Isaiah 53, the greatest introduction to Jesus Christ the Savior. Now, the ultimate question. What is the ultimate question? What’s the question everybody should be asking. What is it? What should everybody, you work with, everybody you live with, what should your children, what should your parents, what should your husband or wife, what should those friends you have in life, your coworkers, your teammates, what should everybody in the world be asking? We all know we’re in COVID-19 season. We know that there is a deadly invisible, to us, virus that can attack our most vital life sustaining systems and can render them either seriously disabled or end our lives. So, instantly when people knew about that everyone has gotten all caught up with our hand washing, and the N 95 mask, and how we can avoid and stay distant, because we want to preserve our life. If you want to preserve your soul, what’s the ultimate question. The question is how can a sinner be right with God? How can a sinner escape Hell and enter Heaven? That’s the most important question. How can the sinner be right with God? Wow. That’s the question. How can a holy God declare me righteous? See, that’s what people should be asking, not can I outweigh my bad with my good. God says any infected with the deadly S.I.N. virus, we have COVID-19 virus, and everybody knows all about it. You’ve seen it. I’ve seen endless pictures of that, looks like a mine with little bumps and it’s red, of that virus. There’s a S.I.N. virus. Are you thinking about that? It’s far more lethal and deadly because it has eternal consequences.

God answers that question for the world. God sent Isaiah 53 to answer that ultimate question. So, look back at your slides. The ultimate question is how do we get right with God? Let’s go to Isaiah 53 in your Bible, and I’m going to display… I told my wonderful wife Bonnie, that’s running the studio here, for this class I said, I ran downstairs and took a picture of my current Bible. Some of the pictures I had were of my former Bible. Look, this is actually Isaiah 53:1-6 starting here. This is what I wanted to get to, this section starting in chapter 52, verse 13. Look what it says, “Behold, My Servant…” Now, this is God talking. See what I wrote there in the margin? Isaiah 52:13 is God introducing chapter 53.  God says that Jesus is, “My Servant.” The Hebrew word is ʿeḇeḏ, and it’s always used for slaves in the Old Testament. So, Jesus is God’s slave. That He fully did God’s will. “He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.”

Now, what’s interesting is right here. In verse 13, this “very high” I noted in my margin. You’re only God as Isaiah 6 says, it’s the same word. I saw Him “high and lifted up.” Jesus in verse 13, is “very high.” He’s “high and lifted up,” like Isaiah 6. Look what happens to Him. He is more disfigured than any human. The reason He was disfigured is verse 15, so He could “sprinkle many nations.” Now look up for a second, I love that part. Verse 15 is how I got saved. Verse 15, unless you are an actual ethnic descendant of Abraham and are Jewish, then verse 15 is how you got saved because Jesus says the gospel is going global. I am going to let others, beyond those who are of the chosen people of promise, Israel; I’m going to let them also benefit from the work of salvation. So, back at the text, he will “sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; for what had not been told them they will see, and what they hadn’t heard they will consider.”

Now Isaiah 53 starts, “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” “He will grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” It’s speaking of the lowliness of Jesus, and then this talks about how Jesus was treated, in verse 3. These details are amazing. “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows,” and I love this, “acquainted with grief.” He understands our sorrows.  “We hid, as it were, our faces from Him.” Speaking of the way that most of us don’t seek Him. We want our own way, but look, “He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” This is, of course, primarily speaking to the Jewish people and secondarily speaking to all of us. Here’s the essence, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions.” See what I wrote right here? It’s the clearest substitutionary atonement statement right there. I also noted 2 Corinthians 5:21, because that’s the distillation of this entire chapter into one verse. We’ll get to that. “He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him.”

