Savior

Alive Day 1 Justice + Mercy = Freedom

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 7:22-8:4
1 John 1:5-2:2
Galatians 5:13-18
Hebrews 12:1-6

Alive, Day 1

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, because the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1-4)

“Son, do you love Jesus? Have you given Him your whole life?”
“Yes, Mama. You were there when I prayed to Him.”
“Do you see how you have been jumping quickly to make rude comments to your brothers? Do you see how fast you are to throw a punch and then say you were ‘just playing?’”
“Yeah, I do. It’s just…so hard to follow Jesus all the time.”

Yes.
Yes, it is.

“So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.” (Romans 7:25)

To surrender our lives once to the Savior of the world for the rescue of our souls is an incredible, necessary act. But to surrender to His Spirit at work within us on the daily, in every moment, is something else entirely.

Herein is the long, grueling, often painful process of sanctification by which our souls, once dead to God and alive to sin, are now being fashioned into the image for which we were always intended: Christ’s.

“… the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)

But, oh, the habits of the flesh cling hard and fast to our rhythms of life. Always competing with our desire to follow Jesus is our desire to still love ourselves most and first and best.

“For in my inner self I delight in God’s law, but I see a different law in the parts of my body,  waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body.” (Romans 7:22-23, emphasis mine)

What wretches we are!
And who will rescue us from this ceaseless war within ourselves? (Romans 7:24)

With tears, oh Christ. Only Christ!
Jesus, the only One worthy to sit at the right hand of our Father God. (Ephesians 1:20-21)
Jesus, willing to take our sin and shame upon Himself that we might never bear it again. (1 John 2:2)
Jesus, willing to break us free again and again and again from the ridiculous chains of sin we insist on slinging around ourselves. (Romans 5:21)
Oh Merciful Christ.

“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25)

This beautiful Christ, and the freedom He lavishly gives, are the subject of one of the most profoundly significant chapters in all of Scripture, Romans Chapter Eight.

And the benefactors of such magnificent love?
The wretched ones.
Us.

We who, having witnessed the atrocities of our own sinful rebellion, have now turned instead to look upon the blood stained, nail-pierced body of the resurrected Jesus. He who, having died the death we deserved, now offers us His life and righteousness. He willingly laid down His life that we might live anew with Him, both in eternity and right now, in the nitty-gritty of everyday choices. Here, we choose either to surrender to His Spirit or lustfully love ourselves.

This great unfolding of the vast love of Christ begins here in the dark places of our souls. For only in knowing, grasping, and insistently gazing upon the ugliness of our sin can we truly be taken aback by the sheer glory of the love of a magnificent God who chose to set His love upon us simply that we might be called His own forever.

Never could we dream of becoming good enough to qualify as “righteous” before the Holy One. No amount of law-keeping, good deeds, kind words, gut-wrenching sacrifices, or generous giving could ever amount to earning even a single drop of God’s mercy.

“All of us have become like something unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment…” (Isaiah 64:6)

Our law-keeping is meaningless for earning right standing before God.
So, what hope have we?
None, Sisters.
None.
We are utterly without hope.

Our sin demands the death penalty, for we are wholly unrighteous.
We cannot earn goodness, for we have already earned death.
“For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)

And here, in the inky blackness of hell, eternally separated from a loving God, the Spirit of God whispers, “For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did.” (Romans 8:3)

Like brilliant, white light streaming into a once-darkened dungeon, “God Did” thrills our hearts with blissfully delicious, entirely immovable H O P E.

With perfect Justice, God “condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us.” (Romans 8:4) He paid for sin with His perfection, forever slaying Death on our behalf, and now extends to us unshackled freedom if we surrender our sin-loving, self-focused selves.

His justice.
His mercy.
Our freedom.

And what will we do with this freedom?
Come alive, Sisters, we will come alive!

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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Alive Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Here’s a link to all past studies in Alive!

Terrain Day 9 Bethlehem & Nazareth: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Bethlehem & Nazareth!

The Questions

1) Why were the people looking for Jesus? (verse 25)

2) What is the difference between “the works of God” in verse 28 and “the work of God” in verse 29?

3) What does the statement in verse 35, “I am the bread of life” tell us about Jesus?

John 6:22-35

22 The next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw there had been only one boat. They also saw that Jesus had not boarded the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone off alone. 23 Some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal of approval on him.”28 “What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked. 29 Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.”30 “What sign, then, are you going to do so that we may see and believe you?” they asked. “What are you going to perform? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”32 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”34 Then they said, “Sir, give us this bread always.”35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.

Original Intent

1) Why were the people looking for Jesus? (verse 25)
The events in this passage take place just after Jesus miraculously fed five thousand people with a young boy’s “five barley loaves and two fish”. (John 6:1-13) The people were determined to make Jesus king over them and had spent the night and part of the morning looking for him. They knew Jesus did not leave in the boat with his disciples and were confused about how he got to the other side. According to the Bridgewater Bible Commentary, “the people wanted him to be king not because they felt any spiritual need, but because they thought he had magical powers that could supply all their daily needs.” Jesus had done a great sign pointing to Himself as the long-awaited Messiah. But the “ people missed it. In John Piper’s sermon, “Do Not Labor For the Food That Perishes”, he states, “What they did was fixate on the product of the miracle, not the person of the miracle. And so the sign ceased to be a sign for them.” How tragic to be graced with the wonder of the Messiah you’ve read about all your life only to singularly focus on the wonders done by the Messiah. Would that they were more like the shepherds in the field who simply worshipped Jesus, the Messiah when he was born.

