- Praise
- Pray
Isaiah
50:7
For the Lord GOD
will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face
like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
Flint - abounds in all the plains and
valleys of the wilderness of the forty years' wanderings. In Isa. 50:7 and Ezek. 3:9 the expressions,
where the word is used, means that the "Messiah would be firm and resolute
amidst all contempt and scorn which he would meet; He had made up his mind to
endure it, and would not shrink from the suffering which would be necessary to
accomplish the great work in which he was engaged."
Read Isaiah
50:4-8 (context of verse)
"It would be impossible for any sinful human being,
no matter how fine a person he was, to undergo the sufferings described without
a spirit of rebellion welling up within him. And if a spirit of revenge took
hold of him, we might well understand. Even Jeremiah complained at the way he
was being used Jer. 20:9, Job 3.
Only one who was
entirely without sin could undergo such suffering without a rebellious
spirit 1 Pet. 2:22-23 The Servant (Christ) counted on the help of
Almighty God and so refused to feel disgraced; He knew that God would vindicate
Him for being faithful to His calling. He had not suffered because He was
guilty, as submitting to public humiliation meekly might suggest to observers,
but in spite of His innocence. Earlier in this book Isaiah called the
Israelites to trust God rather than the nations when faced with attack by a
hostile enemy (chs.7—39). The Servant modeled that trust for God's servant
Israel and for all God's servants. The belief that God would not allow Him to
be disgraced
in the end emboldened
the Servant to remain committed to fulfilling the
Lord's will Luke 9:51 God would eventually show
that the Servant
had not taken a
foolish course of action.
- Isaiah was seeing the Messiah and His crucifixion.
- He knew His purpose
- He chose to complete His mission
- He was confidant in Heaven’s Glory
- He knew The Father would vindicate Him.
- He was immovable in His conviction, nothing could stop him from doing the will of His Father.
- Sacrificed Himself to redeem humanity back to God
- was God on earth, not a martyr, but a living sacrifice. (sin offering)
- the things He endured are beyond our comprehension
- Martyrs are mere humans who suffered and died for the cause of Christ – furthering The Gospel. Carrying out The Great Commission. (Mark 16:15)
- Abraham, Moses, Paul, all Jesus’ disciples – many others became martyrs
- They had seen Glory Of God and knew beyond any doubt that anything they endured here on earth did not compare to the reward that awaited them.
·
We
are not all called to be martyrs, that is, die for Christ. But we all are
called to be witnesses in one way or another. (by example)
Eph4:11
And
he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and
teachers;
·
Witnesses
and martyrs can have many things in common:
·
We
are all called to do something specific, but we are all supposed to be
ready ”in season and out of season” to
witness to people.
- Even though we are to share the Gospel at all times, sometimes we miss it (the opportunity), for whatever reason.
- When we do, we can do one of two things:
a) Quit – Satan wins, that’s what he
wants, therefore you influence no one for Christ.
b) Get back on your horse, influence
people for the Gospel of Christ.
Don’t run from God – run to Him.
c) Remember He’s big on forgiveness:
Rom 8:1 [There is]
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
SET YOUR
FACE LIKE FLINT AND BE AN EFFECTIVE WITNESS!
