Saturday, September 2, 2017

PT-1 Servant (Acts 3:13a)


SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/2/2017 9:51 AM

My Worship Time                                                                                       Focus:  PT-1 “Servant”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference: Acts 3:13a

            Message of the verses:  “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant.”

            Peter uses a description of God that would be very familiar to those Israelites who would be listening to this sermon that he was about to preach to them.  “Peter claims continuity with the Old Testament prophets, since he is declaring the same God they preached and the Messiah they promised.”

            John MacArthur writes “Peter proclaims that the God of the covenant, the God of the patriarchs and the prophets, ‘has glorified His servant.’  Pais (‘servant’) is an unusual title for our Lord, appearing only here, verse 26, Acts 4:27, 30; and Matthew 12:18.  It describes Jesus as God’s personal representative or ambassador.”

            In the remainder of this first part of this SD we will look at a portion of Scripture that probably is very familiar to most readers.  Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is probably the fullest exposition of the Messiah found in the Old Testament.  In our next SD we will look at a couple of other OT passages that speak of the Messiah, and of course we know the Messiah as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

“13 Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. 14 Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men. 15 Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.  1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2  For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. 3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.   4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? 9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.  10 But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. 11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.”

This Passage depicts Messiah as the Suffering Servant, obedient even to the point of death, death that He died for us to purchase our salvation.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It has been far too long since I read this passage, something that believers perhaps should read more often in order to see and to understand just exactly what Jesus Christ has done for them and for me, to reflect on what He did to purchase our salvation so that one day we will be able to live with Him forever.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust that the Lord will use what I have prepared for our Sunday School class tomorrow as we begin to look at the book of Revelation.  May He truly bless our time together tomorrow.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Matthew, Mark, Luke.”

Today’s Bible question:  “How did Moses obey God to obtain water at Messah?”

Answer in our next SD.

9/2/2017 10:21 AM

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