2)  What is the difference between “the works of God” in verse 28 and “the work of God” in verse 29?
When Jesus told the people to work for spiritual food instead of food that perishes (Verse 27), they were still focused on how they might get what they were looking for. Enduring Word Commentary explains their response as “Just tell us what to do so we can get what we want from You. We want Your miracle bread and for You to be our Miracle King; tell us what to do to get it.” The works of God to them was a checklist that, when completed, would result in the reward Jesus spoke of. “The work of God” Jesus refers to is not work at all. Eternal life was not something they could work for. Romans 6:23 boldly proclaims, “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” You can’t work for a gift. It’s freely given. The work of God was “simply believe in Him that God sent.” One verse that sums it up is John 3:16, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” The Jesus they were conversing with was offering Himself, the Son of God, the work of God. All they needed to do was believe in Him. Not His works, Him. Jesus was ready and willing. But again, they missed it because they misunderstood who He was.

3) What does the statement in verse 35, “I am the bread of life” tell us about Jesus?
I am. God reveals himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14 with the title, “I AM WHO I AM’. And Jesus starts this statement declaring He is God, I AM. He was the Word walking around in flesh, dwelling with the people (John 1:14) But Jesus also gets specific. In response to the Israelites reminiscing about the manna “Moses” gave to fulfill their hungry bellies, Jesus let them know God was concerned with providing for their spiritual hunger, by giving bread from heaven. “The true bread from heaven gives eternal spiritual nourishment. It is infinitely superior to the manna provided in Moses’ day, which met only physical needs.” (Global Study Bible) Jesus that bred from heaven, the Bread of Life.  This “I am” statement tells us that Jesus is loving and merciful. Only a loving God would provide salvation for such sinful, selfish, self-centered people. We also learn that Jesus is sufficient  to provide what the people needed, even though they didn’t realize what that was. Jesus, the Messiah, willing to be “poured out like water”, thirst, and be pierced for their sins so that they could have eternal life (Psalm 22:14-18) What a Savior!

Everyday Application

1) Why were the people looking for Jesus? (verse 25)
We often read the Bible and criticize the Israelites. But aren’t we often guilty of the same things we fault them for? I can raise my hand here because sometimes I seek the gift more than the Giver. I anticipate the treasure from God more than the treasure that is God. There is even false doctrine that is centered on this very concept. It has fooled many people into the same thinking the Israelites had. But unlike them, we should be like the Psalmist who praises God and thanks Him for who He is, thereby pleasing God. As believers, we should always check our motivations. David Guzak instructs, “Often we can learn more from understanding the reason we ask God a question than from the answer to the question itself.” Let us make a daily habit of determining if our desire is for the Lord or for what He can provide. May it be that our heart echoes King David’s in Psalm 27:4.

2) What is the difference between “the works of God” in verse 28 and “the work of God” in verse 29?
Works based salvation is the idea of our salvation being tied to works. If one were to believe this you would be embroiled daily in a list of “the works of God” you need to do so that you can “earn” eternal life. This is not how you gain salvation. There is one way to be saved, Ephesians 2:8-9 says it best. “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” We are saved by faith in Jesus’ redeeming work on the cross, “the work of God”. There is no set of tasks we can do, no amount of good deeds we can perform that will allow our names to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. It is by faith alone, in Christ alone. The second part of this is that when we are saved, we begin a new life. This life, Ephesians 2:10 tells us, will include good works, not for salvation, but as the fruit of faith in Christ. Even after we are saved, we can get caught up in doing works because we think God will love us more. God loves us the most already. God loved us and Christ died for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8) There’s not much more love than that! One way we can keep ourselves grounded in “the work of God”, is to daily acknowledge God as the source of our salvation while also asking Him to lead us to the good works He has planned for us. God will never steer us wrong!

3) What does the statement in verse 35, “I am the bread of life” tell us about Jesus?
On this side of the cross, we know that Jesus is the Messiah. We have the Gospel accounts and the story of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. But there are still things to learn from verse 35. Christ is our satisfaction. There are so many opportunities for “pleasure” as the world defines it. We can indulge in as much or as little as we want. Not all of it is bad, but one thing is universally true. Nothing we engage in will keep our appetites quenched. Chuck Smith puts it this way: “…though a person pursues after the pleasures, the excitements, the thrills of the world, one thing about them is that they’re just not lasting. It isn’t long before you’re thirsting again. But Jesus said, “I’m the bread of heaven. God has sent Me. And if you eat of Me you’ll never hunger again, and if you believe in Me you’ll never thirst again.” What glorious good news!” Glorious indeed! We also learn Jesus is our refreshment. In the blazing summer heat, a cool drink of what is so refreshing. It makes us feel revived. Well Jesus is our perpetual source of refreshment. No matter what situation, when we feel the heat, He is available to refresh and restore us (Revelation 21:6-7) He is the One who will never forget or forsake us. Be prepared for those times when it feels like life has turned up the heat and you’re fading fast. Have your list of scripture verses ready to draw upon. Think back on all the times God has sustained you. The Lord will refresh you. He will be all you need.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Bethlehem & Nazareth!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Terrain Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

If Day 13 Un-Risen

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 15:12-22
Matthew 28:1-7
John 10:14-18
Romans 6:1-11
Ephesians 1:18-23

If, Day 13

When we read the accounts of the Lord Jesus Christ in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), we are awed by His greatness. He preached the kingdom of God and performed different kinds of miracles. He was full of love and mercy; wherever He went, He healed the sick, provided food for the hungry, and even raised the dead. For these reasons, a large crowd was always following Him. As Jesus continually met the basic needs of humanity, it follows that people would throng to Him.

But what if, after His death, His body decomposed, and His bones remained in the grave? Would He be any different from other religions’ leaders?

