Gone astray—Easter Series Part 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. Isaiah 53:6

In the middle of this chapter about the suffering Servant and canadian needs a prescription in us His agonizing passion on our behalf, focus shifts momentarily to you and me. And it’s not flattering.

All of us like sheep have gone astray…

This statement sums up the whole lump of humanity: Every last one of us is exactly like a sheep that has wandered off on its own. It doesn’t matter if you are educated, brilliant, a prodigy, street smart, wise beyond your years, or just a smart cookie—every single one of us is like a grazing sheep, oblivious to the dangers we’re munching our way toward. Not one member of our race is excluded—concerning the things of God (the way things really are), all of us come into this life as dense as…well…a planet full of bleating sheep!

… each of us has turned to his own way…

Every one of us is fearfully and wonderfully made (see Psalm 139:14), and we all have a set of gifts, talents, skills, and interests that distinguish us one from another. Although God created us to be unique, this verse is not referring to the diversity of individuals. When Isaiah stated that each of us has turned to his own way, he was writing about the conundrum of sin within each wonderfully-made individual. Sin is the kamagra online canada “force” within all of us that plays havoc with conscience and draws each one toward every kind of concern but God. Even religiously-inclined individuals seek to “save” themselves—which is itself just another dead-end. Since the garden, the truth has been that each of us has turned to his own way.

Due to the wayward condition of our race, a huge gulf existed between God and man. Despite His great love for us, God couldn’t just “get over it” and let us enter eternal life as fallen beings. He knew that His holiness would consume sin in His presence—the two cannot co-exist—and His holiness would destroy us if we stood face-to-face before Him. Therefore, as things stood, unless He stopped being holy, we would be forever separated. But He could never and would never cease to be holy. And men would always be sinful…

This was unacceptable to God.

Because you and I were like sheep, munching our way off the edge of the cliff; because you and I couldn’t help but blindly careen down our own path into oblivion; because sinful men and women cannot co-exist in eternity with a holy God (no matter how loving He is), God developed a plan to counteract and http://www.bionicwookiee.com/buy-cialis-oklahoma/ overturn all of that.

…but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.

Sin. Because of it, no man or woman can see God, let alone live forever in His presence. That’s why God chose a Substitute from before the foundation of the world to bear the iniquities of us all. If a Man could live an entirely sinless life and be willing to take on everyone else’s sins and the punishment for all of it, then humans, through faith invested in that Man’s sacrifice, could be cleansed of unrighteousness and receive a new nature, qualifying them to enter into fellowship with God—as His sons and daughters.

The problem was this: every human being was sinful. Therefore, as Isaiah prophesied, “Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel” (see Isaiah 7:14). Matthew explained this further when he wrote, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23). Jesus, the sweet Baby of Bethlehem, was conceived by the Holy Spirit for the express purpose of being the sinless One upon whom the Lord would place the iniquity of us all.

God in the flesh—in the Person of Jesus Christ—came to earth to do the job.

God caused our iniquity to fall upon the suffering Servant, His Son. In this way, without ceasing to be holy, God dealt with the sinful condition of mankind by taking it on Himself in the body of Jesus as He hung on the cross. And as He bore the judgment for every bit of our sin, He opened up the way for all of us to enter into His presence and be restored to fellowship with God.

That day eternal life was opened up for all of us.

Dorothy

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 1 John 5:11