March 29, 2020
Morning Service

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Greetings to you my brothers and sisters during this unique time in our lives that we truly are living one day at a time.  I know all of you share with me a heavy heart knowing that today is our normal day to gather together and share hugs, smiles, tears, laughter and most of all our unified love, worship and admiration for our Lord and Savior.  Though we are not physically together, be assured that our spirits are united in this moment.  Our hearts are heavy, but let our spirits rejoice that we have this opportunity to unite together in worship, prayer and in the opening of God’s Word.  I want to quickly remind of what we have focused on as we entered into this quite peculiar time of our lives.  Every time you experience a feeling of fear or anxiety, pray and trust that God is in control of this season in our lives and He will never leave us or forsake us. Opportunities knock on our door Christian, to serve in so many capacities.  Come to the aid of a neighbor or family member that is at a high risk and do their shopping for them.  Use innovative ways to connect with each other to keep everyone aware that we are in this together and none of us are ever alone.  Often just to hear a voice is a comfort to many so take the time to make a call and check in with those who may need to be uplifted.  Though we are unable to meet together, we still need to stay connected closely to each other; we are better together.  If you have a need ask and we will do all we can to meet it.

Use this time wisely on a personal level.  God is speaking loudly to the entire world, but He is also whispering in your ear.  Listen to what He is telling you about Himself and about yourself.  The winds of change are blowing, seek out the message that God is trying to send to His church and to each of us individually.  In times like these our vision of what is really important should become very clear for us.  As things seem to be stripped away from us, I ask you to take a different perspective than most people are at this time.  Don’t look at it as we are being robbed of our privileges, but look at it as we are sacrificing our own will for the good of others.  The stories are heroic of the health care workers and first responders who are putting their lives on the line for the good of all.  Our job in this pandemic is to sacrifice our desire to live life as if nothing is happening and simply pray, stay home, stay safe, and stay your distance.  This is not a selfish attitude but a sacrificial one.  Do it for those around you that you love, sacrifice for them and do your part of not spreading the virus.

When we speak of sacrifice there is no better time of the year to discuss that than the time of Easter that is quickly approaching us.  Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah coming as the “Sacrificial Servant.”  In this time that we are being asked to sacrifice, let’s consider the ultimate sacrifice that compares to no other.

Isa 52:13-15 Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.  (14)  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; (15) So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall consider.

            As we studied together through the first 2 chapters of Colossians we all saw Paul’s description of Jesus as the One in which “all things were created through Him and for Him, and He is before all things and in Him all things consist.” (Col. 1:16-17) Jesus is Lord of all; King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  How then does Isaiah prophesy of Jesus as a “Servant?”  As the Lord of all, He came to His own creation to serve us.  In the Hebrew language the word used for servant is “eved” which can be translated either as slave or servant.  According to the OT Law, a person who fell into debt could indenture themselves, sell themselves, as a servant/slave to a fellow Israelite to repay their debt for a period of 6 years.  At the end of that time period, he could be released to resume his freedom with his debt paid in full.  On some occasions however out of love or gratitude a servant could choose to willingly stay and serve his master.  They would be marked by a special ear ring that portrayed that they now served by their choice, voluntarily.

            We now need to place that definition to Jesus as the Servant of God.  He chose to sacrificially offer His life to God as well as to us.  He lived His perfect sinless life with the purpose of dying upon the cross as a sacrifice for our sins.  A true Servant voluntarily giving His all for the good of many.  It is a sacrifice that is given as a free gift.

 

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

            That gift is given with a price tag attached.  Our sins’ wages had to be paid for and in full.  It was for this reason that Jesus, the One True Servant of God, gave His all for us.  His sacrifice made “all things new” by paying the debt we owed for all those who believe that He is the Christ the Son of the living God.  Let’s read together what Isaiah prophesied that this sacrifice would look like and what it would mean for us.

 

Read: Isaiah 53

 

Jesus’ willing act of obedience and sacrifice “pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief; when You make His soul an offering for sin.”  His sacrifice fully pleased God and paid the debt we owed.  We are made complete in Christ because of His sacrifice for us.  Focus in on the fact that Jesus did this for you.  He loves you that much.  He did this while we still had the dirty stains of sin in our lives.

 

Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

In return our love and gratitude should drive us to imitate our Lord choosing to serve Him and our brothers and sisters.  In this time of uncertainty and trial we are being asked to sacrifice our will for the good of others.  Accept that challenge and do it as an act of worship to our Lord and Savior.  Take time to compare what we are sacrificing to what He gave for us.  We will never be able to repay the debt we owe to our Master who we have indentured ourselves to; but we can give Him all we have by obeying His command to love one an0ther especially now in this time of trial.

Joh 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

            Through this week focus in on the “why” you are doing what you are doing.  We have chosen to follow Christ.  We love because we are loved and we serve because we were served.  Praise be to the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!”

 

Heavenly Father please use this time of uncertainty to help us to realize that You have called us to love our brothers and sisters by serving them and You.