While the accounts of His life portray Him as unique,
His end would have been the same.

The figureheads of all other religions lived at a point in time, and their lives included some memorable events for their followers. They all died and were buried, and their tombs remain closed around their remains. The best their followers could do to remember them was to make those tombs into shrines for visitation and rituals.

What if the story of Jesus was the same?
What impact would an un-risen Jesus have on our faith, our spirits?
Apostle Paul addressed this question by explaining,
“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.” (1 Corinthians 15:17-19)

But thank God, Christ did not remain in the grave as other religions’ leaders; “He has risen, just as He said.” (Matthew 28:6) Indeed, Jesus predicted His death and resurrection. He said to His disciples, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after He is killed, He will rise three days later.” (Mark 9:31)

“This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.” (John 10:17-18)

Hallelujah, what a Savior! Is that not powerful?
Christ laid down His life for us at will, and took it back after paying off the price for our sins. My people in Nigeria have a saying, “If someone promises you a shirt, look at the one on his body first.” The message is, no one can give what he does not have. Thank God, the Lord Jesus Christ lives forever and He has given us life in Him.

The death and resurrection of Christ provides all who believe and trust in Him with our unshakeable identity, both for this life and in eternity. In this life, we enjoy a new existence in Him; in eternity, we will live with Him forever.

Scripture says,
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

“Therefore, we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4) We can walk in “newness of life” because Jesus’ resurrection conquered the sin nature that once ruled us; now, through the Spirit, God remains in us. (1 John 3:9)

Finally, Scripture testifies, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God [and . . .] everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.” (1 John 5:1-4)

Through the death and resurrection of Christ, we receive the grace of God, through the Holy Spirit, to live victoriously over sin and Satan. Christ is seated at God’s right hand in the heavens, “far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given.” (Ephesians 1:20-21) Furthermore, “[God] also raised us up with [Christ] and seated us with Him in the heavens with Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 2:6)

What does this mean for us?
We are also seated in Him, far above every authority of the devil. Glory be to God! We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. (Romans 8:37)

Yes, we experience struggles in this world whose god is Satan, yet we have the assurance that we have already been saved from death to life, just as our God was raised from death to life. (1 John 3:14) Death was not His master, and neither is it ours who trust in Jesus, for “we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)

Then we will say, “Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)

Let the Good News ring out, Christ is risen!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into If Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in If!

If Day 12 Free Ride: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Free Ride!

The Questions

1) Why was the man willing to sell everything for this treasure he found? (verse 44)

2) Who is the merchant? (verse 45)

3) What can be learned from these two parables?

Matthew 13:44-46

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.

Original Intent

1) Why was the man willing to sell everything for this treasure he found? (verse 44)
Though Jesus’ parable doesn’t specifically describe what the man found in the field, we know he found it to be of extreme value. This wasn’t something he intentionally went looking for, rather, he happened to stumble upon his grand discovery. Once he found it, he knew its high worth and was willing to bury it again in the field, keeping it hidden and protected, while he went to sell everything he had in order to purchase the field. In this way, he could be certain the treasure he had found would be his forever.

2) Who is the merchant? (verse 45)
An experienced pearl merchant knew exactly what to look for, and he was intent on finding the “perfect pearl”. His life’s work was to know what a perfect pearl looked like, and then pursue that. Pearl merchants knew the worth of each pearl they encountered, and they knew the price to pay for it. Unlike the man who wasn’t expecting to find a treasure in a field, this merchant is actively seeking out the ultimate pearl. On finding it, he knew he had found a treasure worth a lavish price tag. He was willing to sell all he had in order to own the priceless pearl.

3) What can be learned from these two parables?
Jesus often taught in parables, or stories, throughout His earthly ministry. In these stories, Jesus used common things His audience would easily relate with in order to bridge to deeper spiritual truths. In this passage, Jesus wanted His audience to understand the inestimable Treasure He was about to offer them by dying in their place and paying the ultimate price for their sin. He also wanted them to understand the extreme cost of following Him once they understood the true value of embracing Him as Savior. While those listening to these parables did not fully understand them in the moment, His disciples came to understand them after His death and resurrection. They knew that following and obeying Jesus would cost them greatly; many paid with their lives.

Everyday Application

1) Why was the man willing to sell everything for this treasure he found? (verse 44)
The man in Jesus’ story found a treasure he knew was more valuable than anything he owned or could ever own. It was so valuable, in fact, he was willing to part with everything else in his life in order to gain this single treasure. Jesus intended His hearers to understand the Treasure to be Himself as the fullness of God. We have access to Him through His sacrifice where He paid the death penalty we deserve because of our sin so we might be reconciled back to Him. This Treasure had been hidden away in the Old Testament for centuries. Jesus wanted those listening to understand they could “dig” into the “field” of the former prophecies and historical narrative and even the Law in order to find the True Treasure. When we discover Jesus and the Truth of the Scriptures, we are urged to surrender all we have for the vast richness of Christ! (Philippians 3:7-8) Of believers in Jesus, Matthew Henry writes, “upon gospel terms, buy this field; they make it their own, for the sake of the unseen treasure in it. It is Christ in the gospel that we are to have an eye to.” When we understand Truth, recognizing its supreme value, we must make it our own. However, unlike the man who bought the field, our treasure of Christ is not meant to keep to ourselves, but instead share it with the world!

2) Who is the merchant? (verse 45)
This merchant knew exactly which pearl he was pursuing and would stop at nothing to obtain it for himself. Of this pearl, Matthew Henry writes, “a Jewel of inestimable value, which will make those who have it rich, truly rich, rich toward God; in having him, we have enough to make us happy here and forever.” As believers, we understand that in discovering Jesus and the truth of who He is, we have more than enough. Possessions and money are worthless in comparison to having the Treasure of God. There will never be anything more valuable to gain or pursue. Those who have pursued many things, seeking satisfaction, and finally finding Christ are the merchant from Jesus’ story; these people have found the Pearl of Jesus and have understood its supreme value. We don’t need to chase anything else.