Now pause for just a second. Let’s look at that. The chastisement for our, what? What does it say? Look back in your Bible, in verse 5. Chastisement for our… say it out loud, Peace. Now all of you know, this Hebrew word for peace. How did the Jewish people say it? Shalom. Actually, biblical Hebrew doesn’t have vowels in it. It’s primarily written down, with its consonance. Then later the Masoretic text added all the different vowel, punctuation are actually the vowel pointings, they call them. This Shalom is the letters Shin and Lamed and then Mem. So, it’s SHLM and the verb shalom. Peace is a noun, but the verb shalom is… literally means to be made complete. Whoa. Peace, shalom means only God can make us complete. We’re all missing something. We’re all experiencing this lacking.

Now take your Bible and turn back, just turn back to Isaiah 48. Because Isaiah 48 begins this explanation of how much we need a savior, by saying this in verse 22. So, the last verse of Isaiah 48, “There is no peace,’ says the LORD, ‘for the wicked.” There is no what? Now, look at this. There’s no peace. There’s no Shalom. They will never be made complete. They are restless. They’re endlessly searching for something else.

I just would like to say that one of the great blessings I have is hearing from people like some of you that are watching this class. Now remember that primarily, I’m teaching this to East Asia to a classroom and they’re sitting in there and taking notes and quizzes and tests and doing their projects, but many of you are tuning in and watching this. I hear from people who say I was listening. Just heard last night from a young person, they said grew up in the Catholic church, gave up on the Catholic church, lived, sowed my wild oats, which is a way of saying lived in sin. But they said, I just bought a Bible, I’ve been watching these videos, I’ve been tracking with you, and I want you to know that I have now come to the place that I am trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior. That’s why we put these classes up, as you’re watching there. If you have not, if you realize that you’re looking and looking, and you’re not at peace, you are restless, you know something’s missing. You’re always, money may not buy happiness, but it buys a lot of places to look for it. So, you’re making as much money as you can and you’re using it to try and have these fun times, but they always go away. Then you’ve come to the right place because the Bible says Jesus offers endless life and joy and peace that never goes away.

Back to the text, let’s go to Isaiah 53. On the screen, “the chastisement for” our shalom, “our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes, we are healed.” We all have the sin virus. Only He can heal it. “All of us like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way;” that is depravity, most people wonder what sin is. Sin is, I want my own way.  That’s why all of us are like, you don’t have to convince anybody of that. “And the LORD laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

The next slide, I told you we’d go to 2 Corinthians 5:2121, let me read it to you. You look at the slide. “He made Him.” Now the He is God. God the Father made Him, that’s Jesus Christ, “who knew no sin.” Theologically, we say that non-peccare, the impeccability of Christ. He doesn’t sin. He is not a sinner. He’s never sin. He’s holy and harmless. God the Father, He made Jesus “who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Now, let’s look at that. Up here, I started drawing that on the board. That is the great biblical doctrine of justification. That’s 2 Corinthians 5:21. Justification is that Jesus Christ, on the cross… so we’re talking about the cross, we’re talking about when He said it’s finished, what He finished in John 19:30. The penalty for my sins, God put over here on Jesus Christ account. Most people vaguely think, that’s in their minds that He died for sin, but it’s not just the punishment for my sins, but the record for my sins also came over here. In other words, God treats Jesus like He did all my sins. The way God’s accounting system works is, if God treats Jesus like He has all my sins, then the record is no longer on me. Think about that. That’s the great doctrine of justification. Now look back at your slides, that’s 2 Corinthians 5:21. 2 Corinthians 5:21 summarizes all of Isaiah 53.

