700 years before

https://soundcloud.com/wkbode/consider-the-following-700
Isaiah the prophet wrote prophecies concerning Jesus 700 years before he was born in Bethlehem.

Listen to the prophet foretell of Jesus' suffering.

All passages quoted today are from the New Living Translation.

Isaiah 49:15-16 NLT

“Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.

Isaiah 50:5-7 NLT

The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me, and I have listened. I have not rebelled or turned away. I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting. Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will not be put to shame.

Isaiah 52:13-14 NLT

See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.

Isaiah 53:2-12 NLT

My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

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1 Peter 1:20
God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.

Ephesians 1:4
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

Luke 24:25-27 NLT

Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures.  Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?”  Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

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Isaiah describes in detail the events around the crucifixion of Jesus. We should not be surprised at this because the Bible is clear that all along it has been God's plan for Jesus to die for our sins.
Jesus himself repeatedly tells his disciples he must suffer and die.

 (Matthew 16:21, 17:12, 20:22, Luke 9:22, 12:50, 17:25, 22:15,42, Mark 8:31, 9:12, 10:38, John 18:11)

Conclusions - -

• God keeps his promises.
• God's plan for Jesus is plan "A" not a plan "B".
• God wants his people to know what his plans are in advance.
• Jesus claimed to be the Messiah foretold by Isaiah's prophecies.
• Jesus is the focus of the Bible, the events of human history, and God's plans.
• Jesus asks us to follow him in being obedient to God's plans even in suffering. Jesus set the example to follow.
• Salvation and forgiveness for sin are found in Jesus.
• You can trust God's plans.
• You should read the Bible to understand God's plans.

Questions --

• Do you believe the Bible?
• Do you trust God to work out his sovereign plan in your life?
• Do you believe Jesus is the suffering servant foretold 700 years before by the prophet Isaiah?
• Do you trust Jesus as your saviour and the only one who can forgive your sin?
• How are you following Jesus? 
• What about your life shows you are suffering in obedience to the Father?
• Why would anyone think you are following Jesus?

Finally, justice!

Isaiah 11:4 NLT

He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
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The promise God made to King David had always seemed too good to be true. Dynasties don't last forever. David's experience of the promise was seriously threatened before he ever reached the throne. And when the land of Abraham's promise was finally united under David's good rule, it is divided by fights among his sons and generals. Does this throw God's promise into doubt? Solomon appears to be a just king, but he is deeply flawed and wavers.

God's people are waiting for a prophet who will declare his people free of exile and oppression. They are longing for a promised king who will rule with justice and peace. God's people are looking for a Messiah like Isaiah has foretold. Who would be this 'Sent One' whose very words would bring healing and peace?

Surely someone could see that this promise would have to be fulfilled by no one short of God himself. Thus it is Jesus Christ, the God/Man-Messiah, who alone can fulfil this grandiose and outrageous promise from God.

We clearly see in Jesus' words he is the one that Isaiah is speaking of here (read further below).

Do you long for justice? Did your heart crave the peace promised by Isaiah? Does your mind desperately need this safety and salvation?

All this and more is found in Jesus.

Rest assured, Jesus rules a kingdom you can be part of that is all this and more.

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Isaiah 11:1-10 NLT

Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord. In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.

https://soundcloud.com/wkbode/consider-the-following-03

Told his accusers he was Ruler of the World

Mark 14:61-65 NLT

But Jesus was silent and made no reply. Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I Am . And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?” “Guilty!” they all cried. “He deserves to die!” Then some of them began to spit at him, and they blindfolded him and beat him with their fists. “Prophesy to us,” they jeered. And the guards slapped him as they took him away.

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Jesus claimed to be the Messiah. Although Jesus said very little during the ordeal, he did clearly claim to be the Messiah, the Son of God, seated with God in a place of power.
Jesus claims to rule with God.
Jesus claims to have a position of power with God.
Jesus claims to be a judge of those who do wrong on the earth.

Jesus at a kangaroo court of a trial clearly nailed his colours to the mast.
Jesus wanted everyone to know he was God. He was the judge from God. He was the one whom Daniel foretold.

Daniel 7:13-14 NLT

As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.

Jesus was sent by the Pharisees to be killed because he unequivocally claimed to be the Ruler of the World.

John, the apostle and author of Revelation the last book of the Bible, followed up on Jesus' claim when he wrote, 

Revelation 1:5-8 NLT

... Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him— even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen! “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”

See, Jesus wasn't just a good teacher or another prophet. Jesus wasn't simply a nice guy. Jesus is God.
Jesus is the ruler of all the kings of the earth.

Mark is writing the account of Jesus' betrayal, arrest, "trial" and crucifixion. And Mark wants to make it completely clear, Jesus is the judge of the world. Jesus was coming to die for being exactly who he claimed to be.

Are you ready to face Jesus who is the judge of the world?

Will you listen to him?

Or do you, like the Pharisees, condemn Jesus as a liar?

How will you respond to Jesus' claim?

Can you ignore the King of the world, the judge of all?

What's your soul worth?

Mark 8:34-37 NLT

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.  And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?  Is anything worth more than your soul?
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Peter and the other disciples knew that Jesus was the Messiah. God had revealed to them Jesus' true identity. Jesus' disciples wanted the promised rescuer to come. Most Jewish people at that time wanted to be rescued from the cruel rule of the Romans.

Jesus was the Messiah but he was also the Son of God.

Yet Jesus' method of deliverance was to suffer and die. Furthermore, Jesus was inviting his followers to suffer as well.

God's way was radically different from what the disciples were expecting.