3) What can be learned from these two parables?
Both the treasure in the field and the pearl cost a great deal to obtain. Jesus came as God in human flesh to pay the ultimate price for sin with His life that we might be set free from sin and shame. In order for us to spend eternity with God, this price must be paid, because God is just and righteous. This payment cost God His only Son. While there is nothing we can “do” to “purchase” this gift of salvation, there is a cost involved in following Jesus. (Luke 14:26-33) When we understand who Jesus is, we realize the cost is worth it. We become like the merchant and the man who bought the field when we realize the value of the Treasure of God and are willing to pay the cost. Just as these men were willing to part with everything in order to have their treasure, we too must be willing to part with everything in order to follow Christ. It isn’t going to be easy, and we may often question the cost, but as we become more like Jesus we will never regret the choice to pay the price and follow Him in full surrender!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Free Ride!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is If Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

If Day 11 Free Ride

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 13:44-46
Romans 5:1-5
Matthew 6:25-34
James 1:2-4

If, Day 11

“Yes, but it’s going to cost you.”
Have you heard a version of this phrase, if not those exact words?

I have. Sometimes it’s said with the humor of a friend; other times, it has been spoken with all seriousness.

Cost.
We understand it from a monetary sense pretty easily. Do I have the money needed to buy this? How much do I need or want said item, and what am I willing to do to ensure I can make the payment?

But do we grasp the concept of cost beyond dollar signs?
Do we recognize cost is involved in every decision we make?
Beyond that, do we recognize we are changed by every decision we make?

In the business world, return on investment, otherwise known as ROI, is a recurrent phrase. Will an investment provide a return that is worth the cost of the investment?
Will our investment of following Jesus provide a valuable return?

Suppose following Jesus cost us nothing?

Cost is significant.
Upon reflection, I honestly cannot think of a time when cost was not connected to change in my character or life.

Even when I’ve received a free gift, I am aware of the significant cost to the giver.
Cost is always involved. 

With these thoughts swirling through my mind, I sat down to write this study.
What if following Jesus cost us nothing?

If my brain were a literal computer, I would be receiving an error message. In fact, my mind is unable to compute that sentence, and I think of the movie Mean Girls, in which a character says, “The limit does not exist” during math class.

We’re either following Jesus, or we’re leading ourselves.
We’re seeking His kingdom, or we’re building our own.
We’re either counting the cost to follow Him, or we’re not investing.

Adam and Eve chose to invest in the words of the serpent and we are still reaping the returns on their investment. From the very beginning of time, cost has been at play.
Our relationships with Jesus are no different. 

The Bible says a difficult road and narrow gate are the way to heaven. Narrow means lots of decisions are involved in staying the course. Narrow means potentially being misunderstood by those walking the broad paths. Narrow means uncomfortable seasons and various invitations for growth.

Narrow means there will be a cost,
and the final return on investment is Heaven.

But what if…
following Jesus cost us nothing?

We willingly pay out for what we view as valuable.
If we aren’t willing to pay, we deem the value as worthless.

Eternity with Jesus is a pretty significant return on investment, and motivates many people to choose to trust Him. However, Heaven is not the only return we receive when we truly follow the Lord.

Galatians 5:22-24 highlights the fruit of the Spirit, and outlines the cost of their cultivation. When we “crucify the flesh with its passions and desires,” we allow the Spirit to move within us and He pours out love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The brutal language describing the cost of following Jesus boldly declares to us that holiness, not happiness, is the aim of the Christian life. The way of change, the way of transformation, the narrow way of daily putting to death the sin nature wrapped around our spirits since Adam and Eve’s initial investment . . . this is the way of great cost.

We gladly pay the cost because the benefit far outweighs the price tag of surrendering self to the Savior who gave Himself wholly for us, choosing to hold nothing back. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Whole surrender is the way of Jesus, who sacrificed everything from His human body to His very existence in community with the Father.
This is the way of Jesus-followers, who are called to walk in His footsteps by picking up our own crosses.

Oh yes, the cost is great.
But the reward, “the joy set before [us],” Jesus assures us, is far greater.

For in return for Jesus’ sacrifice, we receive redemption, the knitting back together of our spirits once torn apart by the claws of our sinful choices.
In return for our costly sacrifice, we become more like Him, the One who sacrificed all for our redemption.

Thus, not only do we know Him more deeply, but we reflect Him more clearly to the searching world around us.
“Come,” our lives say, “Here is the One who can breathe healing and life into your shattered soul.”

Finally, in Ephesians 6:10-18, we learn how God equips and sustains us through the attacks we will experience during our days on earth. The Lord does not leave us alone until we get to heaven. He is faithfully with us, teaching us how to navigate this lifetime. Again, the benefit of never being alone or ill-equipped adds to the value of following Jesus with our whole lives.

We have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we have the Word of God to read and learn, and we have the Heavenly Father loving us deeply. The Lord’s love is infinite and His mercies are new every morning.

While the sacrifices and challenges involved in following Jesus are quite costly, the ROIs of following Christ are infinite. I will gladly invest to gain Christ and heaven for eternity, and to point others to His open arms during my time on earth.

I am so very grateful that following Christ costs me something.
This is a gift I can never repay.