Let’s go back. Because of our sins, we are all guilty convicts in God’s sight, so we need justification. You can look up for a second because this is one of my favorite ways to explain this. During all the years that I was a pastor, I would disciple my staff pastors and train them, and teach them how to study and memorize. One of the favorite things I had is, how to share the gospel. So, we were sitting… at the last church that I pastored there were six staff pastors… and they were all sitting at the place that has the onion ring column. What’s the name of that place? Red Robin. They like those onion ring towers, and I wanted to witness to the waitress. Because I was older and she could tell I was the one probably paying for all these young guys, because we had young staff, she would come over and ask me if everything was okay. I said, yeah. I said, do you know that all these guys at the table are convicts? She stepped back away from the table and she looked at all of them. Then she came back over to me and said, what did they do? I said, let’s see… I had her, she fell hook, line, and sinker. I said, they’re all convicted sinners because the Bible says for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Then she went, oh and then she left and brought back the onion rings and everything.  Then she said… she just wanted to keep talking about this. I said, I am the worst sinner I know in the whole world, then she stepped away from me. She said, what did you do? I said, I want my own way. Then she realized that I was saying, she’s a sinner too, and I just went right into the gospel. We need to, look at this slide, because of our sins we’re all guilty convicts in God’s sight. So, we need justification.

Look up, let me tell you a quick story. One way to describe justification is by the story of what happened to a wealthy Englishman. He bought a Rolls Royce. Now, that would take wealth. That costs like $300,000 these days. He took it to France on his vacation. On his vacation through France, the new Rolls Royce, the brand new Rolls Royce broke down at great expense. The Rolls Royce factory flew a mechanic and not only repaired the car, but entertained the customer in the finest hotel nearby, where his car broke down. When he arrived home, he expected to receive a large bill, but no bill came from Rolls Royce. Eventually he wrote asking that his account be settled for the repair, and the hotel, and the meals, and everything that they paid for. He received this reply back on Rolls Royce letterhead. Dear sir, we have no record of anything ever having gone wrong with your car.

That’s exactly what it means to be justified. It means God has no record of anything ever having gone wrong in our lives. The truth of justification, when you really realize that all the penalty, for all my sins, past… present… future… On the cross, Jesus paid for all my sins, from when I was born till when I called on His name, when I was six years old, all the way through today and all the way through my last brainwave, heartbeat, and breath. He paid for all of them in one sacrifice, all my sin. The penalty, God punished Jesus for my sins and the record of my sins was put on Jesus’ account, like He committed them. So, God says, like Rolls Royce; Dear sir, we have no record of anything going wrong with your car. That’s why justification for most people is the greatest doctrine in the Bible. So, look back at your slides. Because of our sins we’re guilty convicts, we need justification.

Here’s a song, I want to read to you the words, because most of us don’t feel justified. Look at what Charitie Bancroft, during the Civil War wrote as a hymn. Before the throne of God above I have a strong and perfect plea, a great High Priest whose name is Love, who ever lives and pleads for me. My name is graven on His hands. My name is written on His heart; I know that while in Heaven He stands no tongue can bid me thence depart.

Look the right-hand column. My favorite stanza. When Satan tempts me to despair, and tells me of the guilt within, upward I look and see Him there who made an end to all my sin. Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free; for God the Just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me.

In the next slide, we’ll continue in Isaiah 53. It says, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth.” That’s the trial of Christ. “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.” Then see, these are all details, trial details. Then look at this, “He was taken from prison and from judgement.” There’s more details. “He was cut off from the land of the living.” Look at verse 9. “They made His grave with the wicked. “They wanted, see what I wrote in my Bible there? They want to toss Jesus on the trash pile with all the others. When someone was crucified, they just put them on the trash when they were dead, but look what God adds. “But with the rich at His.” I wrote there, Joseph and Nicodemus. They made sure that Jesus was with the rich, at His death, in a new tomb because he had done no violence. Like Pilate said over and over, I find no fault with Him. “Yet,” verse 10 says, “it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief,” to make Him suffer. “When you make His soul an offering for sin.” Let’s see, that’s the guilt offering. That was the penalty of my sin. He was taking the guilt off my account onto Him. “He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,” promised the resurrection. “And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.” That’s all of us, the Church, all the redeemed. Look at verse 11, “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.” Wow. Now look, God starts speaking again, remember God was speaking. In chapter 52 verse 12, now God speaks again. “By His knowledge My righteous Servant,” there’s that word again, “shall justify many.” Not all, not universalism, but the many who call out to Him. “For He shall bear their iniquities.” Then of course this wonderful ending capped with this, “He bore the sins of many, he and made intercession for the transgressors.” That’s what sustains us today. Now you can look up from your slide. This is a great reminder of Hebrews 7 that says, He ever lives to make intercession for us. Therefore, that’s why He saves us to the uttermost. Why? Because of verse 12 of chapter 53. He is the one who intercedes for us.