Jesus wanted to rescue his people. But rather than gain the world the Romans controlled to give to his people, he was inviting his followers to give up everything. The downtrodden and oppressed were being invited to give up everything so they wouldn't lose their soul.

What in this world is so valuable that you'd exchange your own soul for it?

Would you give up your soul for temporary fame?
Would you give up your soul for power and riches for this short life?
Would you give up your soul for a unfulfilled struggling middle class mediocre disappointing life?

What in this life now is so worth trading eternity in God's kingdom and everlasting life with God for?

The Messiah came to rescue you from this world, its priorities, its dead end goals, its selfishness, and its king of the hill struggling mentality.

The God of heaven and earth is offering you the opportunity to be with him in his kingdom, but you must be willing to give up your claim on this world.

When he comes it will be as simple as, Which kingdom did you long for?

If you cling to all that you desire here, your hands will be full and there will be no way for you to follow Jesus hand in hand into his kingdom. If you didn't want to cling to Jesus while you lived here, and you didn't follow Jesus in the way he went, then you will not be following him into heaven.

You will have invested your soul in a world you cannot have, a world destined for destruction. If you only believe in this world you'll end up with nothing. You'll spend all your time, energy, and love struggling to have what you cannot attain and you'll miss out on all that Jesus offers.

What's your soul worth?
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Mark 8:29-38 NLT

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah. ” But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.  And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?  Is anything worth more than your soul?  If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Hope anyone?

Matthew 12:21, 23 NLT

And his name will be the hope of all the world.”

The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?”

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We have a global faith. We have a long held promise faith. We have an amazing faith.  We have a hopeful faith.

People need hope. Jesus is what they are hoping for.  Justice comes from Jesus so Jesus gives us hope. Jesus will rescue.

As a follower of Jesus are you full of hope? Are you living in anticipation of God’s great hope giving rule?

Believe and trust God.

God promised to David an eternal ruler. And so only Jesus the Son of God, with no beginning nor end could fulfil this promise.

I ask my heart, do I believe Jesus is the hope of the world? Do I believe he is in control? Do I trust he is able to make things right? Do I trust him with my life? Do I hold him out as the fulfilment of the world's hope?
When I see the evil in the world, do I rest in the knowledge that Jesus is the hope of the world?

Am I confident Jesus is the answer to the problem of injustice? Do I trust Jesus to right the wrongs of oppression, poverty, war, and disease?

On a personal note, do I believe Jesus is the hope of my family? Can he save my children? Will he heal our sicknesses? Will be change our hearts to be full of hope?

Do you believe Jesus is the hope of the world? If not why not? What or who do you think is? Is there any hope? What will save the world?

I believe Jesus is the hope of the world.

Do you know the gift God has for you?

John 4:10 NLT

Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
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If you only knew the gift God has for you!

God has a gift for you. Do you want it?

Life had not been secure for the woman Jesus is speaking to here in John 4. This woman that Jesus meets at the well was born on the wrong side of the tracks. She was a Samaritan,  not a Jew nor a Gentile. She was seen as an outcast by both the cultures surrounding her. But this woman's problems run a bit deeper. In this time and place a woman's security came from either her place in a family or marriage. But this lady had been married five times and currently wasn't married to the man she was living with. So her financial security and her social standing was quite low. No family would associate with her since she was without honor. So presumably she would be living day to day making do with the 'gifts' various men might give her. Most likely no man would commit to 'taking care of her' so her future would be very uncertain.

Finding a Samaritan man to talk with her would have been unlikely but to have Jesus a Jew and obviously a rabbi asking her for something was shocking. But Jesus asks her for a drink. And then tells her of God's gift.

Jesus says God has a gift for her.

And this gift isn't short lived. This is a gift that will give her security. It's not too sappy to say this is the gift that keeps on giving. An internal well of living water springing up to eternal life.
Now that's some gift. Water represented work. You had to lift it from deep in the ground and water is heavy. You had to carry it to drink, to wash, to prepare food. This woman may have had more than her fair share of uncleanness so washing with this water may have taken up a lot of her precious drinking water. What a blessing to have fresh water that didn't require all that work. And since her standing in the village wasn't very high she would have to draw her water from the well after everyone else had gotten their daily supply.
This gift being offered by God according to Jesus is incredible.

But what Jesus reveals to this woman is even more incredible. If you had been reading the Gospels carefully you'd notice that demons know that Jesus is the Messiah but Jesus doesn't want the demons to be the ones to publicise his true identity and not yet. So when Jesus reveals who he is to this woman it is extraordinary. He knows who she is and he has told her who he is. He is the Messiah.

What looks like a gift of water becomes eternal life and what looks like a gift of notice and acknowledgement turns out to be perhaps the greatest revelation from God these people will ever know. And God gives this gift of revelation to this woman. So far John the Baptist his cousin has suggested he is the Messiah and the disciples have wondered if he was the Messiah. At the wedding Jesus tells his mother, his time has not yet come. But to this woman, Jesus is clear and unequivocal,  he says, 'I am the Messiah!'

And today Jesus is reminding you that your security isn't in this world. It isn't in your social standing. It isn't in your financial arrangements or your persistence or hard work. Your security isn't in your identity or your reputation. Your security can only be in Jesus. He is the living water, he is the One sent from God. He is the one who knows all you've ever done and he is the one who reveals his identity to you. When you know who he is it doesn't matter who you are. And knowing him and who he is changes everyone's perception of you.

God has got a gift for you. God's gift for you is himself.

Will you leave what you are doing and tell others about him?
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John 4:10-30 NLT

Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again.  But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!” “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem.  You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews.  But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.  For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!” Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you talking to her?” The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” So the people came streaming from the village to see him.