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The GT Weekend! ~ If Week 2

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) The idea of 1 + 1 + 1 = 1 makes zero mathematical sense to our analytic brains. Often, we attempt to understand the All-Powerful God with our finite, limited faculties, and the result is frustration that can lead to disbelief. Yet, even as finite human beings, we still have experiences that can help us bridge this seeming impossible gap. As a child, I watched my parents withdraw money from an ATM. They simply pressed buttons and received money. I had zero ability to conceptualize anything beyond this childlike understanding of how to get money. The idea of earning money through a job and then being able to purchase new shoes was far too abstract for me to understand. As we tackle difficult things in Scripture, we must remember our own humanity and God’s divinity; where our ability to comprehend God ends, His understanding, wisdom, and knowledge continue endlessly. While we don’t understand everything about 1 God revealing Himself as 3 unique, yet mysteriously connected divine Beings, we do have plenty of evidence in Scripture to understand this mystery does indeed exist! I’ve discovered how the more I lean into knowing God and studying Him as Father, Son, and Spirit, rather than becoming frustrated, I grow to love and understand Him more! Consider diving in to this beautiful mystery of knowing God! Begin this weekend by studying passages on Father, Son, and Spirit. Even a Google search or www.studylight.org can point you in the right direction. Other great resources include www.gotquestions.org or “Delighting In The Trinity” by Michael Reeves.

2) How often do we long for life to be easier? Wouldn’t it be nice if we never struggled or felt pain? Why does the Lord allow us to feel pain and suffering? Shouldn’t He just make life easy for us if we believe in Him? We see from Philippians 3 that the value of knowing Jesus is far greater than any comfort or ease we could wish for. As we walk through suffering and trials, we grow in our dependence on Christ and our steadfastness in worship. If He just handed us an easy life, we would not feel our need for Him as deeply or as fully as we do in our struggles. What trial or struggle are you going through right now? How can you allow the discomfort and difficulty of this situation draw you closer into relationship with Jesus Christ? Consider how you tend to be self-sufficient or block out the pain rather than depending on the Lord through the pain. Maybe you throw yourself into your work, or disappear into books or movies, or maybe you numb your pain with food or alcohol. Take time today to spend time in relationship with God. Feel your need for Him, and remember only He can satisfy. Read James 1, and ask God to show you how to mature through your trials.

3) Where have you seen justice perverted in society around you? What social justice issues press your hot buttons and have you amped up and ready to fight to protect others’ rights because they have been overlooked without representation? Then look around your everyday life and the relationships you’re engaged with. Where do you see injustices played out? Perhaps against yourself or others? In what ways have you fought to stand up for justice? As you consider these, also take a brave minute to consider who gets to decide what true justice looks like? Is there a right and a wrong? Who gets to decide this and why? Is it really fair for everyone to choose their own “justice”? Does that feel like “justice” to you? As you think through these things, consider the character of God as being a perfectly just God. What attributes would you be able to fully rely on if this was true? In what ways are you deeply grateful that God is a just, righteous God? Praise Him for this, then pray confidently for His justice to be made known to all of us!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Ephesians 1:3-6 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

Prayer Journal
Blessed be You, oh Lord, the God of all wonder and glory! How marvelous are Your ways, how unknowable Your love. I stand in awe of how great You are. Your nature as 3 persons in 1 God is beyond my comprehension, yet You call me into relationship with Yourself that I might know You and reflect Your love to a broken world. I confess that when I suffer, I long to be free of trouble. I desire an easy life over the steadfastness and faithfulness that comes only through trial. I confess I tend to numb my own pain, rather than rely on the joy that comes from knowing You. Lord, we ask that Your justice would come on this earth. We know Your very nature is just. Help us to view the world with hearts and eyes turned toward perfect justice. May we care for the poor and the outcast, valuing them as people made in the image of the one true God. Grant courage and boldness that we may be quick to serve those in need and ready to speak truth to the powerful. May we reveal Your heart for justice to those who are far from You.

Worship Through Community

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If Day 7 Triune God: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Triune God!

The Questions

1) Why did Jesus say, “Because I live, you will live too?” (verse 19)

2) What does Jesus mean when He says, “I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you?” (verse 20)

3) How does the Holy Spirit teach us all things and remind us of everything Jesus taught? (verse 26)

John 14:18-26

18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live too. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you. 21 The one who has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father. I also will love him and will reveal myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it you’re going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 The one who doesn’t love me will not keep my words. The word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me. 25 “I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.

Original Intent

1) Why did Jesus say, “Because I live, you will live too?” (verse 19)
In John 14:19 Jesus tells His disciples, “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live too.” Jesus was referencing His resurrection and the eternal life He gives to those who accept Him as their Savior. Though His followers will die one day, each one will live forever in Heaven with Jesus because they chose to fully rely on His sacrifice on the cross to pay the debt owed for their sins. Romans 6:23 tells us the “wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Because Jesus died, but now lives again, all who trust in Him can live forever just as the original disciples are even now! This life Jesus promises, however, is not only eternal life. His followers can live an empowered life while on earth as well with new perspective and purpose. Author Matthew Henry explains, “The life of Christians is bound up in the life of Christ; as sure and as long as He lives, those that by faith are united to Him shall live also; they shall live spiritually, a divine life in communion with God. This life is hidden with Christ; if the head and root live, the members and branches live also.” Because Jesus lives, Christians are alive in Him, learning and growing in Christ, praying to Him and hearing from His Word precisely because He Lives! Jesus tells us in John 10:10 that He came so we could have “abundant life”. We can live this abundant life now today because of Jesus’ work on the cross to put to death our sin nature and wake us up to real life inside of His life! Let’s purpose to live fully today in surrender to His Spirit at work within us, thankful for Jesus’ sacrifice and aware of His power working in and through us.