Back down to the slides. What we see next is a summary and I’ll go through these with you really quick. This is in my journal, as I told you about. I always write down what I learned.

  1. Number one, Jesus was lowly. That’s His humility. He comes like a root out of the dry ground.
  2. He’s rejected. So, Jesus understands rejection.
  3. He is a divine substitute. That was the behold, My Servant part.
  4. The scripture say He was crushed, marred more than any man.
  5. He’s submissive. He opened not His mouth.
  6. He’s accused and put in prison and judgment.
  7. The next slide, He’s cut off. Out of the land of the living.
  8. He’s guiltless, there was no violence.

So, I’m writing all these in my journal and thinking about how to apply it as an offering to the Lord.

  1. He continued, that’s the resurrection.
  2. He’s blessed, pleasure would prosper in His hand.
  3. He’s triumphant, He’s dividing the spoil. That means He’s the victor.
  4. His sacrifice was accepted by God. He would justify many.

Now in the next slide, I just want to show you something. In fact, look up for a second. Isaiah is writing in the eighth century BC. So, he goes from the eighth to the seventh century BC.

There’s another gospel writer in the Old Testament, by the name of Zechariah, that’s writing after the return of the exiles back to Jerusalem; from Babylon back to Israel. So, he is writing about 150 years after Isaiah, but he picks up with the same event of this substitute. That’s a person who is going to pay this great Isaiah 53 price. That’s what’s in Zechariah.

So, look down at Zechariah, this is an added bonus as long as we’re here. Here’s my question for you. When was Yahweh pierced? What do I mean by that? Look right here in verse 10. It says, “they will look on Me whom they pierced.”  I wrote right here in my Bible, when was Jehovah Yahweh pierced. Some people say, what’s it talking about? Let’s go back, right here to chapter 12 verse 1. “The burden of the word of the LORD.” So, it’s the Lord. “Thus says the LORD.” So that’s who’s talking, the Lord; “who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the Earth, and forms the spirit of man.” So, that’s the great Lord Jehovah, Yahweh, the Creator. Now, he starts talking in verse 2, “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone.” “In that day,” verse 4, “says the LORD.” So, do you get it’s the Lord here? I. I. I. I will open. Keep going, down here to verse 6. I will make them like a fire against all those who come to Jerusalem and look the Lord. So, it’s still the Lord. I, I, I, the Lord, I, I, Lord.

Verse 8, “In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants.” Verse 9, “in that day that I,” still the Lord. “I,” verse 10, “will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me.” When was Yahweh pierced? On the cross. This is one of the greatest ways to show, to a Jewish person, the Messiah.

Keep going to the next slide please. It was Christ’s greatest miracle. The one that never went away. Have you ever thought about that? All the, feeding the 5,000, the blind, the lame, they all got hungry and blind again. What’s the one that never went away.

The miracle of complete forgiveness. When Jesus said, I forgive you. When Jesus said, go and sin no more. I don’t condemn you.

We need to learn how to open the gift, the miracle of salvation.

So, keep looking at your slides. I’m going to do this really quickly. Satan the accuser wants us to only remember the many times we’ve fallen. He delights in the days or weeks or months he can keep us condemning ourselves, beating ourselves up, trying to be guilty enough. God feels sorry for us, but that’s Satan’s plan. So, don’t fall for it. Resist Satan. Believe the truth. Speak the truth. Do what I call, preaching the gospel to yourself. So, whenever we sin God says, just turn back, repent and confess. Remember that we are forgiven, justified, regenerated, reconciled, adopted, redeemed, and sanctified. That makes us precious in His sight.