2) What does Jesus mean when He says, “I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you?” (verse 20)
Jesus’ words in John 14:20 sound a bit like a tongue twister, “I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you.” Jesus can authoritatively say He is in the Father because God Himself is three persons, known as the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is not just the Son of God; He is God. The Bible tells us Jesus only does what He sees the Father doing, and only speaks what the Father says (John 5:19-23). Father, Son, and Spirit are separate Beings while also the exact same God. The Holy Spirit only speaks what He hears God the Father say (John 16:13-15); three Beings, but only One God. When Jesus tells the disciples, “You are in Me,” He refers to the fact that Christians are a new creation, now alive in Christ, and free to live in unity and communion with God, just as the 3 distinct Beings are 1 God. Author, James Burton Coffman, explains, “The identification of believers with Christ is revealed in this verse to be exactly the same as the identification of Christ with God. God is in Christ; Christ is in God; Christ is in Christians; and Christians are in Christ.” Christians have given God control of their lives and hearts. His Spirit dwells within them, leading them and guiding them into deeper unity with Himself. (John 14:26) When we surrender our hearts and our lives to God, we experience the love of the Father (1 John 3:1), relationship with Jesus (John 15:4-5), and freedom and guidance from the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17).

3) How does the Holy Spirit teach us all things and remind us of everything Jesus taught? (verse 26)
Just before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus taught the disciples about the Father God and their relationship to the Father because of their relationship with Jesus. He explained that, though He would not always walk with them on earth, God the Father would send them a Helper to continue teaching and reminding them of the things they learned through Jesus. He told them, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.” (John 14:26 The Holy Spirit, given to us by the Father, dwells in each Christian and empowers each one to follow the teachings of Jesus. As author David Guzik explains, “The disciples would not only see Jesus by the Spirit, they would also continue to live in Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit. Their dependence on the life of Jesus would not end when He departed; it would continue in greater measure through the Holy Spirit.” We can do the things set out in Scripture, not in our own strength, but through the help of God’s Spirit. When we try, in our own strength, to obey God and keep His commands, we end up failing. (Romans 7:18-19)  But when we are weak, God is strong (2 Corinthians 12:8), and enables us to remember and carry out the plans of the Lord. The Holy Spirit gives us power through His presence and enables us to display His fruitful work (Galatians 5:22-23) in our daily lives.

Everyday Application

1) Why did Jesus say, “Because I live, you will live too?” (verse 19)
One year, my family received a fabulous deal on all-inclusive passes to a giant theme park.  Everything was included in park tickets, hotel rooms, meals, and transportation. We went to dinner with some friends at the park, and as their eyes popped out of their heads when the pricey bill arrived, we just flashed our park pass and the meal was free! Living life with God is a lot like having that all-inclusive pass to the amusement park. Everything we need for life and godliness is accessible in Christ. (2 Peter 1:3) Jesus tells us in John 14:19, “Because I live, you will live too.” Because Jesus is alive, we have life in Him. Charles Spurgeon notes, “A man is saved because Christ died for him, he continues saved because Christ lives for him. The sole reason why the spiritual life abides is because Jesus lives.”  Jesus not only gives us abundant life on earth (1 Timothy 6:18-19), but this life also extends into eternal life in Heaven (1 John 5:11). Life with Jesus also gives us full access to the Father. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we can come boldly to God’s throne of grace and receive mercy in times of trouble. (Hebrews 4:16) In fact, Jesus is the only way we can get to Father God because only He lived our human life perfectly for us. Jesus tells His followers that no one comes to the Father except through Him. If we know Jesus, then we know the Father (John 14:6) We can rejoice in the full access we have to the Father through Jesus’, His Son!

2) What does Jesus mean when He says, “I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you?” (verse 20)
The Triune Godhead is made of Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit; all are co-equal as God. Jesus told His disciples, “I am in my Father, you are in Me, and I am in you.” (John 14:20) His words declared that Jesus and the Father are both different parts of the same Godhead. Jesus also promised the disciples that the Father would send them the Holy Spirit, another member of the Trinity, to teach and guide them. (John 14:26) Author, R.C. Sproul, explains, “The three persons are not distinguished by different divine attributes, for They share the same attributes. Instead, they are distinguished by Their relation one to another. We confess that the Father is unbegotten and that the Son is eternally begotten of the Father . . . We confess that the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son.”  The three Persons of the Trinity are the same in Their characteristics, but differ at times in the expression of those characteristics and in the roles They play. Each Person of the Trinity is equally important and equally God. As Christians, we are blessed to have a relationship with God in three Persons, and experience the blessing of God’s Triune nature.

3) How does the Holy Spirit teach us all things and remind us of everything Jesus taught? (verse 26)
My church wanted to get involved in a summer camp for foster kids, so a small team went through rigorous hands-on training and learned the contents of a ginormous training manual. When we brought our first kids to camp, however, no one had time to look up the section on runaway campers as we were scampering in all directions to keep a kid from making it to the highway. Knowing what to do and putting it in action were two different things! Christians are blessed because not only does God give us a “training manual” in the form of the Bible, but He also gives us the Holy Spirit to help us live out His Word in real-time. Jesus taught that God sent the Holy Spirit to instruct us and remind us of Jesus’ teachings. (John 14:26) God revealed in Nehemiah 9:20 that His Spirit was sent to instruct us, and Scripture also tells us that God’s anointing teaches us about all things. (1 John 2:27)  We also learn in Luke 12:12 that the Holy Spirit can teach us what to say even while we are being called upon to make an answer. God’s Holy Spirit dwells in us, instructing us what to do, and even telling us what to say when needed. Referring to John 16:12-14, author R.A. Torrey asserts, “It is His (the Holy Spirit’s) work above all else to reveal Jesus Christ and to glorify Him. His whole teaching centres in Christ. From one point of view or the other, He is always bringing us to Jesus Christ.” As Christians, it is our heart’s desire to know God more and to know Him better. What a comfort to know that God sent His Holy Spirit to bring us into deeper knowledge of His Son!

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

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Our Current Study Theme!

This is If Week Two!
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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

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If Day 1 One God?

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 9:2-7
Hebrews 1
Colossians 1:13-22
Daniel 7:9-14

If, Day 1

Years ago, a certain talk-show host sometimes used his show to attack the faith he’d abandoned. During one show he asked, “If God the Father is so ‘all-loving,’ why didn’t He come down and go to Calvary?” This man traded the truth he knew for a what-if question. I myself have heard it in several forms.

What if Jesus was just a prophet or a great teacher? What if Jesus wasn’t really God? Honestly, I’ve asked myself these questions. It wasn’t from unbelief, but a desire to be able to explain my faith to others.

Those questions have one answer: Jesus was fully God and fully man. Therefore God did come down, teach as only God could, and then endure the cross so we could obtain salvation and eternity in heaven with Him.

Want to know what’s good about my answer? I can back it up.

If Jesus isn’t God, then He and John the Baptist would be liars. John the Baptist called Jesus “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) and “the Son of God” (John 1:34). Jesus said of Himself, “before Abraham was, I am,” (John 8:58), echoing God the Father’s statement in Exodus 3:14, “I AM WHO I AM.” But let’s go one step further.

If Jesus isn’t God, then God Himself would be a liar.
And let’s be clear.
God is holy.
He cannot lie. (Numbers 23:19)

When John the Baptist was baptizing Jesus, the voice of God from heaven proclaimed, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17) We know from Genesis 1 that the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) was present at creation. They work in tandem with each other. We see an example of this in John 14:16, where Jesus asks the Father to send the Holy Spirit to the believers. Three persons, yet one God, working for our good and our salvation.

Salvation means God working on behalf of man to deliver us from sin and death and give us eternal life in heaven. How does Scripture support this? What a great question! I started in Isaiah 9:6, “For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us.” Then it lists His names, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” Who is this Son who is also Mighty God?

Matthew 1:20 says this, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Look, we found Mighty God. It’s Jesus!

You might be wondering why this is important. Well, it speaks directly to several assertions people make about Jesus. Let’s review, shall we?

  •     Jesus was just a prophet or a great teacher
  •     Jesus was a great man, but not God

Colossians 1:13-22 addresses these assertions. Verse 13 reveals God has rescued us from darkness and “transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves.”
Who’s the Son God loves? Jesus.
Who possesses kingdoms and has authority over everything within them? Kings.
So Jesus was clearly not just a prophet or great teacher.
He was, and is, an eternal king.

I confirmed this in Daniel 7:14, “His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.” 

Well, what about the “great man but not God” statement? Colossians 1 says this:

  •     “He is the image of the invisible God” (verse 15)
  •     He created everything (verse 16)
  •     He is the head of the church (verse 18)
  •     God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him (verse 19)

Friends, Jesus was a great man. But He was also fully God.

But not just any “god.” Jesus is the One True God. He’s the God who reconciled His people to Himself by defeating sin and death. Defeating sin requires a perfect, sinless life. In other words, a person would need to be perfectly and absolutely holy. No human fits that bill. But God, presenting Himself in human flesh could and did, in the form of Jesus. Then, He went one better. He took on all the sin of the world so we could be considered clean before God the Father. We should sit with that for a moment.

To defeat death, we’d have to die and resurrect ourselves. Humans can die, but we can’t resurrect ourselves. But Jesus’ human body died and then was alive again. He, Himself, resurrected. No smoke and mirrors. Just the power and authority of God. Thus, Jesus earned the title of Savior.

God said this about Jesus, “And let all God’s angels worship Him.”
I say, let all of us worship Jesus, our one True God. He is more than worthy!

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Sketched IX Day 7 Heart Healer: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Heart Healer!

The Questions

1) According to this passage, what was Jesus like?

2) From this prophecy, what would Jesus eventually come to do and why?

3) What is our response to who Jesus is and what He did?

Isaiah 53:3-6

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.

He was like someone people turned away from;

he was despised, and we didn’t value him.

4 Yet he himself bore our sicknesses,

and he carried our pains;

but we in turn regarded him stricken,

struck down by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced because of our rebellion,

crushed because of our iniquities;

punishment for our peace was on him,

and we are healed by his wounds.

6 We all went astray like sheep;

we all have turned to our own way;

and the Lord has punished him

for the iniquity of us all.

Original Intent

1) According to this passage, what was Jesus like?
If we strictly consider what God is revealing to us through this prophetic passage in Isaiah 53, Jesus was despised. This Hebrew word used, “בָּזָה”, means utterly worthless and worthy of scorn, vile, and contempt. He was rejected by men continuously throughout His public ministry on earth. Throughout the gospel accounts, Jesus was reviled when He engaged with the religious elite group, the Pharisees, but He was also held in contempt among even His own people as John testifies to in his gospel, “He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.” (John 1:11) The words in verse 3 of Isaiah 53 describe Jesus as a man acquainted with physical and mental pain. He knew sorrow and suffering. His life on earth was not immune to loss, rejection, or misunderstanding.