One of the most powerful habits that you could grow in is this list of the ramifications of salvation.

Keep this list in your Bible at home and your computer. Slowly as you understandably lay hold of these truths, a life-changing transformation takes place in our minds, as we believe the truth. Then our emotions, as they follow our minds. Finally, our whole life, as we live each day based on God’s truth.

Here it is. See, this is what I keep taped in my Bible. I keep it on my cell phone. By the way, this card is free in our website. You can just go there, under resources, and download it at any time. Here it is up close.

Let me read it to you. This is what I say to God when Satan tempts me to despair, I say,

  1. I am forgiven. God removed my debts. I quote Ephesians 1:7 that I memorized.
  2. Then I say, I’m justified. God has changed my state. I’m not a convict anymore. Then I quote Romans 5:1.
  3. Then I say, I’m regenerated. God has transformed my heart. I say this out loud. I pray this. I thank the Lord. I say it all different ways.
  4. I am reconciled. God has become my friend and I have a wonderful verse I’ve memorized.
  5. I’m adopted. God changed my family. I’m in His family.
  6. I am redeemed. God owns me.
  7. I’m sanctified. God is changing my behavior.

Next slide. Remember that salvation starts an endless new beginning. What I mean by that is, if you just take a minute, let me explain to you the new beginning before we go. Let me explain to you what the only gospel, the one God invented and performed and finalized by Jesus Christ, that answers the ultimate question; how do I get right with God? The God who revealed from Genesis, that He was sending this Savior, who would finish the work of paying the price for my sin. That gives me an endless new beginning.

Here we go. Sometimes we forget what being born again means. The new birth is an offer of the ultimate fresh start. Think about a baby at birth. That’s why it’s called the new birth or born again, being saved, being converted, becoming a follower of Christ. Jesus called it the new birth. Why? Because a baby is a person with no past, only a future. Have you ever thought about that? What the new birth means, it means my past is gone. The record that the penalty I deserve and the record of all the sins of my whole life past, present, to the end, has already once and for all been put on Christ. Wow.

The new birth offers us a brand new start. The record of every sin, every failure, every stain removed forever. That’s justification. All that a born again believer has is a future. See, we look toward where we’re headed. We’re looking toward our glorious home being prepared for us. Our Savior coming to lead us home. Our God and Father that we’re going to forever love and adore and worship and serve. The glorious truth of salvation is, that there’s no past that the promises of salvation cannot make new, if you just cry out to Him. There is no bondage, nothing I’m enslaved to, that Christ cannot break. There’s no fear, that’s His presence. Do you remember, a couple of classes go I talked about the box our problems go in and that the omnipresence of Christ means He’s in there with us. That’s why He says don’t fear, I’m with you. There’s no stain, there’s no sin, that is so deeply penetrating that His blood cannot cleanse. There’s no past His promises can’t make new. The glory of the only gospel, the salvation our Savior Jesus came to assure us of, and that He has saved us into, that nothing can take away is, it’s the new birth of no bondage, no fear, no stain, no past. We’re just living in an endless new beginning. So, look back at your slides. That’s salvation. Endless new beginnings and that is the only gospel. It’s given to us by God.

Let’s close our time together with a word of prayer.

Father in Heaven, I thank you that if anyone is in Christ, we’re a new creation. I’m thankful that you came to give us not just life, but life that is more abundant, that’s overflowing, that really has peace, that is really complete so we’re not restless. We’re not hopeless, we’re assured by the gospel of God. Biblical Christianity of a substitute who died in my place, took the record, took the penalty. I pray that if anyone watching this class, even a student somehow has gotten into a Bible Institute and has never reached out by faith and laid hold by faith on you as the substitute bearing my sin forever away, I pray they’d cry out to you. Say, God saved me now for Jesus’ sake. I accept, I receive, I want your endless life and new beginning. In the precious name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

God bless you.