2) From this prophecy, what would Jesus eventually come to do and why?
The promised Messiah would one day come as God in human flesh to carry the sickness of our soul and our bodies, which results from our sin. All the sins which chronically eat away at our hearts and bring destruction around us, He came to take these sins and their consequences on Himself. He carries them, in the way one carries a burden or a heavy load. Christ hoists the impossibly heavy load of sin’s consequences completely off us and fully onto Himself. He restores us back to Himself now, and one day, when we are with Him forever, our bodies will also be fully restored and whole. Isaiah says He was pierced for our rebellion. He voluntarily allowed Himself to be slain to take on the sin of our rejection of God and His ways. Christ bears not only the impact of sin (illness), but also the root of sin (rebellion). He was crushed (shattered, broken into pieces) for our iniquities (perversity, depravity, evil acts). All this He did for the ultimate healing of our relationship with Him, “…we are healed by His wounds.” (Isaiah 53:5, Romans 5:6-11) The hope of restoring us back to Himself in wholeness spiritually, and one day, fully physically, were Jesus’ motivations for His grand rescue mission which brought His death. We, those who would believe in Him, were the joy set before Him for which He endured the cross! (Hebrews 12:2)

3) What is our response to who Jesus is and what He did?
Isaiah paints a picture with his Holy Spirit led words, foretelling how people will respond to Jesus and His lavish sacrifice, “despised and rejected (…) He was like someone people turned away from; He was despised, and we didn’t value Him.” (verse 3) We can look at Jesus as being rejected by God, as some did at the cross. When Jesus claimed to be God, mockers wrongly concluded that if God would not save him, Jesus couldn’t be the Messiah. (Matthew 27:43) Isaiah writes of the common condition shared by every human being, “We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way…” (verse 6) We all stray (wandering about because we were seduced or deceived to leave the way) from God, rejecting His ways to go our own ways. To know the freedom Jesus offers, but to continue in this straying is another response we can have to Jesus. This arrogance and pride will lead us far from God’s loving rescue. The third response Isaiah highlights is to be healed by Jesus’ wounds, “punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds.” (verse 5) This Hebrew word for healed, ”רָפָה” means to be mended, cured, and made whole. Jesus takes the soul-brokenness we bring to Him and makes us whole.

Everyday Application

1) According to this passage, what was Jesus like?
When we think of Jesus, many images may come to mind. Usually of Him teaching or healing, spending time with His disciples, or even hanging on the cross. Rarely do our thoughts veer toward the imagery of Isaiah’s prophetic portrayal of the Messiah in Isaiah 53. Isaiah tells us he was despised (worthless and worthy of scorn, vile, and contempt). His very essence was viewed with such great repulsion, it caused many to turn away from Him. Usually we don’t think of Jesus in this way. We consider Him as the One Whom crowds followed. In fact, so many followed Him that He often slipped away (Luke 5:16), left quickly for another town (Matthew 5:1 and Matthew 8:18), or got into a boat to teach. (Luke 5:3, Mark 4:1) But here, in this ancient prophecy, we see another side of Jesus as the One rejected, scorned, and not given worth. We may want to think of Jesus’ rejection in terms of the days leading up to the cross, or the crowd crying out for a thief to be released in place of Jesus. (Luke 23:18) But Jesus is despised and rejected even today when people choose to keep chasing themselves instead of surrendering to His gracious goodness held out to them. Even those of us who believe Him, can still hold parts of ourselves back, choosing to reject His offer of redemption and grace. Scripture teaches that Jesus is familiar with suffering and rejection. He knows it deeply, yet He still gives Himself fully to all. Then, in remarkable love, when we suffer in this life, we can know with confidence that He sympathizes with us. (Hebrews 4:15) Let’s both give ourselves in full surrender to, and be richly comforted by, the Savior familiar with rejection and scorn.

2) From this prophecy, what would Jesus eventually come to do and why?
Jesus withstood the rejection of men and the abusive injustice of the cross because of the deep love He has for us. His love is not based on our works (Ephesians 2:9); nor is it given sparingly or with demand for repayment. (Ephesians 2:8) His love flows toward sinners, undeserving enemies, who have chosen to rebel against Him. (Romans 5:10) Yet, He takes on the sin of the world in order to win us back to Himself because He loves the world. (John 3:16) Every soul is precious to Him and He died for the opportunity for all to be reconciled to Him if they choose to respond in total surrender to Him. (2 Peter 3:9) This is His joy! A joy that willingly scorned the shame and pain of the cross, looking beyond it toward the redemption of His people. (Hebrews 12:2) We serve a sacrificing God who reaches into our lives to invite us into relationship with Him, even though we do not deserve Him or His love. We are His beloved, and He gives His all for us. He gave His all at the cross and He gives it still. Will we receive His redemption?

3) What is our response to who Jesus is and what He did?
Isaiah’s prophecy is ancient, but every person alive today still has the same responses available to them as those living in Isaiah’s day. We can outright reject Jesus, refusing His gift of salvation. This will result in our eternal death and separation from Him for eternity, forever distanced from His love and grace. Many do this because they view Jesus as weak or insufficient as the Isaiah passage illuminates. Others choose to reject Christ because they love the darkness instead of the light because their deeds are evil. (John 3:19) Even those who receive Jesus and His gift of salvation will reject Him and His ways at times, as we still desire to serve ourselves instead of God. Those times are when we go astray, giving into temptation and leaving God’s way for our way. When we do this, we are urged to confess our sin so He can cleanse and forgive us. When we repent from that sin (change our mind and actions away from the sin), and again choose to follow Him, we are confident that He has forgiven us and empowered us to keep on following Him. (1 John 1:9) The third response is to humbly receive Him (John 13:20), His love (Romans 5:5), and His leadership (John 14:15). When we trust Jesus, we open ourselves to Him and His healing touch in our hearts and lives. We abide with Him (John 15:4) and we become like Him. (Ephesians 4:13-15)

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1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
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3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
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Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

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Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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